[Unknown]

  [Awakening Stage: Second Stage]

  [Classes:]

  Unknown

  [Class Skills:]

  Unknown

  The last time Leox had faced off against a fallen saint, the being had been able to recognise that he was an "immortal" in some way. The demon also had a name, which was Sarah, and the ability to speak.

  As he walked down the rows between the stands with his sword in his hand, approaching the stage on which the demon stood, he remained calm and collected. The demon tossed the corpse to the ground with a clatter as it noticed the newly approaching figure. It's perfectly crafted nose sniffed the air and looked down at Leox.

  "Ally?" It sniffed again.

  Leox shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Why do you think that?"

  Is there something about me that these demons can recognise?

  As he asked himself the question, he noticed the veins in the demon's right hand glowing brighter as it clenched its fists tightly. Its usually still face contorted slightly, now painted with animosity.

  "Then an enemy." It said. And then, it charged.

  The being leapt off the platform, landing on its feet in a crouched position in front of Leox. From there, it reached for Leox's shoulders, trying to get a hold of him like it probably had done to the White Knight, but Leox was faster.

  He used Greater Overheat, pushing his legs to their limit. He leapt backwards swiftly, and the demon's hands grasped at nothing but air. Then at the same time Leox stepped back into range, overheated his right arm and swung the blade upwards, aimed at the demon's hand.

  CLANG!

  The demon clenched its fists again, and the golden veins strengthened its skin. It refused to be damaged by the blow and was deflected easily.

  Leox cursed. The deflection had thrown him off balance slightly, and the demon wished to use the opportunity to take the advantage. It pounced forwards again, this time managing to wrap its arms around Leox's waist, lifting him off his feet.

  As his legs dangled in the air, Leox responded by turning the blade upside down, taking it into a two-handed grip, and thrusting it down as hard as he could into the back of the demon's neck. He felt the blade pierce through flesh, and although no blood fell, he felt himself being released from the grip. Once back on his feet, he booted the demon in its chest, forcing it to stumble backwards and putting distance between them again.

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  Now standing a few meters apart, the demon and the human remained disengaged from each other. It was though they were appreciating their opponents.

  From behind him, Leox heard Meruvio muttering something to the black knights about how he was talented for a village child. He blocked the sound out, ignoring the praise.

  It's time to end this. I can't risk accidentally dying, since it would reveal my secret to these men. If that happened... who knows what would happen to me.

  Leox wanted to end this battle in the next exchange. To do that, he stood up tall, lifting his sword into the air and using his Flame Coating skill. The weapons blade was bathed in flames, casting a glow on his face. At the same time, he used Tempest, calling on the few winds in the room and concentrating them around the flamed sword. His mana was still low from having to purify his body of the toxins, but he knew that this would be enough to take down a second-grade demon of the second overview stage.

  Meruvio and the knights watched with wide eyes as the boy fused two skills. Pumping the flames with enough mana to make them roar, the winds surrounding them were heated to an absurd temperature. In only a few seconds, the first spark of lightning caught the blade, creating a great crashing sound. The weight of his blade suddenly became greater. The sparks of the sword became brighter until it was entirely shrouded in a mass of constant sparks.

  Focus.

  Leox concentrated the Tempest around the blade, causing the winds to contain the sparks, only allowing them to be released once he willed it. Finally, it was done.

  The Stormblade had been summoned.

  To his surprise, Leox saw the demon watching him, waiting for the skill to be performed. Perhaps the wild, untamed sparks of lightning made it scared, not daring to step into their range. Although the blade seemed less dangerous from the demons' perspective, Leox, Meruvio and the knights knew that it was now more dangerous than ever.

  "Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." Meruvio said from the entrance, stuck in a state of disbelief.

  Leox smiled, but didn't respond to the man's praise. It was time to attack, and it seemed the demon noticed that too.

  The two dashed towards each other. The demon's arms outstretched in a low stance, and Leox's blade held above his head, leaving a trail of loose sparks that managed to escape the tempest.

  They stepped into range. The demon crouched even lower, no longer aiming for the waist, but rather a grab of the legs that might topple his opponent.

  As for Leox, he didn't care what strike his opponent was going for. The longer he held the blade, the harder it felt to contain the storm. All he wanted to do was let them loose.

  So he did.

  With incredible speed, enhanced by Greater Overheat, he swung the blade down in a downwards arch. It hit something solid, and then a crash of lightning louder than any other sounded through the room. A great force left his sword, followed by a flash of light that lit the entire church.

  Leox felt his blade tear through something and then crash into something solid, but he couldn't see what exactly had happened, as the figure in front of him was now so bright that his vision was blinded. The force of the strike sent him sliding backwards away from the location of their clash. As he did, the light dimmed. He looks up at what had happened during the collision.

  There lay the demon still, its head split in half from the forehead down to the neck, now hanging limply by a few threads of black flesh. The ground beneath where it lay had been charred black and burned, and the corpse of the demon spasmed every few seconds.

  He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing all of his skills to fade away. He was completely drained from the use of the skill, but that didn't matter. The demon was dead.

  Leox heard footsteps approaching him from behind, and eventually a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He turned his head to find Meruvio standing over him with a smile spread across his ruined face.

  "You really would make a fine hunter." He said.