Heaven to Wudang. Kylie Chan

he’d gone to Hell all that time ago. It wouldn’t be long before he exceeded any human warrior.

      A flyer leapt over Na Zha’s head and he missed it on the way through. I destroyed it with chi and enjoyed the sensation of its energy returning to me — it’d been a long time since I’d felt that rush.

      A couple more made it round Na Zha, and I destroyed them with the Murasame before they even hit me.

      I scanned around, watching for anything bigger that could possibly ambush us. These were too easy; there had to be something else.

      The rooftop door opened and Clarissa appeared behind the flyers. She looked around and her face filled with fear.

      I took a huge leap over the top of the flyers to Clarissa and pushed her behind me into the top of the stairwell. The demons turned to face me, and Leo and Na Zha took advantage of their distraction to hit them from behind.

      ‘Stay there, don’t move,’ I said to Clarissa, and stepped forward.

      The stairwell was in the corner of the roof and only a couple of them could try for me at a time. They were slower than me and, although bigger and stronger, also clumsy. The one in front of me swiped with its front leg and I stepped back to avoid it. It swung its head to grab me in its mouth, and I rolled under its chin and shoved my sword into its belly.

      ‘That is very bad technique!’ Leo shouted as I ducked to avoid the spray of demon essence then jumped back.

      ‘You can talk!’ I shouted back as I used my backwards momentum to avoid another flyer’s foreleg, bounced off the wall of the stairwell and sliced its head off, somersaulting over it.

      I stuck my sword into the forehead of the next one, turned sideways to avoid the attack behind me, and sliced off the head of the one behind. I continued the stroke to take both the front legs off the one to the right of me, and ducked to avoid the head of the one to the left. I rolled backwards and righted myself, leaning against the wall of the stairwell.

      Leo’s face went rigid and he sent a blast of chi from his sword into one of the three remaining demons. He stepped forward and took the head off another; and Na Zha’s ring weapon sliced the third into two pieces.

      The three of us stood there panting. Now that the adrenaline and chi rush had worn off I felt like I’d run a marathon, and that shin really did feel cracked.

      I caught my breath then checked on Clarissa. She was huddled in a corner of the stairs with her arm over her eyes. I knelt next to her and put my arms around her. She let go into my shoulder, her whole body shaking with sobs.

      ‘Humans,’ Na Zha said with distaste. ‘Always making a fuss.’

      I spoke to him over Clarissa’s head. ‘Get rid of that goddamn graffiti before I haul you before the Courts of the Northern Heavens. And never do that to any of the Dark Lord’s property again.’

      He shrugged and turned his back on me.

      ‘Leo,’ I said, and he came to sit with Clarissa for me.