Inside the room, I found myself in a medium-sized space, at the center of which lay some sort of magical circle. The whole environment was filled with a dark, negative energy that felt very similar to the aura of the individual I had seen outside. I stayed alert and moved cautiously toward the center of the room. The moment my foot touched the circle, I felt an unusual pressure and quickly stepped back, equipping all my gear.
My eyes narrowed, and I spread my Haki cautiously around the surroundings. Then, in reaction to my presence, an unusual phenomenon occurred—some type of shapeless entity began to form at the center of the magical circle. It looked somewhat like a beast or a strange, horrifying, and deadly creature.
"You...who are you...that keeps stopping and eliminating my loyal ninjas...and even dares to interrupt my ritual?" A dark and terrifying voice reached my ears.
"I'm just someone passing through. And you?" I replied.
He seemed irritated by my response and unleashed his unusual energy at me. I raised my wand and cast a Protego spell, aiming to shield myself from his energy. The energy broke through a portion of the shield but then rebounded toward him.
"Tsk...you're unusual...this feels like witchcraft, but it's different...and I sense you are strange as well. Since you'll be my next servant, I'll introduce myself. I am the demon known as the Beast."
"Well then, Mr. Demon, please vanish."
I could have gathered more information, but I didn't see it being particularly useful or beneficial. So, I moved my left hand forward and my right hand above my head.
"Ice Make: Lance."
"Magic: Light Lance."
Ice spears launched from my left hand, and a larger lance of light from my right. Both attacks flew at him without hesitation; the ice didn't seem to affect him much, but the lance of light struck him forcefully, proving far more effective. A scream of pain and frustration echoed from him.
"How dare you! A mere human! And how is it possible for you to wield the element of light?"
His fury made him stop playing around. I felt the impact of his energy pressing on my entire body, while a spiritual force began to assault my soul. His dark, slightly corrupt energy spread from him like countless spikes and chains, seeming not only to aim at destroying my physical body but also at controlling my entire existence.
First, I used my ancient mastery of mental energy to dispel any pressure or difficulty he tried to impose on me. After that, I unleashed my Qi as pure energy to counter his attacks. My unique inner energy—imbued with properties of the moon, ice, and light—was able to break through or at least fend off and repel his assaults. I moved with swift, agile steps, empowered by my ancient wind-hearing ability, while launching energy attacks and light lances to break his offensives. My eyes, along with my Haki, analyzed and understood every aspect of his energy and movements, learning and adapting as I fought.
This exchange continued for a while until he escalated his attacks; his energy intensified in concentration, sheer power, and volume. I was still able to defend myself using my inner energy and casting spells from my wand. I shot beams of vibrant red light to destroy parts of his energy or created magical barriers to defend and counter his attacks. However, things soon took a turn. I noticed traces of the "Beast's" energy beginning to invade my body and my mental sea, and even my soul seemed to be tainted.
Realizing this, I frowned. At that moment of hesitation, the demon seized the opportunity. A dense, immense wave of energy enveloped my body.
"Ack! These energies are invading my body again. I have to close this 'door' somehow…"
I shouted in pain, feeling my control over my mind slipping. Luckily, I had allies and unique abilities, especially certain spirits that inhabit my being, as well as a specific lineage that intervened.
"Grrrrrrrrr…" echoed in my mental sea.
As the energy attempted to infiltrate and corrupt, it was startled to find the vastness of the space—a domain that seemed capable of expanding even further. However, it quickly dismissed this discovery and directed itself toward the "waters of psychic instances." The invading energy appeared to realize the presence of powerful mental forces and traces of magical energy that composed this vast psychic sea.
However, before it could advance further to invade the "waters," the crown and eyes at the center of this space shone with force and power, stopping it in its tracks. Following this, the sea trembled and swirled, and the roar of a great beast echoed throughout the space.
The strong power of a divine beast appeared, and the invading energy, sensing this power, tried to force its approach toward the mental sea, resisting the pressure it was under. But it was futile. Two massive claws, emanating divine energy and drawing on the power of this realm, captured the invasive energy.
"My master seems to be getting quite a few intruders lately… I hope he improves his witchcraft skills he's been dabbling in these days… at least enough to strengthen his defenses against slippery snakes like this one…" A giant tortoise spoke in an ancient voice. Without hesitation, its claws destroyed the intruding energy. Satisfied with the outcome, it returned to its slumber, as did the rest of the entities and items within the space.
....
Back in the real world.
With the intervention of my Black Tortoise, I regained control of my mind, though my body and soul still felt affected. Yet, there was a reason I didn't stop immediately. I sensed that the black lotus of my soul lineage seemed to absorb some of its properties and aspects. It wasn't much, and I didn't plan to let it continue for long, but I observed this with curiosity. After it had absorbed a certain amount, I turned my gaze to the Beast, who seemed puzzled by the amount of energy and time involved in the process.
Seeing me look at him, he appeared confident. "Finally… as I thought, you'll make a useful servant. With magical abilities, even some unusual ones, and the capacity to manipulate nature's energy—at least the aspect of wind. An excellent servant."
"Come to me." His voice was filled with greed and lust.
I approached him as he commanded, but as I got closer, I murmured with a smile, "Forgive me, but just as witches are burned by fire, so too must demons be."
With a wicked, mischievous smile, I controlled my Soul Energy and summoned the flame and spirit that dwell deep within my soul—my soul powers.