A streak of lightning tore through the air, erupting from the Heavenly Demon's fingertips with blinding brilliance.

It carved a jagged path across the battlefield. In the next moment, too fast for the eye to see, the lightning arrived before the target with the full, merciless force of nature itself.

Wei Motian's eyes widened in shock. At the last possible moment, he managed to raise his labrys and block the attack.

THUNDER!!!

It was as if the very skies themselves had rendered. When the lightning struck the double-bladed axe, the world was momentarily drowned in a blue light.

Although Wei Motian had managed to block, the lightning had still managed to travel through his weapon and struck his body. For a few moments, he was paralyzed. However, he still remained standing.

But worse than the pain from the lightning streaking across his body was the shock from the realization that his opponent had been hiding his true strength all this time!

Impossible! He thought.

Is that why he hasn't used his mana all this time? No wonder he was able to last so long against me, despite only being on the defensive!

This man… is a powerful Magus at the Mana Core Rank!!

Suddenly, warning bells rang inside his mind, and before he knew it, the Heavenly Demon had already arrived before him.

"What's the matter?" said the Heavenly Demon in a sly voice. "Can't move?"

He spun in the air, acrobatically positioning his body before landing a perfect spinning roundhouse kick to the face!

BAM!

This time, the Heavenly Demon augmented his foot with mana. So when the strike connected, Wei Motian's face caved in, and he was sent flying into the distance.

The Heavenly Demon didn't waste any time. He quickly finished another set of complex hand seals. Then, he finally cast a spell… on himself.

Rank 4 Spell: Messenger of Wind!

Azure wings of wing magic appeared on his ankles, and a moment later, he disappeared from his spot. His speed was so astonishingly fast that it was nigh impossible for the eye to keep track.

In the next moment, he had already arrived before Wei Motian—who was still miserably flying away from the impact of the previous attack.

The Heavenly Demon viciously clutched Wei Motian's head, nearly digging his fingers through his skull.

He then shot towards the sky!

Back on the ground, amidst the grove of corpses, Hei Mang and the rest watched in terror as their warlord was manhandled by the Heavenly Demon.

As the Heavenly Demon soared toward the clouds, concentric rings of compressed air rippled in his wake, shockwaves blooming one after another as he shattered the sound barrier.

This was not a simple Flight spell. It was much faster, much more terrifying.

"…I can't believe this!" Hei Mang blurted out in horror. "The Heavenly Demon has been a Mana Core Magus all along?"

The men behind him voiced out their opinions in trembling voices.

"H-has this been his plan all along?"

"To lure out the Warlord?"

"W-what is the Heavenly Demon planning?!"

"No, more importantly…" Hei Mang muttered in fear. "Can the Warlord… even defeat him?"

Back in the sky, the Heavenly Demon levitated above the clouds. He outstretched his hand, allowing Wei Motian to hang limply.

He tilted his head and murmured, "Did he pass out? How boring."

And then… he let go.

Underneath the mask, his lips curled into a cruel smile as he finally finished weaving another set of hand seals.

Rank 4 Spell: Wrath of Zephyr!

The air around him writhed as if it were alive. It compressed on itself and formed four razor-sharp lances that continued to violently swirl. With a simple wave of his hand, the four swirling lances of condensed gale shot towards the falling target.

"Come on," the Heavenly Demon murmured as he watched his spell reach his target. "Surely this cannot be the level of one of the leaders of the Unorthodox Faction."

And just as he had thought…

With a deafening sound that erased the nearby clouds, the four wind lances shot in four different directions before dissipating away.

Then, Wei Motian bellowed like a crazed beast and flew towards the Heavenly Demon, his labrys blazing with mana.

"That's more like it!" The Heavenly Demon grinned.

With a flick of his wrists, two short blades appeared in his hands, and chains attached to their pommels wrapped around his wrists.

Blades of Fulgrim!

With a simple command, he activated the weapons' enchantment. The blades were engulfed in searing flames.

The next moment, the Heavenly Demon plummeted from the heavens like a fiery comet as he intended to meet Wei Motian head-on.

BOOOOM!!!

A blazing ring of fire rippled across the skies after the thunderous impact. Following that, the two Man Core Magi clashed dozens of times in a matter of seconds. Wherever they met, the clouds were torn apart.

Spells burst in rapid succession, and for a fleeting moment, the twilight sky resembled a canvas of dazzling fireworks.

Suddenly, a harsh, grating crack tore through the sky. Following that, Wei Motian's weapon plummeted towards the earth, split cleanly into two pieces.

Not long after, another thunderous boom erupted above the clouds. And then, Wei Motian himself came crashing down.

With a deafening impact, the Warlord of the Qingling Zhai struck the ground, instantly carving a crater where he fell.

Moments later, the Heavenly Demon gracefully landed on the ground, a few meters away from the crater. His breathing was slightly laboured, and parts of his clothes were shredded from the intense battle.

However, his confidence, arrogance, and the oni mask remained unharmed. He put away the Blades of Fulgrim and calmly clasped his hands behind his back.

"Oi, what's the matter?" He asked with a light smirk. "Surely this can't be all that you amount to? Come on, dance a little more."

Bruised and bloodied, Wei Motian emerged from the crater. His eyes blazed with wrath and hatred. As he got into a fighting position, he couldn't help but mutter through gritted teeth:

"Just who are you?"

The man in the red oni mask grinned as he, too, got into a fighting stance.

"I am the Heavenly Demon!"

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