"You're all going to die, bastards!" shouted a woman, her voice shaking the night air.
She stood alone at the gate of Neragruhm City—a remote territory at the border of the Demon King's domain. A place where exiled demons lived. In her right hand, she gripped a long sword that emitted a sharp silvery-blue glow.
Her steps were steady, full of resolve and vengeance. She charged into the city without hesitation, challenging anyone brave enough to face her. The remaining demons stared in horror—not one dared to step forward. Slowly, they kept their distance.
"Die, you damn demons! Curse you all!" she cursed.
Her sword danced in the air, creating flashes of light. When the light hit something, it exploded. But no more demons were hit by the attack. They had all backed away. Ciel looked like a foolish girl swinging her sword at random.
No one really cared about her. Ciel became nothing more than a spectacle for the demons, who exchanged glances.
"Die. Die. Die, all of you!" Ciel screamed again.
She channeled a large amount of Mana into her sword. Then, she performed a spinning slash. A sharp circle of light formed. It moved in all directions.
The demons, upon seeing that, began to panic. They wanted to run, but it was too late. Within three seconds, the circle of light was in front of them. Wherever they tried to dodge, it followed them.
Ciel laughed maniacally. "Feel that, bastards!" she screamed again.
BAAM!
An explosion erupted. The demons shut their eyes, but nothing happened to them. When they opened their eyes, they saw Alcie standing at the very front, holding back the powerful slash with her bare hands. Blood dripped from her right hand.
The demons cheered in awe, but to Alcie, this was stupid. She shouldn't have done this.
"That bastard tricked me," she muttered.
Before she stepped forward, Orzael had told her he would help hold off the human girl's attack. Orzael even boldly claimed, "You won't get hurt. Trust me." But now her right hand was bleeding.
"Sorry! I didn't expect the human girl's attack to be this strong," Orzael said casually.
Alcie wanted to curse, but Orzael was her master. She held back her anger and smiled toward Orzael. At the same time, Orzael tossed something at her.
"Drink that!" he said.
Alcie hesitated but still drank the potion given to her. One second later, her hand healed instantly. In just one second—that was incredible. Alcie was amazed at such a crazy potion.
"Don't admire me! Focus on the human girl!" Orzael snapped.
Alcie frowned, not understanding why Orzael was so confident in himself. She shook her head in confusion. Alcie looked back at the human girl. Just as she turned, the girl suddenly appeared right in front of her face, slashing with great force.
Her sword glowed blue. This time, it was accompanied by massive flames. Alcie was shocked, crossing her arms to defend. She channeled Mana into her arms. Her body was pushed back, but she was okay. Only minor burns on both arms.
Alcie was surprised to see that. It turned out what Orzael said had some truth. She smiled widely while looking at the human girl before her.
"Alright, human. This time, I'll be serious," she said while snapping her fingers.
The human girl, or Ciel, took a stance. She looked serious, full of anger. But she realized her opponent this time was tough. The succubus before her had tough skin. She couldn't just strike recklessly—she had to think of a way to win.
Alcie was ready. She charged forward and launched an attack. The battle was now inevitable. They exchanged blows—slashes, punches, kicks, dodges—in rapid motion. Both were evenly matched.
Actually, Ciel had the upper hand, but Alcie's defense nullified that advantage. That was thanks to Orzael's passive skill.
[Love Barrier]
Description: Grants +250 shield to everyone who has a bond of affection with the user. Shield amount increases based on the percentage of affection.
Cooldown: No cooldown.
Alcie had a 40% affection level toward Orzael. For every 10% affection, the shield increases by +250. With 40%, that meant Alcie had an additional 1,250 shield that regenerated every second.
It was nearly impossible to defeat Alcie as long as Orzael was nearby—unless Ciel could land a one-hit kill. It was possible. Unfortunately, she wasn't that strong—yet.
Orzael stroked his chin. "Why would this human girl attack Neragruhm City at night? Is she insane?"
Orzael couldn't find a logical reason. If she had come with other humans, maybe it was a strategic strike while the demons of Neragruhm were unprepared. But alone? That made no sense.
No matter how many times Orzael thought about it, it all felt off. He turned to the other demon guards. They looked terrified. Not a single one of them could be relied on. Orzael shook his head, puzzled that Neragruhm City hadn't already been destroyed by humans.
"If they wanted to, they could destroy this place with a single small strike."
That's what Orzael thought at first. But then he remembered the forbidden forest near the city. He was sure that forest was one of the reasons this stupid city hadn't been attacked by humans.
"If that's the case, then I should be safe."
Orzael felt a bit relieved by that possibility. He looked back at the battle. That's when he frowned. Shocked to see the human girl's sword now emitting blue flames. It was incredibly hot—stronger than before.
"Fall back!" Orzael shouted.
Alcie turned, shocked. By the time she realized it, it was too late. Ciel was already right in front of her face. Raising her sword. One slash had already been launched. Alcie could only cross her arms.
BAAM!
The attack struck Alcie's body. A very powerful blow. Her body burned, and she collapsed with severe burns. Flames still clung to her body.
Orzael, seeing this, ran and pulled out the same potion. He gave it to Alcie straight to her mouth. The flames died down, her wounds began to heal, but she was unconscious.
"Damn. I only bought two potions."
Orzael clicked his tongue in frustration. He turned and saw Ciel raising her sword. She swung it with the same attack. Orzael clicked his tongue again, not expecting to be pushed into a corner like this. He thought with just Alcie, everything would be over.
"No other choice."
Orzael pulled something from his item box and snapped the stick he took out. When he did that, a massive explosion occurred.
BOOM!
The human girl's body was thrown far away.