Chapter 366: Abigor (5)

"...What the hell are you?"

Damien didn’t answer.

He simply raised his sword, the golden blade humming with concentrated power.

The exhaustion hadn’t vanished completely, nor had his injuries magically healed. But his body was now enveloped in a powerful aura that strengthened his movements and amplified his magic.

He could feel the difference immediately.

The world seemed clearer.

The movements of the floating debris, the shifting gravitational currents, and even the minute changes in Abigor’s posture became easier to perceive.

His previous attacks had struggled to penetrate the demon’s defenses. Now, he could finally sense a way to challenge them.

Damien took a step forward.

The ground cracked beneath his boot.

Abigor’s violet eyes narrowed.

He slowly clenched his fists, and the gravity surrounding him began to intensify once more. "So you were hiding this power."

Damien raised his sword.

Golden light gathered along its edge, illuminating his battered face.

"No."

His expression hardened.

"I was saving it for someone worth using it against."

Abigor’s mouth twitched.

Then he burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Excellent!"

The gravitational field around him expanded, crushing the surrounding debris into fragments.

"Now this is getting serious!!"

Damien lowered his stance.

The golden light surrounding his body surged like the rising sun.

Behind Abigor, Ken had finally retrieved his katana. He struggled to stand, but his eyes remained fixed on the demon.

Arisha, too, had recovered her bow. Although her shoulder throbbed with pain, she managed to draw another arrow and take aim.

Neither of them was in any condition to fight Abigor alone.

But Damien had just changed the battlefield.

For the first time, they had a chance to push back.

Abigor spread his arms.

"Come on, then!"

Damien’s sword blazed.

"Let’s see whether your gravity can crush the sun!"

And with those words, he vanished in a flash of golden light.

Damien’s figure vanished in a flash of golden light.

Abigor’s violet eyes narrowed.

A brilliant ray of light suddenly reflected off the surface of Damien’s sword. Before Abigor could react, Damien emerged from that very ray, appearing at his flank with his blade already descending.

[Heavenly Sacred Radiance—Second Form: Sacred Yata Mirror]

Clang!

Abigor hurriedly raised his armored arm to block the slash. Sparks erupted as the golden blade collided with his steel armor, forcing him to stagger half a step.

However, Damien had already disappeared again.

A ray of light reflected off a nearby window, and Damien emerged from it, attacking Abigor from behind. Before the demon could turn around, another flash appeared to his left.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Damien’s sword struck from every direction.

His movements were unlike anything Abigor had encountered before. He wasn’t simply moving at incredible speed. He was using the light reflected from his sword and the surrounding surfaces to change his position in an instant, making his attacks almost impossible to predict.

To an ordinary observer, it looked as though Damien were teleporting across the battlefield.

Abigor swung his arm, his mana moved fast and unleashing a wave of gravitational force that crushed the ground around him. Just like how a person could cover their blade with fire or wind affinity and use it, Abigor was doing same with his gravity.

An invisible shock wave erupted outward, throwing aside broken stones, splintered trees, and the remains of nearby buildings.

Yet Damien was already gone. His figure reappeared several meters above Abigor, descending with his sword enveloped in brilliant golden light.

[First Form: Radiant Severance]

A gigantic vertical slash of condensed light tore through the air.

Abigor’s expression changed.

[Gravity Compression]

He thrust both hands upward, a huge circle with runes formed, concentrating an immense gravitational force against the descending slash. The space between them seemed to tremble as the golden blade struggled against the invisible pressure.

The two powers remained locked against each other.

Then Damien’s Radiant Severance broke through.

The golden slash crashed into Abigor’s defenses, tearing through the gravitational field and striking his armor. A deafening explosion shook the surroundings as the demon was driven into the ground.

BOOM!

Dust and shattered stone surged into the air.

Damien landed on a broken rooftop, his chest rising and falling heavily. Golden light flickered around his body, and sweat trickled down his cheek.

The Sacred Yata Mirror was extraordinarily demanding. Every movement required precise control over his sword, mana, and the reflected rays of light. Combined with the immense power of Radiant Severance, it consumed far more energy than his ordinary techniques.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t afford to stop.

From within the dust cloud, Abigor slowly rose.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. A deep gash marred his armor, and one of his arms hung at an uncomfortable angle.

For the first time since the battle began, the demon’s expression had lost its composure.

He wiped the blood from his lips and stared at Damien.

"You little bastard..."

His voice was low, carrying an unmistakable trace of anger.

"I was wondering why you possessed such an unusual light affinity. I never expected a mere student to wield a sword art of this caliber."

Damien tightened his grip on his sword. "Well I don’t care what you think."

Abigor’s violet eyes flashed.

"Don’t get arrogant!"

The demon slammed his foot against the ground.

The atmosphere grew heavy.

Damien immediately felt an enormous force pressing down on his body. Cracks spread beneath his feet, and his knees bent as the gravitational pressure increased.

Abigor had decided to use his innate ability gravity domain. He raised one hand, and the gravity around Damien twisted violently, attempting to crush him from every direction.

Damien’s golden aura flickered. ’Damn it. I can’t keep using Sacred Yata Mirror indefinitely.’

He glanced toward Ken and Arisha.

Both were still on their feet, though barely. Ken’s clothes were stained with blood, and his breathing was ragged. Arisha had several injuries of her own, but she remained near the edge of the battlefield, her bow firmly in hand.

Their eyes met for an instant. No words were necessary. They understood what they had to do.

They needed to create an opening. And Damien was the only one capable of forcing Abigor to expose himself.