The black knight and his clone moved in perfect sync, blades striking, parrying, repositioning in seamless tandem. But it was far more taxing than it appeared. Since he hadn't woven the shadow clone, it had no autonomy—every twitch, every step, every counter came from him directly, as if he were puppeteering a second body while fighting in his own.
His mana bled out with each coordinated move. His breath grew shallow beneath the helmet, sweat stinging his eyes. I can't keep this up too long, he thought, forcing the clone to shift position, baiting Barbados into overcommitting.
It worked.
With a flicker of motion, the clone feinted left, and the real knight swept in right, his greatsword carving a deep line across the demon's upper arm. The weapon cracked through the thick exoskeleton with a sharp crunch, flaking off a layer of the obsidian-like armor.
Barbados shrieked in fury, mandibles flaring wide. "Annoying shadow!" he roared.
Then he dropped low, jamming both clawed hands into the ground.
The knight froze for a moment, confusion halting his rhythm.
And then the world rose.
Barbados, with a guttural growl, heaved upward—and the earth came with him. Not just clumps of soil or scattered boulders—he lifted a solid mass of terrain: grass, dirt, stone, roots, and all. Somehow, impossibly, it held together, a massive slab of the battlefield torn from the world like a scab. He twisted, towering under it like a titan, and swung it down.
"Oh shit—oh shit—oh shit!" the black knight sputtered, retreating with a surge of panic. He yanked his shadow clone back, the figure unraveling mid-step into swirling dark tendrils that coiled in front of him, forming a curved barrier of pulsing shadow.
He braced.
But the impact never came.
Instead—CRACK—THOOM!
Barbados let out a strangled grunt. A blur slammed into his side—a heavy, vicious hook delivered by Lennix.
"Ha! Ha!"
The strike sent the demon flying like a cannonball, his tall form hurtling sideways. He tore through trees like paper, each trunk snapping and splintering as his body smashed through them one after the other, vanishing in a crash of shattered wood and tossed dirt.
The chunk of earth still plummeted down—until a streak of energy blasted through it. The entire mass erupted into ash and flame, disintegrating midair before it could land.
The black knight blinked in surprise and turned.
Derek stood nearby, arm raised, index finger extended toward the smoldering remnants.
"I finished charging up," he said, voice breathy, as if worn out. He wiped fake sweat from his brow, feigning exhaustion. "But had to use it to save you."
"Hey, look at these!" Lennix called out as he jogged up to the black knight, holding out his warped hands like a child showing off some new toy. "Aren't these fucking cool?"
The black knight tilted his head, giving the transformation a cursory glance before turning his attention back to the shattered treeline where Barbados had been sent flying. "That's…something most vampires can do. Like, after a few nights of training."
He gestured toward the carnage in the distance. "That, however…that's insane. I sometimes forget how strong you really are."
Lennix narrowed his eyes in irritation, waving his still-transformed hands. "Come on. I worked hard on these and just saved your arse. I deserve some praise."
"I'll praise you after the fight's over. How about that?" the black knight muttered, already shifting his stance again. He knew—without a doubt—that a single punch wasn't going to finish a demon like Barbados.
"I'll praise you if you want, Lennix," Derek chimed in, his voice carrying a lazy humor as he slowly made his way toward them. He was still pretending to be exhausted, dragging his feet slightly.
But before he could close the distance, the ground erupted behind him.
A geyser of dirt and shattered rock exploded upward as Barbados burst from the earth like a missile. He looked far worse than before—one side of his torso was caved in, thick ichor leaking from the spot Lennix had struck. Cracks spiderwebbed across his black exoskeleton, the damage more extensive up close.
Barbados moved fast—too fast. He snatched Derek in a blink, gripping him by the right upper arm and yanking him off the ground. His massive arm locked across Derek's chest in a tight, crushing restraint.
Lennix and the black knight surged forward instantly—but halted just as fast.
"If you move, his blood goes spraying out!" Barbados snarled, his claws hovered at Derek's throat, twitching slightly.
*I didn't even hear him move,* Lennix thought, frozen mid-step.
"Don't panic, Carver! We'll save you!" the black knight called, carefully watching for an opening.
"By Michael, you won't!" Barbados snapped, glaring down at Lennix, his four eyes narrowing. "A Soul Drinker… I never expected to find one in this world. Now that I know what you are, I won't be caught off guard again."
His claws edged closer to Derek's neck.
Meanwhile, Derek looked up at him, calm behind his eyes despite the blade-like talons brushing his throat.
*This is a stalemate. He won't kill me—not yet. I'm his leverage. But those two won't attack either, because they're too decent to risk me. I'll have to break free myself. Needs to look real though...*
His eyes flicked to the hand holding him up, and he moved.
In a blur, he twisted his body hard—just enough to force the claw to cut into his upper arm as he swung back with all his might. His elbow smashed into Barbados's face with brutal precision. The impact made the demon's head snap back like he'd been hit with a hyper-accurate rocket-powered sledgehammer.
Barbados reeled.
Derek dropped to the ground in a heap, selling the moment with limp limbs and a grunt of fake pain.
"Get him now!" he shouted, voice high with staged desperation.
Lennix launched first, closing the distance in a heartbeat. His fist slammed into Barbados's gut with enough force to buckle the demon's spine. This time, though, Lennix didn't let go—he held him, spun with him, and flung the reeling demon toward the black knight.
The knight waited, feet set, shadow greatsword drawn in both hands. He timed the swing perfectly, slashing upward as the demon came into range. The blade carved a deep line up the demon's chest, launching him skyward.
"I'm charged up again!" Derek shouted, already rising, arm outstretched. Mana surged through his finger—and then fired.
The bolt screamed into the air, struck Barbados mid-flight, and detonated.
The sky flashed white. The demon's body shattered into nothing but mist, scattered ash raining down.
The black knight didn't wait. He dissolved his greatsword and rushed to Derek, dropping to a knee beside him. "Are you okay, Carver?" he asked, scanning the bloody wound on Derek's upper arm.
"It's fine, don't worry. Just a scratch." It was difficult acting like someone pretending to be fine while actually being hurt—when in truth, he wasn't hurt at all.
Lennix jogged up, his hands shifting back to normal as he leaned over them. "I should lick your wounds. That'll stop the bleeding."
Derek's eyes widened in genuine panic. "No—no! That's fine! Let's just stop for the day and go back, huh?"
Lennix frowned. "Listen, I'm not doing it to drink your blood. Vampire saliva heals the living, so it's—"
"Its fine," Derek interrupted quickly, standing with the black knight's help. "I don't need it. Plus, I'm tired from using magic anyway. Let's just go back to the village."
The black knight nodded. "Same goes for me. After using the shadow clone for so long, I'm drained too. We can come back later to continue the search. The portal has to be somewhere near here."
Lennix sighed. "Fine, fine. Let's head back."
Derek let out a quiet breath of relief. "Okay then, let's head back," he said, already walking.
If Lennix had drunk his blood, he would've found out what he was.