A thousand years ago, gods and demons clashed in a brutal war.
To counter the endless waves of demons, a human proposed a cunning plan: dismantle their unity from within.
Through a collaboration between gods and humans, a sinister black magic was born and deliberately slipped into the demons' hands under the guise of a "coincidence."
This magic was called Demon Devours Demon.
As long as two demons shared the same lineage, one could permanently absorb the other's vitality, physical strength, and unique magic by consuming them.
Though this wicked magic was eventually destroyed, it was too late. The greed inherent in demonkind had already inflicted irreversible damage on their race.
The Demon Devours Demon magic sparked a century-long civil war among the demons, drastically reducing their numbers but giving rise to a handful of extraordinarily powerful ones. The Sea Demon King was one such being.
It proved that prioritizing quality over quantity was indeed the best way to end the war between gods and demons. Soon, the gods and humans subdued the savage demons, ushering in a fleeting era of peace.
---
It's said that a solar eclipse can push the power of the Sea Demon clan to its peak, and that certainly seemed true.
Ice Demon Ace dispelled the ice magic that had sealed the Sea Demon King, and two dark, oppressive auras hit like a tidal wave. The rancid stench emanating from the Sea Demon King made Kira gag.
Darkness, evil, chaos, bloodshed, disgust…
Every word you could think of to describe a demon was overshadowed by these raw, unfiltered terms.
Compared to this, the demon Deliora they'd encountered on Galuna Island wasn't even fit to polish their boots.
"Looks like this guy wasn't even going all out earlier!" Sensing the danger, Kira stepped protectively in front of Wendy.
Ice Demon Ace, no longer the disheveled mess from moments ago, now radiated an even stronger presence. It was clear that suppressing the rampaging Sea Demon King had taken a lot out of him.
"Black Magic: Demon Devours Demon!!!"
Ace pressed both hands onto the thrashing Sea Demon King. With a thunderous roar, magic surged, whipping up a storm of wind and snow. Ice and water melded together as two malevolent auras fused into one.
Soon, the wind died down, and the waters stilled. Not far away, the Sea Demon King's massive form was gone, leaving only the robust figure of Ice Demon Ace.
Gone was his earlier "mage-like" appearance. Now, he looked like a brute-force demon, all raw power and no finesse.
Standing over two meters tall, his body rippled with explosive muscles, brimming with immense strength beneath his blue skin.
"Whoa! Talk about an instant transformation!" Kira exclaimed.
Wendy, on the other hand, was bewildered. "What did he do? Where's the other demon?"
"He ate him," Kira replied flatly.
"Why? Wasn't he that demon's follower?"
This kid—sometimes she seemed wise beyond her years, and other times she asked questions like this. Guess she still had some growing up to do.
"Looks like reviving the Sea Demon King was just a trick to fool his buddies. His real goal was to bring it back just so he could devour its power. Those other demons? Probably just snacks for him too."
---
"You've got it all wrong, human wizard!" Ice Demon Ace interrupted. "I genuinely saw them as my comrades. But dealing with that guy on my own would've been a hassle, so I needed some help."
That guy? Who was he talking about? Was there another force at play here?
Kira's brow furrowed. Things were getting complicated, but now wasn't the time to overthink. He smirked mockingly. "Yeah, sure. You don't strike me as the type to skip dessert after eating the main course."
"Is that so? Seems you've got some misconceptions about me! No worries, though—you'll take that back soon enough. After I crush you with this new power, that is!"
Ace clenched his fist and swung at Kira, unleashing a torrent of icy water.
The chill boosted the frost's speed, while the frost amplified the water's force. Ice and water—two magics of the same origin—merged in a single body, creating an attack far stronger than any combined spell.
"Whoa! That's one heck of a basic attack!" Kira quipped, casting a spell. "Defense!"
He invoked the true name of his state, conjuring the simplest defensive magic. Backed by his immense magical power, it formed an unyielding barrier.
No ice shield, no earthen wall, no water barrier—just a pure, unadorned shield. No fancy embellishments, no dog heads carved into it.
On the surface, it might seem weaker without elemental attributes, but that wasn't the case.
Complex magic required intricate mana constructs, which could achieve specific effects but demanded more from the caster. Simpler magic, with less energy spent on transformation and structure, could unleash its full potential more efficiently.
For example, if Kira used 10 points of mana for a defensive spell, an ice shield or earthen wall would require 1 point to convert the mana's attribute, 1 point to shape it, and 1 point to stabilize it, leaving only 7 points for actual defense.
But his Word Magic's [Defense] didn't have those extra costs. It could channel all 10 points directly into protection, trading flashy attributes for raw effectiveness.
Sure, Kira had mana to spare. He could carve 40 dog heads on both sides of an earthen wall without breaking a sweat. But he'd built a habit of efficiency—because you never know when a crisis might hit. Who could guarantee they'd never run out of mana? Any true master of caution lived by the motto of preparing for the worst. By that standard, Kira felt like he was barely scraping by as a "cautious" wizard.
His sturdy [Defense] magic stopped the icy torrent three meters away. It held, but not completely—the water split, surging in opposite directions and turning the freshly drained mountaintop into a swampy mess again.
"Well, great. Now you've got the home-field advantage. Your turn to step up!" Kira teased, playfully ruffling Wendy's hair.
"Are you kidding me?!" Wendy snapped. "There's no way I can take on a guy like that!"
"Didn't you say you wanted to take responsibility for ending the Ashisnu clan yourself?"
Wendy pouted, completely unembarrassed. "I already helped out, didn't I? There's no shame in playing support when it comes to wiping out demons! Besides, this is your mission!"
This kid's got potential. She's gonna go far, Kira thought, nodding to himself.
The water level kept rising, reaching their knees as they talked. Looking around, Kira realized the mountain's terrain was lower here, forming a natural bowl.
"This isn't looking good. Get ready!"
"Ready for what?" Wendy asked, confused.
Ready to take flight, obviously!
Before she could react, Kira scooped her up and shot into the sky.
"Ahhh!" Wendy screamed at the sudden weightlessness.
Wings sprouted from Kira's back—not some grandiose twelve-winged spectacle, just simple wing magic. No need to show off right now.
"Pierce!"
With a wave of his hand, a spell blasted toward the mountain below, carving a visible path of destruction from the peak to a point dozens of meters down the mountainside.
As the gap opened, the knee-high torrent of icy water surged toward it like a living thing, forming a whirlpool at the peak. It poured through the opening, cascading down the mountainside like a waterfall, washing over the snow-covered peak.