Boom!
A dark, repulsive aura overwhelmed the air as Layland's Demonic Mana burst out uncontrollably. Teanosvera immediately let go of Phoebesius, rushed to Mark's side and secured him. Elegast, finding himself beaten by Teanosvera, clicked his tongue bitterly. He wanted to snatch Mark from Teanosvera but Phoebesius stopped him.
The said Phoenix wrapped his wings around the Light Elf and then flew away. He was trying to get out of the forest but failed to do so because his weakened state didn't allow him to break through Teanosvera's splendid Dimensional Barrier.
In the end, the Phoenix protectively stood before the Light Elf and waited until Layland finished his metamorphosis.
The young Demon was still kneeling while looking at the crust in his hand which was the leftover of his senior. A scale-like black armoured covered his skin, making his appearance as intimidating as his aura was. His horns developed fissures on their surface and a lava-like substance immediately filled them, making them glow.
His handsome visage was covered by a unique mask that looked like a skinless ash-coloured skull decorated with glowing vermillion veins. His cold blue eyes had long disappeared, replaced by a pair of burning red orbs that incinerated the soul of the one who stared into them.
Everyone present looked at the True Form of the young Demon with a pounding heart. The aura that the young Demon was exuding had become more repulsive and intimidating. The transformation had finished and they were anticipating the moment when he stood up. That moment didn't come long after; when he stood up, they gulped collectively.
Standing over 15 feet tall, the Demon turned around and stared at Phoebesius with his glowing red orbs. Fire was part of a Phoenix's life but the Phoenix found himself intimidated by the fire the Demon had in his eyes.
"The Hero is a lost cause. We need to get out of here," Phoebesius whispered to Elegast.
Frowning lightly, Elegast retorted, "Should we do it, the millennia of efforts we had done to retrieve it would be wasted. I don't want to waste my ancestors' effort."
"So, you want to cripple the entirety of the Elven society, huh?"
Stunned, Elegast hesitantly asked, "Are you saying that…"
"Yes, I can't defeat that thing. He is out of my league."
Squinting his eyes at the Demon, the Phoenix focused on the Demon's chest. He wasn't looking at the red shining crystal in the centre of the Demon's chest—it was looking into the dark energy the Demon's heart harboured.
"What a sickening darkness. No wonder that damned Spirit attaches himself to the Demon." It was at this moment that Layland lifted his hand and pointed his finger at Phoebesius. Alarmed, the Phoenix immediately said, "Find the weakest point of the Dimensional Barrier—quick!"
Elegast ran off, leaving Phoebesius behind. Teanosvera, despite knowing what he was going to do, stood silently with Mark beside him. His incompetence had led to the death of his Master's senior, so he didn't want to risk letting Mark fall into the enemy's hand. He doubted his Master would blame him for the unfortunate event but he didn't want to suffer from the guilt.
"Bird…you cannot run." A heavy, distorted voice came out of Layland's mouth, bringing terror upon those who heard it.
The Phoenix tensed up and the golden flame covering its body immediately shone brighter. Layland grabbed Rexorem, causing his Mana Pressure to rise yet again. The lines on the greatsword lit up in red as violent Demonic Mana burst forth. The air exploded, uprooting some of the trees in the surroundings.
A suffocating killing intent overwhelmed the air but it didn't last long; it calmed down the moment a golden halo appeared above Layland's head. Luxia was helping Layland control his True Form with her ability to utilize some of the Divinity she had regained.
"Don't lose yourself," whispered the Forest Spirit as she materialized herself.
"I don't know you…but I think I can trust you," replied the Demon.
"That is enough."
As soon as he heard that, Layland kicked the ground and instantly appeared before Phoebesius. The 20 feet tall Phoenix flapped his wings violently, showering Layland with his golden fore that was rich in Divinity. It didn't hope much from it, though, and it was correct for him to do that. Layland emerged unscathed from his golden fire.
Swish!
Rexorem cut through the air as Layland vigorously swung it at Phoebesius. Phoebesius erected a golden Barrier before him to block the sword, yet it only managed to withstand the swing for one second before being split in two.
Fortunately for the Phoenix, one second was enough for him to make a change. He was already behind Layland while Rexorem was still swung down, so he had the opportunity to attack him. His beak opened up and a dense vermillion ball appeared in between. He was about to launch it at Layland when the said Demon's hand grasped his throat.
Boom!
The fireball exploded in his mouth, blasting the air away and turning some of it into vapour. None of them was injured, yet that state wouldn't be maintained for long. Already letting go of Rexorem, Layland's unoccupied hand turned into a fist and shot toward Phoebesius' face. When it hit the Phoenix's face, the air exploded.
Shriek!
Phoebesius wailed in pain as some of his golden blood splattered on the trees nearby, burning them instantly. He flapped his wings hard, trying his best to free himself from Layland but failed splendidly.
Uncaring to the Phoenix's pain, Layland kept punching the Phoenix. It was a bewilderingly bizarre scene to witness. The Phoenix was known as a Legendary Beast whom some groups of races even considered God. Seeing Phoebesius getting helplessly pounded by Layland would make anyone wonder if they were having a fever dream.
"Elegast!" Phoebesius shouted after the umpteenth beating.
"I have found it!" came the response a few seconds after.
"Master, they are going to run away!" Teanosvera warned.
Layland immediately stopped punching Phoebesius. Rexorem flew into his hand; however, before he could cut Phoebesius with it, Phoebesius shot his golden flame at Layland's face, covering his head entirely.
It was a lethal attack for Layland, surely, so he was forced to let go of his grip on Phoebesius' neck. Phoebesius immediately used it as a chance to run away. Flapping his wings aggressively, he flew through the air and turned into a golden streak. The streak made a sharp turn after a few seconds and disappeared from view.
At this moment, Layland still had his hand on his face as he was overwhelming the golden fire to put it out. He did it after five seconds, revealing the scorched skull mask that was cracking in various places.
As soon as he channelled his Mana into the mask, however, the cracks disappeared in the blink of an eye and the original colour was also returned. He turned his gaze to Luxia who was floating in the air silently beside Teanosvera, causing the golden halo above his head to shine even brighter.
"Thank you for the help earlier. I know you are exhausted because of that—you can stop helping me. I can control myself."
"No, you will—"
"Luxia. This is me."
Luxia widened her eyes in shock. She looked at Layland sceptically for a couple of seconds but eventually agreed. She stopped supplying Layland's mind with her Divinity, allowing the darkness in his heart to spread. Her fatigue immediately took her consciousness away. Teanosvera had anticipated it, so she didn't have to fall to the ground.
Turning to his Master, Teanosvera intended to tell him that Luxia was safe with him. The Forest Spirit was soon shocked, however, when he saw what his Master did.
"Hush…just focus on taking care of her."
With his index finger positioned before his mask, Layland's emotionless skull mask looked like it was smirking at Teanosvera. Teanosvera's eyes widened in shock; he worried about what might happen next.
Layland extended his hand and Mark immediately flew toward him. Teanosvera extended his wing for a moment but soon retracted it as he realized that he had no reason to save the Hero.
Again, as he looked at his Master, it seemed to him that his Master's mask smirked at him. The said Master turned his back on him and ran off in the next moment and he only watched as his back disappeared from his view.
On the other side of the forest, the Phoenix and Elven General duo was just a few seconds away from breaking through Teanosvera's Dimensional Barrier when they sensed Layland was approaching. They wondered what made the Barrier stronger as they were cursing their luck.
"Venerable Phoenix, I shall distract his attention. You have to go without me," Elegast solemnly said.
"Just focus on destroying this accursed Barrier!" Phoebesius retorted.
"He will catch up to us soon and I can't let him harm you. You are very crucial to the Elven Empire!"
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Phoebesius was about to tell Elegast to do what he wanted when Layland entered the scene. His presence made their hearts beat violently and the hairs or feathers in the back of their necks rise.
"I have a trade to offer."
"We refuse!" Elegast said as he charged at Layland.
Layland turned his gaze to the Elven General and could tell that he was quirking an eyebrow. Elegast was intimidated but he still vigorously swung his halberd at Layland.
Clank!
"AAAHHH!"
His eyes soon widened in shock, however, since his halberd landed on Mark's body, almost cleaving him in half. He looked up and stared at Layland. All he could see was still the emotionless mask; however, at this moment, he could see its smirk. He had been played.
"Oh, look at that. You almost destroyed my bargaining chip—unacceptable."
Elegast immediately let go of his halberd that was still embedded in Mark's body. He tried to take a distance but Layland's right hand swung Rexorem faster than he could move.
Slash!
As easy as cutting a trunk, Layland bisected the Elven General.
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