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Land of Demons 101
Eon brought his blades together, forming a single whole. A black sphere flashed in front of their joined tips. Its pull was so strong that the layers of earth that had been scattered everywhere by their first clash rose and flew toward the sphere of darkness. As soon as they touched it, they were reduced to dust, feeding the Spirit Knight’s Technique. Behind him, his Spirit screamed furiously. It fed its power to Mrax, making his Technique several times stronger.The cabin boy almost passed out when he sensed the Technique’s power. Without a doubt, this Spirit Knight would be able to destroy their entire ship and crew with just this one attack.“Monsters...” the boy whispered. “They really do exist.”“Just keep looking,” the pirate officer repeated with a snort.They continued to watch the two swordsmen fight in stunned silence.When the sphere reached a diameter of several feet, the Spirit Knight launched it at his foe with a roar of rage. It tore off his blades and flew with incredi
Land of Demons 102
“That’s why I’m helping you. Only people like you can protect us from evil. That’s why I’m glad to help you. You might be the one to die in order to save my field one day.”Hadjar smiled again. He liked this simple logic.“Whoa! Whoa, you stupid nag!”He pulled on the reins and stopped his horse in the middle of the fork in the road. It began to nibble at the grass growing there.“That’s all, traveler. I can’t take you any farther. I have to go to the village market.”Hadjar nodded and jumped down from the cart. He’d left a leather wallet among the vegetables. It contained a hundred Imperial coins. With that amount, the old man could buy a herd of horses and twenty excellent, new carts. Although, Hadjar figured he would probably give the money away instead, to the other villagers who also needed something. When it came to mortals, the only way for them to survive was to help and support each other. By the Evening Stars, the world of martial arts lacked that sort of wonderful unity.“T
Land of Demons 103
He’d heard about Lord Mancey. Everything he’d heard about this great man had only engendered a feeling of deep respect.“Who are you, young man?” The Lord’s voice boomed. “And why are you stirring up trouble near my fort?”“I beg your pardon, honorable General,” Hadjar bowed even lower. “The long trip here has thrown my nerves into disarray.”Hadjar took the letter out of his spatial ring. As soon as the General saw the seal belonging to Mentor Orune, the expression on his face changed.“Are you a disciple of his?” He asked.“No,” Hadjar decided to add that he might soon become one, however.“That’s good,” the General nodded. “If you’d told me you were, I would’ve killed you immediately.”“Why?” Hadjar asked in surprise.“Old Orune never takes anyone as a disciple,” the Lord snorted. “He refused even my own son! His sworn nephew! However, that doesn’t matter right now, come on in. We have a lot to discuss.”Magnificent Flower disappeared into Frederick’s spatial artifact, he gave a br
Land of Demons 104
What would he be if he told everyone the secrets he shared with other humans and… nonhumans?“I respect your principles,” Frederick finally nodded. “Now I see why Orune chose you.”With that, the General rose and went over to the portrait of the Emperor. Standing in front of it, he bowed deeply, and then took out a golden medallion from beneath the collar of his rich robes. Whispering something and imbuing the artifact with his power, the General pressed it against the corner of the portrait’s frame. The picture burst into a multicolored flame, which soon disappeared. Beyond it was a niche that contained a very ancient scroll. He picked it up carefully and moved away from the wall. As soon as he did so, the picture returned to its original place, hiding the empty niche once more.Hadjar was shocked. If the General had kept the scroll in a magic safe, not even trusting his own spatial artifact, the value of this treasure would be difficult to overestimate.Returning to the table, Frede
Land of Demons 1
In a hollow, hidden from the eyes of the sky pirates by overhanging trees, lay a man. His worn-out and patched clothes had turned into tattered, dirty rags at this point. Every inch of him was covered in blood or terrible wounds. His breathing was irregular. With each breath he took, an unnatural, painful whistle could be heard. Even an unskilled healer would’ve immediately known that his ribs were broken and his lungs had been punctured. He let out a soft groan. Every movement he made and every breath he took caused him terrible pain. Despite the fact he was a mid-stage Heaven Soldier, it was hard to imagine that anyone could’ve survived such a fall.A tiger cub crawled out from the remnants of his shirt. She stretched, yawned, and looked at the poor man. The little tigress cocked her head to one side and let out a low growl. Streams of blue-white energy swirled around her. Flashes of blue fire and white lightning bolts could be seen within them. Suddenly, the vortex of power contrac
Land of Demons 2
She was gesturing toward the path that led into the forest. At first, Derek and the brunette didn’t understand what their friend was pointing at. But, a moment later, they grabbed their weapons and jumped out of the carriage. As soon as the door opened, the six horses stopped and energy shields flashed around the carriage. Magic hieroglyphs and runes swirled over its roof. The light they radiated thickened and covered the trio. The girls both held whips in their hands. Energy that was as red as blood flowed through their weapons. Derek, armed with daggers, clenched a long needle between his teeth. It was an artifact given to him by his father. It could launch an attack equal to that of a peak Spirit Knight’s.“By the demons and gods!” The white-haired girl gasped. “It’s an Ancient Beast!”“What’s a monster like that doing so close to the Darnassian border?”The girls looked at their friend, but said nothing.“And why isn’t it attacking us?” Derek added.The tigress that radiated the a
Land of Demons 3
Gently lifting the man’s head, she pinched his nose and poured the medicine into his mouth.A second later, the wounded man gulped it all down instinctively. He jerked and then stilled. His breathing gradually steadied, and the wound on his chest began to disappear. His bones creaked as they popped back into place, and the pained whistling turned into steady breathing.“Crisis averted,” Alea wiped the sweat from her forehead.“Do you really think it-”A low growl interrupted Derek. The tigress, after glaring at the young man, turned back to Alea.“Seems like it does understand us,” Derek whispered, his face suddenly pale.“We have to take him to Fort Boltoy,” Alea continued, “Otherwise, I’m afraid he’ll die from the injuries that have been inflicted on his energy body. I can maintain his meridians and nodes for some time, but he needs more help than I can give him.”The trio stared at the tigress. She lay on the ground for a while, and then, rising, she growled and covered the thirty
Land of Demons 4
“You’re right,” she agreed. “That’s strange. However, consider this: no spy would ever ride an Ancient Beast. Besides, have you ever seen such a monster be tamed by a Heaven Soldier?”Derek had heard rumors that, in the very center of their vast country, the eldest heirs of the great clans of the Lascanian Empire and their parents had entire menageries of Ancient Beasts. Here in the outskirts, however… Regardless, only a Lord could tame an Ancient Beast, and Derek had never even seen a Lord in his life. The head of their school, the strongest man in the Barony, was a peak Spirit Knight.“Maybe-”Derek didn’t get to finish speaking. He was interrupted by Irma’s cry.“Look! Boltoy!”Among the rocky hills covered with golden grass, at the mouth of a dried up river, an ancient fort stood on a high hill. It might have been surrounded by a deep river once, but these days, the massive bridge that spanned the banks looked like a relic of the past. A winding path led to the second gate, woundi