The area surrounding the pond was unnervingly quiet, and was covered with dense mana, creating a scene where the pond was covered in fog. The sky above the floating landmass was dark, with thin curtains of blue aurora flickering across the sky as if reacting to the absurd density of mana below.
Arthur sat cross-legged near the center of the pond, with his eyes half-closed, rapidly absorbing the mana around him which was indicated by the faint glow along his veins with each breath he took.
Selene sat a few meters away, her long hair drifting slightly over the surface of the pond. Her aura was calm but vast, as waves of golden mana occasionally rippled towards her.
Finn, Leon, Eva, Natalya, and Sophia and the others were arrayed around them, all meditating or regulating their mana flow, surrounded by the quietness of the pond.
Everything was peaceful, but it was broken with the sharp sound of something slicing through the air at an extremely fast speed.
Two figures streaked down from the sky and landed at the edge of the pond, their boots cracking the rocky surface beneath. Their arrival made several people who were meditating open their eyes to see what was the commotion.
They were martial artists, both at the Grandmaster rank by the weight of their aura. One was a lean man with a scar that ran across his jawline, the other bulkier, his arms wrapped in bandages.
The scarred man frowned, looking around. "What the hell is this place?"
His companion crossed his arms, as gaze was fixed on the glowing pond. "It feels like a cultivation ground for mages, lucky bastards."
There was open envy in their tone, one that any martial artist would feel seeing such an opportunity in front of them, but unable to partake in it. The energy here was pure mana, not Chi. For them, this place was nearly useless.
They stood at the edge for several moments, watching as Arthur's group and a few others quietly absorbed the pond's energy. Soon, more groups started to approach the pond.
There were a total of four new groups who arrived one after another, demons, elves, and humans all landing across the clearing. But two of those groups immediately stood out, each led by a demon Archmage.
Their auras they emitted appeared very oppressive, thick with malicious power and pride.
The first demon, tall and pale-skinned with streaks of crimson markings running down his temples, smirked faintly feeling such dense mana. The second, slightly shorter with long black hair tied back in a knot, narrowed his amber eyes as he stared at the pond.
"What's going on here?" the first demon asked, approaching the two martial artists.
The bulkier martial artist grunted. "We just got here. Seems like the mages are soaking in that weird pond for a power boost or something."
The demons exchanged glances, they were silent at first, but recognition flashed behind their eyes.
The black-haired demon, Anwir stepped closer to the pond, lowering his head slightly as he sensed the mana, analyzing the water. Then his eyes widened. "No way… this can't be what I think it is."
His companion's grin widened slowly. "You're thinking it too, aren't you?"
Anwir's hands trembled slightly with excitement. "Mana Essence, there's no mistake."
The words struck like thunder. To most people here, it may sound like something important but not earthshaking, as most have never heard of the term in their life. But to them, who knew the importance of it was a discovery of a lifetime.
Mana Essence, it was the legendary condensed liquid mana that required millennia to form even a single drop and that too in a place where there was extremely dense mana present. In the era of gods, it was said to be the source of divine breakthroughs. A single vial could help an Archmage ascend to become a Sage.
And this pond was filled to the brim with it.
Anwir's breath quickened as he stared at the faintly glowing blue liquid. He had only ever seen it once, in the treasury of the Demon King. Even that had been just a vial, barely a spoonful. Yet here was an entire pond of it.
The greed in both their eyes deepened instantly.
They began to telepathically communicate, their lips remained unmoving.
'We have to take it back anyhow', Anwir said, his tone was sharp with urgency.
'Agreed', the other demon replied. 'But there are too many eyes here. We can't move openly.'
A cruel light passed across Anwir's eyes, 'Then we make them disappear.'
Anwir's gaze shifted toward the two martial artists standing nearby. A slow, cunning smile appeared on his lips.
They started to hatch a plan, and after a few moments the demons turned toward the two men and spoke aloud, their tone suddenly friendly.
"This pond is no ordinary mana pool," Anwir began smoothly. "It's something far greater. It is pure Mana Essence, pure power condensed by the world itself. And it's extremely precious."
The martial artists exchanged wary looks. "So what? You want us to leave or something?"
The demon chuckled softly. "Quite the opposite. You want riches, don't you? You may not use mana, but that can be sold for treasures beyond imagination. You could buy entire sects with a single flask of this."
The bandaged man's brows furrowed. "What's the catch?"
The second demon leaned closer, his voice was low and velvety. "Simple. Help us clear out these gnats before the rest of the realm learns about this place. We should kill them all quietly, and the spoils are ours to share."
A heavy silence fell over the edge of the pond.
The two martial artists glanced at each other again, torn between greed and instinct. The demons' aura pressed subtly on them, not enough to threaten, but enough to remind them the demons were stronger than them.
After a long pause, the scarred man smirked. "Fine. We'll help, but we need to discuss the portion we will get."
"Of course," Anwir said, smiling thinly as they discussed how to divide the spoils. He didn't bother hiding the cruel glint in his eyes once the martial artists looked away. They wouldn't live long enough to collect their portion.
The two martial artists thought though they could not use the liquid themselves, according to the two demons the liquid was extremely precious, they could sell them for resources they could use and agreed to the terms.
But what they didn't know was the two demons were plotting to use a borrowed knife to kill, and kill them later. The demons didn't want to share the mana essence with the two martial artists and even if they shared they couldn't take it with them.
As they needed specialized containers to seal them, the demons had brought such storages to collect precious herbs and seal them inside, but they never imagined they would stumble upon mana essence in this place.
The four turned toward the pond. Around them, the demon's subordinates, roughly twenty in total, began fanning out silently.
Those already in the pond were oblivious to their machinations, still meditating. The attackers first targeted the ones that arrived with them, the other two groups, who haven't entered the pond yet.
The first scream broke the stillness. A flash of red energy sliced through the air, as one of the demon's spells cut through three low-rank explorers in a single motion. Their bodies hit the ground before they could even react.
Then chaos erupted.
The other demon unleashed a storm of attacks, sweeping across the clearing. The two martial artists lunged into the fray, their fists glowing with golden Chi as they crushed everything in their path. The other groups who didn't have archmages or grandmaster rank martial artists with them had no chance and were killed instantly, dozens fell in seconds, their bodies scattering like ragdolls.
The once serene place was now splattered with blood and smoke.
Arthur's eyes snapped open the instant he sensed the shift in atmosphere, his calm expression hardened.
Arthur and Selene had been ignoring the demons and the two grandmasters as they were only observing from afar, but they didn't imagine they would suddenly attack the ones that arrived with them a few minutes earlier.
Selene, who was beside him, stood up instantly. "They really couldn't control their greed." Both of them looked at each other and nodded.
Arthur's gaze locked onto the four figures hovering near the edge of the clearing, their killing intent unmistakable. "Demons and martial artists… perfect."
He turned toward his group, his voice was sharp and urgent. "You guys stay behind us and gather everyone. We'll handle those four, and don't try to be heroes."
Finn clenched his fists, his eyes burning. "Got it, don't die out there."
Arthur smirked. "Not planning to."
In the next instant, he and Selene shot out of the pond, water erupting behind them like a geyser.
The demons barely had time to react before Arthur's presence slammed into them, a wave of killing intent and mana pressure thick enough to distort the air washed over them.
Selene appeared beside him, her golden aura blazing like a miniature sun. Her wings unfurled briefly, scattering golden motes of light through the air.
The two Grandmasters and demons turned toward the incoming enemy, startled by the sheer force approaching them.
Arthur stopped midair, a few meters away from them, his eyes were cold. "You picked the wrong people to attack."
One of the martial artists sneered. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
Arthur smiled faintly. "Your death."
And in that instant, he vanished.
The sound barrier shattered as his figure became a blur of motion slamming into the bandaged martial artist's chest. The man flew back like a meteor, crashing through a line of crystal boulders.
Selene didn't waste time either. Her hand glowed, forming a spear of condensed mana. She threw it at one of the demons; the projectile tore through his hastily erected barrier, detonating in a shower of sparks that threw the demon back.
…
By now several hours have passed since they entered the pond and they all had reached Ninth Circle since everyone here was talented and not mediocre, and Arthur had even reached the peak of Ninth Circle.
Arthur could have reached the Archmage realm if it was before he consumed the dragon heart, after consuming it he had to absorb five times mana than a normal mage for a breakthrough, though it was not a disadvantage, as he also had five times more mana than a normal mage in the same realm.
So even with his Energy Absorption ability he was only at the peak of Ninth Circle. The other groups who were also inside the pond were confused at first but immediately became terrified seeing the demons and the others killing people and the peaceful clearing turning into a battlefield, they tried to flee but they were blocked by the subordinates of the demons.
Meanwhile, behind them, Finn and the others were already moving. Leon's sword flashed as he deflected an attack from a beast-kin, while Eva's spell made the ground shake as thick vines started to burst out of the ground. Natalya and Sophia gathered the others to retreat, keeping the chaos from spreading further.
***
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