Surrounded by scorching flames, Dan and the malicious creature glared at each other from opposite sides of the clearing.
Neither moved as the black flames crackled around them, illuminating the scenery with a grim brilliance. Both of them had been through hell. One had successfully ambushed the other and landed a potentially yet otherwise fatal blow, while the human wanderer, against all odds, had turned the tables and transformed the battlefield into a death trap.
The Fiend’s body remained mostly invisible, but the flames occasionally revealed faint distortions in the air around it. Dan could see its hateful eyes fixed entirely on him.
Both side seemed unwilling to make the first move and for Dan, there was a simple reason for standing idle.
He was exhausted.
His side was still bleeding, his entire body ached from the fall, and his Spirit had been rapidly depleted from conjuring the flames, with only [5] worths of essence left in the tank which was not a good amount.
On the bright side, the Fiend didn’t seem to be in any better condition.
Its movements had become noticeably slower, and the flames had already injured it once. More importantly, it had lost its greatest advantage in this ordeal.
Stealth.
As long as the flames remained active, Dan could track its position through the distortions they revealed.
But how much time did he have?
Needless to say, the flames wouldn’t last forever. They could disappear at any moment, either because the trees and other combustible materials surrounding them were completely consumed or because the ability itself reached its duration limit. Basically, he needed to finish it off before any of that happened.
Simple enough, right?
...Right?
’Why does everything have to be so damn complicated?’
He couldn’t afford to waste his remaining Spirit by rushing recklessly no matter how he detested the vile creature that irritated him to no end. If the flames disappeared, he would once again be fighting an invisible opponent. And if he made even one mistake, the next attack might be the one that killed him.
Which meant that he had to be extremely cautious and plan his every move carefully.
Contemplating for a few moments in silence, Dan visualized a simple shape inside his head, and the conjured image took the form of a short black dagger.
It wasn’t particularly impressive. Apart from its jade-colored edge, no other properties stood out much.
However, despite being a simple manifestation, it ended up consuming about [3] Spirit essence to create. This was due to the "special effect" he had imbued into its structure. But, of course, the other guy didn’t know that.
Dan rolled the dagger between his fingers, studying it for a moment.
’Three points...’
That was quite a considerable amount, especially when his Spirit was already nearing its limits.
Still, he believed it would be worth the cost.
After all, there was a reason he had deliberately chosen to create a dagger instead of another sword.
Gripping the dagger, Dan raised his eyes and looked toward the Fiend.
Now that he took a proper look at the son of a bitch, the creature appeared to be humanoid in shape, judging by the distortions surrounding its body. In terms of height, it was only slightly taller than the average male, with a physique that seemed lean yet muscular. Certainly, the creature was both odd and mysterious. There was something about it, something Dan couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was almost as though he wasn’t looking at an ordinary living creature at all, but rather a reflection of one.
It reminded him of the way a reflection behaved when the surface of the water was disturbed. The shape was there, yet never quite stayed the same. Every time he tried to focus on a particular feature, his vision seemed to slide away from it despite his best efforts.
On top of that, he eventually noticed the absence of its shadow; a fundamentally wrong image, no doubt. Could it be that the creature lacked a shadow because it was a shadow itself?
A Shadowfiend.
As he arrived at this conclusion, Dan stared at the otherwise invisible creature with a dumbfounded, fearful gaze.
"...What are you?"
The only response he received was a fearsome roar.
Suddenly, the Shadowfiend rushed toward him with palpable murderous intent, closing the distance without delay as if going for the killing blow.
Dan raised his dagger and quickly assumed a stance. But the creature was simply too fast for him to formulate a proper counter.
Moments later, he forcefully twisted to avoid the tremendous strike. The very air seemed to distort where the creature’s claws swept through, sending a cold chill across his skin.
Using the momentum of his movement, he stepped backward and slashed at the Shadowfiend’s approaching form.
Alas, the dagger only managed to nick the creature, drawing a thin line of blood.
The wound did little to disorient his opponent as the Shadowfiend immediately closed the distance and slammed its forehead into Dan’s face.
Slam–! Pain exploded through his skull as his nose broke. Before he could even process it, a powerful kick crashed into his stomach.
Overwhelmed by the relentless series of attacks, Dan briefly saw stars. And when he finally came back to his senses, he found himself flying through the air. Like a runaway rocket, his body shot a few meters backward with his limbs about flailing helplessly.
He ended up crashing into the ground, getting himself covered in mud and all sorts of unknown bacteria.
"Ah... F-fuck..."
Everything was spinning. That headbutt had really done a number on him. But he couldn’t afford to linger here.
Wet footsteps rapidly approached his position.
Gathering what little strength remained in his battered body, Dan managed to roll out of the way just as a powerful stomp came crashing down and cracked the ground, intending to crush his head at once.
Dan didn’t hesitate and drove his dagger into the Shadowfiend’s foot.
Stab–! Blood immediately spilled from the wound.
The Shadowfiend, apparently not appreciating being stabbed in the foot, let out an enraged growl and violently backhanded him before following up with a powerful right hook that sent him tumbling to the ground.
While the surrounding forest burned to a crisp, this exchange of blows continued with nothing but hate and spite, with one receiving many blows while the other received many shallow cuts.
’What the hell... what the hell...’
It was here that Dan realized that he had made a terrible mistake.
The Shadowfiend was simply too strong!
Every time he managed to land a hit, the creature answered with three of its own. Dan’s dagger danced through the air, constantly searching for openings, but the Shadowfiend’s distorted movements made every attack a gamble.
He felt the blade connect as he slashed at its ribs. A shallow cut appeared across the creature’s side, leaking a thin stream of dark blood.
Before Dan could capitalize on it, a fist crashed into his jaw and drove the air from his lungs, sending him staggering backward. The Shadowfiend followed, quickly closing the distance.
Dan raised his dagger but its knee slammed into his guts, nonetheless.
Gritting his teeth, he swung blindly and cut the creature across the forearm, leaving another shallow wound.
But the Shadowfiend barely reacted and slammed its fist into his cheek.
"Ughf."
Stumbling, Dan was unable to defend himself as a second blow struck his ribs, and another landed directly onto his face, momentarily leaving him in a daze.
Despite his stunned state, the creature didn’t relent and continued raining blow after blow, each strike much more devastating than the last.
Perhaps the Shadowfiend had been blinded by maddening rage, it continued hammering him with fierce punches that repeatedly stunned him, each time he blacked out only to wake up again to another round of beating, and the process repeated. Unable to withstand the repeated heavy punches, the stunned Dan swayed and wobbled as if wanting to fall, but the Shadowfiend didn’t even allow him that, stepping on his feet to keep him in place and continuing to punch him as if he were a punching bag.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Dan collapsed onto the floor while looking as brutalized as possible.
His clothes were torn and soaked with mud and blood. His nose was broken, his cheeks repeatedly beaten black and blue, one eye swollen until it resembled an inflated balloon while the other was beginning to close. It was a pathetic state that even the hardened thugs and criminals of the backstreets would have paled in horror at, perhaps even repenting for their sins.
One would wonder how he was still alive when a normal person would have died.
Well... not for long.
Unsatisfied, the unrelenting Shadowfiend grabbed him by the neck and began choking him, cutting off his supply of oxygen.