Death… And Me

The Zasfin that died was one of the seven without Soul Power, so he didn't have enough strength to escape Frin's surprise attack. Everyone on the battlefield stopped for a moment, looking at the blood on Frin's teeth and the shredded half of that Zasfin's dead body.

Of course, that only lasted for a short while before the battles resumed. However, as if a chain reaction was triggered, more Transition Realm Zasfins began to fall after this.

'Dawn of the Sun God!'

'Myriad Snakes Poison!'

'Silver Moon Assault!'

'Mountain Destruction!'

'Hive...'

The demon beasts continued their assault, stimulated by the first real loss on the Zasfins' side. As for the Zasfins, they were obviously affected by that as well. 

*Arrrgh!*

"Dieeee!"

"Get away from me!"

Of course, it wasn't as if the Zasfins were powerless. The Zasfins that still had their Rank Ten or Rank Nine Soul Marks were still a threat, and it was proven during the battle.

One of the Zasfins also reached a moment where he would be killed, forcing him to activate the Soul Mark Immolation Art. However, he had other members of his clan here, so he didn't try to run. Instead, he used the moment his demon beast opponent was heading straight at him to use his full power against it. His sword then began to burn brighter and hotter than ever as his speed surpassed what he had displayed so far.

'Descent of the Fire Demon!'

*Boom!*

*Roarrrrrr!*

Taken aback by that Zasfin's choice, the bird-type Stage Nine Demon Beast was hit head-on. It tried to use its own bloodline and skill to defend. However, as mentioned before, the temporarily sacrificed bloodline of a normal demon beast couldn't compare in power to the eternal loss of Soul Power.

The Zasfin's sword passed through all defenses, cutting the Demon Bird's head while at it. This time, even Rean couldn't do anything about it. The Demon Bird was as dead as it could possibly be.

"Hmph! The Zasfins are the real masters of the world. You all better remember that!" Soon after, that Zasfin used the last bits of his Soul Power to flee. Of course, those were only the words of anger. None of the demon beasts took it to heart at all since they never considered the Zasfins to be all that anyway.

Naturally, those exchanges continued. Some Zasfins were able to escape in the end, but quite a few died. The same thing could be said for the demon beasts, but the number of deaths was a lot lower.

Fikin looked around and saw their initial advantage in numbers disappearing. Slowly but surely, the demon beasts were gaining ground. 'It can't continue like this. Should I retreat behind the formations with everyone to regroup?'

The Zasfins had obviously prepared a lot for these fights, so they also had formations ready to be used. One of the reasons Roan couldn't make any meaningful progress anymore was also due to those formations, not just the Zasfins' intelligence. Unfortunately, it wasn't as if Phex's group would risk entering those formations prepared for them. That's why they kept battling in this place. 

According to Rean, this place was completely devoid of any formation whatsoever. Well, to be more precise, it was thanks to Sister Orb, but Rean couldn't tell Phex and the others about that. One must remember that Sister Orb was capable of identifying the presence of any formation, even if she didn't know what it did. She could at least tell if it was activated or not.

However...there was one point that the demon beasts could not forget. This place's war...was not only for the sake of the territories that they would use in the future. Roan made it very clear when he explained his plan to Phex, Xaon, Frin, and Darian. This war's main objective was to get rid of Fikin, the Soul Rulers' leader!

Going back in time before the war started, Rean, Roan, Phex, Xaon, and Frin were gathered above a mountain. No one other than those six was present, and the Divine Demon Beasts ensured that they were the only ones with their Spiritual Senses.

Rean and Roan then looked at each other and nodded before starting to talk to the Divine Demon Beasts, with Roan explaining, "Once Rean starts using his healing skills to keep you all in fighting shape, the Zasfins will surely reach a point where they'll fall apart. Before that, they won't refuse your challenge to fight. Simply put, their pride as the 'owners of the world' wouldn't allow them to hide."

Rean then continued, "However, once Fikin and the others notice that they'll lose, they will definitely retreat behind the formations prepared for you. Remember, you must not enter the areas I showed you this afternoon. If you do, don't blame me if you die there."

Roan continued where Rean left off, saying, "Now, the moment the Zasfins understand that they can't win will be the moment they're most vulnerable, especially Fikin since he's the leader. Phex, Frin, Xaon, that will be the moment you need to give up everything and strike him down."

Phex understood the twins' plan. Nevertheless, he found a problem. "That's good and all. However, how will we know when Fikin decides to retreat? I doubt he'll tell us in advance."

It was then that Rean mentioned, "Leave that to me."

Suddenly, Rean's hair changed color into a mix of black and white. Soon after, Rean asked the Divine Demon Beasts to hold his hand as he told them, "Pay attention."

Following that, Rean sent a stream of Light Element inside their bodies. However, it didn't do anything. It just stayed there, doing nothing. Of course, that wasn't the only thing. There was also a little bit of Dark Element inside it, which was contained inside that light.

"What is this?"

Phex and the others noticed those things inside their bodies. However, the amount of power was too small to cause them any harm. They could get rid of it in a flash with their much higher cultivation, so it wasn't dangerous either.

Rean smiled before explaining, "Dark Element causes quite some pain. I believe you already know that. However, I used a very tiny bit of it, just enough to call your attention. The Light Element will keep the Dark Element enclosed in your body. Once the time comes, I will release my Light Element, which will cause you to feel the Dark Element inside. That will be the signal that Fikin is ready to retreat."

Phex's group was surprised by that. "But how can you tell the moment he'll retreat? You still haven't told us that."

Rean laughed as he shook his head, responding, "That will be my little secret. To be honest, I'm not 100% sure that this would be precise. But even if I'm not, you won't be in any danger since I'll only release it when the demon beasts gain the upper hand."

Although Phex, Xaon, and Frin had their doubts, it wasn't that important at the moment. "Very well."

Now, returning to the present, Phex and the others suddenly felt a tiny amount of pain as Roan's Dark Element was released into their bodies. The three Divine Demon Beasts' eyes lit up as they used their Spiritual Senses to exchange a message. 

'It's here!'