Sea of the Wind, Shore of the Maze, Chapter 7

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    The struggle between the two filled the inside of the cave. It was as if time had stopped and left  everything motionless.

    (Sweat...)
    That pair of eyes still stared at Taiki. Taiki was entirely unaware of how much time had passed. He  felt the sweat on his forehead drip down along the bridge of his nose. All he could do was softly breathe in  and breathe out.
    (Forehead...)
    He didn't know when it started, but the area between his eyebrows hurt. It felt like something hot and  solid had been buried there. The sweat was actually falling from the spot on his face that hurt.
    (My eyes...)
    Taiki's sight had already become blurry. Taiki relied completely on feeling the pressure that the  toutetsu put on him in order to determine the toutetsu's position and to hold its line of sight tightly. Except,  he had almost lost the sense that allowed him to find the direction that the force came from.
    (Time...)
    Just how much time had passed?
    In his subconscious, Taiki had been concerned about the passage of time since a short while ago.
    (I don't know...how much longer...)
    Why he cared so much about time, he didn't know himself.
    Suddenly, he felt resistance. The strength of the resistance became greater and greater, and Taiki  opened his eyes wide. It was as if he had suddenly understood something.
    Just in that moment of comprehension, his forehead felt like it was beginning to crack. Even the air  that he breathed in was like a burn that went from deep in the bridge of his nose to his throat.

    The toutetsu's line of sight began to waver, and its endurance suddenly doubled. There was no easy  way for Taiki to continue challenging the power of his opponent. It was as if the time that caused a person to  be scared had arrived.
    --The seiki turned into shiki.
    "Sir Gyousou..." He didn't know if Gyousou was still there; if he was, where would he be?
    "You'd better go quickly..." Taiki felt that he could not keep this up anymore.
    Taiki heard a still voice come from behind him. "I am very sorry... I can no longer walk."
    The little kirin widened his eyes. His breathing became erratic.
    --This was the moment it had turned to shiki.
    "I am wounded. I cannot move--I must ask you to save me."
    In the instant it appeared that his determination was wilting, it was revived.
    - - - - -
    The two strengths were evenly matched; the situation became more precarious than before. Then and  there, they sunk into a deadlock.
    (Sweat...)
    It fell from his forehead.
    (I don't know...if there are any other ways?)
    Taiki felt that Gyousou was nearby. He had not moved, nor did he once take his eyes off of Taiki.
    (I can only...subdue it.)
    Gyousou could not move, but Taiki was even less able to move.
    (Submit...)
    Taiki began to mumble.
    (Shirei, submit...)
    Taiki sensed the dark shadow suddenly move. The pressure that came from the shadow waned very  slowly. For the first time, he felt the slightest bit of ease.
    (Shirei, submit!)
    His opponent's strength became even weaker.
    He could blink his eyes without much effort. His vision, originally blurred by sweat, had become  clear. Taiki saw the dark shadow with a dangerous weapon raised up high and completely stationary.
    His two eyes sent out an intense force, and the dark shadow began to change shape.
    First, it trembled and withered, slowly changing into a giant spirit that flooded the cavern.
    Taiki was not scared at all. He only felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off of him. His limbs  were originally like they were made of hard metal, but they had finally recovered their faculties.

    "Submit..."
    The dark shadow shrank smaller and smaller, slowing changing into the shape of a big cow. The next  second, it became a tiger. Then it changed into a great eagle. And then again it turned into a large snake.
    Countless changes--it proved that the dark shadow itself possessed an extraordinary power. Its last  transformation was to that of a small dog that sat in front of Taiki.
    "...Shirei, submit..." Taiki pointed toward the ceiling of the cave and received the Will of the  Heavens.
    In that instant, the power that was emanating from his line of sight suddenly disappeared. He lost the  power to resist, and something went straight through him. From the hand that had accepted the Will of the  Heavens came a great force that shattered all the restraints in his body.
    "Subdue the monster! A union between the light and the dark!"
    From his palm came a sound like a flood