Demons Within: I level up endlessly-Chapter 36: Sorcery Versus Might!

The magic chains wrapped tighter around Daniel. They felt hot, like burning ropes digging into his skin.

Daniel looked at the boy standing in front of him. Bran stood in the center of the green circle he had drawn on the ground. He spoke words that belonged to a language Daniel did not know.

Bran looked at Daniel with eyes that held no pity. The mask of the scared, weak boy was gone.

"It is useless to fight," Bran said calmly. He did not stop his magic chant. "Just let go, Daniel. The pain stops when the soul leaves the body."

"No," Daniel said through gritted teeth. Sweat ran down his face and stung his eyes. "I do not give up."

Daniel stopped pulling against the chains with just his body. He knew physical strength was not enough for this.

He pushed all his energy into his chest and arms. He visualized a bomb going off inside him. He did not just want to break the chains. He wanted to destroy them completely.

[Skill Activated: Forceburst (C-Grade)]

Daniel let out a loud roar.

BOOOM!

A massive blast of force exploded from his body. It was not just wind. It was a solid wall of kinetic energy.

The magic chains shattered into a million sparks of white light. The force of the explosion was so strong that it blew the top layer of dirt away from Daniel’s feet.

The impact created a small crater in the ground.

Bran stopped his chanting immediately. His eyes went wide with shock. He stumbled backward and covered his face with his arms to protect himself from the dust.

"Impossible," Bran hissed. He looked genuinely scared for the first time.

"Those were Rank 2 binding spells. You should not be able to break them!"

Daniel stepped out of the dust cloud. Smoke rose from his uniform where the chains had burned him. He did not look at his injuries. He kept his eyes locked on Bran.

"You could guess my stats," Daniel said, his voice low and dangerous. "But you did not calculate my will."

Daniel did not give Bran time to recover. He used his speed skill.

[Skill Activated: Shadowsteps]

ZHOOM!

Daniel’s speed tripled instantly. He moved across the open space in a single heartbeat.

He was not holding back anymore. He pulled his fist back and aimed a punch straight at Bran’s face.

Bran’s expression shifted instantly from shock to focus. He was a fighter too.

"Shield," Bran whispered.

A blue hexagon of light appeared in the air just inches away from Daniel’s fist.

CRACK!

Daniel’s fist hit the shield. It felt like punching a solid brick wall. The shield cracked like glass, but it held long enough to stop the punch from hitting Bran.

Bran used the force of the hit to slide backward.

He moved with a grace that was annoying to watch. He twisted his body and unleashed a tornado kick!

BAAAM!

A rush of wind wrapped around Bran’s leg. It smacked Daniel in the face like a hammer.

It pushed Daniel back a few steps. Daniel planted his feet firmly on the ground. He looked at Bran in surprise.

Bran stood light on his toes. His hands glowed with blue magic energy. "You are strong," Bran admitted.

He wiped a speck of dust from his cheek. "You are stronger than I thought."

Bran raised his hands high. Three balls of blue fire appeared above his head. "Mana Bolt!" The bolts flew at Daniel like bullets.

Daniel did not panic. He relied on his new passive skill to guide him.

[Passive Skill Triggered: Combat Mastery (D-Grade)] His body knew what to do before his mind even thought about it.

He dodged. He moved his head to the left, and the first bolt flew past his ear. He twisted his body to the right, and the second one missed his shoulder. The third one came straight for his chest. Daniel brought his arm up to block it.

His D-Grade Deflector Vest glowed as it absorbed the impact.

THUD!

The magic bolt hit his arm. It hurt so much.

"My turn," Daniel growled. He drew his D-Grade Vibro-Knife from his belt. The blade hummed with a deadly sound.

He charged again. This time, he did not run in a straight line. He moved side to side, making it hard for Bran to aim. Bran kept firing spells.

"Grease! Flash! Bind!" Patches of the ground turned slippery like oil. Bursts of bright light flashed to blind Daniel. Ropes of energy tried to grab his ankles.

Daniel fought through it all. He slipped on the grease, but he used his hand to catch his balance and launch himself forward again.

He squinted his eyes against the bright flash. He slashed the energy ropes with his knife. He moved like a tank.

He swung his knife in a wide arc. Bran tried to cast another shield, but he was too slow. The knife caught him on the arm.

RRRIP!

The shirt tore open. Blood sprayed into the air. Bran hissed in pain. He scrambled back, holding his bleeding arm.

Daniel leaped into the air. He spun his body around. He put all his weight and speed into one leg.

It was the same move he had used to kill the Ravager beast. A spinning axe kick. Bran looked up. He saw the heel coming down on him. He raised both hands in desperation.

"Wall of Air!"

A thick layer of pressurized air formed above his head.

BOOM!

Daniel’s heel slammed into the air wall. The force was incredible. The invisible wall shattered with a sound like a thunderclap.

Bran was thrown backward by the shockwave. He hit the ground hard and rolled. He came up on one knee, gasping for air.

His face was pale. Daniel landed softly on his feet. He did not pause. He walked toward Bran. His eyes were cold. His fists were clenched tight.

"No more magic tricks," Daniel said. Bran looked at Daniel. He looked at the knife in Daniel’s hand. He looked at the rage in Daniel’s eyes.

Bran did the math in his head. His mana was running low. His spells were not stopping Daniel.

If this fight continued for another minute, Daniel would catch him. And when Daniel caught him, Daniel would kill him.

Bran smiled. It was the smile of someone who had one last card to play. "You win the battle, Daniel," Bran said, his voice calm. "But you do not win the war."

He reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small, grey stone. "Mana Concealment," Bran whispered.

At the same time, he crushed the stone in his hand. A cloud of thick, black smoke exploded around him.

"Shadow Veil!" The smoke did not just block vision.It swallowed Bran completely. Daniel did not hesitate. He activated his special sight.

[Skill Activated: Omnivision (E-Grade)]

The world turned into a grid of lines and heat in his mind. He looked into the smoke. He expected to see Bran’s glowing life signature.

He expected to see the bright blue color of his mana. He saw nothing. The smoke was empty. "What?" Daniel scanned the area frantically.

"Where is he?" He pushed his [Omnivision] to the limit. He expanded the range. He checked the trees. He checked the bushes. He checked the ground for footsteps.

There was no heat. There was no heartbeat. It was as if Bran had ceased to exist.

"You can’t hide from me!" Daniel roared. He rushed into the smoke. He slashed wildly with his knife.

He punched the air. His knife hit nothing but empty darkness. "I know you are here!" Daniel screamed.

"Come out! Face me!" Silence answered him.

The smoke began to fade, drifting away on the night breeze. The open space was empty. The ritual circle was still there on the ground, glowing faintly.

The vial of poison lay in the dirt where Bran had dropped it. But the traitor was gone. Bran had vanished completely.

His [Mana Concealment] skill was A-Grade. It was far stronger than Daniel’s E-Grade detection.

It hid everything, heat, sound, mana, and life.

Daniel stood alone in the middle of the forest. His chest heaved up and down as he tried to catch his breath. The adrenaline began to fade, leaving a cold, hollow feeling inside him.

He dropped his knife. It fell to the ground with a dull thud. He looked at his hands. They were shaking. They were not shaking from fear. They were shaking from rage.

"He got away," Daniel whispered."He got away." Daniel fell to his knees.

He punched the dirt.

THUD!

"He killed them," Daniel said, his voice cracking. He punched the dirt again.

THUD!

"He lied to me."

THUD!

"I trusted him." His knuckles split open. Blood mixed with the dirt. He did not feel the pain. The physical pain was nothing compared to the storm inside his chest.

He felt stupid. He felt naive. He remembered how he had carried Bran when he was hurt. He remembered how he had promised to protect him. And all that time, Bran had been laughing at him. Bran had been waiting for the right moment to stick a knife in his arm and steal his soul.

"I almost lost everything," Daniel thought. He looked at his Databand. He looked at his SSS-Grade talent. If he had not woken up... If his [Mental Echo] skill had not warned him... He would be dead. Or worse, he would be empty.

He would be a husk, while Bran walked away with the power to save his mother. The thought made him feel sick to his stomach. He thought about Sophie. He remembered her sharp eyes.

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut. He could almost hear her voice. "Trust is the foundation of a team."

A tear rolled down Daniel’s cheek. It was hot and angry. "Never again," Daniel scream.

He wiped the tear away with his bloody hand. He spread blood on his face, but he did not care.

He stood up slowly. His legs felt heavy, but he forced them to hold him up. The sadness in his heart began to change.

It hardened. It turned into hate. He looked at the spot where Bran had vanished. "You think you won," Daniel said to the empty forest. "You think you were smart." He picked up his knife.

He wiped the dirt off the blade. He slid it back into his belt.

"You just made a mistake, Bran. You left me alive." Daniel turned away from the place. He didn’t look back.

He had a new mission. "I will find you," Daniel vowed. His voice was low and steady. "I don’t care where you hide. I don’t care what face you wear."

He started to walk. "I will find you, Bran. And I will fucking murder you."