INITIAL PLAN
Alice commands Team B to stand back and observes, eager to witness more of Runica's abilities. The dragon, too, takes a keen interest in Runica's powers. With swift motions, Runica slices through a demon, relentlessly dashing forward to continue his assault, dispatching numerous demons in his path. Alissa watches with excitement, impressed by the young boy's prowess, while Alice grows concerned witnessing Runica's increasing bloodlust with each fallen demon. As Runica parries spears from smaller demons, Alissa notices his bloodlust intensifying. Despite his agility in deflecting attacks and countering, the smaller demons begin to close in, their ferocity matching Runica's own. Amidst the fray, Runica thrusts his blade into a demon's heart, sensing a shift in the atmosphere as the small demons' demeanor becomes more serious, their attacks escalating in speed and precision.
With rage filled in their eyes, the demons pierce through Runica's armor with their spears, drawing blood that stains his chest and face. Seeing Runica's changed demeanor, Alice moves to join the battle, but Alissa restrains her, noting that in moments when a human is fighting for his life to survive, his true nature will always emerge. Roaring with rage, Runica unleashes a devastating swing of his sword, annihilating the small demons in one fell swoop. As the spears embedded in his chest fade away, more demons emerge from the gate, heralding the continuation of the fierce battle. Suddenly, Runica's magic silver staff materializes behind him, unleashing a barrage of laser beams at the incoming demons. Simultaneously, the staff casts a healing spell, gradually mending Runica's chest wound. The dragon, taken aback by the young Nara's remarkable power and endurance, watches in astonishment. Team B's cheers as they begin to relax and revel in the spectacle.
With relentless determination, Runica continues to slice through the demons, their dismembered body parts scattering across the arena. His sword begins to radiate with magic, and as he swings it, an energy slash wave emanates, cleaving through hundreds of demons in its path. Alissa remains captivated by Runica's unwavering stamina and prowess, recognizing that this child possesses the potential to become the strongest Nara. Suddenly, all the lights around the arena begin to flicker, prompting everyone to rise to their feet. Alissa quickly discerns that a formidable demon is about to emerge from the gate, while the dragon, sensing the looming threat, prepares itself. Alice calls out to Runica, who remains motionless amidst a pool of demon blood, urging him to rest while they handle the next demon. However, Runica remains oblivious to her words, his gaze fixed upon the severed head of the demon on the ground.
As everyone watches, a ten-foot-tall purple demon emerges from the gate, its back adorned with numerous spikes. Alissa reacts with shock at the sight of this formidable creature, shouting instructions for everyone to follow. The entire Team B, along with assistance from the dragon, promptly casts a spell to ensnare the spiked demon within a shadow dome barrier. Crushing the severed demon head on the ground, Runica strides forward with his magic staff trailing behind him. Alice cautions him about the formidable power of the demon ahead, emphasizing that a direct confrontation might deplete their strength excessively, leaving them vulnerable to subsequent attacks from later demons. She explains that, that demon grows stronger and larger only in combat, but weakens and diminishes when unchallenged or when it is unable to detected any threats around it. Their strategy is to wait until the demon is at its weakest before launching a direct assault.
Despite the warning, Runica remains resolute, wiping the blood from his face and asserting his determination to become the strongest Nara. He believes that facing stronger adversaries is crucial for his growth and that he strives to surpass all other Naras in the Kingdom. Rejecting the idea of engaging with a weakened demon, he expresses his intent to confront the creature at its peak strength, considering it cowardly to do otherwise. The dragon quickly interposes its tail in front of Runica, halting his advance. With a stern tone, the dragon warns Runica against the folly of his overconfidence. Alissa steps forward, acknowledging Runica's prowess but urging caution, emphasizing that he still has much to learn and that recklessly endangering his life is premature. As the team captain, she asserts her authority and pleads with him to adhere to the plan.
However, consumed by bloodlust, Runica disregards Alissa's advice and delivers an up kick that sends the dragon's tail upwards. Alissa, frustrated by Runica's impulsiveness, attempts to restrain him, but his magic staff intervenes, thwarting her efforts. Ignoring the protests from everyone, Runica leaps through the shadow dome barrier, confronting the formidable purple spike demon ahead. The demon's nine eyes widen as it catches sight of Runica, its arms contorting unnaturally backward to grasp the spikes on its back. With two spikes in hand, it assumes a menacing stance. Runica, undeterred, aims his blade at the demon, determined to prove his worth. Observing through small openings in the shadow dome barrier, the team witness the unfolding confrontation. The dragon remarks on Runica's overconfidence, drawing parallels to the first Nara.
Runica charges forward, but before he can react, the demon has already moved pass him, leaving him bewildered. Suddenly, Runica feels the searing pain as the spikes has already embedded into his body, surprised by the demon's speed. As more spikes are driven into him from the demon, Runica falls but is kept upright with the spikes in his body, coughing out blood from his mouth he is unable to do anything. Alice, overcome with panic, attempts to breach the shadow dome barrier, only to be restrained by Alissa. Meanwhile, the emergence of another purple spike demon from the gate intensifies the peril. The dragon, now deeply concerned, recognizes the gravity of the situation. With a tense atmosphere hanging over the arena, the two demons engage in a frenzied and lightning-fast battle, locking their many eyes as they clash.
More smaller demons pour out of the gate, yet the clash between the two spike demons proves fatal killing all of them. Helpless, Runica observes the chaos unfolding before him, his life flashing before his eyes. Memories flood his mind: his father's departure, the rigorous training sessions with Drais, the bonds forged with Magnis and Alice, and the bitter defeat inflicted by Belfar. Mentally rallying himself, Runica resolves not to succumb after journeying so far, spurred by the encouragement and faith bestowed upon him by others. As the battle between the spike demons reaches its climax and one emerges victorious, growing stronger and larger, a sudden surge of magical energy emanates from Runica. The demon senses this power and turns to witness Runica enveloped in a colossal aura of magic. Harnessing the energy, Runica's magic staff emits a radiant glow, using its mystical force to extract the spikes embedded in Runica's body while simultaneously invoking a healing spell to mend his wounds. With his sword and eyes ablaze with magical intensity, Runica reaffirms his resolve, declaring his refusal to be deemed a fool and asserting his status as the strongest Nara. In a breathtaking display, his armor undergoes a transformative process, morphing into a hybrid of silver and platinum.
The spike demon lunges forward with its spikes aimed at Runica, but they fail to penetrate his protective magical aura. Perplexed, the demon's nine eyes blink rapidly, struggling to comprehend the situation. Barely evading Runica's powerful counterattack, it leaps backward. Meanwhile, Runica repeats to himself the need for greater speed, his magic staff glowing more intensely as it casts an enchantment spell to enhance his agility. Empowered by the spell, Runica charges toward the demon, engaging in rapid clashes, matching its speed blow for blow. With each passing moment, Runica's swiftness increases, gradually gaining the upper hand and inflicting wounds upon the demon. As the battle rages on, the demon grows in strength and size, heightening Runica's excitement for the challenge. Their movements within the arena become a blur of speed, resembling streaks of light colliding in a mesmerizing display of agility and skill.
The demon's immense size now towers at over 20 feet tall. Despite bearing several spikes in his back, Runica maintains his remarkable speed, consistently outpacing the demon's adaptive abilities. As the demon unleashes a barrage of hundreds of spikes from its back, Runica deftly dodges each one, turning the area into a forest of deadly protrusions. However, the strain of the battle begins to take its toll on Runica as blood trickles from his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth. With a resounding roar, his muscles, particularly those in his back and right arm, twitch rapidly. Summoning all his strength, he hurls his butcher sword with tremendous force, cleaving through many of the spikes in the way. In a desperate attempt to defend itself, the demon raises its spikes to block the attack. Yet, the force behind Runica's throw proves too much, shattering the spikes and driving the sword deep into the demon's chest.
Runica seizes his magic staff as an immense surge of magic envelops him. The team is stunned by the extent of Runica's remaining power. With determination etched on his face, Runica chants an incantation and unleashes a colossal energy blast that propels the demon backward, crashing back into the demon gate. In the demon realm, myriad demons witness the blazing energy blast streaking across the dark crimson sky. The spike demon caught in the blast erupts in a burst of magic. As the energy dissipates, Runica's butcher sword clatters to the ground. The surrounding spikes around Runica begin to fade as he strides forward. Observing Runica's actions, Alice remarks that he is following through with his original plan. She elucidates that Runica's longstanding aspiration was to someday destroy the Demon's gate. Alissa speculates that Runica may have unlocked more power than anticipated, enabling him to feel confident about destroying the gate.
The dragon interjects with a roar, expressing concern that Runica will eventually exhaust his magic and perish in the demon realm. The dragon warns of the overwhelming strength of the demons there and questions Runica's ability to dismantle all the magic demon circles in time to destroy the gate. Undeterred, Runica advances toward the gate and steps into the realm of the demons, he retrieves his butcher sword from the ground. With a composed demeanor, he employs his staff's magic to detect six nearby magic demon circles, each illuminating the crimson sky. Rune's wounds gradually heals as he begins to breathe heavily, acknowledging that he may have acted hastily. However, he reiterates that the ultimate objective remains unchanged that the destruction of the gate is crucial. He identifies six demon magic circles as the key to closing the gate permanently, emphasizing that their destruction will rid their world of demons once and for all.
Suddenly, the sound of thousands of footsteps reverberates toward him as a horde of smaller demons approaches. Gripping his magic staff tightly, Rune declares that he feels like he can do anything with new power of his. Radiating with magical energy, he ascends into the sky, heading toward one of the magic demon circles. As Rune soars through the air, countless mage demons unleash torrents of fireballs at him. With remarkable agility and magical prowess, he skillfully evades their attacks. Channeling his immense magical strength, he brings his blade down upon the demon magic circle, obliterating it with such force that it decimates many surrounding mage demons. The ground quakes as Rune ascends higher into the sky, surveying the comparatively small expanse of the demon realm, which is no larger than six stadiums combined.
As he progresses towards the next magic circle, Rune encounters increasing resistance from the demons. The battle grows fiercer with each step, as he confronts towering demons, slicing through their ranks to reach his target. With determined resolve, he shatters the second magic circle with a powerful strike. However, in the midst of his aerial assault, Rune's magical reserves dwindle, causing him to plummet from the sky and crash onto the ground below. Despite the impact, he quickly rises to his feet, realizing he is close to the third magic circle. Adopting a defensive stance, he braces himself as thousands of demons converge upon him. Summoning all his strength and magical prowess, Rune fights his way through the throng of demons, finally reaching the third magic circle. With a decisive blow from his magic staff, he obliterates the circle. Exhausted and breathless, he collapses to his knees, overcome with doubt about his ability to complete the mission. His apprehension intensifies as he spots a group of demon knights approaching, led by a hooded figure among them.
Runica engages in combat against the formidable demon knights, but they prove to be overwhelming adversaries. In a desperate move, he channels his magic through his staff, unleashing a colossal energy blast into the sky, which fragments into hundreds of smaller lasers. However, the hooded demon quickly intercepts and absorbs the lasers into his body, revealing its face with a sinister grin, relishing the taste of Runica's power. With a commanding gesture, the hooded demon commands its minions to cease their attacks. Undeterred, Runica charges his butcher sword with energy, unleashing a powerful slash wave, only for the demon to once again absorb his magic, growing stronger and larger in the process. As a swirling mass of magic envelops the demon, it demands more power. Runica then pushes forward, striving to reach the demon without using much magic. However, his efforts are in vain as the knights continuously impede his progress. Overwhelmed and wounded, Runica collapses to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the demon seizes Runica by the neck, draining his magic power with ruthless efficiency.
Runica, refusing to surrender, channels his magic with intense determination, unleashing a torrent of energy that engulfs the area in a colossal explosion, decimating many of the demon knights. However, as the explosion threatens to expand further, the hooded demon persists in draining Runica's magic, causing the explosion to diminish until it vanishes entirely. With each surge of power absorbed, the demon's own strength swells, cloaking the area in a formidable magic aura. Declaring their intent to achieve their objective and seize what they believe is rightfully theirs, the demon continues to siphon Runica's magic. In a defiant display of strength, Runica seizes the demon's arms and wrenches them away from his neck with sheer force, catching the demon off guard. He then delivers a powerful headbutt and a series of devastating punches, driving the demon backward. Amused by Runica's unexpected resilience, the demon remarks on the young human's exceptional strength, even as Runica's knuckles bleed profusely, he stances up, unwilling to give up so easy. Despite the onslaught of the demon knights, Runica remains steadfast, his magic staff glowing as it attempts to heal him. However, the demon seizes the staff and pins it to the ground, draining its magic while taunting Runica, vowing to claim all of his formidable powers for itself. Runica succumbs to his injuries, he collapses onto the ground, surrounded by his own blood, and watches helplessly as the demon advances toward him with a malevolent grin.