I hardly managed to dodge them all, knowing full well more than a handful had traced deep scarlet lines across my arms, legs, and torso. I sucked in air through my teeth, feeling their sting like pouring lime juice over an open wound, but instead of the sting dissipating quickly, I could feel it beginning to eat into my flesh.
I tried forcing Ethereal mana toward the wounds, but due to the presence of the Tyrant mana, it quickly dissipated, even going so far as to strengthen the burn. I couldn't hold my screams any longer. The pain of my ribs, coupled with the burning cuts, was simply too much for me to bear. Again and again, he launched his attacks, scoring marks across my entire body as his blades cut cleanly through the weak points in my armor.
I was losing blood, and at an alarming rate, but I didn't know just how much until one of the tendrils cut at my leg just above my knee, forcing me to the ground in a heap.
Thoma, I'm almost done healing Siraye. I will join you the moment I finish here, Kalia sent, though I could tell she was nowhere near done by the tone of her voice alone. No, I'll go, Ysevel interjected, but I knew it wasn't a good idea for anyone to be out of their protective dome right now.
No, don't. If he gets his hands on either of you, I could never forgive myself. It's me he wants, and I promise I'll find a way out of this, one way or another, I said, doing my best to project as much confidence as I could, since I knew they couldn't visibly see the state I was in.
I could feel their worry bleeding through our connection, but the sensation I got from my mother was something else entirely. It was a feeling of grim acceptance, much like what one would feel when they know the answer to a question they've avoided asking their entire lives.
It's alright, Mom, I'm okay. You've always taught me to face any challenge I meet head-on. You taught me the value of being honest with myself and ensuring that those I care about don't needlessly suffer because I feared what came next. You taught me always to hold my head high, no matter what it might cost me, and be proud of how far I've come. Just know that, if I don't walk away from this, please don't blame yourself, I said in as calming a voice as I could, trying to keep my tone even as another barrage of attacks scored my skin.
There was no immediate, verbal answer, but the violent torrent of rage, anger, sadness, and regret flowed through me like a waterfall. While I embraced her feelings, time seemed to slow the incoming attacks to the point where it looked like they'd been frozen in mid-air.
Make. Him. Bleed, she finally answered in a tone that could easily have been mistaken for an enraged empress. As you wish, I replied, gritting my teeth for what came next.
The attacks lurched back into motion, each one stinging, stabbing, or slicing me to no end. I hissed through the pain as I got back to my feet, feeling my arms shake as I fought against the weight of his attacks. Cuts began to dash across my face, pouring more blood than I could afford to lose into my eyes.
I set my jaw and glared at Mideia, at Edryd, and while I couldn't afford to dodge all of the attacks, the one aimed at my eye was one I could only afford to tilt my head to dodge, but to him, it must have seemed like I was beginning to see through all of his attacks.
His eyes widened in surprise as that disturbing grin of his returned to his face. "What's this? Have you somehow stumbled upon the will to fight me again? Come now, you know how this ends, right?" he asked, halting his barrage momentarily, though the other tendrils still floated in the air around him, poised and ready to strike at the slightest movement.
I slowly, painfully, brought my hand up to the pendant around my neck, allowing a wolfish grin to show ever-so-slightly. "Time to find out," I said, ripping the pendant from my neck and allowing my Wraith mana to flow freely in and around me. The burst of scarlet mana caused him to stagger not by force, but with the slightest bit of fear. "N-No, that's impossible," he stammered and shook his head slightly.
I suspected that, for the first time since the Great Partition, this was the first time he'd felt fear creep into his mind, eating away at him like a parasite he couldn't be rid of. I held his gaze for a few moments, allowing the Wraith mana to course through me as it began to heal the wounds he'd caused.
He watched with a growing sense of discomfort as my wounds began to shut, entirely disregarding the Tyrant mana he'd laced his attacks with. "You little…" he seethed, causing sickly green spittle to drip onto the floor. "What's the matter, friend? You look like you've seen a phantom," I said wryly, forming the kataki blade I'd kept on my wrist and coating it in mana.
He scoffed and shook his head. "Fine. Have it your way, then. Just know that he will suffer the consequences of your actions," he jutted a thumb toward himself. I nodded, feeling the last of my superficial wounds close shut.
Ed, I don't know if you can hear me, but I hope you know that I don't want to do this to you, but I don't have a choice, I sent, not knowing whether his consciousness was still present to understand my meaning.
"Very well. My turn," Mideia said coldly, suddenly bursting with an amount of Leech mana that created a pressure in the chamber that reminded me a lot of the first time I met Erumon. The sheer weight of it made me feel like I weighed over three times my normal weight, but it only brought a smile to my face.
Just like old times, right? I asked Kalia and Ysevel. I could feel their worry mixed with encouragement, but the former was a bit stronger. Just like old times. Do your best, my love, Ysevel said reassuringly.
The moment her words reached me, the binding rings that wrapped around the orb began to disintegrate, being absorbed into the orb itself as Mideia rose to about half the chamber's height. The surge of power contorted Ed's body, as a guttural scream left his mouth. I would have chosen that moment to attack, but since I needed to bide my time to heal my ribs, I knew it would be a dumb idea to do so.
Another pulse of mana, this time one much stronger than the last, burst out from the orb, not Mideia. I watched curiously as I tried to figure out what was happening.
He couldn't absorb all of it, but he's still much stronger than Nexis was when you fought him. Be on your guard, Kalia sent warningly. I'll do what I can, I said, gripping my kataki blade tightly.
Mideia's burst of power came to an end shortly after, and he glared down at me like I was still an insect to him. "I should thank you, Toma. It's been a very long time since I've felt this free," he said, running his fingers through his hair that seemed to float around him like the tendrils.
"Now, then. Shall we begin our honorable duel?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Before I could even answer, he appeared in front of me in a flash, driving a clawed hand directly toward my core. I side-stepped the blow, and regretted it almost immediately as I felt my still-healing rib crack a little more. I winced in pain, but I didn't have any time to nurse the wound.
He swung his left arm in a diagonal arc, hoping to carve into my torso. I caught the claw on my sword and deflected as much of his momentum as I could.
It's taking almost everything I have not to pass out right now, I thought, parrying and deflecting another rapid succession of blows aimed at my neck, chest, and stomach.
The moment I parried another one of his strikes, he used the redirected momentum to launch into a spinning kick, sending me careening toward the wall. I used the odoruki technique to get out of it and appeared behind him, slashing at his back. He caught my blade with his bare hand and shook his head with a wry smile before crushing it in his fist.