Escape

"No! Are you out of your mind? I'm not—" 

"Mama, I'm hungry." 

Before Elion could finish his protest, a small voice interrupted him. 

"Huh?!" Elion and Dorian exchanged baffled looks, both searching for the source of the voice.

In the corner of the room, they spotted a tiny wolf gnawing through what was left of the barrier, creating a small hole in the wall. It had already eaten through part of the barrier and the wood, leaving enough space to slip inside.

"Fenrir? How is this possible?" Elion exclaimed, astonished. "I have some food here, but before that, can you eat these cuffs?"

The little wolf trotted over, tail wagging, and without hesitation, bit down on the cuffs around Elion's wrists. The restraints crumbled in seconds under Fenrir's teeth. 

"Good boy," Elion grinned. "Now, can you help my friend here?" He pointed to Dorian's cuffs.

Dorian stared in disbelief as the tiny creature easily gnawed through his restraints as well. His eyes widened. "What are this little guy's teeth made of?!"

Elion chuckled, shrugging. 'How did it not only find me but also come here alone?' he wondered. 

Fenrir tugged at Elion's sleeve again. "Mama, hungry."

Elion smiled warmly. "Here, take these," he said, pulling a few beast cores from his space inventory and offering them to Fenrir.

Fenrir eagerly devoured the cores, his tail wagging furiously. But as soon as he finished, the little wolf curled up on the floor and instantly fell asleep.

Elion shook his head with a mix of amusement and exasperation. 'This little guy really doesn't know how to read the mood, huh?' he thought. But thanks to Fenrir they now had a chance to save the city.

He turned to Dorian with renewed determination. "Thanks to him, we might still make it in time to save the city."

"We need to hurry. Time's running out," Dorian urged, his voice tense.

Elion nodded. "Right. I'll teleport you and Fenrir to the inn I'm staying at—it's close to your mansion. While you alert your family, I'll head to the city's portal and hold them off for as long as I can until reinforcements arrive."

Dorian clenched his fists. "Got it. Let's move!"

"Hold on," Elion said, focusing his energy. "I've never teleported anyone besides myself before, so this might take a second." He began manipulating the mana around Dorian, guiding it carefully, his brows furrowed in concentration.

'Glup'

A nervous gulp escaped Dorian. "Are you sure this is the right time to be trying something new? I'd rather not die in some space anomaly."

Elion flashed a reassuring smile. "Relax, I don't usually mess up my spells."

"Usually?! Wait—" Dorian barely had time to protest before Elion activated the teleportation, whisking him and Fenrir away in a swirl of energy.

'Hopefully, they make it in time. Now it's my turn.'

With a surge of mana, Elion teleported himself directly to the city's portal. As he arrived, the scene before him was tense—a dozen guards surrounded the portal, standing like statues, their faces expressionless. 

It didn't take long for Elion to realize these weren't just regular guards. Their auras and smell were off, tainted by something unnatural. 'Moles,' he thought bitterly.

Inside the portal chamber, Jonathan stood at the center, directing mana with focused intensity. Three other figures flanked him, all radiating power. One, in particular—a space mage, whose movements mirrored Jonathan's, working in sync to warp the portal's coordinates.

Mana flowed around them like a dark river, crackling with malicious energy as they prepared to open a direct path for the demon army.

'I don't have much time left.'

Elion gritted his teeth and began channeling his mana, activating the runes he had discreetly set up earlier. The plan was simple: damage the portal before it could be used for the invasion. 

As his mana flowed, the runes—64 in total, meticulously crafted with his knowledge of space and lightning magic—began to glow. Their combined energy sparked and hummed, forming a powerful array aimed directly at the portal's core.

But the sudden shift in mana didn't go unnoticed.

"Stop him!" one of the guards shouted, having sensed the disturbance. Elion cursed under his breath. 'Damn it! I've already been caught!'

The guards rushed toward him, but they were too far away. Elion pushed harder, his entire body surging with mana as the array flared to life. The glowing runes pulsed violently, releasing a blinding flash as their energy shot toward the portal. 

"Who dares to interfere with me?!" Jonathan roared, fury rising as his near-perfect plan was threatened at the final moment.

Jonathan and the other space mage, reacting quickly, conjured a barrier around the portal in a desperate bid to shield it. Elion's powerful array slammed into their barrier, crackling with energy. 

For a moment, it seemed like the attack might break through, but the barrier held firm and Elion's array's energy began to wane.

'It's now or never.'

Elion's eyes narrowed. He knew the array wouldn't do the job, but it had served its purpose: distracting them. With the guards closing in, he channeled all his remaining mana into his right fist, forming a powerful Void Fist.

Just as a guard was about to reach him, Elion smirked and teleported behind the portal in a flash of space magic.

Jonathan, sensing the spatial disturbance, panicked. "NO! STOP THIS LITTLE SHIT!" His scream was laced with desperation, but it was already too late.

With determination burning in his eyes, Elion unleashed his full strength in one final strike.

His Void Fist connected with the portal's structure, and instantly, the powerful void magic ate through it like water dissolving salt. The portal shimmered, and its structure shattered beyond repair.

Seeing the portal destroyed, the fake guards bolted in panic, scrambling away from the site. Their loyalty was nonexistent; with the demons no longer an option, they knew their lives were in jeopardy. Desperate to escape the consequences of their betrayal, they fled as fast as they could.

Jonathan's plans crumbled before his eyes. His face twisted in rage, veins bulging as he glared at Elion with murderous intent. "You little pest, I'll kill you!" His voice dripped with venom, and if a glance could kill, Elion would have been dead on the spot.

Elion's instinct was to teleport away, but the space around him suddenly locked tight—Jonathan wasn't about to let him slip away again. The air around Elion grew heavy with the weight of powerful mana.

'Damn it, I'm screwed,' Elion thought, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

Jonathan's lips curled into a cruel, wicked smile. "You really thought you could escape after ruining everything? Oh no, I'll make sure you suffer. I'll enjoy every second of it," he sneered, stepping closer. The air grew colder as the malevolent intent washed over Elion like a wave.

Jonathan's dark laughter echoed in the air, and for a brief moment, the situation seemed hopeless.

"Oh, if you want to hurt the kid, you'll have to ask my permission first." 

A low, commanding voice interrupted Jonathan's rage, stopping him. Emerging from the shadows, a figure clad in a sleek black robe and heavy boots appeared—a vampire, radiating power at the peak of the Body and Soul Fusion Realm. His presence alone was enough to make the air feel heavier as if it bowed to his strength.

Jonathan's eyes narrowed. "Who the hell are you?" he snarled, his fury momentarily tempered by caution.

The shadow guard stepped between Jonathan and Elion, his eyes briefly scanning the young boy. "Where've you been, kid?" he asked, with a smirk that didn't hide the worry in his voice. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Elion blinked in surprise, his mind racing as he recognized the vampire's immense power. 'Who is this guy?'

The tension in the air shifted as Jonathan, now glaring, took a cautious step back, assessing the situation.

The shadow guard's tone was casual, but his stance was anything but. He exuded confidence, and the way he carried himself left no doubt that he could hold his own against Jonathan.

"Help me kill him! Don't let the kid escape!" Jonathan barked at the three men standing behind him. His voice carried a raw edge of desperation, but his fury fueled him.

Even if he killed Elion, without the demons' help and his plan exposed, he would soon meet his demise, or live the rest of his life running from the vampires.

Jonathan, too, was at the peak of the Body and Soul Fusion Realm, and the others at mid Body and Soul Fusion Realm. Together, they should've made for an overwhelming force. It didn't seem like a fair fight—four against one. 

But the mysterious vampire who had appeared to protect Elion stood unfazed, his expression almost bored, as if he had already decided the outcome. 

"This is the best you've got?" he scoffed, his lips curling into a faint smile. 

Despite the power gathering in front of him, the shadow guard remained still, his aura exuding deadly confidence. 

His eyes, sharp and calculating, never left Jonathan's. It was as though the weight of the battle had already shifted in his favor, without so much as a single movement.

"Then let's dance," the vampire said, a predatory glint in his eyes as he unsheathed his twin swords with a fluid motion. The blades gleamed ominously in the dim light, reflecting his readiness for the impending confrontation.