Earth's Greatest Magus

Emery and Dopa, held on for dear life, pushing their bodies and minds to the brink as they stalled the Red Demon long enough for Grand Magus Archie to finish his formidable attack. The weight of their struggle was unimaginable, but they endured. VIA’s analysis confirmed that the Red Demon’s battle power was nearing 3000. With each blow, his bones cracked and his muscles tore, but through sheer determination and the relentless support of his comrades, he fought to stay on his feet.

“HOWWLLL!!”

The Star Devouring Beast’s power coursed through him, reaching its limits. [You have reached the 40% integration limit] It was the highest he had ever reached. The surge of energy felt almost foreign, yet necessary to survive. His soul, now strengthened through countless trials was able to stabilize him. However, the struggle was far from over. The Red Demon’s strikes continued to rain down, and the battle became a fight for endurance.

“Just a little bit longer!” Emery grunted, his teeth gritted against the pain. Finally, the thunderous crack of the seventh lightning strike from Grand Magus Archie lit up the sky and surged through the elderly magus’s sword.

Archie, with his life force draining from the exertion, surged forward, his sword ready to cleave through the Red Demon’s defenses.

The Red Demon, grinning with unshaken confidence, looked directly at the oncoming tribulation and sneered, “Come! Show me what you’ve got!!”

Fery Spear twister met the sword lightning in a titanic explosion.

KABBOOOMMMMM!!!

Mountains crumbled, the desert was scarred with fissures, and a deafening shockwave blasted Emery and his allies dozens of meters away.

Emery struggled to regain his footing, the sheer force of the blast leaving his ears ringing and his vision blurred. Despite the chaos, a flicker of hope surged through him as his eyes locked onto the figure of the Red Demon—thrown back, his spear dislodged from his hand.

Cheers erupted from his allies, a momentary triumph filling the air. But it was short-lived.

The jubilant moment was shattered as an ominous dark flame began to emanate from the Red Demon’s body. The flames twisted and writhed, forming a massive sphere of infernal energy in his hand. Dopa muttered in a mix of awe and dread, “It’s a Cosmic Flame!!… No wonder he’s so strong!”

The revelation hit hard. Cosmic Flames—primordial entities born of the universe’s very essence—were treasures as rare and revered as the Heavenly World Tree. Only 30 were known to exist in the entire universe.

The Red Demon’s flames surged to life, twisting and roaring like a living beast. The once-formed sphere now expanded in a chaotic, violent display, dissipating the electric strikes. But the devastation wasn’t finished. The Red Demon’s flames countered back, directly into the elderly Grand Magus Archie’s sword. The sheer heat and force shattered the weapon in an instant, sending fragments scattering in every direction.

Archie was struck with the fiery backlash, blood spurting from his mouth. His body crumpled, falling like a broken kite. Princess Mirial was quick to act, rushing forward to catch him in her arms.

The Red Demon’s laughter echoed in the chaos “Hahaha! A spectacular technique indeed, unfortunately, it’s too much for humans!!”

Emery’s heart sank as he saw the elderly magus fall. The Red Demon, now fully empowered, seemed unstoppable, his mastery of the flames leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.

With the Cosmic Flames, the battlefield domain itself began to turn into an inferno. The heat intensified with every passing moment, even more so for Emery. Unlike the others, who were in the Grand Magus realm and had a resistance to higher-tier cosmic energy, Emery—still not having reached that level—was suffering the worst of it.

The intense waves of heat wrapped around him, searing his flesh, and the fire seemed to burn through his Magus Domain itself. His body shaking as he tried to withstand the onslaught. His thoughts began to blur, and his instincts screamed at him to retreat.

But there was nowhere to run.

To make matters worse, Emery felt a creeping dread wash over him. His senses flared, and through the haze of pain and smoke, he realized the worst possible news—the elven reinforcements were only a little over 100 miles away. Their arrival would seal their fate, as it would bring a flood of overwhelming power to aid the Red Demon.

The tension on the battlefield reached a critical point as the team fought desperately to hold their ground. Emery’s body throbbed with pain, the relentless Cosmic Flames sapping his strength despite his regeneration keeping him barely upright. As much as he hated to admit it, Emery was no match for the Red Demon—not now.

At that moment, Major Kouga’s mental voice broke through the storm of thoughts.

The resolve in Kouga’s tone was clear, but before Emery could respond, Grand Magus Dopa’s gruff voice interjected.

The defiance from the towering Dopa was expected but he had no intention of staying behind as a sacrificial pawn. His plan was clear: create an opening for Emery to escape with Princess Mirial and the gravely wounded Archie. From there, Emery would activate their beacon, calling reinforcements to the battlefield.

There was no time for argument. The Red Demon, his fiery aura intensifying, observed their exchange with an amused smirk.

“Are you done?!” his voice thundered.

Kouga strode forward with unshaken determination. He spoke with a sharp edge in his voice, “If I wasn’t wounded from fighting Azrazel, you wouldn’t be so confident.”

Agis, the Red Demon, grinned as his flames flickered with sadistic delight.

“You want me to let you go and fight another day?” he mocked, his voice filled with amusement. “No, no… I’m not a fool. A ghost like you is very hard to find!” he added “Besides, you’ve had enough time to recover… Now, show me your real strength!”

Major Kouga took a deep breath, as though making a final decision. “I was waiting for the elven reinforcements to arrive, but I guess I can’t wait anymore!”

Emery’s heart skipped a beat as he watched the Major prepare for something drastic. With swift and deliberate movements, Major Kouga formed a symbol in the air. “Release Seal!” he commanded, his voice steady despite the immense strain on his body.

At his words, the air around him shimmered, and glowing runes began to swirl and rotate on his skin. They clashed together in a burst of energy, and what followed was nothing short of miraculous.

Major Kouga’s skin began to turn a pale blue, and his eyes shimmered silver, the transformation marking the activation of a deeper, hidden power. His battle power and spirit energy surged, crackling in the air like a force of nature. Ice began to form in spiraling patterns, spreading outward from his body, filling the air with a cold so intense.

Then a shockwave of extreme cold exploded outward, causing the ground to freeze in a wide radius, and a thick layer of frost enveloped everything in sight.

Emery, watching in awe, realized that Kouga had forcefully broken through the three cosmos realms and unleashed his battlefield domain.

The icy domain flooded the battlefield, freezing the very air around them. He quickly recognized that the Red Demon’s fiery barrier had weakened, creating just enough of an opening for him to escape.

he thought, sending a silent message of gratitude as Kouga unleashed a blizzard that engulfed the area, obscuring their escape.

Without missing a beat, Emery took the crystal beacon Dopa had given him. He grabbed Princess Mirial and the wounded Grand Magus Archie, his muscles straining as he surged toward the barrier’s weakest spot. Channeling every ounce of strength, he forced the three of them through it with a resounding

BAAAMMM!

The barrier shattered, allowing them to slip past its confines. The plan had worked perfectly, and Emery felt a brief flash of victory. He had managed to break free, the oppressive weight of the Red Demon’s domain finally behind them.

But his relief was short-lived.

As he prepared to cast a spatial gate and whisk them to safety, a thunderous roar echoed from behind, It was the Crimson Dragon, unleashed and furious, its task now clear: to hunt them down.