Chapter 183: The Escape, Part 5

BAM!

A strike.

An uppercut at the jaw, a hook at his temple, a knee to his abdomen, a gut punch towards his ribcage, a palm strike at his nose, and even utilizing the arm of Vishuddha to penetrate into his body, acupuncture that pierces in his body, a barrage of pokes that slowly had him spill more and more blood. He'd grit his teeth at every instance he'd unleash such moves, the roots being quick to react in order to hinder his movements, yet he still kept going.

"DAMNIT!! WHAT EVEN IS THIS!?" he'd think to himself, coughing up some blood, trying to regain his breath as he was pushed back, his face warped into a menacing scowl. "Calm down....Calm....Down. Your Anger is what got you murdered the first ti- Wait hold on a second..." His mind goes into a complete blank, yet before he was able to piece it together, Manipura lunges forward, delivering more of such strikes: A chop at his temple, attempting to cave in his skull. A knee to the stomach, prompting him a full view of his back, before unleashing a strong punch at his upper spinal chord, the strength nearly breaking such bone. He'd follow it up with raising his knee to strike at his chin, before having three of his arms coalesce in one hit, having enough force to knock the King back, blood spilling out from his mouth, nose, and a strong cut being made on his cheek. Malak was taken aback by it all, even somehow letting go of his blade in the process. "Wh-....What just happened!? I swore, I have done this before already!! It hasn't even been a few minutes! The hell did he-" He'd think to himself, looking up with his one good eye, noticing something about the pastor.

He was still the same, but one of his eyes is now fully clear. The symbol disappeared, all that was left was a blank state.

Furthermore, the arm that possessed Anahata would touch his chest, applying the healing prematurely, creating a barrier around his circulatory system and spreading it across his muscles, all to ensure it fended off the roots before they had a chance to invade. The King recognized what was going on, and with a scoff, would toss his blade aside, getting into a stance as he focused on a new strategy. "I see what's going on. He's gonna try and kill me before he bites the bullet. Whatever his eyes were doing is his last resort. I just need to simply push him far enough to where he does it again...Easy." He'd think to himself, taking initiative once more, his body slowly being coated in such spirals, preparing to land a corkscrew in order to further such pressure. Manipura would have his arms prepared to counterpunch, with his lowest arms aimed to hit him directly, his middle arms to block anything that would hit through his spin, and his highest arms on standby to strike at his head directly. The closer that Malak got to the Pastor, however, the more he recognized his own weakness. Most of his magic is devastating on impact, however it relies on that impact to properly cast such a spell. Because his abilities are easy to read, it won't allow the King to fake out his own attacks, since such spirals come at the very moment he takes that swing.

That weakness shall be overcome in this strike.

He'd curve his legs to get a cleaner hit, allowing him to sweep low and aim a punch towards one of his shins. Manipura would sidestep as a result, changing plans by having his lowest arms instead try to strike at his head, a palm strike to not only stun, but grab him, so as to continue his barrage. Malak would see the strike coming and would adapt himself almost immediately, attempting to sweep further in such a degree, his very arms would trip over the Pastor, granting him an opening, letting one of his legs raised into the air, and his other slightly high enough where he can skate across the ground, aiming for a kick directly to his jaw, the drill-like motion in such a way where it can be struck clean off. The Pastor would recognize this attempt and have his highest set of arms tank the hit, while his other appendages would try to grab his leg and rip it clean off. The Pastor looked towards the King in expecting an expression of dismay, but in truth, he was smiling.

He took the Bait.

Malak would have his leg purposely caught so as to raise himself and land a knee at his pelvis, before unleashing a kick across his chest, the drill-like magic allowing him to dig deep through his flesh and cut his body across. A bait and switch, which would be fueled further by the King unleashing his corkscrew punch directly towards his head once he was let go, turning his punch in order to increase further damage, flinging the Pastor across a few buildings, with the wood and steel stabbing and bludgeoning him. The King would even try to get close on one of said buildings and destroy it, letting the rubble crush Manipura under its weight. His body would even heal after such damages given previously, staring down at the wreckage in pride, assuming he had won already. Such pride quickly diminishes when he sees the wood and stonework shift, the arms still intact, albeit wounded in the same manner as the Pastor. Once more, he would use Anahata to heal himself as he got up, keeping the roots at bay still. He stared down at the King with a confident grin. "Standing up after all that's foolish, y'now. You really wanna keep pushing it?" Malak would ask, his annoyance prevalent in his voice. The Pastor merely nodded, his answer alone cementing his position. Malak would scoff at such determination. "Whatever. If it means dying faster, I'm not going to stop you." He would state, acting as if he couldn't care less about his life.

In truth, he was. He was getting sick and tired of seeing such vibrant colors. He wanted that image to disappear forever. Manipura himself knew what he was feeling, and yet he couldn't help but smile despite it all.