For the next few days, both Yur and Ris fought continuously without rest.
During this ti, Yur used the opportunity to digest the mories he'd witnessed, incorporating the combat tactics he'd observed.
How is he so powerful? Ris felt an intense shock at Yur's progress. If not for their blood oath, she might have tried to kill him by now.
By this point, her own power exceeded that of a Weeping Lord, yet Yur's fighting style had changed so drastically. He beca more aggressive, giving her little chance to breathe, and his stamina seed endless; even after days of combat, he hadn't faltered. Worse, he only grew stronger as ti passed.
The ways he utilized Incineration in battle also beca far deadlier.
Sotis, he'd switch into his half-human form to take flight, then revert to his human form at key monts. He constantly alternated between these two shapes, the efficiency of his maneuvers leaving her stunned.
"Enough." Ris finally relented, letting her strength surge back to Luminous Heart. "You can go deal with the tower now."
Yur tucked in his wings and set down his sword. He sat, feeling the drain on his energy for the first ti, and decided to eat to replenish himself.
With his points, he purchased a mass of food from the Afloria shop. Piles of it materialized around him, and he began devouring it greedily.
Ris hovered nearby, her mind racing. Once he upgrades my demonic abilities, I'll have to kill him. He's way too dangerous. Already, he'd grown from being a lamb to a fierce foe in just a matter of days. A slight worry flickered through her: If he hits Seeker of Embers, he might actually match .
Besides, now that she realized he was also a demonic cultivator, he potentially knew her secrets. If anyone uncovered her weaknesses, she'd have to eliminate them.
Several hours later, Yur rose to his feet, retrieving his sword. Without a word, he headed up the staircase.
At the next level, the sa Weeping Lord waited, perched on its throne with a single unblinking eye. Yur strode toward it without hesitation, gazing back into that solitary eye. "Co," he whispered.
Detecting an unexpected pressure radiating from Yur, the Weeping Lord stood, issuing a sharp howl. Instantly, it lunged.
Yur lifted his blade, swinging downward while thrusting his other hand forward: "Incineration!"
After days of practice with Ris, he could now channel the flas far more effectively—and integrate them in clever ways. Whether wrapping the flas around his blade or even his body, he'd learned multiple approaches. anwhile, he'd also improved his swordsmanship, though there was still room to grow.
In a violent arc, his sword nearly clove the Weeping Lord in two. The demon narrowly dodged but lost an arm in the process—focusing primarily on avoiding those flas.
GRAAAAAA!
Leaping back in fear, the Weeping Lord sliced off the flaming stump of its arm to prevent further burning. Its single eye glared fiercely at Yur before spewing a barrage of acid blobs. Compared to the Antics, this was far faster and more powerful.
Yur unfurled his wings and leaped into the air. But even with his improved control, he couldn't dodge every acid shot; so splashed onto his wings, lting them. He dropped back to the floor but refused to slow down.
The instant he landed, Yur slamd a palm onto the ground. "Incineration!"
A massive explosion propelled him forward in a burst of black fire. The Weeping Lord, unprepared for such speed, managed only one last acid spit before releasing a deafening shriek.
GRAAAAA!
Though his body didn't feel pain, the shockwave rattled Yur's senses, blood leaking from his ears. Yet he still slashed with his sword.
Staggered by its own howl, the Weeping Lord narrowly twisted aside, trying a powerful kick. But Yur capitalized on the mont, slicing at the demon's leg.
GRAA—GRAAA—GRAAA!
In a frenzy, the demon's body started to implode. Seeing the transformation, Yur jumped back.
He watched it bloat outward, limbs dissolving into yellow sludge, the single eye ballooning until it consud the entire mass. A monstrous, engorged eyeball dripped pus, towering three tis the size of a regular Antic.
Unfazed, Yur gripped his blade and coated it in black flas.
He and the Weeping Lord charged simultaneously, clashing with raw ferocity.
————————————————————————
Soon afterward, Yur stood outside the Antic tower, drenched in blood, watching as the structure collapsed into rubble. With its downfall, blood gushed across the fleshy ground beneath.
Glancing at his notifications, he saw a line appear:
[Quest Complete!]
[Destroy the Antic Tower!]
[Reward: 200 Demon Points!]
He now possessed slightly over five hundred points—about halfway to acquiring another ritual. He relied heavily on Incineration; he needed more offensive techniques to diversify.
His Ritual Embedding was useless without an actual offensive ritual. And Ritual of Demon Mangling was too situational for direct combat.
"Great job. With that, we can move on to the Gravesong Wastes." Ris turned and walked away from the tower's remains, her face alarmingly pale. He's stronger than Celis ever was... This can't continue. If not for their oath, she'd have likely tried to end him already. She no longer cared about his flas—his raw potential posed a more pressing threat.
Initially, she believed he rely rivaled Celis. His first fight with a Weeping Lord was near-fatal for him, but this final one—an even stronger demi-Gralith—he'd killed with relative ease.
Most chilling of all, it took just a week for him to reach this level. No normal human or demon advanced at such a rate.
"Not yet." Yur interrupted her thoughts.
"What do you an?" she asked, confused.
"I want the lord of this region—the Gralith, Mother of Pus." His quest demanded her destruction, and if he used the Gralith in his Rite of the Blood Dominion, he could kill two birds with one stone.
She gave him a skeptical look. "You want to kill the Mother of Pus? If we go to Gravesong Wastes, there'll be far more Gralith and much less competition. The Mother of Pus is a pri target for nurous disciples—why waste ti?" She shrugged. "Plus, Gralith in the Gravesong Wastes are stronger, so they'd be more beneficial to you."
"I specifically need the Mother of Pus," Yur insisted. "I'll go alone if I must."
"Fine," she huffed, still annoyed. "I'll help." Neither offered thanks; both recognized this as a mutual arrangent. "Also, what else do you need from ?"
"I want to learn how to manipulate demonic essence," he said bluntly. Although his bloodline let him tap into both human and demon essence, he'd never formally trained in channeling it. Everything he possessed was innate—handed down by his bloodline. But to create upgraded Sigils, he had to refine genuine demonic essence.
"You never learned that?" She sounded astonished. "You're a demonic cultivator, yet you lack the most basic skill?"
"That's why I'm asking you." He reminded her of the vague backstory: a cultivator had implanted these rituals in his mind—he'd had no teacher. "I only know how to fight with what was given."
Ris shook her head, baffled. "So the information you got... didn't it include absorbing essence?"
"Apparently not." He shrugged. "I had no reason to doubt him. I was lower than nothing then."
"Alright, I'll show you. It's really straightforward." She lowered herself to sit on the fleshy ground, motioning for him to do the sa. "Close your eyes."
He complied while Zul took note of her instructions, clarifying any complexities.
"Essence exists everywhere," she began. "Afloria's essence is gentler, so humans, demons, animals, and plants can all absorb it more easily. Zulmasharr, though, holds chaotic, more potent essence—demonic essence. Demons have bodies that withstand it to a point, but not fully, hence their grotesque forms."
He listened intently, feeling like a whole new world was opening to him.
[Discovered Demonic Essence!]
[Reward: 5 Demon Points!]
At last, he grasped it, letting a thin trickle of red, chaotic energy seep into his body. Though slight, it felt heavy with power. The mont it entered, his wings shuddered and his body convulsed. A trickle of blood slid from his nose.
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