It was almost done. All the calculations were flawless, and every part of his masterpiece worked without a single error. Not that he expected any less. Morpheal had personally taken care of every detail.
Morpheal stood in front of the Energy Transfer Unit, testing the final stage of the process. The transmission paths were durable enough, and their strengthening runes were perfectly aligned. He gathered his notes and stood in front of the giant purple orb. Its light filled the room brighter than ever. There was only one thing left...
Waiting.
He had spent too much precious time on this project, and he intended to use it to gain the maximum outcome. For that, he needed to wait just a little longer.
The Energy storage was not yet at full capacity, and it would be a waste to activate it now. A second use of the device did not seem possible within the calculations. He needed to get what he wanted on the first try.
He tidied his workspace and put away his greasy gloves and apron. He couldn't let those lowly creatures anywhere near his masterpiece, and he did not want to use any Energy in this sterile room at this stage. It could disturb the overall Energy flow and cause unwanted variables. So, he did everything by hand, slowly but surely.
When everything was set, he left the study to check the growth reports for his army. But before reaching the end of the hall, he sensed something approaching and took a quick step back.
A giant rock crashed right into the middle section he was in. Thankfully, his project was in a room carved inside the volcano, so there was no way such an attack could reach that deep. The outer parts of the middle section collapsed in front of him, and parts of the upper section soon followed. Some rubble fell right on him, but crumbled as soon as it contacted his enchanted skin.
Morpheal stood where he was for a moment and tried to remain calm. His whole body twitched from irritation, but this was not the time to lose control. Not when he was this close. He enhanced his vision and quickly checked his surroundings to assess the situation.
Two figures stood on a distant hill in the direction of the attack.
A wave of Energy spread from his core through the patterns on his skin. With a quick pulse, he jumped at his target. While in the air, the patterns on his skin burned with Energy from the constant pulses of his core. He quickly analyzed his opponents.
Two humans: a male and a female. The female had some primitive Energy; a beginner, he assumed. She was nothing to worry about. The male had a messy look and emitted no Energy. His body was not a fighter's either, so he had to be a master of Energy manipulation to hide his Energy to this extent. Otherwise, there was no way these two could survive in such an environment. He needed to be wary of him.
Morpheal landed right in front of them. The female immediately took a defensive stance, meaning she knew he was stronger than her. But the male was unfazed. His body was relaxed and full of openings, but his eyes were filled with excitement. That arrogant lowlife probably thought he had found his match and was excited for a challenging battle. He probably did not even know what kind of advanced species he faced...
"Wow, I wasn't expecting to see a Marw Demon here." The human male spoke a variation of the common human language. Humans were a common species in most Realms, so Morpheal knew most of their languages. "I thought you guys were extinct."
Extinct? How dare he? His kin were caught in sly schemes and exiled due to their dangerous powers. To think this lowly human was not only arrogant but also so ignorant. Every muscle in Morpheal's body twitched with anger, but he calmed himself down. This was no time to act rashly. He needed to interrogate them first to learn their intentions. He opened his mouth to speak...
"What is a Marw Demon?" the female asked.
"They are a type of Demon that specializes in using runes and patterns to strengthen their Energy. Look, can you see the patterns on his skin? They enchant and enhance their bodies and Energy Arts using that technique. After generations of genetic tuning and selection, they forcefully evolved into a different kind, and are now born with those patterns. The more complex the patterns, the more advanced their technique, and the greater their control over it."
How dare they talk over him?
"Oh, that is interesting. This one must be quite strong, then. Even looking at him gives me chills. Do you think he is behind all of this?"
The audacity of this female to analyze him. Were they having a casual conversation right in front of him? They should have been trembling in fear, yet the male was giving a lecture about his kind. His anger rose, his core pulsing fiercely. His patterned skin glowed brighter with each passing moment.
"Yeah, it all makes more sense now. I did sense the attributes of Demonic Energy from those creatures before. Marw Demons are masters of organic manipulation, so it's no surprise that the culprit is one of them."
"ENOUGH!" Morpheal commanded.
He unleashed a pulse out of anger. It clashed with the two, causing the female to slide backward. She had raised her guard just in time to minimize the impact, but it was not enough. She fell on one knee, the place where she belonged.
The male, on the other hand, was still unfazed; only the strips of his strange clothing flew around a little from the impact.
"State your business here. Now!" His cold, demanding voice filled the area.
"I am just a simple traveler, and this is my apprentice. We were just passing by and noticed your... hive." His eyes turned toward the field filled with his various creations. "Your... products were such good training dummies for my apprentice. So, we thought, why don't we meet the one who created them?"
"Enough with your lies. I don't care who you are. You attacked my products and attempted to destroy my castle. Did a Helian send you to mess with me? Did those sly and traitorous bastards finally find me?"
"It's not a lie, though. No one sent us. We couldn't just stand by and watch while those foul beasts roamed freely, attacking everything they saw. They are quite dangerous, you know. If some of them strayed, they could ruin a small civilization."
Morpheal knew he was not telling the whole truth, but that was unimportant. Those playful eyes contrasted with his relaxed state... He was trying to taunt the Demon with his arrogant behavior, for sure. He was a human, but there was still a possibility of him being one of the High Families' assassins, if not a Helian.
"You messed with my work and almost caused my workplace to fall into ruin. I will not let you disturb my plans any longer."
Morpheal attacked without warning. The female had gotten herself together and stood next to the male, ready to fight. She was definitely the weaker of the two, so Morpheal attacked her first to get rid of a variable. With a swing of his hand, he sent a wave of pressure filled with the intent of breaking every bone in her body, potentially killing her.
But it never connected. The male dissolved it with a swing of his own hand. As Morpheal predicted, he was a master of Energy manipulation. No normal Energy user could disperse someone else's Energy with such ease. He also knew about his kind, so he was probably familiar with Marw Demons' Energy Arts.
On the other hand, he was human. Humans had so many different manifestations of Energy that Morpheal had no idea what kind of power he was up against. Damn lowlifes. He needed to keep his distance and analyze his opponent's strengths first.
This was going to be harder than he anticipated.
***
"You stay back, Elise; he is more than you can chew." The Traveler blocked her as she was about to charge at the demon, probably saving her life.
The Demon sent strong pulses at them from various sides, but the Traveler placed her inside a barrier and pushed her aside to keep her from harm.
The Demon was on another level. His earlier area attack had almost caught her by surprise. She had barely blocked it by reinforcing herself with Energy, yet she still slid backward, feeling the impact deep in her bones. It was far worse than any attack she had taken before. If she had not used Energy in time, it could have ended badly. Her ears still buzzed from it.
Now, she stood on the sidelines, watching their fight from inside the Energy bubble made by the Traveler. The patterns on the Demon's skin glowed like crazy, sending endless attacks one after another. Even though Elise was not the target, some strikes still splashed against the barrier, but it held well.
"Don't just stand there with your mouth open. Try to feel his Energy. He is a strong user you should learn from. Watch how he manipulates the Energy and changes it into various forms." The Traveler was still trying to give her a lecture, even in a moment like this.
She focused as he said. Energy formed complex patterns around the Demon, similar to the ones on his skin. Various effects came out of each pattern. Condensed, explosive spheres for diversion, followed by seemingly impossible-to-dodge pressure strikes, beams that pulled in everything around to catch him off guard, and unseen pulse attacks to make him lose balance.
Elise couldn't help but watch with an open mouth. How could someone use so many different attacks at the same time? Their only similarities, besides having a purple tint, were their effects. The attacks were not burning, freezing, or causing any other effects. They were either pushing or pulling with an insane amount of force. The ground crumbled under their power.
But the Traveler dodged or redirected every attack with precision. The area around him shattered, exploded, and crumbled under the continuous attacks, but he still stood with all his might. The most shocking thing was, Elise still could not feel any Energy coming from him.
"How dare you look down on me, human scum!"
The Demon was not happy that the Traveler was not giving his all and only defending himself. He punched the ground, causing cracks to form. When he pulled his hand back, the ground rose with his motion. A giant rock, bigger than the one the Traveler threw earlier, formed and rose from the ground with the Demon on top.
The rock started to glow as they ascended. Reaching a certain height, the Demon pushed the glowing rock with his legs directly toward the Traveler. The Energy behind the push was so immense that every loose piece of stone flew away, even throwing some against Elise's barrier.
Nevertheless, the Traveler stood where he was, waiting with an open palm reaching toward it. As the giant rock touched his hand with insane speed, it crumbled in an explosion. Once again, she thanked the barrier, and therefore the Traveler, for protecting her.
The Demon floated in the air, looking down on the Traveler. With his sturdy horns and glowing purple skin, he looked terrifying under the dark, clouded sky.
The Traveler met his gaze and shouted, "Come on! Don't play around. You are from the proud Marw Demon race, right? Show me the real thing."
The real thing? What were all those powerful attacks then? Was he just testing the Traveler? She looked around. The ground outside her barrier had crumbled into pieces, filled with small craters and cracks. Some cracks even emitted various colored lights from an unknown source. What more was there to come?
"You have a good defense, I admit." The Demon slowly descended to the ground. "Let's see how long you can keep up with this."
Elise watched closely as the Traveler said, and noticed the Demon had changed how his Energy was distributed. His Energy moved more slowly now, so she could see the constant pulses starting from his chest and traveling through his body. It was slower but more powerful.
The Demon's body was already muscular, but his muscles grew bigger and denser with every pulse. Like he was constantly pumping Energy into them to make them stronger. It was different from how Elise strengthened her body. It was more of a modification than an enhancement, while still getting both benefits. She still couldn't sense what he did differently; she could only follow his general movements, just as she usually sensed Energy.
Of course, the Traveler had also noticed. The strips forming his clothing started to fall off one by one. At the same time, his body grew at least a head taller, and his chest became wider. But strangely, there was still no sign of Energy coming from him.
The strips of his clothing hung from his waist now, showing his muscular chest. Elise had never seen him in that state. She was excited to finally see some of his true powers.
The Demon charged at an incredible speed, and the Traveler took him head-on. Their clash shattered the ground beneath them and severed the dense clouds in the sky.
Elise had no idea what she was watching anymore. This was not a fight but a natural disaster; the whole realm trembled under the sheer pressure. Every punch the Demon threw formed blasts of wind pressure, damaging the terrain even more. But those punches never connected with their target.
The Traveler smoothly dodged or redirected every attack with slight movements. He made no unnecessary movements, doing only what was needed. Every move was perfect. He never attacked or did anything offensive, just as he had been doing so far.
Elise tried not to get lost in the moment, remembering the Traveler's words. She needed to analyze and learn. She realized this was why he was only defending. He was trying to teach her, even in a situation like that. She couldn't track most of their movements, but she did what she could to watch and learn.
Their clash only lasted for moments. The Demon was not an idiot. Even though he had yet to take any damage, he understood the Traveler had the upper hand. He quickly retreated, but the Traveler had something else in mind.
He threw a slow punch, probably for Elise to see clearly. The fact that the Demon also saw it was not a concern. It was a slow but strong punch. He raised his arms to block, but the attack's purpose was not to hit.
A blast of wind pressure, stronger than any attack the Demon had made so far, rushed toward him. The Demon flew backward from the impact, bouncing off the ground a couple of times. The shockwave kept going. It opened a huge hole in the middle of the smoke cloud gushing from the volcano. Some parts of the already unstable dark castle crumbled from its aftereffects.
The Demon's clothes were ripped apart, and he had burn marks all over his body. Elise wondered why. But of course, that was not enough to finish him, and she realized this was not the Traveler's intention either.
The Demon got up and looked at him fiercely. "What are you? No mere human can reach this level of power."
"Oh, now you are interested in who I am. But I already told you." In contrast to his opponent, he was perfectly fine except for some dust on his body. "I'm just a simple traveler."
"Fine, keep it to yourself. This is not over!" The Demon jumped into the air and flew toward his ruined castle.
The Traveler watched as he shrank back to his previous state. The strips of cloth hanging around his waist slid upward, wrapping his body again. He looked at Elise, and the barrier around her disappeared. She couldn't speak for a moment, standing where she was. The ground around her bubble was heavily damaged, making the already rough terrain even rougher.
"Did you learn anything?" The Traveler asked, coming toward her with a smile.
"Yeah, I will never pick a fight with you."
The Traveler laughed at her remark and slapped her back affectionately. She tensed up after what she saw earlier, but this slap was not like the punch he threw before. She looked at the castle the Demon flew into.
"He used his Energy so efficiently, and it all seemed to be his own inner Energy. Yet he had so much gathered in his chest, distributed from there with constant pulses."
"Good observation. That was the Higher Demon race's most advanced method of distributing Energy. They form an Energy core in their chest, and the pulses they send generate more explosive power over a short time. That one, as a Marw Demon, enhanced it even more with the patterns on his skin. But it burns out too fast; that is the downside. It is hard to master, but he used it well for a long time. He must have been an advanced Energy user."
Elise almost lost herself in that knowledge and how she could utilize it with her Energy. So many possibilities rushed through her mind, and who knew how many more she couldn't even imagine. Well... she had someone on her side who would know. The Traveler's knowledge far exceeded her expectations.
"I understand you took it easy on him because of me, but why did you let him go?"
"I took it easy? He made me dodge, didn't he? I couldn't take his attacks without using Energy myself. This Realm is already unstable. I don't want to disturb it further. Also, he looked like he had an ace up his sleeve, so..." He finished with a shrug. "Come, let's see what he got."
He grabbed Elise by the shoulder and took a step forward. The area around them changed in an instant. They stood in a stone hall with a giant hole in the middle and a decorated, double-winged metal door at the end. They were in the castle.