The Devil Summoner in Shadow

Chapter 14: Boss Fight !

Ahhh, seriously-why the hell were they so close?

Only three meters. That's all that separated us from those damned Churels and the Ippon-Datara. If Mei and I had landed even a little farther away, we could've had the space to launch spells from a distance, pick off the weaker ones first, maybe even soften up the big guy before things got messy.

But at this range? It was going to be a brawl. A close-quarters nightmare.

My mind started drifting-just slightly, just enough to calculate escape paths and angles of attack, trying to find some way to flip this situation in our favor.

"Burroughs," I muttered, voice low but firm, "initiate analysis."

The words had barely left my mouth when instinct screamed danger.

I twisted hard to the side just in time to see a hammer-no, the hammer-coming at me like a freight train. It was Ippon-Datara, and he had moved. Fast.

Or maybe not fast-just suddenly.

The hammer smashed into the ground where I'd been standing a heartbeat earlier. The air around it exploded outward in a violent shockwave. Even though I'd dodged the strike itself, the force of it hit me like a truck. I was launched backward, my feet leaving the ground, tumbling mid-air before landing hard a few meters away.

I rolled once, twice-then dug my feet in and skidded to a halt.

This wasn't like the Oni.

He was slower. Noticeably slower than me and a bit weaker than the Oni I'd fought back then. But power?

Yeah. He had plenty of that.

That one swing-just a warning shot-felt like a prelude to something far worse. If that had connected cleanly, I wouldn't be standing well.

Still on one knee, I looked up. Ippon-Datara hadn't moved from his spot. Even without my sight I can imagine him, stood there like an executioner, hammer resting lazily over one shoulder, blue eye fixed on me like a scope.

But something else caught my attention.

I heard the Churels move first. Like pawns in a game he already knew he'd win.

That was a mistake.

I drew a deep breath. If he was going to underestimate us, then maybe-just maybe-we had a chance to do some real damage before the real fight began.

A crackling noise-sharp, electric-cut through the tension like a whip.

I turned my head just enough to catch a flash of blue behind me. Lightning. It struck something with a hiss and a scream. That had to be Mei. She was already making her move, targeting one of the Churels.

Good. Then it was my turn.

"Maragi."

The word flowed from my mouth like embers caught in the wind. Ever since I'd taken down Kurogane, I'd felt it-this new skill simmering in me, like an ember waiting for fuel. A multi-target fire spell. I hadn't had a proper chance to test it. Until now.

My arm extended forward. Instinct guided me.

The Magatsuhi inside me stirred-flowing, twisting, burning. It gathered into my palm and spread outward. Five orbs of flame, each the size of a human head, materialized in front of me, hovering like patient hunters.

They pulsed with life-red and orange, flickering violently around a white-hot core, as if they barely held themselves together. Hungry. Desperate to devour.