Solar Knight: Dark Veil -book 1-

Chapter 56: A Tengu vs A Chimera

Demons can sense demons, and us Tengu were no exception. I could feel the two girls doing their work in thinning out the crowd of demons little by little. This, in turn, will cut off his power supply if we need to retreat and come back when we recuperate.

Grimmer would smirk at me as he had insect like limbs protruding out from his back and would open his mouth wide open. Energy would shoot from the tips of the appendages, joining at the center, forming a ball of energy. Energy would form at the back of his throat as veins of glowing blue would grow brighter. He would then launch the ball of energy in his mouth and it collided with the energy ball created by the appendages and would form an even larger ball, this time with rings around it.

"Homing strider barrage!!" He howled, as several energy projectiles would immediately start flying out of the giant orb at hand.

I immediately thought to dodge the projectiles by using my wings and wind to dash here and there, eventually finding an opportunity to dash behind him and get a solid hit in on him. However, upon trying that, i would immediately have to backdash away from a swipe of his hand of razor sharp claws, because apparently, he was fully mobile during this barrage attack.

He would immediately turn the ball on me and i would get hit several times with energy projectiles that burned me on impact. It was all i could do to raise my arms and right leg, in a blocking stance. The pain was great, but due to my kind training, i had a technique to subside pain quickly and focus. Thankfully, these projectiles were the last remaining few, meaning i only caught the tail end of the attack.

"Gyahaha!! What's wrong? Did that ruffle your feathers? Hmmm?" He said with a smug grin.

"A little, but, is it just me, or did you lose a bit of mass?" I asked.

"Heh? What do you mean, bird brain?" He asked with a snarl.

He didn't notice his own weakness, i would choose to play it off as ignorance on my part.

"It's nothing, i think i must have gotten hit in my head or something." I said, getting in a stance.

He would smirk and start to put away his insect appendages.

It dawned on me as soon as i looked at him after the attack. The energy he was using, was the sheer life force the demons had and that he devoured. The energy everything and everyone has in order to live. Due to him using said energy, his size lessened and so did his power from what i can see and feel. However, this power shortage was only a small fraction of his overall power. I must get him to use more of his energy.

I would immediately charge at him as he was beginning to put away his appendages, this triggered him to bringing them back and channeling more energy like he did before. I waited for him to open his mouth to charge another energy ball, then slid under the appendages. I would sweep my legs close to myself, then do a leaping uppercut punch to his chin, then delivered a powerful punch to his gut, forcing him to fire the energy ball to the sky and release energy as though he was vomiting it up.

I'd then notice that the ball would slowly come down, like it had weight to it. While Grimmer was still stunned from the gut punch which made him vomit more energy, i would then sweep his legs, use my arm to push myself underneath him, and then delivered a spear kick to his abdomen, sending him skyward and vomiting more energy, hitting the energy ball on impact with a resounding boom. As he descended, i would get in a ready stance, and then deliver a downward punch to the back to his skull as soon as he fell close enough to do so, cracking the pavement upon his impact.

The demons were in awe of the spectacle, and waited to see if grimmer was still alive or not. Unfortunately, he would shakily get up, panting. The extra appendages and parts he had, started to fall off and turn to dust, including the tengu wing. Something tells me, that i freed the demons that were trapped within him or something like that.

"You.....HOW DARE YOU TAKE FROM ME!!" he bellowed and charged at me.

He was much faster like this, but this was purely hand to hand now. His fighting style was more on the miltary side of things, in particular, American military CQC. During my time as a demon on the "other side", i studied various martial arts and fighting styles, and CQC was one of them. It's basic, but effective from my standpoint. It's easier for soldier to understand and follow. However, the thing that puzzles me, is that inarians have a martial arts of their own and its far more graceful and tactical than CQC. Why was he utilizing such a far lesser effective art?

During our scuffle, he would try to grab me in an attempt to get me in a grapple hold, however i would deflect his arms and weave out of grappling reach, then grabbed his left arm.

"How did yo-" he said, before i delivered a palm thrust to his elbow.

SNAP!!

He screamed in agony as his broken arm dangled from the elbow.

I was about to follow up with a talon strike, one that would disembowel him and end this fight, however, he took me by surpise and fired an energy ball at near point blank range. I took the hit to the chest, which knocked the wind out of me and sent me sprawling on the ground.

While i was trying to regain my breath, he was right on top of me, trying to impale me with his blade arm. During the struggle, i would use my beak and peck at his neck, burrowing deep into it. He'd yell in pain and grip his bleeding neck, before i kicked him off of me with both legs, sending him a few feet away.

He was at his limit, and i was reaching mine.

He'd charge up another energy ball, this time quicker than before. There was no way i would avoid this one. He was catching on and matching my speed.

Before he could fire it, a can would gently close his mouth shut.

"Hey! Who- how- " He'd turn to said owner of the cane, gasp in horror and fell backwards.

"Now now, grimmer, you're wasting valuable power." The mysterious man said in a silky, smooth voice like a snake.

Said man was adorned in a long, brown coat, pants, shoes, and a matching hat. He looked like he walked out of the victorian era.....however, on him was dark purple scars and veins, littering his exposed skin. He was humanoid....definitely not human, however. His eyes were pitch black like voids with bright red rings in them for pupils.

Who was this man?
No.....what is creature?
And why is grimmer so afraid of him?