The Mecha-Kai Species During Dimensional Travel

Pfft—

With the sound of flesh being pierced, two hands, along with a giant axe, flew through the air.

"Wh—"

And "Zera" was clearly stunned by the scene before him as well.

Immediately after, "Binding Magic" activated again, strands of light wrapping around the Demon Warrior's body, locking him firmly in place.

Though it couldn't hold for long, it was enough for Takuson to finish his next move.

Several more spears of light thrust up from beneath "Zera's" feet, piercing through every vital point on his body, and then a Golden Patterned Hatchet landed on the Demon Warrior's neck.

Takuson used "Leaping Chop" to sever the opponent's head.

The bewildered body of "Zera" collapsed to its knees at that moment.

"Just as I thought. As long as I deliberately show a weakness, you demons are so easy to fool. Just like my teacher said."

He recalled the teachings his master had imparted over these past six months.

This Demon Warrior calling himself "Zera" had a stronger body than his own, but as long as he realized I was weaker than him, he wouldn't take me seriously.

Sure enough, demons were all such savage creatures.

In truth, this was Takuson's first battle against a demon; he'd never had one before.

According to the reason his teacher had given earlier, it wasn't enough yet—his body wasn't strong enough.

So now, did that mean his teacher had acknowledged that he was ready to face demons?

Hell yeah!

Ignoring the demon scattering into ash, he walked into the Teleportation Gate that appeared the moment after defeating his opponent.

With a confident smile, Takuson, who had single-handedly defeated a demon, stepped into the golden Teleportation Gate...

Chapter 14: Challenge

But it wasn't what Takuson had expected.

When he thought he'd stepped through that [Gate] and would return to his teacher's side...

Yet—

"I am 'Invisible Leslie,' the one who will take your life next."

A female demon draped in a Cloak now stood in the spot where Zera had been.

Yes, he hadn't successfully escaped by defeating "Zera." Instead, he'd returned here again, facing a second, different demon.

Takuson tightened his grip on the hatchet, raising his guard.

The female demon across from him just stood there, as if waiting for him to make the first move.

Had his teacher captured more than one?

If so, after killing this demon, would there be a third, a fourth?

Damn, before this he wouldn't let me touch them, and now he's throwing them all at me at once, huh? Teacher sure thinks highly of me.

But that's just what I want!

Since she wasn't making a move, I would.

Takuson spread open the Sacred Canon in his hand, intending to start with a Goddess Magic spell.

But then, "Leslie" in his sight suddenly vanished.

In the physical sense.

"!?"

Where'd she go?!

Her figure was completely gone!

This is magic!

Yes, while demons had warriors among them, most were also natural Magic Users.

"A spell that can hide your form, huh. Tch, what a pain."

Takuson warily scanned his surroundings. Having never studied [Magic], he naturally didn't know "Magic Detection" either, and with his eyes unable to see the target, there was only one option left.

It was an ability honed over these months of fighting Monsters—a warrior's instincts let him stay alert to every stir in the air around him, though for now he could barely sense anything within a five-meter range.

Like right now!

Clang—

Takuson blocked the dagger aimed at his back with his axe, stopping the strike from behind.

But since he was still the size of a child, he couldn't match a demon's physique in raw strength, and he barely managed to hold it off.

Even though he still couldn't see the enemy, as long as they got close enough, he could sense them.

This way, it might work!

Several golden light spears shot up from beneath his feet, bursting backward.

Unfortunately, Leslie retreated immediately after his strike failed, and Tex's attack also missed as a result.

But the latter didn't mind such a small matter, because he felt he had already found a way to deal with it.

The attack came again, this time from above.

With a roll, he dodged Leslie's aerial assassination and immediately activated [Binding Magic] on the ground where he had just been.

Ribbons of light flew out from the Magic Circle, but they only grasped at empty space above.

No good. There's a casting delay. Against an enemy with such high speed, this approach won't work.

Ding—

Once again, he relied on his perception to block another assault.

But this time, the result was different.

Rip—

Takuson's clothes were torn open, and the nascent muscles beneath were slashed by the sharp blade, blood gushing out uncontrollably.

"Ugh!"

The pain instantly shot through his brain. Due to the difference in their builds, half his body was carved with a horrifying wound from the dagger.

Two knives!?

Yes, Takuson had blocked the first knife, but not the second.

In this state of invisibility, he simply couldn't know the enemy's weapon situation, and so he was defeated by this surprise attack.

This was Leslie's fighting style all along; it was just that in front of Xiu Er, [Invisibility] had no effect at all.

"Huff—huff—damn Demon, how despicable."

"Say whatever you like."

Takuson clutched his wound, enduring the pain as he cursed at the empty air ahead.

But Leslie's reply rang out right by his ear.

Puchi—

Blood splattered.

In Takuson's vision, blood surged from his chest cavity—a trajectory that could only be formed by being pierced from behind with a sharp weapon.

Then came another strike.

A cut to the throat. Feeling the searing pain in his neck and chest, Takuson understood: this time, he had been finished off.

Master, I'm sorry. You personally caught this one for me to train with, but I couldn't even win against the second...

Feeling the cold touch of the Demon woman's fingers on his face, his consciousness faded into darkness.

"Hm? Only the second level, and already the first failure."

Xiu Er stood guard outside the barrier, constantly scanning the operation of the [Virtual Combat Arena].

At the same time, she monitored the scenes inside.

"Keep going. Let me see just how far you can go, you who claims so loudly that you want to grow stronger and take revenge."

Demons like "Zera" and "Leslie" were combat projections created from data she had recorded earlier.

Their personalities and fighting styles were also restored one-to-one based on those records.

And since this was Takuson's first battle against a Demon, Xiu Er had specifically adjusted the difficulty to [Easy Mode], limiting it to only 25% of the original's strength.

After all, could a Demon capable of slaughtering nearly half the guards in a city be killed by a mere seven-year-old child?

Unthinkable. If it were at the original's full strength, Takuson would have been cleaved in two—along with his weapon—at the very first attack.

Xiu Er hadn't told him any of this. She planned to explain it after her disciple failed and withdrew.

And now, the ignorant Takuson truly believed he was strong.

But well...

The confidence he had just built up was ruthlessly ground into the dirt by the next level's "Leslie."

Facing a more skilled opponent, Takuson couldn't accurately pinpoint the enemy's position and could only defend passively. And because he couldn't know the enemy's equipment, he suffered his first death.

Opening his eyes, Takuson looked at the unchanged flat landscape before him, along with the golden Teleportation Gate.

He hurriedly felt all over his body, only to find that the wounds from before had completely vanished, leaving not even a trace behind.

"Eh? What's this?"

He was a bit bewildered by the situation, but quickly remembered that this was something his teacher had created; logically, it shouldn't truly threaten his life.

Thinking it over like that, it suddenly made sense.

For Takuson now, every move Xiu Er made carried meaning, and he also trusted his teacher.

"Alright, since that's the case, I can't let my teacher's expectations down."

Having roughly grasped the situation, Takuson picked up his axe and the Sacred Canon from the ground, and stepped back into the Teleportation Gate.

And then...

"Sigh—I have to start from the first one again, huh."

Looking at the all-too-familiar Demon Warrior "Zera," whom he had just killed not long ago, Takuson let out a pained groan in his heart.

Because he could already imagine just how grueling the training ahead would be.

Still, this was exactly what he wanted. Theoretical knowledge alone wasn't enough for fighting demons; only real combat could truly sharpen his strength.

So Takuson immediately adjusted his mindset and launched another attack at "Zera."

It's just fighting him again—a defeated foe, no pressure. I already know the key to victory; the winning formula is set.

And that was Takuson's thought just before "Zera" cut him in half at the waist.

When he returned to this starting point once more, a hint of confusion lingered on Takuson's face. He didn't rush to challenge again right away.

Instead, he stopped in front of the Teleportation Gate, pinched his chin, and thought seriously.

That "Zera" just now clearly remembered the last fight, as if it had gotten smarter, completely ignoring the openings I deliberately left.