It had been a month since they arrived at Bloodshadow Valley.
"Everyone, come quick! Some 'monsters' came running out from deep in the valley!" The commotion outside greatly annoyed Jason, who was sleeping in with his girlfriend in his arms.
Veronica got dressed and said with some interest, "Let's go see what kind of monsters would dare cause trouble here."
Jason was a little surprised when he saw the "monsters" on the training grounds.
"Bladewing Fiends?" Jason blurted out.
"What's a Bladewing Fiend?" Veronica asked.
"A kind of demon from the Abyss," Jason said vaguely.
This Bladewing Fiend matched the description in the original story, with blades on its head, nails, and joints. But this one was pale violet, and it had no "blades" on its back.
Seeing quite a few people gather around, a Saint-level expert standing in the air said, "My fellow clan members, I expect you've all heard from the family that our bloodline comes from the 'Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends.' That's right, the ones before you are Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends, the source of our bloodline.
"The ancestors from whom our bloodline originated not only bred with humans, giving rise to our Rhein Clan, but also gave rise to the Violet-Eyed Clan, the pureblooded Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends.
"Previously, only clan members who had reached the Saint-level met members of the Violet-Eyed Clan.
"Today, I brought these Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends who haven't reached the Saint-level so everyone could get to know them. We are of the same blood, after all, and ought to know of each other's existence."
"Roar, roar, roar." The five Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends roared a few times, leaving the crowd puzzled as to what they meant.
"Ahem." The Saint-level expert was a little embarrassed. "The Violet-Eyed Clan comes from the Abyss, and before breaking through to the Saint-level, they still retain some traits of Abyssal creatures. So, these members of the Violet-Eyed Family would like to spar with you."
"Spar? They want to have a fight first, don't they? They're demons, after all. Whoever has the bigger fist calls the shots." Everyone around them understood.
"Everyone, let me add something first. Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends are different from humans. They are all demons with both death and destruction attributes. Before reaching the Saint-level, they can only rely on the power of their magic cores to use magical attacks."
"Hm?" The crowd murmured in puzzlement.
Only after an explanation did everyone understand.
Before reaching the Saint-level, the bodies of humans, beasts, and demons could not accept the three powers of destruction, death, and fate. Among living creatures, only undead, spirits, and eldritch creatures could possibly use the three powers of death, life, and fate before reaching the Saint-level.
Mountain Giants and Treants were representative of spirits, while Evil Eye Kings and Thorium Demons were representative of eldritch creatures.
Since the bodies of Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends could not accept the powers of death and the Power of Destruction before the Saint-level, they could only use the magic cores in their bodies to absorb those powers and then launch magical attacks. Only after breaking through to the Saint-level, when their bodies could accept both powers, could they use magic power to enhance their physical combat abilities.
As for the "blood blades" on their backs, those could only be nurtured after they reached the Saint-level as well.
So these Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends are weak but still love to fight? The blades on their claws and joints are just for show before the Saint-level? Jason thought.
Jason was not the only one. Many people around him thought the same thing. But since they all shared the same ancestry, none of them said it aloud.
The Saint-level expert before them was also a little embarrassed. "Once they break through to the Saint-level, both their strength and their personalities will change a great deal. Don't worry, there are quite a few Saint-level Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends in Bloodshadow Valley, and they're all very reasonable.
"Now then, who would like to spar with our brethren from the Violet-Eyed Clan? Ah, right. These level-nine Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends have some very distinctive magical abilities and shouldn't be underestimated."
Prince Vittorio stepped forward. He was at the upper ninth level and currently held the highest title here-the previous princes had all stepped down-so he ought to set an example.
With a curved saber in each hand and light-attribute Battle-qi swirling around him, Prince Vittorio made a gesture of invitation, but one of the Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends opposite him ignored it entirely.
A blood-red light immediately flared over its body, and the people around them felt its strength grow rapidly. Then they saw it charge straight at Prince Vittorio, an upper ninth-level warrior.
A Bladewing Fiend that couldn't use Battle-qi to enhance its body was launching a melee attack against a ninth-level warrior?
The Saint-level expert said, "Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends are physically weaker than the average magical beast. At level nine, their physical strength is at most equal to that of a level-five creature. But they have innate magic, especially Destruction Magic, which we humans don't possess. It can greatly enhance their melee combat abilities. Because Bladewing Fiends tend toward madness before the Saint-level, their undead armies are actually relatively small."
Destruction Magic was a form of magic possessed only by creatures with magic cores.
Human magic was simplified and bestowed by the Sovereigns. Humans had no Destruction Magic because the Sovereign of the Destruction Element had not found a way for humans to cultivate it.
The magic of magical beasts and demons, on the other hand, was bestowed directly by the Overgod-that is, the rules of the world-and awakened once they reached a certain stage. The Overgod treated the world's living creatures equally, so naturally, magical beasts of every other attribute would not have magic while those of the destruction attribute alone lacked it.
(In the original story, when fighting the Flame King in the Necropolis of the Gods, the three Six-Eyed Golden Ni used a black magic armor ability. It was probably magic.)
The violet-red, blade-shaped claws clashed with Prince Vittorio's curved sabers, and neither side gained the upper hand!
Although rather frenzied, the Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend clearly had exceptional combat talent. Blood-red power of destruction swirled around it, interspersed with Death and Decay, Bone Spear, and Blade of Destruction. The level-nine Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend actually fought Prince Vittorio to a standstill.
"Looks like even without Battle-qi to enhance their bodies, level-nine magical beasts are no pushovers," someone in the crowd said quietly.
The people around him voiced their agreement.
In the end, Prince Vittorio won. It wasn't because of a difference in strength, but simply because the Destruction Magic the Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend used to enhance its body couldn't be maintained for long.
In the eyes of the onlookers, if the Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend had summoned more undead between exchanges, it could have worn Prince Vittorio down to death.
But there were gains and losses. Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends had extraordinary combat instincts, but they were also too frenzied and were not good at the branch of magic concerned with summoning undead.
Another Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend came forward. It too had level-nine strength, but its body was a deeper shade of violet.
It seemed that the so-called Violet-Eyed Clan had also begun sparing no effort to improve its members' strength, having the Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiends spar with members of the Rhine Clan.
There were plenty of people present, so Jason didn't need to take a turn.
The one who stepped up to fight was an elderly man carrying a sword and shield. Jason heard someone say that he was a peak ninth-level water-attribute warrior who had been stuck at the ninth-level bottleneck for over a hundred years.
The water-attribute elder fought very conservatively. The water attribute excelled at defense, so his fighting style was quite normal. But against the frenzied Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend, it put him at a great disadvantage. Most obviously, his conservative style kept him from seizing the moment when his opponent's Destruction Magic wore off, leaving him on the defensive and taking blows.
In the end, the elder lost.
Unexpectedly, the Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend was overbearing and seemed intent on taking his life. Fortunately, the Saint-level expert stopped it.
"Everyone, these friends from the Violet-Eyed Family will be living nearby from now on and will probably come to the training grounds often. I'll be staying here as well. I hope you'll spar often and improve together!"
The Saint-level expert acted as peacemaker one last time, and the members of the Rhine Clan let the matter drop.