Chapter 59: Sal'rique
Meanwhile near the Tower Of Hunters…
—I understand your will to deny reality, Ria. But please be mindful of your surroundings—
Bam!
In an instant, Euclid, who had been giving side eye to Kyriaki after following her, casted a spell.
Water splashed everywhere as the spell shattered by a single punch of the High Priest, no, the demon.
The two hatchlings examined the possessed body with keen interest.
Warkan's former dull eyes had become fiery with a red glow. His nails had grown long, painted blood red as if they were soaked in blood. A demonic magic circle was drawn on his forehead, faintly shimmering in the same hue as his eyes. Long canine teeth, as if inherited from a vampire bat, gave him a spooky vibe.
Kyriaki slowly blinked as she ascended to the sky. Euclid followed her after launching a few more
'Show me the thing.'
[Ding]
[Status window
Name(s): Warkan Bell (?Sal'rique?)
Race: Human (?Demon: Incubus?)
Age: 51 years (?501?)
Core Rank: F+ > (?A+?)
Job: Beginner Mage(Low)
Title: High Priest of Apollo
Attribute: Light
Abnormality: Possessed (Demon)
Strength: F- > (A)
Defence: F+ > (A-)
Agility: F > (A+)
Sense: F- > (A+)
Vitality: F+ > (A)
Mana: F > (A+)
Demonic Energy: A+
Intelligent: F+ > (A-)
Charm: G > (B)
Skills:
Unique: Incubus Charm
Passive: Sensor Field
Active: Double Heal
Mage imprint: Basic Magic (1st Circle), Basic Mana Missile (1st Circle)
—Wow…there are so many Curses?—
—Hmm…it's not a problem for us though—
Because all dragons after their first growth have the ability to resist those cheap and sinister magic. Practically both Demon exclusive attributes do not work on Dragons.
And in the case of this demon incubus, its' attribute wasn't fully unlocked. It seemed to be because the body it chose was on the garbage side on top of having light attribute, something demons are weak against.
—So, You're telling me we have the upper hand?—
—Yes and no. Don't be too certain. This one has A+ strength. Besides, their skills are still troublesome to handle—
—But we have their weaknesses though?—
—True. Nevertheless, be on guard—
—Yeah~ Yeah~—
A multicolored arrow with yellow as the dominant color made of light flew towards the Demon in a matter of seconds.
Boom!
The weakness Euclid spoke of was "Holy Power", something that even Demons and Angles, who were the creations of Gods, lost at one point in time. It was stronger than light magic against demons.
The two hatchlings, without saying it directly, agreed to use their spells, which were boosted by their Holy power.
'Tsk'
Kyriaki inwardly clicked her tongue at the image of the damn demon incubus coming unharmed after creating a shield with demonic energy in haste.
'I wish I could use multicasting more effectively'
Since leveling up to rank C-, Kyriaki was able to cast five spells at once. That was without any education. With proper knowledge and education, an average dragon was supposed to use over 200 spells at once.
But alas, being a mere hatchling has its pros and cons, as always.
—Left!— Shouted Kyriaki.
—Right!— Replied Euclid.
They disappeared from their spots at the same time.
No, 'dissapearance' was a word only ordinary folks would use in that situation. As skilled eyes could grasp what they truly did.
A mummer so soft, so small, it felt like a fine humming of a honey bee vibrated the air.
"Keuhahah! These cheap skills! Do you think I'd fall for a Low-level monster's—"
Slash! Boom!
"Kueh!"
—This is why people say not to let your guard down even in sleep—
The incubus glared at Kyriaki as she mockingly lifted her chin.
To explain what happened in that matter of few seconds, it was as followed;
After the two 'disappeared', Kyriaki flew towards the demon's left side at the speed of light, casting the active skill she collected from a pixie.
However, as sturdy as they are, a G+ mental skill would never work on a demon, even if they were in the bottom of their rankings.
Kyriaki expected that much.
But her purpose was far from harming the demon with a mere monster ability.
It was only for distraction. Something to make the incubus humiliated and enraged. Enough to pause their incoming attacks to patch up their wounded pride.
The real attack was;
Euclid's
Three missed, but one landed cleanly on the collarbone.
Even with skills like
But then again, if they were experienced, they wouldn't have possessed the garbage body of High priest Warkan.
Kyriaki and Euclid's eyes turned colder as they finished testing the waters.
Two different colors of mist wrapped them like a soft blanket.
And then,
Boom!
Mist cleared.
Two kids stood with different postures.
One's golden hair shimmered even in this dull world. One's deep ocean blue eyes flashed intensively even in this unfavorable situation.
For the past few days they had only fought against ghosts.
However, the Ghosts were a different story. Even if they were ranked on S+ rank, if they were compared to a demon, they were at most at the level of a B+ rank demon. There was a reason why demons were categorized as a higher race. One of the "Big Three" no less.
Clang!
"Ugh…Incubuses are so tricky." Euclid retreated with a summersault. His twin blades made metallic sounds as he stabbed them on the ground to balance himself.
Slash! Bam! Swish!
Kyriaki spun once, withdrawing her sword as she too put a distance between her and the demon.
Turning back into human form was a great choice as the demons were a highly intelligent race. Constantly changing the form was also a strategy. However, facing a cunning demon with a considerable low core rank put some restraints in doing so.
The best option was to be observant. And there was no form better than human for observation purposes.
"Tsk. Tsk. How disappointing. I expected a bigger resistance from those so-called strongest of the universe." The incubus—Sal'rique twisted his lips in a mocking manner.
"...I am the one who's more disappointed." Kyriaki tightened her grip on her Cadmus' Dragon Slayer, adjusting her stance. She glanced forward without a hint of fear.
'You failed to recognize your kin, after all.'
Red and golden gazes clashed together, turning the atmosphere cold.
They glared at each other like old enemies that's hell bent on slicing each other's neck. The air around them thickened with tension each second.
Chaos demonic energy rippled around Sal'rique, twisting and slithering as if alive. Several tentacles formed from it in a mixture of spoiled green and tar black shades.
Dragons were immune to curse magic that was born from Chaos attribute. But that doesn't mean they were immune to the attribute itself. Sal'rique seems to understand that.
—You think you can kill that guy?— A seductive voice laced with rage rang inside her head as her sword vibrated softly.
'Killing him isn't enough.' Kyriaki replied, one of the corners of her lips rising slightly. 'I'm gonna steal from him.'
—What?!— Ebrah asked back, unable to understand her words.
Kyriaki refrained from speaking more as she lifted her hand, taking a stabbing position.
Tap. Woosh.
The first to move was Sal'rique. He ran forward, his tentacles flicking through the air. One tentacle shot towards Kyriaki's chest like a deadly spear. Kyriaki twisted her body, performing a perfect acrobat move.
The tentacle brushed past her clothes.
Kaboom!
She felt it hitting something behind her.
Bam!
Kyriaki paired the next tentacle with a flawless diagonal cut coated with Sword Aura mixed Holy Power. The chaotic mana was ripped apart like a ghost's body. Sal'rique's eyes widened.
"Wh-what?!"
Sword Aura of a lower rank was useless against Chaos attribute demonic energy. After all, Demonic Energy itself was something a God created exclusively for a certain race. Though, Holy power of another God can counter it, it wasn't enough. Not with how low her core rank was.
That leaves everything with the weapon.
Sal'rique narrowed his eyes.
If anything, an ordinary sword wasn't enough to achieve such a feat. Only named swords, with durability and enough mana storage could withstand the violent chaos demonic energy. It wasn't strange for a dragon to have a named sword, yes. However, Sal'rique noticed something strange about the jet-black sword.
"Hey, filthy lizard. What is that sword?"
"This is why I said I'm disappointed."
—Dammit! Golden Dragon! I'll get weak if you kill this guy with me! Demon blood and energy are basically poison to this sword!!!—
Meanwhile Ebrah protested strongly, shouting as if his breath was stuck and he was dying.
'I told you…' Kyriaki's smirk deepened. 'I'll use you well until you break on your own. That'll be the mercy I show you, who stabbed my brother in the heart.'
—I never stabbed your brother!!!—
'Yeah, not in this timeline.'
—WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!—
Klang!
"Lizard! Tell me, why do I feel an attraction to your sword?"
"Who knows? Maybe you have objectophilia?"
"You think I'm your friend to joke around like this?!"
"Pfft…you don't deserve such a high position, Incubus."
Bam! Boom!
Kyriaki moved around, having a leisurely conversation with both demons. Her hands worked swiftly, pairing attacks and throwing alchemy bombs from time to time.
Sal'rique evaded most of her attacks thanks to his
Boom! Pzzzzt! Ssszzzelll!!
A lightning bomb landed right on his left shoulder. He immediately covered his shoulder with demonic energy. The impact was greatly reduced. Regardless, the electric current ran through his body, momentarily numbing his senses.
Stab!
Sal'rique's eyes quivered.
He clearly blocked Kyriaki's sword slash. But a sword had sliced him from the side anyway. He could feel a presence all too familiar.
"Annoying lizards!!!" He roared in fury.
Euclid—The culprit of Sal'rique's fury—merely gave him a cold gaze and retreated immediately.
But Sal'rique wasn't ready to let him go. He pointed his finger at him and dozens of tentacles shot forward in a breath's time. Seeing this, Euclid didn't hesitate to make a decision.
Slash! Klang!!
He lunged forward, his face expressionless. The twin swords danced in harmony, making spectacular sword moves. It was hard to tell if they were basic swordsmanship at first glance, as he handled it with such swift and perfect motions.
This time, Kyriaki supported him from the sidelines instead of taking the attacker's position.
They worked with perfect coordinations, as if they had fought together for years.
Euclid leaped up, performing a few aerial moves.
Bang!
A kick landed on Sal'rique. It was blocked by a tentacle at the last minute. Euclid wasn't discouraged as he swiftly changed his direction, giving no time for the tentacle to wrap around his ankle.
Boom-Bam-Bang!
One after another, different types of fancy kick techniques were revealed.
Sal'rique blocked them all. He gritted his teeth as he counterattacked. To his dismay, Euclid dodged them all like an eel in water. Basked in sword aura, Euclid's twin swords gleamed ominously as he closed the distance with a high kick to the ground.
"Kekeke! Come!" Sal'rique twisted his tentacles, awaiting a huge blow.
As he was about to pair the attack, a chill ran down his spine. His body hair stood.
The
The huge blow he waited landed on him.
But not from Euclid, the enemy at his field of vision. It was from Kyriaki, whom he had forgotten for a fraction of a second due to high adrenaline.
[Colors Of The Spring: Second Color: Rays Of The Spring Sun]
Cadmus' Dragon Slayer shot a brilliant ray of light in a slash that looked like a single ray of sun.
Fast.
Bright.
And…meltingly destructive.
"Kuahhh!!!" Sal'rique couldn't help but scream in pain.
Blood splashed everywhere. His arm, half severed, hung from his shoulder limply.
Tak.
Kyriaki landed on the ground like a falling leaf. There was a haughty cat's grace in her movements.
Her eyes, fixed on the ground, slowly lifted.
They flashed in a brilliant golden hue, so very similar to her sword art.
∆ ∆ ∆
"Objectophilia: A romantic or sexual attraction toward specific, inanimate objects."
—Wikipedia—