That's pretty cruel... is this really how demons exist? They're just humans that returned to their World from Hell? William asked as he ran from a group of Golden Core Souls.
-And Magical Beasts, but yes. Google seaʀᴄh Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
William used his Lightning Domain and created a field of sparks that electrified the Golden Core Souls, causing them to wail in pain while their forms became more translucent.
You said they're powerful, right? How come I haven't heard anything about them since I've been here? Other than the Gravitas Ruins, there's been nothing yet.
-Are you trying to speak them into existence? It's not like they appear every—
System, did you just cut off? It's a text box, don't be so dramatic! William complained.
And don't scare me like that. You're reacting as if a Demon is nearb— fuck.
While William was talking with the System, what appeared to be a shooting star came in from out of nowhere, illuminating ethereal Realm with an otherworldly beauty. At first, it seemed like a minor detail that wasn't worth paying much attention to, but now William wasn't so sure.
That's because at the same time, one of the peak Nascent Soul Vengeful Spirits that William was avoiding started to blur and distort, the figureless face pulled towards the shooting star.
As they collided in midair, a bright bluish-red explosion filled the sky, showering the area with sparks. The ground beneath the collision was swept away, becoming a massive shockwave that knocked William's Soul Form away. Since there were only a few Talents that were effective in this state, William was knocked off his feet and traveled a few dozen meters before stopping.
Before he could get back to his feet, a deafening roar emanated from the center of the shockwave, sending William tumbling for a second time. He used his Acrobatics Talent to tumble gracefully this time, getting back to his feet quickly.
William raised his head to identify his opponent, which seemed to be wantonly destroying other Souls in its rage, but the Cultivation Talent's bonus effect made him wish he hadn't.
[Demon] {Peak Nascent Soul Realm}
If he remembered correctly, a Golden Core Lesser Demon had the strength of a peak Nascent Soul Cultivator. This was a normal Demon, which meant its combat strength should be more than a full Realm, possibly two Realms above its own.
Not to mention, these things had insane regeneration!
Shit. System, how much longer on the upgrade?
-Less than a minute. You can't leave the area, so I suggest you survive.
I can't leave either?! This thing is probably as strong as Sect Master Gu! How am I supposed to beat it ?!? William couldn't believe the System was so calm right now.
He concealed his aura as much as possible, but even the Stealth Talent didn't seem to work while he didn't have a body. It was only a matter of time before the rogue Demon located him.
His Physical Talents were useless, the Regeneration Talent had nothing to regenerate, and his Magic was suppressed. He felt incredibly useless in this form, barely as strong as a weak Nascent Soul Cultivator.
-Are your Elements for show? This one happens to be weak to the Chaos and Blood Elements.
Hearing a bit of good news from the System relieved William a little bit, but he didn't dare get cocky. He was still as weak as a chicken in front of the Demon— all it takes is one wrong move before instant death.
Will couldn't wait for the Demon to discover him, so he gathered his strength and traveled the maximum distance the System would allow before channeling his Chaos Mana. It was the first time that William had used the Magic in actual battle, but that didn't mean he hadn't taken the time to practice the Element before.
I only hope that Golden Girl doesn't somehow see this. I'd hate for the Tribulations to become even stronger.
From an outside perspective, the area around William suddenly became dim and distorted while the ground dissolved into particles of Mana. The Mana Particles were pulled towards William, who had become like a black hole, violent and unwilling to let go of any bits of Mana.
Chaos Magic was very different from other Mana. While he did indeed still have to use his Mana Reserve to cast Spells, the properties of Chaos itself were too much for anything to handle. The moment his Chaos Mana gained a physical form, it threatened to send everything around it into disarray.
The only exception was William and his gear, which was naturally immune because it carried his unique aura. If he hadn't created his own equipment or imbued it with his Mana, even that might have been destroyed in the process.
The Demon had noticed William the moment it was formed, but it had ignored the weakling to destroy the stronger foes first. Before it could tear the last few Nascent Soul beings to shreds, however, it sensed a slightly threatening Mana signature from the weakling's position.
It turned its head and barreled in William's direction, its physical body blasting through souls and trees alike as it took a straightforward path.
No fair! Why can he hurt Soul Beings with his physical strength? William complained. He was jealous of the Demon's strength, but not as much as he was repulsed by its horrifying looks.
He maintained his control over the Chaos Magic, spreading it around his body to form a defensive shield that disassembled the World around him into its most basic Mana Particles. His legs shook as the Demon continued forward, seemingly unperturbed by the wall of Chaos Mana.
Are you sure this is going to help me, System? This thing doesn't seem afraid at all! William couldn't help but take a step back in fear, the Chaos Barrier slightly deformed by his movement.
-Not if you don't focus!
William nodded and regained control of the violent Mana, steeling his resolve to meet the Demon head-on.
The two forces clashed midair, the Demon's bulky form slowing down and becoming like paper going through a shredder. The Chaos Barrier tried to break it apart into tiny pieces, but the Demon continued moving forward, so William was forced to layer Time Magic overtop of it to slow it down even more.
With such a large difference in their strength, William had no way to reverse time that involved the Demon, but he could still manage to slow it down quite a bit. With the help of the Chaos Barrier, the Demon was slowed further and further until it was only a little bit faster than William.
Only when the Demon was about to touch William did he jump to the side, ending the Spell and avoiding any serious injuries. He called Chaos Mana to form another barrier immediately, unwilling to believe that such a weak attack could possibly kill a Demon.
It's a good thing Master had me fight one in the past, otherwise I probably would have thought I won by now.
As expected, the shredded Demon almost instantaneously reformed, with no discernable difference to its shape or size. Instead, William saw the Demon become enraged and grow a pair of long purple horns that crackled with the Lightning Element.
It can use Magic too?! The last one wasn't !
-That was a Lesser Demon. This is a regular Demon. The stronger ones even have Domains.
A Demon with a Domain? I think I have something new to add to my list of nightmare fuel...