A/N: Don't forget to comment, review, collect and send me those beautiful powerstones for motivation so I never drop the book š
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Commander Lark stepped forward, trying and failing to hide the tremble in his voice.
"D-Don't be scared!" he shouted to his troops. "It's just one demon against one hundred and fifty of us! You can't beat numbers!"
His words were loud, confidentā¦ and utterly hollow.
Still, the soldiers began echoing their agreement one by one, forcing themselves to believe it.
"Y-Yeah! It Is just one demon!"
"He can't take all of us!"
"We outnumber him!"
"We can win!"
Haru smiled, leaning forward slightly.
"That's the spirit people." he said sarcastically with a smile. "It's only one of me. I can't possibly win, I'm sure you can win, I believe in you."
Commander Lark snapped, face twisting.
"Don't patronize us, you vile demon!"
Haru's smile vanished instantly.
"Vileā¦?" His tone dropped, sharp and cold. "The only vile people here are you, targeting a defenseless village and throwing your weight around, you disgust me."
This situation had reminded Haru of the situation of how he had died fighting against the bullys of the Taira Clan. Now this had reopened old wounds. Because of that war he died and was never able to confess to Hima.
"Shut up!" Lark roared, voice cracking. He thrust out his arm. "All mages, fire at him all at once!"
"Ignis Incendium! Ardens Flammae! Consume all before you, scorch the impure, devour their flesh with unending fire!"
The mages quickly recited their incantation, forming circles of flame.
A barrage of fire spells erupted toward Haru.
Haru didn't move.
With a flick of his wrist, he formed a barrier behind himself protecting the village men and Reina from the spell.
The flames swallowed him completely.
Commander Lark grinned shakily.
"D-Did we get him?"
But as the smoke drifted away, Haru stood in the exact same spot.
Unburned.
Untouched.
And completely unimpressed.
"Impossibleā¦" Lark whispered.
Gasps erupted from the soldiers.
"H-He's unharmed!?"
"No way!"
"That spell would've burned a monster alive!"
"What is he!?"
Haru exhaled, sounding genuinely disappointed.
"You know, I didn't expect much from you all," he said, "but you're certainly underestimating me. Using fire magic against a demonā¦ and fire magic of this level?"
He shook his head.
"I've never been so ridiculed in my entire life."
The guards shuddered.
This unit wasn't composed of elite soldiers, only a low-tier force sent for what should have been an easy intimidation mission. The commander as well was a relative of Earl Nidol. A demon encounter had never been expected. If it had been, someone far more powerful would have been sentā¦ or the mission would've been canceled entirely.
Lark, pale now screamed again:
"Mages! Fire more spells! Don't stop!"
The mages obeyed, chanting desperately.
"Ventus Tormentum! Spirare Exuro! Galea Tempestatis! Sweep the impure, shatter their defenses, crush them beneath the storm!"
This time, a wind spell surged forward in a violent wave.
Haru casually raised a hand.
He swiped upward.
The spell followed his motion like a puppet on strings, then dispersed into nothing.
"We already established your magic is useless against me," Haru said. "So why do you keep trying?"
Commander Lark felt despair wash over him.
His hands shook uncontrollably.
Reina watched from behind Haru, stunned.
Is thisā¦ the power of a demon? She thought to herself.
The Village Chief and Garron were already smiling.
"Well then, Commander Lark," the Chief called mockingly, "how does it feel? Despair."
"Shut up, you crazy old fool!" Lark snapped. "This demon will kill everyone here, you idiot! Do you think it would end with us."
Haru shrugged.
"Unfortunately, that's impossible. I have a contract, you know. I have morals."
"Moralsā¦? Morals!?" Lark shouted, hysterical. "Don't f*ck with me!"
His panic finally erupted into a scream.
"All forces charge! If magic won't hurt him, then physical attacks must! There's no way he's invincible!"
And with that desperate order, the soldiers rushed forward.
As the forces of Falmuth charged forward, Haru smiled maniacally, the air around him thick with an oppressive presence.
"You lower life forms have been very disrespectful, you know," he said, his voice dripping with superiority. "In front of superior beingsā¦ you should kneel."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than every soldier in the Falmuth Army was crushed to their knees. Haru had used his Gravity Magic to apply unbearable pressure, pinning them to the ground as though they weighed nothing but feathers to him.
Commander Lark felt the immense force pressing down on him and stammered, terror overtaking his usual bravado.
"Whatā¦ what is thisā¦?!" he asked, sweat pouring down his face, his voice trembling with pure fear.
Haru's golden eyes glinted, and a sharp smile crossed his face.
"That's more like it," he said. "I'm very humble, so I won't even ask you to call me with honorifics."
The soldiers, crushed and immobilized under the gravitational weight, had completely lost all will to fight. Every last one of them had surrendered internally to their inevitable defeat.
Haru began to walk forward, each step deliberate, every movement radiating power. The ground itself seemed to shiver under his presence. He approached Commander Lark, who had scrambled backward, desperate, panicked, and completely helpless.
"Pleaseā¦ Demon-samaā¦ have mercy!" Lark cried, voice breaking. "I beg of you! My lifeā¦ spare me, please!"
Haru tilted his head, amusement curling on his lips.
"I should not be the one you are begging for your life from," he said calmly. With a single, effortless motion, he grabbed Lark by the collar and lifted him into the air, returning him with him to his original spot as if he were a mere puppet.
Turning back to face the kneeling army, Haru's aura flared like a storm about to break.
"Commander Lark," he said, voice cold and measured, "I shall now demonstrate to youā¦ real magic."
Without further ado, Haru unleashed an incredible surge of high-level fire magic, the flames burning hotter than any ordinary spell. The fire consumed the entire formation in an instant. Within moments, all 150 soldiers of Falmuth were obliterated, their screams silenced as the ground beneath them was charred black, the earth scorched and smoking.
Garron, Reina, the Village Chief, and the remaining villagers gasped in shock, eyes wide at the devastation they had just witnessed.
"Byā¦ by the godsā¦" Garron stammered.
"Thisā¦ this is unrealā¦" Reina whispered, trembling.
The Village Chief shook his head, unable to speak at first, before finally muttering, "A demonā¦ like no otherā¦"
Commander Lark collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
We should have runā¦ it was hopelessā¦ from the very startā¦ he thought, sobbing uncontrollably.
Haru laughed mockingly, stepping forward, eyes glittering with satisfaction.
"Yes," he said, voice cutting through the smoky silence. "You stood zero chance from the beginning. I am the strongest of the Greater Demons, after all."
Turning back to the villagers, Haru casually lifted and tossed Commander Lark toward them, letting him fall to the ground at their feet.
"I'm pretty sure you all would prefer to deal with him yourselves," he said with a faint smile.
The Village Chief bowed deeply, tears of relief in his eyes.
"Demon-sama, truly we thank you," he said. "Without you, we would have been lost."
The villagers followed suit, expressing their gratitude in a chorus of humbled voices.
Haru waved his hand dismissively.
"We had a contract, and I fulfilled it. There's no need for thanks," he said.
He looked around, golden eyes sweeping the battlefield, then spoke again.
"I've done my end of the deal. I am free to leave now, am I correct?"
The Village Chief smiled warmly.
"Of course," he said. "We would never dream of keeping Demon-sama here."
Haru's smile widened.
"Well then," he said, "I will be on my way. It's not every day a Demon gets summoned to the Cardinal World."
With a graceful motion, he spread his wings. In a single, powerful swoop, he took to the air, soaring high above the village.
Commander Lark, still lying on the scorched earth, watched helplessly as the demon ascended. Tears streamed down his face as he whispered to himself:
Can I not even get a mercy killā¦ like the rest of my armyā¦?
Haru looked down from the sky, a grin curling across his face, the wind ruffling his maroon hair.
"Falmuth, huh?" he murmured, voice full of amusement. "This is going to be fun."
And with that, he vanished into the horizon, leaving behind nothing but a devastated army and a village saved from destruction.
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