novelraw Chapter 340 - 339 - Demon Hall
Chapter 340 - 339 - Demon Hall
It took several months of constant training before Kexin could fully control her own elements. Demonic Qi was not as inclined to make shields like standard Qi. Lind had to literally create the concept from scratch.
Wyndam was instrumental in working out the testing steps with Kexin but unlike Lind, he could not use demonic Qi at all. Lind was unique in how he branched out into the demonic Qi control for elixirs and Forging at least.
Lind also trained with the soldiers and maids. Most were taciturn or battle maniacs, not exclusive to either camp strangely enough, but he had them change to the robes of the Moebius Sect. His training battles were 2 to 3 at a time which garnered a lot of attention.
Kexin even came to watch once she was able to move without risking her control of her Qi. She was still only a Tier 3 Demon Soul Realm, but her skin that had once been pale as a ghost was a very light shade of lavender now.
Lind was unsure if her dantian was the cause or result, so far as he could tell, the color of their skin had no impact on their combination of elements yet she was definitely the most light colored demon he had ever seen.
She was very quiet but her eyes were very emotive. Likely due to years of being unable to speak save with her face or hands. The pain had been so terrible that she could not even speak!
Currently, Lind was facing the head maid, Delilah, and the 2 captains of the soldiers, Vox and Pyre. The naming norms for demons seemed to vary wildly to Lind but he made no comment on it.
"You have done well against our subordinates, but we will finally corner you, Master Frey!" Delilah had become the defacto voice of the group. Still, he could see she respected the others with her which struck him as odd for a Demon Empire group.
They respected strength and subordinates were only respected for obedience, but the group with Kexin did not seem to completely operate that way. He suspected they had been influenced by the struggle of their charge.
Kexin had never given up and rising above the pain to continue was a strength demons could respect.
"If you can even scratch me, I will be impressed." Lind goaded the 3 and was not disappointed. Delilah had a glaive, while the 2 captains both had broadswords but they were segmented which gave Lind some pause. He suspected what those particular swords could do.
"BEGIN!" Elder Wynn, one of the Diamond Tiers, began the fight. She was a former slave from the Saint Kingdom that was brought to the Moebius Sect over a century ago. She was missing her left eye but her beauty still shone through.
She was an excellent judge of not only fights like the current one but in arbitrating between the disciples. She could often cut through to the heart of an issue. She was often called the Eye of Truth behind her back.
Lind did not move but the demons came at him. Delilah was a step behind the captains as their swords suddenly extended. One infused with dark light and the other with shadow Qi. It was a good combination as the shadow blade mix with the other to make it impossible to detect to almost any cultivator.
Lind smirked as he simply stepped back as the air became a strong breeze before the clang of metal on the stone arena was clear. The darklight blade had missed entirely but its wielder did not even pause to release the hilt and strike directly at Lind.
The smirk on the captain made it clear they had Lind where they wanted him but the strike came not from behind but from below!
The shadow of the captain suddenly had the other segmented blade explode from it! Many would have expected them to go from the blind spot of Lind's own shadow but it was clever to use the fist attacks of the same man to keep the vision locked there so the other sword can make its attack.
Lind merely grinned as his skin deflected the sword with a clang of metal against metal. Grade 3 and 4 swords were no match for his skin at that point. The demons did not flinch, nor stop as they began to use Arts against him.
Vox used shadow and poison to conjure traps on the arena floor while Pyre used cold fire and darklight to create a snaking arc of violet lightning. It was coiled to strike or drive Lind back but the 3rd member of their group seemed to have vanished.
"DIE!" Her voice suddenly came from above but as if he always knew she was there, Lind raised his hand and caught the blade of the glaive between his index finger and thumb right above his head.
"You have never really fought for your lives before, have you?" Lind pulled on the glaive which put Delilah in the path of both the Arts coming at them. The lightning user was able to deflect his attack but the traps were unable to be moved once set!
Delilah was poisoned while Lind disappeared from the sight of all for a brief moment. The only restriction Lind was kept to was the use of his Qi. He could not bring Diamond Tier Arts or techniques to the fight.
It meant that everything he had done was purely with his body!
He had yet to use a single Art against anyone!
The audience cheered while some were a bit sour that 3 could not stop him at all. Lind noticed that Kora and Tal were cheering hard for him while Ethry and Lysanna watched on with cloaks to hide their identity.
"I suppose I should show off a bit." Lind saw Delilah shake off the poison attack as the user had tried to disperse it before it triggered so it was weaker than it should have been.
Lind took a stance and a staff appeared in his hand. It was a peak grade 4 staff of dark metal wrapped in some leather at its ends. As it was a spar, he did not use his sabers.
Water and earth Qi gathered to encircle the staff but did not make mud or any other material they could when combined. The streams simply encircled the staff like a helix. No one had seen them used that way before.
The trio regrouped and the swords extended once more as the captains leapt to either side but now they channeled the Arts of each.
Poison hid in the shadows of the blade of Vox while Pyre had a lighting arc along each segment before they were 180 degrees from each other. Lind smirked as the 3 of them charged but he noted Delilah had no Qi in her weapon which did give him some pause.
"Wise." The word was mumbled but then the cheering crowd was stunned as Lind twirled the staff so fast no one noticed that the earth thread whipped out and snagged the sword from Pyre while Vox was ensnared in water before he could even take 3 steps.
The glaive sailed through the air but Lind merely deflected it with his staff as if it was a toothpick flung at him. His blocked vision was the goal, however, as metallic cold fire arrows blazed behind the glaive.
Lind smiled but then simply slammed his staff into the arena floor. The expected thud was far louder than any believed possible before everyone realized there had been another element in use!
Air Qi had been infused into the staff! That was what allowed the helix to swirl around the wooden staff!
The soundwave easily slowed and then deflected the arrows, but Delilah had not even paused. She seemed to suspect her attacks would not make it but they would tie up the infuriating sect master.
Her fists began to glint with a blue metal that made Lind's eyes narrow.
"Very good!" The 3 on 1 battle became a duel as the 2 demon captains were taken out by the Qi imprisoning them. All stared as the 2 began to fight with their fists brutally but Lind was laughing.
Delilah proved she was very experienced in close combat as her slimmer body easily evaded several critical hits and what hits got through hit areas she could absorb impacts. Her fists made sparks when they struck Lind's which showed both were insanely tough!
"The glaive was your secondary weapon, this is your expertise!" Lind could feel the difference as the head maid made no comment but kept her face focused on him. He internally nodded but he smirked as she still did not understand the mountain in front of her.
"It has been fun, but you seem to forget I have 3 more elements." Shock flashed on her face as she had indeed forgotten! Light, darkness, and fire coalesced on Linds fists, feet, and eyes.
His hands became impossible to see as they were blinding to all, but his feet vanished into the shadows, while his eyes were an inferno. It only took a moment but Lind was able to slam his full body strength into her ribs.
A crack was heard clearly as blood was coughed up as she stumbled back.
"WINNER: LIND FREY!" Elder Wynn's voice seemed a bit more enthusiastic than usual. Still, Lind held out his hand and helped Delilah up as the captains rejoined them. He quickly gave each of them an elixir of demonic Qi to heal.
"You fought well, but you have much to learn." All 3 bowed but Lind was not done. "I also have learned much of my own weaknesses thanks to you all. I can rely on my body to a point but without my Qi I would have been exhausted by your final assault."
He was not lying. Despite his overwhelming position, he was still hit. He was still unable to defeat them with just his body in a group fight. Delilah especially proved that a Gold Tier could defend against his pure strength.
Satisfaction was on their faces at his acknowledgement of them but Lind then held up his hand and rose into the air.
Shock flooded the arena as all could tell he was not using Qi or an artifact to do it. A Diamond Tier was flying!
"Moebius Sect and guests. I have recently accepted a large contingent of demons. We welcome all here that come to study or join us. We have much to learn to forge our way forward. However, I realize that while I respect demons, I cannot honestly say I understand them." His words brought some pride and confusion. Everyone knew humans and demons had a rather strange relationship compared to any other race.
Beasts were predator or prey, aether children could be friend or enslaved, and other humans would be enemy or ally, but demons often simply fought because they chose to. Only the organized powers had overall tendency, but demons alone could be anywhere from bloodthirsty to simple battle maniacs.
"I have decided, if she accepts, to allow Lady Kexin to form a Demon Hall as part of the Moebius Sect. They will be a part of us but specialize in teaching all about demonic Qi, Arts, and so forth. All may attend but to become an Elder you will have to be a demon." A rumble filled the crowd.
Some were frowning as they did not want demons to be special but others slowly nodded as it made sense. There were already specialized Elders and classes for aether children and bloodline awakened humans.
Demons had some classes, true, but there were very few dedicated resources. In fact, demons mostly came to help elixir masters and Forgers expand their foundation. Some came to learn demonic elixirs and Forging as well but were just as rare.
It would actually streamline things as artifacts were needed for teaching if a human was involved.
"Would we be able to decide our rules?" A voice called out from the crowd. All turned to see a faintly lavender demoness who was a sight to behold. She seemed almost ethereal, as if a good wind would turn her into dust. A mirage of beauty, but her smoky obsidian eyes were mesmerizing.
"You are still part of the sect. The rules are clear there, but so far as setting up what you need and posting requests, yes, you would decide." Lind made it clear to all, they were all one, it would simply be a new department.
The young girl glanced at Delilah but Lind could see a smile spread on the head maid's face.
"We accept!" Lind saw a lick of black flame for a moment but it was not out of control but clearly a resonance to her current mental state. He noted it and waved as he stepped off the stage. There was much to plan but it resolved an issue and perhaps gave a home to some demons looking for one that was not Darkmoor nor the Demon Empire.
"I will need to make a place for beasts too." Lind glanced at Ethry, Kora, and Tal as reminders of the future. He would see it and he would fight for the same thing as he had for the demons. He could feel it in his dantian, that his harmony needed all those disparate threads to forge ahead.
For the first time in a very long time, the burning desire to experiment was overtaking him and he had a clear goal to strive for. He would ascend to the Sky Realm!