Harry walked side by side with Wong into the grandest hall in all of Kamar-Taj. In the centre of the antique chamber, at a low tea table, sat a bald woman in yellow robes, her expression kind and serene.
When she saw the two of them, the Sorcerer Supreme gave a gentle smile and pushed two cups of freshly brewed tea toward them.
Because of her mild temperament and broad heart, Harry never felt nervous in front of her, even though she was an incredibly powerful sorcerer.
"Master," he asked, "what are we learning today?"
The Sorcerer Supreme calmly set her cup down. Her face was veiled by a faint curl of steam, lending her an otherworldly, ethereal air.
"Harry, you've been studying magic for seven years now," she said. "It's time for you to challenge a stronger enemy.
"In half an hour, a demon intruding on Earth will appear on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal. You will go alone and kill it."
Wong frowned, visibly worried.
"Sorcerer Supreme," he said, "Harry has only been learning for seven years. It's only recently that he's been able to stabilise his own power. To have him face a demon alone now… isn't that too dangerous?"
The Sorcerer Supreme shook her head.
"Harry's talent far surpasses yours and mine. He is the most gifted sorcerer I have ever seen.
"Don't worry. For him, this won't be difficult. He just needs a bit of pressure."
Before Wong could argue further, she turned to Harry, smiling warmly.
"What do you think, Harry?"
Harry had never been short on courage. Long ago he'd begun assisting Wong in eliminating various magical creatures that had invaded Earth.
"Afraid" was not the right word for him—if anything, he had been impatiently waiting for the chance to act on his own.
"No problem, Master. I can handle it easily!" Harry said, patting his chest with confidence.
Seeing this, Wong could only sigh and nod his agreement.
Once the worry faded, a smile tugged at Wong's lips.
He was genuinely looking forward to seeing just how much power Harry, with all that immense chaos magic inside him, could unleash in a battle against a demon.
…
Nepal, outskirts of Kathmandu, beside a man-made lake.
A deep crimson fissure split the air, and from it stepped a humanoid monster, its whole body a dark red and bristling with horns.
It surveyed its surroundings, its expression growing more and more excited, until it finally threw back its head and laughed wildly.
"Ha ha ha… so this is Earth? How delightful!
"Demon flesh is so dull and tasteless. Humans, though… where are the humans? Where are the women?
"Ha ha ha! No wonder they praise this world—souls and flesh crawling everywhere like worms in Hell. I love it here. This is wonderful!"
As a high-ranking demon, Echidna had always considered itself unlucky. But in this moment, it took that back.
It was incredibly fortunate. It never would have imagined that a demonic ritual would actually let it cross over to Earth.
It would gorge itself on the countless souls here and grow stronger and stronger. One day, it would return to Hell and rise as a mighty Hell-lord.
Echidna looked ahead and saw several young humans staring back at it in terror, their faces pale with fear.
The sight of that fear only made Echidna more excited.
"Tremble, humans," it crowed. "Offer up your souls!"
It lunged toward the trembling "human worms" in front of it. With its strength, killing them would be effortless.
It could hardly wait to taste fresh blood.
But just as its claws were about to pierce the first human's chest, the space around it suddenly shattered like a mirror.
When it regained its senses, the scenery around it appeared unchanged—but the swarming souls and delicious flesh it had sensed everywhere were gone.
In their place, two robed sorcerers stood before it, calmly talking to one another as if it didn't exist.
Wong was giving Harry one last reminder.
"Harry, your power is still unstable. Remember to stay calm at all times. Keep your magic steady and don't let it run wild.
"Remember the rune paths the Sorcerer Supreme modified for you. Don't make any mistakes—only then will your spells cast successfully."
Harry wasn't the least bit impatient with Wong's repeated warnings.
Because he'd experienced the pain of that hateful past himself, he understood just how precious others' concern really was.
He cherished that concern deeply.
Harry nodded firmly.
"Don't worry. With the rune paths you and the Sorcerer Supreme adjusted, I can already cast quite a few spells.
"Taking down this high-ranking demon won't be a problem for me."
With that, he charged forward without hesitation and engaged the demon.
Wong sighed again but focused intently on observing the battle between Harry and the monster.
Harry was a good kid. He was good in every way—except that, for some reason, he was far too reckless for a sorcerer.
Wong still remembered one mission he'd taken Harry on, when the boy had actually dared to fight a troll with nothing but a little stick in his hand.
Echidna, on the other hand, had been seething with rage ever since these two mere human sorcerers dared to ignore it and chat among themselves.
When it saw Harry charging straight at it, its face twisted into a hideous grin.
"The soul of a human sorcerer should be of much higher quality," it sneered. "Thank you for offering me such a fine feast the moment I arrive!"
Harry ignored the demon's jeers. Wong had already told him—when fighting demons, never talk to them.
Demons were devious, treacherous creatures, experts at deceiving humans.
Harry stirred the power within him. Stone slabs tore free from the ground and spun into sharp, spiral-shaped projectiles, whirling toward Echidna.
This was the most basic ability he'd mastered. His magic seemed especially suited for manipulating objects, and as his control over his power grew, so did his ability to move and shape things around him.
Dozens of spinning spikes slammed into Echidna. They managed to punch through its scales but couldn't drive deep enough into its flesh to be fatal, though they still left it covered in wounds.
Once wounded, Echidna lost its earlier, lofty arrogance. It had realised that this human sorcerer was troublesome to deal with—his strength was easily on par with that of a high-ranking demon.
So it began to take the fight seriously. Relying on the defence of its scales, it started tanking the damage and, for a time, seized the upper hand.
Echidna raked its claws at Harry with all its might. Flames coiled around its hands, the heat so intense that they tore Harry's clothes open as they grazed him.
If Harry hadn't leapt back in time, that blow might have seriously injured him.
But seeing this, he felt no fear at all. Instead, the berserker's spirit buried deep in his heart fully awakened.
Eyes shining with excitement, he traced a glowing sigil in front of his chest and drew a radiant golden longsword from the spell.
The Sacred Sword of the Vishanti—one of the finest close-combat weapons a sorcerer could wield. After the Sorcerer Supreme adapted it, activating it with chaos magic only made it even stronger.
Sword in hand, Harry dashed forward again. This time, when Echidna's blazing claws came slashing toward him, he didn't dodge.
He swung the golden blade in a single, decisive stroke—
And cleaved the lava-coated claw clean off.