10 Demons

-What kind of thing is this? A *****?

*Pffff*

-How can you say that with a girl in the room?! Also, don't teach my sister such things!

-No, well, no matter how you look at it, the shape is just right and…

-FUCK! That's material to make tribute dolls. You use then to do some high level rituals.

-What about this one? Is it supposed to be a fat headed demon representation? Pyramid-head?

-SHUT UP, I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!

*Dodges spear and erects sound barrier*

-I almost forgot about her.  Anyway, let's try...

-Don't! Those demons are normally ten meters tall, and yes, their heads are very big.

-Good to know, now, do you recognize this symbol?

-A septagram?

-I also don't know the actual name, but it should be something like that. Anyway, let me check with the company.

***-****-****

-Argeus's gran interprise, you have reached to the best demon contracting company of this side of the beyond.

-And only too. Some free lancers told me about you guys and I decided to register.

-That is a great choice sir. To register you only have to sign a contract I will directly send to your mind. Depending of your mental fortitude you may have varying levels of backlashes, so I have to ask if you are ready to receive the document.

-Everything ready.

-Okay.

-... I've had worse headaches, anyway, one second and... I am done reading. Before I sign it, could you tell me how many level 1 souls a level 2 is worth?

-A hundred, sir. Anything else?

-No, just that, thank you.

-Everything is in place sir. Would you like to answer a questionary to find an appropriate demon or would you like us to contact a specific demon?

-I have this white doll with me here, and it appears that it has the contact number of a very big demon, so I'd like to see if he is available and would like you guys contact...

...

Next morning.

*knocking*

-Come in.

-Good morning! I came to have breakfast with you two. By the way, how's your head, need some medicine?

-I am fine, thank you.

-Sister, who is this man?

-I was going to tell you after we ate, but I actually got to an agreement with this man and he is going to help us lose our pursuers.

-Leave it too me to kill all the disposable people. Not one of them is going to scape! (Grinding mentality kicking in).

-Thank you very much mister!

*Gasp* -How can you live with such a cute child and have such cold face woman? Anyway, today I came to have a spar with you, young master. Though that's impossible! Your face right now was hilarious you know! *Pffff... *

"Is this really an adult in front of me?"

-So, as I was saying I came for the promised weapon and to access your situation better. This came out of the master of the demon last night.

-The gray devil sect. They only accept those that are capable of forming a contract with a demon and are a subsidiary of a stronger sect from the dark side.

-Good. "That seem like a very good place to farm warlock materials". That man was apparently a core member, because he was carrying his sect's cultivation technique around and even some combat skills. I've already learned them, so I was actually intending to know if you two would like to buy those as well.

-I don't see why…

-Is a hundred gold for each enough?

-Of course, such lousy techniques are worth nothing more than money, and for such an offer, how can I refuse? *blink* *tunk x6*

-Sister, please bring me my check block.

-My prince!

-Riveria! This is important, and as your prince, I order you.

-I…  understood.

(For those that did not get it yet,  you should start reading some more wuxia novels, and also, this is the fifth prince of the Lan empire, with the vietnamit meaning in Lan, Lan Bo, the emperor's favorite child and future emperor.)

(Now, since I've been to lazy to do this before, let me tell you about this continent. The land mass is fairly similar to that of a shoe, got a problem with that? Anyway, there are four countries, the Empire, the Holy country, the Kingdom and the Republic.)

(The teocrazy is all about the God of light and were quite corrupt till fifty years ago, but the last hero took the government into his pawns and made sure to laze around while the right people were at work.)

(The kingdom is a militaristic place where humans rein sovereign, it is also not that corrupt thanks to the last hero and there are no segregatory laws, but the populace still believes that humans are superior.)

(The empire was actually founded after the hero died and is just at their second dynasty, Bo here being the third emperor. As a place that has lots of cultures mashed together for the sake of healing after a ama… I mean, disastrous war, it's kind of hard to describe it as one entity.)

(The Republic is the merce… I mean merchant's place. Everyone is welcomed to be robbed and enslaved for money when you step into its territory. Thought it is the place where you will rarely find someone that is unprotected or that can't purchase their liberty. Their law code is quite skewered.)

(In matters of size, they are respectively, the empire, the kingdom, the theocracy and the republic, who is actually half the size the theocracy. You can also say the territory is divided in parts of 4, 3, 2, 1)

-By the way, is there really no way we can have a bout? "You too should be curious how it is to fight another great genius, right? I have restarted my own cultivation if you didn't notice yet." Said Aki while whispering and then through telepathy.

-Impossible. I don't trust you enough.

The Prince had already lost his childish expression before, but now it was even colder.

-Smart. "Do as you see fit, but please, when I go away and you believe yourself safe from my antics, do look inside yourself. Things should turn a little easier to see."

(When you cultivate, even if you just meditate really, you may see your energy pool, or soul ocean, or whatever you want to call it, but it is basically a representation of your inner self. Aki's a relatively rare one, but the thing is that it just that it doesn't have benefits.)

-I shall take my leave.

And so he did. How could he not when he just got a rank 4 sword that looks like a zanbato (Think of it as a big katana) and there are people ready to ambush him right outside the manor?

...

"To dare and kill a core discipline of our great sect, this great lord, the sixth elder of the gray devil sect, Great Shadow, will show you your place! A random mercenary daring to intervene in our business, HA! This is nothing more than free rewards for me. An unprotected messenger? Perfect. I will just…"

*TING*

-Eeeh, to not break from such an attack it means you're at least peak rank 4. If that is so, you should feel honored to be my first troublesome enemy. Now, let's battle to the death!

*TRRRRRRRRRRIIIIING or whatever the sound of a barrier being sawed away by multiple attacks at the same place sounds like*

-I don't have time for this, DIE!

*TRRRRRRR* *BOOM* *TRRRRRRRRRR*

Seeing that his attack was totally dodged and his enemy didn't stop attacking, while his barrier was starting to crack, the elder was faberglasted. (Fuck if someone can accurately say that word like it's normal)

As a Veteran of the rank 5, he quickly adjusted himself and tried to distance himself. Obviously Aki didn't let him do so.

-My combo is still not on the hundreds, so how could I let you run?! HAHAHAHA!

How is Aki fighting a rank 5 you may ask?

With his new sword, which was cursed right after he got it and now can conduct electricity around it's blade if he infuses mana onto it. What did you think was doing those sounds?

He is also using a technique to boost his power level to that of a rank 3 warrior and mage, which let me tell you bitch, it hurts! He needs ten souls per second to keep it up and he can't really spam magic around right now because of a huge headache.

Since Aki is not much of an idiot, he actually got a loan on rank 1 souls from hell in case he couldn't defeat this guy in two minutes. He also got hundreds of souls from the city lord's dungeon and basement, so he got some leniency on that. Besides the instantaneous magic and the pre arranged ones he carries around, he couldn't actually cast anything else, but even so…

-DON'T, DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!

That's not because Aki is too strong, but his mind attacks are actually stupidly effective for some reason. That was enough to get a gap and kill the old men for the first time.

Yes, first time. When you deal with demons around this area, they offer you a contract of empowerment for five minutes after death, but you have yo pay…  even I can't say such things you know!

This old man actually did such contract way back in his life and didn't have an use for it anymore, but the requirements to undo it are exorbitant. It took him four seconds to actually remember the situation.

Aki used those to run, and he even got 200m away from the guy, but the grisly lump of flesh he had become caught up in a sec. I can't describe him any other way, since he was cut in half vertically by a thunder sword. His nose even melt! He was already ugly before, so it's kinda hard, you know?

As they were both airborne, the old man easily punched Aki's chest, and it actually caved in while sending him flying.

For those that don't know, zombies can ignore the damage done to their bodies by their own attacks, so the old man simply reinforced his strength enough that his bones actually broke from the punch. Just like a glass canon. One that fires cursed artillery in this case.

"Blood thinning and cursed wounds. Normally I'd be able to destroy both without batting an eye, but…"

*Teleport sound*

As the old man showed an already expressionless face, or his eyes held no soul if you want to say so, but it is really just that he really is a corpse already. This corpse is simply sensing it's surroundings and being guided by a demon that likes to manipulate corpses.

Before being hit by another attack, Aki teleported  and went five meters away. Nothing happened besides the direction of his flight changing slightly.

With the snickering of both the Demon controlling the body and it's original owner, the Mc failed to lead then to his trap and started being massacred.

While being played with for 4m and 32s, he was not allowed to die.

At this point, there was little anyone could do. The guy was fucked and hardly had anything salvageable.

The city lord had given his all by receiving the attack shockwaves while the city defenses were activating, even if he could not defend all of them, he still saved many lives.

If you didn't get it yet, the city lord is the only one around that is rank 5, and this job normally entailed that it's owner would protect and manage the city with his own life too.

The Prince had ordered his Knight to salvage everything they had and already runned away using their special methods and road while leaving some distractions over.

The students from the "intensive true magic training and theorics course", Yes, that's his class' name, were mulling over the chances and pulling each other for some view.

-Like I said, don't you need to run?!

-You do that, bitch! Like I am giving all that gold to someone like you!

-I also want to see teacher's strategy!

-Even if your mouth says that, the drool and look in your eyes tells a different story, now quit staring!

-How can you call yourself my brother!?

-It's because I am stopping you from being killed that I can say that!

While at it, Ashaka was holding a crystal ball and using everyone's mana to keep a barrier up and watched her master being beaten to death, while Agatha simply played around with her little sister, who, thanks to Aki, now had a job as maid apprentice and was permitted inside.

Bakh was the only one around taking it seriously, since he was the one manipulating the trap. The requirements were that the person either had to have some blood relation to it (creator) or a great space affinity, so he was the only available candidate.

Uh? You mean Aki's situation? You thought he only had one trap and they were all stationary? While he could barely retaliate?

Who do you think you're talking to?! The king of stupidity? I'd give my ass to a cave troll before something like that!

Yes, the Mc too!

YOHOHOHO, YOHOHOOOHO, YOHOHOHO, YOHOHOOOHO, BINK'S SAKE…

A classic. And classics are always good.

As a purple dome engulfed Aki and his assailant, the beating stopped.

-Fuck me that hurts. *CRACRACRACRACRA…"

He started putting his bones in the right place and flex a little. While such gory sound was being made, Aki actually started doing a complex magical/soul construct.

The reason is that this formation uses the laws of space dominance to enforce temporary laws inside it's diameter. In other words, it can turn it's owner into a god.

It's not almighty though.

If your opponent has a better understanding of the formation then you then he can take control of it very fast and your advantage will bite your ass off.

Even if Bakh's treasure gives him a better understanding of time and space, Aki is still better with formations, so he has a higher authority.

-Tell the demon that will own this soul that it owns me for this guy's delivery, but the engraving job is free.