Despite all the time he'd spent being chased by demons through the Commonwealth, Kai found that he needed to adapt his strategies again now. Anaelina had been aggressive and personal, always pursuing him in hopes of getting her revenge or draining him. By contrast Troulon was careful and methodical, which was proving to be worse.
What he'd painfully discovered was that Troulon was both bribing and threatening the local citizens to provide information about Kai, so he couldn't trust anyone. He didn't blame the citizens, who had difficult enough lives without demons breathing down their necks. It was simply one more option not available to him, forcing him to stay away from civilization and assume everyone was an informant.
Even though Anaelina hadn't reappeared - presumably still injured - Lilaetiel and Gorutiel were absolutely brutal enforcers. Kai might have taken a gamble on fighting one of them individually, but together would be suicide, even before Troulon or other forces got involved. He'd had several vicious encounters and never dealt more than minor injuries, while he would be in bad shape if not for Behemoth's Heart.
He was running through a desolate hilly area when he suddenly spotted someone atop a nearby hill. At first he sighed, assuming he would need to change course again, then he realized that their clothing was familiar. Not shimmering Commonwealth linens, just skins and furs.
It had to be a follower of the Savage Creed. If anyone was resisting the demonic mandate, it would be them, and he'd wanted more training anyway. This could be a way to get more out of the grueling experience.
As he drew closer he saw that it was a young woman, not particularly impressive with under 200 Power. She started to move away before she realized how fast he was going and understood that she couldn't outpace him. Instead she drew a weapon from a spatial fur and braced herself.
Kai abruptly realized what he must look like, charging directly at her in the middle of nowhere. Now that he was thinking properly, it was obvious that a young woman would be afraid in a situation , especially of someone like him. There was likely nothing he could do to completely ease her fears, but when he got closer he slowed down and approached with a smile.
"Excuse me! You haven't seen demons nearby, have you?"
"Some flew east in a ship less than an hour ago," she told him tersely. It was hard to say if she was telling the truth or just trying to make him go away.
"You could have killed someone and taken it from him."
"Fine, how about this?" Kai transformed the hand holding the fangs into a claw, but he could only maintain it for a few seconds before it faded. "Alright, I still have some work to do. But you look like you've started training, so you know that isn't just a trick I picked up."
Her axe finally lowered a little and she stared at him. "Are you really a follower of the Savage Creed?"
"Maybe it would have been more accurate to say I use the Savage Heart. To be perfectly honest, I could take or leave your ideals."
That finally earned him a grim little smile. "That's very Savage Creed of you. But it's just as well. They say we take what we want, and men of our order tend to want the same things."
"What are you doing out here, then?" Kai asked. "I mean, you can ignore me if you want. All I really need from you is information about demons."
"The same ones killing us?"
The young Savage Creed woman shivered. "We had a community here, until one of the demons started hunting us. We even called an elder from further north, but she wasn't enough. What I said about seeing them fly past was true, but... there's another one who attacked us. I was the only one who got away, so I'm traveling to meet with others."
After the young woman let her guard down they walked together toward her destination. It came out that her name was Vulrippa and she'd stayed with a small Savage Creed community before things turned bloody. She didn't exactly open up about her thoughts, but he sensed that she wasn't happy with the turn her life had taken - not just the demon attacks, well before that.
It was clear that she didn't trust him fully, and likely expected him to demand something from her. Kai wasn't sure whether or he should try to earn her trust or just leave her to her own plans. Before he could come to any conclusion, the decision was made for him.
Gorutiel leapt over a nearby hill, eyes burning.
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"Kai! I was beginning to think Lilaetiel got you."
"Not yet." Kai pushed Vulrippa to a safer distance. He would have said that Gorutiel wouldn't attack someone weak, but given what he'd just heard...
"Gotta say, I'm disappointed you decided to fight us. I liked you, way back when, but you're a real pain in our ass now." Gorutiel looked past him to the young woman. "Tell you what, in honor of our old times together, if you give me the girl I'll let you go this time."
"I thought you were better than that," Kai said.
"Hah! That was just a test, glad to see you haven't lost your balls. But I really need to try to kill you now."
The demon raised a hand to the side, building up a massive scythe of blood. He didn't aim for any fancy tactics this time, he just hurled it through the air so that it would hit both Kai and Vulrippa. No choice but to meet it head on.
Kai unleashed his best Tyrant's Claw, but when the two techniques impacted he was sent stumbling backward. Gorutiel was just too strong, despite all Kai's progress. If they kept fighting it could turn ugly, because Kai had enough trouble on his own, much less trying to defend someone weaker.
And yet... when he looked at the demon's soul, an idea occurred to him.
Crimson Demon: Topaz Rank (399)
Demonic Cultivation: Nascent Foundation (220)
It had been well over a year since they last met, yet Gorutiel's Power had only risen from 994 to 998. There was only one explanation for that: he couldn't pass the 999 Power barrier.
"You're stuck, aren't you?" Kai called before they could really start fighting. "That's why you're murdering the Savage Creed followers now. You're trying to push through the barrier to a thousand."
For a moment Gorutiel's eyes narrowed in fury, then instead he paced to the side, blood still forming around his hands. "Guess you got it. Demonic arts hit barriers , where you need new power to move on up. Still haven't gotten enough."
"But you can't be proud of yourself, attacking people you used to say weren't worth hunting."
"Are you trying to shame me, boy? Don't test my patience."
"No, I'm going to make an offer." Kai lowered his hands, though he kept Thunderbird's Wings at the ready. "I have something called Ape Titan's Ambrosia that can break through the 999 Power barrier. If I gave it to you, would you consider making a different sort of deal?"
To his surprise, Gorutiel burst out laughing. "You trying to bribe me, boy? Damn, you still have balls. Absolutely not, I need to break through myself."
"Then I guess we have to fight after all."
"I've changed my mind." Gorutiel suddenly released his blood scythe and it splattered over the hillside. "Your growth is damn impressive and I still don't have your number. But you know it's not enough, not against me. I'll let you go this time... if you can gain enough power from these Savage Losers to actually go toe-to-toe with me for one blow, then I'll consider ignoring them."
"I'd be stupid to disagree, right?" Kai pretended to shrug casually. Even though he thought Gorutiel was being earnest, it would be a mistake to underestimate a demon of his strength. It was entirely possible, maybe even likely, that Gorutiel wanted to eat him to break the barrier.
"I'll see you soon - you'd better be ready!" Gorutiel laughed again and then raced off over the hills, apparently making good on his promise.
Just in case, Kai quickly traveled away from their current location. Vulrippa went along with him, now staring in shock. She had enough skill with spiritual sight to examine both their souls, so she must have known that Kai was punching above his weight. He did his best not to seem too rough and it brought down her defenses a little.
The challenge itself could be a problem, though. Kai's human soul currently had 491 Power, which meant his full potential was roughly 982. Still short of Gorutiel, and worse, he didn't think he was actually that strong. He'd been advancing only his human soul for a while, so his monstrous side still needed to grow to catch up. A larger gap of 100 Power or so was a better fit for how Gorutiel's scythe technique consistently knocked him back.
So the obvious solution was to go hunt monsters... except the Commonwealth just didn't have enough of them here. It was a shame that life didn't put any convenient hunts in his way, but he seemed to be out of luck.
When he asked Vulrippa about sacred beasts, she told him that they were getting scarce due to recent events. At least her help let him find the Savage Creed community much faster than he would have on his own. Since it seemed like Gorutiel had kept his promise, the other demons probably wouldn't track him down soon, which bought him a little time to prepare.
The Savage Creed community wasn't anything special, without any particularly powerful members like Kai would have expected. This group seemed younger, without any fancy stones or established hierarchies. He was beginning to think that the trip had been pointless when he finally saw someone he recognized.
"Kai Clanless." Tyorcut stared at him with an odd smile and put a fist on her hip. The movement made her abs ripple, which she'd clearly planned. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I was fighting demons when I ran into Vulrippa here," he told her. The younger woman glanced at them but quickly disappeared among her peers. "You're the one who came to help?"
"That was how it was supposed to work, but that demon is... a monster. I'm surprised you could survive him."
"I'm coming up a little short too."
"Well then." Tyorcut sauntered toward him as her smile warmed. "Perhaps it's time for some more training? If you're feeling more flexible than before, we could really help one another."
Her attempt at seduction had tested him when they last met, but so much had changed in Kai's life. Ignoring her attractiveness, he instead checked her soul.
Savage Heart: 17 (172)
Fierce Yoni: Amber Rank (99)
She'd become a little stronger in the years since they'd first met, but not much. Her Fierce Yoni skill was stuck at Amber - he now knew enough to be sure it was a sexual ability and speculate that she might be so aggressive because she thought he could help her advance. That only put up another obstacle to potential desire.
Obviously he wasn't going to betray his vows, but Kai was short on time and allies, so he smiled back. "Last time you thought I'd fail your tests of control. Want a rematch?"