Chapter 362: Abigor (1)

Arisha watched from the tall tree, her fingers wrapped tightly around an arrow. A quiver filled with arrows rested against her back, while her glowing yellow eyes surveyed the battlefield below.

She had been following Damien for quite some time.

Unfortunately, despite her Hunter’s Eyes ability allowing her to observe distant objects with remarkable clarity, keeping track of him through the chaotic streets had proved more difficult than expected.

She had lost sight of him several times, only to locate him again by scanning the surrounding area from elevated positions.

However, what she had discovered here was something she had never anticipated.

Ken Takeane, one of their fellow classmate, was fighting a demon.

And judging by his condition, he had been losing badly.

Fortunately, Damien had arrived in time to save him.

’Thank goodness I told Lyria to inform Instructor Morgana.’

Arisha tightened her grip on her bow.

She was currently at the mid stage of the Condensed Core rank, only a small step away from reaching the high stage. But the demon stood their was stronger than her.

Even so, she had no intention of abandoning her classmates.

Below, Abigor glanced between the three students.

Damien stood at the front, his sword enveloped in golden light. Ken stood slightly behind him, breathing heavily as he struggled to keep his injured body upright. Meanwhile, Arisha remained hidden among the branches, her bow aimed at the demon’s head.

Abigor studied them for a moment before letting out a dismissive laugh.

"Doesn’t matter."

He clenched his fist. The mana surrounding him surged, and the stones scattered across the street began trembling.

His violet eyes swept over Damien and Ken before shifting briefly toward Arisha.

"You think three little students can stop me?"

His grin widened. "Come at me, all three of you!"

BOOOOM!

The ground beneath Abigor’s feet shattered. He disappeared from his position.

Damien’s expression changed.

CLANG!

A tremendous impact shook his arms as he barely managed to raise his sword in time.

Abigor’s fist, reinforced by a dense layer of mana, struck the golden blade.

The force behind the blow was terrifying.

Damien’s boots scraped across the ground as he was pushed backward, his arms trembling from the impact. Before he could recover, Abigor twisted his body and swung his other arm toward Damien’s head.

Damien immediately ducked. The demon’s fist swept past him, smashing into the wooden wall behind him.

CRASH!

The entire wall collapsed.

Damien’s eyes widened slightly. ’What kind of physical strength is that?!’

He had barely avoided two attacks, and his arms were already numb from blocking the first.

But he couldn’t afford to retreat.

Ken was injured, and if Damien allowed Abigor to focus on him again, his friend might not survive another exchange.

Damien tightened his grip on his sword.

Golden light spread across the blade, growing brighter with every passing second.

He swung upward.

A brilliant golden arc burst from his sword, cutting through the dust and charging directly toward Abigor.

The demon raised his hand.

[Gravity Wall]

BOOM!

The golden slash struck an invisible barrier.

The surrounding air distorted as the attack’s momentum was forcibly reduced. The golden energy compressed against the barrier before dispersing into glittering particles.

Abigor didn’t even move. "Is that it?"

His lips curled into a mocking smile. He flicked his wrist.

The gravitational force surrounding Damien suddenly intensified.

CRACK!

The stones beneath Damien’s boots fractured. His knees buckled as an enormous weight pressed down on his body.

"What—?!"

He struggled to raise his sword, but even that simple movement became difficult.

Abigor stepped forward. "Let’s see how long you can stand!"

He thrust his palm toward Damien. The invisible force struck.

Damien was hurled backward, his body crashing through a wooden stall before tumbling across the street.

"Damien!"

Ken immediately moved.

Despite the pain wracking his body, he dashed toward Abigor, keeping his katana close to his side.

His movements were economical, without any unnecessary flourishes. He couldn’t overpower the demon through strength.

He couldn’t afford to waste mana on attacks that would accomplish nothing.

He needed a clean opening And he needed it now.

Ken’s eyes narrowed.

[Tenchi Style: First Form—Quick Severance]

His katana left its scabbard.

SHING!

A razor-thin slash flashed toward Abigor’s exposed side.

The demon’s eyes widened slightly.

He had already experienced this technique once. He knew better than to underestimate its speed.

Abigor twisted his torso, narrowly avoiding a strike that would otherwise have cut deeply into his flesh.

But Ken hadn’t finished.

The moment his blade passed Abigor’s body, he shifted his footing and drew the sword back.

[Tenchi Style: Second Form—Crescent Severance]

His next slash swept horizontally.

The blade followed a curved trajectory, initially aiming toward Abigor’s waist before changing direction mid-swing.

The demon raised his arm to block. Yet the sword’s trajectory shifted again, curving around his defense toward his ribs.

SHING!

The blade cut through a small section of Abigor’s armor. A thin line of blood appeared beneath it.

Ken’s eyes flashed. ’Got him!’

However, before he could follow up, Abigor’s expression turned cold.

"You little pest!"

He stomped his foot.

[Gravity Burst]

BOOOOM!

A violent wave of gravitational force erupted outward.

Ken was struck before he could withdraw his sword.

His body flew sideways, slamming into the ground and bouncing across the broken stones.

"GH—!"

He coughed violently.

His injured body screamed in protest, and his katana nearly slipped from his hand.

Abigor turned toward him. He lifted his hand.

Ken felt his body being pressed against the ground. His fingers trembled as he struggled to lift his katana.

’Not yet...’ He gritted his teeth. ’I can’t stop here.’

Before Abigor could increase the pressure further, a blue arrow tore through the air.

WHOOSH!

The arrow came from the demon’s blind spot. Abigor sensed it at the last moment and tilted his head.

The arrow grazed his cheek before continuing past him.

A thin line of blood appeared on his skin.

His eyes narrowed.

"Tch!"

He turned toward the tall tree.

Arisha was already drawing another arrow. She had no intention of allowing the demon to attack Ken without interference.

However, she understood that ordinary arrows wouldn’t be enough to defeat someone like Abigor.

She needed to disrupt his concentration, interfere with his movements, and create openings for the two swordsmen.

Arisha inhaled slowly. Blue mana gathered around her fingertips.

[Flowing Veil]

The air around Abigor suddenly shimmered.

A thin layer of water materialized around his arms and legs, forming flowing ribbons that circled his body.

At first glance, the spell seemed harmless. Abigor barely spared it a glance.

"Water magic? Is that supposed to stop me?"

He clenched his fist. The water ribbons trembled as gravity mana spread through them.

But Arisha had anticipated that reaction.

She snapped her fingers.

"Condense!"

The flowing water suddenly compressed into dozens of tiny droplets. Each droplet hardened into a dense bead of water, suspended around Abigor’s joints.

Then they moved.

TATATATATAT!

The droplets struck his elbows, knees, wrists, and shoulders from multiple directions.

They weren’t powerful enough to penetrate his armor, but their combined impacts disrupted his movements for a fraction of a second.

More importantly, the water interfered with the smooth circulation of mana around his limbs.

Abigor’s expression changed.

"What?"

That brief interruption was all Damien needed.

He had already pushed himself out of the wreckage.

Blood trickled from his forehead, and his uniform was covered in dust. Nevertheless, the golden light surrounding his sword had grown brighter than before.

Pain had spread all over his body but he was still in condition to fight. He didn’t want to use solar core ability as the current situation in city was dire. Who knows if there was another demon hidden somewhere.