192 The Shadows - Part 17
Ingolsol tempted him towards the path of dark domination.
Claudia wanted to make a hero out of him.
Beam turned on his foot, to face off against the charging Titan. Its eyes opened in momentary surprise, as Beam's sudden decision to attack caught it off guard. It was in so close now that its fist passed easily over Beam's ducked head.
But the beak was there to take its place. Like a pair of scissors, its jaw opened, going for Beam's neck.
Darkness swirled around him. He wanted the beast to submit, but he didn't have the power to make it do so. It was a hero's power that he needed, something to lend his blade strength. It was the overwhelming style of swordsmanship that he had begun to train, unconsciously drawn towards the path of its light.
His sword came down on the beast head-on. He calmed his fears and faced it anyway. His shoulders bunched up as he put more power into the blow than he had ever managed before.
There was a brief moment of struggle, as the creature tried to hold his sword at bay, and as Beam tried to force it down. But then it flicked its head, and Beam's sword was forced off to the side, the boy alongside it.
Claws flashed from the Titan, as those dagger-like weapons slashed down the length of his back, and Beam was flung a distance away.
There was power to be had, his body now realized. With the stars above him, and the temporary union inside of him, he was in a zone of perfect potential. Tonight, he was offered a seat at the banquet of progress – and he was determined to eat all that he could.
This time, it was Beam that took the step towards the Titan, as it eyed him from a distance away. With that step, the Titan trembled a moment, before it moved to meet him, the dismay obvious on its face. After all – it was born to be a calamity. It was its destiny to rule. It was a physical phenomenon of the highest order.
For something to resist it, to fight back, it wasn't just a surprise, it was downright unnatural.
But its soul merely claimed its opposition to be a fool, and its confidence returned. No, in fact, it surged. His limbs were animated in a vicious excitement, as its muscles bunched up beneath it, and it shot forward, even faster than before.
It swung its claws, using their extra range, rather than the brutish force of its fist as it had before.
Beam caught the claws on his sword and brushed them off to the side. Just in that brief moment of contact, he could already feel his knees begin to buckle from the force. It was more than clear to him that it would be reckless to attempt to take the hit on.
But even merely brushing the blow aside was beyond the Titan's expectations. It had swung its claws with the full intent to kill. He was sure the tiny creature in front of it would dodge, just as it had for the rest of the fight. And yet, Beam didn't even take a step back.
The Titan swung its claws again, this time in a combination. It leaned its weight on its hind legs, before swinging down with the left and the right and then the left again, its movements but a blur in the air.