In a field, burning with an intensity that no normal person dared go close to, where even the land felt like it was burning... no, melting from the peak heat—
Two beings stood at the center, one on its knees, clutching its chest while the other stood a few meters away, gazing down on the first one.
Emmanuel gripped his blade, breaths coming out ragged, arm guard on fire, steam rising from his body.
The demon slowly lifted its head, ignoring the pain, a grin spread across its lips. "You sure you okay, kid?"
It slowly got up on its feet, its limbs still flaring with flame like veins spread from the flare all over its body.
"It looks to me like you're burning away at your own life using that technique."
Emmanuel flinched a little, quickly regaining his composure. 'He's right. There are many effects of low blood sugar but in my case, death is the most likely result.'
Then he took a stance, ready to clash again. 'That's why I have to finish this quickly.'
The demon's grin dropped. "But why are you risking your life anyway? What's driving you?"
Emmanuel just smiled and responded. "Don't worry. You won't understand even if I explained to you why."
With that Emmanuel lashed out at the demon who also darted forward.
The two fought on again, steel clanging against steel with each strike made.
And their movements were so fast that a normal being would just get confused trying to fish them out.
One moment, fire was roaring here—
The next moment, it was blooming several meters away.
Emmanuel parried a strike from the demon, flames soaring in the direction of the deflection.
They continued in the same way, the demon throwing furious slashes at Emmanuel, not giving him time to counterattack while Emmanuel had no choice but to block or deflect each hits.
And just like the first one, fire erupted.
At one point, Emmanuel jumped over the demon's blade, his own sword aiming for the demon's neck but the demon was fast and blocked.
No flames erupted this time and the demon's grin returned, using its strength to swing Emmanuel away.
Upon the swing, an arc of fire burst out, pushing Emmanuel back, way back and continued continued pushing.
Emmanuel planted his feet hard in the ground, skidding to a slow to stop and deflected the arc to the left.
The arc hit the ground, giving off a huge explosion.
The demon straightened, blade on its shoulder. "What's the matter brat? Running out of pure energy?"
Emmanuel also straightened up, breathing heavily, brows furrowed, his silence only telling his response.
The demon continued. "You're not denying it. Seems I was right. You weren't boosting your strike power with flame slash so that was the only conclusion I could come to."
Emmanuel scowled. "So?"
The demon chuckled. "So? I'm trying to let you know there's no way you can hope to win against me."
"Oh, yeah? Then why don't we find out?"
Emmanuel cracked, dashing forward at the demon.
The two clashed once again, moving so quick and creating explosions with each strike countered.
'I have to look for an opening.' Emmanuel thought during the fight, not getting time and space to breathe.
At one point, the demon slashed at Emmanuel who ducked, finding an opening to quickly move to the demon's right side.
Then he spun, kicking the spot behind the demon's right knee, forcing it down on that knee.
Without giving the demon a chance to recover, he moved behind the creature, sword hurling at its neck but it was fast and blocked with its own sword, before parrying the attack upward.
Fire breezed upward from Emmanuel's blade.
The demon grinned. "You used fire slash, huh?"
Emmanuel clicked his tongue, quickly turning the sharp edge of his blade down at the demon.
The demon's eyes widened in alert.
Emmanuel then brought down the blade on the demon's head, attempting to split it into two but the demon rolled out of the way.
The blade struck the ground and a burning cut shot outward, grazing away at the burnt earth.
Emmanuel turned to the demon furiously. 'He's making me waste my pure energy.'
The demon rushed at him again and they started again—exchanging clashes at an incredible speed.
The demon seemed to be putting much pressure on Emmanuel this time with every strike.
Emmanuel leaped back after one counter, landing and taking a deep breath, before dashing forward again.
The demon swung its blade sideways as Emmanuel closed in.
Seeing this, Emmanuel chose to duck beneath the blade.
The demon caught up quickly...
A bit too quickly, redirecting the blade down at Emmanuel.
Emmanuel blocked out of reflex.
Then using the momentum, he turned to face downward, redirecting the demon's sword which pierced through the ground.
The demon stumbled forward from the counter, leaving itself wide open.
Emmanuel took advantage of the situation, delivering a stamp with his foot to the demon's chest—the part where Emmanuel had cut him earlier.
The demon groaned and gasped, pain surging through its body as it was sent flying back, crash landing before rumbling and skidding to a stop.
It immediately held the cut, writhing on the ground in agony.
Emmanuel, not wasting any time, pounced, leaping to the demon, ready to strike it dead.
The demon managed to notice the incoming attack through the pain.
Blades pierced out of the soles of its feet as it performed a starfish kip up, transitioning it into a breakdance, blades spinning along with its feet.
Emmanuel noticing it, couldn't stop himself in mid-air and chose to block.
The kick slashes were fast, blades screeching against Emmanuel's sword like a chainsaw trying to cut steel.
At the end, the force pushed Emmanuel back.
He landed swiftly, watching as the demon also landed on its feet. It immediately went on one knee, clutching its bleeding chest.
He clicked his tongue. "That move was annoying, you know?"
The demon grinned through the pain. "You... can never... kill me, brat." It added a slight chuckle at the end which seemed to piss Emmanuel off.
He lashed out again, leaving no breathing room for the demon.
The demon had no choice but to lunge back at Emmanuel, ignoring the pain like it was something minor and it hadn't been groaning a few seconds ago in agony.
Emmanuel jumped up again, spinning forward like a wheel, katana outstretched.
The demon blocked, almost going down again but surprisingly rose up, using sheer force to throw Emmanuel back into the air.
It then jumped after him, attempting to cut him down but Emmanuel blocked, the force from the impact pushing the two apart—the demon back to earth and Emmanuel further up.
The demon landed with unease, the ground beneath its feet cracking.
In the few seconds Emmanuel hovered up, he shot the demon a soul piercing glare.
He slowly lifted up his blade, glare intensifying as his blade lit on fire. "I'll finish you off now."
With that, he pierced down through the sky at the demon, blade slicing down at the demon who blocked.
But the strike might have been a bit too much for the demon to take as it went down on one knee.
'Not yet.' Emmanuel thought, his sword flaring up, the flames extending, adding to the crushing pressure.
The demon groaned, the other knee threatening to give out on him. "No. He's using fire slash to increase his impact. I have to use it too to force him back."
Like he could read the demon's mind, Emmanuel pulled one hand back, the hand blazing up.
The demon's eyes widened, noticing that technique. "No!"
Emmanuel grinned. "This is part where you lose. Now..."
[Flame blaze]
He used his hand to hit the edge of the blade.
Immediately, a roaring whirlpool of hellish flames burnt down at the demon.
"HAAAAAA..." Emmanuel yelled at the top of his voice as if it would increase his power or something.
But it seemed like it did—
The yell was one of determination.
The demon howled, already engulfed in the inferno's embrace.
Even from a distance, one could feel the intensity of the flame storm and the screams which filled the air—one of agony and one of determination.