"The Wind Demon's aura ends here," the Water Demon hissed.
Beside him, the Earth Demon. Though abyssal tongues were harsh and broken, the tension between them needed no translation.
Before another word could pass, the Earth Demon's patience crumbled.
With a snarl, he stomped forward, each step shaking the cracked pavement. His body, a fortress of blackened stone and hardened soil.
Fearless by nature and certain of his regeneration so long as he touched the earth, he launched himself straight at Soren.
The Water Demon lingered for only a moment, watching the Earth Demon charge. His jagged grin twitched. "Fool… but fine. Let's end it quickly."
His body dissolved into a torrent of dark liquid, gliding low along the pavement, a deadly tide rushing toward Soren.
"Predictable."
The Earth Demon's massive fist crashed through the air with the force of an avalanche.
Soren met the blow head-on. Divine energy flared from his arm, condensed light that shimmered with impossible density and his counterpunch collided with the demon's stony knuckles in a blinding shockwave.
The Earth Demon's eyes widened. His granite flesh shattered.
The shockwave didn't stop at his arm~ it tore through his chest, blasting him backward in a storm of dust and rubble.
The ground trembled violently as chunks of his body scattered across the street.
Within seconds, the creature that prided itself on indestructibility was reduced to rubble and a strangled roar.
Soren didn't move from his spot.
The Water Demon surged up from the cracks beneath him, a black wave rippling outward. Countless sharp water spines erupted from the ground, slicing through the air like crystal javelins aimed directly at Soren's heart.
This was the Water Demon's signature technique, a hidden assault from below, swift and unseen. Even among abyssal fiends, few survived it.
Against Soren, stealth meant nothing.
Before the first spike could pierce his skin, Invisible pressure filled the street.
The air itself froze.
The spines halted mid-flight, suspended motionless mere inches from his body. Each drop of the demon's liquid form trembled, locked in place by a force far beyond comprehension.
Soren's expression didn't change much. "Psychokinesis… inconvenient, isn't it?"
The Water Demon's consciousness wavered, unable to comprehend why his body would not obey him.
The suspended spears of water began to shudder violently, vibrating under unseen compression, until they burst into mist with a whispering hiss.
Soren raised his foot.
"Back to the abyss with you."
He stomped once.
Boom!
The ground split open, a deep shockwave rippling outward. Soil and concrete erupted as the Water Demon's liquid body exploded under the impact, scattering into a thousand droplets that steamed and evaporated midair.
The scattered droplets of water rippled and rolled across the shattered street, drawing together once more.
Within seconds, they fused into a vaguely human silhouette, the Water Demon, reborn from the remnants of its own body.
Not far away, chunks of soil and stone quivered and reassembled into the hulking form of the Earth Demon, his body cracking like grinding boulders as he reformed.
Both creatures stood amid the ruin, dripping and steaming, their faces twisted into uneasy grins.
Their attacks had been shattered effortlessly. Soren hadn't even broken a sweat. His speed, his strength, and that invisible pressure surrounding him, it was like fighting the wrath of a god.
The Earth Demon flexed his newly grown arms, his face etched with rage. "You'll regret that, mortal."
The Water Demon, however, wasn't as confident. "Don't underestimate him. The Wind Demon vanished here. If this human killed him, he has a means to destroy us too."
The Earth Demon grunted. "Then we'll crush him before he can use it."
"You brainless boulder…" the Water Demon muttered, shaking his head. For all his power, he was no fool and the energy radiating from Soren was nothing like ordinary magic.
Soren, meanwhile, stood calmly in the street, hands folded behind his back.
The glow of the medical hall's sign cast soft light on his white nightgown, making him seem more like a priest than a warrior.
"So," He said, his voice echoing lightly, "Blackheart sent you."
Both demons stiffened.
"You…" the Water Demon hissed, "You know of Blackheart?"
Soren tilted his head slightly, studying them with detached amusement. "I've killed worse."
Then, his expression hardened. "He's stirring chaos on Earth, sending his pets to devour souls, even outside my door."
The Earth Demon stomped forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet. "You dare speak that name so lightly, human?!"
But before he could charge…
The pressure of his divine will pressed down like a storm, silencing the air. Even the wind stilled.
"Listen carefully."
"Go back. Tell your master to stay out of my world. The next time his filth crosses this threshold…"
He raised one hand, and the air rippled faintly around it, the mere hint of his power.
"Otherwise, the consequences will be... severe."