Red tried to think why he got a similar feeling from this possessed Narcha as he did when seeing Viran fight. It wasn’t because of their fighting style. No, this ghost was far more graceful and agile, while Viran relied on pure brute strength and savagery.
So where was this feeling coming from? What was so similar between those two individuals?
Was it the fact they were fighting against someone much stronger than them while relying only on skill and physical strength? Was it the feeling of absolute mastery and confidence they invoked in anyone who saw them fight?
While Red was considering this, the ghost went into another bout of attacks against Eiwin. The younger woman tried a more cautious approach this time around, looking for a counterattack and not over-committing in her strikes. Yet, she was quick to notice that being more passive didn’t give her any advantages.
In fact, it allowed the ghost to move freely in her dervish dance and accumulate more momentum, making her blows much more difficult to deal with. Eiwin felt this in her skin as more saber slashes drew sparks from her limbs.
She was on the backfoot once again.
Allen stared at Red with an urging gaze. “Eiwin is in danger! We need to do something!”
The boy frowned. He knew that much, but what could they do?
Use their talismans? They could cause significant damage, but all of that would be directed towards Narcha’s body, and the last thing they wanted was to kill her. Join the fight? This was the last thing Red wanted to do. Against the ghost’s onslaught, none of them would stand a chance, and the only reason Eiwin was keeping up with them was due to her sudden power up.
Yet even that wouldn’t last forever, as both Red and probably the ghost themselves were aware. When Eiwin became exhausted, what then?
There were other ideas crossing the boy’s mind, but all of them were very dangerous.
‘Maybe if I can get close enough to use the technique the necromancer taught me…’
Red hesitated, though. He didn’t know how effective this would be against this ghost, and as soon as he tried it, he would have shown his hand. If it didn’t work or it wasn’t as effective as he hoped, then it was very likely the ghost would target him.
Yet, maybe, just maybe, if his actions could provide an opening for Eiwin, then just one well-placed strike could knock Narcha out.
Red nodded at Allen. “You’re right. We have to do something.”
The boy picked out a handful of knives from his backpack before handing it to Allen.
The young master looked confused. “What do you want me to do?”
“Throw it at Narcha.” Red said. “Distract her long enough for me and Eiwin.”
Allen frowned in worry. “What are you going to do?”
The boy pointed at Narcha and then at his ears. “It’s a secret.”
He was worried the woman could hear them, and with good cause.
Thankfully, Allen seemed to pick up on the meaning of his motions and nodded. “Fine. I’ll be right behind you!”
Red was satisfied with his companion’s response. He turned to look at the two combatants. It was clear from Eiwin’s expression that she wouldn’t be able to last much longer.
The boy picked out the insectoid core and held it with his left hand while holding his sword on the right one. Then he looked at Allen and nodded.
It was his signal.
He charged forward, closing the distance between him and the possessed Narcha. Red focused on the crystal in his hand, whispering the incantations. From behind him, he heard the shrill sounds of a dagger being thrown.
The knife passed right over his head, flying towards the ghost. The aim and power wasn’t particularly strong, but the projectile was meant as a distraction, and it worked.
‘Narcha’ stopped her spinning for an instant and sent her saber over to bat the knife away. It was a swift movement, barely breaking her rhythm, and yet it was more than enough for Red, who was looking for such an opportunity.
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He closed in within a few meters of the ghost and recited the incantations, louder this time. The crystal in his hand glowed, and for the first time since they meet this possessed Narcha, he felt her fluctuation stir as her expression changed.
The slightest bit of grey gas came out of the woman’s body, and her movements slowed down for a second. She seemed to recover very quickly, and yet, her opponent wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
Eiwin dashed forward, striking with her open palm. This time, the blow connected directly, clashing right against Narcha’s armored chest. The possessed woman was sent flying, separated from her saber by the force of the strike, crashing against a half collapsed tree and causing it to splinter as she fell down.
The ghost grunted in pain and struggled as they tried to get up. A blow like this should have knocked even Narcha unconscious, yet in this possessed state, the woman looked barely injured.
Eiwin looked like she wanted to follow up on her blows, but her steps faltered. The silver glow on her skin started to wane and an expression of pain and exhaustion appeared on her face. She seemed to want to take another step forward, but even that seemed too hard.
Six months after the trial, she lasted even longer under her improved state than Red recalled. Yet, it ended just the same.
Eiwin looked at Red with an urging expression. “Quickly! Before she recovers!”
The boy didn’t even need her prompting. He charged forward, getting within two meters of the struggling Narcha as he continued to recite the incantations.
More grey smoke exited the woman’s body as the ghost struggled to get up. Red focused on the core in his hand, still being careful about a possible retaliation from his opponent.
That was when she laughed.
The boy felt a shiver run down his spine. He tried to dash back, but it was too late. ‘Narcha’ sprung up with unprecedented speed, recovering from her injury out of nowhere, and struck him in the stomach with a punch. The boy was sent flying, not unlike the ghost before him, coming to a crash in the middle of the opening.
“Red!” Eiwin dashed forward, even in her weakened state.
She sought to strike Narcha again, but her blows were too slow. The ghost dodged without an issue and hit her with a whip-like kick against her midsection. Eiwin grunted and was sent sprawling to the ground a few meters away.
‘Narcha’ ignored her, however, and turned to look at Red with a curious expression. “So that’s what I felt… Interesting.”
The boy couldn’t respond, trying to recover his breath and fight through the pain to get up again. Still, even in his dizzy state, he heard the approaching steps of the ghost.
“To think a mortal like you would know an exorcising technique…” the possessed Narcha said. “Yet, what is that you’re holding in your hand? A monster core? This color, though… This energy. I have never felt such a thing before.”
Red looked up and saw that the ghost was just a few meters away, almost upon him.
The ghost smiled. “I dare say, I have found something even more interesting this time around.”
“Don’t touch him!”
A scream came from beside her, and Allen dashed forward with his sword at the possessed Narcha. The ghost frowned and looked over.
The young master tried to stab at her, but it was obvious there was still some hesitation behind his blows. He was still fighting against one of his companions, after all.
Unfortunately for him, pulling his blows back or not, it made no difference in the outcome. ‘Narcha’ dodged his attack with ease and grabbed onto his sword hand. Then she threw him against a nearby tree like a rag doll.
“Ugh!”
The young master grunted in pain as he fell down.
Allen struggled to get up, but by then, ‘Narcha’ was already paying attention to Red again.
The ghost continued to smile. “You know, I always felt like you had quite a few secrets to your name. Yet, compared to getting a proper body, it seemed hardly relevant to me. Now, however, I’m certainly more curious… Perhaps before I hop over to the other woman, I should take a look at that mind of yours.”
Red frowned, and his mind started to come up with a way out. He had dropped the crystal and his sword down from the impact of the blow, and now he had nothing to defend himself with.Now, he also understood where the feeling of familiarity he felt between Viran and the ghost came from.
Utter helplessness. The feeling you were outclassed and outmatched in every way, and no matter what you did, there was no way out. It was what the boy felt every time he sparred against Viran in the underground, and it was what he felt now as he fought against the possessed Narcha.
He didn’t have a chance in a straightforward battle. Yet, since those days, Red had acquired more than a few tricks up his sleeve.
The boy started to roll away from the woman, seemingly trying to increase the distance between them.
The ghost saw this and laughed. “Do you really think you can run?”
She quickened her steps ever so slightly, closing in even further to the boy. Still, she didn’t immediately strike, as if finding the whole situation amusing.
And that was more than enough time for Red to reach his objective.
He approached the corpse of the Curse Breaker knight in the center of the clearing.
The possessed Narcha continued to laugh. “Do you think he has anything to help you? I’m sorry to disappoint you, but…”
She trailed off with a puzzled expression.
Red didn’t look for any weapons to defend himself with. Instead, he shoved his hand right into the bleeding flesh of the corpse. Immediately, a burning pain came from his hand, as a familiar feeling of strength and power began to curse through his body.
The ghost’s eyes widened in shock. “You…”
Red didn’t even deign to listen to her reply. Instead, he got up in a flash and dashed towards his weapon and core.
‘Narcha’ too, was quick to recover from her shock. She tried to stop him, but under his surge of strength, the boy had already used her moment of surprise to reach his objective.
He picked up his sword and core again, and faced off against a bewildered Narcha.
Demonic strength was cursing through his veins for the first time in six months.