Chapter 168: A Butterfly Against the Shadow
The hooded woman's claws ripped through the air with feral precision, each swipe carrying enough force to shatter the trunks of nearby trees. Snow exploded in every direction as her strikes gouged deep into the ground, but none found their mark. Tianyi flitted just out of reach, her movements too quick, too light, too unpredictable.
To anyone watching, the fight might have seemed like a mismatched dance; the raw power and relentless fury of the beast-like woman clashing against the unyielding grace of a winged dancer.
Tianyi’s wings shimmered faintly in the dim light, catching the mornign light as she darted between the branches. Her movements weren’t simply fast; they were alien, erratic, her sharp turns and sudden dives defying the rhythm of a conventional fight. The shadow snarled in frustration, claws carving empty arcs through the frost-chilled air.
'She’s powerful,' Tianyi thought, her antennae twitching faintly as they detected the faint pulses of malevolent qi radiating outward like ripples in a poisoned lake. 'Too powerful.'
The shadow's qi made her exoskeleton prickle, her body instinctively recoiling from the unnatural energy. But no matter how strong the enemy was, she couldn’t strike what she couldn’t touch.
The woman lunged again, clawed hand crashing into the trunk of a tree as Tianyi twisted midair, her wings propelling her upward in a graceful arc. She leapt higher, using a branch as a springboard, and landed lightly on the outstretched arm before she could react. Her delicate frame balanced perfectly atop the exposed limb, and for a heartbeat, their gazes locked.
One calm, almost serene, another wild and furious.
THWACK!
Then she kicked the shadow squarely in the face.
The blow sent her opponent's head snapping back with a sickening crack, and Tianyi flipped off her arm, landing softly in the snow a few paces away. The hooded woman staggered, but recovered easily despite the force of the blow,
“You think you’re clever?” Her voice was a venomous rasp, muffled slightly as she wiped blood from her nose. “Let’s see how you handle this.”
With a swift, jerking motion, she reached into the triangle of Verdant Lotus Sect disciples’ bodies, clawed hand plunging into the chest of one of the corpses. Tianyi’s antennae twitched violently at the act, but she didn’t falter, her sharp eyes narrowing as she tracked her opponent's every move.
The woman turned back to her, clutching a satchel now torn open from the speed of his movement. As he lunged forward, the satchel ripped fully, and glass bottles tumbled out, shattering against Tianyi’s head, wings and the snow beneath her.
A sharp, acrid scent filled the air as different liquids splashed across her frame, soaking into her skin and into the gaps between her joints.
She licked her lips experimentally, tasting the faint bitterness of alcohol. Confusion flickered across her face.
'What is this supposed to—'
A lantern flew toward her, its weak flame flickering precariously. Tianyi moved to dodge it instinctively, her wings flaring, but the flame ignited the alcohol as soon as it hit the ground near her.
And all she knew was heat.
Pain seared through her as the flames licked at her wings and body, the acrid smell of burning alcohol mingling with the icy air.
Tianyi’s instincts screamed, and she folded her wings tightly against her back, dropping into the snow. She rolled desperately, the freezing surface biting into her skin but extinguishing the flames. Smoke and steam rose around her as she pushed herself upright, her breath coming in short gasps.
But the maneuver left her vulnerable.
The hooded woman was on her before she could fully regain her footing. Her clawed hand descended, and Tianyi barely managed to raise her arm in defense. The impact sent a jolt of pain through her body as the malevolent qi surged into her, biting and writhing like a living thing.
Fissures spread across her arm, delicate and jagged like fractures in glass. She staggered back, clutching the injured limb as a sharp, pulsing pain radiated outward from the wound.
The woman straightened, her grin jagged and triumphant as she advanced on her winged adversary. “You’re not so untouchable now, are you?” she sneered, claws flexing in anticipation.
Her antennae drooped, exhaustion and pain settling over her. Her wings trembled faintly, still slick with alcohol that hadn’t fully evaporated, droplets sliding down her face and neck.
SHLURP!
Tianyi's tongue moved instinctually to collect the alcohol dripping down her skin. Her eyes burned faintly, not just from the residual flames but from the fumes clinging to her. She couldn’t even blink, her focus locked on the hooded woman as she prowled closer.
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Her body felt strange; warm, unsteady, and sluggish. A tingling heat spread through her veins, and her mind buzzed faintly, as if she were on the verge of something she couldn’t quite grasp. She licked her lips again.
'What is this feeling?'
The shadow lunged, her claws slicing toward her with terrifying precision. Tianyi moved on instinct, wings flaring as she dove to the side. But her timing was off. Too slow, too deliberate. The woman’s claws grazed her shoulder, leaving faint lines that burned with residual qi.
She laughed, a high-pitched, grating noise.
Her antennae twitched, but instead of despair, a strange clarity settled over her. The warmth spreading through her body wasn’t a weakness; it was something else she could use. She drew in a shaky breath, her wings folding tightly against her back as she crouched low.
The hooded woman smirked, mistaking her stillness for submission. She rushed forward again, claws gleaming with malevolent energy.
But just as she closed in, Tianyi vanished.
A blur of motion to her right, then left.
Tianyi reappeared behind her, foot slamming into the back of the shadow's knee with enough force to drop her momentarily. She roared, spinning to swipe at her, but Tianyi was already gone, darting upward into the branches.
Her movements had changed. They weren’t the sharp, rapid bursts of speed she had used before. Now they were unpredictable, a mix of slow, deliberate shifts and sudden, explosive strikes. The rhythm disoriented the hooded woman, her attacks cutting through empty air as Tianyi evaded by mere hairsbreadths.
'This is my chance.'
She landed softly in the snow, her sharp eyes tracking his every move. Her wings hummed faintly as she darted forward, striking again and again. Her movements were like a dance, weaving through attacks, landing precise blows that chipped away at her opponent's strength.
The hooded woman snarled, blood dripping from her mouth as she staggered back. Her movements grew slower, her strikes less precise.
Infusing her wings with more qi than before, she dipped low to the ground and pushed.
Sharpened to it's utmost, her wings sunk deep into the hooded figure's torso.
She coughed violently, blood splattering the snow.
For a moment, Tianyi thought it was over. The malevolent qi that had surrounded her moments ago was fading, dissipating into the cold air like smoke carried away by the wind.
Tianyi's breaths came sharp and shallow, each one a reminder of how close she had come to being overwhelmed.
But then the air around her opponent shifted.
It wasn’t the gradual quiet of death settling in. No, this was something else—something wrong. The snow beneath the woman’s broken form darkened as her claws dug deep, tearing into the earth. Her body convulsed violently, back arching as though she were a marionette pulled by invisible strings. A rasping, guttural sound clawed its way out of her throat, rising into an unnatural chant that made the air itself feel heavier.
“Heavenly Demon, grant me strength! Your servant offers all!”
She took a cautious step back, her sharp eyes narrowing as she assessed the change.
Despite the gaping wound in her chest, the hooded woman began to rise.
The movement was jerky, unnatural; limbs spasming as though resisting the sheer will that forced them to move. Blood spilled freely from injuries, steaming as it hit the cold ground, yet she stood upright, her frame trembling with an unnatural vigor.
She wasn’t healing. The wound across her torso remained, a deep, gaping slash that should have rendered her immobile, if not dead.
Her skin was ashen, and her movements unsteady, yet her eyes burned with a manic light.
It wasn’t life. It was something a grotesque semblance of it, fueled by desperation and blind devotion.
Tianyi had seen something like this before, deep in the wilds. The death throes of a cornered animal, its body surging with impossible strength as it fought against the inevitable. A rabbit that bit clean through a predator’s paw, a bird that kept flying even after its wings were torn. This was no different. An echo of that primal instinct, amplified a hundredfold by feverish faith.
Claws lashed out, faster than before, slicing through the air with a ferocity that made her wings hum as she barely evaded the strike. Tianyi flipped backward, her feet barely brushing the snow as she retreated to gain space. But the hooded woman was relentless.
“Your mortal strength means nothing!” she roared, voice fraying at the edges, cracking like brittle ice. “The Heavenly Demon guides me! I am more than flesh! I am purpose!”
Her strikes came in a whirlwind, each one faster, stronger, more precise. The snow churned beneath her feet as she surged forward, her movements no longer hindered by pain or injury. Tianyi dodged on instinct, her body weaving and twisting in a desperate attempt to stay ahead. The warmth that overtook her moments ago had largely faded away.
But the sheer speed of the attacks pushed her to her limits. Her claws grazed her wing, the malevolent qi biting into the delicate structure like acid. Pain flared through her, sharp and searing, but she forced herself to stay focused.
She had to end this.
Tianyi’s antennae twitched faintly, sensing a subtle shift in the rhythm of battle. The shadow's movements, while faster and stronger, had grown erratic—wild swings that left small openings in her defense. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.
Taking a deep breath, she narrowed her focus, funneling every ounce of her remaining energy into her wings. They glowed faintly in the moonlight, the edges sharpening into blades of shimmering blue. She darted forward, her movements slower, more deliberate, but precise.
The hooded woman lunged, claws arcing toward her throat. Tianyi twisted midair, her wings slicing upward with a graceful, lethal sweep.
Her strike landed.
The shimmering edge of her wings cleaved fully through the shadow's torso. The blow sent a shockwave through the clearing, snow exploding outward as the body jerked violently. For a moment, she stood frozen, claws twitching, chant faltering into a gurgling gasp.
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Then, with an unnatural groan, she collapsed.
The forest fell silent once more. Tianyi landed softly, her wings folding against her back as she stood over the lifeless form. Her breaths were ragged, her body trembling, but she forced herself to stay upright.
Tianyi steadied herself, her breaths slowing. That warmth—still faint, still inexplicable—lingered within her chest. It wasn’t the searing heat of the flames or the fiery rush of qi coursing through her wings. No, it was something calmer, yet steady. It had carried her through the fight, grounding her when her instincts screamed to flee.
'What was that?' she thought, her antennae twitching faintly. It reminded her of the moments in practice when she had flowed with unpredictability, where precision didn’t matter as much as feeling. But this... this wasn’t skill. This was something deeper.
The memory of her erratic, unpredictable movements, how they seemed to confuse the hooded woman, surfaced in her mind. Was it the warmth that had guided her, loosening her form, her approach?
The thought was absurd, yet it stuck with her. She shook her head, dismissing it for now. There were more pressing matters to attend to.
Tianyi stood amidst the carnage, her sharp eyes scanning the broken remains of the clearing. The bodies of the Verdant Lotus Sect disciples lay motionless, their blood staining the snow like dark petals scattered across an icy canvas. She could see the remnants of their struggle—the gouged earth, the shattered lanterns, the signs of desperation etched into the ground.
Grimly, she clutched her injured arm. The cracks in her exoskeleton shimmered faintly in the morning light. It pulsed beneath her skin, a festering corruption that sent sharp stabs of pain radiating through her limb. She winced, her lips pressing into a thin line as she focused her energy.
Tianyi closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Her qi began to flow, soft and steady at first, then growing stronger as she directed it toward her wounded arm. The pure energy swirled around the cracks, pushing against the invasive qi that writhed within her. She gritted her teeth, her body trembling with the effort.
The corrupted qi resisted, coiling like a living thing as it clung to her, refusing to be displaced. But Tianyi pressed harder, forcing her own energy to envelop it, isolate it, and begin breaking it apart. Beads of sweat formed on her brow as the effort drained her reserves, each pulse of her qi weakening her further.
Finally, the malevolent energy began to dissipate, retreating like a shadow burned away by sunlight. The cracks in her exoskeleton remained, raw and tender, but the vile presence within them had diminished. The pain subsided to a dull ache, and she exhaled shakily, lowering her arm.
“Windy,” she murmured to herself, her voice soft and hoarse. "Please be safe."
She straightened, forcing herself to stand tall despite the weariness that pressed down on her. The forest around her was eerily silent, the stillness almost suffocating. Her antennae twitched again, searching for any trace of her friend.