BAM!!
The dark elf collided with the door, shattering it upon impact, and was hurled into the sitting room. The hobgoblins, who had been milling about, turned to their leader, their eyes wide with surprise.
"Boss got hit! Who hit the boss?!"
"Kill the enemy!!"
[In the room.]
"Aaron?" Aurora murmured, her voice barely a whisper.
Aaron turned to her, a reassuring smile gracing his lips. "I succeeded, Mum. From now onward, no one will mess with us or look down on us."
Aurora nodded, her eyes welling with tears as she embraced him. "You don't know how scared I was."
Aaron smiled, returning the hug. 'In all my lifetimes, I met the most caring mother in my fifth. I'll make sure to cherish you until the end. But first...'
He gently broke the embrace and walked towards Lilly, who lay unconscious on the ground. He knelt beside her and touched her forehead.
"Her Sid energy is slipping away. Whatever that bastard did destroyed her Meridian."
Just as monsters possessed cores, the center of their power, the races had Meridians, which served the same purpose. Once a Meridian was destroyed, the individual became as powerless as a newborn, regardless of their previous realm.
"Thank goodness I know how to repair Meridians," he murmured, infusing his Demonic energy into her body.
Lilly's pallid complexion gradually regained its color and vitality.
"She'll be okay, Mum. Leave everything to me," he said, rising to his feet and walking towards the shattered doorway.
"Did he just repair her Meridian? That can only be done by a Supreme Realm," Aurora whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"I have a code," Aaron said as he stepped into the sitting room, his gaze sweeping over the twenty hobgoblins. "If you attack me, I might forgive you. But... if you attack my family... even the gods will beg for mercy."
"What is this boy saying?"
"Let's kill him!"
"Yes! He's the one who attacked the boss."
"Does anyone feel his Sid energy?"
"This kid doesn't even have Sid energy."
"Kneel," Aaron commanded, his voice resonating with an otherworldly authority. An oppressive pressure descended upon the sitting room, forcing all the hobgoblins to their knees.
"What is this?!"
"This kid!!"
Aaron extended his palm towards them and clenched his fist. The next moment, blood erupted from each hobgoblin, coalescing into his hand.
"Haaaaaaa!!!!"
In a matter of seconds, the hobgoblins were reduced to emaciated husks, collapsing onto the ground.
"Pathetic," Aaron muttered, stepping over their lifeless bodies and advancing towards the dark elf, who was retreating.
"You!" the dark elf hissed.
Aaron continued his advance, following the elf out of the house. He finally halted, his gaze sweeping over the ravaged village. The sight of the burning buildings and the lifeless bodies of both monsters and villagers fueled his anger.
BOOM!!
Thunder roared above them, and a dark storm engulfed the sky.
"This? Power to control the weather?! What realm is this kid?" the dark elf muttered, his eyes wide with fear.
Aaron activated the spell Alter had given him. Huge, dark wings sprouted from his back, and he ascended into the air.
"Huh?"
The hobgoblins looked up at the boy, who hovered beneath the dark clouds, dark energy radiating from his body and spreading across the village.
"Who is that?!"
"What the hell?!"
"Run!!"
"Die!" Aaron commanded.
Crimson lightning bolts descended from the sky, striking the village below and obliterating countless hobgoblins.
"Run!!"
"He's a god! Not an elf!!"
"Shit! The king will have my head," the dark elf hissed, watching as his army was decimated by the lightning strikes. He yelled, "Retreat!!"
"Did I ask you to leave?!" Aaron's voice echoed across the ravaged village.
The next moment, the sky ripped open, and countless red swords materialized, slowly descending.
"What are those?!"
The hobgoblins looked up at the sky, their eyes wide with horror as they saw the array of red swords.
"Drop, leave no one alive," Aaron commanded.
Whoosh!!
The swords plummeted, impaling the hobgoblins, leaving no one alive.
"No!!"
The dark elf screamed in horror as his army was annihilated. The swords were relentless, unerringly striking their targets with deadly precision.
"This kid is a monster. I must take him down," the dark elf muttered, channeling his Demonic energy into his fist.
"Stop this if you dare!!" he yelled, unleashing a powerful fist of demonic energy towards Aaron.
Aaron turned his gaze to the fist and casually extended his hand.
"What is he doing? What?!" the dark elf whispered in disbelief.
He watched as his fist shattered into countless particles, which flowed into Aaron's outstretched hand.
"Thanks for the energy," Aaron said with a grin.
"Impossible! Only the late Demon King's brother could do this... Wait! Has he used the ruby?! Shit! I need to get out of here!"
He turned and fled, abandoning his dwindling army.
BAM!!
"Where are you going?!" Aaron's voice echoed.
Diamond, in her massive form, landed in front of the dark elf, followed by Protean, who had transformed into his skeletal form, his broadsword dripping with black blood.
"You fools! Get out of my way!!" the dark elf yelled.
"When my master was asleep, I couldn't use my full powers, but now..." Protean's red eyes glowed brightly.
"My master now has infinite powers, and I can draw that power!!"
BOOM!!
He lunged towards the dark elf.
"I'll make you pay for the destruction you caused!!"
"You can't stop me!!" the dark elf yelled, summoning his sword and clashing with Protean. He was sent flying backward, landing heavily on his feet.
"What the?" he muttered, staring at Protean in shock.
"Drawing his master's powers made him stronger than even a Cursed Demon! How powerful is that kid?" he turned his head to Aaron, who hovered in the sky, watching them.
"Die!!"
He turned around, only to find Protean standing before him.
BAM!!
He was sent crashing into the ground, coughing up black blood.
"Come here," Aaron's voice echoed across the village.
An invisible force lifted the dark elf into the air, pulling him towards Aaron.
"You!!" he hissed, staring at Aaron's crimson eyes.
"You think you are powerful? I'll send your head to your king and tell him that after I'm done with all those fools in the forest, he'll be next."
"You, ahhhh!!!" the elf screamed in agony as his skin began to peel away, revealing the raw flesh beneath.
"For hurting my mum and sis, I'll make sure you have nobody left," Aaron said, as more skin peeled from the dark elf's body.
"What realm are you in?" the elf asked, his voice strained.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know."
"Ahhhhh!!!!"
The dark elf fainted, only to be jolted awake by the searing pain.
"Goodbye."
A massive sword materialized above his head and plunged down, obliterating his body, leaving only his head intact.
Aaron waved his hand, and a huge black bird materialized out of thin air. With a command, it snatched the head in its talons and flew towards the Demon Kingdom.
He then looked down at the burning village and waved his hand again. The flames were extinguished, and the destroyed buildings began to reconstruct themselves, transforming the village into an even more beautiful and expansive settlement.
"Master!" Protean knelt, his eyes fixed on Aaron.
"Snow is injured. Can you help her?" Aaron asked.
Aaron closed his eyes, extending his energy across the village to locate Snow. He vanished.
"What the?" Protean muttered, stunned.
"This? This is beyond the power of a Supreme," Diamond whispered in shock.
"True, when I tapped into his powers, I almost exploded myself... The energy in my master is beyond that of this world," Protean said. He looked to the side, spotting the dark elf's core.
"What a find," he murmured, picking it up and swallowing it. He then transformed into the dark elf's form.
"Nice! This body will be able to use more powers from my master," he said, and Diamond nodded.
Aaron reappeared before Snow, who lay on the ground, a deep gash marring her neck.
"You might have been injured when your master was attacked. Without that, there is no way you would still be alive with this injury," he said, placing his hand on the wound.
In a second, he removed his hand. Snow opened her eyes and bowed, expressing her gratitude.
"It's okay. Go now... My sister needs you beside her."
Snow nodded and took flight.
Aaron closed his eyes and said, "Villagers, return to the village. I have a reward for all of you... I'm your new king, Aaron." He reopened his eyes.
"My grandparents' powers are OP!" he declared, soaring towards the village.
[Ten miles from the village.]
The surviving villagers had sought refuge in the mountains, hiding from the hobgoblins.
"Cough! Did you all hear that?" Chief Egon asked, his chest bearing a deep slash wound.
"Calm down, Chief. How are we sure it's not a trap, and who is Aaron?" a man holding a bow asked.
"He's the kid I told you about, Dad," Vince announced.
"Is he the one?" the Archer asked, looking at Egon.
"Yes, there is something I haven't told you all. Cough!"
"What is it?" they asked, gathering around him.
"Aaron is the son of our late Prince, Lucian."
"WHAT??!!" they exclaimed in shock.