The demon slowly drew his sword from its sheath.
The moment the blade was revealed, a dark aura spread throughout the hall.
The guards tightened their formation.
Captain Raizen stepped forward, placing himself beside Lord Zenin.
"Allow me to deal with him, my Lord."
Zenin remained silent for a moment before nodding.
"Very well."
The demon commander smirked.
"So you're sending your subordinate?"
Raizen's hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
"You should be honored."
Without another word, both men vanished.
CLANG!
A shockwave exploded through the hall as their blades collided.
The force shattered nearby pillars and sent fragments of stone flying in every direction.
The traveler shielded his face.
"They're fast..."
The two fighters exchanged dozens of blows in mere seconds, each strike releasing bursts of Manarai Energy.
The demon leaped backward, creating distance.
"Not bad."
Raizen's yellow eye glowed brighter.
"I was about to say the same."
Suddenly, Raizen disappeared.
The demon's eyes widened.
Too late.
Raizen appeared behind him and swung.
The demon barely managed to block.
BOOM!
The impact launched him across the hall and through a stone wall.
Outside, villagers watched as a dark figure crashed into the courtyard.
The demon quickly regained his footing.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
For the first time, his confidence faltered.
Inside the castle, the traveler stared in
amazement.
"He's winning."
"No," Zenin replied calmly.
The traveler looked at him.
"He's not" Zenin added."This demon "He's not," Zenin added. "This demon hasn't shown his full abilities."
The traveler's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
Before Zenin could answer, the demon commander smiled.
"So you noticed."
Raizen tightened his grip on his sword.
The demon's crimson eyes glowed brighter.
"I was wondering how long it would take."
A dark aura began to seep from his body.
Unlike before, he made no attempt to control it.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
The air grew heavy.
Several guards were forced to take a step back.
Raizen's expression hardened.
"So this is your real strength."
"No," the demon replied.
"This is only the beginning."
In an instant, he disappeared.
BOOM!
Raizen barely raised his sword in time.
The impact sent him crashing through two stone pillars.
Before he could recover, the demon was already upon him.
CRASH!
A punch slammed into Raizen's stomach.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
His body folded from the force.
The traveler froze.
The speed was completely different from before.
The demon grabbed Raizen by the throat and hurled him across the courtyard.
Stone shattered as Raizen smashed into the ground.
Yet he still forced himself to stand.
His yellow eye glowed intensely.
The demon chuckled.
"Good."
Raizen charged.
The two collided again.
Their swords flashed repeatedly, sending shockwaves throughout the village.
For a moment it seemed Raizen had adapted.
Then the demon commander changed pace.
A feint.
A sidestep.
A punch.
Raizen failed to react.
The blow struck his jaw.
A sickening crack echoed through the battlefield.
Raizen's body spun through the air.
Before he hit the ground, the demon appeared above him.
BOOM!
He drove his knee into Raizen's chest.
The captain crashed into the earth, creating a crater.
The traveler's heart sank.
Raizen wasn't getting back up.
Yet somehow, the captain pushed himself to his feet once more.
Blood covered his armor.
One arm hung uselessly by his side.
Still, he raised his sword.
The demon stared at him.
For the first time, there was no amusement in his eyes.
Only respect.
"You should stay down."
Raizen spat blood onto the ground.
"Not until you're dead."
The demon sighed.
"So be it."
He vanished again.
This time, Raizen couldn't follow.
The commander struck him once.
Then twice.
Then again.
Each hit landed before the previous one had fully connected.
The sound of impacts echoed throughout the village.
The traveler couldn't even count them.
Raizen's sword shattered.
His armor broke apart.
Bones cracked.
Eventually, the captain collapsed to his knees.
His breathing was weak.
His vision blurred.
Yet he still tried to stand.
The demon looked down at him silently.
Then raised his sword.
The blade pointed directly at Raizen's neck.
The surrounding guards wanted to intervene.
None could move.
They knew they would die before taking a single step.
The traveler clenched his fists.
"Stop!"
The demon ignored him.
The sword began to descend.
Then it stopped.
Not because the demon wanted it to.
Because it could not move.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
The commander's eyes widened.
His sword was trembling.
No matter how much strength he used, it refused to move another inch.
A calm voice echoed behind him.
"That's enough."
The demon slowly turned.
Lord Zenin stood a few meters away.
His golden eyes glowed brilliantly.
The Manarai Energy in the area was completely still.
The demon immediately understood.
Zenin wasn't holding the sword.
He was controlling the energy flowing through the demon's own body.
The commander's expression darkened.
"So you've finally decided to fight."
Zenin glanced briefly at the battered Raizen.
For the first time, a hint of anger appeared in his eyes.
When he looked back at the demon commander, the temperature of the battlefield seemed to drop.
"You've had your fun."
A powerful wave of Manarai Energy spread from Zenin.
The stone beneath everyone's feet trembled.
Now it was the demon's turn to feel fear.
"And now," Zenin said, taking a single step forward, "you answer to me."
The demon commander gritted his teeth.
For the first time since entering the Yurai village, he could feel it.
Pressure.
Not the pressure of a powerful opponent.
The pressure of someone who completely outclassed him.
Still, he refused to back down.
Dark Manarai Energy surged around his body as he forced himself free from Zenin's control.
The moment he succeeded, he leaped backward, creating distance.
Zenin didn't pursue him.
He simply stood there.
Watching.
The demon commander hated it.
That calm expression.
That complete confidence.
It was as if Zenin had already decided the outcome of the battle.
The commander raised his sword.
"You think you've won?"
Zenin remained silent.
The demon's aura exploded outward.
The black flames surrounding his blade grew larger than ever before.
The village walls trembled.
Nearby buildings shook.
Even the clouds above began to swirl.
The traveler stared in disbelief.
The commander had been holding back even after defeating Raizen.
"You should have stayed out of this," the demon growled.
At last, Zenin spoke.
"If this is everything you have, then you've disappointed me."
The commander's face twisted with anger.
He vanished.
A sonic boom erupted behind him.
The next instant, he appeared directly in front of Zenin.
His sword descended with enough force to split the castle in half.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact shook the entire village.
Dust engulfed the battlefield.
Several guards shielded their eyes.
The traveler held his breath.
Then the dust began to settle.
A collective gasp spread throughout the crowd.
Zenin had stopped the blade with two fingers.
The demon commander froze.
His eyes widened.
Impossible.
Every ounce of power he possessed was behind that strike.
Yet Zenin had caught it effortlessly.
The commander's muscles strained.
The blade refused to move.
Not even an inch.
Zenin looked at the sword.
Then at the demon.
"Finished?"
The commander's heart skipped a beat.
Instinct screamed at him to retreat.
Instead, he roared and released another surge of energy.
The black flames rushed toward Zenin.
The flames twisted around him like a storm.
For a moment, he disappeared from view.
The commander smiled.
Then the flames vanished.
Not weakened.
Not dispersed.
Gone.
Completely gone.
The commander's smile faded.
Zenin lowered his hand.
The absorbed energy flowed around him in golden streams before fading into the air.
"What...?"
The demon stumbled backward.
His confidence was crumbling.
Zenin took a single step forward.
The commander immediately felt his knees buckle.
The surrounding Manarai Energy no longer obeyed him.
It obeyed Zenin.
Panic flashed across the demon's face.
The realization finally struck him.
Lord Zenin wasn't merely stronger.
They were fighting on entirely different levels.
Zenin stopped a few feet away.
"You attacked my people."
Another step.
"You invaded my village."
Another step.
"You nearly killed my captain."
The commander's breathing became uneven.
His hands trembled.
Every survival instinct told him to run.
Zenin raised his right hand.
Golden energy gathered around his fingertips.
The battlefield fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even the demons watched in terror.
The commander swallowed.
For the first time in years, he found himself praying.
Because he knew one thing with absolute certainty.
If Zenin released that attack—
He was dead.