As the words "Realm: Divine scholar" exit Mammon's mouth, Johan and Mammon both dissapear from Qiang's gaze.

Qiang quickly takes a box of first aid and tends to the burns on his right arm while Johan and Mammon apear in a domain of clouds with a night sky above them.

"A realm?! But you're only rank seven of the principles!" Johan Yells fearfully.

"Seems to me like you underestimated us, according to the records, you faught Asmodious? I don't blame you, anybody who faught such a weakling would underestimate us as well." He says with a bored expression.

"Ferrokinesis: Golden shower" Mammon says and creates many golden coins above himself to attack Johan.

Johan dodges but gets kicked off far backwards, to him, it seems like a city of pale white buildings is growing closer and closer before he flies through a wall of a smaller building.

The building itself has no interior and is a plain white color from the inside, he gets up and dusts himself off before realising that his swords are gone.

"What is it? No weapons? My realm has the ability to make anything i imagine come true!" He grins from ear to ear before a scroll materialises in his hand, "It shall be as it is written!"

He puts the scroll up against the white wall of the building and it gets absorbed inside before a whale flies out of the floor, the whale makes the whole building crumble while falling from above.

As it hits the ground, it creates a wave of water like in the ocean that knocks Johan away.

'i see... So his ability is imagination? But what could be his weakness? There has to be a weakness! The greater the strength of a rea the more apparant it will be!' Johan asks himself, he coughs slightly before standing up.

"You're quite durable, you got potential, i see now why you were hunted all across Desertia!" Mammon smiles in amusement.

"Why did you burn the village down? You killed at least a hundred people!" Johan wipes the blood off his face with his sleeves.

"I was payed to do it, you should blame the client, not me." Mammon's smile dissapears.

"Money motivates you? That makes a lot of sense now." Johan brings his arm up, "Vulnus!" he slashes down with a slash of manna rushing at Mammon.

Mammon is taken by surprise and tries to move away but the slash cuts his left arm off.

"Well played." His arm regenerates, "That won't be quite enough, however."

They stand across from each other, neither one saying a word or moving.

'why isn't he killing me? If his realms's ability is imagination, couldn't he just imagine me dead? No, that's not right, it's likely that his realm cannot effect other people.' Johan thinks and smirks slightly.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Why are you smirking?" Mammon asks in confusion.

"I've just figured out your domain's ability!" Johan's smile grows wider.

"That is useless, besides, i wouldn't even need to use my realm to kill you."

Johan's smile dissapears, Mammon takes out a handful of coins from his pocket and melts them in his hand, enveloping his body in a golden armor.

"Ferrokinesis: Ever-lasting armor!" He punches Johan in the solar plexus in the blink of an eye and continues to punch all over his body before kneeing him in the chest.

Johan falls to his knees and coughs up blood into his hands.

The girl in lether clothing wakes up on the clouds, she slowly opens her eyes to see the clear night sky.

'where am i? Did i pass out?' She asks herself as she finally sits up, 'there must be a battle, the kid must be fighting! I have to help him!' She tries to get up but the wound Mammon gave her is still regenerating.

She holds her wound and takes a deep breath, she claps her hands together and creates a worm of water. "help the kid, little guy!" The worm gets on her finger tip and she forms a finger gun, shooting the worm away in a random direction.

Mammon continues to mercilessly beat Johan with the armor's golden gauntlets, in a split second, Johan feels his body glowing and Mammon's arm passes through Johan.

Johan looks at Mammon with confusion and relief, "Flatus!" Johan releases a red light of manna through his palm that leaves a hole in Mammon's chest.

"You're starting to annoy me!" The hole regenerates along with the armor, Mammon takes Johan by the collar and throws him into the wall of a building.

Johan coughs up more blood and looks up at Mammon, who is winding up to smash his head with a punch.

Johan prepares to get hit while the water worm slithers and jumps into Mammon's shoulder making it explode just as he is about to punch him.

Mammon's whole right arm falls to the ground and disintigrates, he looks at his missing shoulder and screams in pain as the armor he wears falls to the ground and the domain dissapears as well.

The three of them apear in front of Qiang again, "it... It... It won't regenerate! My arm won't regenerate!" Mammon screams again.

Johan smiles as he materialises his swords again and slashes at Mammon but he jumps away on a now burnt building.

"This is where we will say goodbye, using that form is too much trouble than it's worth." He breathes heavily and gets away quickly.

"That form?" Qiang turns to Johan and the girl.

"Yes, all principles have a demon form that causes them great pain when used but gives them a boost of all abilities." Says the girl.

"Do you have a demon form?"

"Yes, but i won't use it." She briefly looks at the broken bodies of the adventurer team members and stands up with a lot of difficulty to take a closer look.

"Huh? Are these puppets?" She looks at Qiang.

"Yes, i made them, they looked human like, a shame they were destroyed." He looks at them with a sad expression.

"But... Why? Why make such a thing?"

"They were useful in fights sometimes and worked as helpers when camping out in the woods, alas, they couldn't dodge the attack of a Principle."

Johan stands up and walks towards them.

"Oh! You're hurt, let me help you!" The girl jumps up at Johan and lays his head in her lap, using water to heal him.

After a few seconds, all wounds on his face and body dissapear and blood gets cleaned off his face and body.

"Are you alright now?" She asks in a concerned tone, "sorry i couldn't save you before."

"Wh- what...? Who are you?" Johan asks as if he had just seen an angel.

"My name is Helena Alexandris, the former Principle of Resentment!" She smiles warmly at him.

"Resentment?!"

"Yes, i'll explain later." She stands up, "Now, why did you come to my village?"

"We wanna recruit you, to travel with us." Qiang looks at Johan and Johan nods.

"Travel? Where?!" Helena looks at him excitedly.

"First, we will go revive my friend and then we will go to Archos." Johan gets up and dusts himself off.

"Archos? I always wanted to visit Archos!" She jumps up excitedly and starts marching away from the village.

"Where are you going?"

"To an inn, of course, i even heard it has a bathhouse." She smiles and they follow as well.

"When will you heal my arm?" Qiang asks while showing it to her.

"I'll heal it later, don't be a baby." She says sternly.

TO BE CONTINUED...