Alkelios met the Demon on the left, smashing spear against spear. Melakios then realized these Demons had stronger defenses than last time. How was he going to deal with this?

He pulled out a bat spirit and used it to gain wings. He sent Clair after the Demon on the right as he pulled out the 2nd tier Scale Core. This was the Core Nesune made him create. He started to refine the energy within like he would a normal lizard, but found it was extremely hard to do so.

While it would have normally taken a few seconds, this was taking a few minutes! He decided to quickly pulled out his suit beetle and equipped it as well as a normal lizard sword. Carrying the Core in his left hand, and swinging his sword in his right, he clashed with the Demon in the middle. He summoned some lesser spirits to help aide him so he could focus on refining the Core.

Seeing that he was doing something, Valafar showed a keen interest in what Melakios was doing. Clair had already defeated her Demon, his body hanging limply in her beak. Alkelios had also defeated his opponent by running the Demon through with his spear after catching him off guard. While consuming their rewards, Alkelios and Clair protected Melakios so Valafar could not interfere, but they did not get involved with Melakios’ fight. This was his to win.

Trying to create a sword out of this stronger Core while fighting was incredibly taxing. If the Demon before him wasn’t so intent on bringing him back alive, Melakios would have already died! Eventually, the Core was finished. It didn’t look anything like his previous swords, as this one shined with a bronze color and had a scaled texture, similar to that of the lizard.

The scales of the monstrous lizard are some of the sharpest scales that belong to weak leveled creatures. Many low leveled Demons used the scales not for armor, as they weren’t all that durable, but for weapons. They would cover their weapons in the scales so as to add an abrasive effect that would even leave scars for life. Those that were scratched by the scales would find that they would bleed profusely before collapsing.

Then they would be eaten by monsters or captured by other Demons.

The sword looked different from how he imagined it would look. Instead of having a cross guard, the sword was wide and thicker, making it look more like a

“That’s an Argive Army Sword! Hehe, the people of Argos really liked that design. Looks good!”

“Thanks, Mr. Alkelios.”

After switching the sword, he swung the Argive Sword towards the Demon. The Demon tried to block with his own weapon, but it broke when the two collided. The Argive Sword just kept on going. When the sword hit the Demon, the scales lifted and began scraping apart the Demon’s skin like it was a saw on wood. The Demon cried out from the pain and gave Melakios enough time to attack again and slice the Demon’s head off. After absorbing the soul, the other two being already consumed by Alkelios and Clair, Melakios looked towards Valafar.

“Dammit, the three of you assholes! Fine! Next time, I’ll bring more!”

He fled once again. Melakios’ speed may have been increased thanks to the bat wings, but not even Clair, who was still faster, could catch up. The strength and capabilities of a True Demon Duke were indeed great. But even if his powers were great, trying to fight Melakios without killing him was going to be difficult. One wrong move and he would be dead in the ground!

After settling down, Melakios got to work creating more 2nd Tier Cores. He used Alkelios’ shield beetle, the spear snake, and even his own suit beetle to do so. It took him a while, but each time he did it, the process went by faster and smoother. Melakios was indeed smart and dedicated.

By the time the three had arrived at the mountain range of the Tengu, Melakios had created an Aspis Shield and a Doru Spear for Alkelios. Being a spirit made Alkelios already able to float around at will. But his Soul Items enabled some extra benefits. The shield, taking on the properties of the beetle, would reflect low leveled fire. The spear would leave a paralytic effect.

Melakios’ own suit, the aptly named Power Armament, not only increased his defense, but also increased his mobility. He used the bat wings to create the Midnight Cloak. It covered his body like a normal cloak, but would also allow him to fly. All of these items were categorized as 1st Tier Soul Items, but their purity and design would make them as expensive as even most 2nd Tier Soul Items!

If he decided to sell these, he would make a ton of money! Not to mention also becoming instantly popular!

But Valafar pretty much said that this wasn’t the reason he and Prince Gäap wanted him. It had something to do with him not having a soul…What if there was someone like him? Or…opposite of him, that is. Maybe there is a soul that doesn’t have a body! And they want him to carry this soul! Or at least refine it.

Little did Melakios know that this was indeed the reason. He had actually thought up many possible outcomes, but this one was the most realistic. Thinking things like 'Valafar giving him a soul' was what led to him thinking about this subject.

While thinking, he also made Clair some armor as well, thanks to the armored badgers he had. The three beings eventually came to the Tengu Mountains. That was when they became surrounded by a multitude of flying Demons, or rather Yokai, as they were usually called. The flying Yokai all had bird wings and beaks. They had humanoid body shapes but wore fabric instead of armor. They looked more like dancers than warriors or Soul Masons, Melakios thought. But he hadn't seen many Soul Masons. Just Nesune. Not a very good first impression of Soul Masons.

But underneath the baggy clothing, their muscles were obvious, as their pant legs were rolled up and were wearing short sleeves. It was clear that they could fight. Their beaks took up half their face and they wore tiny hats on their head.

A female Tengu hovered before them as she, too had muscles bulging from her not as baggy clothing. Or maybe those weren’t muscles? Melakios was intrigued. To be honest, no other girl he met had a large chest. Ash, Lilitu, even the five sisters, they all had modest sizes. But this lady before him was another matter altogether.

Seeing the wandering eyes of the little boy, the female Tengu harrumphed in disgust and yelled,

“Get lost, you don’t belong here! There’s no way we will allow a human to set foot on our mountains!”