The paladin fiercely swung his sword again. It drew a perfect arc towards Tobey like a shooting star falling from the skies. Its speed and precision were undeniably amazing.
However, now that he was in his Demon Form, Tobey had an easier time dodging and defending that kind of attack, and each second that passed only got his instincts and reflexes even sharper.
For a good while, Tobey needed to keep defending, swatting, and dodging the paladin's sword with all his might. That meant that the demon was in his best version. His mind was sharp like never before. He doubted that the Paladin would be able to unleash something against him that he wouldn't be able to dodge or parry.
Making use of that advantage, Tobey obviously wouldn't stay only on the defensive. He needed to fight back!
The detective followed the paladin's blade with his eyes until it was in a good position. He fearlessly gave a step towards the upcoming attack while piercing with his dagger. His dash was precise and concise, he could close in quite easily.
The paladin wasn't expecting such a turn in the tables. He was sure that Tobey couldn't keep up with his speed and that was why he kept defensive. However, he was wrong in his judgment. Tobey could not only keep up with the speed of his attacks but also react faster enough to counter them!
'Before, I wasn't able to do it. But now I am well aware of how you fight and the average speed of your attacks. I can also tell when you will attack or just feint. From now on, you are dancing in the palm of my hand!'
The fastest way to get to point A to B is in a straight line. A straight line would always offer more efficiency regarding reaching a certain point. That's why Tobey's thrust with the dagger reached the paladin before the latter's horizontal attack could strike him.
The paladin watched in shock as Tobey's dagger burst through his shoulder, then spun and came out quickly. Tobey kicked his stomach in order to push him away as soon as he could hit him. He didn't want to keep in a close range when fighting someone with far more physical strength than him.
"You bastard..." the paladin grunted as he glanced at the wound in his shoulder and placed a hand on his stomach.
'When he spun his dagger, he dilacerated the flesh around and could take some arteries as well... Too bad for him that, although my regeneration isn't the best you could find among other paladins, it is enough to stop the bleeding. Anyway, it was a smart move.'
The paladin placed his palm over the wound, which started to shine with a golden light. The wound didn't close much, but Tobey could perceive that the bleeding was gradually stopping. That was bad news for him, who was trying to make his opponent weaker.
[Well, it doesn't matter. I don't know if you remember, but there is a hag running across the city and trying to find reinforcements to come here and beat you to a pulp. You better kill this guy QUICKLY! Next time, don't aim at the shoulder but the jugular already!]
'As if I know where a freaking jugular is! I am a detective, not a biologist. There was just one content I truly absorbed in biology class, and you know very well what it is...'
[You damn womanizer, pay attention to what this guy is doing!] Mask warned.
Nonetheless, Tobey was already paying attention to what was going on in front of him. He learned over the days how to interact with Mask without losing his focus on the important things, particularly when he had just sarcastic comments to make.
The paladin was charged towards him, swinging his sword once again despite feeling pain.
Tobey dodged the horizontal swing, then swatted the following attack, opening the paladin's guard just to deliver another kick on his stomach and send him flying away.
'Anyway, you are right, Mask! That bleeding didn't mean anything in the end. Whether it was there or not, it wouldn't make much difference. We can't afford this battle to last longer. However, I need to attack whenever I find an opening, and I can't choose exactly what place I want to attack in a situation like this one.
'Anyway, nothing is helping it. I need to learn how to use this freaking dagger. If I don't do it just right, it will be my end. It's not a matter of foolishly attacking him and getting out of this battle without learning anything. I am sure that, under a tense situation, I will learn how to deal with this power ten times faster!'
[Ten times is a bit too much. Well, good to know that you are still reasoning like the rational individual that we all know you are. Good luck with learning how to get your ass beaten while trying to do something useful.]
'It would be really nice to get some help, you know? I am feeling more connected to this dagger, but something is still lacking...'
[Sigh... You really leave some things to pass by unnoticed, huh? Do you think that all this Dark Energy embedded in your body and exuding from your weapon is just for show? Learn how to use it, Tobey! Learn it so you can keep surviving! Isn't that why you are struggling all these days?] Mask shouted.
[It's not time to be an air-head, and definitely not the time to overthink things. Just recognize your demonic nature inside yourself, be one with your Soul Mirror, and kill that man already!]
It was good when Mask left his mocking side behind and acted more like the man that Tobey needed him to be.
Tobey watched as the paladin got up again, using that bit of time to heal more his shoulder. It wasn't completely healed and would surely get in his way while he was fighting, which was Tobey's main objective when attacking that spot. The spin was calculated to have that effect, precisely.
The paladin, though, seemed satisfied just with that. At least, his left arm wouldn't be in complete idleness.
"I was thinking about not using it for the time being. It wasn't the objective to kill you right now. After all, they want us to get you to Clementine first. Anyway, I think I will need to do it since things are getting to a point where my life is under real threat."
Tobey felt something different in the air, something that he had felt before but he couldn't recollect when it was the last time. For a while, he felt his mind blank.
[Hmm? Didn't you remember? Well, if you don't go all out against this guy right now, you are screwed. That's Divine Energy for you. He is going to use it. Since he isn't a high-grade Paladin, he doesn't have any special technique, but just by using this energy, he will get stronger. Be careful.]
Tobey nodded as he prepared himself.
Firstly, he only felt a slight difference in the air, something that was taking a little bit of his strength like a leech.
However, as milliseconds turned into seconds, the power accumulated soon got huge enough to swallow Tobey's presence completely, even in his Demon Form.
'Here it comes!' Tobey thought as he felt a sharp sensation in his heart, indicating that something was going to happen.
The paladin's sword was now covered in a golden wavering light that emanated a frightening aura. At least for Tobey, it was very frightening. After all, that energy was the opposite of his, it was naturally made to hunt his kind.
The paladin kicked the ground, cracking the floor under his feet. When seeing that, Tobey figured that his strength wasn't resumed to only his dashing, his attack surely would be two times as devastating.
Like a flash, the paladin appeared in front of him while swinging his sword horizontally.
Tobey bent his body backward, avoiding the sword by inches but getting scratched in his nose by the tip of the blade. However, the strength of that blow was much more intimidating than Tobey thought as the gust of wind generated by the blade made him lose his balance and stumble backward several steps.
'Damn it! Was this swing strong enough to make such pressure in the air!? Is that how different a paladin can become just by using Divine Power?'
Tobey set foot on the ground, spreading his legs and bending his knees so he would regain his balance and be prepared for anything that could come.
Just as he thought, the paladin wasn't going to stop with just one attack. Another one came diagonally looking like a lightning bolt or a quick flash of light reaching Tobey's vision. His Demon Form didn't boost his perception and agility enough to follow those attacks.
Tobey's body shivered as he barely dodged by leaping backward.
The paladin followed suit, pressing him with a combination of four attacks. A whistling sound echoed across the night as his blade cut the air millimeters away from Tobey.
No matter where the demon tried to escape to, the paladin would chase after him as if predicting his next steps. He didn't know whether he was too predictable or the man had good senses. In any way, the fact was that he was totally losing right now.
In a last attempt to attack, the Paladin fully charged his weapon while roaring and giving a long step forward. He used all his body in that swing, holding his weapon with both hands and putting all his weight on that vertical slash.
Tobey gritted his teeth as he saw that, planting his foot on the ground as he widened his eyes in both fear and anticipation. He was preparing himself for the upcoming pain.
The detective moved his dagger in front of his face and defended the blow just barely before it reached him. He used all his strength to redirect the blow and make it just scratch him on the shoulder.
Finally, Tobey leaped backward, taking his distance while panting hard.
[Hey, unfortunate bastard...]
'I know...' he said while tightening the grip on his dagger and feeling an emptiness inside his heart that he never felt before. 'I know it.' he repeated once again as he glanced at his dagger, seeing that there was a chunk of it missing and some fissures spreading across its blade.
Tobey finally was tasting his own poison. In the end, there were clear limits in his initial power, even though he was above average.