Chapter 427: Kouhei Vs. Via, Part 4
Kouhei's expression hardened.
He didn't like the way Via was looking at him.
It wasn't the look of someone who had discovered a powerful opponent.
It was the look of someone who had discovered an interesting specimen.
"If that's the case, then I want to study your body," Via said. "If I could examine you properly, I might finally understand what exactly happened to make you like this."
His grin widened.
"I want to dissect you and study you."
The casual way Via said it somehow made the statement even worse.
He spoke as though he were discussing an ordinary experiment rather than explaining that he wanted to take apart a living person. Apparently, being an angel hadn't done much for his bedside manner.
Before Kouhei could respond, Via suddenly launched himself forward.
His gray wings beat against the air, propelling him toward Kouhei with incredible speed. The acceleration was so sudden that the distance between them disappeared almost immediately.
Kouhei wasn't about to simply stand there and wait for him.
He spread his own wings and generated momentum, pulling them back before beating them forward with considerable force.
His body shot toward Via with an extremely high speed as well.
The two of them rapidly closed the distance between each other.
Neither intended to give the other an easy opening.
They met in the middle of the air.
At the exact same moment, both of them swung their swords toward one another.
The two blades of light collided.
A tremendous explosion of light erupted between them.
The impact spread outward in the form of a massive ripple, sending waves of energy through the surrounding air. The shockwave was powerful enough to shatter the windows of the nearby buildings, sending countless pieces of glass scattering through the air.
Kouhei was thrown slightly off balance by the collision.
His body tilted sideways in midair, and for a brief moment, his position became unstable.
He immediately corrected himself.
Kouhei spread his wings and flapped them straight behind him, stabilizing his body before he could lose control completely.
He had barely recovered when Via was already moving again.
Via immediately dashed toward him.
He didn't give Kouhei enough time to properly regain his balance, attacking while Kouhei was still trying to stabilize himself in the air.
Kouhei raised his sword.
The first attack came.
He blocked it.
The second followed almost immediately.
He blocked that one as well.
Then another.
And another.
Kouhei managed to defend against the barrage, but doing so was far from easy. Every strike carried an enormous amount of force, and the impacts traveled through his arms with enough strength to make his muscles strain.
Still, he managed to recover enough from the previous exchange to begin pushing back.
Kouhei sucked in a deep breath and drove forward with his sword.
He tried forcing Via backward.
For a moment, it seemed as though he was succeeding.
Then Kouhei realized something.
He was still the one being pushed back.
"Kh...!"
Kouhei couldn't help but grit his teeth as he strained against Via's strength.
His arms were already beginning to ache from repeatedly blocking those attacks, and his breathing was becoming heavier. Even with his demon form active, Via's raw strength was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.
Meanwhile, Via was still smiling.
He wasn't showing any signs of exhaustion.
If anything, he looked like he was having the time of his life.
His expression had taken on an almost crazed quality as he continued attacking, making it seem like this entire fight was some kind of game to him.
"You sure are quite skilled, but it's not going to be enough!" Via said.
Kouhei narrowed his eyes.
He tried to anticipate Via's next movement.
For a moment, he thought he had read him correctly.
Then Via suddenly found an opening.
His foot moved.
Kouhei immediately realized where the attack was headed.
His solar plexus.
Via's foot shot directly toward it with tremendous speed.
Kouhei didn't have enough time to block the kick.
At the same time, Via was already swinging his blade toward him.
Kouhei had to make a split-second decision.
He could block the kick and leave himself open to the blade, or he could defend against the sword and risk taking the kick.
His instincts told him that the sword represented the greater danger.
The blade of light was far more potent than an ordinary attack, and if it connected properly, it could potentially kill him.
Kouhei chose the sword.
He shifted his weapon into position and prepared to block Via's blade.
It was an incredibly grave mistake.
Via's grin widened.
It became so wide and twisted that it was difficult to believe that the person standing in front of Kouhei had once been an angel.
Kouhei realized what he had done.
Unfortunately, he realized it far too late.
His solar plexus had been left completely exposed.
Via immediately took advantage of the opening.
He drove his kick straight into Kouhei's solar plexus with tremendous force.
The impact was devastating.
Kouhei's entire body was launched backward as though he had been struck by a cannonball. The force was so overwhelming that it sent him flying through the air, and for one ridiculous moment, Kouhei felt as though Via had managed to kick him straight into Tuesday.
The humor of the thought didn't last very long.
All of the air was violently knocked from his lungs.
Kouhei's mouth opened instinctively, but barely any sound came out.
His chest felt as though it had been crushed from the inside, and his lungs desperately struggled to pull in air that simply wasn't coming.
His body continued flying backward through the air.
For the first few seconds, Kouhei could do nothing except endure the impact and try to regain control of his breathing.
His sword was still in his hand.
His wings were still behind him.
His consciousness was still intact.
Those three things were enough.
He forced himself to focus.
He had made a mistake.
A serious one.
But the fight wasn't over yet.
Kouhei clenched his teeth as he tried to stabilize his body in midair, his wings beginning to move again despite the pain spreading through his chest.
Via had managed to catch him with a single opening.
Kouhei knew better than to give him another one.