Four demon scholars, three demons—except for the flayer demon, which didn’t fight and was naturally banished, Aiwass claid all their experience.
Though less potent than the malford demon or the assassin lady, the sheer quantity—140 points—pushed his reserve past 500.
His natural leveling pace aligned with his advancent cooldown, so he didn’t need experience to boost levels yet. Forced leveling was hollow, raising Path tiers without corresponding knowledge.
When his tier rose and leveling slowed, he’d use this reserve to bridge the gap. Balancing two Paths was necessary to maintain Nurturing, unlike Isabel and Lily, who followed single Paths, or Sherlock, whose Authority Path had stalled, effectively single-Path too.
Their talents drove rapid advancent, and Aiwass’s stored experience would offset the ti lag.
The Butterfly of Paradoxical Fla reverted to companion form, a plain fla butterfly landing on his shoulder.
Aiwass touched its fiery wing, feeling warm silk, like skin through a nightgown, not burning.
“You’re pretty smart…”
No need to micromanage you.
He murmured, pulling out the blood-red apple, taking a bite, and offering so to the Butterfly.
After the leader’s death, the lingering curse ended, but the wounds remained. One bite, and his bleeding gashes healed visibly.
The blade demon’s stubbornness, eating every chanic, was impressive—its durability kept it alive longer than expected. An iron hook demon would’ve fallen mid-Guided Fla Stream, though it might’ve dodged.
The blade demon’s head-on approach, used to overpowering with toughness, underestimated the Butterfly’s damage.
Aiwass was pleasantly surprised by the Butterfly’s combat intelligence. Despite no prior battles, its actions were flawless.
Initially, he thought its Guided Fla Stream pushing back the blade demon was luck. When it used Butterfly Ember to heal, he worried it’d be one-shot while recovering.
As a fla entity, the Butterfly was immune to paralysis. Butterfly Ember, a level-fifty ability, activated at one-third health, marking phase two. It healed steadily in its resting state but risked a counter if rushed.
Proper chanic handling led to phase three—Fire teor, targeting the lowest-health enemy with three dashes, leaving scorching trails. Missing all three triggered weakness; hitting at least one granted three more dashes until three consecutive misses.
The blade demon’s slash dropped the Butterfly to half health, startling Aiwass. He feared a follow-up would kill it during Butterfly Ember, prompting thoughts of detonating it.
But the Butterfly’s instincts shone. Instead of countering post-hit, it proactively ended Butterfly Ember, using the fla burst’s knockback to interrupt and blast the demon away.
Before it landed, the Butterfly unleashed Doomsday Ray—three beams per remaining wing, a full-area attack.
Normally, players broke two wings to trigger a controlled frenzy—six beams sweeping once, dodgeable with decent positioning, taking one or two hits at most.
The Butterfly, however, focused all twelve beams on the blade demon, landing every hit!
Surviving all that with a sliver of health? Impressive.
Worthy of a Great Sin Brand demon—lacking special abilities but incredibly tough and damaging, nearly one-shotting the Butterfly.
Their deaths were valuable, revealing the Butterfly’s strength as a summoned beast, not a dungeon boss.
Fed once via Nurturing, it was level 30, barely fourth-tier. The blade demon, typically level 29, was durable but outclassed. The Butterfly was fragile but lethal.
A well-tid Doomsday Ray could kill a fourth-tier transcendent if half the beams hit, costing just five mana daily—a bargain.
Fire teor didn’t require low health. At full health, Aiwass could order a charge and self-destruct, another viable tactic.
He’d used two fla butterflies: high-temperature and dispel. Their power matched a mage with two levels of fire affinity or a priest’s five-mana undead dispel—standard but with strong chanics.
Four effect options, instantly cast without drawing cards, were a boon. Downsides: slow flight, walking speed, and vulnerability to interception.
But they flew for a minute, could turn, and were subtle, not triggering transcendent danger senses until detonation. Auto-targeting and recall options let Aiwass prevent misfires, making them versatile.
A cross-version ability, indeed.
Aiwass was delighted.
“See that, Shadow Demon?” he said, half-bragging, half-teasing. “Little Butterfly’s strong, huh?”
“Very strong. Still juvenile, but impressive…” the shadow demon erged, Chloe’s honeyed voice tinged with mock sulkiness. “Once it matures, you won’t need , will you?”
“No way, we’re partners. How could I abandon you?” Aiwass grinned, tucking the Butterfly into his sleeve. “Look, it’s our turn to fight next.”
He turned, ordering, “Lily, clean up the rituals. Shadow Demon, leave your traces inside. That fight was loud; we need to move.”
“To what extent?” the shadow demon asked, serious.
Aiwass didn’t answer directly, weaving a story: “Alastair lurked in the shadows, trailing the four to 14 Ronin Street. Seeing use my trump card to wipe them out, it sneaked inside. As I relaxed, healing with Ember Ritual, it struck, knocking out and abducting —that level of traces.”
“Got it,” the shadow demon replied. “Two minutes.”
Aiwass’s request was complex but precise.
“Take three,” Aiwass said, leaning against the doorway with a playful smile. “Good work, Shadow Demon.”
(Chapter End)
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