Arayn sat beside Alice, his imposing presence a stark contrast to her relaxed posture. His crimson gaze fixed on Soren, who worked diligently at the corner of the room. Despite the oppressive weight of Arayn's [Demonic Aura], the boy’s hands moved with precision, his focus unwavering. Arayn's lips twitched faintly, a hint of approval he kept to himself.

Alice tilted her head, observing the boy’s determined expression. "Is this supposed to be a family painting?" she asked.

"It precisely is," Arayn replied without hesitation. "We never had one."

Alice’s cheeks turned slightly pink as she crossed her arms. "W-Well, I guess it’s nice to have one… not that I care or anything," she muttered.

Arayn didn’t bother to look at her. "Hm," he replied curtly, his attention still on Soren.

Minutes passed in tense silence, broken only by the sound of Soren’s brush against the canvas. When the fifteen minutes were up, the boy turned toward them, his painting trembling slightly in his hands. "It’s done," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Arayn rose from his seat and strode over, his oppressive aura still filling the room like an invisible weight. Soren flinched but held the painting steady as Arayn approached.

Arayn pulled the Robe of Concealment from the floor and draped it over his shoulders. The air in the room shifted as the oppressive aura receded, vanishing entirely when the robe settled in place. Soren exhaled shakily, his legs threatening to give out from the sudden relief.

Now concealed, Arayn took the painting from Soren, holding it up to inspect the work. What greeted his eyes wasn’t a detailed portrait but a swirl of abstract shapes and colors. It was chaotic, yet strangely captivating—a raw depiction of the overwhelming pressure that had filled the room moments ago.

Alice’s face paled. She glanced nervously at Arayn. "He… he tried his best! You can’t just—" She stopped herself, swallowing her fear. "Don’t kill him. It’s just a painting, after all."

Arayn remained silent for a moment before a low chuckle escaped him. His laughter grew, filling the room. Alice stared at him, bewildered. "You’re… laughing?"

"I’m satisfied," Arayn said, his grin wolfish as he turned toward Soren. "You passed. This painting reflects the mind. To focus under such conditions and create something meaningful... That’s worthy of my recognition."

Soren’s knees buckled slightly in relief, but he held his ground.

Arayn placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. "From this moment on, you are my first official disciple."

Soren let out a shaky breath, relief washing over him now. His shoulders sagged, and his trembling hands finally steadied.

Arayn glanced at him, his expression unreadable. “You still have many tasks. Go to the inn we booked earlier,” he said, turning to leave.

Before he could take a step, Alice interjected, “Soren can rest here as my guest. You, however, still have a job to do, right?”

Arayn paused, his gaze narrowing. “Fine. But while he’s here, educate him about the basics. Start with the cult structure.”

Alice frowned, crossing her arms. “He just went through hell, and now you want him to study? The boy needs to rest.”

“No,” Arayn said firmly. “If he can’t memorize it by tomorrow, I’ll punish both of you.”

Arayn turned away. He left the room without another glance, his dark robe billowing behind him.

Once outside, he leapt from roof to roof. The cool night air brushed against his face, but his grip on his sword remained tight. The blade pulsed faintly in his grasp, almost as if alive, hungry for blood. It felt as though the sword wanted to devour something today.

---

Valen and Kaelion stood in front of the burning mansion, its flames licking the night sky like a beacon of chaos. The air scorched, and embers floated around them like restless spirits.

“She’s prepared dangerous magic circles inside,” he said, his eyes scanning the blazing structure.

Valen’s gaze didn’t waver from the inferno. “I have analyzed the magic circles design you sent me. Those are summoning circles. I bet after summoning something, she will come out. However, I came prepared.”

Without another word, he held up the Ritual Lantern. Souls began to seep from the lantern’s confines, writhing and screaming in agony as they emerged. Valen's voice carried over their wails as he uttered the name of his necromancy ability, "[Infernal Subjugation]."

The souls howled, and the flames of the burning mansion seemed to respond. Tendrils of fire twisted and coiled toward them, drawn as if by some unseen force. The flames were absorbed into the souls, their incorporeal forms igniting and transforming into fiery apparitions. One by one, the Vengeful Flame Spirits took shape, their numbers growing until two hundred of them hovered menacingly, their bodies ranging in power from level 1 to level 5.

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Valen’s expression remained grim as he watched the process. “A waste. I gathered these souls for a different purpose. But if it means eliminating Saria, so be it.”

The mansion’s doors creaked open, and Saria emerged. Her presence was overwhelming, her body radiating an aura of immense power that seemed to smother the flames around her. Behind her, six massive demonic flame golems lumbered out. Each of them was level 19.

Saria was unscathed, her injuries from fighting Arayn completely healed. Valen’s jaw tightened as he activated the class system’s feature to check her level. His eyes widened. “Level 20...” he whispered.

Saria’s grin widened as her gaze locked onto the two men. “Do not fear. I won't advance into expert-class yet. So, I won't cheat. Still... I wanted to finish Arayn first, but taking down you, Valen, one of the strongest participants? That’s a satisfying consolation prize.”

The golems behind her roared, the flames around them intensifying, as Valen and Kaelion braced themselves for the impending battle.

Valen raised his hand, his voice calm but commanding. “Attack.”

The Vengeful Flame Spirits surged forward like a fiery tide, their forms crackling with volatile energy as they raced toward Saria and her golems.

Saria chuckled, crossing her arms as she watched the swarm. “Do you truly believe low-level fire spirits can defeat higher-level fire demonic beasts? Pathetic.”

Her grin widened as she gestured toward her flame golems. “Destroy them.”

The six demonic flame golems roared, raising their massive arms as fireballs began to form in their hands. With a synchronized movement, they launched a volley of fiery projectiles into the swarm, the explosions lighting up the battlefield. Many of the spirits were incinerated instantly, their wails of anguish fading into silence.

But not all.

Some of the Vengeful Flame Spirits darted and weaved through the chaos, their small, agile forms slipping past the fiery barrage. A handful of them broke through and raced toward Saria, their blazing bodies leaving trails of fire in their wake.

Saria’s grin faltered. She thrust her hands forward, conjuring a barrier of energy just in time to block the oncoming spirits. They slammed into the barrier one after another, their fiery bodies exploding on impact. Saria winced as the force of the attacks reverberated through her defenses. Cracks began to spiderweb across the surface of her barrier, the relentless onslaught pushing it to its limits.

Valen watched the scene unfold with a cold smile. “Demons reproduce by binding a corrupted soul to a physical form,” he began, his voice cutting through the roar of battle. “But not all souls are so fortunate. Some bind themselves to objects or forces without sapience, becoming what we call demonic beasts. They lack thought, intelligence... purpose.”

His eyes narrowed, his gaze locking onto Saria. “Your demonic beasts are strong, yes, but they are mindless. My spirits, on the other hand... They still cling to the last vestiges of their sapience. Their pain. Their hatred. I manipulate those desires and direct them toward one target—you.”

Saria’s expression darkened as the barrier groaned under the weight of the relentless assault.

“If you underestimate them,” Valen continued, “one of them might just take your life.”

Saria’s grin widened as her barrier held strong against the assault. “I didn’t conjure this barrier to protect myself,” she said with a mocking tone. “I did it to buy time.”

Beneath her feet, a magic circle flared to life, glowing a deep crimson. Similar magic circles appeared under each of her flame golems, all connected by lines of energy. The compound structure pulsed with immense power, linking Saria and her golems in a grand arcane network.

Valen’s eyes narrowed. His voice boomed in the ancient demon language, "Zar’khal voryn. Ignis’kar zhatar. Felyndor akh’tar nizhal!"

The Vengeful Flame Spirits howled as their forms blazed brighter, their fiery bodies reaching a critical intensity before exploding in a massive eruption of flames. The shockwave rippled, reducing four of the six flame golems to ash.

Saria staggered slightly but retained her grin. Her barrier endured the explosion. The grand magic circle beneath her flared even brighter, and the flames from across the town surged toward her. The ash of the destroyed golems coalesced, reshaping into their original forms. In moments, the four defeated golems stood again, fully regenerated.

Saria let out a triumphant laugh. “Now that my magic circle is complete, I am invincible!”

Before she could continue, a shadow loomed behind her. Kaelion appeared, swinging his dagger at her. Saria’s eyes widened in shock, but her thoughts surged with command, and Kaelion’s body ignited, turning to cinders before he could land his blow.

“That was close,” Saria muttered, brushing herself off. Her confidence faltered for a moment, but then she noticed movement beside Valen. Her eyes widened in realization. Kaelion stood there, unharmed.

“A doppelganger,” she murmured, understanding his ability in an instant.

Valen’s gaze shifted to the linked magic circles beneath Saria. He studied its connections and power. “You’re right,” he said flatly. “That magic circle makes you invincible—against anyone below the expert class. But invincibility has its limits. To defeat you, we’ll have to pull you out of that circle or wait for it to fade.”

Saria let out a sharp laugh. “Fade? This magic circle won’t disappear. I burned this town to fuel it! As long as there’s fire, it will remain active. You don’t stand a chance.”

Valen’s expression remained stoic. “Then we’ll pull you out of it.”

Saria scoffed, raising her hand to command her flame golems. “Attack.”

The six demonic beasts roared, unleashing a torrent of flame cannons. The air rippled with heat as fiery orbs hurtled toward Valen and Kaelion. The first blast struck inches from Kaelion’s feet, sending a shockwave that nearly toppled him.

Valen barely had time to react as another cannon surged toward him, blindingly fast. Kaelion shoved him aside with a grunt, the force tossing Valen off balance.

As Valen tumbled through the air, his hand shot forward, summoning a chain of magic. The glowing chain snaked through the chaos, wrapping around Kaelion's arm just as a searing blast erupted where Kaelion had stood. With a fierce pull, Valen yanked Kaelion skyward, both of them narrowly escaping the fiery inferno below.

Their breaths ragged as they landed on a crumbling rooftop, the roar of the golems' barrage echoing in their ears.

Valen’s eyes widened slightly as he observed the devastation. “Their attack power... it’s comparable to an expert-class fighter,” he muttered.

Kaelion glanced at him, his expression grim.

“We retreat,” Valen said firmly. “We need a better plan.”

Kaelion nodded, and without hesitation, the two vanished into the shadows, leaving Saria standing amidst the chaos, her mocking laughter echoing through the air.