23 Blue's Essence

The darkness never faded, bolts of lightning shots exploded the skies. Don observed the middle class demon whizzing over the buildings like a plane, the demon's eyes searched the dead streets.

While Don remained unseen, lurking on the alleyway, he breathed hard, he sat on the ground with his legs crosses, he rested his face upon his arm. It was his usual position when he forced his mind to think, recollecting himself.

He tapped his trousers and counted his throwing knives with his fingers, three knives were left it seems, and he still had enough mana to do the job. He could only swap with his knife once every cast, thus he had to conserve his knife as well.

It would be pathetic for him to just to ran around without at least dealing a huge blow. When he reviewed his spells, he knew he had no spells that could shoot energy beams directly. Most of his spells were traps and tricks, which he smiled when an idea struck his head.

His bolt swap and electric trap would be enough to deal a heavy damage upon the demon. His electric trap was a spell that if casted upon a ground, it will cover a surface circularly with two meters in diameter, when one steps upon the trap it will capture the enemy. However it won't really deal much damage, even a human would be somewhat unharmed since it will only stun its opponents.

However, Don concluded it will be enough, he ran around the place to apply some traps, as he sneakily ran on the sides of the streets he eyed one of the tallest buildings.

He continued pacing to it while hiding when the cloaked demon came into view. The demon darted to and fro like a fly above the buildings, it was kinda getting annoying. Yet he pushed himself to enter a building then made his way to the roof, he could throw any object and teleport to the roof but he'd like to conserve his mana, since every swap counts.

When he reached the roof of a high building, he crouched and had his hands touch the surface of the roof. "Electric trap!" A circular yellow glow was marked upon it, then it suddenly concealed itself as though it wasn't there.

"Bolt swap!" Said Don upon his knife, then hurled it close to the borders of the roof.

Then he descended by leaping over several steps of the stairs, he knew he had only thirty seconds to initiate his plan, so he must hurry. When he reached the streets fifteen seconds has passed, he looked upon the skies and there was no sign of the demon. "Tsk, just when I need him."

"Hey idiot, where are you!" He hollered, then it resounded through the streets.

He counted. "Tsk, nineteen seconds."

"Twenty seconds."

"Twenty one."

Don smiled in fear when he gazed just above him, the cloaked demon sat mightily upon his horse, it stood still on a dark tiny cloud. The demon's dark tinted cloak blended out well with the dark swirling stormy sky, that he almost mistook him as a shadow. The demon turned its hood towards him, sending a piercing stare.

"Where is the other human?" The demon said with his shrill voice. Dark mists wrapped around the demon, emanating an intimidating force upon Don. The demon's presence casted some dread upon his skin.

Don got startled and he strutted away, "Twenty six." He spoke in his head. "Damn there is no time."

The demon descended towards him, when it got close to the roof he was on earlier, Done smirked. And just in time it was twenty eight seconds, "Swap!" Don declared.

While on the streets Don turned into a knife, the demon got alarmed, moving his head to and fro as to seek him. Then when he turned his head to his right he saw Don on the rooftop, about to throw his knife.

Don fiercely made his throw, it swam on the air, and as it headed straight into the demon, the demon moved his head dodging it, it went by his shoulders.

"Swap!" Don said.

Don emerged in mid air close to the demon's back, he tapped the demon's left shoulder, up close to the demon, he felt the oozing chaotic air, he calmed himself and casted his spell.

The demon got alarmed, he swiveled his body to turn to Don, when both of their gazes met, the demon lunged his trident unto him. Yet Don quickly vanished again and only to be replaced by a knife.

The demon grunted, then he returned his eyes to the roof, and that's when he saw Don sprinting away.

Don panted heavily, his actions earlier had him muster a lot of courage, the demon's presence earlier contorted his stomach, he may not enjoy his dinner tonight. The demon seemed upset as his speed was now hastened. "What did you do human!" The demon spat.

Earlier, Don used a knife to teleport to the rooftop, then another to teleport to the demon's back, and another to return to the roof. He used up all three of his throwing knives, he was right now close to being powerless, when he stepped upon a certain surface, a circular outline with runes on its interior glowed and revealed itself. It sent sparks of electricity, crackling around Don's body, he sneered as he couldn't move a muscle. Piercing pain skittered upon him. It was the trap he laid earlier and now he got caught inside it.

The demon laughed haughtily. "Just when I thought you were a clever one, you're actually a fool." The demon rose his trident, then three dark balls swelled up on the air. "Heaven's end! Third judgement!" The demon casted, with a swing, the ferocious balls flew towards Don.

Don mustered a wide smirk, "Swap!" He said.

In a sudden, the demon and Don swapped locations, Don found himself on the mid air, he plummetted, and then rolled to smoothen the impact when he landed on the rooftop, he then fleed away, he recovered the knife he threw earlier. "Bolt swap!" And then dropped it to the streets. He could also apply boltswap to other objects, the larger the object, the more mana he will use.

The demon however got alarmed, "What the-?!" The sudden teleportation confused him, he sluggishly turned his head and when he gazed over his shoulders, the three balls were flying into his spot. "Damn it! I need to dodge this." When the demon lifted a muscle, electric sparks surged into his body and petrified him completely, he eyed the ground and saw a circular mark, which he presumed was the spell, petrifying him.

The three energy balls devoured the demon and his horse, heavy blasts engulfed the scene, Don swapped once again and emerged on the streets, evading the blast.

The spherical explosion expanded with a thunderous noise, crumbling the building from the top to the bottom, the building fell apart helplessly as rubbles got sent downwards, sending quakes on the vicinity. Thick clouds of dust billowed up, and Don fleed the tumultous scene.

What he did earlier was applying a bolt swap unto the demon, enabling him to exchange their positions, he nickered after seeing it was a success but there was a hint of doubt if it did the job, after all it was a middle class demon. He tried to muster some mana, his arm flickered in a faint yellow glow, and it went off eventually, only a drop of mana remained on his body it seems. His setup costed him a lot of mana.

The smoke have settled down, and only a mound of piles and rubbles remained. Exhaustion overtook Don's muscles, he sighed. In a sudden, the rubbles jolted, then out came the demon whose body released some steam.

Don's eyes widened. "Damn it, just as I thought."

The demon panted with his back hunched, he lost an arm as blood dripped upon his slump, his dark cloak were severely ripped, tattered to bits. Wounds and bruises riddled the demon's body, he wasn't in a good condition, however it seemed he could still fight. At least his horse was taken care of.

"How dare you human!" The demon hissed.

Don took some coin from his pocket, he wasn't comfortable on throwing other objects besides his knife but he had no choice, his knife was specifically designed to traverse its possible maximum distance with its aerodynamic shape. However, a blunder fell upon him when he felt his body was hollow as a vase, he almost had no mana.

Don prepared himself when the demon rose his trident over his head. The demon used his remaining arm with his trident and summoned three energy balls.

Just in time, Radmun's voice resounded from the alleyway. Don lifted his eyebrow, his torso swiveled and checked the alleyway on his right.

Radmun emerged from it, riding his familiar, he extended his hand on which Don quickly caught. Radmun pulled him up, inviting him to mount the bull, they then steered away from the demon.

Don sighed as he sat behind Radmun.

Radmun laughed cheekily. "So how about it Don, not even a small thank you?"

Don smiled satedly and crossed his arms. "I saved your ass many times, I owe you nothing."

Radmun chuckled. "Come on, don't be shy."

The demon retreated his energy balls into nothingness, he dropped his arm and gripped his trident tight, then his body were engulfed with dark energy, he dashed through the streets and pursued the two.

Don sensed it and turned his head, the demon dashed like a comet leaving a dark tail of smoke. "Radmun, we need to dodge!"

"We couldn't make it." Radmun said.

In a flash, a person from the sky came into sight and dropped kicked the demon, the demon got flattened upon the ground as Blue stood above him.

Don saw the scene, he patted Radmun's shoulders. "Stop, Radmun." He said.

Radmun complied and the bull grinded its hooves upon the road, halting their pace.

Don observed the scenes and tightened his stare upon the new character.

Blue stood atop the demon, he crouched and checked if the demon was still alive. "Hey, are you still there?" Blue said.

The demon popped its eyelids open, he stood back up and Blue leaped several meters away. The demon clasped upon his trident, his demonic face frowned from rage, he had crimson glowing iris reeking in violence and chaos. "How dare you step over me!" He hissed.

On the distance, Blue laughed menacingly. "Show me what you can do demon, I presume you're strong." He swung his arm to his side. "My name is Blue Soul Vampire, introducing myself means I acknowledge your strength."

The demon assessed him, his eyes then widened, his body shaken, his frown were wiped away and his face melted from fright. "Damn you! Who the hell are you!" The demon shrieked.

Blue smirked. "I don't need to reintroduce my---

"Shut your mouth!" The demon interrupted him as he staggered backwards. "Inside you, there's a frightening presence, I can peer through the souls of men and have seen many creatures and beasts. But inside you, something ominous, pure evil and chaos, is thriving inside you. It is beyond any beings I have ever saw, I loathed saying this but it can even rival the demon lord."

Blue sighed as he stared at the condition of the demon. "You bore me, and since you're not even at your strongest, I'll have to kill you."

The demon cowered in fear as his eyes laid upon Blue, he didn't put any stance and was rather distracted from the grim, turbelent and powerful presence reeking from Blue's body, but it was from a different being, somewhat seperate from Blue.

Blue dashed close to the frightened demon and plunged his nails upon the demon's throat.

The demon emmitted a choking noise, blood spew out from his mouth. Blue mercilessly pulled his fingers away letting the demon slump on the ground.

The demon coughed as his body weakened. "You, which side are you?"

Blue paused for a bit before he spoke. "Hmm, perhaps the light mage."

The demon snickered. "So you side with humanity, huh? Well then, prepare yourself because no matter how strong you are, five months from now, his highness will summon the upper demons and it will be your doom. Just to tell you, they are tens or even hundred times stronger than myself."

"Bring it on." Blue chuckled coldly. "And humanity? Don't get the wrong idea, I'm just siding with the girl for my own reasons." Blue aimed his arm upon the demon. "Now, I presume the otherworld is calling on you."

Blue shot his flames and the demon got roasted, the demon shrieked until he was incinerated to dust.