Reincarnated in a Light Novel

'...Think I won't notice?'

An eel shot out of Wilson's back and in a flash bit down on Eclair's right shoulder. Eclair winced but used his left hand to slice away the eel off his shoulder.

After taking a step back, Wilson smirked at Eclair's struggle. Eclair knew that was a warning, however, he didn't stop and continued gathering Omi on his right hand.

Wilson tilted his head and looked at Eclair as if he was a killjoy, lifting a hand up and flicking it making an eel launch out of his back. 

Eclair defended, closing his hands to a fist and punching away any eel that got close. Taking a step back if he couldn't take it.

'So he doesn't only have that slashing, he also has punching?'

Wilson thought, intrigued by the sorcerer's Art. Just as Wilson shot out an eel, Eclair dodged it and dashed away, Wilson followed but before his foot fully landed Eclair punched a tree sending splinters towards Wilson.

"Heh…"

Wilson easily used the eels on his back to shield and hit all the splinters away. however, in that split second he did so Eclair had already gained distance.

"Getting all smart!?"

Wilson's serrated teeth glinted as his grin stretched unnaturally wide. In a blur, he surged forward, appearing in front of Eclair in an instant. Eclair's eyes widened, and without hesitation, he dashed behind a nearby tree for cover.

Wilson didn't relent, the eels protruding from his back coiling together into a massive, writhing serpent. With a deafening crack, the giant eel smashed through the tree, obliterating it in a violent explosion of splinters that sprayed in all directions.

The tree offered no resistance, the relentless force tearing straight through and slamming into Eclair. The impact hurled him backwards, crashing into another tree with such force that it toppled under the blow. Eclair hit the ground with a heavy thud, a groan escaping his lips as he struggled to recover.

Wilson slowly walked over, feeling fun over his 'defeat' of Eclair. His pace was brisk and carefree, he felt that he had toyed around enough. The large demonic eel stretching in his back clamped its jaws tight, letting Eclair hear.

Eclair groaned, dragging himself across the dirt in a futile attempt to put distance between him and Wilson. The demon found it amusing—sweet, even—that Eclair clung so desperately to his insignificant life. Chuckling, Wilson stepped forward, planting his foot beside Eclair and flipping him over with a casual nudge.

What Wilson didn't anticipate, however, was the unwavering determination etched into Eclair's face. Despite the relentless assault and his battered body, Eclair had never let go of the condensing Omi around his right hand. As Wilson turned him over, Eclair raised his hand, forming a finger-gun gesture.

"[Pierce]!"

A burst of energy shot forth, so swift that even Wilson's demonic reflexes couldn't track it.

Fwit!

A sharp, wet sound cut through the air as the shot pierced Wilson's forehead. Fragments of bone and brain matter splattered across the ground, and Wilson stumbled backwards with a guttural growl. He clutched at the small, smoking hole between his eyes as dark ichor trickled down his face.

Behind him, the massive eel recoiled, hissing and thrashing in shared agony as though it, too, had been struck. Wilson's eyes started to move around as if both were individually controlled.

Eclair forced himself up while Wilson was disoriented, possession might seem overpowered, but it has a critical flaw. Unlike the fusion of man and demon, possession forced the demon to inherit the vulnerabilities of the human body.

A demon might survive being cut in half—but in a possessed human body, such damage was fatal. If the human host died, the demon died with them.

Despite his injuries, Eclair rushed forward. "[Bludgeon]!" Omi coalesced around his fists, and with righteous fury Eclair rained heavy punches towards Wilson, each blow causing Wilson's injured skull to crumble.

"D-Damn you…!" Wilson spat out, multiple eels conjured out of his darkened skin coiling around his body to form a protective shell. 

Eclair moved despite his burning body, giving a demona moment of rest would spell his end as they could regenerate, unlike Sorcerers. He also knew that the demon was toying with him which allowed him to land such a fatal blow.

Eclair gritted his teeth determination burning in his eyes, forming a finger gun once more. Charged bolts of energy shot out at his fingertip, each [Pierce] landing at the protective shell that Wilson erected.

Each shot pierced through the writhing eels, but no matter how many Eclair struck down, new ones surged forth to replace them. Frustration gnawed at him as he slashed at the relentless mass, his movements growing sharper and more desperate.

Gritting his teeth, Eclair began charging another shot in his left arm, focusing his Omi as he continued to hack away at the eels.

Suddenly, he felt a chill at his feet—a subtle yet unmistakable rise in the water around him. His instincts screamed, and he leapt aside just as a jagged gash tore through the earth where he'd been standing.

"Damn it!" he hissed, his heart pounding.

Landing unsteadily, Eclair forced his Omi to condense faster in his left arm. Wilson wasn't letting up; more water swirled around him, lashing out in powerful strikes that left craters in their wake. Eclair barely managed to evade, darting away just in time to avoid another devastating attack.

Sweat trickled down Eclair's forehead, he continued to charge up the attack on his left arm starting to get concerned at one thing. His Omi reserves are starting to get dangerously low, it's either he kills this demon now or he won't survive tomorrow.

Wilson's relentless attacks ceased abruptly. Above where his head would be, water began to gather, starting as a small sphere. It condensed rapidly, its size deceptively unchanged, yet brimming with overwhelming pressure.

Eclair's heart hammered in his chest. He understood exactly what was coming—and he knew that if that attack landed, he wouldn't survive. Yet, inexplicably, a grin began to creep across his face.

Lowering his stance, Eclair raised his left hand, forming a finger gun. His Omi surged, condensing faster than ever as desperation fueled his focus. Either his shot would land, or Wilson's would. There was no other outcome. Even if he evaded the attack, the demon would overpower him soon after, and the thought of whatever fate awaited him made his blood run cold.

This was it—a final, reckless gamble.

Eclair gritted his teeth, subconsciously adding conditions onto his attack, shaping it with everything he had. His manic grin widened as he raised his hand.

Above Wilson, the sphere of water abruptly stopped condensing, its immense power fully realized. Around Wilson, more eels coiled and writhed, fortifying his form.

-Swift!

-Boom!

Eclair's [Pierce] shot forth, silent and swift as a needle of death. At the same time, Wilson's condensed water attack exploded outward, a needle-like projectile tearing through the air and breaking the sound barrier.

The two attacks met—but only one continued.

Eclair's shot pierced through, slicing past Wilson's shell of eels without resistance, like a bullet shredding through paper. The condensed water splintered harmlessly away, and its force dissipated in the clash.