Chapter 365: Abigor (4)

Damien moved first. Golden color mana surged through his sword as he charged forward, his movements growing faster with every step.

His blade swept upward, releasing a golden slash that tore through the darkness.

At the same time, Ken moved along Abigor’s right flank.

He didn’t attempt to match Damien’s speed. Instead, he waited for the moment Abigor turned his attention toward the incoming attack.

Then he struck.

[Tenchi Style: Second Form—Crescent Severance]

His katana swept horizontally in a quick speed that was barely visible to eyes before his blade went back inside scabbard, the blade tracing a curved trajectory toward Abigor’s ribs.

The demon snorted.

"Again with that trick?"

He raised one hand.

[Gravity Wall]

Damien’s golden slash struck an invisible barrier, its brilliance illuminating the street before gradually dissipating.

Abigor then tilted his palm.

The gravitational field around Ken shifted.

Ken’s curved slash was dragged away from its intended target, forcing him to adjust his wrist in the middle of the movement. He managed to redirect the blade, but the change in trajectory ruined its timing.

Abigor stepped inside his reach.

BAM!

A reinforced fist slammed into Ken’s stomach.

Ken’s eyes widened.

"GH—!"

The impact folded his body around the demon’s fist. Before he could recover, Abigor grabbed him by the collar and hurled him into the ground.

CRASH!

Stones shattered beneath Ken’s back. His katana slipped from his fingers.

"Ken!"

Damien immediately changed direction, abandoning his original attack to rush toward his friend.

That was precisely what Abigor had been waiting for. The demon extended his palm. A magic circle formed under Damien.

An invisible force seized Damien’s body. His forward momentum abruptly stopped, leaving him suspended a short distance above the ground.

"What—?!"

Abigor clenched his fist.

The gravitational force compressed.

Damien felt as though an enormous hand had closed around his entire body. His ribs creaked beneath the pressure, and the golden light surrounding his sword flickered.

Abigor walked toward him.

"You keep looking at your friend."

He tilted his head.

"That’s a weakness."

Then he swung his arm sideways.

BOOOOM!

Damien was hurled into a nearby building.

The wooden wall collapsed around him, burying him beneath broken beams and splintered planks.

For a moment, the battlefield fell silent. Arisha’s eyes widened.

’No!’

She immediately released her arrow. A concentrated stream of water surrounded the arrowhead, turning it into a high-speed projectile.

Abigor barely glanced in her direction.

"Annoying."

He raised two fingers.

The arrow suddenly slowed, its momentum vanishing as the gravitational force around it increased. It stopped in midair before crumpling into a useless fragment of wood and dissipating mana.

Arisha’s expression changed.

Before she could fire again, Abigor looked directly at her.

"Come down."

He opened his palm. The force seized her body.

"Ah!"

Arisha’s feet left the branch.

She immediately fired an arrow into the trunk of a nearby tree and used a water spell to form a narrow stream around its base, attempting to anchor herself.

Then the tree itself began to groan. The gravitational force was too strong. The trunk cracked, and the branch beneath her feet snapped.

Arisha was dragged out of the tree and toward Abigor.

She twisted in midair, gathering mana around her free hand as she used another spell.

[Flowing Veil]

A sheet of water erupted around her, spreading into a thin, rotating barrier.

Abigor raised an eyebrow. "Pointless." He abruptly changed the direction of his gravitational field.

The water barrier collapsed inward.

Arisha’s body was dragged downward before she could complete another spell.

BAM!

She struck the ground hard, rolling across the broken stones. Her bow flew from her hand and landed several meters away. Pain shot through her shoulder and back.

She tried to rise, but her arms trembled beneath her weight.

’Damn it...’

Her eyes searched for her bow. It lay just beyond her reach. Before she could crawl toward it, a shadow fell across her.

Abigor stood over her. "You have decent instincts, little archer."

He looked down at her with mild amusement. "But you lack the strength to make them matter."

He raised his foot.

Arisha’s eyes widened. She rolled sideways just before his boot struck the ground beside her head.

BOOM!

The stones shattered.

Arisha scrambled away, clutching her injured shoulder as she desperately tried to put some distance between them.

But Abigor wasn’t interested in chasing her.

He had already turned toward the ruined building where Damien had fallen.

"Now, where were we?"

The broken timbers shifted.

A golden flash emerged from the rubble.

Damien staggered into the street, his sword still in his hand.

Blood ran down his forehead, and his breathing was unsteady. One of his shoulders hung lower than the other, while his uniform had been torn in several places.

Yet his eyes remained fixed on Abigor.

"Get away from them..."

His voice was weak but firm.

Abigor turned toward him. "Oh? You’re still standing?"

He chuckled.

"Impressive. I thought that last attack would have broken a few more bones."

Damien tightened his grip on his sword.

Behind Abigor, Ken was struggling to retrieve his katana. Arisha had managed to crawl toward her bow, but she was still too injured to stand properly.

They couldn’t continue like this.

If Abigor attacked again, one of them might not get back up.

Damien knew it.

He also knew that his ordinary Light Magic wasn’t enough.

His attacks could barely threaten Abigor’s defenses. Even when he found an opening, the demon’s gravity spells allowed him to interrupt the attack or retaliate before Damien could capitalize on it.

They were fighting an opponent who was stronger, faster, and far more experienced.

And the gap wasn’t something he could overcome through determination alone.

Damien lowered his gaze toward the sword in his hand.

Golden light flickered along its blade.

He had been holding back.

Not because he lacked the desire to win, but because he understood the danger of using his ability without restraint.

His Solar Core was different from his ordinary Light Magic.

It wasn’t merely another spell.

It was a power that transformed the way his mana functioned, allowing him to access pure light mana and temporarily enhance his overall combat capabilities.

His strength, speed, reaction time, and magical output would all increase.

But the ability consumed enormous amounts of energy, and maintaining it placed considerable strain on his body.

He couldn’t afford to waste it.

Not in a battle against an opponent who might survive his strongest attacks.

Yet, looking at Ken and Arisha’s battered figures, Damien knew he no longer had the luxury of saving his strength.

He slowly raised his head.

The demon glanced at him.

Damien’s hazel eyes gleamed in golden radiance.

"I was hoping I wouldn’t have to use this."

A faint golden radiance began spreading from his chest.

At first, it resembled the light of a small candle.

Then it grew brighter.

The surrounding mana trembled as the golden glow spread through his body, tracing luminous patterns beneath his skin.

Abigor’s smile faded slightly. ’What’s this?’

The atmosphere began to change.

The ordinary light mana surrounding Damien was being drawn inward, compressed and refined into something far purer.

The golden glow intensified until the broken street was bathed in warm radiance.

Damien’s wounds still hurt.

His muscles still trembled. But beneath the pain, something awakened. A steady, brilliant light pulsed within his chest.

Thump.

The sound was almost inaudible. Yet Damien felt it throughout his entire body.

Thump.

The golden radiance surged. His breathing steadied, and the mana flowing through his limbs grew denser and more powerful.

The light surrounding his sword transformed, losing its previous softness. It became sharper, more concentrated, and almost blinding to look at.

Damien lifted his blade. The golden aura erupted.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!

A pillar of golden light shot into the night sky.

The surrounding debris was swept away by the sudden surge of energy, while the shattered stones beneath Damien’s feet glowed with reflected radiance.

His black hair fluttered in the violent currents of mana.

His hazel eyes shone with a brilliant golden hue.

And the light around his sword no longer felt like ordinary magic.

It was pure light mana.

Abigor instinctively took half a step back. The demon’s expression became genuinely serious and slight terror.