[Hey, old man, wake up] said Luke telepathically to Edgar while dodging a punch from the reddish demon with incredible precision.
Luke always wore the necklace. It had become a kind of habit since the ghost of his great- great-grandfather started living there.
‘Is he fighting at close range?’ thought Julie, the servant, surprised to see Luke’s fighting style. She knew he had an aura of clairvoyance- rumors of his three auras had been circulating for some time. But it was still rare to see a telekinetic fighting in close combat.
As for the boy who had carried her here, he had gone to help in the fight against the two bluish demons. Now it was Nao, Yoko, Eugene, and him versus the two demons.
[What’s going on?] asked Edgar. Luke heard his voice for the first time in several days, as Edgar had been busy trying to locate the Poe Soul Weapon.
Given the situation of facing minor demons for the first time, Luke didn’t notice Edgar’s weary tone.
[I’m facing minor demons] Luke responded, sending a mental command to the reddish demon to stop. It obeyed for a second.
That one-second advantage was enough for Luke to land a telekinetic blow to the demon’s stomach. Its belly rumbled, and then, propelled by the telekinetic force, it was sent flying backward.
‘It has a brain, that’s good,’ thought Luke as he noticed that his mental command had worked. He figured that since they were beasts fighting almost entirely on instinct, they might not be very intelligent, making his blue aura less useful.
[That’s unexpected… How many?] asked Edgar in a surprised tone.
[Four, but I already killed one. One of them turned red, unlike the blue color of the others. Also, they aren’t the only demons; Wednesday is fighting more] Luke replied.
From Luke’s necklace, Edgar’s ghostly form emerged, returning to the real world after some time.
Luke gave Edgar a quick glance, noticing that his appearance seemed tired-odd for a ghost. It looked like he was putting in a lot of effort to find the soul weapon.
[They’re Morraks. The weakest of all minor demons. There are many of them, and they all look alike. They have a beast-like intellect, and their main strength is their physical power and endurance] said Edgar, observing the demons.
[Is the reddish one the same? It’s stronger than the others,] asked Luke, as the reddish demon charged toward him.
Luke raised his hand and used his ten tons of telekinetic force to try to crush it.
The stone ground beneath the demon cracked and sank slightly, but, to Luke’s surprise, the creature kept moving forward, although its speed decreased significantly.
The reddish Morrak resisted the pressure with a guttural roar, its body trembling from the strain.
[It’s in a berserker mode, so to speak. That happens when they’ve recently consumed a soul. They become stronger, more resilient, even able to withstand ten tons, though just barely] Edgar explained.
[Hmm, do they attack in packs or usually go alone?] Luke continued his impromptu lesson on these lesser demons.
As the Morrak approached him slowly, each of its steps making the ground beneath it creak under its weight, Luke began concentrating telekinetic waves in his index finger to form a telekinetic orb.
The pressure that had been crushing the demon lessened slightly due to Luke shifting his focus, allowing the Morrak to gain some speed. However, it was still slow, giving Luke the time he needed to complete the formation of the telekinetic orb.
[No… Morraks rarely attack in packs. They’re too basic to coordinate. If you see several acting together, it can only mean one thing…] Edgar responded, a note of unease in his voice.
[What thing?] asked Luke, continuing to concentrate telekinetic waves and waiting for the precise moment to release the orb.
[There’s a controller Morrak nearby. It’s rare, but every now and then, one appears that has developed enough intelligence to lead others. It’s a sign of imminent evolution] Edgar replied.
[Will it become an intermediate demon?] asked Luke more seriously. If a reddish Morrak could endure ten tons and keep moving, an intermediate demon would be far stronger and smarter. They had to eliminate it before it evolved.
[Yes. It must be watching and directing the others. Still, with your strength, you could take it down, especially if you have help from your goth girlfriend] Edgar replied with a shrug.
Luke had already fought Crackstone, who had made a deal with a greater demon. He could handle a potential case of a newly evolved intermediate demon with relative confidence.
[If I can find it] Luke said, frowning slightly.
With his clairvoyance nerfed in this labyrinth, it would be difficult to locate it. He didn’t want any of his loved ones to be in danger. His greatest concern was Wednesday, though considering her strength, she was the one he should worry about the least. Yet, she was the most important person to him, and he didn’t want to take even the slightest risk.
The telekinetic orb on his finger glowed with a blinding light. With a swift motion, he launched it directly at the reddish Morrak.
The orb struck its chest, creating an explosion of energy that sent it flying several meters back, leaving it motionless on the ground. On its muscular chest, a hole oozed thick, almost black blood.
Luke was about to send a telepathic message to Wednesday when he noticed the Morrak struggling to stand again.
Seeing a dangerous gleam in the Morrak’s eyes, he used his precognition ability, revealing a fragment of the immediate future: the Morrak roared furiously, unleashing a powerful sonic attack that rippled across the battlefield: Yoko, Nao, Eugene, and the other boy, who were fighting the other demons, were hit directly by the sonic wave.
They screamed in pain and fell to the ground, vulnerable. That momentary weakness created a fatal opening, allowing the other two demons to attack them mercilessly.
As for Luke, he wasn’t in any danger; he could defend himself with a telekinetic shield.
“Tsch,” Luke clicked his tongue and launched himself toward the Morrak at high speed, propelling himself with a telekinetic explosion that shot him forward like a bolt.
When he finally closed the distance, he leaped into the air with agility and precision. His leg became enveloped in telekinetic energy, compressed more and more, emitting a faint hum that signaled the buildup of power.
Luke twisted his body midair, using the torque to deliver a devastating kick directly to the Morrak’s face. The impact was instantaneous. His leg collided with the demon’s skull, and the accumulated telekinetic waves were released in a concentrated explosion.
BOOM!
The sound of the impact echoed through the air as the Morrak’s face deformed under the force
of the blow.
The Morrak’s body was sent flying backward, crashing to the ground with a dull thud. Its head tilted at an impossible angle, leaving no doubt that the strike had been fatal.
Luke landed gracefully, his leg still emitting faint flickers of residual energy as the air around him returned to normal.
‘Phew, that future was dangerous,’ Luke thought, relieved. Dangerous for the others, not for
him.
The reddish hue of the Morrak began to fade until it returned to its usual bluish color, and it moved no more. Luke was grateful not to have faced an enemy with superhuman regenerative abilities-it was always a hassle.
With his back turned to Nao and the others, Luke didn’t notice the looks they gave him-or the stunned expressions on the faces of the remaining two demons-as they witnessed the brutal and swift death of their “colleague.”
[Hey, Wednesday. Are you facing a demon different from the others? Something strange or notable at first glance?] Luke asked, attempting to sound casual, though Wednesday immediately detected the worry in his tone.
There was a brief silence on the connection before Wednesday responded in her usual
monotone, emotionless voice.
[What exactly do you mean?]
Luke quickly explained to Wednesday what Edgar had told him.
As for how he knew such things out of nowhere, Wednesday was already aware of Edgar’s existence. Luke trusted her enough to tell her about him, and with her keen observational skills, she would have figured it out eventually and already had her suspicions.
[No. There’s no different demon. Just the same ugly, muscular blue ones] Wednesday said, lying, as standing in front of her was a short, scrawny demon with eyes full of cunning, observing her with an intensity she hadn’t seen in the other Morraks. Wednesday lied because she knew Luke. If she told him that demon was there, he’d come to help her—especially to ensure there was no chance anything bad could happen to her.
An almost obsessive concern for her, something she liked a lot, but not right now. This fight was hers, and if Luke came, she’d lose the chance to have an exciting battle.
Luke frowned for a moment, sensing something odd in Wednesday’s response, but decided to
let it slide.
[Alright. I’ll keep searching while I rescue people… But let me know if you need help or
anything] Luke said.
Wednesday rolled her eyes, though a small smile appeared on her lips.
[Sure, Luke. Now, stop worrying and focus on what’s in front of you. I can handle myself]
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