"Is that monster really dangerous, Lady?"
"It is."
"Stronger than the vagabond?" Jasmine asked again, with concern on her face.
"Absolutely."
"But... you managed to stop it, didn't you?"
"I only failed in my attempt to eliminate it, girl. Even using the forest to my advantage, once he took that territory, it became impossible for me."
"So, if you face each other again..."
"He will win. I haven't fully recovered yet."
"Will the vagabond die?"
"It's the most likely outcome," the woman, about fifty years old, looked up at the sky, pensive. "When I tried to observe him and he detected me... besides thinking quickly enough to send the old fool Robben to safety and keep my attention... Ha! I don't blame you for having hope in him, girl. He's probably one of those types who always seem to find a way to come out on top somehow. Oh, I hate those people!" The forest witch gave a melancholic smile. "Let's hope your vagabond weakens that aberration enough to give me the opportunity to send it back where it came from once and for all," she said with a raspy voice, returning to her usual seriousness.
"Could you help him though? You could fight together..."
"If he hadn't jumped headfirst into the enemy's lair—threatening me with death along the way—maybe."
"He even left an entrance open! You could..."
"Don't insist, girl! Right now, that abhorrent demon is the priority."
"But... But..."
"No buts."
"I understand, Lady," Jasmine said resignedly, stroking one of Babi's horns as he recovered by grazing frantically.
In Castellanos' terrain, the battle continued. The demon remained on the attack, and Tori on the defensive.
Carlino, with a hand wielding the destructive spiral of Earth qi, and another wielding a huge Emeric's chisel —reinforced with Metal element—, taken from Torino Bianchi's inert body, attacked Tori euphorically. And although Tori, using both fire palms, managed to deflect his attacks and make him retreat with his counterattacks, he couldn't fully avoid the cuts and scrapes, which connected frequently.
Taking into account the quick movements and fluid speed changes in leg stances of the young mage, the absence of long jumps or attacks from above he had shown previously in the confrontation, the inability of the fire-infused palms to pierce Carlino's metallic defense—even with the elemental control advantage—, his facial expression, far from the smile at the beginning, and the frequency with which he evaded attacks at the last moment to the point of still getting damaged, Castellanos could smell victory very close.
He enjoyed seeing the blood spurt from Tori's body after each half-dodged cut and watching his Metal barrier intact after each counterattack the mage connected.
"You can't even fool yourself anymore, peasant! Your facial expression betrays what you and I know! You're just delaying your death!" Castellanos exclaimed, ecstatic, after resisting four rapid palm strikes from Tori, this time without even stepping back. "Weak! Your fire is weak just like you!" he shouted, concentrating energy on Emeric's Chisel, extending its reach and impacting Tori on the side of the belly, forcing him to lean on the ground. The bleeding from the last wound was noticeable. "I can even mimic your tricks!" celebrated the demon Carlino Castellanos, who had just learned a new way to use his Qi. He could modify the reach of a cutting weapon by expanding the Metal element property.
"So this is the limit..." said Tori, head down, still leaning on the ground.
"It's been an enriching day. Seven Faith Swords, and now a curious mage. I must admit you did better than them, peasant," Carlino Castellanos approached Tori with the chisel raised. As the vagabond rested on his knee, the demon considered it the perfect moment to end him, decapitating him. "Goodbye! Nameless mage!"
"Ah... Tori! They call me Tori. I'd love to say it's been a pleasure..." said the vagabond raising his gaze. He brought his hand up to his face and snapped his fingers, a sardonic smile appearing on his face. Castellanos, by reflex, looked for the explosion that should follow that gesture. "Ha! Joking! Is it me or do you get quite easily scared for a demon..."
"Oh, die," said Castellanos annoyed, stretching Emérico's chisel arm towards the sky, to deliver the final blow.
"Come on, come on, come on!" Tori shouted, exposing his neck to the demon, and provocatively striking him, in what seemed like a final gesture of mockery.
The huge cutting weapon, however, bounced off the ground. At the same time, a perplexed Carlino Castellanos landed on both knees, with numb arms, his head reaching a height similar to that of the vagabond.
"Wha..." Carlino couldn't fully understand the situation, his face a mix of frustration and shock.
"Oh, you bore me," said Tori, standing up with a childish annoyance. "I even went back to the soporific basics to recover energy for our battle! Even if it meant you could cut me several times! 'Divert, oppress, push, reject...' Oh, when they told me I couldn't advance learning unless I mastered that, I thought about quitting training! I hope you have something else to show! Get up! Show me demonic magic or something!" Antorique declared, with an expression of boredom and impatience, as he lit a cigarette, using his index finger as a lighter.
