『It's clear. You are definitely not normal. To dare utter such words in front of me, who once ruled over ten thousand demons...!』
Mephistopheles frowned deeply as he watched Elric clash with Kaya.
As a Melvinger, I am pleased to be able to expel even one more demon.
From Elric's point of view, those words might seem very natural, but to Mephistopheles, who was listening right next to him, it meant there was no consideration at all.
No matter how arrogant and reckless Elric was, could he really not know that?
Mephistopheles chuckled.
'There's no way.'
Geniuses often possess a completely different sensitivity from ordinary people, leading to a lack of empathy.
However, Elric has a close friend named Sean by his side. Publicly, their relationship isn't bad.
In other words, those words were quite intentional.
Even though they were forced to work together for now, it meant he would continue to draw a clear line.
Mephistopheles considered that a very proper attitude for a Melvinger.
And also.
'So do I, kid.'
Mephistopheles' eyes sank deeply as he watched Elric's back.
***
Kwaaaah!
After forcefully pushing Kaya away in their first clash,
Elric's impression was simple.
"Wow! You are strong!"
Despite already being heavily injured by the Inspection Bureau agents,
Kaya's demonic energy was quite powerful.
Should I say overwhelming?
It was intense, as if carrying a blazing fire.
Azazel's true nature is Insanire. The nature of his magic seemed to resemble that aspect, as much as he worshiped such a being.
'And it even has a poisonous odor? This could be dangerous if I'm not careful.'
Elric tasted bitterness while looking at his tingling left arm.
A moment ago, poison had seeped in through his pores.
It was such a minuscule amount that if he hadn't heightened his senses, he might not have noticed it.
Fortunately, the poison didn't seem to be exceptionally potent, and he had frozen it solid before it could act in his body, so there were no immediate effects.
But if he hadn't noticed, the poison would have continued to accumulate and eventually wreaked havoc on his body.
'As expected of demons. There are all sorts of them. It's completely different from what I read in books.'
Was that why?
'Interesting… isn't it?'
Elric found himself bursting into laughter without even realizing it.
It wasn't just mildly amusing.
It was genuinely fascinating.
'Is this why my ancestors went around hunting down those demon bastards?'
Although it's currently only recorded in books, there was a long-standing tradition in Melvinger.
When they reached a certain age, they would go hunting demons with the elders of their family.
It was also related to coming-of-age ceremonies.
While sweeping out the demons was the main profession of the family, it was also meant to safely cultivate practical combat skills…..
Elric could now confidently say that he was experiencing that tradition firsthand.
'I can try out a lot of things, can't I?'
Elric's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
And then.
"Laughing? How dare you!"
Kaya could instinctively sense that Elric regarded him as an "experimental subject."
Although he couldn't know what he was up to, it seemed like tearing that smirk off his face would satisfy his sense of justice.
Hwaaaah!
"Let's see how long you can keep laughing like that!"
The seal engraved on Kaya's right shoulder emitted a dazzling light.
As every pore opened wide, thick black smoke with a pungent odor spread rapidly.
Poisonous fog.
It was the black magic he mainly used when trying to poison his enemies within a certain range.
Khee-khee! This is dangerous...?
"Hss!"
Following the warning of the Seal of Ferocity, Elric quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve and stepped back.
But the speed at which the poisonous fog spread was much faster than he had anticipated, and in an instant, he found himself trapped within it.
Whirling!
"Die!"
As Kaya spread his wings wide and sneered, the poisonous fog suddenly surged upwards, forming a vortex in the sky.
"[Freeze], [Spin]!"
With his vision obscured by the black smoke and unable to move freely due to the vortex, Elric calmly dispersed a wave of cold.
Clang-clang-clang!
As some of the poisonous fog rapidly froze, ice crystals emerged, rotating in the opposite direction under Elric's will, fiercely resisting against the vortex.
The collision of the poisonous fog and the ice crystals sparked in the air. Ice fragments covered in poison flew in all directions.
The vortex continued to tear away without inflicting any significant damage on Elric.
"[Disperse]."
Following Elric's meticulous manipulation, it exploded.
The disoriented poisonous fog spread in all directions, hitting the ground and slashing through the air indiscriminately.
And then.
"[Uproot]."
Mid-flight, they each changed direction differently.
The target was Kaya.
"W-What is this?!"
Kaya was taken aback.
The magic he had invoked to capture Elric was now attacking him, the caster!
In this intense moment, no one could have imagined that Elric could manipulate the mana field so finely and precisely!
It was an artistry achievable only by Merwinger, recognized for receiving the "blessing of mana."
"[Bind]."
"Hss!"
Kaya tried to retreat quickly, but he couldn't.
Elric had already noticed and activated another spell.
Swoosh, swoosh!
Several chains shot out from the ice, swiftly wrapping around Kaya's limbs.
Each chain was made of ice rings.
'Ice Chains,' a magic corresponding to 5-circles, had the effect of petrifying the target upon binding them, adding to the restraint.
But Elric added another spell to it.
Ice Poison.
It wasn't just frostbite; it was outright freezing to death.
It was the 'Frozen Touch.'
"Aaaargh!"
Kaya's already painful wounds froze solid and then burst open, causing excruciating agony. As the icy cold rapidly penetrated his body, he couldn't gather his senses.
Crash, crash, crash!
Then, a gust imbued with poison swept through, covering his body in wounds in an instant.
"Gasp, gasp, urgh...!"
His breath was accompanied by white vapor and a pungent odor.
But...
"Hey. Is that all it takes to make you scream like that?"
Before anyone knew it, Elric was smiling coldly as he closed distance with Kaya.
"It's not over yet."
Thud!
Elric then struck his abdomen with his palm wide open.
With his handprint like a stamp, Kaya's body soared high into the air, held by Elric's grip.
The ice chains tightened before shattering altogether.
Amidst the falling ice shards, Kaya's broken body plummeted to the ground, unable to defy gravity.
"[Pierce]."
Elric didn't stop there. He summoned a barrage of ice arrows, piercing Kaya one after another.
With limbs broken and wings drooping, Kaya collapsed to the ground. By the time he hit the floor, more than half of his body had been destroyed.
Yet, despite his condition, he attempted a final counterattack, swinging his remaining 'Poisonous Claw' at Elric with all his might.
Shaaark!
Elric swiftly dodged the attack and simultaneously drew an 'Ice Blade,' slicing off the remaining wrist of Kaya.
It was truly a beastly instinct.
This was thanks to the sharp sense and mind's eye that the Seal of Ferocity made him extremely sensitive, which allowed him to quickly predict the opponent's path, and the Body Strengthening Art that allowed him to reflexively move his body accordingly.
Coupled with his adept magic martial arts, honed through arduous combat in the Labyrinth of Blue Fog, his instincts proved invaluable.
"Th-this can't be...!"
Blood spilled from Kaya's body in excess of lethal levels. Yet, he still clung to life, perhaps due to his spiritual body formed from condensed demonic energy.
"H-how... can a mere human like you possess... the Seal of the Snow Mountain King? And wield the power of Yu...?"
Kaya was shivering from the cold and looked up at Elric with an expression of complete disbelief.
The Demon kings who once ruled the Dragon Mountain Range and long dominated Eastern terror were now before him.
A human wielding the power of demons? It was inconceivable.
He briefly pondered if Elric was a prodigy among his kin, but it seemed highly unlikely.
Especially perplexing was his use of the seal, resembling a form of magic.
"What's it to you?"
However, Elric seemed indifferent to satisfying his curiosity. He drew out his Ice Blade and thrust it straight into his forehead.
Thud!
With a squelch, a red mark formed on Kaya's brow as his head slumped backward. Simultaneously, the demonic energy composing his body dispersed, flowing entirely into Elric.
"Huff...!"
Elric absorbed it all with vigor.
Though no new seal was engraved, he stored the acquired power next to the mana core for future use.
Then...
"Whew... Thought I was gonna die there."
After the absorption was complete, Elric slumped down, exhausted. His once unblemished skin now bore the marks of battle, turning red like autumn leaves.
His breath was tinged with a metallic scent, and his forehead creased with pain.
"Are you okay?"
Suddenly, Augustine approached, chuckling softly, and placed a comforting hand on Elric's back.
A warm surge of mana seeped into his body, beginning to purge the lingering toxins and revitalize him.
Heize and Sean rushed over urgently to administer first aid, after which Elric's complexion noticeably improved.
"...I'm fine."
"Yeah. It looks like that."
Though it appeared that Elric had overwhelmingly defeated Kaya in combat, the truth was he had faced numerous perilous moments.
"Are these guys always this strong?"
Even after overcoming the poison, he hadn't emerged unscathed.
Elric had struggled to keep control as his vision blurred and numbness crept into his limbs, leading to several near misses.
At one point, his mana flow had been blocked, almost canceling out the ice chains.
If Kaya had lasted a little longer, the outcome might have been different.
"Strong indeed. It's a different system altogether from what we're familiar with."
Augustine's mouth curved up slightly.
"If Kaya had been in better shape, you might not have won."
Augustine intended to convey that Elric should consider himself lucky and redouble his efforts. However...
"No, that's not it."
"...Hm?"
"Still, I would've won, wouldn't I?"
Elric's brazen response caused Augustine to burst into laughter.
The problem wasn't that Elric said it, but that he genuinely believed it.
"How can you be so confident?"
"Because it's me."
Augustine was momentarily speechless, then chuckled and shook his head.
Such boundless confidence was almost unfathomable.
The issue was that Elric's confidence inspired trust in others.
Even when everyone else thought something was impossible, Elric seemed to find a way to win, even in overwhelmingly disadvantageous situations.
Of course, such unwavering self-assurance didn't apply to everyone.
Swoosh!
"Ahhh! Sis! Why did you suddenly hit me!"
"I told you not to roll around recklessly, didn't I? What's wrong with you!"
"Okay, okay, stop hitting me! Argh! It hurts! Seriously, it hurts! Aaah!"
Elric had to endure his worried sister's fierce scolding multiple times.