There's no normal mode of entity combat because it doesn't happen. Not in a long time. But the end result here wouldn't be in doubt; the sorceress can only slow the opponent down and the real entities don't have literally endless energy supplies. This entity's simulation of the opponent's mind confirms that he does. Gambling on him being wrong would be a bad idea.

And the opponent is indestructible. And some of the older shards are weapons. This isn't the battle to choose.


The opponent believes his weakest point is a surviving human currently located on a nearby planet. One option would be to kill the human, but that guarantees a direct confrontation. Safer to flee. They have the sorceress; an escape today is still a win in the long term.

The entities start moving by their own methods, by insinuation more than by momentum. It's faster, and more importantly it's less predictable. Once they're out of range of the opponent's perceptive abilities, tracking them should be nearly impossible.

Normally, the entities leave a trail. Breadcrumbs, marking which worlds have already been consumed so others of their kind know not to follow them. The entity sends out a trail following the path the momentum from the planetary explosion would have taken. They themselves flee to somewhere more distant in three-dimensional space and in a few more senses beyond that.

Cam wouldn't know to look for breadcrumbs. He grows and grows and grows, groping around for abilities that will make him better at using and finding and growing. There's almost nobody left for him to worry about simulating, just Kithabel who'd volunteer if she knew what was good for her and the entities who fucking blew up uncountable 'illions of Earths and are no longer entitled to moral protection and one guy who his blossoming expectations think they're leaving alone.

Cam doesn't have to worry about energy expenditure any more than the entities with the tame sorceress do. He seeks, he finds, he follows, trying not to dwell on what an appallingly Lovecraftian thing he is now.

Well, if he's not dwelling on that then he'll be vulnerable to having his shards detached and destroyed. The entities can't hurt him more permanently than that, despite the Warrior's best efforts. And he's bigger than either of them, more powerful, indestructible, and with no energy requirements. And he's willing to use precognition now. Counteracting that is a major energy expenditure.

But the sorceress can repair them whenever he scores a blow, and can act as a generator when required. Stalemate.

He needs to get Kithabel the fuck away from them. Does her sorcery not do anti-mind-control, it must not, she didn't come to the Tokyo battle -

- could it or was she just not trying or -

- didn't she get more powerful over time -

Cam makes a Simurgh, right where she can see. She'll recognize it if there's any of her left to salvage, won't she?

What the fuck is that doing here? Shit, shit, she wasn't ready the last time she checked, it still burrowed into her ears and threatened to rewire her head and she will not have her head re-






-wired.

The entity notices right away. It replaces the mind control, using clusters of shards it didn't have available last time. No soap. Radio- or radio-equivalent message to its partner, saying the sorceress is free and can't be recaptured.

And it appears they have no choice but to go back to the star system they just left, to kill the last human and get rid of the opponent before he gets rid of them. The Warrior sends back Acknowledgment and they both reverse course. Not even trying to be stealthy this time; just trying to outrun the other.


The entity reluctantly attempts to delete the sorceress from existence. They don't need two foes right now.

Oh no you fucking don't, mindraping fuckheads.

Kithabel exists and she's going to keep fucking doing it.

You can just stop.

It stops. Moving, fighting, existing.

Or at least the fraction of it that shared a dimension with the sorceress does. Deleting her from existence didn't work, removing her shard didn't work. No host has ever survived that before. But at least now the sorceress loses the speed and multitasking and, most relevantly, the ability to see across dimensions.

The entity elects to leave the hole in its body rather than consolidate to fill the space. Being in view of the former prisoner would be the worst idea.

Something in here had better be communicative telepathy. Please? She's kind of far away -

Kithabel?

She pops into place.

If you fuck with me I will find a way to destroy you.

I'm just going to give you some of the powers the others were loaning you back. No mind control. I know what you did with yourself before they grabbed you.

And he - his avatar - reaches out and floods her with reach and speed and focus.

Kithabel

wants

them

dead.