A person moved from behind the tree. A tank of a man, with a savage face. He stood almost seven feet tall, towering anybody that was near him.
He didn't have a shirt on as his muscles wouldn't allow it. They screamed to be shown and the man possessing those muscles didn't seem to mind it either. However, something was odd about the man. He had a tattoo on both his upper arms. It was a dark circle with the number one in it.
'How weird. Is it for his rank?'
Soren felt immense pressure from the man in front of him, regardless of what tattoos he had.
The presence of this person was suffocating. The man was oozing confidence and superiority. Friend or foe would receive the same treatment.
Soren's heart quickened and he immediately thought of ways to escape, instincts kicking in.
He noticed this and berated his basic instinctual behavior.
'Hold it together. I can't fight him, but I have Avora with me. She might be able to fight this man. I need to see how this plays out.'
Right then a much smaller man walked out from behind a different tree. This one further back as if he were following the man in front.
'Eh, why does this guy look like me? Only I can look like me. Isn't that my birthright?'
His body size was similar to Soren and his face almost looked the same as well. If they weren't on opposite sides, they might have been viewed as brothers.
No one would doubt it either.
'Whatever. Fake me doesn't look that strong. Perhaps my strength level?'
The tattooed man spoke up in a playfully demanding voice, "Aw don't be like that. Avora, you know my name, you should use it."
Unlike her usual carelessness, Avora was paying attention to every detail the 1st ranked did. This person wasn't to be taken lightly considering his status.
"We're not friends so stop acting like it."
The weather changed. The clouds which had been approaching each other all day finally connected. Forming a mass of shadows and darkness. An eerie feeling was thrown into the world, foretelling something big was going to happen.
With a sigh, the muscular man said, "Alright then, I suppose you're right."
The sky thundered and drops of rain started to pour down.
The ranked demon's demeanor changed starkly. If the man's eyes before were of a reserved brute, they were now a released titan. Amping the pressure on all living things in the vicinity, even his follower who was still behind him seemed to quiver slightly.
His stance had also changed, looking as if he was about to charge forward like a bull. Ripping everything in the way to shreds.
Avora sensed this change in him and prepared herself as well. She pulled out a folded metal staff from the back of her attire and unfolded it two times. The true length of this staff was four feet in length and about two inches wide.
Soren was surprised to see this.
'How did I not know she used such a weapon? Well, I guess she never needed it before.'
He felt a little awkward. This wasn't going to be a battle he could fight and may not even be able to watch it without getting affected somehow.
While that was happening the man following the ranked demon had walked to the side and suggested an idea to him.
"Why don't we have our fight after they have theirs? That way we can watch such a powerful battle."
Soren didn't expect an idea like this from a demon, but slowly, he realized that they were not too much different from the heavenly people.
The sole dividing factor was the abilities they had.
Almost forgetting to respond he said, "That's fine."
With a mutual understanding between the similar-looking followers, they both walked further away to different trees in the distance waiting for the action to start.
Lightning struck a tree nearby, almost destroying it completely. The rain was now a heavy downpour. A scenic fight was bound to happen under such circumstances.
Avora and the demon faced each other, both unbothered by the constant rain and thundering. One had their hands by their side ready to sprint at any moment. The other was holding a metal staff that was resting on the forest floor.
Lightning struck again and they dashed forward. The 10-meter distance vanished. Avora brandished her staff and swung downwards with enough force that the dirt beneath flew to the sides almost scared to get hit.
Instead of dodging, the demon raised both his arms, ready to take the attack. The attack landed, but it didn't end with the momentum being stopped by his arms. No, it continued crashing down, forcing him to his knees—an impressive feat considering his height.
His eyes widened in disbelief. His body shook from the pressure, sending his feet digging into the ground burying them from the outside world.
Eventually, her strike was absorbed into the demon's body, and she stepped back, allowing him a moment to recover.
The demon stepped out of the pit that one strike had put him in and looked at Avora with an unpleasant expression. Unlike the confident air he held before he was cautious now.
He tried speaking again, "I see you're much stronger now. Last time I didn't even have to try and fight you."
Her face darkened, seemingly unhappy that her past was brought up.
"I'm going to kill you today." She said with certainty.
The thunder raged on, uncaring for the events taking place down below. The rain covered every inch of the forest and soaked the fighters.
Without warning, the demon started laughing. At first, it was light, but over time it became increasingly loud and obnoxious, mixing in with the thunder.
Still laughing he wiped either a tear or a drop of water from his eye and said, "You know I didn't even use my ability last time, right? What makes you think you'll defeat me? Let alone kill me."
With a face portraying nothing, she said, "Watch and find out."