Low-Fantasy Occultist Isekai

Different types of mana reacted differently when coming into contact with other spells. Elemental magic was the most predictable, as it typically aligned with its natural counterpart, unless a significant power imbalance existed.

A fireball that came into contact with a wall of water would usually sputter out and fail to achieve much of anything. Of course, if it was cast by that archmage and the recipient was a novice, the water would evaporate, but that was more to do with the people than the magic itself.

When light magic encountered dark magic, it often tore the other apart. Divine magic, when confronting a demon's toxic mana, would frequently prevail.

But what happened when purifying flames, fueled by a divine relic, clashed with a greater demon's deluge of noxious shadows in the middle of an exorcism?

Pain for everyone involved, that was what.

Nick was violently thrown back, crashing against the distant walls and dragging Rhea with him. Waves of darkness engulfed Elia until the screech of an owl rang out, and exorcizing waves of power began to restore the fabric of reality, immediately weakening the demon's hold.

The Bornless Ritual invoked the unity of the divine and the individual soul's capacity to access higher realms of existence. It was something Nick had avoided so far, even when faced with the Summer Court, because he wasn't sure whether using the name of something as powerful as the Bornless One might result in it answering back.

However, knowing that his only other option was to end up in the gullet of a demon—if he was lucky—he took the chance.

Fortunately, the ritual worked as intended. The owl figurine was the perfect catalyst, harnessing the formless waves of exorcizing magic and giving them purpose. It infused them into its own spiritual structure, using its nature as a guardian spirit to position itself at the center of the ritual.

From there, Nick lost control of the matrix, but he had imbued it with enough stabilizing intent that he was confident it could repair the cracks in reality.

After all, the demon's existence went against the natural order. The World was already fighting against it. That was why they usually needed an anchor to breach through, often in the form of a voluntary sacrifice, much like the mothman. It wasn't exactly an invitation, but it meant that as long as they inhabited the borrowed flesh, they wouldn't be resisted as strongly.

The fact that this specific demon could materialize, albeit partially, on its own had implications Nick would need to contemplate deeply in the future.

Still, the restorative portion of the ritual proceeded smoothly. The [False Angel] that the owl statuette was based on possessed a natural ability to influence such matters, and Nick's own desperate desire to resist the demon, along with the invocation to the Boundless One acting as a catalyst of purity, caused the cracks to begin sealing, and the corrupting effects of the demon's presence started to reverse. Content originally comes from novèlfire.net

As a result, the shadows lost just enough strength, and a blinding light erupted from the spot where Elia had been engulfed, followed by a ball of silver flames exploding and shredding the last slithering remnants of the demon's presence.

A horrifying screech rang out, akin to nails on a chalkboard raised to the tenth power. Nick's brain felt scrambled, and even his various layers of protection could only do so much.

Eventually, when he mustered enough strength to carefully pull himself up, he was greeted by a unique sight. Where there had once been an altar, only molten slag remained. On the opposite side of the chamber, where the eye of the demon had appeared, there was nothing.

Not broken marble, nor residual mana—nothing. The perfectly smooth crater told Nick that the demon had cut its losses and retreated before it could truly be hurt. I don't like that. I really don't like that.

However, he did not expect another attack.