The forest stretched endlessly beyond the Oracle's temple, the setting sun painted the treetops in golden.
Arthur walked at the front of the small group, his expression was calm but his eyes were sharp, scanning the tree line. Behind him, Finn and the others followed closely, their postures were tense. Even though they'd just survived the trial, their instincts screamed danger.
Suddenly they heard a rustle of bushes nearby, and a flicker of movement among the trees.
Arthur's hand twitched slightly in a subtle gesture towards the others, but Finn caught it. He immediately drew closer.
"They're following us, aren't they?" Finn muttered.
Arthur didn't answer immediately. He simply nodded, his voice was low and even. "There are three… no, four different mana signatures. They've been tailing us since we stepped out of the temple."
The others stiffened, one of Finn's group members, a woman with blue hair, whispered nervously, "Maybe they're just traveling in the same direction?"
Arthur's eyes flicked toward her. "Then they wouldn't be suppressing their killing intent." A chill ran down everyone's spine hearing Arthur.
Arthur sighed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Stay close to me. If they make a move, I don't want anyone getting caught in the crossfire." And they hurried and came closer to Arthur as they knew and had seen firsthand how strong he was.
They quickened their pace, moving through the forest until the temple was barely a speck behind them. But as soon as they entered a clearing several kilometers away from the temple, the presence that had been lurking finally showed itself.
A pulse of dark mana washed over the area, followed by a mocking laugh.
"Well, well, well. Running won't save you, little humans."
A tall demon stepped into the clearing, his reddish skin was covered in dark armor which looked like it was made out of some hide of a beast rather than metal. His horns curled back and were like obsidian, and his eyes burned with cruel amusement as he looked towards Arthur and his group.
A moment later, four beast-kin emerged from the cover of trees, two wolves, a tiger, and a fox, each armed and smirking like predators surrounding prey.
Finn and the others immediately moved back-to-back, forming a defensive ring.
Finn spoke under his breath. "Do we fight or flee?"
Arthur cracked his knuckles, lightning flickering faintly across his fingertips. "There's no reason to run from them."
The demon chuckled hearing Arthur, his voice appearing low and distorted. "Oh? Brave words from a little insect. Since it looks like you already know why we're here, I won't waste time." He then gestured towards Arthur and said, " Hand over your rewards from the trial."
Arthur tilted his head, unimpressed. "You can have them…"
For a split second, the demon's lips twisted into a satisfied smirk.
"…if you have the capability."
The last word left Arthur's mouth as a blur of gold ripped through the air.
The demon widened his eyes as he barely registered Arthur's movement before a thunderous impact slammed into him. He didn't get the chance to react as Arthur punched him on his chest. The world appeared distorted around him as he was sent hurtling backward, crashing through a line of trees that shattered like twigs. The shockwave kicked up dirt and splinters, leaving the others gaping.
Finn's jaw dropped. "Woah…!"
"How come lord Draz'gul didn't defend himself," Said one of the beast-kins in amazement and fear, his tail puffed up in disbelief as he looked at Arthur cautiously.
Arthur stood where he'd been, lowering his fist slowly, golden lightning still dancing across his arm. "I didn't say I was negotiating."
The beast-kin froze, uncertainty flashing in their eyes. Even Finn looked stunned. The air thrummed with residual pressure from Arthur's strike, it was raw, physical power, something only a high-grade martial artist were capable of.
Arthur didn't give them time to regroup. His form flickered, and in an instant, he was gone again; he had left the others from his group feeling their strength were similar to the strength of the group of beast-kins, he was going to take out the strongest enemy.
…
Some distance away the demon groaned, pushing himself up from the cratered ground a few hundred meters away. His armor chestplate was torn open, and his chest was scorched. Before he could even gather his bearing, a golden blur appeared before him, Arthur.
"What…?."
The punch came before the words finished leaving his lips.
CRACK! BOOOOOM!
The demon's forearms crossed instinctively to block, but the impact broke them cleanly. The force launched him skyward before slamming him back down, the earth caving under his body.
The demon's roar tore through the clearing, vibrating the trees. A surge of black lightning erupted from his skin, blasting Arthur back a few steps.
Arthur raised an arm to shield himself, eyes narrowing as arcs of black lightning coiled around his opponent.
"Oh? You use lightning too?" Arthur muttered, his tone was half-curious, and half-mocking.
The demon's face twisted in fury as blood dripped from his split lip. "You… you dare mock me?! I'll erase you from existence!"
He had made a grave mistake, since he felt Arthur was just a Master martial artist, he was confident in taking him out and he was the strongest in their group. But from the looks of it, it appears Arthur was extremely strong physically. Draz'gul thought it must be due to the reward from the trial.
The ground beneath him fractured as he unleashed his full aura. Black lightning danced wildly across the sky, crackling like thunderclouds condensed around his body.
Arthur's own lightning flared in response, gold meeting black.
The two energies hissed violently against each other, creating a storm that tore through the forest.
Arthur smirked, lightning crawling up his arm like golden serpents. Then, in a flash, he disappeared again.
They collided midair with a sound like thunder splitting the heavens. Shockwaves rippled outward in concentric rings, bending the air itself.
Arthur ducked under a lightning spear, parried with telekinesis, and countered with a spinning kick that cracked the demon's jaw. The demon retaliated instantly, releasing a bolt of black lightning that detonated behind Arthur, throwing up clouds of smoke.
Out of the haze, Arthur burst through with a fist coated in lightning and Chi.
Their blows met again, gold and black intertwining. Their lightning was also fighting for dominance.
The demon snarled, got up and spat blood on the ground, he clapped his hands together, and the air around him shifted. He had never been this humiliated by someone who was weaker than him. He was going to pay Arthur two-fold for this humiliation.
Arthur backed away mid-dash instinctively. His body jerked slightly as he felt something unseen clamp down around him.
'What…?'
Then he realized it.
The air itself buzzed with distortion, the black lightning expanding into a sphere that covered several hundred meters around them. The mana density spiked, and his own lightning began to flicker erratically.
'A Domain!'
The demon's lips curled into a mad grin. "Welcome to my domain, human. In here, all lightning will bend to me."
Arthur's ability strained as he felt resistance his lightning manipulation was facing. The lightning arcs sputtered, and was pulled toward the black storm above.
'So that's the power of a domain, huh?' He could feel the difference, this wasn't just manipulation of elements anymore, it was like total control over an element, but he thought it should not be that simple. The demon's will shaped the lightning around them, dominating the battlefield like it was a part of his body.
He thought it was one of the perks of a domain, now he felt even a greater need to create his own domain.
Arthur's eyes gleamed with fascination even as he dodged a bolt that nearly took his arm off. 'Interesting…' He had fought people with domains before but then he didn't have the knowledge from the Codice.
He steadied himself, lightning flickering wildly around his body as he tried to resist the interference.
The demon raised his arms high, summoning dozens of black lightning spears in the air. "Let's see how long you can stand against me!"
Arthur grinned, golden blood seeping from a small cut on his cheek. "Long enough to make you regret it."
The black lances rained down.
Arthur raised a hand, his telekinesis flaring outward, creating a dome-like barrier around him. The impact rattled the ground, but he pushed through the impact, his mind racing faster than ever.
'If his domain bends lightning to his will… then I need something that isn't bound by an element, something beyond it.'
He had found the method to achieve domain in the Codice and he was going to create one in this fight. Since he was still a 5th Circle mage, he couldn't create a domain yet, but as he was at the peak of Master-Rank martial artist, he could make a domain that martial artists were able to create.
A martial artist's domain was much different than a Mage's domain, a mage's domain generally leans towards their elemental affinity. But in the case of a martial artist their domain leans towards conceptual powers, but extremely few martial artists were able to gain this kind of power as most martial artists were only able to create a domain of Chi, which was the basic.
But there were martial artists in history who could gain domains using which they were able to change reality on their whim, but this type of power had not been heard for thousands of years.
His Chi stirred, pulsing inside his dantian like a second heartbeat. He could feel it, something calling out, deeper, more primal than before.
A warmth bloomed in his dantian and chest, golden light seeping through his veins. The air around him warped.
The demon's grin faltered slightly. "What…what is this pressure?"
Arthur's gaze sharpened. "You think you're the only one with a domain?"
He spread his arms wide, Chi exploding from his body in golden waves. The trees bent backward, the ground cracked, and lightning was sucked into the vortex of energy forming around him.
The air felt heavier, and was vibrating with potential.
The sword spirit's voice echoed faintly in his mind, almost reverent. 'Lad… you're at the threshold. One more step and you'll touch the realm of a Grandmaster Martial artist.'
Arthur's breath came slow and steady, his eyes were burning with golden light. "Then let's not waste it."
The golden aura around him began to twist. The demon screamed and launched forward again, black lightning roaring like a storm dragon.
Arthur met him head-on, his fist colliding with the demon's chest once more. And the explosion that followed illuminated the forest like a second sun.
***
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