Legend | Celeste Academy Series BK #2

Chapter 41 ♕ The Finale

The moment that Valeriana had taken Asthore away, Faolan the demon had transformed into a much wilder character than his previous persona. As of now, he seemed to have detached from the pain troubling him from the wound he received. He took the form of a panther demon, its dark aura swirling about its muscular yet lithe form. It attacked Corvan in such a fearsome degree that the ranker had no choice but to get thrown back from the sheer force.

"Tch." He grunted. "No trouble since we have a score to settle. I won't bother holding back like before."

Valeriana's words from earlier echoed back into his head, and he smirked as his mouth moved on its own.

"Treat every fight as a challenger, huh? Is that one way of telling me to always give it everything I've got?" He laughed. "No matter how weak or strong an opponent is?" Corvan laughed as he swung his sword forward only to hit the beast with the blunt end of the weapon. "I've always been a challenger. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten to where I am now."

While he skillfully combated the creature before him, he let his mind wander on the possibilities. The glinting rows of narrow-edged teeth should've at least made him cower, but he had already gone through many 'simulations' to feel threatened. However, he did notice the absolute change in strength compared to mere copies of battle situations he was trained in. He did not feel the worry though, as he was confident in all the practice he got from the past few years of his life. Surely that would be adequate enough.

'Give . . . back . . . Asthore . . .' Faolan growled, but his words rang unheard to his opponent.

"What drives you this way?" Corvan questioned. "That brat has done absolutely nothing to deserve that level of dedication."

'Give . . . back . . .'

The demon released an earthquake-inducing roar, its velvety furs frembling as cold wind rushed from its throat and straight onto Corvan's face. It jumped on him afterwards, pinning him against the ground. Faolan ripped the weapon out of his hand with his teeth, tossing it a few meters away from where they stood.

Corvan had to settle with wrestling the demon—a considerably tough job to do as his strength was completely overpowered by it. It would only take a while for him to be crushed underneath the beast, and even the ground under him had already crumbled from the force and weight combined, burying him halfway into the dirt.

"Im . . . pudent . . . beast!" Corvan literally blazed up in flames, the color of his eyes smoldering as it blended into a slightly warmer color. The emerald shade of his eyes had taken a molten hue, like an igneous river of lava that glowed in an unearthly manner. His blonde hair had small sparks of embers and occasionally fire, as the flames licked and curled around his form, charring his clothes in exception for the specialized fabric he had taken the precaution to wear just in case—his pants and everything below.

The sight of him was vicious that even the demon had no choice but to step back as he was burned. The ranker speedily stood up.

"Vishna . . . elderem . . . incantos ve heilm . . ." Corvan grunted, the ancient tongue smoothly rolling off of his tongue. This seemed to have fed his flames as they got even wilder. "Vileamis Arlandos! Vu! Incantos ve heilm! Incantos! Ve heilm!"

Corvan bent into a fighting stance and wielded the flames that surrounded his body. They seemed more like a protective shield and an extension of his hands and feet as they bowed and flexed at every movement he took. It continued to crackle, nonetheless, never seeming to completely follow his commands. Restless, forever moving, and never still.

The demon started taking caution, its red eyes analyzing his whole body as though trying to find a weak point somewhere. It didn't take very long before it bounded forward once more, its own aura flaring as a sign of retort to Corvan's initial 'combustion'.