Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

Chapter 168 Costly Power (2)

Milo felt a bit scared when he saw the beasts but it didn't take him too long to regain his composure. He knew that charging in blind against the beasts would be suicide. Three against one, especially when one of them was a Tier-2 beast. Iwasn't a fight Milo could win head-on. He needed a plan. Quietly retreating into cover, Milo pulled a small leather pouch from his belt.

"Time to work, Blitz," Milo muttered as he unfastened it.

A streak of silver lightning burst from the pouch, landing in the dirt with barely a sound. The lightning panther had its yellow eyes locked on Milo expectantly and its tail lashed as energy built within it.

"You handle the small ones," Milo whispered, crouching down to meet Blitz's gaze. "Distract them. I'll take care of the Alpha."

Blitz let out a low rumble in response as if to say I'm ready.

Milo turned back to the clearing and steadied his heart, summoning his mana, he casted [Lightning Dash] and zipped towards the beast, hoping to catch it in surprise.

'No mistakes.'

"Lightning Bolt!"

Before the Alpha could react to the new arrival, a crackling spear of lightning had left Milo's hand and hit straight at its flank, sending arcs of electricity through its body.

The wolf staggered as the attack hit but it didn't fall yet. Milo didn't give it any opportunity to regain its posture and fired the second [Lightning Bolt] at it, squarely hitting it once again.

This time, the Alpha had reacted better to the attack and was somewhat. Tanking the bolt that came its way, it quickly sprang up and charged towards Milo, not giving him anytime to act and swiping its blazing claws at him.

Milo had been stunned when the Alpha had shown up before him with such speed, but had managed to activate [Lightning Dash] and duck in lightning speed before the claw came slashing.

He didn't stop there and did a quick back-flip, getting out of the range of the beast. His quickly analyzed the situation as he landed on his feet, Blitz was barely holding it against the two other wolves and that meant he had to end this faster.

"Just a little longer, Blitz," Milo muttered before sprinting back towards the Alpha.

The wolf didn't give him time and lunged again, swiping its fiery claws furiously. Milo activated [Lightning Dash], sidestepping and circling around it in a blur of speed. He reappeared behind the beast, his hand crackling with concentrated mana.

"Lightning Bolt!"

A condensed bolt surged forward, sharper and more focused than before. It struck the Alpha directly in the back, piercing through its hide. The beast howled and staggering forward, but Milo wasn't done.

He channeled another [Lightning Dash] to appear beneath the falling wolf before it could get up.

"End this!"

His fist snapped upward, discharging a final point-blank [Lightning Bolt] straight into the Alpha's chest. The surge of energy overwhelmed the beast and its body convulsed before it collapsed with a heavy thud.

Milo exhaled sharply, sweat dripping down his brow, but he couldn't stop yet. Blitz's snarl turned into a yelp as one of the smaller wolves landed a blow.

"Blitz, fall back!" Milo ordered, dashing to his companion's side. After the panther had retreated, Milo locked onto the two Tier-1 beasts now closing in on him.

"Let's finish this together!"

With Blitz on one side and Milo on the other, they moved in unison. Blitz darted in, swiping at one wolf's legs, while Milo hurled a quick [Lightning Bolt] at the other to keep it at bay. The teamwork clicked without any hitches. Milo would draw their attention with bursts of lightning, allowing Blitz to strike with precision.

Soon enough, the first wolf fell under Blitz's claws, unable to keep up with the panther's speed. The second tried to retreat, but Milo overwhelmed it with a final [Lightning Bolt], costing him the last of his mana.

Milo straightened and catched his breath as the battlefield finally grew quiet. Blitz limped slightly but purred in triumph, nudging Milo's side.

"Well done, Blitz," Milo said, kneeling to ruffle the panther's fur. "We made it."

He walked over to the Alpha's corpse first, the smell of burned fur heavy in the air. Without hesitation, he pulled a knife from his space ring and crouched down. Unlike Kyle, Milo had no system and would have to retrieve the core roughly, like everyone did.

He sliced open the beast's chest. It was messy and brutal, but eventually, his fingers closed around what he wanted—a fiery red mana core, still warm to the touch. He pulled it free, holding it up to the fading light.

Blitz growled softly beside him, and Milo turned to see the two Tier-1 cores he'd carved out earlier. He pocketed them all, the faint glow of the mana cores feeling him with pride and satisfaction.

Milo glanced at the Alpha's corpse, and retrieved it into his space ring immediately. It would serve as proof of his mission and he could even sell it if possible to make credits. Beast hides were good for making magic equipments and made delicious food too, so they were never a waste.

Continue your adventure at empire

"That's it, then. I've completed the mission," Milo muttered to himself, turning towards the opposite direction. He would head back to the village and share the good news with them before using the return stone.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. A bitter creeped into his mind. 'Is this really enough?'

"No," Milo said with a low voice before shaking his head and repeating in a louder voice, "No!"

"This isn't over. If I want to become stronger, I can't stop here.'

With determination, Milo turned around and began walking deeper into the forest, signaling his companion to follow.

"We aren't done yet."

***

Above the vast expanse of forest, a shadow moved—an entity swirling within the clouds, concealed by the storm's fury. The storm demon drifted silently through the blackened heavens, his formless body pulsing with arcs of silver lightning.

"How long has it been?" The storm demon's voice rumbled like thunder, though no ears could hear it. "How long have I wandered this forsaken land, unable to act?"

His form crackled with impatience and a frustrated growl echoed through the sky, shaking the very clouds.

The demon had not come to this world by his own will; he had been sent by the Chief Demon, the lord of the Abyss, whose plans extended far beyond mortal comprehension.

This world, though small and fragile, was not untouched by greater forces. The gods, too, had their hands deep in its soil, and it was they who had begun marking humans—selecting vassals to act as their agents in the coming war.

The marked ones were weapons in mortal form, vessels chosen to carry the will of divine or demonic forces. Those marked by gods shone like beacons, while the ones marked by lesser demons bore twisted gifts of corruption. Together, these marked mortals would shape the battlefield of the gods.

The storm demon snarled as the thought rippled through him. "The gods seek to claim another world while we, the rightful harbingers of power, are forced to the shadows."

His purpose was clear: hunt the marked ones and eliminate their influence before they could take root. It was a prelude to the real war to come. His master had unleashed him here, into this fragile realm, but the limitations imposed upon him were intolerable.

He could not touch this world directly as doing so would expose him. The god of this world would sense the intrusion, and all would be for naught. Though the storm demon was mighty, his mere presence strained the boundaries of the mortal realm, and any overt action would tip the balance.

He let out a deep, guttural growl that split the skies with streaks of lightning. "I am power incarnate, yet I skulk like prey."

But there was a loophole.

The demon could not act directly, but he could find a vessel—a mortal whose body could bear his strength, whose will could align with his purpose. Together, they could hunt the marked ones and tear their growing influence out of this world, root and stem.

He had searched tirelessly for such a mortal, someone strong enough to survive his power, yet desperate enough to accept it. As the storm demon, he liked to end things quickly and that was what made him stand out over all other demons and be picked.

But this mission had made him to be patient. Many had passed through these woods, adventurers, hunters, fools. None were worthy. None carried the resolve he sought.

Until now.

The storm demon's formless shape froze mid-drift and his glowing eyes narrowed as he peered downward. A single figure moved through the forest.

The boy was young and his composure screamed confidence. He carried a companion, a lightning panther whose sparks mirrored the storm's energy.

The demon inhaled sharply and the currents around him whipped with sudden intensity.

"What is this?"

At first, it was faint, but it was unmistakable. The scent of a marked one lingered around the boy, like a smudge of divine interference tainting his very being.

The demon's lips curled into something that might have been a grin, had he a proper mouth. He lowered himself through the clouds and watched intently.

"A marked one's scent…" He paused for a moment and observed the boy some more. "But no. It is not his. It clings to him, yet it is not within him."