A Demon's Journey

Tiana and her subordinates woke up after 5 hours. By the time they woke up, their wounds had stopped bleeding.

Their blood clotted and prevented any more blood from rushing out of their body. However, they still experienced immense pain from those injuries.

Even as they tried to move their head, they suddenly sensed sharp pain from different parts of their body.

After staying down for another half an hour, they forced their body to get up while enduring the pain. Some of them even groaned due to the pain.

During the battle, they had been on a severe adrenaline rush. Thus, they weren't affected by the pain that greatly.

But now, their body was at rest. It had completely relaxed, and their minds constantly informed them of the sharp pain due to their injuries.

When they left their camp, they saw it was nighttime. They lowered their head and noticed a fire was lit ahead of them.

It was a huge fire that illuminated the entire camp. They noticed Azaroth seated there while holding a huge stick that had pierced the huge body of a boar. From the looks of it, Azaroth was roasting this hog.

He could do this effortlessly using his Hell Flames, but he had returned to the basic method just for the heck of it. Eating in this manner had its own flavor.

When the women saw Azaroth peacefully eating meat, their stomachs grumbled in response. It was an instinctive response that indicated just how hungry their bodies were.

In reality, warriors like them didn't need to depend on food that greatly. As long as they possessed Ardor, their bodies would function perfectly.

However, in the previous few hours, the bodies of these ladies had been entirely concentrated on recuperating from their injuries.

Their Ardor was entirely exhausted, and their body urgently required nutrients for further recovery. This accounted for their present state of hunger.

Azaroth signaled them to sit beside him. He asked, "Eat this. The meat of his boar is quite valuable for your recuperation."

Those remarks brought joy to these ladies' hearts. They were delighted to see how concerned he was about their health. He had already prepared this meat so that they could eat it and recover quickly.

In actuality, this wasn't much of a deal. These women admired Azaroth so much and had such a positive opinion of him that even the smallest act he performed seemed monumental to them.

Azaroth was aware of this fact and used it in his favor completely.

At this moment, one of the women suddenly bowed lightly and spoke, "Thank you for those instructions, Leader. I wouldn't have survived if not for your advice at that critical moment."

Another woman spoke with a respectful and devoted look on her face, "Yes, leader. I also wanted to thank you."

It was at that moment all of them realized that Azaroth had assisted them all. He was actually advising each one only at critical moments where they would have lost their lives.

"I like the look in your eyes. It shows that the battle had a deep impact on your mind. You all stared at death in the face and returned. That fear and excitement you experienced at that point must have been greater than anything you faced in your life earlier. This was my primary motive. I wanted you to gain this feeling of death."

"However, let me burst your bubble right now. What you experienced at that point will be nothing compared to what you face in the future. You can consider yourself trained only when you can stare at death in the face and still keep your heart calm," Azaroth finished speaking.

His remarks were like a bucket of ice-cold water pouring down on these women. They were all ecstatic at the prospect of surviving that terrible ordeal. But now, when they heard that they would be facing many more situations like this, they couldn't help but grow slightly anxious.

Azaroth noticed their nervousness and added, "But still, I am pleased to see that no one among you died. That battle earlier overexerted your bodies which excavated the potential deeply hidden within you."

"As you recover from your injuries, you will notice that your senses are much sharper than earlier. Your Ardor will be much purer and denser than before. What you need to do is get used to your newfound strength and Ardor. It will be a pity if you die because you failed to control your own strength." Azaroth spoke with a serious look.

"Yes, Leader!" They all spoke respectfully.

Azaroth then turned towards Tiana and spoke out, "Come with me for a walk."

Tiana nodded her head while the other women sat around that campfire and began to eat the roasted meat. There was enough meat to quench everyone's hunger.

Meanwhile, Azaroth was talking to Tiana.

"In the battle earlier, unlike your subordinates, your battles weren't that intense. Hence, there is still lots of hidden potential within you. Do you know why?" Azaroth asked Tiana.

Tiana remained silent as she thought about the reason, but she had no idea why.

"Unlike your subordinates, you didn't face your death. There were many reasons for this. No opponent could pose a threat to you. Unlike your subordinates, you used a trick to deal with your foes one by one, who fought against an entire group alone. So, there were more instances where they were in life-threatening danger. Do you understand what I am saying?" Azaroth asked.

Tiana nodded after a few seconds. She did understand what he wanted from her.

"Don't think of this place as a battlefield. This is a training ground where I am going to convert you all into true experts. It won't work if you fall behind your own subordinates." Azaroth spoke seriously.

"You are right, master. I should have realized this earlier, but I was just too focused on slaughtering them all for some reason. Next time, I will face my enemies head-on," Tiana admitted with a bitter smile on her face.

Azaroth shook his head negatively, "Don't take my word and follow it too fervently. Learn to adapt according to your situation. If there are too many strong enemies, then don't be focused on fighting against them head-on. Fight however you want in that situation. I meant to say that you don't need to be so cautious every time you see something dangerous. If this continues, it will affect your decision-making as well. You will take slow decisions, and that would greatly affect the sect's growth."

"I understand, master. I will work on this." Tiana responded with a resolute expression.

She knew this was an issue of her character. She had to resolve it quickly.

"Alright, now let's talk about why I asked you for this walk," Azaroth spoke with a serious expression.

Tiana was slightly puzzled to hear that statement. Wasn't this what he wanted to tell her? Was there still something else remaining?

Azaroth acted as if he didn't notice her confusion and spoke, "It's time to teach you the ultimate skill that would allow you to use your physique to its complete potential within a battle."

That wording instantly surprised Tiana. She had received great benefits from the physique she possessed.

She never thought that she was only using a part of its potential.

Azaroth had a smile on his face as he added, "Did you think that the power of your physique was only this? If you unlock the true potential of your physique, you can easily contend against that friend of yours even after she uses that spirit inside her."

Azaroth then added, "You need a specific technique to use your physique to its full potential. This is known as the Sacred Ice Sovereign Manifestation!"