The obsidian beneath his feet forms raised platforms, carrying him forward like a king upon his throne.
Fuck!
He raises both hands and he cavern floor detonates. Multiple spikes surge upward at once.
I weave between them, barely avoiding impalement, using the formations themselves as cover. My breathing grows harsher with every dodge. One mistake and I die.
Think.
Think.
Obsidian is everywhere. Light is everywhere. Shadows are everywhere.
An idea forms.
It’s dangerous. Probably idiotic.
I guess Moe might beat me to death even if I survive, after all.
I sprint not away from him, but toward him.
He blinks, surprised. Then he snarls and slams his palm downward.
The floor before me erupts.
I leap at the right time.
A spike of obsidian bursts beneath my feet and launches me higher instead of skewering me. Pain rattles through my legs from the impact, but I use the momentum.
Midair, I seize every shadow around him. Perhaps sensing my conviction, they don’t refuse me. They sway around, undulating to my will.
The darkness cast by his own body. The shadows of the surrounding pillars. The jagged silhouettes of the obsidian spikes he summoned. All those shadow surge toward him at once.
They coil around his limbs. They’re not solid, at least not truly, but they’re enough to slow him down and make him hesitate.
His next command falters and that is all I need.
I crash into him before he can recover.
We both slam to the ground in a brutal tangle of limbs. He is stronger than me physically—far stronger—but domain users rarely expect close combat once their abilities mature. Just like my other opponents, this is his weakness. Where my wins were gained through actual blood, sweat, and multiple bruises,concussions, and semi-deadly injuries, his were probably neat ones from a distance.
I drive my elbow into his throat. He sputters and chokes. His concentration breaks.
It’s enough to make the obsidian around us still.
He throws me off with brute force, but I’ve already found the recipe for success. The moment his focus disappears, so does his control over his domain.
He gets to his feet. He’s furious now, stone veins blazing brighter beneath his skin, his eyes almost bulging out of his skull.
The entire cavern trembles.
Massive obsidian spikes begin forming around us, larger than before.
He’s using all his remaining energy into one massive strike. This can either end me, or work to my advantage.
I grin despite the blood in my mouth.
Do it.
