243 Kingship (1/2)

The snake charged.

Darian darted to one side, slamming his fist out at the snake as it passed.

[You think your bare hand can hurt me…?] As quick as a thought, the snake's scorn burst out psionically.

Sudden blue light flared in Darian's palm.

[Uoogh!] the snake wasn't even half-done charging forward yet when all this happened and its thought broadcast went into an incoherent scream of pain. Blood spurted as Darian zipped away fast enough to leave afterimages before the snake could retaliate. [Human…! HUMAAAAN!!]

”Wha…?” Remian and Mindy said the exact same thing with the exact same baffled look on their faces.

Darian, who had nothing in his hand before, now seemed to have an enormous blazing sword of blue light extended from his wrist. It covered his fist, and extended no less than five feet out, spread one foot thick.

[What is that?] Tim's question flickered across in a thought-burst. [It's not magic.]

[Second Stage Psi-Blade.] Doom explained. The concept of it was that it was simply a sword made of light. The First Stage Psi-Blade was only semi-tangible and usually didn't retain a form very well. The Second Stage, like Darian's, was totally solid. As for its size, that was simply a reflection of choice on Darian's part. Something that big would be weightless, and powerful, but would prove quite costly on Darian's Psionic power.

[Forget 'totally solid', for it to be able to pierce through the scales of a Tier 6 King Challenger is really…] Remian shook his head wordlessly.

[It's a waste, that's what it is.] Doom shook his head. [A direct Psionic attack to the snake's mind would have been much more effective and efficient. There was no need to physically attack its body.]

[Isn't this a duel? It's supposed to be a brawl, right?] Tim pointed out.

[There are other Kings who fought challenges using pure psionics. The Prism Butterfly King, for example, did not dirty a single foot.]

[Could have told me that earlier!] Darian barked, while dodging the Snake's snapping fangs. A sudden shimmer in the air rippled, and then the Snake froze.

Abruptly, it turned around with a vicious snarl, snapping at the empty air. It twisted; it rose; it fell; it surged round and round and into loop of its own making…

Remian, Mindy, Tim and Phoebe blinked in unison as they watched the Snake Challenger basically tie itself into a knot. [Ehhhh…?]

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[Urghk!] the snake suddenly choked, half-strangled by its own coils.

[See? That works so much better.] Doom nodded in satisfaction.

[How did…?] Mindy stared. [I mean… I thought the Kings of the Wilds were strong psionically.]

[Strength is one thing. Wisdom is something else.] Doom snorted. [For all its brute force, that Snake proved remarkably easy to trick.]

[What did you do? What did you trick it with?] Mindy asked Darian.

[Nothing much. It already thought itself vastly superior to me, and that I was a weak puny human who would only flee from it, so…] Darian shrugged. [I used that. It simply believed what it wanted to believe. Trying to convince it of something it refuses to believe would have been extremely hard. Letting it deceive itself, though, was very easy.]

[I guess Wilds are like that?] Tim pondered.

[Humans are worse.] Doom snorted. [They would deceive themselves even without Psionic illusions.]

Darian meanwhile, had gone over to the snake and asked, [Do you concede?]

[I'll tear you apart!] the Snake hissed.

Darian stabbed it. [Are you sure?]

[I'll make you bleed!!]

He stabbed it again. [Really, really sure?]

The snake howled, and Darian went on stabbing, and stabbing, until at last, there was only silence. The Snake glared at him balefully, while Darian asked again, [Now are you ready to concede?]

This time, there was no answer. The Snake didn't make a sound.

[Can I take silence as assent?] Darian asked Tor'na-dras.

Tor'na-dras observed the knotted snake and considered. [I believe so. I'm calling it. The humans have won the Eastern Edge Region.]

Rather expectedly, there was no cheering from the Wilds or anyone else for that matter.

Thinking that there should be at least someone cheering, Tim acted.

”Yay.” He said tiredly, and slumped over, exhausted.

***

As far as the Wilds were concerned, the King of the Eastern Edge Region was Darian. As for the North-Eastern Edge, the Star Wolf King had won it as his territory.