A colossal figure began to swell.

Once a mere three meters tall, the Demonkin now soared toward the sky. The demonic energy it had used for recovery erupted outward, a wave of pure malevolence.

So this was what it meant to face a true noble in the Demonic Realm.

A strength that utterly belied its title of Viscount exploded from the ogre Demonkin.

“KWOOOOOOOOARGH!”

THUD! CRACK!

The roar alone shattered trees, felling them in a wave of splintering wood.

Knights and royal guards froze, their limbs locked in terror.

“...Ah... ah...”

Men stared, their faces drained of color as their legs trembled. For some, control gave way entirely. The acrid stench of urine rose from the blood-soaked ground.

“We’re going to die... We’re going to die,” men whimpered, their faces ashen.

Many had already collapsed, their legs giving out from under them, paralyzed by a fear that overrode any instinct to flee.

“Humans, die!”

KRA-BOOM!

The ogre Demonkin swung a fist the size of a boulder, and half the northern knights vanished in a spray of gore.

“Shit, run!”

“What is that thing?!”

It was a calamity. Of all the enemies I had faced, this was, without a doubt, the most powerful.

“I might actually die this time,” I muttered, my hand tightening on my bow.

Beside me, my master had already nocked an arrow.

“How strong?” I asked, my voice low.

“Hard to say. At least twice as powerful as the one you and the ice brat fought.”

Hell. We're in over our heads.

I gathered my Aura with a scowl.

Stronger than Jin, the Count of Wrath? Could I truly defeat this thing without the Grand Duke?

I dismissed the thought as soon as it formed.

Impossible.

I had only managed to hunt Jin because the Grand Duke was there to weaken the creature, draw its attention, and create the perfect opening.

Fighting Jin one-on-one would have left me broken on the ground, just as the Grand Duke was now.

And against this thing that was even stronger? Going at it head-on?

That was just a way to commit suicide.

The only silver lining was that my master stood beside me.

I decided to match his rhythm.

My own power was just shy of the Grand Master level; mastering the Aura breathing technique had granted me another leap in strength. It might not be enough, but a Grand Master and a near-Grand Master had to count for something.

If worst comes to worst, I stick to the plan. Use the knights as bait and escape with my people.

The bow creaked as I drew the string taut and began to channel my skills.

RUMBLE!

My Aura, feeding on the demonic energy in the air as if it were rich soil, bloomed in a brilliant display. Arrows of light took the form of divine beasts and coalesced around me.

My master glanced at me, a small, satisfied smile touching his lips. “You’ve learned well.”

“Only thanks to what you left behind, Master.”

“Indeed. Well done.” Feeling the power coalesce around me, he nodded. “Still, a master can hardly be outdone by his student.”

As he spoke, hundreds of arrows formed from pure Aura began to spin around him.

Lightning crackled between some; flames erupted from the tips of others. It was as if every force of nature had been gathered and forged into a weapon.

Divine beasts wove through the maelstrom of energy, a magnificent, terrifying sight.

“Let us begin,” he said.

“Yes, Master.”

Our two styles of archery—the master’s and the student’s—became one.

We unleashed a storm of power that tore through the air toward the ogre Demonkin.

KRA-KOOOOM!

* * *

The battle dragged on, a grueling exchange of cataclysmic force.

CRACK! CRUNCH!

When the ogre Demonkin, Solamio, punched, the very landscape of the Demonic Realm buckled. A single kick carved a new canyon into the earth.

It wasn't a creature to be fought.

It was a natural disaster in living form.

Planting my feet, I caught my breath and let another arrow fly.

The arrow, wrapped in Hasilan’s thread, split into a host of divine beasts that charged Solamio.

My own power had grown, and the beasts had evolved with it.

The saber-toothed tiger’s fangs were longer, its frame now the size of a warhorse. The serpent-dragon was more draconic than serpentine. A phoenix and a great turtle manifested beside them.

Dodging another of Solamio’s fists, I mused that anyone else would mistake me for a Demonkin summoner. Considering my Aura fed on demonic energy, it was an easy mistake to make.

I glanced at the other knights. They were holding their breath, their eyes filled not with reverence, but with a mixture of awe and fear.

Would they try me for heresy after this? Probably not. They could hardly punish the man who saved them from one of the Twelve Nobles.

Still… That thing is absurdly hard to kill.

Its healing was the crux of the problem, the very thing that made Solamio so difficult to handle.

Both my master’s Aura and mine were specialized in dispelling demonic energy. We used it as soil to make our own power bloom.

But the creature’s regeneration mocked the very purpose of our techniques.

When an arrow struck, it was simply pulled out. Wounds from swords or claws were shaken off, the flesh knitting itself back together in seconds.

It was a monster with infinite stamina.

“There will be no end to this,” my master said, clicking his tongue as he loosed another arrow.

It seemed even he hadn't anticipated this.

“Its regenerative ability has increased,” he confirmed, his voice tight. “Even my attacks are no longer enough.”

Perhaps its abilities had skyrocketed thanks to consuming Jin.

Its size and power were terrifying enough without this. I had to find a way.

“What if we pour all our Aura into a single attack?”

“Foolish,” he snapped. “Not unless you want everyone here to die the moment we succeed.”

He was right.

Aside from the two of us, everyone else was scrambling to hunt the lesser monsters pouring from the rift.

Though they kept sending us shocked looks, they weren’t idle. This was their second major battle without rest, and their Aura reserves were dwindling.

If my master and I exhausted our own Aura, the others would be left defenseless. It would be a massacre.

We had to conserve our Aura.

The one advantage we had was our exceptional control.

More refined. More precise.

I drew out my Aura, spinning it into a thread thinner than a hair but impossibly dense, infusing it into the arrow.

Maximum efficiency from minimal energy. It was an art few could ever master.

TWANG!

The arrow screamed through the air like a bolt of lightning.

KRA-BOOOOOOM!

It struck Solamio square in the chest, punching a hole clean through its torso. The sheer force sent the creature tumbling backward.

But even as it flew, the wound began to close. Squelching and gurgling, the flesh writhed like a nest of worms, coalescing and re-forming.

By the time it landed, it was whole again, completely unharmed.

“Human,” Solamio’s voice boomed, “you think you can kill me?”

WHOOSH!

Vicious demonic energy swirled around it, coalescing into a pair of enormous, leathery wings.

“...Looks like a chimera now,” I muttered, trying to calculate our next move.

Just then, a familiar, frigid Aura swept over the battlefield.

CRAAAAAACK!

The very air began to freeze.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“Shouldn't you be with your father?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the demon.

“He’s conscious,” Lea replied. “He can't fight, but he isn’t so weak he’ll die to a stray attack.”

“That’s a relief.”

I meant it. The arrival of another combatant on the cusp of the Grand Master level was a profound reassurance.

“Let’s finish this quickly and get back,” I said. “It will be better for Father-in-law.”

“...Agreed.”

Lea nodded as she gripped her sword. A biting chill swirled at its tip, dozens of smaller blades made of ice materializing in the air around her.

“Let’s go.” Kicking off the ground, she surged forward.

“KWOOOOOOOOARGH!”

One Grand Master and two on the verge of that legendary rank—a force fit to topple a kingdom—charged at Solamio, blind to what their assault would bring.

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