Kai’s shoulders loosened. Numbers accomplished what individual power couldn’t. Axes split skulls. Flails shattered carapaces. Blades opened throats. More abominations died by the second.
They could hold without him, for now.
Shadow sniffed the air, ground, and anything he could reach. Renzo’s duplicate muddled the trail, but he wouldn’t escape. The wolf tracked ahead while Kai and his bodyguard followed.
Questioning the bodyguard went nowhere. He answered with indecipherable hand gestures. Old Haggar hadn’t been exaggerating. The parasite warped the Demon’s speech into meaningless sound.
His suit offered a solution.
Intriguing, but vague.
How?
What happens then?
If the Demons could better control their parasites, it’d be a game changer. Customising their armour would let them pass as humans and Demon Hunters wouldn’t attack on sight. He’d upgrade their capabilities and earn loyalty in one move.
He wouldn’t lose much if it failed, but the upside was enormous. One Demon life was an acceptable cost for the data.
You sure this will work?
Smug superiority pulsed through their bond.
He shrugged. It was worth testing if his suit was confident. Who was he to question royalty?
Kai pressed his forearm against his bodyguard’s. The Demon’s head turned. Fabric liquefied where their arms met. Shadowy tendrils invaded the other parasite. A pulse ran through him. His forearm throbbed.
His bodyguard watched but didn’t interfere. He either trusted Kai or knew better than to resist. Unquestioning obedience was a useful trait.
Kai gestured at their connected forearms, offering context. “This should give you more control over your armour.”
The Demon nodded.
The throbbing stopped. Shadow solidified into fabric. His bodyguard’s armour looked unchanged, but something had passed between them. Kai’s bond with his suit deepened, and a faint link formed between the parasites.
Pride radiated from his suit.
They both examined the armour.
“Try removing the mask so we can speak.”
Darkness pulled back, revealing a pale skull. Brown flesh spread across bone until a face took shape. The bodyguard touched his cheek, eyes widening. Then he looked at Kai and bowed his head.
“As expected of the chosen heir. Even creatures of the abyss obey you. Thank you, My Lord.”
Kai waved it off. “Try changing its form. I can’t have you looking like a walking nightmare. We’ll need to blend in.”
“As you wish.”
The armour rippled. Liquid hardened into dark steel. Up close, subtle movement betrayed its true nature, but it fooled the eye well enough from a distance. Spikes jutted from the shoulders—not practical, but Kai appreciated the dramatic flair.
Intimidation prevented more fights than pure skill.
“What should I call you?” Kai asked.
“I wouldn’t presume to—”
“What’s your name?”
“Botis, My Lord.”
His suit’s dissatisfaction thrummed through their bond.
Fair point, though how was he supposed to know his suit had a name? Setting that aside, where was his epic black armour? The suit was useful for impersonating nobles, and its robe form was perfect for his Demonic transformation. But war demanded different aesthetics.
His skin prickled. He glanced at his arm. The onyx covering his skin receded, exposing golden brown flesh. That raised a question.
Did you trigger my transformation?
Wings and horns retracted. Frustration bled through their bond before the answer came.
The suit’s frustration deepened.
Consequences?
Another limitation. Annoying, but predictable. He could work around it.
Irritation flared in the back of his mind. He sighed.
What’s your name?
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Gratification and pride accompanied the response.
What had his brother gotten him into? He wore a sentient parasite queen, and she was evolving. What would she become?
Questions for later. He’d make Kharon explain, somehow.
Kai gestured at Botis.
Can you change into something like that?
Haughtiness filled the response.
His robe shifted. Fabric clung to his skin, hardening. Dark plates crawled over his body. Blades sprouted from his forearms. A shadowy cape billowed behind him.
His lips curved as he examined the regal armour.
Botis nodded approval.
Thank you, Alu.
Shadow howled.
Kai turned to the wolf. “Found him?”
Shadow nodded toward Nivis Village.
Made sense. The slimy bastard was trying to escape through the Darkgate. They couldn’t let him bring the duplicating puppet to Earth. Reaching his main body was hard enough without that complication.
Shadow sank into the ground, racing toward the village. Kai teleported after him. Botis followed, sinking into shadow like the wolf. They were on Renzo in moments. Shadow and Botis surfaced from darkness.
Kai blinked beside Renzo, blade driving toward his chest. Renzo flickered. A Tree Man took his place. Kai split the Tree Man like firewood.
It didn’t die.
Shadow didn’t give it time to recover. Flame poured from his mouth, devouring the wooden abomination.
Renzo kept running. Kai closed the gap with another teleport. Another substitution, another Tree Man. Botis thrust a spear through its mask. Shadow burned it to ash.
“Too scared to fight me?” Kai shouted.
Renzo kept switching with Tree Men. The wooden constructs were a nuisance at best, though they offered no blood. This chase would drain his reserves if it dragged on.
Smart play—if they were isolated.
Renzo’s strategy had a flaw: other abominations lurked in the forest. Blood bags for the taking. He could feed Alu and return before the avatar got far. A war of attrition favoured Kai.
Renzo realised his error before wasting more essence. Unfortunate. He stopped running and spun to face Kai. Fighting was Renzo’s best chance. He had two choices: land a crippling blow and create an opening. Or go for the kill and solve the problem.
Kai wouldn’t allow either.
“Don’t you have bigger things to worry about?” Renzo drew his sword. “You had more friends last time I saw you.”
Kai’s sword materialised in his grip, the black blade near invisible in the dark. “My crew can handle themselves, unlike your dead minions.”
Renzo sighed, then flickered. A duplicate emerged beside him. “What’s the point of this, Kai? You know this won’t kill me.”
Shadow moved to Kai’s side. Botis took the other flank. “Good. I get to kill you twice. Double the vengeance.”
Half-truths.
Killing Renzo appealed, but getting information on his abilities was more important. Depriving him of the duplicating avatar was another plus. Perfect opportunity to exploit his Curse and gain an advantage.
Kai lunged forward, blade aimed at Renzo’s heart. The third technique Renzo had taught him. He slipped the blow with ease, and his duplicate moved to counterattack. Botis intercepted. Both Renzos leapt backward.
“Vengeance?” Renzo spat. “Still playing victim? Your ambition was beyond your ability, and you got what you deserved.”
Kai attacked with more of Renzo’s techniques. His blade didn’t touch the bastard. As expected. The familiar motions made Renzo more comfortable, lowering his vigilance.
Botis kept the duplicate at bay, neutralising it. He didn’t destroy it, and Renzo didn’t create another. As Kai predicted, one duplicate was his limit. Shadow remained on standby.
Kai let him talk.
“You betrayed me first. Wanted me dead since you could walk. But I should’ve expected that from a little Demon.”
Kai frowned. How could he know that? Even as a child, he’d hidden his suspicions and lied fluently. His Demonic heritage was obvious in retrospect. But that didn’t explain how Renzo saw past his innocent facade.
Renzo spoke while evading strikes. “You’d be dead like your whore of a mother without me. I saved you. Made you family. You repaid me with hatred and disloyalty.”
Kai scoffed. They separated. “Saved me? You used me like your puppets. Leashed me and turned me into a tool. Don’t pretend you were benevolent. All I wanted was freedom to make my own choices.”
Renzo smirked. “Freedom? It’s yours. Killing you again has proven a chore. Walk away. We’ll call it even.”
Kai’s dark blade answered for him. Every swing missed. They parted again.
“Didn’t think so. Because you don’t want freedom, do you? You want power.”
Power was the only path to freedom. The strong crushed or controlled the weak. His current predicament was proof enough. Renzo was playing word games.
“Bit late to take the moral high ground. You slaughtered Nivis Village to weaken my position.”
Renzo shrugged. “And you’d have done the same if the roles were reversed. I know you. I’ve been watching.”
Renzo had always unsettled him. Kai hadn’t understood why, but he’d sensed the danger. Patient. Watching. Creepy. Now it made sense: Renzo was grooming him to become a puppet. A Demon would be a unique addition to his collection.
Kai would’ve puppeted him in the crib if he were Renzo—no point leaving things to chance.
Renzo wasn’t stupid—he’d have considered that.
Which meant he couldn’t. His Gift had limitations. Maybe puppets couldn’t develop. No growth, no awakening Gifts. That would explain the delay.
When Kai’s awakening failed, he became useless. A loose end and a potential threat.
Renzo was right though.
Kai would destroy a hundred villages to control his future. But he’d never claimed otherwise.
Another dodge. Kai sprang his trap. His blade slipped into a technique he’d stolen from Alira, arcing toward Renzo’s torso.
He missed.
“You slippery bastard! How the ash did you dodge that?”
It was like fighting Alira, but worse. Renzo anticipated his moves before he made them. This was beyond reflexes or skill.
Renzo frowned, and his jaw clenched. Fighting it was futile. Even Saints couldn’t resist their Curses. The attack was a misdirection—this was the real trap.
“Same way I sensed your hatred and bloodlust as a kid. My s—”
Blood erupted from his mouth. A wet red object splatted against the ground. He’d bitten his tongue off to keep his secrets. Hardcore, but clever. Kai would’ve done the same. That’s why he saw it coming.
He vanished.
Kai materialised behind Renzo. His blade slid through Ashvale armour like paper, erupting through the bastard’s gut. Renzo didn’t dodge, accepting what he thought was death. Wrong. The killing came after.
[Hydra’s Aura] flooded through his blade.
Renzo smirked. Then realisation hit. His face twisted into a scowl. Kai held the sword in place as flesh closed around the wound.
Renzo’s duplicate turned to strike him, a desperate attempt to silence himself. Botis’s spear met the blade, blocking it.
Seconds later, Renzo’s tongue regrew in his bloodied mouth. Kai smirked.
“Got you. Now explain how you avoided my attacks.”
Renzo spoke through clenched teeth. “My second Gift—”
He bit down again. Kai poured more essence into the blade. It taxed his reserves, but was worth it. The tongue regenerated instantly.
Renzo’s face was a mask of anger. “I sense hostile intent toward me.”
Like the flying woman Liara’s Curse?
That explained a lot, but raised new questions—what was the difference between a Gift and a Curse?
Perspective? Severity? Control?
Something to consider later. The more pressing issue was figuring out a way to beat the Gift.
Renzo’s head dropped, shoulders slumping. His secret card was exposed. Two Gifts, like Kai—although Renzo had fewer restrictions.
What a cheat.
He must’ve paid a high price for it. Death God wouldn’t lift a finger for his own son if it didn’t benefit his goals. What would Renzo have to give his Sponsor for a second Gift?
The first Gift was free, a taste of power. Second Gifts usually meant signing a contract, and Gods were known to offer unfair deals. Only the desperate or insane considered the option.
Which one was Renzo?
“Desperation or insanity?”
Renzo mumbled. Blood gushed from his mouth. Another tongue on the ground.
What a stubborn nuisance.
Kai would’ve preferred a more thorough interrogation, but forcing Renzo’s regeneration had cost him. His essence was running low.
He couldn’t stay much longer either. Cutting the essence flow, he wrenched his sword free. Renzo gasped as his avatar’s body crumpled. His duplicate disintegrated.
A flat snake slipped from his flesh, fleeing into the grass.
Shadow pounced, catching it in his jaw. Finger-length fangs tore it apart. Fire finished the job, leaving no trace.
One avatar down.
He still had to figure a way past Renzo’s second Gift. His hostile intent was loud as a siren. But he didn’t have to find the answer alone.
“Let’s get back to the others.”
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