Razzle Dazzle

He begins to laugh hysterically once again, and I grow tired of hearing my own laughter.

"Tough talk for finishing off something so weak. Be assured the next one won't fall as easily."

If I were to assume that I'm fighting video game bosses I struggled with growing up, then I should start praying to every god I know that I wasn't about to face the Taken King.

"Your next challenge, The Dazzling Demon." He announces and the crowd goes wild.

I don't recall ever fighting a boss by that name at any time in my earlier life.

Through the side of my eye, I notice the black suns light getting brighter. Using my hand to shield my eyes, I look to see why it's suddenly getting brighter, and I make out a figure in the brightness.

The figure drops out of the sky, hovering over the arena as I recognize my next foe in despair.

The creature resembles a dragonfly with a white and pink shell. On its giant head is horns with dangerous pincers and legs under it.

On its back powerful wings keep it afloat as a long tail drag on the ground with a pink orb at the end of its tail. Another bad memory surfaces as I understand the theme of these challenges.

During the dreadful GOAT comp during Overwatch, I explored different games. One of which was Dauntless. Having a friend show me the ropes to the game, he decided to troll me by taking me to one of the boss fights when I just got out of the training area. I overreacted and started an argument with him, and we no longer play together.

That boss, who was now floating in front of me, was Rezakiri. Looking at the pistol in my left hand, I pocket it. There's no chance it would help me in this fight.

Rezakiri was one of the end game bosses of Dauntless and with its hard shell, one of the tankiest. In the game, slayers would use a variety of weapons, but they were at a disadvantage as Rezakiri was flying 85 percent of the fight. Unless you were able to stun it or broke one of its parts, it wouldn't land.

The behemoth let out a screech, as it raised a bit higher into the air. Dangerous little balls of light that reflected the rainbow begin to form in the air around it.

Gripping my katana, I exit the Galvanic state. There's no way even with it, that I could deal enough damage to thing, so I could only win this fight through attrition.

The radiant orbs get sent towards me at insane speeds and I dash to my right.

Keeping an eye on the orbs flying directly at me, I make it the center of the light barrage.

I calm down as just as expected, there's a gap in the wall of orbs and I made it to the safe zone as they crash to the ground around me.

Explosion of bright light erupt as they connect with the ground make me close my eyes momentarily.

Reopening my eyes, I stare in shock as I see the huge frame of Rezakiri rushing at me.

Dodging to the left, I barely miss one of its huge claws swiping at where I once was.

Managing to get to my feet, I find the behemoth coming in for another swoop.

As I jump to the left again, it doesn't swipe at me like the first time. It instead releases a burst of radiant light orbs where I'm about to dodge.

Rainbow explosions launch me a couple of meters away as I feel pain in my side where I took most of the blast.

I land ungracefully on my back knocking the breath out of me. My returns back slurred as I sit up and evaluate my situation.

First, I locate the behemoth, who flies away from me. I notice why secondly, as I am now encased in a bubble of light.

An intense burning sensation from my side makes me cry out, and I pull up my shirt to examine my wound.

My side is burned with a trail of rainbow light leading away from the center of the wound burning any surrounding flesh as it travels.

I remember reading that unlike the umbral behemoths, whose effects eat away Slayers from within, the radiant withers away the skin.

I've never had to heal an injury like this, so I am once again filled with doubt.

Movement from the Rezakiri brings my attention to it, as it raises into the sky, its tail coming up into the air along with it as it aims it towards me.

Knowing what was coming next, I waste no more time in attempting to heal myself as I focus my bioelectricity to accelerate the healing.

The rainbow trail stops as the burned skin starts to fall off and new skin grow underneath.

I look up in time to notice that a trails of light, one flowing in a line after the other, escapes the behemoth's tail traveling toward my location.

As the wound finally closes, I grab my katana, and start to slash at the bubble trapping me.

I begin to be filled with anxiety as I notice that the trails of light will make it before I can escape so I calm my breathing and focus on the trails.

I notice that in between each trail, there's a three second delay before the next light trail follows behind it, which allows me a small window to dodge.

I once again enter the Galvanic state and put my focus on the deadly light beams.

The attacks from the Rezakiri slow, but they don't move in slow motion like everything else usually does, they continue at a normal pace.

The beams grow near but all doubt and anxiety clear as I focus only on them.

The first beam passes through the barrier leaving it untouched as I feel the intense heat from it.

Just before its done passing, I begin to step to the right towards it.

My timing is correct as I step behind the light and take another step, narrowly avoiding the second trail where I once was.

If I wasn't in the Galvanic state, I would have stacked another injury and put the Rezakiri at another advantage.

My body begins the process of returning to my "normal" state as I leave the Galvanic state and begin slashing away back at the barrier as I watch the Rezakiri.

Just like it does in the game, after using such a powerful attack, its body drops low to the ground, swaying back and forth as it hovers above the ground in exhaustion.

The light barrier explodes, shattering into pieces as I take a deep breath once again.

Leaving the Galvanic state, the feelings of anxiety, doubt, and anger once again return.

Although each feeling is small and insignificant at the moment, I wonder the source as each feeling grows in power when the situation calls for it.

Taking a deep breath and calming my breath to that when I enter the Zazen, the feelings dissipated in time for the Rezakiri to recover.

I look at the behemoth with a new feeling that occupies where the others have left.

Determination.