The ground below Layland cratered as his Mana pressure was too much for it to bear. The air explosion that the two Centaurs' Mana caused was no greater than his Mana did and it boggled the two to no end. It was baffling to them that Layland was not a Demon King's General despite his power. It was even rather comical for Ilschevar to not make him one.
Of course, there were some possible factors that they didn't consider. One of them was Layland simply not being strong enough to become one. The possibility was already appalling. They wished it wasn't the case because it would be a serious problem for them if it was. Ilschevar's army was already troublesome before. They didn't need it to become more troublesome.
They weren't among the brave individuals who had often clashed with the Demon King's Generals or the Demon King himself, but they had fought enough strong Demons in their life. Fortunately, according to their experience, they could safely say Layland was an enigma.
They had fought with Eliseus before. Although she managed to injure them greatly, she failed to kill them. Though, she did let them escape. Regardless, their humiliating defeat meant nothing in this case. Something worth noting was the fact that Eliseus was the strongest Warrior who was not a Demon King's General.
Therefore, they could safely say Layland was an enigma. In other words, the power standard of Ilschevar's army hadn't drastically shot up. It still didn't calm them down nonetheless. After all, they had to wonder what Layland was and where he had been. Layland could be the secret weapon Ilschevar had been hiding; therefore, he needed to die.
"I thought the Demon King had been sitting back for the last decade. Although it is surprising, it is not out of my expectations that he created a weapon like you," Hovarc who had remained silent spoke up. "I can only imagine the horrible things you had to go through to be like this. It is boggling that you can remain loyal to him despite that."
The remark prompted Layland to quirk an eyebrow. He was quite amazed that the Centaur could tell that Ilschevar had been sitting back for the last decade. Summoning him was Ilschevar's biggest achievement after shooing the God of this world. He didn't do anything but think of a way to retire.
Another thing that got Layland interested was how much the words that Hovarc said resonated within him. 'You must have gone through a lot.' Although the Centaur misunderstood it, he still found himself questioning his choice. He already had his revenge. Why didn't he leave and enjoy the rest of his life peacefully? Ilschevar had made him endure a lot, didn't he?
A scoff instantly came out of his mouth when he thought about that. While he did slightly hate Ilschevar for the pain Ilschevar had made him go through, he had reaped the benefit from enduring it. While he did think Ilschevar was kind, he didn't make it his reason to remain loyal. He stayed because he aimed to succeed to the throne.
He wanted to make a change in this world. He could no longer stand the blatant hypocrisy and ridiculous view this world had. He wanted to make what he deemed right to be right. He couldn't be an average joe to do that; therefore, he would wear the mantle of the Demon King. His desire was what made him stay.
"Having people assume what you think is annoying, you know?" Layland remarked. "Why don't we cut to the chase? I can't wait to see your lifeless bodies on the ground."
Layland didn't show irritation on his face, but the two Centaurs could tell from his Mana that got more intense. As Layland dashed at them, Hovarc kicked the ground and galloped at him. His short green hair danced in the air as the air pushed it. His step was halted the moment his sword clashed with Layland's daggers.
Clank!
Boom!
The ground below where their weapons met sank in. The air exploded, uprooting the small trees with weak roots. Hovarc's hand trembled, veins decorating his entire appendage. He shot a disbelieving look at the Demon before him. He was boggled that Layland didn't need to use much of his Mana to outpower him.
As he was about to increase his Mana output, he was intrigued by Layland's red eyes which were glowing brighter with each passing moment. His instinct immediately screamed at him to run, but his body reacted late. By the time he knew it, he was already launched to the back with a gash that ran down his human body and horse chest.
Unfortunately for him, it wasn't the end. Much to his horror, tens of thousands of cherry-blossom-petal-shaped Mana Blades gathered around him, creating a sphere. He wouldn't have noticed them if they weren't brightly burning. He couldn't tell what would happen next, but he was sure that he would be rendered useless even if he survived it.
Flash!
Fortunately for him, his brother-in-arms managed to teleport him out of the sphere before it closed up. With horror, he watched as the sphere burned as hot as the sun before exploding. The light temporarily illuminated the dark Amizanima Forest meanwhile the heat charred the ground and the trees. When the explosion died down, Layland came charging.
Hovarc still hadn't regained his bearing, so Stavros stepped forward. He didn't gallop at Layland. He walked calmly toward Layland, meticulously handling his spear, ready to deal damage to Layland. Their weapons soon met. The clash cratered the ground and blasted the air. Stavros didn't get outpowered, but he still struggled.
Layland was an agile Demon. It was hard for Stavros to keep up with him. He needed to keep a distance of, at least, 12 feet from Layland so that he could use his spear properly. Layland always managed to eliminate the distance, almost rendering his spear useless. Layland's technique was not impeccable, but he knew how to use his daggers well.
Swish!
"Keough!"
"First hit! You hold yourself quite well against me, Stavros."
After receiving his first hit, the Centaur violently swung his spear at Layland, sending a Mana Blade at him. Layland was forced to somersault to the back to dodge it, giving Stavros chance to retreat. Layland was fine with that because he had also planned to retreat. Hovarc already healed his injuries, so he was sure the Centaur was planning to do something.
"We can never win against this guy," Stavros stated to Hovarc who walked to his side. "Not in our current state, at least."
"I know. This Demon is an absolute menace. I can tell he hasn't grown to his full potential. I don't want to imagine that happening. Only God will be able to save this world shall it happen," Hovarc responded.
The two kept the weapons they were wielding and took out a new one. Stavros held a wooden staffed spear and Hovarc held a bow made out of mysteriously flexible metal. As Hovarc gave the string a light tweak, a quiver full of arrows was slung on his back. He tweaked the arrow farther and one of the arrows was immediately aimed at him.
Layland quirked his eyebrow as his Instinct told him he could no longer play them as he had done before. The arrow pointed at him might seem ordinary, but his heart raced at its sight. He crossed his hands and channelled his Mana into his daggers, fully intending on defence this time. When the arrow was let go, he got to know how fearsome it was.
Swoosh!
The arrow flew at him as if it was a shooting star. Even after enhancing his eyes with Mana, he still could hardly track its movement. Fortunately, he was prepared enough to defend himself. When the arrow appeared before him, he took it head-on with his daggers.
His Magic Barrier wavered as the arrow pushed him back. A solemn frown came to his face as he could feel the heat of the arrow despite being protected by a Magic Barrier. He applied his Skill: [Death Blow] to his daggers in the hope of swatting the arrow away. Much to his delight, it worked.
Bam!
"Kahak!"
Unfortunately, Stavros had already anticipated his action. As soon as the arrow was swatted away, Stavros appeared before him and thrust his spear into his stomach. It didn't pierce through his stomach, but Layland felt as if his innards were being mashed together. It only made him wince, but it was annoying first and foremost.
As he took the spear out of his stomach and launched his body back to create some distance, he paid keen attention to Stavros and Hovarc. Their eyes were completely white. Their presence had gotten fainter and they felt like different people. Layland could immediately tell it was the ability that they got from their weapons.
[One with Nature]. It was a Magic Art that allowed one to be more in tune with the world. It made one more aware of one's surroundings. At a certain level, one could even utilize the Nature Essence with its help. It was a powerful Art that no one could learn without special circumstances; in this case, a Relic which made it possible for one to use it.
Whoosh!
"Already a Power-up, huh?" Layland muttered to himself with glee. "At least, I know they are not playing around. Then, I should repay in kind, shouldn't I?"
Stowing his daggers into his Spatial Storage, Layland summoned Rexorem from their Bond Seal. His Mana instantly spiked up, alerting every living thing in Amizanima.
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