A sharp, brutal force drove into his ribs, and he felt something inside him give way. There was a sickening crack, then another. Pain exploded through his torso as several rib bones fractured at once. The strength behind the strike lifted him clean off the ground as though he weighed nothing. His feet left the earth, his vision blurred, and the world spun violently around him.
He was sent flying.
His body slammed hard against the rocky exterior of the mountain where the cave was carved into. The collision knocked the air out of his lungs completely. Dust and small fragments of stone fell around him as his back scraped against the rough surface before he collapsed onto the ground below.
For a moment, he could not breathe.
Pain radiated through his chest in violent waves. Every attempt to inhale sent sharp agony tearing through his side. His broken ribs screamed in protest, and he could feel the instability in his torso each time he moved even slightly.
Above him, the demon's voice echoed calmly, almost casually.
"Isn't it basic information that you shouldn't remove your sight from your opponent?"
The tone was neither rushed nor strained. It was controlled, mildly disappointed even, like a teacher correcting a careless student.
"And to think you are the one who claimed you would make me pay for my crimes," the demon continued, a faint mockery threading through its words. "How pathetic."
Conor forced himself onto one knee, coughing violently. The taste of iron filled his mouth, and he realized he had bitten his tongue during the impact. Blood mixed with saliva and dripped onto the rocky ground beneath him.
He did not have time to recover.The demon moved again.This time, Conor saw it.
A blur of motion cut through the air as the skinwalker dashed forward at frightening speed, heading straight for him. The ground beneath its feet cracked slightly under the pressure of its acceleration.
Adrenaline surged through Conor's body. Ignoring the pain screaming from his ribs, he pushed himself up and rolled sideways just as the demon's fist came crashing down.
The punch struck the mountain wall instead.
The sound of impact thundered across the area. Stone shattered outward as if struck by a cannonball. Large chunks of rock broke loose and scattered everywhere. Dust erupted into the air in thick clouds. The demon's fist had created a massive dent in the solid mountain wall, spiderweb cracks spreading outward from the point of contact.
Conor stared at the destruction for a brief second.If that strike had connected with him directly, he would not have survived it.
There was no doubt about that.
Not even his mutant abilities would have saved him from such raw physical power.
He could not afford to let the demon control the pace of the fight.Immediately, Conor activated his mutant ability.
With his free hand, he summoned ice.
Cold energy surged from within him, flowing outward through his palm. The temperature around them dropped sharply as frost formed along the ground. A stream of ice shot forward and wrapped around the demon's hand, which was still embedded in the mountain wall.The ice spread rapidly.
In seconds, the demon's arm was frozen solid against the rock, thick layers of ice reinforcing the bond. Frost crept up along the creature's limb, hardening and solidifying with precision.
Conor did not stop there.
He shifted his focus downward and froze the demon's feet to the ground. Ice formed around one leg first, encasing it firmly. Then, using his ability, Conor propelled himself in a swift glide across the frozen surface to the opposite side and froze the second leg as well.
Now both of the skinwalker's feet were sealed to the earth, and one of its hands was fused into the mountain by layers of reinforced ice.
The creature was restrained.
Conor exhaled sharply, wincing as pain shot through his ribs.This was his chance.
He had created an opening.
By immobilizing the demon's limbs, he had taken control of the battlefield, even if only temporarily. The ice binding was thick and dense, layered deliberately to resist brute force.
He would not waste this opportunity.
Without hesitation, Conor transitioned to his next move. Gripping his sword tightly despite the tremor in his hands, he bent his knees and leaped into the air. The jump was meant to build momentum, to add gravity and force to his downward strike.
From above, he aimed at the demon's torso.
His blade sliced downward with precision, cutting through the space where the creature stood immobilized.
The motion was clean.Fast.Decisive.
He landed smoothly on the ground beyond his opponent, boots touching earth with a controlled impact.But something was wrong.
There had been no resistance.
No sound of steel cutting through flesh.
No recoil of impact.Only air.
Conor's eyes widened.He had cut through nothing.The space he had just attacked was empty.The demon was no longer there.
The ice still clung to the mountain wall and the ground, intact and unbroken. The frozen restraints remained in place, as if still holding something. But what they held was nothing more than hollow space.
His heart skipped.
"What the… where did he go?" Conor whispered to himself, shock creeping into his voice.Just a second ago, the creature had been there—perfectly immobilized, its limbs trapped under thick ice. And now it was gone.
Not shattered free.Not struggling.Simply… gone.The air around him felt colder, heavier.
His grip tightened around his sword as his eyes scanned the surroundings frantically. The forest edge remained silent. The mountain wall loomed behind him. Dust still floated lazily in the air from the earlier impact.
Yet the demon was nowhere in sight.It had vanished without a trace.A chilling realization began to form in Conor's mind.This was not speed alone.This was something else.
Something beyond simple physical movement.
The creature had not just broken free.
It had disappeared.