Chapter 298: Leaps of Faith (Two)

“There are so many issues, I do not know where to begin,” Balagra said, staring at Vir with a mixture of confusion, fear, and hope. Malik had joined them, and was nodding in agreement.

“Then speak quickly. We have little time,” Vir replied, peering out over the rock wall at the halted Chitran troops, some hundred paces away.

The order had been given to break camp, and demons rushed this way and that. A few had questioned the intent of the order, but none resisted. After all, to stay was to die, and thus far, Vir had kept far more of them alive than the Overseer had ever intended.

“Supplies. Food and water,” Malik said.

Vir didn’t address Malik directly, but instead turned to Balagra. “You’ve been to the Ash,” Vir said. “You know how bountiful its land is. Food will never be a problem there. As for water, we’ll find a spring. Until then, we’ll make do with lake water.”

“Indeed, the land can be bountiful, if one is strong enough to brave the dangers,” Balagra said. “I suspect you certainly are. And with your ludicrous mobility… With you as our scout, we may very well find what we need to survive there. But what of the beasts?”

“You’ve seen the strength of the wolves and Shredders coming through this region of the Boundary,” Vir replied. “They aren’t the strongest. Which means we’ll end up somewhere in the periphery.”

“Even so, that is a gamble. The Boundary is known to fling people to the deepest parts of the Ash, regardless.”

“That’s a gamble we’ll have to take,” Vir said. “It’s either this or attempt to hide from the Chits here in the Demon Realm, and that is a losing proposition.”

“I suppose,” Balagra grumbled. “If they can survive the beasts.”

“I will protect them until they are strong enough to defend themselves. Besides,” Vir said, “the beasts are part of the training. When we return, it will not be as a ragtag mob, but as an army.”

“How exactly do we plan to return, though?” Malik asked. While the demon’s worry was obvious, he kept it out of his tone, which Vir greatly respected.

“I know you’re afraid,” Vir replied in a soothing tone. “We all are. I just ask that you trust me. I will scout the Ash far and wide until we find a suitable Gate. If we enter the realm near the periphery, as I’m hoping, there should be several Gates leading back to this realm. It’s deeper in the Ash that they become nonexistent.”

“Would be good if we end up near the edge,” Balagra said. “Most of these demons haven’t been to the Ash. They’ll be sick with prana poisoning. Without me, several would almost certainly die. Aren’t you glad you have a Panav in the group, eh?”

Balagra smiled, attempting to bring some levity to the situation.

Vir gripped the larger demon’s shoulder. “That I am, friend. Now, let’s get these demons out of here.”

Getting the camp packed didn’t take long. It did, however, take longer than they had. Once the Chitrans discovered that the demons no longer intended to hold the position, they rushed the walls, and the fighting turned instantly chaotic.

Chaos was unwelcome here. It forced those occupied with dismantling their tents to rejoin the fight. It was, however, beneficial for Vir, as it allowed him to reave into the enemy’s lines without worry of discovery.

Chitrans fell far faster than they should’ve as Vir sliced through their skin. Their armor did little against the devastation Prana Blade and Blade Projection could wreak, and so, despite their superior numbers and training, the Chitrans had a difficult time making headway against the defenders.

Even so, with so many Chakra-laden attacks, Vir had to move slower than he otherwise would’ve, hampering his efforts.

They were slowly losing. The only question was whether the wall would be breached before they were ready to leave.

“Leave the Ash’va!” Vir commanded. “We can’t take them with us, and they’ll just slow us down.”

“It’s not looking good,” Balagra replied, slithering up to Vir. A fog of Corruption blanketed the battlefield outside the wall, yet the Chits seemed only mildly distracted by it.

“They must have someone with a powerful Aspect of the Stone Sentinel,” Balagra said. “They are mitigating the effects of my power.”

“What affinities?” Vir asked. “What affinities does that Aspect tattoo use?”

“Earth, primarily, though also Life or Wind or Lightning, depending on the demon.”

“Got it,” Vir said, Leaping over the wall. He fell right into the lines of the enemy, and sunk into the shadows upon landing. To anyone observing, it’d look like he’d disappeared—likely using a movement art. At least, he hoped. He didn’t have the luxury of completely masking his every move at the moment.

From the shadows, Vir closed his eyes and allowed Prana Vision to guide him. Chitran Bloodline Arts tended to use a mixture of Fire, Earth, and Shadow, making the task somewhat difficult. Earth, however, was a minor element in their arts, and so Vir focused on the brightest Earth affinities.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

There were not one, but two heavy Earth Affinity wielders in the attacking Chitran forces.

A Prana Bladed talwar snaked through a shadow and plunged into the back of one ended that demon’s life immediately. For the other, Vir let loose a Talwar Launch, decapitating the kothi and sending his head flying, but not before someone launched a Chakra attack.

Stuck in the Shadow Realm, Vir’s mobility was nonexistent. His arm simply couldn’t dodge or avoid the strike, bound to the shadow as it was.

Thinking fast, Vir resurfaced and Leaped, using the momentum from his prior jump to evade the lethal soul attack. It also shot him up and over the wall, allowing him to land right beside Balagra.

That was too close, Vir thought, his heart pumping madly within his chest. Far too close.

The naga shook his head. “You’re incredible, you know that? You’re just one mystery after another. Like the layers of an onion, when I think I’ve figured you out, you show me something new.”

“Just doing what I can,” Vir said, forcing calm in his worlds. “Looks to have helped.”

“I’ll say!” Balagra said, laughing hard. “Look at them! They’ve turned tail! Now that they’ve lost their Stone Sentinel wielders, they can’t handle my Corruption Field any more than a child!”

Though the Chits had retreated, they hadn’t exactly fled. They’d simply retreated past Balagra’s field, and were continuing to fling ranged Chakra attacks. Unfortunately, strong Chakra bearers didn’t register to Prana Vision,

or else Vir would’ve taken them out long ago.

“The troops are ready!” Malik shouted as he came running up to Vir and Balagra, looking winded and worn around the edges. “We’re ready to leave on your mark.”

Vir glanced back at their camp and nodded. “Alright. Let’s make sure everyone gets out safe and sound.”

Breaking down the wall was easy. Getting a throng of nearly two hundred untrained and skittish soldiers out while being pelted with ranged prana and chakra attacks? That was something else entirely.

“Stay in formation!” Balagra roared, moving to the forefront of the column despite his weakened state. By moving forward, he’d extended the range of his Corruption field, pushing the Chitran back in hopes of stalling out their Chakra attacks.

“Blasted kothi,” Balagra cursed.

“They’re hitting us from this far? How?” Vir asked, watching helplessly as another of his demons suddenly collapsed.

“His Chakra is strong, that’s how. Curse our luck.”

A panicking four-armed red demon broke ranks and charged the enemy.

“No!” Vir roared. “Stop!”

It was too late. The instant he split off, he was targeted by concentrated Bloodline Arts. Fireballs, icicles, and a slew of other attacks bombarded him, and when he got within range of their Warlord’s Domain, he slowed considerably.

That was his death knell. Punctured and skewered by magic, the demon collapsed halfway to the enemy—dead.

“Let them burn in Ash!” Balagra shouted, though it was more a scream than a shout.

This… won’t work, Vir realized. He’d been too optimistic about their ability to flee under fire. Had this been a trained army, there would’ve been no issues. As it was, however, they looked dangerously close to routing. Once that happened, it’d be all over. They’d be picked off and decimated.

Even if they didn’t rout, the demons would not only have to stop to pick up their armor and weapons, but they’d have to skirt around the mountain range that had protected their encampment to get to the Ash Boundary.

Weighing the pros and the cons, Vir made his decision.

“I’m going back out. Keep them in line until I return.”

“No, it’s too dangerous. You are too young. You lack the Shield and Heart Chakras, yes? What you did earlier was dangerous enough. If you’re struck…”

“I know,” Vir muttered, thinking of the close call he’d just had. It was precisely why he hadn’t already annihilated the Chitrans. The danger was very real. One misplaced step, one wrong move, and he’d suffer a fate worse than death.

“I know, but at this rate, we don’t stand a chance. I told you before, that after what I did to the Overseer, it’s now my responsibility to ensure these demons survive. Look me in the eyes and tell me that we’ll make it if I don’t do this.”

Balagra couldn’t. He averted his eyes and frowned. He couldn’t. Balagra had too much combat experience to believe in such fantasies. “Go, then. But do not take unnecessary risks. You are strong, yet you are but one demon.”

Vir smiled. “I won’t. Trust me.”

With that, he Leaped

back into the enemy’s ranks, sailing above Balagra’s cloud of death, and skewering a kothi as he landed. Warlord’s Domain’s slowing effects were negated by Haste, though to do so, Vir had to keep the ability active at all times, burning prana.

Talwar Launch ripped forth, killing a half-dozen kothis before they could respond. Vir Blinked… and just in time, feeling the icy chill of death strike the location he was just at.

Prana Burst exploded outward, and this time, Vir didn’t need to select targets. Given no warning, kothis all around him were struck, and fell.

And then their defensive arts activated, and the soft targets toughened up immediately. From that point on, only Prana Blade and Blade Launch were effective, as the kothis’ various arts protected them from Vir’s weaker attacks.

Dance of the Shadow Demon was, of course, not an option. Not when the enemy had been alerted, and all eyes were on him.

That didn’t mean he was out of options, however.

Grabbing a nearby kothi, Vir broke his arm and whirled him around, using him like a shield. From there, he fired Prana Darts in rapid succession, targeting eyes, mouths, and other vulnerable areas.

On their own, the darts contained little prana and did only minor damage. When efficiently targeted, however, they could be devastating, and their prana consumption worked both ways. Vir had plenty in reserve.

After taking out a few more demons in this manner, Vir abandoned his position—right as a Chakra-laden attack pierced through his captured kothi, breaking his soul.

They have multiple Warrior Chakra wielders…

It made sense, given the size and composition of this military unit. That meant Vir had to Blink even faster than normal, leveraging Haste more and more, using mobility to keep himself safe.

Vir flitted around the battlefield, surging prana directly into enemies’ bodies and slicing necks and other targets of opportunities whenever he could.

To the prisoners, he looked like a god of death—blurring among the enemy, reaping lives with impunity. His actions on that battlefield would be discussed with both reverence and terror for years to come from those who survived.

Vir, however, knew the truth. His time had nearly run out, and on more than one occasion, he’d dodged death by just a hair’s breadth.

These Chitran warriors were both tough and smart. His Blade Launches that could kill a dozen ordinary demons merely injured a single one, thanks to their magical defenses. His Kalari arts that allowed him to defeat enemies in physical combat were met with an equally fluid Chitran combat art, stunting his efforts.

And through it all, Vir had nearly run dry of prana.

Cursing, he Blinked to safety, then Leaped back to his prisoners, wondering if his actions had accomplished anything at all.

Had he bothered to count, he’d have realized that of the five hundred kothis who had set out from Garrison Atnu, nearly fifty had perished in the fight against the demons. Vir, in just a few moments, had reduced that number by another hundred.

And there was no army in the world that wouldn’t hesitate in the face of such losses.