Kai was heading toward where the girls were in order to help in that confrontation when suddenly a summoned Nartheis he had seen in the distance after it used some magic seemed to notice him and came after him. Realizing the danger it represented, Kai distanced himself a bit from where he was, taking the fight to just a few meters away from the barrier that kept Enrico trapped.
Her first attack had been an attempt to bite him with that mouth full of teeth like blades; she seemed somehow fixated on him, trying to bite him in many ways. But since his speed was greater than hers—at least her body's—Darkness had changed her strategy.
'What kind of attack is this?'
Darkness shot several dark stakes toward Kai, forcing him to dodge. Some cuts appeared on his body even when there was a one-centimeter gap between the attack and him as he dodged.
'Even without touching me these attacks still hit… what kind of ability is this?'
The magic was just stakes created from her Night magic, having no special ability. What was happening was that she created a second, two-centimeter invisible blade with her Night magic, hiding the blade in the shadows of the attack.
'Is she using a second magic?'
While dodging another stake, another cut appeared. These blades had a speed equal to his, making it hard to dodge completely, but at least Kai began to notice what was happening. On the next movement he managed to dodge an extra centimeter, receiving a lighter cut.
'The damage was smaller.'
Imbuing his legs with Light magic, Kai increased his speed a bit more, managing to dodge a few more centimeters, causing no damage to himself. With a hint of curiosity, he decided to dodge only three centimeters on the next attack, moving to the left, and again—no cut appeared.
'A second hidden blade? I have something similar.'
With a quick movement he approached Darkness, managing to be three meters in front of her. Standing still, he exhaled and activated his unique ability as seven dark stakes surrounded him, trying to hit him.
'Dimensional Duplicate.'
To Darkness's surprise, her seven stakes were cut along with her shoulder without Kai moving a single muscle. Deactivating his ability, Kai pushed forward and made a Light-magic slash at her neck, trying to cause as much damage as possible. Kai noticed that Darkness opened her mouth with a furious expression at being hit by his Light magic.
The previously dull eyes of that Nartheis now shone with a deep purple glow. The temperature around them dropped so quickly that the air turned into white vapor as it left her mouth, and the ground began to tremble.
"What are you—"
Kai jumped back, creating distance as she opened her mouth in a way that tore the sides of it, and in that instant everything seemed to stop for a second.
All the shadows around them that she had created with her own magic entered her mouth during that single second, and inside, a dark glow appeared. Still in the air, Kai realized that this was going to hurt, and then she screamed.
"HOOOOO—AHHHHH!"
"Shit."
The air tore apart as black circular waves spread through the space. The stones around them cracked like glass. Kai's eardrums burst in blood and he felt an impact hit the front of his body. He was pushed back with several thin cuts appearing on his skin, made only by the sound.
'I…'
Kai's eyes turned dull as he began to fall backward, losing consciousness. That attack had been far too strong for someone of his level to withstand, and it seemed to have even worn out his opponent, who was taking deep breaths, recovering her air and regenerating her mouth.
'Did I lose?'
His back was about to hit the ground with a thud. Looking at that Nartheis, it was very possible she intended to devour him somehow from the beginning.
'Losing to someone other than Enrico? Since Deymon?'
His back hit the ground as she began to approach, opening her mouth to bite him—until she stopped for a second upon sensing the barrier disappear, feeling a different magic. Before she could take another step, Kai's eyes regained a sign of consciousness, and with strength he stood up and punched Darkness in the face, sending her flying back several meters.
"That presence… he's back?"
Letting his right arm fall down, he raised his right hand to his face as his body began to tremble slightly with a feeling rising in his chest.
"Haha… he's stronger too, maybe sixth circle?"
Darkness rose with a slight tremor in her expression, feeling that the strike had been different from all the others. Preparing to leap back at her opponent, she saw Kai with an excited and somewhat terrifying smile, something that even made the creature falter for a moment.
"I CAN'T FALL BEHIND, CAN I, CREATURE?"
As if understanding something after that shout, Kai began muttering words about how he needed to reach the same level as him. Trying to take advantage of that moment, Darkness opened her mouth again and unleashed another of those powerful screams that disoriented Kai once more.
"No… maybe this is better?"
Kai staggered to the side, beginning to walk toward her. Darkness, seeing that, continued to unleash her scream while he walked with some difficulty.
"I understand. This is better."
Kai's power began to rise and his sword took on a new form—its hilt becoming more perfect, fitting his hand perfectly. A crescent moon appeared on it, and its blade turned blue with a white line in its center.
Each passing second, his magic increased along with the power of the sword and Kai himself as he continued walking forward.
"The sixth circle is quite different… but more importantly…"
Just like Victoria, Kai was a complete freak of nature, and Enrico could keep up with these two freaks even with difficulties. So it wasn't surprising that, like the other two, he had reached the sixth circle on the same day. Swinging his sword, he cut the magic in the air with the sword's magical ability now being at the creature's level.
"I think I understand how to use this technique to its fullest."
Darkness jumped back and fired several spells at him, striking his entire body along with an explosion of dark mana. As the dust settled, Kai was still standing, and his wounds began to heal with a white and blue glow, having managed to combine his two magical affinities to heal his body. Raising his blade, he made a vertical slash toward Darkness.
"Full Moon."
A pillar of light emerged, slicing Darkness in half. A second slash brought forth another pillar, doing it again. With a third slash, he completely defeated her, and her core fell at Kai's feet.
"A healing core? I'll use it myself."
He picked up the core and stored it in his clothes. Sheathing his sword, he looked toward where Enrico was, eager to see him again.
"This time, I can do it."