"A demon? Are you sure?" John asked questioningly. He had run into a demon once in the Bloodfiend Sect, and this one was quite different in appearance. If anything, he would say it was closer in appearance to the nightmarish creature he had seen in Iris's visions, although it was far less terrifying. "This looks nothing like the demon I saw in the Bloodfiend Sect."
"Yes, I am sure," Laia replied with confidence. "Demons come in many shapes and sizes, but they are all equally terrifying. If I'm not mistaken, that Demon is a Darkfiend Demon, its name coming from the fact that its body naturally absorbs the surrounding light, plunging the land around it into darkness."
"I thought Demons are summoned from another world…so why is a Demon here?" John asked curiously.
"That I do not know. You are right. Demons exist elsewhere, not another world, but another…place," she replied, as if unable to find the right word. "They need to be summoned through a meticulous process, and that summoning process severely weakens them. They appeared in great numbers during the ancient calamity, and afterwards were hunted to extinction, as all they do is slaughter. If they slaughter and feed enough, they can return to full strength eventually and cause mayhem to the world," Laia fully explained the situation.
Her gaze shifted back into the darkness of the valley before them, unable to see the horrifying danger that lurked within anymore.
"This Demon must have survived the slaughter because it was protected by this realm. It still seems to not have recovered its full strength, something I'm sure this Dao Transformation trial has something to do with," Laia continued.
"Maybe it was put here by the Jade Dragon Empire to serve as a trial for the youths that enter the realm, and its recovery was restricted by the powerful formations surrounding this land," John mused out loud.
"Do demons have different cultivations than us?" John asked curiously.
"Yes. The place they come from has different rules than our world, including cultivation," Laia confirmed.
"So that's why it was hard to pinpoint its cultivation level," John mused once again. After thinking about the situation, a heated expression appeared on John's face as he peered into the darkness before them. Laia instantly noticed his gaze, and quickly stepped before him.
"I know that gaze of yours," she said with stern warning, "but do not be crazy just this once. Demons are not something to trifle with, and…"
Her eyes narrowed slightly as her gaze shifted to the side, studying the area around her. Those narrowed eyes widened as she realized the light was starting to slowly fade around them, and her gaze quickly snapped back into the depths of the darkness behind them.
"We need to run!" Laia said to John, whose eyes narrowed as she stepped forward, putting himself between her and the encroaching darkness.
"It's too late," John replied, "it's already noticed us."
Guttural laughter and powerful footsteps boomed out from within the thickening darkness, and soon the group found themselves standing within almost pitch blackness. Their divine senses spread out to their strongest state, washing over the Demon that now stood only several dozen yards away from them. Its terrifying aura flooded over them, like an omen of inevitable death.
"What do we have here?" the demon's deep voice boomed out, clearly amused by the developing situation. "It's been a long time since a human has entered these lands."
It sniffed the air deeply several times, like a dog smelling enticing, and its large mouth widened into a sinister smile, baring its razor sharp teeth.
"Both young…and with vibrant blood, especially you. You will make a fine meal," the demon said as it gazed at John, who could barely make out its features within the darkness. However, his divine sense revealed all, and his cold yet calm gaze stared back at the demon, surprising it slightly.
"I smell fear from the little girl behind you," the demon spoke up once more, "but from you I smell no fear at all. Interesting."
John reached backwards without looking and grabbed Laia's hand as he could feel her hastened breathing on the back of his neck. He gave her hand a light squeeze of reassurance, one that helped Laia seemingly calm down.
"Oh?" The Demon's deep voice boomed out once more as it sniffed the air several more times. "Her fear is now…gone. How interesting."
The Demon's words were clearly ones of amusement, as it did not consider either to be a threat to it. Its power was far beyond either of theirs, and knew both were at its mercy at this point.
Flash!
A flash of light appeared for a brief moment as Kirii materialized from John's soul space. The Demon's eyes lit up once more as it took note of Kirii, as if another enjoyable plaything had appeared.
"A Lightning Kirin?" the Demon said as its smile grew larger. "Today's feast will be the best I've had in a hundred thousand years."
Kirii stood before Laia per John's instructions, and the two started to shuffle backwards steadily. The Demon noticed their actions immediately, and its sinister smile grew once more as if it were watching prey attempting to flee from inevitable death.
"Futile!" the demon rumbled as it suddenly sped towards Laia and Kirii, completely ignoring John as if he didn't exist.
Roar!
A dragon-like roar of rage boomed out as John's aura exploded outwards and he arrived before the Demon in an instant. The Demon seemed to hesitate for the briefest of moments as its gaze shifted towards John, as if locked in fear.
Bang!
His clenched fist slammed against the Demon's face, whose body shot backwards like a meteor and slammed into the valley floor half a mile away. The valley splintered and nearby mountains crumbled from the force of the impact, shaking the land for dozens of miles in each direction.
The Demon quickly reappeared once more, and its wary gaze stared at John, as it were truly afraid. John's blood red eyes stared back with murderous intent, as he had unleashed his Asura Transformation.
"An Asura?" the Demon's shaky voice sounded out as it carefully inspected John. Its wary gaze slowly faded away as it studied John more and more.
"No…you're not an Asura, but you've somehow borrowed their power," the Demon said as its murderous aura exploded outwards with terrifying power.
"No wonder you smelled so delicious," the Demon said menacingly, its eyes greedy with desire. "Consuming you should restore me to my former power, at which point I can escape this fucking prison. Now die!"
