Devouring Arcane Spirits

Selene looked at the two Nephilim who were clutching their severed hands. Their eyes were spitting flames, and they towered over Selene, as though they wanted to crush her.

Gradually, a swirling black and red light began to condense around the two Nephilim, their muscles bulging and the air around them began to crackle with a surging and violent Arcane Energy.

Nearly all humanoid creatures possessed Arcane Spirits, though most Arcane Spirits had limited potential, making it difficult for them to become truly powerful. The higher the arcane spirit's grade, the more potential it had.

When an individual awakened their Arcane Spirit, the first step along the path of development was to develop the potential of their body and spirit. In order to do this, they would begin to absorb Arcane Energy through special methods known as Arcane Techniques.

This step was known as the Embryonic stage and was where almost all individuals would stay for the rest of their lives. Without the support of a more powerful Arcane Spirit, it would be extremely difficult to develop their body any further, as their spirit's potential was limited. This stage, where the Arcane Spirit was very weak and could only supplement the body with strength through an Arcane Aura was considered to be the very beginning of an Arcanist's path.

The two Nephilim were both within the Embryonic stage, yet when facing a little girl who was hiding in some burning rubble, they didn't even bother releasing their Aura. As Nephilim, their strength was already naturally much greater than humans, let alone against a tiny little human girl.

Now, however, they were thoroughly enraged.

As the dark red light condensed around the two Nephilim, Selene felt a stir in her heart. Deep in her chest, the golden light began to quiver, seemingly reacting to the Arcane Energy emitted by the two Nephilim.

Selene became surprised by the golden light's reaction, and quickly inspected it. To her shock, she saw that the golden egg was actually cracked and that it was releasing a strange type of Arcane Energy.

"The golden egg... When did it become cracked?"

Before, Selene did not pay any attention to her Arcane Spirit, but the sudden change and movement caused her to divert some attention to it. However, Selene didn't have time to think about this, as the two Nephilim began to approach her with murderous expressions.

When they released their Arcane Auras, the blood in their arms stopped, and they no longer clutched their arms. Selene felt a terrifying pressure as the two Nephilim bore down on her, causing her to have difficulty breathing.

Clutching the sword in her hands tightly, Selene's expression became grave.

"Little runt, you will regret today. I'll tear your fingers off one by one."

"You have some courage, brat. Maybe we will just cut your limbs off and leave you to live as a useless little creature."

Both Nephilim were raging with bloodlust, and they raised their hands above their heads, preparing to strike at Selene.

The pressure they emitted was fully directed onto Selene, and she couldn't even raise her sword in defense. Looking at the two hands rushing towards her, ready to rip her limb from limb, despair began to well into her heart.

Right at that moment, though, the golden light in her body finally stopped quivering. Then, like a terrifying tidal wave, a surge of energy erupted forth.

Like a golden dragon, the energy burst from her body, rushing towards the two Nephilim with a rampaging aura. The cracks on the egg inside of Selene's body began to widen as a terrifying pressure gushed forth, completely dispelling the pressure of the two Nephilim.

The Nephilim watched in horror as the golden energy wave rushed toward them, and they quickly condensed their aura into a shield.

"Bang!"

The next instant, both Nephilim were blown backward, their aura shields shattering without any resistance as the golden light tore into their bodies.

"Y-you... How?"

The Nephilim collapsed onto the ground, unable to even move as their chests were caved in. They looked towards Selene, who was wrapped in a golden light, her hair swirling in the wild aftermath of the energy strike. The fear in their eyes was evident, as they understood that this child in front of them was not so simple.

From the energy strike earlier, they had clearly been able to tell... The Arcane Spirit that had released such energy was something they could never hope to match. Even though the energy was not as condensed as a true Embryonic level Arcane Aura, the terrifying might of it was enough to completely obliterate the Nephilim's pitiful Aura shields.

While the two had a low-grade Arcane Spirit, they had been training and condensing their Arcane Aura for many years. No matter what, they shouldn't have been defeated by a small child like this.

There was only one explanation... the Arcane Spirit this girl possessed was of a terrifying grade.

Selene watched as the two Nephilim bled on the dirt. She felt her heart turn with shock, as she looked at the golden egg that resided in front of her heart.

"This egg... What exactly is it?"

She had never even attempted to use an Arcane Technique before, yet the egg was capable of unleashing such a terrifying energy wave. How was that possible?

Looking towards the two Nephilim, both had weak yet terrified expressions. Their eyes shook as they looked at Selene, who appeared like a goddess baptized in golden light at this moment.

Selene felt a stir in her heart as she looked at the two, seemingly telling her what she should do next.

Walking up to the two Nephilim, Selene's face was impassive, hiding her shock and confusion. She raised her hand towards the two, closing her eyes and focusing on the golden light in her chest. She felt the energy stir as the egg began to tremble.

Quickly two strands of golden light erupted from her hand, connecting to the chests of the two Nephilim.

"Argh!"

"Ahhhh! Please, have mercy! Just kill us!"

The moment the two strands connected, the two Nephilim began to shriek in agony. Their previously weak and trembling voices became guttural howls, and like rabid beasts, their bodies writhed about in the dirt.

Selene was terrified as she watched this happen, however, something told her to keep going. It was a strange satisfaction, as though hunger was being sated.

After a brief moment, a small, black and red strand of energy rose from the chests of the two Nephilim. As this strand became larger and more emerged from their chests, the agonized expressions of the two became more intense.

Finally, with a pop, the strands of energy were pulled fully from their bodies, and the two Nephilim became limp.

"This is... Their Arcane Spirit?"

The black and red strands gradually condensed until they took the form of a serpent. Both Nephilim had black and red serpents that struggled violently, attempting to break free from the golden light.

However, they had no chance. The two orcs had extremely low-grade spirits and had not trained for long. Slowly, the golden light began to devour the energy of the two spirits, and after a few minutes, they barely even had the energy to fight back.

Then, without a sound, the two spirits dissipated into nothing. Selene felt a surge of energy pour into her body at that moment.

Next to her heart, the black and red energy rushed into the golden egg, and then, after a moment, the golden light around the egg intensified rapidly. Selene felt her body tremble as a terrifying amount of strength seemed to rush into her limbs.

"What just happened..."

Feeling bewildered, Selene stood there, next to the burning building and the two bodies. The golden light around her body receded, leaving her holding the silvery sword with a stunned expression.

"Boom!"

"Hahaha! You puny humans want to hold onto this town, yet you can't even stand up to me, Kormund!? What a joke!"

Whirling around, Selene saw a rising cloud of ash and smoke in the town, near the plaza.

"Kormund? Could that be the chief those two were talking about?"

Selene muttered to herself, feeling simmering anger at the thought of the one who had instigated the destruction of her home.

"You vile creature! Leave this town now, or face the consequences!"

Selene felt her anger dissipate, though, when the second voice sounded out. Her eyes flashed with a fearful light and she could help but clutch her fists.

"That voice... Father!"