Lord Of Beasts

The demon inside Elara had been more active than usual ever since they entered the Gate, almost as if it were enjoying the chaos unfolding around them. At first, it was causing a stir in her mana reserves, but now it just wouldn’t shut up.

Its voice echoed through her mind, taunting her between every exchange with Kaela.

’Why do you let her get in your way?’

Elara gritted her teeth as she blocked another attack.

’Why do you hold back? Is it because she’s your friend?’

Another blow came crashing toward her.

Elara caught it.

The impact sent a powerful shockwave through the surrounding area, kicking up dust and debris while the unstable mana in the Gate rippled around them.

It laughed quietly inside her head.

’I mean, I somewhat like her too. She’s a fun one. But you shouldn’t let anyone block your path like this.’

The words dug deeper than Elara wanted to admit.

She knew the demon wasn’t completely wrong, which is what made it worse.

Kaela wasn’t her enemy; she was her friend.

But Mark was in danger.

Every second they spent fighting gave him more time to reach whatever was waiting for him at the heart of this Gate. Elara’s crimson aura intensified around her body, and the demon’s voice only grew louder.

’I just don’t want Mark to get hurt again and let Ethan down.’

That was what she was so worried about.

Mark had already suffered enough, and perhaps she should have stopped him from entering the Gate in the first place.

He wasn’t a child, nor was Ethan his guardian.

Mark could make his own decisions.

But that didn’t make this any less of an unnecessary risk.

If something happened to him because she had allowed him to run alone into an unstable B+ Rank Gate, Elara knew she would never forgive herself.

Her thoughts became heavier with every passing second.

If Mark got hurt again, or if something happened to him, how was she supposed to face Ethan afterwards?

Kaela noticed the subtle change in Elara’s expression.

Her grin slowly widened.

She wanted to see how far she could push Elara, pushing herself in turn.

’This can’t be all I can do.’

Her powerful but one-dimensional abilities all came from that enormous reservoir of power inside her.

But what if that wasn’t the only way she could use it?

The idea had been sitting somewhere in the back of her mind for so long, and as she clashed with Elara, her mind kept replaying everything she had seen from Ethan and Mark.

One was creative, while the other was adaptive.

’And I just want to be stronger!’

For whatever reason, her Title restricted her mana within her body, but she had something within her that was unleashed in the heat of battle. That warrior’s instinct guided her and even granted her something close to foresight.

’Is that what I’m a vessel for? Is that my version of a demon or a system?’

She couldn’t tell, but it raised a question for Kaela, one she had always thought about.

’If my head was chopped off, would my head regrow a body, or would my body regrow a head? And what if my head was obliterated entirely?’

It was a crude and disturbing thought, but also very profound.

What exactly was her true essence?

Her brain?

Her mana core?

Or something deeper?

Something that couldn’t simply be destroyed through physical means.

’Like a soul...’

The thoughts continued growing in Kaela’s mind as she fought.

Meanwhile, Elara continued trying to reason with her.

"Kaela, this isn’t a game!"

"Sure it is."

"Mark could be seriously injured!"

"Then you’d better catch up to him before that happens."

"You’re deliberately making this harder!"

Kaela laughed.

"I have to do this."

"What the hell does that even mean?!"

Kaela didn’t answer.

Instead, she attacked again, their battle continuing to escalate.

Elara’s crimson aura burned brighter, and Kaela’s violet aura surged around her body. Every clash sent another shockwave through the Gate, and neither woman seemed willing to back down.

Her frustration continued building, and so did the demon’s voice.

’Why are you still holding back?’

Elara’s jaw tightened.

’I mean, look at her. She’s practically asking you to defeat her.’

The demon laughed.

’Stop letting your feelings get in the way.’

Elara’s temper was cracking.

’Why do you let her get in your way?’

The demon’s words continued pushing against the parts of Elara that were already struggling to maintain control. Kaela could see it, and continued pushing Elara closer and closer to her limit.

That was what she wanted.

She wanted to see what happened when Elara stopped holding back and to experience that overwhelming power firsthand. More importantly, she wanted to discover what would happen to herself when she did the same.

Elara’s eyes narrowed.

’Blast her already.’

The demon’s voice became almost gleeful.

’She was a fun companion, but you can always find another like her. That Lord’s Vessel, on the other hand...’

Elara’s breathing became heavier as she struggled to control the influx of energy. She couldn’t let Ethan down again, and just thinking about how she had left Mark to be shot and take those drugs caused her heart to sink.

’Not again.’

Even though things had somehow worked out, like they always seemed to, there was no guarantee that would happen this time. And to do that, she had to deal with Kaela’s antics decisively.

Elara suddenly raised both hands.

An overwhelming amount of mana began gathering between her palms.

The surrounding air trembled as an enormous quantity of mana condensed into a single point. Crimson energy twisted and compressed between her hands, becoming denser and denser until the very space around it seemed to distort.

Kaela’s grin remained.

’Now that’s a fucking attack.’

She could feel how much power was gathering and doubted there were more than a handful of people in the entire world who could endure such an attack.

Elara brought her hands together.

The crimson energy compressed even further.

Then she unleashed it.

"That’s it!"

A Giant Crimson Flash erupted from her hands.