Caron stood, his body trembling with a mix of shock and rage as he wiped the blood trickling from his mouth. He couldn't believe Sue had survived his onslaught, let alone counterattacked with such ferocity. He could feel her aura had shifted, becoming something darker, more intense. The energy spiraling off her was palpable, and the Axe in her hand seemed to hum with a life of its own.
Sue's Axe was no ordinary weapon. Forged in the fiery depths of a volcano from the bones of a Majin—a beast that thrived in such extreme conditions—it was a weapon of unmatched power. The obsidian blade of the Axe had been tempered by molten rock, giving it a black, mirror-like finish. But its true power lay in its ability to absorb and convert damage into raw magical energy. Sue's awakening stone, known for energy convergence, allowed her to feed this absorbed power into the Axe, which in turn amplified her own strength and magic tenfold. This transformation, however, came with a price. The Axe could only handle so much energy before it would risk backlash, potentially leaving Sue vulnerable and without mana for a critical period.
Caron knew he had to eliminate her quickly. He couldn't afford to let this battle drag on any longer, especially with the unknown capabilities of that Axe. He watched her, eyes narrowing as she shifted from a walk to a jog, and then into a full sprint, her eyes locked onto him like a predator ready to strike.
He thrust his hands forward, summoning dark energy that coalesced into spiraling javelins, each one crackling with malevolent power. He launched them at Sue, intending to impale her before she could close the distance. But Sue, with the Axe now fully powered, deftly swiped them aside, the blade cutting through the dark energy as if it were mere smoke. Caron's confidence wavered as he realized the futility of his attack.
"YOU FOUL WOMAN!!!" Caron roared in frustration, gathering more energy between his hands, this time forming a massive spiraling vortex, ready to unleash it the moment she got too close.
But Sue was faster. "One thing you should know about my Axe, Caron," she said, her voice calm, almost taunting. As she swung the Axe, the air itself seemed to ripple. Sensing the immediate danger, Caron tried to cancel his attack and brace himself, but he was too late.
BOOM!
The village square was rocked by a tremendous explosion. The force of the blast was so intense that even Haruto, who was locked in his own battle with the Ifrits, had to retreat to avoid being caught in the shockwave. The ground shook, and a cloud of dust and debris filled the air.
As the dust settled, Sue stood in the center, her Axe resting on her shoulder. "Oh? You're still alive?" she mused, her gaze falling on Caron, who lay at her feet, his body charred and mangled, barely clinging to life.
Sue's attack had unleashed one of the Majin Axe's most devastating abilities—the Mana Explosion. The Axe, storing all the energy it had absorbed, had forcefully expelled it in a concentrated blast, mimicking the Majin beast's last-ditch defense mechanism. The explosion was powerful enough to obliterate anything in its path, and though Sue had been close enough to feel the backlash, her incredible durability had allowed her to withstand most of the damage. Caron, however, wasn't so fortunate. The combination of the explosion and the rebound of his own dark energy had left him in a pitiful state.
"That's surprising. You're a tough bastard, you know that?" Sue muttered, shaking her head as she watched Caron revert to his human form. She had never encountered someone who not only sided with Ifrits but had tried to transform into one.
Caron, his body broken, began to laugh—a wet, gurgling sound. "Go ahead… celebrate now… For he… shall reig…" His voice trailed off as the last breath left his lungs, his life extinguished.
Sue straightened, her expression hardening as she turned her attention to find Haruto. She saw him, still engaged with the last of the Ifrits, and noticed he was struggling. It was clear the battle had taken a toll on him.
Moments earlier, before the explosion rocked the village, Haruto had been battling the two remaining Ifrits. Unlike the first, these two were working together, their attacks coordinated and relentless. Every time Haruto thought he had one of them cornered, the other would appear, launching an attack that forced him back. They seemed to possess strange abilities—one could distort the air around it, making its movements unpredictable, while the other could generate heat waves that distorted his vision, making it difficult to focus.
Haruto gritted his teeth, frustration mounting as he realized he was running low on mana. He couldn't afford to keep fighting like this—he had to find a way to take them down quickly. He glanced over at Sue, who was locked in her own intense battle, and knew he couldn't rely on her help. He was on his own.