Chapter 125: An Unwanted Challenge

The battlefield had been turned into a wasteland. Monster Lord class fighters were clashing against hordes of lesser creatures; the earth was stained with blood and corruption of the mana. Tanaka moved through the mess, having just helped a fresh group of wounded. A sudden pressure made him pause. Out of the haze, a figure emerged. The demon was of a tall and muscular build, with pale red skin, two curved horns on his head and crimson eyes glowing with intense passion. His body was marred with injuries but despite this, he stood tall. Tanaka could immediately sense the aura surrounding the demon. Monster Lord class.

The demon came to a stop a few meters in front of Tanaka. "Tanaka Eldoris." Tanaka narrowed his eyes at the demon. "I am Malthen of Varkesh." Malthen surveyed the battlefield. "Your people die, over and over again." Tanaka said nothing. Malthen smiled. "And you run from battle to battle, unable to stop what is happening." Tanaka’s expression darkened. "Just get to the point, then." "Very well." Malthen’s mana flared. The earth cracked where the demon stood. "I challenge you."

Tanaka looked up at him. Malthen laughed. "You call yourself king, but you hide behind healers and soldiers, running from one battlefield to the next. You are afraid to stop, afraid to let anyone die." His gaze bore into Tanaka’s. "I want to see what you are made of, when the one who is called king is in danger." Tanaka stepped forward. "I don’t need to prove anything to you." Malthen vanished. Tanaka barely had time to react as a fist impacted against his ribs, sending him sprawling. He rolled to a stop, shifting his body back into a stable form. A line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Malthen stood where he was, unmoving.

"Prove it then, by stopping me." Tanaka’s gaze hardened. He moved, but a smaller figure blocked his path. "No." Tanaka halted. Sora stood in front of him, in his human form looking no older than twelve. Dark blue hair flowed from his head in the wind, bright blue eyes locked onto Malthen. Tanaka looked at him. "Sora." "I’ll fight him." Malthen laughed. "You?!" Sora said nothing, his gaze shifting to Tanaka. He took in the blood, the injury to Tanaka’s side. Tanaka had fought many battles before, and seen many allies fall. But this was different.

Malthen had struck him down, and in the process, looked down on Tanaka’s people. Tanaka had bled, and Malthen had laughed. Sora’s hands clenched at his sides. Tanaka saw the look, and knew what it meant. Sora wasn’t fighting because he thought he could beat Malthen. He was fighting because he was angry. "Sora," Tanaka said gently. Sora looked at him. "You don’t have to." "I know." "Then why?"

Sora looked back to Malthen. "Because he hit you." Tanaka stared at him. Sora’s voice was laced with ice. "Everyone fights for something. Something they value. You protected me, when I had nothing. You built me a home, a family. And I will not stand by and let you be hurt." Sora took another step forward. "So I won’t stand by and let you be hurt." Tanaka was silent for a long moment, before he nodded. "Fine." Malthen grinned. Tanaka stepped aside. "But don’t hold back." Sora looked at him. "I won’t."

Malthen charged, fist cocked back to strike Sora’s face. Sora’s body twisted, reforming just behind Malthen’s back. His human form sloughed off into a puddle of liquid before taking shape again, this time behind the charging demon. Body Changing. Sora struck Malthen from behind, but the demon barely staggered. He spun, driving his elbow into Sora’s stomach. The slime demon twisted, but the impact still sent him flying. He landed hard, skidding across the battlefield before coming to a stop near a broken tree. Malthen followed up, bringing his fist down on top of him.

"You’re fast," he remarked, "But you’re weak." He reared back for a finishing blow. Sora shifted his body again, and the fist struck liquid. The demon blinked, then spun to face Sora, who had just reformed behind him. Body Changing. Sora drove a fist into Malthen’s ribs. The larger demon didn’t budge. He turned, swinging his elbow into Sora’s shoulder. Sora twisted away, but the impact sent him stumbling back. He barely rolled away in time to avoid another strike to his ribs. "That’s it," Malthen said, "Now you fight properly." Sora changed his body to absorb the impact of Malthen’s fist as it met his centre. Sora’s body spasmed, scattering globs of his liquid form across the ground. He pulled himself together and reformed.

Malthen charged again. Sora met him head on, fists colliding. The impact sent cracks snaking out from the point of contact, and Malthen’s power was more than enough to send Sora hurtling backward. The smaller demon changed his forearms into blades and drove them into Malthen’s shoulders. The larger demon grunted, but batted the limbs away. Sora’s body coiled around Malthen’s arm, and the demon yanked him free, using his superior strength to throw Sora to the ground. Left. Right. Low. High.

Sora flowed from one shape to another, using the shifting nature of his body to evade Malthen’s attacks, but the larger demon’s power kept driving him back. A kick to the chest sent him flying through a ruined tree. Malthen came at him again, and Sora barely dodged in time. "You’re not going to last much longer." Malthen said. Sora looked up at him, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Neither of them spoke as Malthen drove another kick into Sora’s side. He came out of it with a smirk. "I’ll make sure you never see me die."

Malthen was already rushing forward. Sora’s eyes widened as the larger demon’s fist met his cheek. At the same time, Sora’s Unique Skill activated. Skill Theft. His hand remained pressed against Malthen’s arm. Inside, Sora found the magic that kept the muscles of the demon reinforced, and pulled it into himself. For a moment, Malthen felt something wrong, and he turned to Sora in confusion. "What are you-?!" Sora yanked again, nearly falling to his knees as a torrent of power surged into him. Demonic Reinforcement. A skill not meant for Sora, but he pushed past the discomfort and steadied himself. "I took something from you," the slime demon said. Malthen’s eyes widened. "You stole my skill."

Sora smiled. "Yeah." Malthen roared, and rushed forward again. Sora felt the new power surge through him, and he used it to reinforce his body for the oncoming strike. Malthen’s fist met his sternum, but instead of sending him hurtling backward, Sora only slid a few meters before coming to a stop. He looked at the point of impact, then up at Malthen. "You can use it already?" Sora wiped blood from his lip. "I learn quickly." Malthen’s next attack came faster than the first. Sora met it with renewed strength, and the impact of their fists sent shockwaves rippling out from the battlefield. Malthen’s fist met Sora’s jaw, and sent him staggering back.

Again, and again, until Malthen found himself on the back foot for the first time. Sora’s movements only grew faster. The reinforcement allowed him to flow freely around Demonic Reinforcement, building himself up before striking. Malthen blocked a blow, but Sora’s body curled around his arm and activated Skill Theft again. This time, Malthen pulled free before another skill could be stolen. "You won’t get another chance!" Malthen sent a wave of corrupted mana at Sora, who barely deflected it. The energy lashed at his body, burning his flesh and twisting it. Sora fell to one knee, panting. Malthen advanced on him. "You’re finished." Sora looked at the corruption spreading up his body, and then to the ground.

The sight of it filled Sora with anger, along with the way Malthen had laughed at Tanaka. NO. Corruption Resistance built up around the demon, pushing the dark energy back. Sora condensed the mass of it, pulling it into a single glob before throwing it away. A portion of his body was left behind, but he forced himself to his feet. Malthen’s expression darkened. "You’re still standing." Sora’s voice was quiet. "You hurt Tanaka." He took another step forward.

"And I’m angry." Malthen lunged, but Sora shifted to the side at the last moment. The demon’s fist passed harmlessly through him, and Sora reformed right next to Malthen. Demonic Reinforcement surged through his arm as he brought it around and drove a fist into the demon’s ribs, twisting the muscles from within. Malthen let out a strangled cry and staggered back, but Sora grabbed his arm and activated Skill Theft again. This time, Malthen couldn’t shake him off. Sora pulled again, and another skill broke from the demon’s body.

Malthen’s eyes widened in horror. Sora released him and took a step back, and the large demon fell to his knees. Silence stretched between the two combatants, but Malthen finally forced himself to his feet, glaring at Sora. "You...!" Sora’s body was in worse condition than before, one of his limbs half reverted to slime, but he stood his ground nonetheless. "You challenged Tanaka," he said, "You hurt him. And you thought I would just sit back and let it happen?"

Malthen opened his mouth to retort, but Sora stepped forward. Tanaka watched the exchange from the sidelines, feeling the exhaustion creeping into Sora’s body. He also felt something else. Tanaka could feel Sora’s fighting spirit, but more than that, he could sense something stronger. He wasn’t fighting because of Tanaka, but for a new reason. A reason that was just as important to Sora as Tanaka’s safety. Malthen forced himself into a kneeling position. Sora’s eyes burned with crimson light. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Malthen collapsed finally, looking up at Sora with disbelief etched into his features. "You... stole both?" Sora nodded. "Yeah." He looked back to Tanaka, a tired smile on his lips. "I told you I wouldn’t hold back." Tanaka smiled. "That you did." Across the battlefield, Varkesh warriors had turned to face the two fighters. They had just witnessed a young slime defeat one of their best warriors. And as every demon present looked upon Sora, the image of Tanaka’s little brother had burned away, revealing something new. Sora was no longer just Tanaka’s little brother. He was a warrior of Eldoris in his own right.