As Kio and Leo rushed down the mountain, the santelmo sentinels dashed upwards and began to intervene them. The one's ball of burning yellowy-orange fire began to grew body, arms and legs smoldering like lava flowing from the top of its head.
Leo is running in front holding a sword with his core power being manifested. He luckily picked an Iron ore along his way and modified it with the bow he created a while ago. The ore acted as the sword's blade and the wood of the bow became the sword's hilt.
Kio was following his brother while activating his spiritual manifestation and started controlling the essences around him as they began to combat with the sentries.
Leo used his reflex and jumped sideways when a santelmo threw a flaming log unto him. Kio on his back began to control the essence from the nearest water source and the essences of the dews from the leaves of the trees around the mountain connecting it with a bit of his core essence, collecting as much as two bucket volume of water then splashed the incoming log!
The fire burning the log subsided but its projectile was only slowed for a bit so Kio, with a calm expression, once again controlled a bit of his essence from his star core combining it with the essence from the ground creating a crescent shaped 12-inch-thick earth shield to block the incoming object.
A loud thud was heard when the log hit the shield made out of hard condensed earth.
Leo then plunged the santelmo and sliced its head off of its body using a dagger he's holding on his left hand then pierced the head with his sword on his right hand destroying the elemental creature's coal-like core. After killing one, Leo pivoted, creating a momentum while transforming his sword into a spear and threw it to the incoming two santelmo on his way.
With the short distance from the enemies, Leo accurately hit both the santelmo sentries' core. Their body burning like molten lava began to deteriorate like a flesh eroding from a toxic liquid.
All creatures and beasts that are using and depending on magic, will seize to exist when their core power was destroyed. But it's a different idea for majins when they get to a certain stage. As a majin improves their cultivation, A sacred essence will develop and a bit of their core power will be restored to it. Creating a new life inside a majin's spiritual world.
Leo then put some of his essence to the sole of his feet and sprang in the air to pick the spear he threw, but a santelmo also jumped from his side holding a blazing metal acting as its claws to stab him. Leo's hunter's instinct automatically activated, he rolled in the air to dodge the incoming attack and used his spinning momentum to draw a kick to the santelmo at the side of its waist. The santelmo was thrown in the air like a soccer ball being hit, except that it has a body and its burning.
Kio sensing the flying creature, created a one-meter-long earth javeline. With a wave of his hand, the javelin flew and shot the flying santelmo right at its head destroying the core. Its body then began to deteriorate and its burning flesh started to detach from it and became ash. The wind blew the ashes away as the fire from the santelmo's body subsides and died.
He then created a water curtain waving vigorously around him that acts as a barrier from incoming ranged attacks. While stabilizing the flow of the essence of the water curtain, Kio controlled the earth again to make more arrows and javelins and shot them to the incoming santelmos.
The two brothers are in sync while in their combat mode. Leo is at the frontline using brute force while transforming the objects he touches into weapons and sometimes using his raw strength while Kio is at his rear supporting him and attacking in range using elemental manipulation.
"I didn't know that kuya Leo is a beast when fighting monsters! And Kuya Kio is adept with controlling elements with precision on his shots!" Hio exclaimed as he watches his brothers fight.
"And I never expected that the santelmo's are more than what I counted." Rico said estimating the quantity of the sentries rushing up the mountain.
Hio wasn't only watching his brothers fight, but also observing how they control the essence from their core power and combining it with the essence around them.
Soon, Hio also started manifesting his core power once again and observed the essences in his spiritual manifestation. He noticed that all the essence in his core power is fully obeying his orders like a person in a mind-controlled state. Not a single one was defying or ignoring him.
Hio tried what his brother Kio, is doing. He attempted to control the essences in his core powers and combine it with the essence from his surroundings. The essence from his core power is wholly obeying him but the external essences, even if he already sensed them, was ignoring him like a stranger giving no attention to another.
He got confused at first and thought that he didn't concentrate well on his control with the external essence so he re-did his manipulation. But this time, his focus is more on the external essences.
The essences from his core power obeyed him but still, the external essence ignored him even if he tried doing and doing it again for a few more times.
Butler Elie, noticing Hio struggling with his attempt faced him and said, "Young master, you must be trying to control the external essence from your surroundings. I may suggest that you stop now and focus to the essence of your core power."
Hio stopped what he's doing and confusedly looked at the butler for clarification.
"You see, Essences from a majin's core power naturally grows as the majin also grow and accumulates it. So basically, you're like a queen ant producing essences as your cultivation improves. But the external essence's rule is like the rule of the wild. Being present since the beginning of time, if you are powerful enough, you'll be placed at the higher hierarchy of the food chain and everyone below will obey you.
Internal essences are like babies while the external essences are like mature tigers. You're your core essence's parent so they'll fully obey you, but the external essences are born from the planet's essence so it's either you control them, or they'll devour you." The butler explained. "Once you become an advanced baron, then that is the time they'll obey you."
"Then why aren't they devouring me?" Hio asked.
"It's because they are confused with your true power. Your current state is at the bottleneck of an intermediate majin, but your real power is on par with a late staged nascent baron, on par with the external essences' position in the hierarchy. They are puzzled with your current power, but after you fully utilize your real capacity, it'll only take one jump and you are already higher than them. That's the time they'll obey you." The butler added some information. "For now, I may suggest for you to control the essences in your core power and try to modify them into what you feel like useful with your cultivation and power."
Hio then nodded and began to fully focus on his own essence from his core power. He also nodded hearing the butler's advice to gather only a bit of his essence.
He first sensed all his essence from his core power, then started connecting with them. Now that he can fully sense all the essence around his sensing area, connecting with his core power's essence took a much shorter time than before, it's the advantage of completely sensing all the external essences of a majin's sensing area.
Hio estimated his own essences after connecting with them then he slowly picked a small portion controlling it and pulling them from his core gradually creating a ball of energy, like he imagined.
The ball of energy started to materialize and got bigger. From the size of a golf ball, it gradually grew bigger as Hio slowly pour the portion of essence that he pulled from his star core.
When all the extracted essence from his star core has been poured to the ball of energy he created, Hio's ball of energy was now approximately 6-inch glowing like the sun illuminating his surroundings.
Its bright light attracted a santelmo not far from them. The santelmo feeling the power of the ball of energy, rushed to them attempting to block the caster's magic.
"I think it's a perfect moving dummy for you to try the power of your energy ball young master." Butler Elie said seeing the santelmo rushing to their direction.
Hio saw the incoming santelmo from the distance. He first calmed himself and stabilize his control over the energy ball then aimed at the rushing sentry.
When the santelmo is about 4 meters away from his spot, Hio threw the ball of energy from his hands targeting the santelmo's head. The ball of energy projected from Hio's hand to the head of the charging santelmo and exploded!
The explosion is comparable to a landmine's detonation when a victim suddenly tripped over it!
Given the power of the outburst of the ball of energy that Hio threw, and their distance from the enemy that got hit, the shockwave of the explosion backfired and threw the three of them off balance. Hio and Rico, surprised by the sudden burst of shockwave, didn't have a moment to think and flew unsystematically in the air while butler Elie jumped and used the shockwave to glide with the air current.
Hio and Rico tumbled and rolled hitting the ground after being thrown by the shockwave of the explosion. Butler Elie, on the other hand, landed elegantly by Hio's side standing upright then brushed the dust off his shoulder.
"I may suggest for the young master to use lesser essence on his next energy ball creation, or a farther target for lesser impact." The butler said still brushing the dust off his clothes.
"Cough! Yeah, I think so too. Cough! Cough!" Hio said coughing from the dust he inhaled while rolling on the hard ground. "You alright kuya Rico?" He asked while balancing himself to stand up.
"Cough! Cough. Just right young master." Rico answered fixing himself.
After settling themselves, Hio looked at the scene where his energy ball hit the santelmo. His face was filled with shock when he saw the paved ground. The santelmo was nowhere to be found and all that is left there is just an 8-feet wide deep crater with small rocks rolling everywhere and some dust smoke spreading.
"I did that?!" Hio was surprised to see what his small ball of energy is capable of. He unintentionally raised his hands to cover his head from shock.
"Wow." The only word that came out of Rico's mouth for he was speechless witnessing the scene in front of him.
There was nothing left in the eight-feet-wide crater but a pit of cracked ground that still visible even if you view it from the other side of the mountain.
Hio and Rico looked at each other and the young man's shock was turned into excitement when he imagined himself throwing another ball of energy to his enemies. Seeing how his brothers rush down the mountain and fight the santelmo's aroused his eagerness to try his new found power.