[???]
In a battle to the death, what is needed in order to win? Strangely enough, that is a question Asmodai was asking himself as his body was flung high into the air like a ragdoll. So as gravity quickly took hold, letting his body fall, he glazed over that particular question.
He spent long years honing himself to perfection. Improving his magical and physical capabilities. Eventually, he was noticed by his superior and granted a place at his side. To reclaim what was once theirs. But barring that, Asmodai saw himself as intelligent.
Someone who could analyze things at a glance and figure out the best outcome. He excelled in all that; he thrived in battle. He enjoyed it, but he found himself asking yet another question.
What matters in the face of overwhelming power?
That question sat at the tip of his mind as the masked boy suddenly appeared in the air above. That eerie grin on the mask almost gleamed as his face was taken by the masked boy with a vice-like grip.
Instantly, the descent that was once slow became fast, bucking the expectations of gravity and defying the laws of nature.
Asmodai's eyes widened as his fall gained considerable speed, causing the world around him to blur in a frenzy. The wind roared in his ears, exerting a powerful force that assaulted his head and cloak, tugging at the fabric of his being.
Under him, the lush green expanse of a dense forest emerged, beckoning. The trees stretched their arms to the sky, their leaves shimmering. Asmodai hurtled toward the canopy, breathless, as the forest embraced him with its earthy fragrance, a tantalizing mix of petrichor, moss, and wild flowers.
Branches brushed and snapped against the fabric of Asmodai's cloak, slowing his descent in a collection of sounds. A symphony of nature enveloped him—a chorus of chirping crickets, the barks of frightened creatures, and the gentle sway of the forest's denizens disturbed by the sudden intrusion.
Finally, with an explosive spray of leaves and undergrowth, Asmodai's descent was arrested as his body crashed onto the forest floor. The echo of the impact reverberated through the trees, silencing the orchestra of nature momentarily before it resumed its harmonious sound.
Lying among the scattered debris, Asmodai fought against the daze that gripped him. Dirt clung to his clothes, and scratches and bruises adorned his skin like battle scars.
"Apologies." The masked boy spoke, his voice smooth and oddly soothing despite the destruction. Asmodai's vision focused on him, the masked was suddenly standing much further and not a speck of dust on his form despite the violent defiance he initiated. "See, I'm just curious as to how far I can go with my physical abilities." The boy explained, Asmodai blinked, and suddenly the boy's position changed.
Leisurely leaning against a tree, Mikoto continued.
"See, I always knew I was strong, but never how strong." He started as he stared at Asmodai with those hollow eyes in his mask. "But considering I'm having zero trouble with you, I'm guessing I'm pretty strong." An apparent vein bulged on Asmodai's head as he stood up from the ground, his pride having taken a hit.
"Do not underestimate me. I am not finished yet." Asmodai warned, his glare growing sharper.
Suddenly, a surge of mana roared through the air, and a massive pillar of black fire erupted beneath Mikoto. Flames roared and twisted, reaching towards the skies like the fingers of a damned soul. The heat was palpable, shimmering and distorting the surroundings. Surrounding trees burned away without resistance as the large pillar of fire raged on.
To Asmodai's surprise, as the pillar of darkness raged around him, its heat licking at Mikoto's clothes, not even a single thread began to singe.
Asmodai scowled, a flicker of doubt passed through his eyes, quickly replaced by a raging annoyance. He dismissed the burning pillar with a wave of his hand, a swirling vortex of fire closing into itself, extinguishing the fire.
("He remains untouched"?) Confusion settled in quickly; the demon had not even taken note of any defensive spell being invoked. ("A mere fluke!") He reasoned.
In the absence of the dark flames, a cold chill settled upon the clearing. Asmodai, undeterred by his initial failure, drew upon another wellspring of magical energy. Raising his bony fingers high above his head, he summoned a vast wave of crystalline ice. It rose, growing in intensity and size until it seemed to blot out the very moon with its freezing presence.
With a swift motion, Asmodai directed the icy torrent towards Mikoto. The wave rushed towards its target, shards of ice spinning and twisting through the air. But as the torrent drew perilously close, Mikoto raised his right hand leisurely as if there was no threat at all.
Suddenly, a surge of power that cracked the air, distorting it with a high-pressure force. Mikoto's fingers moved in a blur, channeling his mana into a single dramatic action. With a gesture of his hand, the intense pressure he generated collided with the approaching wave of ice.
The ice shattered into fragments, falling down like raindrops. The force of the pressure wave turned the ground beneath them into a frenzied tempest of soil and foliage. Trees creaked and groaned as they were uprooted, their trunks splintering under the force.
Mikoto stood unflinching. His clothes remained untouched, devoid of even a speck of ice. His blood-red eyes glinted behind his mask, a gaze that sent shivers down Asmodai's spine.
"Fine then, my turn." Asmodai's body tensed as Mikoto vanished from his position and reappeared before Asmodai in the blink of an eye. The air warped and shimmered around him, with the velocity of his movement.
Before Asmodai could react, Mikoto's fist shot forward, aimed unerringly at his stomach. The impact was cataclysmic, a collision of pure force. Time seemed to slow as Mikoto's fist connected with Asmodai's abdomen. The crack of bone and the rush of air being expelled echoed through the forest.
Asmodai's body contorted, and his features twisted in agony. The punch sent him hurtling through the air with bone-shattering force. The ground beneath him trembled, unable to bear the strain of the impact. Trees snapped like twigs as Asmodai's body plowed through their trunks, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.
As Asmodai soared through the air, a bewildering mix of pain and disorientation consumed him. But before he could come to grip with this newfound flight, Mikoto appeared once again, his lithe figure materializing in an instant. He seized Asmodai by the ankle with a grip fueled by that absurd strength.
With an effortless motion, Mikoto launched Asmodai high into the sky, his body a mere plaything in the palm of the boy's hand. The world span crazily below Asmodai, who could only watch as the ground disappeared beneath him.
Mikoto reappeared once again, now above his disoriented adversary. His fist blazed with power as it hurtled towards Asmodai, descending like a God's retribution. The force of the blow upon Asmodai's already damaged form was titanic, crashing into him with the accumulated energy of a bomb.
The ground heaved and fractured beneath Asmodai's body, splitting open in gaping ravines. The thunderous shockwave rippled through the air, uprooting trees and showering the surroundings with debris. The ground cratered, leaving a scar on the once serene forest floor.
Slowly, almost gracefully, Asmodai descended back to the ground, his body battered and broken. He lay amidst the pulverized earth, his figure barely recognizable amid the devastation he had wrought.
"Oh, my bad." Mikoto murmured as he gracefully landed on the destroyed ground. "It just occurred to me that I haven't actually used an actual spell." The boy mused as Asmodai's broken form barely managed to stand up.
"What are you!?" The demon demanded, and Mikoto shrugged.
"Just an ordinary boy..." He muttered as his feet slowly left the ground, his body ascending into the air as he stared at Asmodai. "You see, my friend, you get to be the guinea pig for my very own unique spell."
Asmodai slowly backed away as Mikoto smiled beneath his mask.
"I'll show you...the pinnacle of magic."
Asmodai trembled, his weakened body shakily trying to find its footing amidst the wreckage. His blood-red eyes flickered with fear as he slowly pushed back on the shattered ground. Blood oozed from various wounds, staining his dark cloak.
As the boy prepared for his next spell, the forest itself seemed to respond. Enormous circular glyphs began to materialize around Mikoto, expanding and weaving together through the dense area. The air hummed with mana as the mountain sized glyphs flickered with bright luminescence.
Mikoto began to utter his chant, "Though I shall be thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, this shall be your ultimate defeat!"
As the final word left his lips, an immense surge of magic erupted from Mikoto, coalescing into an unfathomable pillar of pure light and mana. It shot upward into the sky, tearing at the fabric of reality itself. The forest groaned and creaked under the strain, as if nature itself recognized the cataclysmic power that was being unleashed.
The pillar of destruction pulsed with an intensity that defied comprehension. It bathed the surroundings in a blinding light, eradicating all traces of shadow. The earth trembled beneath the unbearable weight of the spell, collapsing and sinking into an abyss. Trees, rocks, and even the air itself seemed to dissolve under its withering gaze, the very atoms unraveling.
The pure light destroyed all it touched.
Nothing was spared from this destruction.
The trees, the rivers, the animals even the air.
This attack was meant to kill.
The light beam eventually waned, its incandescent light revealing itself as nothing more than merciless annihilation, the true extent of the devastation became readily apparent. A staggeringly enormous and deep hole gaped in the heart of the forest, a chasm that seemed to defy the laws of nature. Its edges crumbled and disintegrated, casting off sparks and remnants of the destructive spell that had consumed everything in its path.
Amidst the wreckage, Mikoto descended gracefully from the skies, his black hair shimmering in the aftermath of his power.
The forest now stood in ruins, its laws shattered by the devastating spell.
Mikoto whistled, impressed, at the enormous hole his spell left.
"First time I used glyphs and a chant." He hummed as he turned away from the scene of the destruction. Such a large and flashy spell was probably not really necessary, but he wanted to test himself. Mikoto raised a hand to his mask before he removed it. He released a sigh as his form shifted into its original state.
"And that concludes today's experiment!" He stretched his arms as he enjoyed the forest, or what was left of it anyhow. Wearing the mask all day was such a huge pain; precious few were the moments he could actually remove it.
His rosy lips curled into a smirk, "I'm pretty strong, huh?" He gave a smug smile, that looked much too cute to be considered smug. "Damn, I'm so cool."
"Ah shit!" He suddenly cursed. He forgot what his original goal was supposed to be. Slipping his mask back on, he heaved another sigh.
He was just so caught up in the moment that he had forgotten about the wards.
This may prove troublesome.
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The Headmaster, the spawn of Octavia, and maybe the Gregory's and the princess. Those were the only true notable threats their Lord warned them of.
Nybbas grinned with an injured Asmodai beneath his arm as he overlooked the large and partially destroyed Luminare Academy.
"Kukuku, I thought there were only a few humans here worth my time, but that masked one." That level of destruction was simply otherworldly; it was immaculate. "And he even managed to do this to dear Asmodai." He murmured as he threw his unconscious demon brethren a glance.
He managed to retrieve him just a split second before that devastating spell was launched.
"Well, it is our loss today, I suppose." Nybbas admitted to no one in particular. All the demons that invaded the academy were put down, and the wards that protected the academy were back up. So they would have to retreat for now, which was a shame. He was rather looking forward to more fun.
"Oh well, there's always next time."