Chapter Nine: A hundred-fold
It had worked, the shadows had finally responded to the call of their child.
The shadows of the spikes were too chaotic and when he tried to sense the movements of the spikes through them, it instantly sent his brain into overload.
This made him make another misstep, causing a spike to pierce his rib and then vanish just like the previous one, but the disappearance of the spike didn't mean the same for the pain.
Dusken didn't give up and was trying his utmost best to grasp the spike's movements through their shadows, but he failed each time.
This caused him to get stabbed in multiple areas, and although he was able to handle the pain easily due to his firm willpower, his body was that of a ten-year-and it was beginning to slow down due to the wounds that were accumulating.
'There are only five bone spikes left now,' Dusken thought as he moved sideways to avoid a spike from piercing him.
'I guess I should try to grasp the movements of their shadows once again; this could make my attainment over the control of my side ability greater.'
Dusken nodded at this thought as he began to reach towards a faint connection in the depths of him. The movements of the shadows were erratic, but the spikes were much less now, and this made it easier for him.
One of the spike's shadows flowed through the ground, heading for the head of his shadow.
He immediately moved his head back, but he was impaled on his ankle by another spike that he had not sensed in time.
This was Dusken's weakness; it was difficult to focus on the shadows all at once, only one, and this always got him impaled by another spike.
Enduring the intense pain rampaging through him, he sensed all four shadows of the remaining spikes.
One was heading for his right rib, the other heading for his left shoulder from above, another one aiming for his stomach, and the last one heading for his right leg.
From this arrangement, it was clear that either the demon didn't want to kill him or he wasn't in control of the spike.
Dusken knew that he could kill anybody with just these four spikes alone; with no more time to think, he immediately began to move.
He slightly shifted his right rib backwards, missing a spike by just a few centimetres; he moved his left shoulder forward, making the spike falling from above miss him; he moved his right leg backwards as a spike flew past the position where it had been a moment ago.
He immediately used all his strength to move sideways to his right, and this caused the spike heading for his stomach to miss and tear through his robe, scratching his left rib and leaving a slight wound on him; the spike only reduced but didn't disappear like the others.
'Shit, this is exhausting!' Dusken cursed internally.
He recovered himself and immediately noticed that he was standing weirdly, causing him to lose his balance and fall, embraced by the barren earth below.
This made dust rise and merge with the cold atmosphere of the desert at night.
The spikes once again assaulted him; they were fast and incapable of feeling tired, while Dusken was relentless but was bound by the chains of mortal limits.
The shadows sent signals to his mind, and he immediately hoisted himself back up; he followed the senses the shadows sent to him and successfully dodged one spike after another.
Dusken noticed that he was dancing as he dodged the spikes flying at him, the dance was awkward, crude, jarring and lacked grace in every possible manner.
Dust rose from the ground as Dusken weirdly danced across it while avoiding all spikes.
'Curse it all, such a disgracing sight,' he shouted internally, but his motives had been achieved; he was getting the hang of how to perfectly follow the movements of shadows without overloading his brain.
The demon stared at this sight with palpable silence; his earlier laughter had become not but a faded memory.
"H-how is this possible? Dusk, what black magic is this? How did you perfectly dodge my soul spikes?" the incredulous tone of the demon flowed through the cold wind, arriving at Dusken's ears.
Dusken ignored it; he was in a state of clarity as he perfectly followed the senses of the shadows; any wrong move, and he might be stabbed.
A cold scoff resounded from the demon.
"Hmph! I didn't want to kill you previously because I wanted to end you fairly on an even stage when you have reached level 3, but I'll just kill you right now. You are only level zero, and you can already defend against one of my attacks, and I am level three, which is great; I admire your potential and strength, but I have to end you, or at least fatally wound you, or else the human race would have another genius which would be perilous for us, the aliens. Consider it an honour to die by my hands."
In an instant, the speed of the spikes accelerated multiple times; the shadows had become too fast to comprehend.
Even when Dusken knew where a spike was headed, before he could move, it had already impaled him.
This flow changed the battle almost immediately; Dusken was instantly impaled by one of the spikes on his left leg.
Another one stabbed him on the left arm, and one stabbed through his back, wanting to penetrate his heart, but Dusken twisted his body slightly, and he missed dying by a hair breath.
The last one - which turned out to be the one that had slightly injured his left rib and had its size visibly reduced - headed for his head.
Without hesitation and with a ruthless look flashing in his eyes, Dusken jumped, slightly twisting his left shoulder and using it to receive the blow that had wanted to stab his head.
Pain, pain like no other, went on a rampage in Dusken's senses; this time, his expression twisted into one of suffering, but he remained still.
Blood steadily dripped on the hard, cold and barren desert ground, the area was devoid of the bones that had plagued the desert throughout Dusken's journey.
Hahaha," the demon's laughter rang out in the area, but his tone was laced with pain.
"This is just because I am weakened by the poison; if I was at my peak, you would have died already."
The demon's laughter stopped as he prepared to leave.
Dusken's robe was soon dyed in crimson and his eyes were becoming dim, but his face was expressionless, and his heart was calm.
He slowly bent down as his injuries sent striking pain to his brain, making him shiver, he picked up the bone weapon from the hard desert ground.
Struggling to once again rise, he forced all his strength to his muscles and sent the bone weapon flying at the cloud of white smoke.
The bone weapon penetrated it effortlessly, but it only passed through the smoke, not harming the demon.
"That won't work on me, Dusk; I am just a soul; nothing can harm me in this…argh", the demon's words were interrupted as he suddenly shouted in pain.
Cough
A coughing sound resounded in the area as black, thick blood fell from the white smoke, and the smoke was reduced by half.
Dusken stared at this sight expressionlessly, with a cold gaze.
The demon had caused him pain, and he had done the same.
"So that was your plan, to injure me with the remnant poison on the bone," a voice twisted with pain and had a sense of dread to it rang out.
"Dusk, rejoice for you have lived today, but one day, I'll kill you with my own hands. I, demon prince Ashahell of the soul clan, will one day kill you." After these words were said, the white smoke in the area began to disperse as the demon left the area.
Dusken felt the shadow of the white smoke leaves the area. He stiffly moved his neck, facing the looming palace in the distance, he knew that a torturous, treacherous near future awaited him ahead.
His breathing was ragged, and sweat formed on his brows knitted as he endured the pain.
He turned his head back again, his bone screaming with every motion, and stared in the direction Ashahell had disappeared into. His lips slowly parted as a voice, laced with menace, fury, and cold resolve, boomed in the silent area of the desert.
"Ashahell, I shall find you and I will kill you, no matter the cost. This pain you made me feel today, I will return it to you a hundredfold. Mark my words"
Blood slowly rolled down from Dusken's lips, travelling down his jaw and dripping on the desert ground as he gazed at the area Ashahell had gone.
His vision was becoming blurry, as he turned his back, then staggered forward, walking towards the palace at the top of the cliff in the distance.