Chương 35: The Demon's Transformation: Desperate Gambit

Cayafaz forced his brain to think at an unusual speed while trying to fight for his life. This divided attention to jobs should be what kills him, but strangely enough it's allowing him to take every action with caution and guide the fight to where he wants it

"How do I take the fight into a sure victory for me from here?"

Still pushing his mind to work as hard as possible, he tries to find the possibility within the fight he can manipulate to work in his favor. Trying to make his thoughts move faster he ducked behind a table to ask himself briefly, what could he do to secure a win?

Cayafaz couldn't find a single solution to this problem in his mind and because he had stopped taking-action to think of this, Nathan was able to recover. He walked back to the center of the office feeling pretty confident with himself and yelled

"You were doing pretty good just a second ago, you might have been able to win if you hadn't stopped. Just know that from now on you won't see an opportunity to beat me like before"

Cayafaz gave no response. He got up from behind the table with a smile on his face and nodded…but why did he nod? Could he have found a way to victory? Cayafaz started to walk away from the desk and towards the window on his right side, Nathan saw this and from where he was he copied this, the two started to walk to the window slowly while maintaining the distance they had. They didn't approach each other, nor did they try to close the gap between them, they just kept walking towards the window while they stared at each other with laser sharp focus. One not taking his eyes off the other, not even for a second.

They had started with walking, but then Nathan started to pick up the pace, from there they went on to speed walking, then jugging, then running, and finally they hit max speed. The two burst through the window and jumped into the building next to them, a building that was under construction. In this area there were a lot of objects that would kill them if they fought recklessly and there was less cover to hide behind to dodge bullets. Is this what Cayafaz wanted? Or was this just chance?

Cayafaz still kept on firing a barrage of bullets at Nathan while running in one direction, He kept running to his right side while firing at Nathan, there was no cover in the area at the moment.

"So, his strategy seems to be to run around me and shoot from every side until one of the shots would be fatal? That's pretty fucking bold! You must think I'm some kind of idiot" Was what Nathan thought and said

"Shooting at me until eventually one of your shots hits? Are you just running on fumes? Or have you finally lost your mind?!"

Cayfaz gave him no answer

"Well whatever it is, I'll show you that the difference between me and you, is far too great for even luck to save you"

Nathan had been dodging and avoiding the bullets up until this moment. To prove his superiority in combat, Nathan stood firm and planted his feet into the floor. He then swayed his hands around in a certain motion and started to use his wrist, fists, knuckles and every part of his hand to deflect the bullets

"Do you see that vast difference?! Cayafaz!"

Still giving Nathan no answer, Cayfaz stopped shooting at him and kept the gun.

"Tsk!" Nathan said as he clicked his tongue in annoyance "The bastards just ignoring me. Just where the hell is he running to anyway"

Cayafaz had all of a sudden stopped running and picked up a loose metal rod he saw sticking out the floor when they landed.

"That was what you were going for? I see, so, he kept firing at me to keep me in place in hopes I wouldn't stop him from reaching a weapon. Not a bad idea overall, but will that be enough to bridge the gap between us? Or is he even trying to widen it even more?"

Cayafaz spun the rod around his body dramatically, as if a master of the staff in a martial arts movie. After a dramatic showing he struck a pose, lifted his right hand and taunted him with them, telling Nathan to come at him

"Heh? You, cheeky bastard! Think you can win?!" Nathan in anger cracked and shattered most of the floor he planted his feet into just by flexing his muscles a bit

"Let's find out!"

BACK WITH EDWARD

"Huh?!" Edward turned hi head around, looking at all directions in confusion

Maya followed him to look around before asking "What is it?"

"I-It's nothing…"

"Are you sure?" She implied

"It's just that…for a brief second… I sensed a really nefarious energy"

"And?"

"I think someone's fighting"

"What!?"

"Yeah. I think we should go back and check on the others. We might have been away for too long"

"Yeah you're right. What am I saying? This is the only chance the two of us have had to be alone and I haven't even gotten the chance to talk to him yet…I can't let this chance slip away from my fingers."

She glares at Edward with a determined look on her face. Not knowing she's given away her position. Edward steps forward a bit and releases his wings when she calls to him

"Edward! There's something I wanted t-"

Suddenly, another familiar, but distant voice calls to him

"EDWARD!"

"That voice!"

Edward turns his head to his back and Maya looks upward. There is Isabel in mid-air carrying Ethan in her arms. She slowly made her descend to the ground as she tried to gently hold Ethan close to her. The attempt fails, as her weary body crashes into the floor, causing her and Ethan to tumble and bounce, spinning towards Edward and Maya rather than dropping gently in front of them.

Edward jumps into the air and catches Isabel after bouncing off the floor and Maya catches Ethan.

"Isabel, what happened? What are you doing all the way out here? Wait…"

He looks around

"Where's Cayafaz?!"

"He stayed back. Edward, Cayafaz… is in trouble…we were attacked"

*Gasps* "By who?!"

"A shadowy figure"

"A shadowy figure?"

"It came into the apartment not long after you two left, it had an aura of freezing cold and blinding darkness about it. It attacked Ethan and knocked him out, Cayafaz stayed behind to hold it off and risked his life trying to buy us some time all so we could get to you. Edward…Cayafaz needs your help…I don't know if he can last much longer"

"I see. So, Cayafaz, even being the shield… you still tried to take up the role of the sword. Tsk! Honestly, you do too much"

"Edward. There's one other thing I need to tell you. Another enemy chased us when we escaped. Most likely an acquaintance of the one that attacked us coming to finish the job. He will likely be hear any second"

The ground starts to rumble beneath them and rocks rise up creating small hills, in front and around them. Edward and Maya leap off the ground to avoid the rocks and while suspended in the air. Out of the ground comes a strange looking creature.

A giant eyeball covered in red skin and spikes. The eye of the creature was neon purple, like a color from space. Its spikes were also very flexible and were more like tentacles with tiny eyes on the top of each of them. Finally, its red skin. It looked as hard as metal and just as smooth as a brand-new car.

The creature came out with its eye open but once it caught sight of Edward and Maya. Its eyes close shut and it faced them. A strange sound suddenly started to fill the area, it resembled the sounds of a laser being charged up in movies right before it hits. Edward realizing this shouted at his friends

"EVADE!"

Edward spread out his wings and flew further up very fast and Maya did the same. In the moment they begun to fly, the eyeball fired its beam from its eye at the area they were standing in. The beam was hot and large making it very difficult for them to evade. But they managed to pull it off

"So, that is the thing that followed you…and the obstacle I have to beat to get to Cayfaz"

The eyeballs sharp tentacles start to move and he speaks

"You did well to avoid my attack. Your fast, but don't think your fast enough to escape from me. You will not leave here alive, of that you can be sure"

"Ho? So you think I'd run?"

"Of course! Do you think that you, a human, has a chance at beating me?"

"Yeah. Pretty sure I'll kill you"

"The insolence! I, Vejoko! Under the command of the general who serves directly to lord Envy! Will be the last thing you see before you die!"

"Cool. Let's fight then"

Edward. Walks to Maya and drops Isabel on the floor in front of her

"Don't let her get hurt anymore than she has been. Ill take on this Vejoko"

Edward turns around walks up to the demon, readying himself for a battle. But then

"Edward!" Maya grabs on to Edward by his jacket

"I know I wanted to have time to connect with Edward…I know this might be my only chance to fight alongside him as an equal and not as a burden…but, if I do this, I'd basically be telling Cayafaz to die… I can't let myself be blinded by my greed and selfishness!" She thought to herself. But, with a confident look on Maya's face. She says

"Edward. Let me fight this demon. It's clear it was sent here as an obstacle to waste your time. If you stay here to fight this thing, even if you win, they might have killed Cayafaz. We would basically be leaving him to his own demise"

"Your right. Cayafaz might be the enemies real target and if I stay here to fight him. I'd basically be giving them what they wanted…This is troubling…what do I do?"

Maya smirks "How bout you let me fight him"

"What? Are you serious?"

"You're not the only fighter in the kings of men you know. I've gotten pretty strong since the first death games. I'm very sure I could take this guy out"

"Hmph! Do I have a choice?"

"Well. Seeing as Isabel is weakend and Ethan is resting…you don't!"

Maya said with a cheerful smile on her face. Edward let out a huge sigh

*Sigh* "Alright fine. I'm leaving this guy to you. But, you better not die. Promise?" Edward asked as he smiled

"Hehe. I promise"

"Alright then. I'll be on my way"

Vejoko stretched his spiky tentacles off of his body and launched all of them at Maya and Edward

"How dare you make light of me! Do you think I would be that easy to defeat!? Do you think you can escape me?!"

Throwing his spiky tentacles in Maya and Edward's direction as he threw a tantrum. Edward appeared next to him to answer his question

"I'm leaving right now, aren't I? And what are you doing about it? Nothing"

"Why. You. Little. Insect!"

He turns his attention and the front of his body to Edward to fire another barrage of tentacle attack, but, instead he gets shot down by a barrage of shots from Isabel who is laying on the floor

"Hey! Your eyes should be over here"

Vejoko's pupil shifts to the left corner of his eye and he catches Maya in mid-air spinning her axe

"Don't take your eyes off me for even a second! Because from now on, your opponent…Is me!"