Chapter 23: Battle at the Temple of Diablos, in Hancer [2]

Chapter 23: Battle at the Temple of Diablos, in Hancer [2]

"Who are you?" Jorren asked, standing in his transformed state.

The blue flames represented the realm in which he was – The Death Walker realm.

Having completed his fourth trial, he had massacred five hundred people affected by the Devil's curse.

"Peasant, do you dare question me?" a devilish voice, significantly different from Daniel's usual tone, erupted from the body.

'Master Diablo, who is he?' Jorren asked the devil within him, seeking an answer.

"I'm not sure. It could be any devil…"

"He has yet to manifest himself completely, so his power is more or less a façade. Thanks to that, he can hide away from me."

"Beware, consider my warning. If anything happens to this child, I will come after you and destroy everything dear to you," Nocturne, the darkness devil, warned Jorren.

However, this only caused Jorren to burst into a series of laughter.

"Pfft, hahahaha!"

"Your vessel is merely at the Seeker realm. I'm pretty sure you can only manifest powers equivalent to that…"

After mentioning that, Jorren's laughter faded a bit as he became serious again, roaring, "Then how dare you threaten me!?"

"Where's your confidence coming from!?" he continued.

"With a mere flick of my finger, I can destroy you… turn you into ashes."

"Do you really think you have a chance?"

As Jorren finished the sentence, only silence lingered in the scene, combined with the flickering of the lamps. The flames on their heads continued to dance.

Jorren thought he had successfully threatened the devil within Daniel, so he chuckled. However, this chuckle faded seconds later as a smirk appeared on Daniel's face.

This angered Jorren as he didn't know the reason for the smirk, but he found it humiliating.

He raised his right hand, his palm facing Daniel.

"Let's see you resist," he said, conjuring a ball of fire – blue flames arrived with a burst of shockwave in the area.

The energy began to gather in one place, and Daniel could feel his body's every nook and corner shaking with it.

A ball of blue flames, after appearing, blasted away from Jorren's palm – travelling towards Daniel.

But of course, Nocturne, who now possessed Daniel, wouldn't let something such trivial attack, hit him or burn him.

He placed both his hands forward, erecting a yellow barrier in front of him which formed a dome around him.

Zwoop!

The blue sphere that was fired held a great force. Like an arrow it came all the way till the barrier, ultimately colliding with it.

Boom!

Just as the attack hit, it was accompanied by the spread of blue flames all over the place.

The barrier was shattered and Daniel was sent flying, colliding with the wall again. His clothes and skin, torn and burnt and the yellow flames that engulfed his hair, slowly started to change.

Just one attack was enough to damage the Devil within.

Daniel was now on ground, dirt and rubble all over him.

Nocturne, who had possessed Daniel also suffered a heavy blow.

"Dammit!", he cursed, staring at Jorren.

"Pfft, is that all?", what followed was laughter echoing in the place.

Daniel was so pathetic, especially the devil who controlled him right now – well, challenging someone with a lot of experience and at a higher realm was foolishness, in the first place.

"Even if I didn't use this power, I could still blow you away. I am a Grand Wizard, remember!?" Jorren asserted in a commanding tone.

Daniel regained the control over his body, and Nocturne faded away.

Now it was Daniel who stared at Jorren, his rage seemingly limitless.

His left palm was directed toward Jorren as he remained on the ground.

Although previously, he had lost control of his body, he could still observe everything happening outside, so he attempted to replicate what Jorren had done.

He conjured a ball of yellow flames, initially quite tiny. Jorren noticed this and chuckled once more.

"That thing? You want to battle me with that!?" Jorren taunted, using the same attack again.

A blue sphere, almost the size of his head, manifested in his right hand, which he fired at Daniel.

Daniel did the same, launching the small sphere that was no bigger than his eyeball. However, its small size was only temporary because Daniel knew a method to change the size of the attack.

"Gigancio," he shouted as he concentrated on the sphere.

Uncertain if he could replicate the effects of the Gigancio spell just by shouting, without a wand, he took his chances—and it worked!

The ball of yellow flames grew rapidly, reaching the size of a human in just a second.

Zwoom! Zwoop!

Both spheres collided, creating a momentary silence that enveloped the area. This was followed by a brilliant flash of light.

Boom!

The explosion caused by the spheres transformed into a shockwave that slammed Daniel into the wall yet again!

This time, the impact was so forceful that it not only broke the wall, but also tore it down to its last brick.

As for Jorren, he calmly erected another barrier that managed to withstand the explosion's onslaught.

A cloud of dust enshrouded the room momentarily, gradually settling a few minutes later.

Daniel lay on the ground, struggling to maintain consciousness.

Meanwhile, Jorren advanced confidently, each step exuding an air of royalty with its measured heaviness.

Tap Tap Tap!

"Instead of relying on the devil's power, it would have been far more intriguing if you had used that spell of yours."

"At least that could-"

Jorren's pride was evident, and to shatter that arrogance, Daniel decided to take action.

Despite his trembling legs, Daniel stood tall as if nothing had occurred. His gaze locked onto Jorren's, and with a smirk, he retorted, "No matter how much stronger you become, it doesn't change the fact that you kidnapped a young girl..."

"A pedophile, perhaps?"

Jorren, known for his capricious nature and short temper, was consumed by rage almost instantly.

"Enough!" His voice escalated, and within seconds, an overwhelming pressure loomed above Daniel.

The weight was crushing, causing him to cough up blood.

Daniel's hair had reverted to its previous state, and the devil, it seemed, had fallen into a temporary slumber.

Alone and battling against the oppressive pressure, Daniel's posture gradually faltered.

It appeared as though he might succumb, but then suddenly, the pressure dissipated.

"Huh?" Daniel was taken aback, his gaze fixed on Jorren, who wore a sinister grin.

Jorren retrieved his wand and flung it toward Daniel.

"Come on, boy, use that spell."

Jorren was referring to the Grand Wizard-level spell that Daniel had unleashed earlier in a desperate bid for survival.

Of course, it was something he had stumbled upon by chance, and using it a second time would be rather impossible.

Nevertheless, he wouldn't let go of the chance of getting a wand.

Daniel faced his right palm towards the wand. Seconds later, the wand levitated and flew towards him, settling in his grip.

After that, Daniel pointed the wand at Jorren and chanted the same spell, the gigantic and strongest water spell he knew about:

"Sulameth kalaqua marinde,

Undinei velara naiade,

Aqua exaltare,

fluere potentia,

Mysticus undarum, manifesta!"

Initially, nothing happened, only silence following after.

Daniel, almost thinking that the spell failed, was about to chant it again when the spell took effect.

A gigantic splash of water burst forth from the wand, giving an initial blue glow. The water then conjured at one place, manifesting into the same water-lady figure who held a trident.

'T…'

'The spell worked!?' Daniel was confused himself.

He didn't feel any burden this time. It was as if not even an ounce of his magical energy was spent while casting the spell. And it seemed like the spell was working despite all that!

Momentarily staring at the wand, he gazed back at the lady who now pulled back her trident. Various water chains made their way towards Jorren, clasping his arms and legs, as if tying him down and rendering him immobile.

With pinpoint precision, the lady launched the trident, its pointed end moving fast like an arrow.

Daniel's eyes widened as he thought that the spell worked and Jorren could potentially be injured. However, a meter before the trident could hit, a barrier materialized, blazing with blue flames.

Clang!

The trident, behaving like a metal blade, hit the barrier. A distinct boundary between the water and the blazing flames could be seen as wind traced out the edges.

Daniel realized that even after the successful spell, the chances of injuring Jorren had diminished. He had expected the trident to obliterate the barrier, but now it seemed that they could cancel each other out.

Boom!

Another explosion followed. The water-made trident vanished, and the water splashed everywhere, extinguishing even the hair on Jorren's head. His eyes returned to their normal state.

"How…?" Daniel was utterly surprised, as Jorren appeared to be unharmed.

"Any other grand wizard, and I'm sure they would have sustained heavy damage... But did you forget who I am?"

Daniel couldn't believe it and focused on Jorren's words.

"I'm ranked fifth among all the wizards in the world! I am also in the fourth realm, the Death Walker realm."

"Did you really think I couldn't counter that?"

"That…"

'Is it really impossible to get out from here?'

'He is a grand wizard and I…'

"No, again!" Daniel had lowered the wand upon hearing that, but he raised it again, not giving up.

The spell was not over, for the woman constructed out of water, was still there. He wanted to make use of her; surely, she wasn't there just for throwing the trident. However, before he could do that, he noticed Jorren's behavior changing.

Jorren removed his cloak, exposing his bare body. He then raised his hands and said, "What you are doing is a crime. You cannot threaten a Grand Wizard just because you know a strong spell…"

"Please, just surrender yourself…"

"Huh?", Daniel merely blinked after hearing that.