BOOM!!

A body shot through the forest like a cannonball before crashing violently into the trunk of a massive tree.

Thud! Damien’s body slid down the cracked trunk before landing heavily on the ground.

"Cough!"

A mouthful of blood escaped his lips. Without wasting even a second, he planted his sword into the earth and forced himself back onto his feet.

His breathing had become rough. Several cuts covered his arms, and his academy battle gear had been torn apart in multiple places.

The young man glared ahead with unwavering determination. Standing nearly twenty meters away, Daniel remained completely composed.

Not a single visible injury covered the demon’s body. His tanned skin glistened beneath the fading evening sunlight as brown mana slowly flowed around both of his fists.

Daniel relied entirely on his fists and earth magic. The surrounding ground trembled slightly beneath his feet.

The evening sun had already begun sinking below the horizon. Long shadows stretched across the forest.

In less than an hour, darkness would completely cover the battlefield.

Daniel calmly looked at Damien.

"I expected more from you... with a confidence you attacked me."

His voice carried neither mockery nor anger.

Damien tightened his grip around his sword. Golden mana surged from his core, flowing through every vein in his body before wrapping around the blade.

The sword emitted a brilliant golden radiance.

"...I’m not done yet."

Daniel slowly clenched his right fist.

Large chunks of stone rose from the ground before rapidly compressing around his gauntlet. Layer after layer of rock wrapped around his arm until it resembled a gigantic stone hammer.

The surrounding air became heavier.

"You should stay down."

Boom!

The demon vanished.

"So fast!"

Damien’s pupils shrank. He instinctively swung his sword toward his right.

Clang!!

Golden steel collided against solid stone. A violent shockwave erupted from the impact.

Crack!

The ground beneath Damien’s feet fractured instantly. His entire body shook violently.

"Ghk!"

His arms trembled from the overwhelming strength behind Daniel’s punch.

The demon smiled faintly. "You are too slow., young man"

His left fist came flying toward Damien’s ribs.

Boom!!

The stone-covered punch landed squarely against Damien’s side.

"Cough!"

Blood sprayed from Damien’s mouth. His body was launched sideways before smashing through two thick trees.

Wood shattered everywhere. He rolled several times across the forest floor before forcing himself upright once more.

His ribs throbbed painfully.

’I blocked it...Yet it still did this much damage.’

Daniel slowly walked toward him.

Each step remained calm. As though he wasn’t fighting the academy’s strongest first-year student.

Brown mana suddenly gathered beneath Damien’s feet.

His instincts screamed. Without hesitation, he jumped backward.

Boom!

Several enormous stone spikes erupted from the ground where he had been standing only a heartbeat earlier.

The jagged pillars pierced several meters into the air. Damien landed on another patch of ground. Only to get ready for another spell. Another magic circle had already formed beneath him.

"Damn it!"

Boom!

More stone pillars burst upward as Damien leaped again. They erupted again and then again. One explosion followed another. The battlefield became filled with towering spikes of rock.

Daniel calmly controlled every spell without moving from his position.

Damien gritted his teeth. ’He’s controlling the battlefield...I can’t even get close.’

The moment his feet finally touched solid ground.

Daniel appeared before him.

Boom!

A massive stone fist descended toward Damien’s face. Damien immediately raised his glowing sword.

Clang!!

Golden mana exploded outward. The collision shook the surrounding forest. Even though Damien blocked the attack. His knees bent under the tremendous force.

Crack!

The earth beneath him shattered into countless fractures.

His muscles screamed.

Daniel looked directly into Damien’s eyes.

"Still standing?"

Without warning, his knee slammed into Damien’s abdomen.

Boom!

"Gah!"

The air was forced from Damien’s lungs. Before his body could even react, Daniel’s elbow crashed into his shoulder.

Crack!

Damien lost his balance. Another punch struck his chest.

Boom!!

His body flew backward once more. This time he rolled nearly twenty meters before finally stopping. Dust slowly settled around him. His breathing had become noticeably heavier.

Blood trickled down his chin. His left arm had begun trembling uncontrollably.

’He’s...Far stronger than me.’

Yet Damien refused to stay down. He slowly stood again. Golden mana continued flowing around his sword.

His eyes never left Daniel.

The demon sighed.

"I’ll admit it. Your determination is impressive. But determination doesn’t close the gap between our realms."

Damien smiled faintly.

"...Who said I was trying to close it?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

The next instant Golden light erupted around Damien.

His sword shone brighter than ever before. The surrounding darkness was momentarily pushed away.

Sword Art...

[Heavenly Sacred Radiance.]

A five star sword art that Damien posses. It was different from Noah Frozen Lotus Blade Art.

Whereas Noah’s blade art have eight forms, Damien’s sword art only have six.

But his sword art was more focus on attacking power and destruction. It was explosive. Unlike how Noah have cold and calm blade art. That involves frost. Opposite to heat.

The golden aura condensed around the blade. Damien slowly raised his sword vertically before his face.

His expression became perfectly calm. The surrounding mana trembled.

Daniel narrowed his eyes.

"...Interesting."

Damien inhaled deeply. For this attack he activated his Solar Core Ability. Which boost his powers.

His body disappeared.

Boom!

A streak of radiant golden light flashed across the battlefield. The sword descended with terrifying momentum.

[First Form— Shinkō Issen: Radiant Severance.]

A gigantic vertical slash of condensed golden light cleaved through the forest. Trees split apart effortlessly. The earth itself divided beneath the attack.

Daniel’s expression finally became serious. Brown mana exploded around his body. Several massive slabs of rock erupted before him.

Boom!

The golden slash cut through the first wall, then the second and then the third. Rock after rock shattered beneath the overwhelming radiance.

Daniel thrust both fists forward simultaneously. Earth and rocks rose from ground forming a layer upon him. Like a strong armor which he covered with strong brown Mana.

Boom!!

The attack finally collided against his stone gauntlets. The entire battlefield shook violently.

Daniel’s body was slide behind from attack.

Crack.

Fractures spread across Daniel’s rocky armor.

Crack.

They shattered completely.

His eyebrows rose slightly. he’s body felt numb after taking that attack. He could even feel pain.

"haha..Not bad."

But it was enough to defeat the demon. He was at condensed core low or maybe mid.

The next instant, brown mana erupted explosively from his body.

Boom!!

Damien had used his ability to boost his power and then used his first form of sword art. He used most of his power in it. The mana outburst from Daniel was strong for him.

He spun helplessly through the air before crashing onto the forest floor.

Thud!

His sword slipped from his grasp before embedding itself into the dirt several meters away.

Damien struggled to breathe. His vision blurred slightly.

His muscles had reached their limit. Fighting for exam all day, then meeting this demon, fighting them and then survived somehow. Only to meet Noah and others. Then once again fighting same demon.

Daniel slowly walked toward him.

The stone around his fists began reforming.

"You’ve earned my respect."

He stopped a few meters away.

"So I’ll end this quickly."