Ren, Soren and Nox stood protectively in front of the children and the villagers, who huddled farther back. Kirian faced away from them, his body felt tense. Solar stood only a few feet away.
Solar did not hesitate. He swung his sword through empty air and a black slash of energy hurtled toward Kirian. Kirian dodged sharply to the left and the slash, missed him, launched straight for the village.
Ren moved without thinking. He leaped forward and slammed his open palm into the black slash.
BOOOOM!
The attack shattered and dissipated into the thin air.
"Hey, Kirian!" Ren called, his voice carrying easily to him. "You don't have to worry about anyone back here." He gave a confident smile and a thumbs up.
Soren and Nox, who had watched the attack move too fast for their eyes to track, stared in awe at Ren's power.
Kirian chuckled under his breath. "He can be so reliable sometimes."
Kirian slowly raised his right fist toward the two X crossed swords sheathed behind his back. He yanked one free and flicked it into the air.
A person dressed in black with long golden hair materialized from thin air and snatched the sword from the air.
Kirian leaped, caught the newly manifested figure and hurled them at Solar.
The golden-haired figure slashed at Solar, forcing the Demon to dodge low, and the the golden-haired figure blew past.
Solar sped toward Kirian just as Kirian launched, fist cocked to strike. The golden-haired figure blitzed back with a sword ready to strike. Solar glanced back and saw he was about to be sandwiched between a sword and a punch.
At the last possible second Solar shot straight up. Kirian's punch met only empty air where his brother had been. The sword of the new figure nearly grazed Kirian as he flipped forward, too fast for most to register, and landed on the blade, using it to spring himself skyward toward Solar.
Kirian's fists landed like hail on Solar's chest and torso, lifting him higher. Kirian caught Solar's leg with both hands and hurled him like an asteroid back toward the earth.
BOOOOOM!
Solar slammed into the ground like a comet, tearing a deep hole. Rocks and debris scattered in every direction, some tumbling toward the village. Ren caught the airborne stones and crushed them in his hand like dust.
Solar crawled from the crater, his eyes burning with hatred. Rage throbbed and leaked from his body.
The golden-haired warrior stepped into clear view. Soren and Nox stared. The face looked exactly like Kirian's, but softer and more delicate. Their eyes dropped, bewildered by one obvious detail.
Two things were definitely bulging at the chest.
Boobs?
Soren and Nox exchanged looks of confusion.
Soren blinked. Nox's jaw dropped.
"…Boobs?" Nox muttered.
Soren nodded, eyes wide. "Boobs."
Ren sighed. "Idiots."
He smiled at their confusion,then glanced at the mounted soldier watching the fight with the same stunned amazement as the villagers. "Kirian calls her Ann," Ren said, enjoying their discomfort. "She's a clone of Kirian with a different personality. To him it's like having two bodies with split thoughts, but it is still all him, one mind in two places."
Ren's tone turned serious. "He's acting tough, but I do not think he can kill his brother. Let's see what happens."
Kirian stood beside Ann as she rested her sword on her shoulder, golden eyes flaring.
"For the sake of us being siblings, I will let you go if you stop making a fuss," Ann said, laughing softly while covering her mouth.
"No," Kirian answered, voice cracking. "We have to kill him now, before he masters his power. We will not get this chance again."
Ann's face hardened into furious sadness. The two of them spoke as one. "It is a shame I must kill you brother. At least I'll give him a quick send-off."
Why can I not beat him, Solar asked the voice in his mind.
{He is too fast for you.}
Too fast? Then why am I slow? I thought I was strong enough for revenge now.
{ You are, but you have yet to comprehend the strength you have been given. Think of your strength as numbers. Out of a thousand, you are using seven. We cannot beat a warrior of his caliber right now. We must escape or perish and every hope of revenge will be extinguished.}
Solar looked toward the mounted soldier in the distance. He is right there, he thought.
{He is also a pawn. The one we should destroy is Ignis, the kingdom that sent him. But we must escape. Revenge does not come to the dead.}
Understood, Solar thought.
{I will raise your speed slowly. Remember we are one, so accept whatever power I bring.}
The whole exchange happened in less than a heartbeat.
"Let's go," Kirian said. He and Ann bent their knees and sprang toward Solar.
Solar muttered numbers under his breath. "Twenty four, thirty three, forty four." His speed climbed, nearly matching Kirian's.
Kirian launched a punch. Solar blocked it with the side of his sword and the impact blew him backward. Ann was already above, swinging down. Solar slashed at empty air and a black, crescent shaped slash crashed into Ann's strike.
BOOM!
The shockwave pushed them all apart.
Kirian caught Ann in mid-air and threw her at Solar, who floated helplessly. The sword in Solar's hand vibrated as if it had a will of its own. Solar loosened his grip and the blade pinned itself to the ground, halting Solar's movement in a split second, letting Ann fly past. Solar twisted around the anchored sword and launched himself at Kirian. He swung. Kirian dodged backwards and the sword struck out at him, before his feet even had a chance of touching the ground.
{Stern: Coordinate your attacks with the sword. We might survive this. Your speed is almost on par with his. Keep going.}
The sword flew straight toward Kirian's head. Kirian's fist grazed the ground as he dodged low.
Oops, Kirian thought. Solar's left fist was already
approaching the spot where Kirian was dodging.
BANG!
The fist landed on Kirian's face, sending him flying toward where Nox, Soren, and Ren stood. He crashed and bounced repeatedly on the ground until Ren caught him.
Ann was already diving at Solar. The sword in Solar's hand swung for her throat. She slid down with inhuman speed, barely avoiding the blade. Solar's leg was already moving toward her gut. She couldn't dodge that too.
BOOM!
The attack connected, sending her flying back the direction she came from.
Solar had finally struck. Until now he had taken blows and given little back.
In his life, this was the first time he had struck his brother, yet he felt no remorse. In fact, he wanted to kill him now. He wanted to kill everybody.
Striking his brother felt like a hinge unlocking inside him. He wanted to kill now. He wanted to destroy everything.
{Let us escape. We will not have another chance.}
Escape? Solar barked inside his head. No. Hahahaha. I am enjoying this.
Solar did not need to prepare to strike. The sword coordinated his movements, guiding his fists and legs. The blade's sudden gain of consciousness turned the fight into a two on two clash.
Ann rose and faced Solar whose back was turned.
Ren steadied Kirian in his arms. "I know he is your brother and this is hard, but that black slash is not random. For people with low Iora it eats at life. Every time he slashed, it scatters and finds its way into other bodies. It does not hurt the boys and me so much, but these villagers are not built for it. If you keep playing, people will die. He is learning fast. Take this seriously or I will have to pull you out. This could become a disaster if you keep avoiding to kill him."
Kirian looked at the villagers and the children. Some were already down on their knees, struggling to breathe.
He took a breath. "I guess I need to be somewhat serious now."
He rolled up his sleeve and revealed five black bracelets. He removed one and handed it to Ren. "Hold this for me," he said. Ren gripped the heavy band.
The air around Kirian thickened and his eyes went so green they shone in the sun.
Solar looked at him and said something he did not know he could say.
"Cursed child," he spat.
That word had followed Kirian through his life. It had not meant much coming from villagers or children.
But from his brother it cut deeper, almost enough to break him. But Kirian forced himself to treat this as a battlefield, a place for steel, not for sorrow.
Why did I say that, Solar's mind spun.
{It was what you really thought. Thoughts you buried because of love have begun to rot out. All that remains is unfiltered hate, the hunger to devour. Embrace your descent into darkness. If you die today, you will die true. If death should separate us today, I will never forget you.}
Solar's grin was edged with despair and excitement.
Kirian and Ann launched from two directions with Solar between them.
BOOOOM!
Their feet ruptured the ground on impact. Solar twirled at a high speed circular motion, and a black slash surrounded him like a tornado. Both Kirians leaped into the center, but the center held no Solar, only the spinning blade. The sword shot at Kirian and Ann defended.
CLANG!
Ann found herself in a duel with a blade that seemed alive. Kirian's eyes darted, seeking Solar.
Solar burst out of the black tornado with a fist cocked. He landed a clean punch on Kirian's face.
BANG!
But it was like punching a brick wall.
Kirian did not stagger. He took the punch, grabbed Solar's wrist, pulled him close and returned the blow.
BANG!
Solar went flying out of the tornado. Kirian flew along with him, held his hands together, and slammed Solar down.
BANG! The sword flew toward Solar and he caught it before he hit the ground.
He recovered and flew up at Kirian, who was descending. Ann hurled her sword at Solar. The blade twisted and cleanly severed Solar's hand. Solar fell back down under Kirian. Kirian crashed down with both knees on Solar's chest, burying him into the dirt.
BOOM!
The sword vibrated in the soil. Ann drove it into the ground and held it there so it could not move.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Kirian's fists hammered Solar deeper into the earth. Limbs broke, skin tore. Solar could not raise his hands to defend. The pain was unlike anything he had known. Am I going to die, he thought.
{There is no way out.}
Is this the end, Solar wondered.
{It would seem so.}
Solar had never imagined he could feel so much agony. Tears mixed with blood on his face. He started to weep.
The pounding stopped.
Kirian watched him cry. Tears pooled in Kirian's own eyes for a moment. He spoke, voice heavy and raw. "Believe me, brother. This hurts me more than it hurts you."
He plunged his hand into Solar's chest and grabbed his heart, he focused his Iora. By concentrating Iora on a weapon or through your hand to destroy the heart, any demon could be killed.
But could he do it? Could he really kill this demon? Could he really kill his brother?
Solar looked up, rasping blood,seeing his hesitation, he said. "Kill me. I am no longer the brother you once knew. If you do not kill me today you will regret it tomorrow."
Kirian could not strike the final blow. He withdrew his hand from Solar's chest.
"Leave," he said, voice as cold as ice. "The next time we meet will be the last."