Chapter 34: Third manifestation

Pain rocked Dante’s body, yet the relentless assault continued raining down on him. His eyes had swollen, and his left one had burst, blood pouring from it. His face was already disfigured, and more blood spilled from his mouth.

It was true that he had defended against all these attacks before, but how could anyone, short of being some sort of god of knowledge, remember their patterns, especially when they came so fast and in such overwhelming numbers?

He kept staggering backwards as the invisible attacks landed all over him. The heavier ones sent him flying backwards, crashing and skidding across the ground.

Even when his momentum finally stopped, the echoing fists resumed from where they had left off. This continued until he was hurled against the wall of a half-destroyed house, and the remaining fists descended upon him before he could even think of moving.

He slumped against the wall, breathing heavily as thick blood slipped from the corner of his mouth.

Yet, throughout all this, Vehitoshi remained kneeling where he was, laughing like a madman as green energy surged around him, endlessly fuelled by the hatred Star’s body harboured for the king.

"Demonic Rites;"

"Third Manifestation...:"

"Soul Reaper!!!."

Dante’s eyes had grown too heavy to keep open, but when he heard those words, his body trembled.

’Third Manifestation?! He has also unlocked his Third Manifestation?! This can’t be possible! Higher demons are still struggling to completely unlock the tenth edict of their First Manifestation, while he has unlocked all ten edicts of his first two manifestations and already unlocked a third!’

His body shook even more. ’No, I need to get out of here and live to fight another day.’

Vehitoshi’s purple eyes began glowing an ominous green, and every demonic mark etched across his body followed suit, bathing him in the same tenebrous light.

Just then, the skin on his forearm ripped open, and blood poured from the wound, but that seemed to be the least of his concerns. If anything, Vehitoshi spread his arms wide.

"Yes! YES! After a thousand years, I’m feeling this thrill again! Hihihihi!"

From the wound, a thick, dark, curved blade first clawed its way out, its frame surrounded by a dark green glow. Then its long, thick, dark chains followed suit. They kept creeping out until the curved blade at the end of the chain finally crumpled against the ground.

"Ahhhh, Athrax! How I’ve missed you!" he coaxed as he gripped the length of the chain. However, the other end remained inside his forearm, extending deep within him.

His eyes turned towards Dante, an evil smile spreading across his face.

"Soul Reaper Edicts..."

"Five..."

"Your soul is mine!"

Dante’s eyes widened in pure panic.

Vehitoshi swirled the chain, making it spin like a green blur on either side of him. Then, leaning forward, he flung it towards Dante. The chain sped towards him, its darkness so palpable that Dante could already feel its presence from a distance. More of the chain continued pouring endlessly from Vehitoshi’s forearm until the curved blade finally reached its target.

SQUELCH!

The first curved blade drove into Dante from above his left shoulder, sinking deep towards his heart.

"AAAARGH!"

Dante’s scream tore through the night as the second blade ruptured into his right abdomen, piercing upwards towards his heart as well.

"Mmmrgh!" he groaned in pain, his body hanging limp against the dark chains.

Vehitoshi’s eyes glinted ominously. "Taking your soul will give us back what was rightfully ours."

He closed his eyes for a fleeting moment, then opened them again, their glow growing even darker. Gathering the energy required to draw out Dante’s soul, he pulled.

...

Zuru and Sarah hid behind a ruined house. Sarah was still very weak from all the electrocution her body had endured, so Zuru had practically carried her until they found a place to hide.

The ruined house had a section of collapsed wood that slanted downwards, providing enough cover to keep them hidden from sight. Unfortunately, a trail of blood had betrayed their position.

Cindela and Cirella were searching for them, as Dante had ordered.

Cindela spread her fan, its sharp shing cutting through the air. "I’ll cut them into pieces when I find them! It’s their fault I’m here chasing rats instead of protecting my lord."

Cirella merely sighed. Although she took Dante’s orders seriously, she didn’t even appear serious.

"Can’t you at least pretend you’re not fucking your lord?"

Cindela’s breath caught. "No!" She replied sharply. "And that’s because I’m not fucking him! What kind of warrior would I be?"

"Well, one who’s seen a royal dick," Cirella giggled. "And one who knows how to work on it... handle it, suck it... fuck it." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Aww, I know you’d be so good in bed, sis."

"Ew, Ella!" Cindela grimaced, but almost immediately, she stretched out a hand and held Cirella back.

"Mm?" Cirella gasped, confused by the sudden stop.

"Shhhh!" Cindela immediately shushed her, pointing towards the ground.

Cirella followed her finger and spotted the trail of blood. It led forward before turning left. She then smiled evilly. "Advantages of fucking the king... sharp eyes."

"Oh, shut up!"

The two women adopted a more meticulous approach. Cirella silently drew her sai daggers, becoming more alert in case their quarry attempted anything unexpected. Cindela, meanwhile, advanced with her fan raised, its razor-sharp edges catching the dull crimson light of the moons.

When they reached the spot where the blood trail turned, Cindela signalled to Cirella to stand by while she checked around the corner. That way, if their target somehow slipped past her, Cirella would be waiting.

With her fan raised, Cindela approached cautiously. She turned the corner sharply, ready to cut down whoever was hiding there, but then she paused, her brows furrowing.

Zuru lay face down on the floor, one arm tucked beneath his stomach, like someone who had been stabbed.

"Aww, injured already? Well, too bad your blood gave you away," she sneered, making a feeble attempt to imitate Cirella in her most annoying manner.

’Ugh, who am I kidding? I can’t act like her,’ she thought to herself. ’Not like it matters anyway. Let me just get this over with.’

She raised her fan, ready to deliver a killing strike, but...

Zuru spun around quickly. He didn’t hesitate as he raised the Davonchi’s severed arm he had been hiding beneath him. Pressing the button between the index finger and thumb, he sent the thick metallic ropes shooting forward.

"Shit!"

The smug expression on her face vanished instantly as the metallic ropes wrapped mercilessly around her. She lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"Well, too bad your stupidity gave you away," Zuru retorted.

Without the slightest change in his expression, he pressed the button in the palm of the severed arm seven times.

The electrocution was so fierce that Cindela couldn’t even scream. She lay there, vibrating on the floor, her veins bulging beneath her skin. Even her eyes blazed red as her consciousness slowly slipped away.

Zuru exhaled as he quickly got to his feet. He was never injured. Everything he had done was merely a ploy to catch her off guard, and it had worked. Besides, the trail of blood leading to his hiding place had been part of his plan too. He had deliberately allowed it to drip from the severed hand.

Without wasting another second, Zuru dashed out of the hiding place. However, the moment he rushed forward, a foot suddenly stuck out in his path. He tripped over it and crashed heavily to the floor.

Cirella was surprised to see that Zuru was the one who had jumped out. So she looked and spotted Cindela lying on the floor, bound and unconscious. She turned back towards Zuru, surprise written all over her face.

However, she showed no sympathy for Cindela. Instead, she began walking towards Zuru, who nervously started stepping backwards.

"So all this has been a trap... Maybe you’re not as useless as I thought after all," she giggled, raising both her sai daggers. "Who knows? You might be good in bed too."

"Oh, yeah?" Zuru nodded as he continued stepping backwards. "Well, maybe you could lower your weapons, and we could talk about just how good I am. Hell, I’ll even tell you about the countless women I’ve slept with and how good they thought I was." He lied.

Cirella tilted her head with a childish pout. "Awn," she sneered, "that would have been fun." The amusement on her face vanished instantly. "If only you weren’t trying to fool me." With that, she rushed at Zuru.

Zuru considered turning around and fleeing, but then he remembered how frighteningly accurate the girl was with her daggers. He couldn’t risk having one buried in his back before he had taken more than three steps. As much as he hated the idea, his only option was to stand his ground and fight.

’Universe!’ He swallowed nervously.

Cirella launched her first attack, but Zuru managed to dodge by ducking. The second followed almost immediately as she swept her dagger forward, aiming for his forehead while he was still bent down. Zuru quickly leaned backwards and rolled away, narrowly escaping the blade.

"Wow!" Cirella mused, genuinely astonished. "You actually managed to dodge two of my attacks. You just keep amazing me."

"Really?" Zuru gasped, scrambling back to his feet. "Thank you! I’ve always wanted to impress a woman, although I was hoping not to have to risk my head to do it!"

Cirella giggled as she lunged again, this time moving faster and forcing Zuru into a panicked series of dodges that he barely managed to keep up with. Yet, through it all, one thought dominated his mind: he couldn’t afford to let even the slightest scratch from those daggers touch him.

He was convinced they were cursed, and whatever poison they might carry was another problem he desperately didn’t need. That fear, however, kept him unusually alert, allowing him to anticipate and evade her attacks.

He ducked one dagger, twisted away from another, then nearly stumbled over his own feet trying to escape the third.

’Oh, Universe! Oh, sweet merciful universe! Why is she so good at this? Doesn’t she have a hobby? Knitting? Gardening? Collecting cute little spoons? Anything!’

"Whoa!" He narrowly avoided another slash, feeling the breeze of the blade brush his hair.

Cirella soon grew annoyed with how he kept dodging without making a single attempt to counterattack.

And that made her even more merciless.

She leapt high into the air, bringing her right hand down in a sweeping attack. Zuru managed to dodge the blade, but he was too slow to evade her follow-up.

Using the hilt of her other dagger, she struck him squarely on the temple.

The blow sent Zuru crashing to the floor. ’Ow, it hurts. It fucking hurts so much!’

Cirella rushed forward and raised her dagger to stab him, but Zuru quickly rolled away, causing the blade to strike the ground instead. He was still struggling to get back on his feet when Cirella somersaulted forward and drove a kick into his stomach.

Zuru staggered backwards until his back slammed against the wall of a ruined house. Cirella flipped neatly back onto her feet, giving him no time to recover before closing the distance and pinning him against the wall.

"You cocky bastard!" she hissed angrily, raising her dagger to his throat.

Just then, a smile crept across her face despite herself, her childish expression returning as though the anger had been nothing more than a brief interruption to her amusement.

"Well," she giggled, "it’s a pity that someone who might be very good in bed is going to die this way."

Zuru’s eyes darted fearfully towards the dagger hovering near his throat. He swallowed hard. ’What a romantic way to die. Mother, wherever you are, I hope you’re proud.’

Cirella raised her dagger, but before she could strike, a loud shriek tore through the air.

Cirella turned and looked up, only to see the huge luragon flying towards her, with McCoy seated comfortably on its back.

She raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Zuru, however, immediately noticed her distraction and seized the opportunity. He shoved her away and fled before she could react.

That only made Cirella angrier, but before she could chase after Zuru or do anything else, a torrent of ice came screaming towards her. She had no choice but to save herself first, so she dived out of the way just as the ice slammed into the spot where she had been standing moments earlier.

The beast, however, showed no intention of letting Cirella escape. It surged forward and landed heavily on the ground, sending a tremor through the surrounding ruins.

Cirella was still scrambling to get away when the beast suddenly whipped its massive tail sideways. The sweeping blow caught her squarely and hurled her through the air before she crashed through the wall of a nearby house, sending chunks of masonry and a cloud of dust bursting around her.

"Whoa!" McCoy exclaimed, his astonishment quickly turning into delight. He patted Skar’s broad back with an approving grin. "Attaboy!"

The beast shook its head happily before lowering its body to let McCoy climb down.

Meanwhile, Zuru had hidden behind the broken wall of a ruined building, his entire body trembling.

’Gosh, I can’t believe this fucking ice beast is back again!’ he thought, swallowing hard.

Then his brow furrowed. ’Wait a minute. McCoy is riding it. Does that mean McCoy was the one who sent the beast?’

Curiosity slowly began to overpower his fear, though only by the smallest margin. He cautiously leaned out to take a peek, sticking just one eye around the edge of the wall.

Unfortunately, his eye met McCoy’s.

"RAH!" Zuru yelped, jerking backwards so violently that he lost his balance and landed flat on his backside.

McCoy’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Seriously?" he muttered. "I thought a thief like you would have had a little more courage."

Zuru’s face immediately scrunched up in indignation. "Yeah, I-I-I I have courage!" he shot back. "This was just me practising my bizarre kung fu! It’s a technique I learned from Master Jing Lao!" He quickly twisted his body, raised his fists, and spread his legs into what he apparently considered a formidable fighting stance. "We call this the dancing Dragon on the Floor. Come any closer, and you’ll feel my wrath."

McCoy raised an eyebrow. "I didn’t come to fight you or kill you. Besides, I think your..." His brows furrowed. "kung fu... is exactly what we need to save your friend, the young prince."

Zuru blinked. "Wait, you didn’t come to kill me, and-and we’re going to save Star?"

McCoy nodded as he turned around. "That’s the plan."

Zuru let out an incredulous laugh. "Are you insane?" he blurted out. "There’s no Star! The boy was just a demon all along! If you love yourself, like I think you do, go home and enjoy your mon..." He suddenly froze.

McCoy noticed the abrupt change in his voice and paused. He was about to turn around to find out why, but then he realized that Skar had walked up to where they were.

"Oh!" he murmured, turning around. "The beast is on our side now. Come on, let’s go for a ride."

Zuru’s frown deepened.

"Our side?" he asked, placing extra emphasis on the word our.

McCoy turned fully towards him, his expression innocent, as though he hadn’t been the very person persecuting them just hours earlier.

"Yeah," he said simply. Then he exhaled. "Look, I know it’s been a long, stressful night."

"The fuck it has!"

"I know, I know," McCoy replied sharply. "But come ride with me. I’ll explain everything."