MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Reynold screeched again, his massive wings beating with thunderous power.

Phoenix flames erupted from above, cascading like a celestial rain of fire, scorching everything in their wake.

His form surged forward like a roaring tsunami, an unstoppable blaze consuming all before it as it hurtled toward the Hyperion demon.

But the demon was gone, vanished without a trace from where he had stood moments before.

'Where did he go?'

Reynold's mind raced as the demon slipped beyond the reach of his senses.

Then, a voice cut through the air behind him, cold, mocking, and filled with venom.

"This is why I call your race, and dragons, stupid. You only become bigger targets after your so-called transformations"

The Hyperion demon sneered, a cruel smile curling his lips as his eyes locked onto Reynold.

The flames engulfing the phoenix flared with devastating intensity, threatening to reduce the very sky to ashes.

In response, the demon shrouded himself in a chaotic aura, an impenetrable shield against the inferno.

His arm rose gracefully, stretching back like a divine bowstring drawn taut.

"Stay in your human form"

He taunted.

Then, with brutal force, his fist collided with Reynold's skull.

The world twisted and spun in Reynold's vision, yet he refused to yield, beating his wings fiercely to evade the next blow.

"I told you, you're just a bigger target"

The Hyperion demon sneered once more.

A blade materialized in his hand, wreathed in swirling chaotic aura.

With effortless precision, he slashed through Reynold's wings, severing them clean from his back.

A gut-wrenching cry of agony tore from Reynold's lips as he plummeted from the sky, his phoenix form dissolving, leaving him sprawled on the ground, human once again.

The Hyperion demon's gaze snapped sharply to the side as arcs of elemental energy surged forward, whirling winds, scorching flames, and shimmering waves of water.

It was Seraphim.

But rather than blocking or countering, the demon simply vanished.

Like a phantom drifting through mist, he slipped past every attack with effortless grace.

His speed transformed the battle into a game one he alone could command.

In the blink of an eye, he was upon Seraphim.

"Mages are weak against close combat"

The Hyperion demon taunted, his strikes falling like relentless raindrops, endless and inescapable, upon Seraphim.

But she was ready.

Her form shimmered with radiant light as she moved, refusing to be confined to the limits of a mage.

Harnessing the wind and water elements, her speed was magnified, each dodge executed with both grace and precision.

Her footsteps were whispers in the chaos, effortlessly evading every brutal blow the demon unleashed.

Before the demon could unleash his next strike, Dale's blood arms surged forward like a relentless swarm of mosquitoes, cleaving and clashing against the Hyperion demon.

But the demon remained unfazed, weaving through the assault with an air of bored indifference.

"I don't have time to play with these toys"

He sneered, coming to a sudden halt.

In a blur, his blade flashed, striking and sheathing before Dale could even react.

Instantly, all of Dale's blood arms froze mid-motion, and in the next heartbeat, they exploded into a crimson shower.

Dale's brow furrowed.

His blood army would have regenerated as long as he maintained his mana, but the Hyperion demon's chaos-infused strike nullified every construct, rendering them useless.

Before Dale could even blink, the demon materialized before him with a speed that defied teleportation.

His blade flickered like lightning across Dale's face, attacks faster than breath, faster than thought.

In an instant, Dale's mind registered over a hundred sword slashes, each one carving lacerations deep into his flesh, chaos energy seeping malevolently beneath his skin.

With a brutal kick to the temple, the demon sent Dale's body hurtling sideways like a discarded toy.

Seraphim stood to one side, watching calmly.

"You're the only one left"

The demon spoke, his gaze locking onto her.

With a focused thought, the elements answered Seraphim's call.

Flames roared to life, coalescing into fiery blades that rained down from above, aimed straight at the demon.

"This is boring, but kind of fun"

He muttered, vanishing again, this time materializing directly before Seraphim.

His sword flashed mercilessly toward her stomach.

Instinctively, an earth wall surged up to shield her, but the blade sliced through it as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter.

But Seraphim had already vanished.

Her spiritual energy twisted and bent to her will, spawning illusions of herself beside her.

Together, they unleashed a torrent of elemental assaults.

"I told you, illusions are useless against me"

The Hyperion demon sneered, raising his sword to send a black crescent arc slicing into the sky.

With a thunderous boom, their clash shattered the battlefield, sending dust and smoke billowing across kilometers like a choking haze.

Seraphim panted heavily, eyes fixed on the demon as he advanced with deliberate, unhurried steps.

"I can put your body to better use than this worthless trash called the military"

The demon taunted, his voice dripping with cruel confidence.

"Don't you dare"

Dale's voice thundered from a distance as he pushed himself upright. His wounds had healed, but the toll of expelling chaos magic left his mana dangerously depleted.

The demon's footsteps faltered, his gaze snapping sharply toward Dale.

"It seems I'll have to put you down for good first"

The demon declared, shifting direction in an instant.

But before he could fully turn, Seraphim struck.

A sword-shaped construct materialized in her hand, and with decisive speed, she slashed toward the demon's neck.

Without sparing her a glance, the demon casually raised a hand, halting the blade midair as if it were nothing more than a fleeting shadow.

CRACK

A jagged fracture ran through the sword construct before it shattered into shards of light, scattering into the air.

The demon didn't even glance back as he continued his steady approach.

"Sit tight, I want you alive... and feisty"

He said with a cold smile.

In just a few steps, the demon reached Dale, who immediately commanded the shadows around them, shaping a dome to seal the both of them in darkness.

But it was futile.

With a casual slash through empty air from the demon, the shadow dome collapsed like a brittle twig.

"Goodbye, Vampire"

The Hyperion spoke, his sword descending in a merciless arc to cleave Dale in two.

Dale stood frozen, unable to move, forced to watch the lethal strike barreling toward him, too fast to follow.

Kingsley watched, about to spring into action, but someone was already faster.

With a resonating blast, a sudden gust of wind erupted just as the sword descended, striking only a finger.

The demon's gaze snapped to the newcomer.

Standing tall at 6'3", white hair flowing, piercing blue eyes, and an indifferent expression, he radiated calm power.

"It seems you all have been bullied a lot in my absence"

Anthony said coolly, his words sparking a flicker of hope in their hearts and minds.