Devil Ash Deceit (Devil Ash Saga) (38 page)

Shiva’s shouts of encouragement traveled through the vent deep underground and deposited in the cavern with the scary door where Ash was battling Phoenix. The two combatants paused their fight upon hearing the lady’s voice echoing through the battleground. This came as a pleasant surprise to Ash, who could of used a little rest at the moment.

Phoenix was stronger and faster in every way, and wasn’t kidding when he said he was going to end their fight quickly. Since discovering Ash’s armored coat, the teacher had been focusing his attacks on the boy’s head and legs. Ash was getting the workout of his life just trying to dodge and stay conscious. His face was covered in bruises and a thin layer of blood trickled from his lower lip.

“That was Shiva’s voice just now,” Phoenix said. “There must be a vent that connects this cavern to another room up above.”

“
Shiva
!!” Ash shouted as loud as he still could. “
Will do
!!”

The boy’s been able to keep up with me even at top speed,
Phoenix thought to himself.
It doesn’t help that I can only attack his face and legs because of that armor. And his flame stock…
Phoenix inspected his clothing, which had become charred and burnt all over from Ash’s fire attacks.
If he really is who we think he is, it could become problematic for me if I drag this fight out much longer.

“Don’t worry about me! I’m doing just fine!” Ash continued to call out, his voice echoing loudly and hopefully reaching Shiva up above. Just knowing that his friend was alive was a huge relief for the boy. It filled him with hope and determination, two of the most powerful natural emotions. Examining his hands, Ash could see a small amount of steam glistening off his hands.
Is this soul power
? he wondered.

The boy narrowly managed to move out of the way just as Phoenix’s sword came swinging down right where he stood. Though he only meant to move a few inches, Ash ended up nearly all the way across the room.

“Whoa!” Ash shouted in surprise. “Did I just…
teleport
?”

This isn’t good…
Phoenix thought.
He’s getting stronger by the minute!
Instead of panicking, Phoenix knew exactly what to do. He remained calm and activated his own soul power. He was going to end the fight immediately, by any means necessary. Phoenix dashed forward with such speed that if Ash hadn’t been emitting his own soul power, the boy would have been caught off guard.

But with his extreme speed boost, Ash was easily able to flit out of the way as Phoenix’s blade came swinging down once again.

“Hey, dodging is kinda easy when you have soul power!” Ash said, admiring his newfound speed. It was just like the time he fought Apsat, only this time he was beginning to understand his power. Now he could control it.

The two chased each other around the cavern, with Phoenix constantly slashing with his katana and Ash practicing his dodging skills. Eventually Ash started gathering flames in his palms for an enhanced fireball projectile attack. When Phoenix next attacked, Ash swiftly moved behind him and released his flames.

Phoenix was blasted all the way across the cave and pinned against the wall for a moment. When at last he dropped to the floor, his back was exposed through a small hole that Ash had burnt through his outfit. The teacher stood still and silent for a moment, reflecting on the battle at hand and how best to disable his opponent.

“I won’t let you ruin our plans,” Phoenix said solemnly as he turned to face the boy. “I’m come too far, putting my friend’s and family’s lives on the line. I can’t let them all down! I am the man who will save Hell! You’re just a kid!”

“I don’t know a thing about saving Hell,” Ash replied. “I’m just here to stop you from hurting my friends!”

“You’ve done well here, all the more proof that I can’t let you leave here alive,” Phoenix said, taking a step forward and drawing his blade. “But now I have to move on with my mission. I’m going to exploit one of your weaknesses to end this quickly.”

One of my weaknesses?
Ash thought, confused.
What’s he talking about? I don’t have a weakness, do I?

While the boy was pondering what his weakness might be, Phoenix released the rest of his remaining soul power. The bright shining steam billowed off the man on a mission, signaling the end was near. This would be his final attack, and he’d put all his soul into it to ensure his success.

It was around this time that Ash realized his own soul power was disappearing now. The glowing cloud of power that was surrounding him only minutes ago now had faded away. It looked like he was on his own once more. The boy’s former mentor held his blade forward, prepared to strike even though he was across the cave.

In the blink of an eye, Phoenix disappeared and moved so quickly over to where Ash was that he appeared as just a flash. With Ash’s magical dodging talent no longer an option, the boy had very little time to think, as Phoenix appeared only feet in front of him.

As the former mentor raised his blade preparing for a direct attack, it seemed almost as if time slowed down around Ash. At once he realized what his ex-teacher intended to do to win the battle. It was a cheap trick, and one that was sure to cost Ash the fight.

A few months back…

The boy was in the middle of sword practice with Amos and Phoenix. That day’s particular lesson had to do with how to fight an opponent who had a sword if you found yourself unarmed against him.

“You’ve got a large stock of flames, Ash,” Amos told him. “But you’re rubbish with a sword. Sorry. I think this lesson will be very valuable to you some day.”

During that lesson, Ash learned how to run away from someone with a sword. This training was actually quite useful against Phoenix and the other rebels. The downside to the training was that it always ended the same way: in Ash’s defeat.

The boy would always end up cornered or outrun by Amos, who would always use the same attack to knock the boy down and out for a while. Raising the wooden practice sword above his head, Amos would bring it crashing down on top of Ash’s head, sending him to dreamland.

After so many unsuccessful attempts, Ash started thinking outside of the box. He remembered Aura’s maneuver to catch his opponent’s sword with his gauntlet hand, and though he had no gauntlet to catch a sword with, he could improvise. This led to Ash getting knocked unconscious many times trying to catch the sword between his palms before it slammed down on his head. No matter how many times he tried, Ash was never able to catch the sword in time.

Back to the present…

As Phoenix prepared his last attack, Ash closed his eyes and dropped to his knees, putting his hands together in prayer.

“Praying?
Now
?” Phoenix said. “Whatever. Goodbye, Ash.”

As the boy’s mentor brought his sword down, a series of images flashed in Ash’s mind. He saw the faces of his best friends from Earth. He saw his mother, Grace, and their old farmhouse. Aura’s face popped into his head as well, along with Goddard and Wilhelm and Gio and Yazma and Amos and Archen. And last but not least, he thought of Shiva.

“
I have to protect my friends
,” Ash whispered.

Phoenix brought his blade down on Ash. The boy raised his hands, still locked in prayer, and parted them ever so slightly. Phoenix’s blade slipped right between his palms, and Ash instantly pressed his hands together. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his attempt at catching an opponent’s blade had finally been successful.

Even more surprising was the fact that his soul power had returned in full force, as his entire body was now emitting the thick glowing steam of power. The two combatants stood locked in a stalemate for a moment. Phoenix, who was every bit as surprised as he was determined to end the fight, forced even more soul power into his attack. It would nearly drain him of power for a while, but at least he could carry out his mission.

“Good block!” said Phoenix. “But I’ve already won!”

“The moment your plans included hurting one of my friends…
you’d already lost
!” Ash screamed, twisting his hands and snapping Phoenix’s blade in half.

“
That can’t be
…!” Phoenix stuttered in surprise as Ash rose suddenly to his feet. The boy collected a staggering amount of soul power in his fist, blasting forth with a punch to his ex-teacher’s face. Phoenix tried to block or dodge, but his body refused to move. He’d expelled more of his soul than he knew, leaving his body exhausted and weak.

Ash’s fist slammed into Phoenix’s cheek and burst into flames. Phoenix slid back from the force, his face in scorching hot pain and still smoking. The man recoiled, having not felt pain like that since his sparring days with Prince Darko. He staggered on his feet trying not to black out. When he finally turned his attention back to the human, Ash stood collecting flames at his side.

“I forgot to give you your wedding present,” Ash said. His soul power mixed in with his flames, and soon he was holding a radiantly shining ball of energy. “
Sorry I didn’t have time to wrap it
!”

The boy shot forward his sphere of flames and soul, which rammed into Phoenix’s chest. The force blasted the man all the way across the cavern where he met with the hard rock wall. The ball of energy kept him pinned to the wall while it dug into his flesh. After a few seconds, the flames died down and Phoenix dropped to the ground in defeat.

* * * *

Back up in the ceremonial chamber, Goddard, Wilhelm, Gio, and Lady Shiva all sat on the hard floor crowded around the air vent. They heard some indistinct screams coming from below, but they could not tell who was the one doing the screaming. After a couple minutes of silence, the group became worried.

“Do you think he’s alright down there?” Gio asked.

“Probably not,” Goddard said. “He’s come a long way, but Phoenix is much stronger. Isn’t that right, Lady Shiva?”

“Don’t underestimate Ash,” Shiva replied. “I’ve seen him get out of worse situations.”

Where did her newfound faith in that boy come from?
Goddard wondered to himself. He had never seen Shiva like this before. She was usually very brazen about her own abilities, but would rarely if ever acknowledge her teammates strengths. This whole experience had definitely changed her, but Goddard continued to wonder if it would be for the better or not.

At last, there came a voice from the vent that everyone had been dying to hear.

“
I BEAT HIM
!!” came Ash’s voice, booming with and overwhelming sense of pride in his accomplishment.

“That’s great!” Shiva called back to him, her eyes beginning to dampen. The girl turned away from her friends, not wanting them to see the extent of her joy. But there was also sadness in her tears, for everything that had gone awry in the last twenty-four hours of her life. She desperately wished she could go back and do it all over.

Wilhelm turned his back on the group. “I should be going now,” he said. “I’m glad you’re alright, Shiva.” Without another word, the old Satan rushed out of the chamber.

Gio rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s over,” he told her. “You should thank Ash properly when you get the chance. He did it for you, you know.”

“I know,” Shiva said wiping her tears away. “I know.”

* * * *

Back underground, Ash’s soul power faded again leaving him feeling very tired and achy. His knees buckled, but he remained standing despite the pain. His former teacher lay on the ground only feet away from the entrance to the scary hut entrance. On his face was a scorch mark in the shape of a fist, still smoking a little. The power of Ash’s soul-infused fireball stripped away most of Phoenix’s shirt, leaving his skin around his stomach a sickly black-and-blue color.

The area became eerily silent, and Ash felt a wave of dread and fear wash over him. He was now technically alone with the frightening secret of the Royal Family. This would most likely be his one and only chance to ever see what was hidden down here… He had to take this opportunity now, while he still could.

Ash moved slowly past the unconscious body of his former teacher-turned-enemy. What was so special it had to be locked all the way down here, away from everyone else? What was hidden only steps away, behind that hut’s door? From the looks of the scorch marks on the door, a few wayward fireballs must of hit it during their fight. The many chains and locks that held the door securely in place looked looser than before. There was now a small crack in the opening of the door, just enough of a gap to peek an eyeball through.

“
Ash
!” came a faint voice from above. “
Remember, don’t go into that room
!
Just stay there with the criminal and wait for us to come to you
!” Goddard shouted.

All was quiet once more. Ash tiptoed cautiously over to the forbidding hut with no windows. Disregarding Goddard’s warnings, the boy moved in closer for a better look at what was inside. Stepping over the body of his fallen enemy, Ash hesitated a moment to gather the courage to peek inside.