two demons

The dark forest of Zone 4 was unnaturally silent. The trees, gnarled and ancient, stretched skeletal fingers towards the moonlit sky, their branches twisting into disturbing shapes. Ron moved with the stealth of a seasoned hunter, his aura attuned to the subtle shifts in the energy around him. He had sensed it - a disruption, a discordance that resonated with an unsettling intensity.

Then he heard it: the erratic, stumbling footsteps.

Tim burst into the clearing, his usual arrogance replaced by a mask of fear. Sweat beaded on his pale skin, his eyes wide with terror. This was not the Tim Ron knew.

"Ron," Tim gasped, his voice ragged. "Please... help me. There's something—"

Ron's sharp golden eyes flickered towards the treeline. His instincts screamed a warning. Tim, the epitome of self-assuredness, afraid? Impossible.

Before Ron could react, a whisper slithered through the air behind him, chilling him to the bone.

"You trust too easily."

Ron spun, but it was too late. Himon, the Whispering Executioner, materialized from the shadows. His lips barely moved as he uttered a single word:

"Silence."

An invisible force descended, crushing the air from Ron's lungs. His aura strained against the oppressive silence, the world around him becoming a vacuum devoid of sound. His heartbeat slowed, his breath grew heavy. The battle had begun.

Tim straightened, his fear melting away, replaced by a cruel smirk. It had been a facade, a carefully crafted act.

"You actually thought I needed saving?" Tim mocked, his hands weaving intricate seals in the air. "How naive."

Dark sigils flared beneath Ron's feet, forming a circle of abyssal symbols. The False Seal of Protection. A deceptive barrier, a trap designed to hold him in place.

But Ron was already moving. He vanished in a flicker of movement, teleporting out of range with Phantom Mirage. The afterimage of himself shattered, leaving Tim clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"Tch. You're fast. But can you keep up?" Tim formed another hand sign. "Phantom Hand of the Abyss."

Spectral hands erupted from the shadows, their fingers moving with blinding speed to form complex sigils. Abyssal fire ignited, surging towards Ron like spectral serpents, their jaws open wide.

Ron ducked, twisting in mid-air, and countered with Bone Shatter Fist. His palm met the spectral flames, shattering them into dissipating embers.

But Himon had moved.

"Accelerate."

A whisper. A blur.

Before Ron could track him, Himon was beside him, his fist already cocked. Ron barely managed to raise his arm in time, but the impact sent him crashing through a tree, pain exploding through his body.

Ron gasped, scrambling to his feet. Two against one. And his opponents? Monsters in their own right.

He assessed the situation. Tim's strength lay in his deceptive sigils, while Himon's was his blinding speed. To survive, Ron needed to outmaneuver them, to exploit their weaknesses.

He feigned an attack towards Tim, forcing him to retreat and weave a defensive seal. In that split-second of distraction, Ron turned his attention to Himon.

"You rely too much on sound," Ron muttered, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Let's see how well you fight in true silence."

His aura flared. Lotus of Suffering: Eternal Bloom.

A pulse of mental disruption surged outwards. The world twisted around Himon. His senses overloaded, pleasure and pain intermingling in a wave of unbearable distortion. His footing faltered for the briefest of moments.

Ron seized the opportunity.

Bone Shatter Fist.

A direct hit to Himon's ribcage. The sickening crack of breaking bones echoed through the silent forest.

But Tim was already reacting. Blood Pact: Demon's Embrace.

He sliced his palm, letting his blood spill onto the sigil beneath him. The runes flared crimson as abyssal energy surged through his veins, his body undergoing a terrifying transformation.

Tim's body pulsed with dark power. His eyes, normally golden, bled into an eerie crimson.

"Ron," Tim exhaled, his voice distorted, inhuman. "You're strong. But you're still just an exorcist. I… am more."

His shadow expanded, writhing like a living creature. The ground trembled as he unleashed Abyssal Edict: The Eternal Binding of Souls.

A sigil erupted beneath Ron, chains of abyssal scripture lashing out to bind him. He leaped back, but Himon was there, intercepting his escape.

"Multiply."

Five Himons now stood before him, identical and menacing.

Ron twisted in mid-air, dodging one, countering another. A third grazed his shoulder, a fourth feinted, and the fifth—

Struck him squarely in the chest.

Blood sprayed. Ron crashed to the ground, gasping for air. His vision blurred as the sigil chains snaked up his arms, binding him.

He was losing.

Tim smirked. "Any last words, Ron?"

Ron coughed, blood staining his lips. But he smiled.

"Yeah… You forgot something."

Before Tim could react, Ron vanished.

Phantom Mirage: Dance of the Forgotten.

Not one, not two, but ten afterimages materialized, surrounding them.

"You think you're the only one who can deceive?" Ron's voice whispered from all directions, disorienting his enemies.

The afterimages attacked simultaneously, each striking a different weak point. Tim lashed out, but every figure he connected with dissolved into nothing.

Himon scowled. "Enough of this. Silence."

The battlefield fell silent once more.

But Ron was already behind him.

Bone Shatter Fist: Annihilation Claw.

Ron's palm connected with Himon's spine with a sickening crunch. Himon crumpled, his voice silenced.

Tim turned, but it was too late.

Ron's fingers closed around his throat.

"Lotus of Suffering."

Tim's world imploded. His mind was plunged into an abyss of agonizing ecstasy, his body paralyzed by the overwhelming sensory overload.

Ron exhaled. "This is over."

With a final surge of aura, he slammed his palm against Tim's chest, shattering the Abyssal Sigil.

Tim collapsed.

Himon lay motionless.

Ron stood alone, victorious but wounded.

The battle was won.

In the sacred halls where the Demon Hunter exam concluded, the weight of destiny hung heavy in the air. The survivors - each marked by their trials - stood as living testament to the harsh realities of the exorcist's path. Their rankings, crystallized within the Exorcist stones, spoke volumes of their current potential in the vast hierarchy of the Exosis world.

Lady Aether, the Silver Tempest, proved herself worthy of the gold-level Exorcist stone. Her mastery of divine sigils and wind-based spiritual techniques placed her among the elite candidates. In the Exosis hierarchy, she stands as a Tier 2 Hunter, recognized for her exceptional control over spiritual energy and her profound understanding of celestial sealing arts.

Leon Vaelstorm, wielding the azure blade Stormfang, similarly earned his gold-level certification. His sword-based exorcism techniques and storm magic infusion demonstrated mastery worthy of Tier 2 status, marking him as a formidable presence among the new generation of demon hunters.

Hex, the last scion of the ancient Hex Clan, claimed his gold-level stone through his masterful manipulation of cursed talismans. His command over fate manipulation and infernal sealing flames earned him Tier 2 ranking, though whispers speak of potential far beyond this initial classification.

Yet it was Raj Arisaka's position that proved most intriguing. Despite his innate potential and the mysterious Eclipse Flow, his current inability to manifest traditional exorcism arts resulted in a bronze-level Exorcist stone. This places him at Tier 4 in the hierarchy - a ranking that, like a chrysalis, seems more temporary than definitive. Those who witness his journey sense that this initial classification is but the first step in a far more complex evolution.

The rankings reflect not just power, but understanding:

- Tier 2 (Gold Level): Lady Aether, Leon, Hex - Full access to advanced hunting grounds and missions

- Tier 4 (Bronze Level): Raj - Limited to basic assignments and supervised hunts

Yet in the shadows of these official classifications, Tim and Himon of the Demon Clan remain unranked - their escape marking them as entities outside the traditional hierarchy, their true power levels shrouded in mystery.