Lord Of Beasts

The Blood Demon lazily twirled another blade between its fingers, watching as Elara’s body restored itself and she struggled back to her feet. As much as she was green as a Titled and a fighter, she improved rapidly and had surprising grit.

"Lesson Two: Mana Constructs."

Another volley of sharp crimson blades flew toward her.

"You aren’t restricted like other Titled with fixed abilities, and can essentially do everything you put your mind to as long as you have energy. And these things are like extensions of your will."

Elara didn’t understand what it was trying to explain, and it definitely didn’t help that she was constantly under attack.

Chains erupted again.

Spears followed.

Then blades.

And even hammers.

The constructs were thrown her way endlessly, each one carrying terrifying precision. Unlike Liora’s constructs, these weren’t designed for defence or concealment; they existed solely to kill.

They were faster, sharper, and far less demanding.

Liora’s Aegis was unique because of its durability and versatility, while the Blood Demon’s constructs sacrificed all of that for speed and lethality. In theory, any Titled with mana that could wield it outside their body should be able to condense it and replicate such an attack.

In actuality, most were restricted both mentally and by their very Title, and conjuring anything was one of the rarest abilities, let alone summoning beasts.

Not that any of that mattered to Elara right now, who found herself constantly overwhelmed, barely managing to evade the attacks with Instant Displacement. As instantaneous as the movement was, the activation still wasn’t, requiring both focus and mana, which at this point were waning.

The Blood Demon also showed no signs of slowing down, attacking again.

And again.

And again.

That was until she finally saw it.

Unlike a usual lesson, there was no instruction, only demonstration. With the Blood Demon’s body being almost entirely transparent, Elara could observe exactly how the mana flowed before every construct came into existence.

It always followed the same sequence.

First, the Blood Demon released mana from its core and guided it through the air to the exact point where it wanted the construct to appear. Sometimes it gathered beside Elara’s head, sometimes beneath her feet, and other times at a distance.

But the construct never formed immediately.

The mana always reached its destination first, following the principle of Instant Disappearance.

When she teleported, she didn’t simply think about moving. She first had to picture the exact location she wished to arrive at before the mana dragged her body through space.

Constructs began the same way.

Instead of visualising herself, she had to visualise where the mana itself would appear.

Only then did the second step begin.

The floating mana remained nothing more than a cloud of crimson energy until the Titled’s thoughts gave it purpose.

A sword.

A chain.

A spear.

The mana didn’t decide its own form, but it was determined by the wielder’s imagination. If the image was clearer, which would come with time, then the construct would be more accurate.

Then came the third step.

The loose mana rapidly compressed, folding in on itself again and again until it ceased behaving like energy altogether.

It condensed into something tangible and physical.

The crimson glow hardened into steel-like blades, heavy hammers, razor-sharp chains, and wicked spears capable of tearing flesh apart.

It was no longer just mana but a real object.

Finally, the fourth step.

Even after the construct was formed, it wasn’t independent. A thin, invisible mental tether connected it to its creator. Every movement, adjustment, or strike was directed through that connection as naturally as moving an arm or flexing a finger.

The construct truly was an extension of the user’s own body.

’Four separate steps...’

1. Release the mana and place it exactly where you want it to appear.

2. Picture the form with absolute clarity.

3. Condense the mana until it becomes a physical object.

4. Control it through a mental tether as though it were another limb.

It sounded almost straightforward when broken down like that, but actually accomplishing all four steps while dodging enough flying weapons to arm a small kingdom was another matter entirely.

Still, it was enlightening for Elara.

’So that’s how it’s done.’

She instinctively raised her hand and didn’t overthink what she was trying to do.

’1, 2, 3, 4,’ she repeated internally.

Crimson light condensed, but not into a destructive beam she was used to.

She managed to form a small shield.

Clang!

It instantly shattered upon impact, the incoming blades piercing right through, but the fact that she had actually managed to form a Mana Construct was impressive.

The Blood Demon raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Elara smiled, finally understanding something she was so curious about and learning even more about this crimson energy at her disposal.

But once again, it took her a while to be able to compete with the Blood Demon.

The battle escalated.

Chains clashed against chains.

Crimson swords met crimson shields.

Spears erupted from beneath the darkness.

Every exchange forced Elara to think faster and adapt quicker, all while the Blood Demon never stopped talking.

"Good."

A chain wrapped around her ankle.

"But too slow."

She was thrown across the darkness.

"Much cleaner."

She blocked another volley.

"You finally understand efficiency."

Another teleport.

Another punch.

"You are wasting less."

Another construct.

"Excellent."

Time lost all meaning.

Eventually, the difference between teacher and student began to shrink. Not because the Blood Demon had become weaker, but because Elara had become frighteningly stronger.

The rate of her improvement was unnatural and even surprised the demon she was facing.

Her teleportation matched the demon’s, her hand-to-hand combat no longer consisted of desperate swings, and her constructs formed almost instinctively now.

She fought with purpose, precision, and confidence.

Finally, an opportunity appeared.

The Blood Demon created three crimson blades to attack.

Elara intentionally let one pass, blocked the second, and teleported past the third, appearing directly behind it. Her fist struck its back, to which it didn’t bother to evade, forming a shield.

But she instantly followed up on her attack, conjuring chains around its limbs before...