Aaron calmly walked towards the Wraith, who, with a guttural roar, leaped into the air and brought its spectral sword crashing down upon him.
BOOM!!
A cloud of dust erupted, obscuring the figures within. The Wraith, its voice laced with contempt, spoke.
-You are weak, Elf. I thought you were...-
The Wraith's eyes widened in disbelief, locking onto Aaron, who stood unscathed, his hand gripping the Wraith's ghostly sword.
-Impossible! My weapon can cut through anything, including souls! There is no way you could have blocked it!-
"Oh... Thank goodness I'm not 'anything'," Aaron retorted, a grin spreading across his face. In the next instant, a torrent of fire erupted from his body, sending the Wraith hurtling ten meters away.
"I see Inferno has grown stronger," he muttered, observing the flames dissipate.
-You!!!-
The Wraith, its spectral form wavering, rose to its feet. It raised both hands towards the sky.
-Soul Destroyer!!!-
A massive black energy ball materialized above its head, and with a furious throw, it hurtled towards Aaron.
"Thanks for the energy," Aaron said, extending his hand towards the projectile. To the Wraith's utter shock, he absorbed the attack, the dark energy swirling into his form.
-What?!-
"Death energy. How delicious," Aaron said, a predatory grin spreading across his face.
-What realm are you on?- The cursed demon, its spectral form trembling, retreated in fear.
"I thought you'd attack more? Why stop?" Aaron asked, his smirk widening as he began to walk towards the Wraith.
-I need to escape. This kid is too powerful.- Before it could move, thick, pulsating veins erupted from the ground, ensnaring its spectral body.
-What is this?!!-
"Don't even think about escaping. Not even a Beast Ruler could escape me, let alone you," Aaron said, his voice laced with dark amusement.
-You... You must have mastered the death element to capture me! Don't tell me... This, young...- The Wraith's spectral form flickered with horror.
"When I blocked your attack, I got a new idea. Join me, or you die," Aaron offered, his voice devoid of emotion.
-I will never be a subordinate!!- The Wraith spat, its spectral eyes burning with defiance.
"You are lower than a subordinate. I already have one," Aaron scoffed, gesturing to Protean.
-You...-
"--I'm waiting. You have five seconds to decide," Aaron said, his voice flat.
-Never!!-
"Fine then. It's a shame. But my guy here can do more with your core," Aaron said, extending his hand towards the Wraith.
-Ahhhhhh!!!- The Wraith emitted an agonizing scream as Aaron forcefully extracted its core from its spectral chest.
"Thanks for this," Aaron smirked as the core settled in his hand. He watched as the Wraith's spectral form dissolved into particles, drifting away.
"You are good master!" Protean said, walking up to him. "Taking down a Cursed Demon this easily. No one will dare mess with us again."
"Here," Aaron said, handing him the core, which Protean quickly consumed. He then morphed into the Wraith's form, wielding its spectral sword.
"Hmm... This blade can truly cut through souls. That fool wasn't lying," Protean said, his voice laced with mild surprise as he examined the sword.
Graaaa!!
The two turned to their right, spotting a black Fox glaring at them with murderous intent.
{All Seeing Eyes.}
{Name: Teumessian Fox (Uncatchable), Class: Elite. Info: Extremely Dangerous (powerless against you), Worst Enemy: Laelaps (The Hunter).}
"How nice. I never thought I'd see you again," Aaron said, walking towards the five-meter-long Fox.
"Where is your second?" He asked, scanning the surrounding area.
The Fox stared at him for a moment, then bowed its head in submission.
"That was easy," Protean remarked, his voice tinged with surprise.
Woof!!
Aaron raised an eyebrow, observing a white dog approaching them.
{All Seeing Eyes.}
{Name: Laelaps (The Hunter). Class: Elite. Info: Extremely dangerous (powerless against you). Note: it attacks only when it got no scent of its hunt.}
"You came to me for protection?" He asked the Fox, who nodded and hid behind him.
"I never thought a Fox would be scared of a Dog. Both of you are Demon stage monsters. You'll make good guard dogs," Aaron said, his voice laced with amusement.
The white dog halted fifteen meters away, its senses scanning the area. It flinched, feeling the immense energy radiating from Aaron and Protean.
One was an immortal, and the other a Great Demon, two realms above it.
"If you run, I'll kill you. Now come forward, and both of you will end your chase today, and start working together," Aaron said, his voice firm.
The dog stared at the Fox, then at Aaron.
'As you wish, Master.' It said telepathically.
"Good. What about you?" Aaron asked the Fox.
'I'll go with the master's wishes.' It replied, its voice filled with reluctant obedience.
"Good. It's time to kill a Beast Ruler," Aaron declared. In the next instant, a massive canopy of darkness enveloped the group, and they vanished from sight.
____
-What are you doing?!!-
-I'm eating!-
-Eating our tail?!-
-What do you want me to eat then?-
Whzzzh
Aaron and his group materialized before the creature.
-Them! Eat them!-
"A dragon with three heads, who's a Beast Ruler. Wow," Aaron said, his voice laced with mild surprise.
The twenty-meter-huge dragon lowered its three heads towards the group.
-I'm sorry, Elf. But I'll just have to eat you,- the middle head, its voice feminine, said.
-No, we'll all eat you,- the right head corrected.
-Yes,- the left head added in agreement.
"I'm building a kingdom. If you want to join, speak up now, and you'll get to eat anything you want," Aaron offered.
-A kid wants to bargain with a Beast Ruler? Aren't you scared of us?- The middle head asked, its voice laced with amusement.
"Scared? You should be the one who's scared," Aaron retorted, his voice dripping with arrogance.
-Hahahahaha!!!-
The three heads erupted in thunderous laughter, their voices so powerful that trees were uprooted and sent flying.
Seeing Aaron and his group standing their ground, the three heads frowned slightly.
-I see we underestimated you, kid,- the right head said, its voice laced with caution.
-Let's just kill them. They might not be enough for us, but they'll be a good start,- the left head suggested.
-True,- the middle head agreed.
The dragon flapped its massive wings and soared into the air. The three heads opened their mouths and unleashed torrents of flames towards Aaron.
"How lovely," Aaron said, raising his hand towards the flames and beginning to absorb them.
"Let's heat the party," he said, increasing the pull. Before the dragon could react, he extracted three glowing stones from within their mouths.
-WHAT?!!- The three heads exclaimed in shock.
Aaron caught the stones in his hand. "Let's see how you guys will be able to release fire."
The three heads frowned and opened their mouths again, but this time, nothing emerged, not even a wisp of smoke.
-Did this kid just take our fire?- The left head asked, its voice laced with disbelief.
The other two heads were flabbergasted, rendered speechless.