Demon Core Exorcist

6. Trial of Twin Paths: Path of Strength

In a few seconds, he made his decision and walked towards the path of strength. As soon as he stepped into the pathway, he felt something, like he was sealed. 

Immediately, he thought about activating one of his skills, and instead of the skill being activated, what he saw was a system message. 

[ERROR!! Holy Core Sealed]

Nathan was surprised; this wasn't what he had expected. He never knew something like this was going to happen, but he didn't panic. He quickly tried activating his night gaze, but the same message appeared. 

"Valak, are you there?"

Nathan asked, but he received no response. He didn't know whether he couldn't just communicate with Valak or if Valak just decided to mess with him at this point. But it didn't matter. 

"So this was a trap after all"

Nathan said as he called up his system interface. 

[Name: Nathan Reyes]

[Race: Hybrid Lesser Demon]

[Demon Core: Monoceros (Grade 1)] (Sealed)

[Holy Core: Novice (Grade 1)] (Sealed)

[Sin: Gluttony]

[STR: 17]

[AGL:19]

[DEX: 15]

[FOC: 7]

[AUR: 5]

[Stat Points: 4]

[Corruption: 0/100%]

[Holy Skills: Seal Of Binding (Lv 1), Purification Flame (Lv 1), Devourer's Maw (Sealed)]

[Demonic Skills: Night Gaze (Lv 1), Essence Drain (Lv 1)]

Well, it seemed like things were the same, apart from his two cores being sealed; that was the good thing.

After taking in the situation of his body, Nathan looked at his surroundings.

The archway marked with the crossed blades had been straightforward. This one was different.

Two massive figures were carved into the stone, warriors in heavy armour, weapons planted into the ground, their posture steady and unshakable.

The air was dry and still. The room stretched far ahead, the walls vanishing into shadow. Blue light spilt from long cracks in the stone floor, running in straight lines toward a huge door on the far side. The door looked like it was carved from a single block of stone, its surface marked with jagged patterns that almost resembled lightning bolts.

Nathan stepped forward.

The floor rumbled.

Stone shifted and scraped as shapes rose from the ground. At first, they looked like simple pillars breaking free from the floor — but then the pillars grew arms, legs, and heads. They were humanoid, but massive, each at least twice Nathan's height. Cracks glowed faintly along their bodies, giving them an eerie, molten look. In their hands, they carried swords as long as Nathan was tall.

The voice returned, calm but firm, speaking right into his head:

"Strength is not the fist alone. It is the hand that holds with purpose."

Nathan's eyes darted around the room. There were large blocks of stone scattered across the floor, some waist-high, others towering above him. Between two of them, he spotted a broken length of metal, maybe part of an old support beam. He made for it, keeping his eyes on the nearest golem.

The first swing came faster than expected. The golem's sword smashed into the floor where Nathan had been standing, sending a spray of stone chips into the air. The sound was deafening.

Nathan grabbed the metal beam. It was heavy, but not too heavy to use with the increase in his strength, thanks to becoming a half-demon. He gripped it like a staff and turned just as the golem came again.

He couldn't block a strike that heavy head-on. Instead, he sidestepped and jabbed the end of the beam into the golem's knee joint. The metal clanged against stone, but the glowing crack widened, and the golem staggered.

"Not indestructible," Nathan muttered.

At least, he had found a way to win the battle. He had four stat points remaining, and his strength stat was seventeen. He didn't know what would happen, but he just put the three stat points into strength, increasing it to twenty in one go.

[STR: 17>>20]

[Host has gained skill 'Commander's Build']

Nathan saw the message flash before his eyes, but he didn't know what it meant, and it didn't matter. From the feeling he got, it was a skill that didn't need mana or demonic energy to work, so it was good enough for him.

He jumped back, gaining some space, and activated the skill.

[Commander's Build Activated]

[STR: 20(+10)]

Nathan could suddenly feel the clothes that previously fit him tighten on his body as his muscle mass increased. He felt a strong surge of strength, more than he expected. But more strength was always accepted.

With a confident smile on his face, he charged at the nearest golem.

He shoved upward on the golem's sword arm with all his strength, throwing it off balance, then drove his shoulder into its chest. The giant toppled backwards into another golem, and both crashed to the ground, breaking apart into rubble.

Nathan was marvelling at this strength increase. The skill was really useful.

But that left three more, and they were spreading out.

Nathan kept moving, weaving between the stone blocks. One golem tried to corner him, but its swing hit a block instead, slicing it clean in half. Nathan used the falling piece as cover, darting around to its side and striking at the same weakened knee joint. The golem collapsed, but its sword came down as it fell, forcing Nathan to roll clear.

The third came at him with a low sweep. Nathan jumped back, but the blade grazed his leg, leaving a shallow cut. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep moving. This one was faster than the others, or maybe Nathan was just getting tired.

It had only been a few seconds, but the new skill was taking a toll on him already.

"I need to finish this quickly"

He tried baiting its attacks. He stepped close, then darted away, making it chase him. Each time it swung, it left an opening. On the fourth swing, Nathan stepped in, hooked the metal beam behind its knee, and yanked hard. The golem stumbled forward, and Nathan slammed the beam into the crack along its neck. The stone split, and the whole thing crumbled.

Two left.

They came at him together. One was slower, its movements deliberate, while the other's strikes were fast and constant. Nathan moved backwards, keeping the faster one between himself and the slower. He blocked one swing with the beam, let the force carry him sideways, and used the momentum to slam into the slower golem's side. It barely moved.

The faster one swung again. Nathan ducked, rolled past, and jammed the beam into the slower golem's glowing chest crack. It roared in a grinding, stone-on-stone sound and swung wildly. The faster golem caught part of the blow, and both staggered back.

Nathan didn't give them time to recover. He charged the faster one, ramming the beam into its knee and then into its midsection. The cracks flared bright for a second before the stone gave way.

Nathan's breathing became heavy; he could feel his strength being drained. This was what he could expect from using a skill that didn't require holy or demonic energy.

But he gritted his teeth, fighting through the tiredness, his gaze landing on the last golem.

The last golem swung down at him in a final, heavy strike. Nathan sidestepped at the last instant, the blade smashing into the floor. While it was stuck, Nathan ran up onto the sword itself, using it as a ramp to get higher. From there, he jumped and brought the beam down with all his strength on the golem's head.

The stone shattered. The body followed.

Silence fell.

Nathan stood still, catching his breath. His arms ached from gripping the beam, and sweat ran down the side of his face. His cut leg throbbed, but it wasn't bad enough to slow him much.

The voice returned, softer this time:

"You have passed the path of strength. You know force is nothing without control."

The great stone door at the far end began to rumble open. Behind it was a narrow hallway lit by faint blue lines along the floor, leading deeper into the trial.

Nathan dropped the metal beam. It clanged against the stone floor.

It seemed like there was no limit to how long he could stay here, so Nathan deactivated the Commander's build and plopped to the ground, aiming to recover as much strength as he could.

About thirty minutes later, he stood up. Even though he hadn't fully recovered, he had recovered enough to go through the next trial.

Without looking back at the broken golems, he stepped through the door, the path of agility waiting for him.