Ash And Dust

Night covered the sky like a dark blanket. The pale light of the moon illuminated the battlefield with flickering shadows, and the heavy stench of blood, burnt flesh and earth filled the air. In the ruins of Valeneor City, Kaelen took a deep breath and gripped his sword tightly. His eyes focused on the creatures around him.

"This time it looks like it will be difficult."

The first to appear before him were creatures made of bone. Their bodies were decayed and broken at the joints, as if they had been dug up from old graveyards, but there was no hesitation in their movements. Kaelen took a step back and raised his right hand. The flames danced in the palm of his hand, and in an instant they grew larger, glowing a bright orange light. The creatures hesitated for a moment, but instinct pushed them forward.

Kaelen had called these creatures hounds. But instead of looking like hounds in the real world, they looked more like a combination of several species. As if they had mutated.

Kaelen quickly swung his left hand and a wave of fire engulfed the creatures in front of him. Bones crackled and burned, roars and groans echoed through the air. But one of them dodged the attack and rushed at him. Kaelen brought his knee up and struck hard against the creature's skull. The skull shattered and the creature fell motionless to the ground. But the battle was not yet over.

He heard a muffled growl behind him. He turned to see a huge beast emerging from the ruins. Its body covered in thick scales, its eyes glowing with pure hatred. Kaelen took a step forward, showing his clenched teeth. Its long centipede-like legs propelled it across the surface at incredible speeds.

"My work is just beginning," he muttered.

Suddenly the beast lunged forward, swiping its claws at Kaelen. Kaelen quickly sidestepped to avoid the attack, but the creature swung its tail swiftly behind him. Kaelen reflexively raised his arms to protect himself, but was thrown several meters away by the impact of the huge tail. Ignoring the smell of burning and blood rising from his chest, he fell to his knees and stood up again.

"My beautiful armor is ruined. Now that old geezer won't make me another one."

Kaelen looked at the shattered pieces of armor and felt sad. But the battle was not over.

Kaelen clasped his hands together and raised them to the sky. Instantly, the air around him heated up and a spear of flames appeared. "Let's see if this will stop you," he growled and threw the spear. With the speed of light, the flames pierced the creature's chest. The giant beast roared in pain, its body trembled and then slowly collapsed.

Kaelen took a deep breath, but there was no time to rest. In the sky, winged creatures appeared out of the darkness. Their eyes burned with red glare, their nails as sharp as steel.

"What an endless pack you are," Kaelen muttered, tired but with determination in his eyes. The Humanity Council had harassed him for a Class 6 passage, but he hadn't expected it to be this difficult.

There was a flutter in the air and a creature swooped down. Kaelen ducked just in time, the creature's claws missing his face by inches. When it landed, it did a quick spin and sent a wave of fire. The winged creature was caught in the flames, its wings burned and it fell screaming to the ground. The hideous creatures, which looked like crows but were almost a hundred times bigger, screamed that they did not belong in this world.

Kaelen paused as he killed another creature.

Something was different.

The air had suddenly turned cold. Not even the heat of the flames could block it out. Kaelen had never experienced this feeling before. For a moment the sound of battle was silenced, as if the whole world held its breath.

Then the shadows began to move. Darkness swirled like a vortex, sucking in the light. And at that moment, a new figure stepped onto the battlefield.

He was tall and graceful. His eyes were bottomless darkness. On its head were two black onyx-shaped horns. When it spread its broad wings, even the few grains of light that existed in the night struggled to escape it.

Kaelen felt his heart stop for a moment.

The demon smiled slightly. "How impressive... But your efforts are in vain, human Kaelen. My darkness will swallow your faint fire."

Kaelen clenched his fists, his eyes locked on the demon as a bead of sweat landed on his brow, its flames dancing in his palms. "I've burned every demon ever, you're no different!"

The demon tilted his head slightly and smiled wryly. "You are wrong. I am no ordinary demon." In an instant, shadows wrapped around Kaelen's feet, the cold seeping into his bones. "I am the demon prince Velmoth, leader of the 7th demon legion and son of the king. I have played with countless warriors like you and they have all disappeared here in my shadows."

Kaelen charged forward with a war cry. Raising the flames to the highest level, he attacked the demon. But the Demon Prince only parried the attack by stepping slightly to the side and began to break through Kaelen's defenses with claws made of shadows. Kaelen's fists were covered in flames, but each attack was met with laughter from the demon.

"You really amuse me, Kaelen! But you can do better, can't you?" the demon taunted.

Kaelen's flames began to burn his body. Each attack was damaging his body, but he had no intention of stopping. The demon plunged a shadow arrow into Kaelen's shoulder. Kaelen groaned but did not retreat. He took another step forward and swung a fire fist at the demon's face.

The demon recoiled for a moment, but then smiled pleasantly. "Is that all? I expected more."

Kaelen was panting. The demon quickly pulled yellow chains from the shadows and wrapped them tightly around Kaelen's wrists. The chains restricted all his movements and the demon's cold voice echoed as Kaelen fell to his knees.

"Now, let's make this dance interesting."

As the chains gripped Kaelen's wrists, an unbearable cold spread through his body. The Demon Prince gave a delighted laugh and watched him with his head tilted to the side. "I didn't think you would fall so easily, Kaelen," he said sarcastically. "I'm really disappointed."

Kaelen gritted his teeth and tugged at the chains. But these bonds of shadows were much stronger than ordinary iron. Burning his skin, the dark chains squeezed him tighter and tighter. As his breathing became erratic, there was only one thought in his mind: He had to get out of here.

The Demon Prince took a few steps closer and bowed. "You know what?" he whispered. "If you lose, you will lose not only your life, but the world you live in. Maybe this will motivate you a little bit. "

Kaelen narrowed his eyes. "What nonsense are you talking?"

The Demon Prince smiled slightly. "All those who oppose me always ask the same question," he said. "And they all get the same answer: Your world, like yours, is just a playground for us. Is it too much to ask for you lesser beings to entertain me. What the hell are you carrying your damn mana cores for."

Kaelen gritted his teeth. "Nonsense."

"The truth must be hard to accept," the Demon Prince said nonchalantly. "But the truth is, the end of this world has already been written. If you don't stop me, everyone here will simply disappear into the shadows. The moment my demons step through the portal, every grain of earth will be cursed. "

Kaelen hesitated for a moment, but the anger in his mind overcame his fear. The flames grew bigger and bigger inside him. As the chains tightened even more, the temperature of the flames rose. His eyes flashed, he had to release the fire burning inside him.

The Demon Prince's smile faded. "What are you trying to do, human?"

Kaelen didn't answer. He took a deep breath and focused all his energy on his flames. The chains began to crackle around him. Darkness and light fought against each other, heat and cold collided.

In an instant, Kaelen unleashed all his power. Flames rose from his wrists and spread over the chains. The shadows retreated, groaning as if screaming. One by one the chains shattered and Kaelen was free.

After a moment of surprise, the Demon Prince laughed. "That's it!" he shouted. "You are really starting to amuse me, Kaelen! But now it will be even more interesting."

Kaelen looked at the demon with anger and determination in his eyes. "I will not let you destroy this world of mine."

The demon prince smiled. "Then come and try."

Kaelen rushed forward, flames dancing in his palms. The battle was not yet over.

Kaelen stepped forward, flames dancing in his palms. As his footsteps echoed across the battlefield, the surrounding rubble began to melt in the heat. As the Demon Prince advanced towards him, shadows danced, vibrating with the violence of battle. Kaelen narrowed his eyes and summoned all his strength.

The first move would be his. He quickly slammed his hands together, creating a huge burst of fire. The Demon Prince only squinted slightly as the heat wave raced towards the demon. In an instant a black shield formed around him, the shadows melted, writhing in the fire, but the shield absorbed the impact of the blast.

Kaelen gritted his teeth. "Is that it?" he grunted.

"Then I need to try more."

He quickly raised his hands high, sending flames skyward. The flames condensed into a huge spear. The spear shone like a sun illuminating the sky. The Demon Prince bowed his head slightly and placed a sly smile on his face. "Impressive," he said indifferently. "But your power-"

Kaelen threw the spear without hesitation. The spear cut through the sky, heading towards the demon. However, at the last moment, the demon condensed the shadows and opened a rift, and the spear was sucked directly into it. A moment later, the spear's energy dissipated as if it had vanished.

"It won't work on me."

Kaelen's eyes widened. "What?!"

The Demon Prince snapped his fingers and the shadows regrouped behind Kaelen. In an instant, a black claw stabbed into his back. Kaelen stumbled forward, but immediately turned back and swung his fist at the demon's face. His punch hit, but instead of skidding backwards, the demon turned its head slightly and looked Kaelen in the eye.

"Nice try," he said in a calm voice. "But I am no ordinary demon, I am the essence of darkness. Your flames can only push my shadows back for a time. But not completely destroy them. That's the difference in power between a high-level demon and a human being. "

Kaelen took a deep breath and straightened up, not caring about the blood flowing from his wound. "Then I'll burn harder."

The Demon Prince let out a laugh. "Hahahaha... Come on then, show me your power, Kaelen!"

Kaelen closed his eyes and released all the power inside him. His body was engulfed in flames, the ground shook beneath him, the air trembled. The flames were no longer just rising from his body, but from the depths of his soul. Kaelen was surrounded by a mana field of flame as his skin instantly turned to ash.

The Demon Prince's smile disappeared.

"This... This has been really interesting. You exceeded my expectations, human."

Kaelen opened his eyes and shone like the only light in the darkness. "This time you will not escape!" he shouted as he charged forward. He put his hands together and concentrated all his strength in one spot, preparing to make his biggest attack.

At that moment

For the first time, the Demon Prince showed a slight hint of concern in his eyes. The shadows gathered once more, but Kaelen no longer hesitated. His whole body began to burn, along with everything around him.

The Demon Prince recoiled, a shadow of doubt in his eyes. For the first time, he was truly uneasy. Kaelen noticed this and a haughty smile appeared on his lips.

"I know how powerful the darkness is," he said sarcastically. "But what you need to realize is that when the sun rises, the shadows disappear."

The Demon Prince's eyes widened. Kaelen surrendered his body to the flames, unleashing all the power within him. The flames exploded like a star, spreading in waves and engulfing everything. The battlefield was shaken by a huge burst of flame. A dazzling light swallowed the shadows completely. Time seemed to stand still as darkness and light collided.

The Demon Prince screamed,

"How can your impossible flames harm me? I do not accept this. Lower being!"

One by one, the demon's shadows began to dissipate. The last thing Kaelen saw was the demon's terrified expression.

Then, everything fell silent.