The atmosphere was charged with the relentless clash of steel against each other as Throgg and Krell exchanged blows.
I must admit, Krell was a skillful swordsman. He parried each of Throgg's strikes with well timed precision.
He was keeping up with Throgg's monstrous strength and prowess. From the looks of things, I had great faith in Krell's swordsmanship.
He can take care of himself. He won't be needing my assistance.
Now that leaves Camilia.
The three surviving mages saw their chance to grab Camilia and finish their ritual.
They lunged for her unconscious body while Krell and Throgg were battling.
Suddenly, a roaring wall of fire erupted from the ground, cutting Camilia off from their grasp.
I emerged from my hiding spot and positioned myself between Camilia's and the three mages.
"I don't think so," I said, my voice sharp. "I won't let you have her."
The three mages erupted into laughter.
"Who the hell is this brat?" The middle mage sneered.
"You must think you're some big shot just because you can do a few magic tricks," the second mage hissed.
"Do you have any idea who you're up against, boy?" The third growled.
Something wasn't right about these guys. Their words slithered almost like a snake whenever they spoke. It sounded uncanny and eerie.
Then there was their mana. I could see it perfectly clear. It was dark, thick with the putrid smell of death.
Their dark mana coiled around them like smoke, making them look intimidating and powerful.
From my observation, these guys mana were far beyond any ordinary human mage's capacity.
Only one creature in this world gave off that kind of mana.
"You're not human," I said clenching my fist. "You're demons."
"Hmm... Not bad," one of them smiled, baring his fangs. "You're one clever child aren't you? But you don't stand a chance against us. We are the demon king's high mages."
They removed their hoods in unison, revealing their faces.
I recoiled as I gazed upon their dreadful visages: Deformed human faces, multiple eyes, curved horns and flesh as pale as burnt ash.
Their eyes were black as coal. There was no empathy or emotions in those black eyes. Just cruelty and evil.
They looked very terrifying for my first encounter but surprisingly, I didn't flinch.
"What do you want with the princess," I demanded, gesturing to Camilia. "This ritual, the pact you speak of. I want to know what they all mean."
"It's none of your business, boy," the middle demon hissed. "You do not command us. Now, stand down while we kill you. Don't worry, we'll make it quick"
I really want to know what these demons want with Camilia. They were after something and I must know what that is.
"Then come at me," I said, pointing my index finger at them. "I'll take you three on by myself."
They chuckled amusingly as they summoned their floating grimoire and stretched their hands to me.
They began chanting an incantation.
A black ball of fire began forming between them. The fire swelled into a large sphere, gathering momentum.
"Hellfire Nova!" They chorused, then launched it at me.
The black sphere of fire engulfed me and detonated like a bomb.
The mage's smile slipped off when the smoke cleared. They found me unscathed. The blast neither harmed me nor Camilia.
They couldn't believe it.
"What, what is this!" The second demon hissed in shock.
"Impossible!" The third cried. "No mortal man can withstand our Hellfire Nova."
I dusted off my sleeve, smirking and mocking at them.
"My, my, is this really the best the demon King's high mages can do?" I paused for effect. "I am not impressed."
They snarled at me with malicious intent. "Oh, we're just getting warmed up. That was just a fluke. You won't survive our next attack."
My smile widened. "Bring it on."
The demon's grimoires began fluttering pages as they started chanting new spells.
"Lightning storm!" The first demon roared, summoning sparks of lightning in his outstretched hands.
He began launching a barrage of lightning rapidly at me, like a machine gun.
"Stone Requiem!" The second demon cried, slamming both his palms to the ground.
The earth around me ruptured with spikes of stone to impale me.
The third demon took a deep breath and uttered, "Death cry!"
He unleashed relentless cries of echoes that were condensed with dark energy that could kill a mere man.
Each spell hit me one after the other like a series of raging storms. To their surprise, I was still standing strong and unhurt.
But this didn't stop these bastards.
They continued their relentless onslaught until they ran out of mana.
Their range of attacks on me had done absolutely nothing.
Not even a scratch.
"Impossible!" The middle demon cried, falling on his knees. "No. It can't be. Our combined attacks rivals the demon King's general, and yet there's not a scratch on you. How did this happen?"
"That's because you're hitting a barrier," I answered.
"A barrier? Don't mess with us. Even the strongest barriers crumble under our collective force."
I shook my head. "Not this one. Most mages cast barriers to withstand external attacks but against powerful offensive magic, their barriers are weak."
I paused to study their reaction. "So I spent the last ten years weaving my barrier spell, atom by atom."
Their eyes widened in shock as they exchanged glances. "You mean you rewrote the spell?"
"Each node in every barrier is like an atom," I waved my hand, revealing my invisible magic barrier. "I just broke it down and reforged every particle of its structure. It's like how a blacksmith reforged iron into steel. I strengthened my barrier with my mana and evolved it to withstand the most powerful of all offensive spells."
One of them hissed. "But where do you have the patience or skill to do so? It'll take years to perfect such a barrier."
I smiled. "Look, I'm only ten years old. I spent those numbers of years growing stronger. I dedicated eight hours every night and day to my offensive and defensive magic. Don't underestimate me."
The demons gaped at me with hanging jaws.
Most mages in this world only focus on offensive magic rather than defensive because defensive magic is always weak and not ideal for combat.
I saw the flaws in defensive magic and fixed it. I achieved what no other mage ever dreamt of doing while studying grimories in the Royal library.
"Seems you're all out of magic," I stretched out my hand at them, my golden eyes glowing. "Good. Now it's my turn."