In the aftermath of the grueling battle, Elysia's voice echoed through the chamber, filled with urgency and desperation.

"Alceonyus, rise! We cannot afford to remain idle. You're our only hope against him. Our party is gone, and my magic barely scratches him. Please, find the strength to stand!"

Alceonyus, his body battered and his spirit weary, struggled to his knees, his grip on the sword Tizona faltering.

"Why... why is he so strong?" he gasped, his voice heavy with frustration. "My attacks barely faze him, and my comrades... how could he obliterate them with such ease? They were among the most seasoned adventurers!"

Elysia's eyes flashed with determination as she knelt beside him, her staff held aloft.

"Strength isn't just physical, Alceonyus. It's in here," she tapped his chest gently, "and it's in your will to fight. Let me help you."

With a swift incantation, she cast the spell "Vigor Sanctum," channeling her magic to invigorate Alceonyus.

Feeling a surge of energy coursing through him, Alceonyus steadied himself, his resolve hardening.

"Thank you, Elysia," he murmured, determination shining in his eyes. "I won't let you down."

William, the demon monarch, sneered as he observed the scene before him.

"So, this is humanity's champion," he mused, his voice dripping with scorn. "Pathetic."

Alceonyus gritted his teeth, his grip tightening on Tizona.

"Don't underestimate us, demon," he retorted, his voice tinged with defiance. "We'll prove that mankind is stronger than you could ever imagine."

William chuckled darkly, his eyes glinting with malice.

"Bold words for a mortal. Let's see if you can back them up." With a wicked grin, he issued his challenge, threatening the very existence of humanity itself.

Undeterred, Alceonyus charged forward, his sword pulsing with newfound power as Elysia cast the spell "Ardent Enchant" upon it.

With each step, his determination grew, his heart pounding with the weight of his mission.

As he closed in on William, his strikes fueled by desperation and resolve, Alceonyus unleashed a flurry of blows, each one aimed at vanquishing the demon monarch once and for all.

But with a cruel twist of fate, his final strike shattered against William's impenetrable defenses, leaving him vulnerable to the demon's wrath.

In a swift and merciless counterattack, William seized Alceonyus by the throat, his grip unyielding as he delivered the fatal blow.

With a sickening crunch, Alceonyus's body went limp, his life extinguished in an instant.

As William tore away the body from the neck and cast aside the fallen hero's lifeless form, Elysia's heart sank, her gaze falling upon her fallen comrade with sorrow and regret.

But even in the face of defeat, she refused to surrender to despair.

With a steely resolve, she channeled her magic once more, her form shimmering as she transcended the physical realm, taking Alceonyus's soul with her in search of a new vessel.

Meanwhile, William, his victory assured, prepared to pursue his fleeing adversaries, his form twisting and distorting as he invoked the power of Ethereal Projection.

As Elysia soared through the desolate landscape, her spectral form trailing streams of ethereal light, a sense of urgency gripped her every movement.

Behind her, the ominous presence of William, the demon monarch, loomed like a shadow, his pursuit unrelenting and insatiable.

"Where can I find a vessel?" she pondered aloud, her voice echoing in the empty expanse.

"It must be someone young, someone with untapped potential or on the brink of death. But where to begin? Perhaps the answer lies amidst the chaos of battle."

With each passing moment, the weight of their mission bore down upon her, driving her onward with a singular focus.

"I must find someone before William catches up," she murmured to herself, her eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of life. "His speed is formidable, even in this spiritual form. I cannot afford to fail."

As she descended upon the blood-soaked fields near the fallen kingdom of Furmuth, the devastation stretched out before her like a grim tapestry of despair.

The clash between Furmuth and Eldoria had descended into madness, the once-proud armies now nothing more than shattered remnants in the wake of demonic intervention.

"This is beyond dire," she whispered, her heart heavy with sorrow. "But I cannot lose hope. Somewhere amidst this carnage, there must be a soul in need of salvation."

With determination blazing in her eyes, Elysia pressed forward, her search intensifying with each passing moment.

Through the haze of battle and the stench of death, she sought out the faintest glimmer of life, a beacon of hope amidst the darkness.

And then, amidst the chaos, she spotted him—a lone figure, battered and broken, but still clinging to life against all odds.

"A child?" she gasped, her heart lurching with compassion. "What tragedy has led him to this place of suffering?"

But even as she questioned the cruelty of fate, she sensed a spark within him—a glimmer of potential waiting to be unleashed.

"His spirit is resilient," she murmured, a flicker of hope igniting within her soul. "Perhaps he is the one we seek."

Racing to his side, she enveloped him in her protective embrace, channeling her magic to shield him from the encroaching darkness.

And when William, the relentless harbinger of doom, closed in for the kill, she summoned every ounce of her strength to repel him.

But William, ever cunning and tenacious, refused to be deterred. With a snarl of defiance, he pressed onward, his form twisting and contorting as he sought to breach Elysia's barrier.

Yet, even as he drew near, Elysia refused to yield. With a fierce cry, she unleashed the full force of her magic, a torrent of energy cascading forth to meet the demon's advance.

And as William recoiled from the onslaught, his form wracked with pain, and the physical form being burnt. This for one fact, gave Elysia a time of 10 years to train the vessel before the demon wakes up from the slumber.

And so, begin the 10 years of training and the search for The Askew Equation.