An Assassin's Adventure: The Great Conjunction

Chapter 58: Usurper

*SHREEEEEE* *ZZZZZZ* *FLASH*

A pitch-black line of malevolent aura burst from the spheroidal abomination and rent the air in twain. Bordering hues of crimson wrath imparted the impression that the very fabric of reality itself was bleeding from an infinitely dense wound.

*Shing*

Hit's inky cloaks became buffered by purple hues as he transported his true being into the Tides of Time. Amethyst became pink as the immense crimson laser converged and penetrated past the illusionary presence, impacting with a faraway Orichalcum wall.

"Come on, DANCE FOR ME!!!" Dix's body bulged and trembled as he diverted the energy cannon left and right, aiming for a sporadically disappearing silhouette. The few remaining supply crates that once littered the plaza were not spared in the carnage, now left as violated piles of refuse.

The phantom intruder had no chance to rest as the energy beam kept firing in an incessant rain. Hit's body became a continuously teleporting mannequin, locked in increasingly complex evasive manoeuvres.

'There must be something I can take advantage of...' Hit made sure to observe each the evil flares every time they became frozen in the lower world, analysing their form for any weakness. 'Dammit. If I cannot find a means of escape soon, I'll be left completely empty and out of options.' Unfortunately, an agonising ache was amassing in the pit of Hit's soul: the tell-tale sign of energy over-expenditure. By this point, Hit's latent time energy reserves were approaching absolute bankruptcy, despite his extreme efficiency. Without this precious resource, Hit's only form of defence would vaporise into fiery oblivion. 'I may have to resort to magic, although I doubt it will have any effect... Besides, that will almost certainly reveal my identity...Tsk. Should I really be worrying about that now?'

*BOOM*

The ground quaked as a sudden detonation marred the battlefield. Unexpectedly, Dix's most recent energy flare became two in a peculiar bifurcation: a thin stream of black radiation burst from its reddish barrier and diverged from the primary stream. The singularity blast collided with the plaza's floor, carving a half-sphere in its hardened surface. This act appeared to be unintentional, as Dix tensed at the detonation, hurrying to control the unruly power with a slightly terrified expression. The man's trembling body heaved as he reseated into a brace position, opening and closing a fist with great exertion.

'A defect!' This abnormality spurred Hit's mind into overdrive: thoughts and hypotheses that any normal mortal would conjure in days, took a mere second to materialise. Dix's apparent error served to finalize a puzzle that Hit had been forming during his fleeting 'orbits' of the blasts: no matter how vehemently Dix assured himself, he was no master to these creations. He was still, and would always be, a servant to his curse.

'As I thought, this is no magic. It is an uncontrolled stream of unrefined energy, with what must be a simple purpose, based on its undifferentiated substructure. The central column enacts the ability's effect, whilst the thin reddish barrier contains the ejection.' Flecks of crimson shatters and burst orichalcum flashed through Hit's psyche, illuminating a developing plan. 'That constraining material is analogous to the barrier magic of this reality, a force ripe for exploitation, whereas the dark energy is utterly unfamiliar. At least compared to anything borne in this world... No, it shares an uncanny resemblance to... KI.'