WALKING ON GLASS (3)

A small demon lunged at him, its claws outstretched and teeth bared in a vicious snarl. The disciple stumbled back, barely managing to shield his face. The demon's claws scraped against his forearm, drawing blood.

Gritting his teeth, Marshall pushed it down, kicking the creature away with his bare foot. The demon hissed in pain, but was already coming back for more.

"Why is it always the small ones?!" 

A bright flash sliced at the demon, and it fell with a dying cry. Marshall could see the frost emanating from Cheimon as Wyn came over to chide him.

"Will you rely on kicking the demons forever? Use your arrows!" Wyn called out before disappearing into the fog again.

Marshall exhaled sharply. He couldn't do that. The spiritual bars had sapped the spiritual energy out of him—barely a fraction remained. If he tried to use the last of it to summon an arrow, he might have killed himself in the process.

As the sinister laughter resumed, the disciple broke into cold sweat. High-pitched giggles pierced through the howling winds, surrounding him. 

Without any spiritual energy to expend, he was stuck dodging the attacks, relying purely on his agility. 

Another small demon lunged at him from the fog. Marshall ducked just in time to avoid its claws.

He kicked up some snow, momentarily blinding the creature, then scrambled to his feet.

"Damn it," he panted curses as he continued to evade the onslaught of demons. 

"Stay calm, stay ca—" he chanted to himself, dodging another swipe.

Sharp claws flashed by his eyes as they made contact with the wall where his head had been a second ago.

The wall-punch caused the demon to break off a nail. It howled at Marshall, coming at him with sloppy attacks. 

"Don't blame me, you did that yourself," Marshall retorted, hopping over rocks.

Despite managing to stay in one piece so far, he could feel the terrifying presence of the carmine-scaled beast. Its steps grew louder, each one shaking the ground beneath his feet.

The guards were doing their best to take it down, huffing and shouting with each strike. Clinks and clangs filled the air, but like a skilled welder's project, the beast's scales were as sturdy as steel. Each attack bounced off with a metallic sound. 

By that time, the fog had thinned enough for Marshall to see the beast's blood-red eyes staring into his. Not only was it glaring at the disciple—it was also heading straight at him with unsettling determination.

"Eh...?"

Marshall felt as if he had taken a shot of lemon juice. He shivered, running to the side. Yet, the beast's eyes followed him. 

"Why me?" he whispered, trying to escape the unwanted circle of attention.

The guards, sensing the creature's intent, turned to see who the beast was chasing. None of them knew why. 

One of the guards tried to distract it. "Hey, bloody lizard! Take on someone your own size!" He hurled his spear at the beast, aiming high.

One of the guards hurled his spear at the beast, piercing it cleanly through the large eye. 

The weapon cleanly pierced through the large eye. The beast let out a roar of pain and staggered, its movements erratic as it tried to dislodge the spear. 

"Aim for the other eye!" another guard shouted.

The pain seemed to have angered the beast. It resumed its way towards Marshall at a faster pace, trampling over the guards who tried to blind it. Its hurt eye was bleeding black, meanwhile the other glowed with malevolent intent.

Its scales rippled as it galloped, the sound similar to metal marbles bumping against each other.

Marshall's pulse quickened as he tried to outrun the beast's gaze, but no matter how he maneuvered, it tracked his every move. Cold sweat drenched his brow as he searched for ideas.

The protective barrier was right behind his back. If he entered, the barrier might have been strong enough to hold the beast out. But if shattered, then all the townspeople inside would have been put in danger.

"Do you like me or something?!" Marshall ran in the opposite direction of the barrier.

He zigzagged through the rubble, trying to confuse the scaled demon, then ducked behind a collapsed wall. His mind raced, his thoughts tripping over each other. 

The ground shook violently as the beast smashed through the remnants of the wall, sending debris flying. Marshall barely had time to react, diving to the side right as a massive claw tore through the air where he had been standing.

"Keep moving!" Wyn's voice cut through the chaos. The snow deity was battling his way through a throng of lesser demons, Cheimon flashing with each strike.

Marshall's scrambled over the ruins, trying to get away. Slowed down by the obstacles, he managed to dodge a few more of the beast's attacks until he ran out of luck. 

The creature's massive claw struck him squarely in the chest. The sheer force of the blow sent him flying a few meters through the air, slamming him into a half-broken wall.

It knocked the wind out of him, and he crumpled to the ground, unable to even gasp. His lungs burned as if he had inhaled toxic smoke.

The lash bruise on his back throbbed like a burning reminder of his unfair situation. Why was he getting targeted? Not only by deities, but by demons too. Framed, lashed, and now thrown around by the scaled beast.

As his vision cleared, he saw Cheimon slamming against the beast relentlessly. Wyn was keeping the beast occupied, giving the disciple a precious moment to catch his breath.

Marshall staggered up, forcing himself to move despite the pain. "Think… think…" he panted, navigating through the wreckage in a daze. The bruise on his back hurt like hell, heat waves radiating from it.

If he got hit there again, he might have passed out from pain. It was his current...

"...weak spot," the disciple murmured.

He came to a halt, trying to ignore the seething pain in his feet that were raw from running back and forth over the sharp rocks. 

The beast's entire body was covered in scales, making it practically invulnerable. But ever since its eye had been pierced, it had been more aggressive and eager to finish Marshall.

The only weak spots the carmine-scaled beast had, were his eyes. In order to kill it, he had to get high enough to pierce the beast's brain through its eye.

Marshall glanced at the sunken roof on the side, then at the approaching beast. It was worth a shot—no, it was his last shot, it had to be more than worth it. If he didn't manage to kill it, he was going to die instead.

"You can do it," he urged himself, each step a stab of pain.

The disciple's bloody feet slipped on the wavy tiles as he climbed onto the roof. Although the ridges were also painful to walk on, the coolness of tile provided a brief relief.

Marshall crawled up to the highest point of the roof.

The beast was quickly getting closer, showing no signs of stopping. It looked like it was going to barge through the building to throw the disciple off the roof.

He braced himself and took a deep breath. Defying Master Gi Shan's teachings, he channeled the last of his spiritual energy into a single arrow.

Marshall waited until the beast was about to crash into the wall, then jumped.