The bear demon grinned wickedly, relishing the struggle before him. His eyes gleamed with cruel anticipation as he considered the fate of the mother and daughter.
"Hah, I'll make this fun for both of us," he sneered. "What should I do with you two once I'm done playing?"
He flexed his massive arms, the twisted delight of his dark thoughts fueling his amusement. Valeria could feel his gaze linger, but it only fueled her resolve further. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
The bear demon's instincts screamed at him in that split second, and he whirled around, barely managing to raise his mace in time.
Clang!
The force of the sword crashing into his weapon sent vibrations up his arm.
The demon's eyes widened in shock as a surge of electricity coursed through his body, momentarily seizing his muscles. He stumbled back, his grip on the mace faltering. He whipped his head around to face his opponent, disbelief flickering in his gaze.
Standing behind him, sword still humming with the energy of the impact, was Elion, his gaze cold and filled with an intense killer intent.
"You're not laying another hand on them," Elion growled, his presence exuding deadly anger.
"What? A little brat who isn't even old enough to change diapers dares to threaten me?" growled the bear demon, his voice laced with shame and fury at having been forced to step back.
His muscles tensed as he gripped his mace tighter, eyes burning with rage.
Elion had no intention of exchanging words. Without hesitation, he hurled a crackling thunderball at the bear demon. The demon instinctively dodged, leaping to the side with surprising agility for his size.
But as he landed, Elion, who used space magic, was already there, his sword slicing through the air with lethal precision, aimed directly at the demon's forehead.
"Go to hell!" Elion shouted, his blade poised to deliver the final blow.
The bear demon's eyes widened in disbelief as Elion's sword plunged into his forehead with a sickening crunch. A surge of electricity crackled through the blade, amplifying the force of the strike.
The demon's body convulsed, his muscles seizing up as the electrical current paralyzed him.
He couldn't even scream before his life force drained away. The demon collapsed, the light faded from his eyes, and his massive body hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Elion stood over the lifeless body, his sword still sparking with residual energy. He glanced at Valeria and Janice.
"Sorry for being late," Elion said quietly, his voice tinged with guilt as he glanced at his sister and mother. "We need to move, now."
Valeria nodded, still catching her breath, while Janice, battered but determined, gave her son a grateful look.
"Brother, since when do you know magic?" Valeria asked, her eyes wide with a mix of surprise and curiosity. "I can't believe you've been practicing it behind my back!"
Elion gave a faint smile, keeping his pace steady. "Sorry, we can talk about it later" he replied. "Besides, I've been focusing on other things."
Valeria pouted slightly. "Still, I should've known! You always keep secrets from me."
"Not everything is a secret, Val," Elion teased. "Some things just take time."
"Oh, what do we have here?" a voice sneered from the shadows. Two human-like demons, each with sharp horns curving from their foreheads, stepped forward. The one who had spoken grinned wickedly, his red eyes gleaming with malice.
"It seems you managed to kill that idiotic bear. How about you play with us for a bit now? I promise we'll entertain you much better."
His companion chuckled darkly, cracking his knuckles as they approached.
Elion's grip tightened on his sword. "Valeria, these two are stronger. Take Mother and go to the village center," he ordered, his voice calm yet firm. "I'll catch up after dealing with them."
Valeria hesitated, glancing at their wounded mother and then back at Elion. She could see the steely resolve in his eyes, the determination that left no room for argument.
With a reluctant nod, she moved to her mother's side, helping her to her feet.
"You better come back," Valeria muttered, her voice shaking slightly.
Elion gave a brief nod, his gaze locked on the two demons. "I will," he promised, eyes filled with intensity, ready to face the next threat head-on.
"Oh, what do we have here? A little kid playing the hero? Before you can do that, you need strength, something you clearly lack, human child."
The demon began to levitate in the air, an ability that should be beyond anyone below the Soul-Strengthening realm.
Thankfully for Elion, the demon wasn't using Soul-Strengthening powers to levitate. He was an air mage, manipulating the air currents to float above the ground.
"Orivaldi, deal with the women. I'll handle this child," the demon commanded.
Orivaldi, a warrior with a fearsome presence, unsheathed his twin scimitars and advanced toward Valeria and Janice, ready to bring terror to their side of the battlefield.
"You'll have to get through me first!" Elion declared.
The air mage demon responded with a swift motion, sending two razor-sharp air blades slicing through the air toward Elion.
Elion teleported, positioning himself directly in front of Orivaldi. With a determined glare, he blocked the warrior's path, ensuring that Orivaldi couldn't pursue his family.
Orivaldi, the warrior demon, launched a brutal downward slash with both of his scimitars aimed at Elion.
The force behind the attack was immense, and Elion struggled to block it with his katana. The impact drove him to his knees, the sheer strength of the blow nearly overwhelming him.
Orivaldi's power was unmistakable. He was clearly in the low Muscle Expansion realm!
The mage demon, similarly, was at the low Meridian Expansion realm, making them the most formidable opponents Elion had faced since arriving in this world. The gap in their strength was daunting, but Elion's resolve hardened.
Orivaldi lunged at Elion, and they clashed in a whirlwind of strikes. Each of Orivaldi's powerful blows was coupled with a slicing air blade from the mage demon, making it nearly impossible for Elion to find an opening.
The relentless assault forced Elion to focus entirely on defense, his katana moving in a blur as he tried to block or deflect each incoming attack.
The constant barrage of air blades added an extra layer of difficulty, pushing Elion to his limits.
The electrical currents from his previous attack were taking a toll on Orivaldi's muscles, slowing his strikes just enough to give Elion a sliver of an advantage. Yet, despite his efforts, the sheer power and coordination of his opponents left Elion struggling to keep up.
[Kid, if this continues, you'll be exhausted before they are. I advise you to run, it's no shame to retreat.]
Elion's resolve solidified as he sensed a shift within himself. Despite the relentless attacks, a spark of power began to stir, a sensation he hadn't experienced before.
His heart pounded with anticipation and fierce determination.
"Not yet," he thought, pushing through the exhaustion. "I can feel it. I can feel a breakthrough coming!"
The electrical currents in his body surged with renewed intensity, the air around him crackling with energy. With every parry and block, he could feel his strength and control sharpening.
Elion gripped his katana tighter, preparing himself for the critical moment when his inner power would finally align with his will.
Elion's space inventory, filled with the cores of the defeated beasts, began to deplete as he absorbed their mana.
The energy from these cores flowed through him, catalyzing a significant transformation. His body and mind were on the cusp of a monumental breakthrough, simultaneously advancing in both the Warrior and Mage realms.
As the mana seeped into him, Elion felt his physical strength and mental acuity expand, bridging the gap between his current state and the realms beyond.
The electrical currents around him intensified, and his senses sharpened to an almost supernatural level.
Elion's muscles and meridians began to visibly swell and pulse with newfound vigor, signaling his successful breakthrough into the Muscle Expansion and Meridian Expansion realms. His physique transformed, the strain of the previous battles giving way to a powerful, refined strength.
His muscles, now more defined and resilient, radiated an aura of formidable power. The flow of mana through his expanded meridians increased his energy reserves and heightened his control over magic.
His senses were heightened, and his katana felt more attuned to his will than ever before.
With a newfound sense of invincibility, Elion stood tall and resolute, the overwhelming pressure from Orivaldi and the mage demon now a manageable challenge.
The battlefield, once chaotic and frenetic, now seemed to slow down as Elion prepared to unleash his enhanced abilities against his formidable foes.
His katana, charged with his newfound power, seemed to hum with potential.
The battlefield blurred into a realm of raw energy and focus. Elion's every movement was precise, driven by an unprecedented surge of power.
He could feel the moment approaching, the tipping point where he would transcend his previous limits and confront his adversaries with an entirely new level of strength.
Orivaldi's relentless assault continued, but Elion's focus remained unshaken. He began to channel the rising energy, his movements becoming more fluid and precise.
The air mage's attacks were no longer a blur; Elion's heightened senses allowed him to track them with newfound clarity.
With a final, decisive swing of his katana, Elion unleashed a surge of electrical energy that collided with Orivaldi's next strike. The warrior demon staggered back, stunned by the sudden, overwhelming force.
"Fuck! This kid just had a breakthrough into the Muscle Expansion realm, impossible!" Orivaldi exclaimed, his eyes widening with visible fear. His confidence wavered as he realized the threat Elion now posed.
The demon mage, his fear evident, stammered, "No, not just that, he's also advanced to the Meridian Expansion realm! How is that possible? Not even a vampire can achieve this, let alone a human!"
"Playtime is over," Elion's voice resonated with cold anger, sending shivers down the spines of his foes. "Both of you can go to the hell you came from."
As Elion's chilling declaration hung in the air, both Orivaldi and the demon mage exchanged a glance of alarm. Panic set in as they realized the gravity of Elion's newfound power.
They made a desperate attempt to escape, the demon mage using his air magic to propel himself away, while Orivaldi charged forward, trying to outrun the human.
But Elion was faster. With a swift gesture, he conjured a powerful Lighting Energy Ball, hurling it with pinpoint precision toward the retreating demons. The sphere crackled with electric energy, closing the gap between them in an instant.
At the same moment, Elion activated his Space Magic. In a flash, he teleported directly in front of the fleeing demons, his movements almost imperceptible.
Before they could react, he unleashed another Lighting Energy Ball, striking the demon mage squarely in the chest. The mage was obliterated by the sheer force of the attack.
Orivaldi, caught off guard by Elion's sudden appearance, barely had time to react. Elion's sword, now imbued with both lighting and space magic, sliced through the air with lethal precision. In less than half a second, Orivaldi was cleaved in two, his body falling lifeless to the ground.