บท 84: The Pale Demon

"And now, time for the three-time victors, Team Torchlight, to take the stage again." The announcer's voice echoed as the cheering of the crowd died down.

With a deep breath, I stepped through the metal gates with Joshua, Vincent, and Erik in tow. As we walked on the hot sands under the midday sun, my eyes met with my opponent's.

We only had two opponents this time. One of them was a knight, wearing plate armour, wielding a bastard sword. A red feather plume on his helmet fluttered in the wind.

"You guys will take him on." I said as I directed my gaze on our other opponent. She was about as tall as me. Her pitch-black eyes and dark purple skin weren't even the most unusual things about her. A pair of elegant, black horns were visible on her head. A thin, dark purple tail slithered in the sand behind her. She carried a sword in her right hand a dagger in her left.

"Will it be Team Torchlight who win this match, or will the elegant and powerful Twilight Duo defeat this group of contestants?" The announcer's voice echoed amongst the cheering. "Let the match begin!"

As soon as his voice faded, both I and my dual wielding opponent dashed forward.

Our swords clashed mid air with a loud, clear clang. As soon as our blades touched, I stepped back, narrowly avoiding a sneaky dagger strike she attempted.

"That's usually enough to get rid of most people." She said with an intoxicating voice. I was immediately reminded of Vixia – though her voice was soft as silk, unlike this woman. A smile flashed across my lips as I carefully circled her. "Are you really going to give me the silent treatment?" She asked with a fake frown.

I dashed towards her once again. She flinched; she clearly didn't expect me to strike first. Raising her sword to defend against mine, she turned her body a little to hide the movement of her left hand. I knew what she was trying to do, her body language gave it away. Instead of allowing our blades to meet, I feinted my thrust and turned into a sweep, aiming for her legs.

With a surprised expression, she tumbled back just in time. I didn't stop – using my speed and agility to the fullest, I dashed towards her. My blade was at her throat before she could even get up.

"My win." I said coldly. "Give up."

With clenched teeth, she glanced behind me. Despite my curiosity, I knew that taking my eyes off her even for a short moment could spell my doom. I continued to glare at her, until she finally dropped her weapons.

I kicked both of them away, then looked at our other opponent.

He was surrounded by Erik, Joshua, and Vincent. Despite being outnumbered, he didn't seem to be having trouble dealing with them at all. As we watched, Erik swung his sword to the man's neck, though he easily sidestepped it. Vincent dashed forward at the same time, probably hoping to catch him off guard.

As he met with the sharp blade of the bastard sword he threw himself aside just in time. Joshua didn't even attempt to do anything – he had already noticed that this man was a trained swordsman.

I pulled my sword away from the woman's throat and approached the others with slow, careful steps.

"Erik," Despite my low voice, everyone stopped and looked at me. "Retreat." I said as my new opponent glared at me.

"A one on one?" He asked after a short moment. He tilted his head and glanced at the woman I just defeated. I nodded. It was the proper way to do this. "Are you sure you can take me on your own?" He asked.

I couldn't help it as a wicked smile appeared on my face. I wasn't the weakling I was before. He was nothing to me.

"Easily." I replied, assuming a low, speed reliant combat stance. He looked at me for a second before chuckling. "Sure, you keep believing that."

As soon as those words left his mouth, he dashed forward. He wasn't too fast, but I could see the strength behind his every move. He raised his sword for an overhead strike, using his whole body to strengthen his blow. If I tried to block that, I'd end up with a broken arm or two.

With swift and precise movements, I sidestepped his attack and easily moved out of his range. He calmly tried again, though this time it was a sweep to my legs. I leapt into the air as the sharp blade approached. I saw his eyes widen through the narrow slit of his helmet. Without skipping a beat, I aimed for that slit with a thrust. He ducked just in time to keep his life. I landed on the ground as the red feathers of his plume scattered in the wind.

"You-" He started to speak, but then his voice faded as he just barely blocked my relentless assault. Our blades met again, and again as loud clangs echoed in the silent coliseum. Everyone was holding their breath as my opponent stepped back. Not intending to give him any time to breathe, I lowered my body and dashed towards him.

"Gotcha!" He shouted as I came face to face with an armoured boot. My heart skipped a beat as time slowed down. I let myself fall on my knees as I twisted my upper body backwards. I felt the heel of his booth graze my forehead as I slid beneath it.

The sharp pain disappeared as fast as it appeared, thanks to the adrenaline that kept my senses sharp. As soon as the danger had passed, I rolled forward, brushing past him as he tried to regain his balance. As soon as I was behind him, I leapt back on my feet and hit his shiny helmet with the hilt of my sword.

A loud clang accompanied by his annoyed groan echoed. "You!" He shouted. I stepped back as he stumbled and wildly swung his sword. Staying just outside his reach, I carefully circled him. He was powerful, yet slow. His defences were nigh impossible to break, yet there was nothing he could do to defeat me.

My lips slowly formed a wicked smile as I dashed forward. He blocked my strike with ease and tried to counterattack, but I easily moved back out of his reach again. If I had my scythe, this battle would have been over in seconds as its blade would cut through his plate armour like it were butter.

We fought for a while, wordlessly. I moved in and out of his reach, constantly striking this helmet whenever I had a chance. I was searching for an opening – a slit in his armour, something to let me draw a little bit of blood.

I didn't have to wait long as with his next overhead strike, I found what I was looking for. A tiny opening between his gloves and the armguard of his armour. A grin appeared on my face as I moved faster than he could react. My sword found its target with ease as I pierced the skin on his left wrist. He screamed in pain as red blood drops coloured the sand beneath our feet.

As he stepped back, I motioned to attack again. He raised his guard with a shaky left hand. His entire posture had changed; I had already won, and he knew it.

I let go of my sword and caught it with my left hand. As I pierced the skin on his right wrist, he dropped his sword and stepped back. "Stop! I lost!" He shouted.

"And Team Torchlight – no, the Pale Demon wins again!" The announcer's voice was almost drowned by the cheering. I twirled my sword around my wrist to get rid of the few drops of blood on it, then let it disappear into my inventory.

Without a single word, I passed through the large metal gates opening behind us.