A Demon's Journey

As soon as the gate creaked open, a cloud of pink powder burst forth, filling the air with a sweet yet pungent scent. The man who had unlatched the gate stumbled back, coughing and sputtering, as the fine powder coated his face and clothes. Despite his attempts to resist its effects, he felt his eyelids growing heavy and his muscles weakening.

With a heavy sigh, Yrellea rushed over to the man and pulled him into the prayer hall. Carefully, she placed his body against the wall before turning to attend to the aftermath of her Demonic Ardor or Water Ardor.

Once she was done, Yrellea decided to focus on this man.

'What should I do about him? It will be bad if he wakes up somewhere else and creates a scene.'

'Previously, I could have easily left without causing any attention to myself and acted as though the High Pontiff's disappearance had nothing to do with me. It wouldn't have raised suspicion immediately, and even if they discovered the truth after a few days, locating me would have been an insurmountable challenge.'

As Yrellea pondered a solution, she decided to open the windows and allow the sleeping powder to dissipate into the air.

'Should I kill him?'

However, she shook her head off this plan and thought, 'No. His disappearance will make the Church of Mubesni realize much faster that something is fishy. I must delay their reaction somehow.'

"…Wait…How about I use him to delay their reaction?" Yrellea whispered as she thought of a wonderful plan.

Yrellea gazed at the man before her, her eyes fixed on him as she released a purplish miasma into the air. This hypnotic mist was a core technique of the Misty Flower Pavilion, known to nearly everyone who practiced there.

Its purpose was simple: to hypnotize the target so thoroughly that it could change their thinking from a subconscious level.

Once the man smelled that purple miasma, his body unknowingly relaxed. Yrellea slapped him a couple of times and noticed his eyes opening, but just barely. She understood that he had regained a bit of his consciousness while under the influence of the purple miasma.

"…After entering the prayer hall, you met the High Pontiff and he informed you that the Mubesni God has assigned him a particular task. He will be gone for an entire month. His orders are that the highest rank after him will be the de facto leader of the entire Church of Mubesni. Everyone must listen to his words."

Yrellea's target for hypnotization was a low-ranking deacon, with a cultivation level of only 2 Star Rank. His mind proved no match for her manipulations, and he quickly constructed an entire scene in accordance with her words.

Yrellea slowly placed the deacon on the floor while heading towards the open window. As she left the prayer hall through that open window, she closed it just enough to leave a small opening.

Through this small opening, Yrellea instilled her awakening powder and controlled it to ensure that it would reach the deacon.

Gradually, the deacon started waking up. He seemed rattled by the sudden situation as he recalled a particular set of memories.

"High Pontiff is gone…God Mubesni's mission…Bringing Celestial Mushroom as quickly as possible…One whole month to return…Cardinal Pope Lucius Maximus…"

Yrellea was relieved to hear the entire sequence. This deacon had truly created a scene in his mind and even speculated the High Pontiff's task. That was to bring the Celestial Mushroom for God Mubesni as soon as possible.

It's a good thing that the Celestial Mushroom is a Rank Seven Herb that is found in the Forbidden Forest.

After dealing with this scenario, Yrellea closed the window properly and fled.

As she made her way back to the entrance of the church, Yrellea patiently waited for the return of Aurelio and Rueben, who had briefly ventured out to a nearby tavern and had already made their way back.

"…And that was when my senior brother beat the living crap out of that bully," Aurelio's excited voice made its way in Yrellea's ears.

"Oh really. It seems that your senior brother is pretty nice," Rueben commented.

Aurelio couldn't help but nod happily as he added, "Yep. Actually, all my senior brothers are really nice. They would always listen to me and spoil me. It's only after I separated did I realize just how much they took care of me."

"So, what are you going to do after the battle with me?" Rueben asked curiously.

"No particular plans yet," Aurelio responded informally.

Yrellea gazed at them with a cool look and interrupted their chat, "…Alright, enough talking. Let's go to the arena and fulfil the motive of this journey."

"That is a great idea," Aurelio spoke.

Even Rueben agreed.

Without delay, the trio proceeded towards an arena preselected by Yrellea for their impending showdown.

After reaching the preselected arena, the trio took their respective positions.

Rueben stood on the eastern end of the arena while Aurelio stood in his forefront nearly a mile away.

Yrellea stood in middle and spoke while infusing her voice with Ardor to ensure it would reach both of them, "Alright. Before beginning this sparring match, let's set a couple of rules. As this is strictly a skill testing match, refrain from using killing blows. The spar must stop when I shout 'Stop'. The individual who surrenders or doesn't stop even after my order will be considered the loser of this battle."

"Are these rules okay?" Yrellea asked.

"Yep. Let's get this thing started quickly," Aurelio stated excitedly.

Both of them pulled out their respective bows.

Rueben's bow was known as the Azure Sky Bow. He had received it from his master who had further acquired this bow from a ruin.

The Azure Sky Bow is a legendary weapon that glows with a bright blue hue. It is said to have been crafted from the ice of the heavens and imbued with the power of the storm. The bow is light and quick, making it perfect for archers who rely on speed and agility in battle. It is also incredibly accurate, with arrows that seem to seek out their targets with unerring precision. This bow is capable of firing arrows with enough force to pierce even the thickest armor and can summon bolts of lightning to strike down enemies from a distance.

Meanwhile, Aurelio's bow was pure red in color. Its name is Crimson Blaze Bow. He acquired this bow from the Sovereign of the Berian Kingdom that had long been stored in the royal treasury.

The Crimson Blaze Bow is a weapon of destruction, crafted from the flames of the underworld and tempered in the blood of fallen warriors. It glows with a fierce red light, and its arrows are said to be as hot as the sun. The bow is heavy and powerful, requiring a great deal of strength to wield. Its arrows can set enemies ablaze with a single shot, burning them to ash in seconds.

Aurelio and Rueben carefully observed each other's bows. These bows are of the Seventh Rank and their aura was overwhelmingly powerful.

However, this wasn't what the two focused on.

'…His aura has completely transformed. It is as if the power of his bow has completely fused with his aura and received a qualitative boost. Fighting him will be really fun,' These were Aurelio's thoughts before battle.

Meanwhile, Rueben was utterly shaken as he observed Aurelio's aura, 'J-just what is that overwhelming aura he is radiating?! Even though his bow appears to be a Seven Star Weapon, his aura is actually more intense than his weapon! It's as if he is forcing the best out of his bow through this method.'