Mind Demon's Path of Domination

"Don\'t underestimate me next time--I win this round," Mark said, a calm smugness to him. "But no matter, you need more training."

Yuri shook her head vigorously. Her jaw felt tight, her mind fuzzy. He had given her a powerful punch in the face, and she hadn\'t even seen it coming. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor.

"How did you even defeat me? I don\'t understand. I am so confused..."

Mark handed her a bottle of black water that he had taken from their jeep. Drinking it, she became much calmer. She began thinking about what had happened.

As Mark had emphasised, she was too rigid in combat. In contrast to Mark who moved from one place to the other like a mosquito, she just froze in one location, not knowing what to do--essentially a super passive fighter she was.

But still, she had not even understood how Mark had defeated her; she just knew he had punched her and threw her into the floor.

But how?

She was rigid inexperienced, foolish. But still, fine.

Wasn\'t she way stronger than him? How could he leave her confused as to whatever had even happened?

She had even planned to calculate his speed. By closing her eyes, she had been predicting his shadow\'s movement. The moment it reached a place where her shadow snake could reach, she planned to take her snake out and bite his shadow.

Something weird happened the middle. What did he do?

She curiously bit her nails.

"Don\'t play with me, what did you do?" she asked.

"Secret."

"Tell me, I am super curious."

Mark just grinned. "You haven\'t even wounded me once. Give me a single injury and I will tell you."

Yuri rolled her eyes. "If you are so daring, fight me fist to fist."

Mark was daring, but not foolish. He just chuckled at her puffed up face which was full of frustration.

"A warrior said to me that rigidity is a man\'s biggest enemy in combat. So, let\'s kill that enemy of yours," he said.

***

Days passed like moving clouds. Soon, only three days remained till the planned day of assault against the Boss Demon.

Every A-ranker, no matter which faction they were a part of, had become ready. Healing Hunter Reema (Hailen\'s grandmother) had said to Mark--All A-rankers are in their zone now. All of them are steaming in readiness.

Thinking of that, Mark walked through a dimly lit corridor, conversing softly with Yuri.

"We have 14 Hunters on our side if everyone comes," Yuri said, frowning. "But apparently, Hanmo hadn\'t been heard from for a while. Did you really kill him somehow last time?"

Mark shrugged. It was better that be kept a secret from Yuri until this mission ended. There was an A-rank Hunter with the ability to make people tell the truth only--if Yuri was targeted by him, it would become an issue.

Luckily, he had never told her that Hanmo was dead; that he killed him.

"I didn\'t kill Hanmo," he said. "He is probably alive."

Yuri nodded in thought.

"Then we have 14 Hunters on our side if it all goes optimally. And the Boss Demon is a single Tier 2 Demon. We are in the advantage in this battle, the Boss is not that tough, right?."

"I don\'t know about that," Mark said. "We will understand once this meeting ends."

It was morning now.

The A-rankers all planned to have a meeting at noon today, a meeting that would discuss the entire plan in detail. Mark, having a connection with multiple A-rankers, was allowed to participate in it.

"It\'s 8 A.M," he said. "Four more hours till we have to visit the meeting area. Want to try fighting?"

"Sure but damn demon, I am stronger than ever. Nearly my peak. Do you still think you can shrug me off?"

"You are an assassin. I am an all-round fighter."

***

Noon arrived but the sky was gloomy today. Clouds roiled, sun hidden.

Mark and Yuri didn\'t speak as the elevator moved up silently. Click. It opened.

"Which room was it, again?" Mark asked, loosening his suit a bit.

"V.I.P room 3. Come on. I wonder how many A-rankers are already there."

They turned a corner and reached a particularly well-furnished door. Mark knocked but the action pushed the door open. Two people looked out from inside the room.

Mark nodded and entered, Yuri following behind him. The room was vast but rather empty. There was a huge table in the middle and tens of chairs surrounding it, that was it on the floor. A projector was attached to the ceiling, and there were no windows.

"Where is Bale?" X-Jerk asked lazily.

"He must be on the way," Mark replied.

Two A-rankers had already arrived in the room.

X-Jerk--the Sound Hunter sat on one chair, his legs planted on the table, a wet cloth covered his eyes as he rested. The Afro seemed patient. On the other side, the grandmother of the Neslan Brothers and the Healer Hunter--Reema--had her hands on the table, fingers rapping nervously in thought against the table.

Now, in total, three A-rankers were in the room. X-Jerk, Reema, and... Hakase Yuri.

Yuri walked into the room and her attention immediately focused on a map spread out underneath the glass of the table. Mark got himself a seat and opened his phone to check what was happening around the world.

X-Jerk removed the cloth from his eyes and stared at Yuri silently. After some time, he said, "You are strong, scientist. Stronger than last I remember feeling you to be."

"Thanks for the--"

"Another one is here," Reema said.

Mark looked up from his phone.

Siddique was a fat man with a balding head. He entered the room, acknowledging everyone in there with a nod, then sat himself on a chair. He was also one of the A-rankers who had been a part of the neutral faction--the man apparently hated conflicts. He had the ability to produce a really potent acid that could burn Mark into oblivion with a single touch.

His gaze also immediately focused on Yuri.

"A new A-ranker. It is reassuring to have you," he said. "Name?"

"Hakase Yuri," she replied.