The wind howled through the trees behind the mountain, carrying with it omens of a storm. Dark clouds gathered in the heart of the forest, twisting into an ominous vortex from which a pillar of dark energy rose, a column piercing the leaden sky. Salson, his face etched with steely determination, broke the tense silence. "I will hold back Risbard," he declared, his voice grave, "you must eliminate the dark mage. If we fail… I dare not imagine the consequences."
Without waiting for a reply, he ventured into the woods, the rustling of leaves beneath his feet the only sound in that menacing place. He reached a clearing unexpectedly devoid of trees. In the center, still as a stone statue, Locren meditated, a swirling vortex of dark energy dancing around him like a shroud. Salson attempted to approach, but a shadow darted out lightning-fast, a golden spear seeking to pierce him. Only an instinctive reaction allowed him to draw Fendi Montagne at the last moment, parrying the blow with a metallic screech. The moonlight revealed his attacker: Risbard, his imposing figure protected by an enormous shield, the golden spear vibrating with menace.
"I warned you, boy," Risbard hissed, his face contorted in an expression of cold fury. "Now I will have no regrets about taking you down!"
From behind Risbard, Locren's voice, slimy and full of mockery, slithered into the air: "Risbard, be careful! That boy holds the power of a demonic regent; do not underestimate him!"
Risbard assumed a defensive stance, his shield raised in protection. Salson, with a swift gesture, tore the blindfold from his eyes, revealing his left pupil injected with a deep crimson, his demonic eye now active. In a flash, he lunged at Risbard, Fendi Montagne flashing to strike. But Risbard, with surprising readiness, intercepted the blow with his golden shield, a luminous aura expanding into a circular barrier around his body.
Simultaneously, from the edges of the clearing, Brihan and Sabrin launched themselves at Locren. The dark mage, without the slightest apparent effort, conjured two warriors made of pure dark energy, menacing figures who blocked their path.
Salson poured more power into his sword, the blade vibrating with a dark energy similar to that surrounding Locren. With a cry of effort, he shattered the golden barrier, and a tearing sound accompanied the clean cut that split Risbard's shield in half. But the warrior, with a mocking smile, spun his spear, assuming a new fighting stance.
Meanwhile, Locren murmured incomprehensible words, his shadow lengthening and contorting, a magic circle beginning to expand from its center.
Sabrin, with a battle cry, activated her Pink Sunburn, her sword enveloped in incandescent pink flames, and charged at the dark soldier. The automaton, with an unsettling coldness, parried every blow without the slightest difficulty. Sabrin found herself at a disadvantage; the construct did not attack first, making any attempt at an effective approach impossible. The same frustration gnawed at Brihan, whose agile Elf Dives shattered against the invisible barrier erected by his shadowy opponent.
The clash between Salson and Risbard was a whirlwind of blows and parries, metal screeching under the brutal force of their attacks. Risbard's golden artifacts partially withstood Fendi Montagne's strikes, but the dark blade seemed to erode their brilliance with each impact. Below them, Locren's magic circle continued to expand, licking the ground with a sinister aura.
Risbard, in a crucial moment, activated the special ability of his spear. A blinding white light enveloped the weapon, and his blows became even faster and more precise, putting Salson in serious difficulty. The boy, feeling the pressure mount, focused all his strength into his left arm and delivered a powerful blow that momentarily stunned Risbard. Seizing the opportunity of his opponent's hesitation, he lunged towards Locren.
But the dark mage let out a inhuman scream, a sound that vibrated the air, and countless black spikes, sharp as lances, began to emerge from the ground, impaling anyone nearby. Risbard, his eyes wide with horror, had not expected such an atrocity. "What are all these tentacles?!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief and disgust. "What do you need them for? Didn't you tell me you would absorb the natural energy of this place?!"
Locren smiled, a devilish grin twisting his face. "My dear naive fool, don't you understand?! Those tentacles are absorbing the life energy of people, killing them horribly. We, inside the magic circle, are safe, but outside… outside everyone is dying in an atrocious way, hahaha!"
Risbard's face darkened, his expression of rage mixed with a deep sense of betrayal. "All of this goes against justice! I will arrest you and take you to the emperor!"
Locren derided him with a shrill laugh. "All of this was willed by the emperor, don't you understand? I will summon the last two demonic regents and give their cores to the emperor, and I will use their power to kill that boy who stole the core of wrath from me!"
With a snap of his fingers, two explosions shook the air, throwing Brihan and Sabrin near Salson. A scepter formed from two intertwined dark rods materialized in Locren's hand. A beam of red energy shot towards Salson, but Risbard stepped in front, taking the blow instead. "I… believe in you," he whispered, before falling lifelessly to the ground.
At that moment, the rain began to fall, the drops shattering on the blood-soaked earth. The tentacles retreated into the ground, and the earth trembled. Two lightning bolts, one blue and one green, tore through the night sky, crashing down near Locren, who laughed hysterically. Two enormous figures materialized beside him.
One was female, with long, pale pink hair, grayish skin, and two eyes with azure pupils; she wore a black silk cloak and a dark dress that concealed her form. The other figure was male, imposing and larger than the female regent. Powerful muscles bulged beneath a kind of samurai armor, a single, gigantic green eye stared at the world, and a colossal greatsword was clutched in his hand.
"So you are the human who summoned Phimoral, the regent of wrath?" the female regent asked, her voice a chilling whisper. "I am Lerith, demonic regent of precision. Where is he? Is he dead?"
Locren bowed slightly. "I am sorry, my lady, but that boy with the demonic eye managed to defeat him and absorb his core."
The other regent grunted, his voice a thunderous rumble. "Phimoral defeated by a brat?! Impossible. I am Mophis, demonic regent of war. Only if I fight him will I believe this nonsense."
Our heroes prepared for battle. Immediately, Mophis lunged at Salson. The boy managed to parry the blow, but the force of the impact sent him flying into the air, and another slash sent him crashing into the heart of the forest. Before him, Mophis emanated a strange green aura. "You defeated Phimoral? Don't make me laugh!" he roared, raising his sword to deliver the final blow.
But Salson, with incredible speed, parried the attack. "Phimoral? I'm sorry, but now he's inside me," he replied, his voice hoarse. His left eye changed, becoming an intense blood-red; his aura, previously purple, now pulsed with a crimson hue, radiating a far greater power. "Now you'll see what true wrath is."
With a lightning-fast movement, he disengaged from Mophis and with a single, precise slash, cut the demon's sword in two, the broken blade falling to the ground and embedding itself in the earth. Mophis, surprised, focused mana into his arms and assumed a fighting stance, unleashing a series of incredibly fast punches at Salson. But the boy, with a swift dodge, avoided them all, managing to wound the demon's side.
"I really underestimated you, boy," Mophis admitted, a sliver of admiration in his guttural voice. "You are worthy of being a demonic regent, but now you will see my true power."
Countless portals opened in the air, spewing forth an endless horde of demons. "Come at me," Mophis roared, his imposing figure at the center of the chaos.
Lerith, meanwhile, observed Brihan with a cold curiosity. "May I kill him?" she asked Locren, her tone indifferent.
"Certainly, my lady," the dark mage agreed.
Immediately, Lerith darted towards the elf with surprising speed. From her back, black chains materialized, wrapping around Brihan from head to toe, throwing him far away against a cluster of trees. The elf got up, dazed. The area around his impact point had been completely enclosed by an intricate labyrinth of black chains, forming a kind of dome. Above him, Lerith watched him from above, like a predator with its prey. With a languid smile, she licked her face, and countless chains lunged at Brihan from every direction.
But the elf, exploiting his innate ability to manipulate light, which distinguished his race, agilely dodged every attack, running on the chains themselves to approach Lerith. He activated his Elf Dive, his blade seeking to strike the regent. Lerith protected herself using the chains as a shield, blocking Brihan's dagger, and with another lash of a chain, struck him in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground.
Brihan rose, focusing his aura into the dagger, and launched himself again at Lerith with lightning speed. She attacked him with a whirlwind of chains, but he managed to cut them with the blade enhanced by his energy. He was almost within striking distance, but Lerith defended herself once more with the chains. "It will take more than a small dagger to break my chains," she hissed, before five chains struck him simultaneously, making him collapse to the ground.
Sabrin stood before Locren, the only one capable of facing him at that moment. With fierce determination, she lunged at the dark mage, Pink Sunburn on her sword seeking to strike. Locren conjured two dark lances. Sabrin created pink flames beneath her feet, leaping agilely to avoid the attacks and landing lightly.
"You are not strong enough to defeat me, daughter of Saruth!" Locren sneered, his voice filled with contempt.
Sabrin's face contorted in an expression of rage. "I just need to become stronger! Pink Sunburn Awakened!" The heat around her increased dramatically, her body enveloped in incandescent pink flames. Beneath her feet, the ground began to burn, creating an area of intense heat. Four vertical black horns formed on her head, two small ones in front and two larger ones behind. "Am I strong enough now, in your opinion?" she asked, her voice now a fiery roar.
Salson was not surprised to see the horde of flying demons swooping down on him. He assumed a fighting stance. "Kill him immediately! He is the one who defeated Phimoral!" Mophis ordered his infernal troops. The demons launched their attack en masse, but Salson, with a single, precise slash of his sword, decapitated the entire horde, their lifeless bodies falling to the ground like broken puppets.
"Is that all you can do?" Salson asked, his voice calm in contrast to the surrounding chaos.
Mophis, furious, unleashed a powerful punch at Salson, who was thrown against the rocky face of the mountain. The demon jumped and landed on the boy, striking him repeatedly in the face with brutal blows. Salson stared at him with a murderous gaze and punched him in the stomach, sending Mophis crashing to the ground. The demon rose, slightly bruised.
"If it weren't for the fact that you absorbed Phimoral's core, who was the physically strongest regent…" Mophis growled, his voice filled with resentment. "Besides, that sword of yours is familiar. Phimoral told me that one of his lesser demons, who ruled a nation of monsters, was defeated by an unknown magical creature who possessed a sword capable of cutting anything and had incredibly high resistance. You are probably the heir of that person, and it is my duty to eliminate you."
"I don't know who he was," Salson replied, his voice as cold as the steel of his sword, "but if it's thanks to him that I have this weapon, I thank him, and I thank my master for leaving it to me."
Mophis charged his aura to the maximum, preparing to deliver the final blow. Salson did the same, and both lunged at each other. But Salson was faster, and with a precise slash, he cut through the demon's stomach and chest, the power of the blow creating an enormous chasm in the ground. In the end, Salson placed his foot on Mophis's head, and the demon's core emerged from his gigantic green eye. Salson took it and swallowed it, creating an immense pillar of green light that soared towards the sky.
Brihan got up, seeing the enormous column of green energy. "He did it! It's time for me to get serious too." He focused his energy again into the dagger, shaping its form until it transformed into a white bow with gold trim. He dashed forward, and Lerith hurled her chains at him again. Brihan used them as footholds, and when he was close enough to the regent, he loaded the bow with a powerful arrow of light and shot it. The arrow pierced Lerith's defensive chains, passing through her throat. The regent fell to the ground, and all the chains dissolved. Brihan took the core of the regent of precision from her forehead and teleported next to Salson. "I did it too! Here you go!" He handed Salson the last core, and when Salson absorbed it, an enormous pillar of white light formed. Now Salson's aura had reached an unimaginable level, and even he didn't quite know how to handle it. Brihan hoisted him onto his shoulder, and they teleported to Sabrin.
Sabrin stood before Locren, who backed away, conjuring an army of dark soldiers who lunged at her. The girl charged towards them, and simply by getting close, the soldiers burst into flames. Sabrin jumped onto nearby trees and, doing a backflip, charged her katana to the maximum and attacked Locren. The dark mage created a dark barrier, but the heat released by Pink Sunburn Awakened melted it, and Sabrin's katana decapitated Locren, ending his existence. The dark mage's body dissolved into ashes, leaving behind only a void of darkness.