Just like in the Azure Kingdom, Kurrbryde was swarmed with thousands of demons pouring out of the enormous portal overhead. Thankfully, the Beastkin Tribe was highly coordinated thanks to the leadership of Nilda and Kedrick, alongside their daughter, Erica. 

 

Zion and the allies from the Vermine Kingdom were also a huge help in fending off the initial wave.

 

Due to their previous experience, the Vermine group was already familiar with the situation. They knew the only way to close the portal was by destroying the energy source, and they quickly relayed this vital information to the Beastkins.

 

While the others fended off the demons, Keith, Zion, and Erica focused on finding the energy source.

 

Huff Huff

 

“Ugh, we’ve already circled the entire place, but there’s not a single sign of an energy source at all! Maybe you guys were wrong,” Erica complained, catching her breath.

 

“There’s no way that’s possible! The portal won’t even exist without the energy source! It’s here somewhere, I’m sure of it! We just have to keep looking!” Keith responded, his voice filled with determination.

 

“Let’s not lose hope, our allies are counting on us,” Zion said, trying to lighten the tense mood.

 

The three continued to search the city, but no matter where they looked, the energy source remained was nowhere to be found.

 

The trio was on the verge of giving up. Their side was slowly being pushed back by the limitless numbers of demons, and the longer the war dragged on, the dimmer their chances of victory became.

 

They were about to head back to Nilda’s mansion to offer assistance to their allies when the ground suddenly began to shake. They heard loud, rhythmic footsteps rumbling toward them. Feeling a disturbing and ominous presence, they prepared themselves for battle.

 

It didn't take long for the ominous force to appear. It was a horde of enormous, muscular humanoid demons carrying a lavish chair covered in shiny, extravagant gems and diamonds. A single flamboyant demon in heels with an overwhelmingly ominous presence sat upon the chair.

 

The demon was a muscular man whose sheer presence seemed to defy gravity, even while seated. His head was shaved, revealing a daring shock of bubblegum pink, a stark contrast to the heavy, dramatic makeup painted on his face. His lipstick was a bold slash of color, and his sharp nails gleamed with vibrant polish. 

 

Despite the bold, over-the-top look, something about him feels strangely out of sync. His face doesn’t match the flamboyant look at all, he looks completely relaxed, almost tired.

 

In an instant, Keith recognized the type of demon before them. He started sweating and breathing heavily. In front of him was something terrifyingly familiar, something he could never forget.

 

Erica and Zion noticed the drastic change in Keith’s demeanor and immediately went on the defensive.

 

“Keith, what is going on?” Erica asked worriedly.

 

Keith took a heavy gulp before answering. “For five years, I’ve lived side by side with demons like that, so I’m sure of it. That demon is the same as the one who possessed Zion. That demon is not to be underestimated. We barely won last time, and only because of Ms. Ina,” he relayed, shivering slightly.

 

“You’re right, I know what they’re capable of. I watched one take over my body and my entire kingdom. We must approach this with utter care,” Zion agreed.

 

The trembling of the ground stopped as the demons halted their march. They slowly lowered the chair to the ground. The demon then stood up menacingly, the sound of his heels adding to the animosity in the air. As soon as he stopped moving, he introduced himself.

 

“I am Sloan, one of the Great Demon Generals. I am here for the Chosen One of the Titan of the Beast. Show me where he is, and I will show you three mercy,” the demon demanded in a very assertive and feminine voice.

 

“Sorry to tell you, but my brother isn’t here at the moment,” Erica responded.

 

Sloan sighed with relief and clapped his hands together in joy. “I see… lucky me! I guess I don’t have to tire myself anymore.”

 

“T-that’s right, maybe you should take your demons away and leave us alone?” Keith asked with a nervous, joking tone. Erica and Zion glared at him disapprovingly.

 

Sloan stopped clapping and smiled. “Sorry, darling, as much as I want to do that, my boss won’t allow it. You three will do for now, as collateral damage, that is. Just so I can report something back to my boss.”

 

“I guess talking is never an option for you demons. If defeating you is the only way to stop this war, then so be it,” Zion said, determination hardening his eyes. He drew his sword. 

 

Keith and Erica prepared for battle as well.

 

“Wonderful! The sooner we start, the earlier I can finish my job,” Sloan cheerfully said.

 

“Ugh… I can’t stand his voice any longer! Maybe if I beat him up, I might be able to get some info out of him regarding the location of the energy source,” Erica said with impatience. Without further delay, she launched herself forward and initiated the fight.

 

“W-wait, don’t engage yet! We have no idea what that demon is capable of! We should figure out his skills together!” Keith warned, but Erica didn't listen.

 

Erica moved so fast that no one could follow her. Using her legs infused with aura, she delivered a powerful and fast kick aimed at Sloan's face.

 

Even when faced with absolute strength, Sloan didn’t falter or flinch. He looked utterly bored and started yawning.

 

Erica’s attack landed, but instead of her target getting hurt, the opposite happened. Erica, the attacker, was the one who was hurt instead, sent flying backward to crash into a nearby colossal tree.

 

Keith and Zion were shocked. They immediately rushed to where Erica landed to check on her.

 

Thankfully, Erica had a very sturdy Beastkin body and survived with only minor bruises and injuries. She stood up, wiping the blood from her mouth, as shocked as the others by what had just happened.

 

“What was that just now? Everything happened so fast I didn’t see a thing!” Keith said worriedly.

 

“Y-yeah, I didn’t even see the demon move. All I saw at the end was Erica crashing into a tree,” Zion added.

 

After recovering, Erica wore a look of intense annoyance. “Ugh, I didn’t expect that.”

 

“Of course you wouldn’t! That’s why I told you to wait, but you didn’t listen!” Keith shouted, irritated.

 

“What do you think happened? Do you think that’s his ability?” Zion asked Erica.

 

“I don’t know, but it felt weird. I’m pretty sure my attack landed, but instead of hitting him, it felt like I was hitting myself,” Erica explained.

 

“Like hitting yourself? What do you mean by that?” Zion asked.

 

“I’m not really sure. Let me try attacking once again. I might be able to figure it out this time,” Erica suggested.

 

While the trio talked and strategized, Sloan interrupted them. “Darlings, whatever you are planning, it won't work. I suggest you stop and surrender right now. That will save me some effort.”

 

Instead of listening, Erica grew more annoyed. She was about to attack again when Keith suddenly stopped her.

 

“What now?!?” Erica snapped.

 

“W-wait, I have a theory I want to test out. Let me attack this time,” Keith suggested.

 

The two agreed and went on standby. Keith unsheathed his magic sword and attacked Sloan. Just like before, Sloan stood still, utterly unconcerned about the incoming strike. That's when Keith realized that Sloan was deliberately receiving their attacks as a key part of his ability.

 

Keith was wary and nervous, but to prove his theory, he needed to connect his attack to Sloan.

 

[Ice Magic - Sword Technique: Winter Thrust]

 

The moment Keith got close, he stabbed Sloan’s shoulder with his sword infused with Ice Magic.

 

Keith’s technique was meant to freeze Sloan’s shoulder upon contact, but just like what happened to Erica, the opposite occurred. Keith’s shoulder was the one that froze instead of Sloan’s.

 

That’s when Keith realized his theory was spot on. After attacking, he gained distance from Sloan to explain his findings to Erica and Zion.

 

“Keith, are you okay? Your shoulder is frozen,” Zion said worriedly.

 

“I’m okay, I had an idea this was going to happen, so I held back my attack,” Keith assured them.

 

“How was it? Were you right?” Erica asked impatiently.

 

“When you said attacking him felt like attacking yourself, I had an inkling as to what his ability might be, but I had to confirm something else to prove my hypothesis,” Keith explained. 

 

“He deliberately receives our attacks because his ability allows him to reflect the attacks back at the attacker. When you tried to kick his face, I noticed it was your face that got hurt, so I wanted to know if only physical attacks could be reflected back, but it appears magic is included as well. That’s why when I tried to freeze his shoulder, it was my shoulder that got frozen instead,” he elaborated.

 

“W-wait… so, you’re saying that his ability is reflecting back any attacks that he receives? Be it physical or magical? If that’s the case, then he’s practically untouchable! How are we supposed to deal with that?!” Erica complained, defeated.

 

“Not entirely, there’s something else with his ability that I can’t figure out quite yet,” Keith deduced.

 

“Keith is right. There must be a condition to his ability that we haven’t figured out yet. We’ll just have to figure it out before our allies suffer more damage,” Zion chimed in.

 

“Then let’s keep attacking him until we figure out what it is!” Erica suggested.

 

For the first time, Keith and Zion, who were usually the tactical ones, agreed with Erica’s simple and barbaric plan because they too had no idea how to defeat the overpowered demon in front of them.

 

While the three were conversing, Sloan joined in and interrupted them. “What are you murmuring about, darlings?”

 

“Nothing special. We’re just planning how to kick your ass, that’s all,” Erica responded boldly.

 

“Oh, I see… if that’s the case then maybe we should wrap this up now so I can finally go back to our base and continue my beauty sleep. Ta-ta?”

 

“You don’t have to remind us. That’s our plan from the very start,” Keith said with determination.

 

Without any idea how Sloan’s ability worked fully, he engaged in a fight once again, and this time, Erica and Zion joined him. The three kept attacking Sloan in different areas to find out if he had a weak spot or something he couldn't reflect, but no matter what they did, they couldn’t find anything.

 

Just like last time, none of their attacks did any damage to Sloan. Instead, they were the ones getting hurt and damaged.

 

Sloan wasn’t even retaliating, yet the three were already on the verge of losing. All their attacks were useless and only left bruises and wounds on their own bodies.

 

The three backed off for a while to rethink their plan, but they were already exhausted beyond comparison.

 

“Just give up already, darlings. There’s nothing you can do to defeat me. You’re only prolonging the inevitable,” Sloan said confidently.

 

“Shut up for a minute!” Erica shouted, frustrated.

 

Instead of rethinking their plan, Erica and Keith were so consumed by anger that they ended up arguing with each other instead.

 

“Ugh! This is impossible! We’ll end up dead before we even scratch that demon!” Erica complained.

 

“Of course it’s impossible if you’re not gonna listen! I told you to hold back your attacks! You’re basically hitting yourself with full force!” Keith yelled angrily.

 

“Shut up! How will we figure out his ability if we keep holding back?!?” Erica retorted.

 

“Please, let’s not fight against each other and try to calm down first,” Zion said calmly, but the two were too angry to hear him.

 

“That’s it! I shouldn’t have teamed up with you! Can’t believe I’m saying this, but your brother is easier to reason with! Heck, he’s even better at following instructions than you are!” Keith retorted back, pushing Erica’s buttons.

 

In that moment, the brewing fury inside Erica finally overflowed. “Grrr… don’t you dare say my brother’s name!”

 

With her rage boiling over, Erica punched Keith in the face with everything she had. She didn’t mean to hit him with full force, but she forgot to hold back due to her anger.

 

“Oh shoot! I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you that hard,” Erica apologized, finally snapping back to reality and instantly regretting her action.

 

She expected Keith’s face to be covered in bruises and blood, but unexpectedly, there was no damage visible on his face at all.

 

“W-wait… why didn’t that hurt at all?” Keith asked, confused.

 

While Keith and Erica were overcome with confusion, Zion noticed something groundbreaking and tried to get their attention.

 

“L-Look,” Zion said, pointing his finger toward Sloan.

 

The two looked at Sloan and saw him panting and his nose heavily bleeding.

 

The three had been doing everything they could earlier, but couldn’t damage Sloan at all. That’s why they were utterly confused as to how the demon had finally taken damage when they hadn’t even attacked him at that moment.

 

Zion and Erica struggled to comprehend what had happened, but Keith finally managed to piece everything together.

 

“T-that’s it!” Keith shouted happily.

 

“What do you mean, that’s it? Explain it to us!” Erica demanded.

 

Instead of explaining, Keith made an unexpected request. “Punch me again! Don’t hold back and hit me with everything you’ve got!”

 

“Huh? Are you out of your mind?!?” Erica asked, thoroughly confused.

 

“Just do it!” Keith shouted.

 

Erica hated overthinking, so she immediately did what Keith asked. She punched him once again, even stronger than the last time, causing Keith to fall to the ground from the impact.

 

Just like before, Keith didn’t take any damage or feel any pain from the punch. That’s when he finally understood exactly how Sloan’s ability worked.

 

The three looked at Sloan once again and saw him finally down on his knees, bleeding more than last time. The damage visible on him was in the exact same spot where Erica had punched Keith.

 

Keith didn’t have to explain anything to the two. Just seeing Sloan’s status was enough for them to realize what was going on.

 

“Try punching me this time,” Erica suggested to Keith, a wild grin on her face.

 

Without a second thought, Keith punched Erica on the gut just to check if it worked the other way around, and fortunately, it did.

 

“Whao, you’re right! That didn’t hurt at all!” Erica said cheerfully.

 

“I see, so that’s how it works. Who would’ve thought it’d be this simple,” Zion chimed in.

 

“Yeah, his ability doesn’t reflect the damage back at the attacker. What his ability did was swap his pain and damage receptors with ours,” Keith expanded, his eyes glinting with understanding.

 

“You know what this means, right?” Erica said, looking at Keith with an even bigger grin.

 

“You read my mind like a book,” Keith responded with a smirk.

 

“W-wait…”

 

Before Sloan could continue to talk, Keith and Erica started punching each other in rapid succession. The damage from their mutual blows was reflected back at Sloan's body, causing him excruciating pain.

 

“W-wait… I… I said wait, gaddamnit!” Sloan shouted angrily, trying to catch his breath.

 

Because he was already heavily injured and on the verge of losing consciousness, Keith and Erica stopped exchanging blows to listen to Sloan's final words.

 

Huff Huff

“I-in… in all my encounters, you people are the only ones I’ve met who’re willing to hit their allies! Can’t believe I’ve been outdone by such idiots!” Sloan complained, panting heavily.

 

“Heh! Guess you messed with the wrong idiots this time!” Erica sarcastically responded.

 

“Get ready, demon, this time, we’re going in for the kill!” Keith warned, finally ready to put an end to everything. Erica agreed, and they both got ready to hit each other with full force.

 

Instead of being scared by their threat, Sloan stood up confidently and had a huge smile on his face. “Idiots! You think I have no control over my ability? Sorry to tell you, but I can do and undo my ability with just a snap of my finger! You can do me a favor and kill each other!”

 

Sloan thought his warning would cause them to hesitate, but it was the opposite. Keith and Erica were even more determined to end the fight once and for all.

 

“We’ll take that risk! Keith, let’s do it! Don’t hold back!” Erica shouted.

 

“You don’t have to remind me,” Keith responded confidently.

 

“You really are idiots! Ha-ha!” Sloan mocked.

 

The moment Keith and Erica exchanged blows with the intent to kill, Sloan snapped his finger, undoing his ability. This time, the damage wasn't reflected back at him. Instead, Erica and Keith received the full force of their own attack. Their attack was so powerful that it almost killed them both, but fortunately, it only knocked them both unconscious.

 

“Ha! Looks like I won!” Sloan celebrated. He was about to reactivate his ability when Zion finally stepped up and decided to put an end to their fight.

 

Sloan was so fixated on Keith and Erica that he had completely forgotten about Zion. This allowed Zion to sneak in an attack without Sloan realizing it. Zion decided to use his trump card against the exhausted demon.

 

It was too late for Sloan to notice Zion’s presence.

 

Time seemed to have completely stopped for the two. Both of them had only a second to turn things around, and whoever was faster, would win.

 

Sloan almost reactivated his ability, but Zion was a millisecond faster than him.

 

[Light Magic - Sword Technique: Flash Strike]

 

Zion used his sword infused with light magic to slash Sloan in less than a second before he could snap his finger and reactivate his ability, securing him their victory.

 

After he had finally regained his body from the demon that possessed him, Zion had not only focused on rebuilding his kingdom but also on improving his skills and swordsmanship. This time, he was determined to fight for his loved ones and not the other way around. Due to his effort and willingness to strive, he managed to hone his skill to be on par or even greater than Keith. His effort also paid off because, just like his sister, he finally managed to unlock his father's Featherlight lineage, allowing him to use light magic and incorporate it into his swordsmanship.

 

Zion was successful in defeating Sloan thanks to his patience and perseverance, as well as the opening and distraction Keith and Erica had given him. The wound Zion inflicted on Sloan was severe, knocking him down onto the ground and leaving him unable to move, but it was not severe enough to kill the human host he was possessing.

 

Zion pointed his sword toward Sloan’s throat and demanded answers. “It’s your loss. Tell me where I can find the portal’s energy source so I can destroy it and finally put an end to this madness.”

 

“Fufu… you’re already looking at the energy source. If you want to save your allies and put an end to this war, then you’ll have to kill me. That includes the human host I’m possessing. Tell me, darling, are you capable of doing that? Taking an innocent life, that is?” Sloan responded in a provoking manner.

 

Zion’s demeanor and facial expression changed after learning the truth from Sloan. This caused him to flinch and rethink the entire situation.

 

“The clock is ticking, darling… So what would it be? Are you willing to sacrifice a human life to save your allies, or will you let me live, and eventually, all your allies will die one by one?” Sloan said, grinning menacingly.

 

Sloan thought that provoking Zion would destroy his spirit and determination, buying him more time, but unfortunately for him, Zion already had his answer the moment he learned the location of the energy source.

 

Zion withdrew his sword, refusing to play by the demon’s hand. “Sorry, but I choose the latter. I’ll find a way for both to live, because I know that’s what Ms. Ina would do. After all, she saved my miserable life from a demon who possessed my body for years, and I’ll do the same for the human you’re possessing,” he said confidently, a genuine smile on his face.

 

Sloan was shocked by the unwavering determination and spirit of Zion. He finally decided to give up and let things be.

 

“Aah… I really am surrounded by idiots,” Sloan muttered relaxedly.