Chapter 438: Soulmark
"Now that you’ve asked your questions, I’ve got a few of my own," Korra said, turning to Gayron with a challenging glint in her eyes.
He glared at her but didn’t outright refuse, so Korra pressed on.
"What the hell is that cloning ability? You’ve only ever used one or two on me at once, but there must have been twenty of them attacking Xiviyah. Are there any limits on it, or did you just never take me seriously?"
Something about the way she said that made me shiver, and judging by Gayron’s twitching tail, he felt it, too. Korra’s gaze seemed to pierce right through him, causing him to rub his horn and shrink back slightly. I couldn’t help but smile a little. At least I wasn’t the only one who felt intimidated by her intensity.
"It’s nothing like that, and they’re not clones," he mumbled defensively. Using more than a handful of incarnations on a small target is wasteful. It’s impossible to optimize my attacks effectively, though they can be useful for sheer, overwhelming power."
"So that was your goal? Trying to overwhelm my wards before the elemental appeared?" I inquired, curious about his strategy.
He shrugged. "Something like that, though now I realize how naive a thought that was. To be honest, I thought you were looking down on me a bit when you summoned that spell to protect the soldiers. I’ve never had trouble breaking through a barrier of the same level as me, at least, until today."
It was a surprisingly honest answer, devoid of the usual mockery or condescension. In fact, looking back, Gayron had been remarkably civil throughout the entire conversation, especially since the duel ended. He hadn’t once tried to belittle me or make me feel ashamed.
"How does it work, then?" Korra pressed.
Gayron fidgeted with the pommel of his sword, avoiding her gaze. After a long pause, he sighed and looked up. "I suppose it’s alright to tell you. You’ve been transparent with me, after all, even if it’s foolish. Don’t forget we’re enemies."
Korra rolled his eyes, and he shot her a glare before continuing. "Whatever. It’s an ability called Infernal Wildfire. I can spawn demonic incarnations of myself by using Fire Magic or other techniques. It’s not like they’re independent though, and they all pull from my soul."