章 5: Counterattack
Zheus looked at the giant of light bearing his resemblance and his mind blanked out for a long moment. Never he had experienced a situation this bizarre in whole his life.
Now that the atrocious pain that clouded his mind before was being kept at bay by this strange warm power inside of him, his mind was clearer and thus very stunned. As much as he liked to believe that he was someone who was always ready for anything, reality had showed him that it couldn't always be the case. He wasn't ready for this. While before he had theorized that the world he woke up in was not a simulation, he wasn't ready to accept the implications that came with that.
What happened? Did he die? He really reincarnated into some random guy's body like in one of those eastern novels he loved to read in his youth? Thousands of questions filled his mind, while he observed almost mesmerized the radiant naked giant.
He felt a feeble connection with the thing, but his mind was too shocked by the recent "I'm in a magic world" revelation to care about a phantom bond with a giant of light. He remained in silence for what seemed an eternity before something brought him back from his catatonic state.
It was something that the new-found inter-dimensional traveler had experienced multiple times from his first breath in that strange world: pain. This pain came when the glowing hand that was hitting the giant started to blast it with even more stronger blows.
Only when he was struck by these new tremors of pain did he regain his focus.
His sight ran towards the strange foggy hand. He realized that each time it hit the giant of light he would feel some degree of pain. The strongest the blow, the sharpest the pain. He also noted that the giant's light was growing dim at each new assault and he didn't think for a moment that it meant something good for him.
A second time, the image of a female blonde cartoon character appeared in his mind. He found it ridiculous, but every single clue pointed towards the same direction: that giant hand was some form of soul attack towards his own soul. Yes, that giant with a heroic expression and what at first sight seemed to be a third leg was his soul. "The soul is the expression of the individual", that's what used to tell him his priest the few times he showed at confession.
- What's the matter with that jawline? And that...thing...
An unsightly expression appeared on Zheus's face on the outside world. His body wasn't convulsing like before, but now and then it twitched like it just received a blow from an invisible enemy. On the other hand, the blue-clad shinobi wasn't in his best form either: his lips were now covered in white foam that was slowly but constantly coming out from his mouth.
The air appeared still and cracking with suspense at the same time. It was like the entire desert was anxiously expecting to see which one of the two remaining humans was going to wake up.
Back in the world of darkness instead, Zheus ignored the ridiculous appearance of the giant and what it could be telling him about himself for the moment. He tried to concentrated his efforts on trying to find a way to stop the hand.
The latter was still screaming maddened insults while attacking. Fatigue and frustration could be sensed between the killing intent and rage that came with the shouts. Coincidentally, even the light around the limb was starting to dim. However, the giant was still losing light at a considerably faster rate.
At first Zheus tried to move the giant: he figured that if that was truly his soul, he would be able to use it to stop the hand. The giant was at least ten times bigger than the hand, if he could use it to defend he would be able to win the fight easily. He would squash that damn screeching hand like a bug and feel good about it.
However no matter how many times he tried, he didn't menage to move it. Not an arm, not a hand, not even the fingers. He kept feeling that there was some kind of bind between him and the radiant figure, but in the end it didn't answer to any of his commands.
- Maybe I just don't know how to move it.
After a couple of minutes he stopped trying. He knew that continuing stubbornly doing the same thing while expecting a different result was stupid. Although he didn't known much about this world he wasn't a complete idiot: being this a magical world, probably moving a soul was something that needed magic. Zheus remembered that the red-headed shinobi used hand seals to launch the ongoing assault against his soul. Probably a magic incantation was needed not only to use the soul in an attack but also to simply defend.
Showing an incredible ability to adapt, when he realized his mistake he immediately attempted to find another way to deal with the problem. After some thought, he decided to try and see if he could command that seething power that helped him in the first place and kept him alive until now.
Although the bond he felt with the that mysterious energy was more evasive than the one he could clearly feel with the giant, he was left with no other choice. He concentrated himself, trying to ignore the pain caused by the hand's attacks, and focusing solely on that churning sea of magma that saved him before from the abyss.
He did not understand what it was, not even vaguely like he understood the giant of light. However, contrary to what he was expecting, he was able to connect with it fairly easily. The moment he did so, Zheus trembled. It was like if someone had cut open a curtain, allowing him to glance at a mysterious world of fog behind it. Deep inside this fog hid the seething power. He could sense its hunger even more now and this left him considerably perturbed.
After a moment of hesitation, Zheus decided to continue with what he was doing because it was the only thing that seemed to work.
The fog appeared to retreat the more he concentrated on the churning power that he felt hidden beneath it. Slowly, he started to perceive this mysterious entity more clearly: it was a boundless tumultuous sea that was rolling silently in the darkness all around the two shapes of light. Zheus had the feeling that that sea of boiling energy was only waiting for a push to pounce on that odious attacking limb.
Nervously, since this was his last chance, he willed it to attack.
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