The Dream Shifter

Chapter 107

A strong wind brushed through the field of tail grass with dozens of people spread out. They were all varying in age, but had one thing in common, confusion. All of their homes had disappeared suddenly without warning or explanation. Around them was only grass and some had begun to panic. There were those that had remembered past occurrences that rang familiar that they had been casually dismissing because it was so brief. However, it had persisted for far longer than any time before. They wanted answers, but everyone was all clueless.

Momoko had been preparing to go to her class at the college when their house had disappeared on them. She had wanted to panic, but felt something inside her that she could not explain. It felt familiar to her in a way. "…Yuki? Why…"

"The real one?" Yuki said slowly measuring out his distance. His muscles were tightening up with the emotions that were still running through his body. When he had thought that he had ended it with Demosthenes much of it had been finally released. Some had been returned, but his mind was starting to see more clearly than it had. Yuki would have charged after him immediately if he had still been completely fueled by anger. There did remain an annoying sense that the old man was being cocky with is declaration, but Yuki had difficulty seeing that from his opponent. All that was painted on his face was the serious stare he had had before of someone that took a fight in a very rigid planned manner. "So you're saying that you're much stronger than that clone of yours?"

"Correct, if you ever took note my field was never centered under it. So it was further away from thus weaker." Demosthenes put his spear down in the ground and materialized a new spear that looked lighter. The purpose was clearly different from the previous spear he wielded. It was a spear meant for throwing unlike the former which was meant for close combat.

Yuki narrowed his eyes seeing the new tactic that was being used. 'If that's true, how much stronger is he now? I should not tempt things right now…' The spear was launched into the air towards Yuki with surprising speed, wondering if there was some field law at work aiding it. Taking his own advice he stepped out of the way of the spear, but it disappeared immediately upon hitting the ground. However, he had no time to think about as another was already inbound against him. Several more were followed in similar fashion with Yuki evading the attacks skillfully. 'He's not a ranged fighter… This seems counter to his style, what's he doing?'

There was little time for Yuki to try to understand Demosthenes' tactics as the spears became almost constant as a stream that he was forced to continue to evade, that felt as though they were locked on him. He was able to keep ahead of them, but they were narrowing in on him with each attempt. Yet it was not the goal in mind as he reacted a moment too late. Demosthenes had charged in at Yuki wielding his original spear once more taking a swing at him. Yuki barely managed to see it in time, but it was still not enough. The tip of the spear cut through the cloth of his vest coat and down to his robe underneath. He tried to leap out of reach of the spear, but found that he was suddenly completely surrounded by all of the spears that had been thrown at him. They nearly numbered into the hundreds it seemed. 'Trapped, this was his plan all along…'

Something that Ayumi had said to him once came flashing back as Yuki began to understand the man's strength. 'A Meso Prosecho user's worth is judged heavily on how many objects that they can maintain in their field at one time and still be able to function.' The thought made Yuki give pause for a moment before he had to evade another attempt at him, but tripped up by the spears.

'If he can maintain all of those and still fight like this against… Just how strong is he?' Yuki narrowly escaped another swing from Demosthenes, but became even more boxed in. 'The only thing keeping me alive right now is my reflexes and luck, but I'm running out of both.' The next thrust at Yuki was unavoidable with his position and he was force to take the spear against his shoulder cutting down to his skin to draw blood. 'He managed to get through my defenses! Is he stronger than the King's power I supposedly have?'

Yuki evaded the next attempt deciding to take to the offensive seeing that relying on his defense was no longer going to work. He tried to get in close past the spear, but Demosthenes rotated the metal shaft of the spear down as Yuki came underneath the attack. The end of the shaft slammed into Yuki's already wounded shoulder forcing him to grind his teeth through the pain. It turned him away into a wall of spears that his back fell against. His moment lasted no more than second as the spear was already coming in again, swinging. Yuki rolled across the grass to avoid it with the hopes of getting inside once more. His efforts were not completely wasted even though Demosthenes prevented him from hitting him with his spear. It pushed back the stage enough for Yuki. 'Hope this works…'

As Demosthenes was recovering in the moments after Yuki's counter, Yuki jumped back getting to his feet and spun around. In motion, his leg plowed through all of the shafts of the spears blocking him snapping off the wooden shafts. It gave him the room to escape his cage just as Demosthenes was trying to restore the damage. Once freed Yuki immediately went on the counterattack coming around Demosthenes. There was an almost pleasing sound of Yuki's fist hitting inside his defenses and making his first connected punch on Demosthenes that stumbled him backwards.

The pause to enjoy the moment had become a liability for Yuki. He made the attempt follow through with his momentum once he came out of his held position, but Demosthenes was already recovering making use of his thrown spears. All of the spears began to pull themselves free from the ground and turn themselves towards Yuki, which he caught out of the corner of his eye. 'Too many to dodge…' he thought quickly. His hands began to lightly glow a soft blue as he fully extended his arms towards the incoming projectiles. It was just in time as the spears were almost upon him. They were all halt in mid-air shaking violently trying to pierce the invisible barrier that Yuki had constructed. However, the barrier was not enough to hold the spears as they began to push through with Yuki having to shift his position to avoid a couple that broke through. 'Even at this range?! I can't hold them back!'

Around the spears, the air turned violet as red hues began to surface. It engulfed the spearheads first and transitioned on covering the shaft as behind the spears were disintegrating. Once it was over Yuki dropped his hand down at his sides before looking over at Demosthenes.

"Your mastery is certainly impressive for only just awakening…and you've seem to have found a strange power to suit yourself," the old man commented as he straightened himself out. "I can still feel it on the inside, it's no mere punch and your defenses as well. I must admit my own curiosity."

Yuki was left watching the eye-patched man carefully, waiting for the next assault. "It's just manipulating physical energies," he said willing to give into the break in the fight. "Call it spiritual, magical or psychic its makes no difference. I have covered my entire body in it creating an invisible protective armor which I can convert into something like physical energy that I can transfer through any part of my body, namely my fists. It can penetrate flesh and muscle causing internal damage being far more potent than a simple punch. And since it is a close as possible to my body, it makes maximum use field's effects."

"I see. I understand now. That's a very logical tactic. You seem to understand the basics, however you're wasting so much of that power." Demosthenes turned his head about to look at the environment. "It's clear that your power is indeed on par with that of the King and yet I'm still able to break your defenses. It's a question you're asking yourself now isn't it? You still barely understand the power."

The words were not something new to Yuki, but he had thought that the supposedly immense power of the King would be enough to make up the difference. It had been what saved him before. Yet there was a very clear difference between them. "Are you even stronger than the King?"

"No, but you're wasting your strength on allowing your field to be fully projected." The short grass of Demosthenes' field suddenly expanded outward rapidly going far out of sight and was partially cut off by the natural strength of Yuki's field. It had been a near perfect circle before that remained at a radius of twenty meters. However, Yuki was stunned by the sudden revelation that he could expand his field. "I can have a field nearly as impressive as yours, but it's a waste. All you're doing is flaunting your power, it's unrefined. That's why I'm stronger than you. And why you'll lose here."