Outside the City of Swords
The night was silent.
Asua stood before Harals, her axe resting on her shoulder.
"So," she smirked, "any last words?"
Harals chuckled softly.
"Last words?"
He looked up at her.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Asua frowned.
"…What are you talking about?"
"Who's going to kill me? You?"
She laughed.
"You don't even have mana."
"Even normal humans have more than you."
Harals sighed.
"…Why is it that demons love showing off their power?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Especially when it's not even that impressive."
Asua's expression twisted.
"…What did you just say?"
"You're calling me weak?"
She created a massive axe using magic and hurled it at him.
BOOM!
Dust filled the air.
When it cleared—
Harals stood there.
Unharmed.
Asua froze.
"…What?"
"I don't sense any mana…"
Harals smiled faintly.
"Deception…"
"…is too undermined."
He raised his hand.
"You want to see my mana pool?"
"…Fine."
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The air trembled.
A massive pressure filled the surroundings.
Harals' mana erupted.
It kept growing.
And growing.
And growing.
Asua's eyes widened in horror.
"…That's… impossible."
Harals looked at her calmly.
"It should be around ten times yours."
Asua staggered back.
"…Ten times?"
"No… that's impossible."
"No human can be that strong."
Harals took a step forward.
"…Let me make this simple."
"Do you want to live…"
"…or do you want to die?"
Asua screamed and charged at him with both axes.
"DIE!"
Harals sighed.
"…So you chose death."
He raised his arm.
"Spatial Compression."
The space around Asua twisted violently.
Her body collapsed inward—
Crushed by an invisible force.
Then—
BOOM.
She exploded.
Blood scattered across the ground.
And onto Harals.
Silence.
Harals stood there, covered in blood.
"…So now I'm dead in everyone's eyes."
He looked at his hand.
"I can finally return to Father."
Then—
He paused.
"…But why did I cry?"
Images flashed in his mind.
Friea.
Thorkel.
The alliance.
"…Did I… get attached to them?"
"…How?"
He looked back toward the city.
"…I want to go back."
"But explaining everything…"
"…won't be easy."
He glanced at Asua's remains.
"…And I killed her."
A thought crossed his mind.
"…Then I'll just become her."
Back to the Present
Inside the city—
Norm and Lisa moved through the streets under the invisibility spell.
Norm whispered, "Why do you think Reas told us to kill demons outside the castle?"
Lisa thought for a moment.
"…Probably to prevent interference during the main attack."
Norm nodded.
"That makes sense."
"Without this spell, we'd have a hard time fighting them."
Lisa smirked slightly.
"…These ones are weaker than us."
"If they were stronger, they would've detected us."
Norm glanced at her.
"…Like what happened to you guys before?"
Lisa froze.
"…Yeah."
"Wait—someone's coming."
A demon walked into the alley.
Lisa tensed.
That looks like a castle guard…
The demon waved his hand through the air.
Norm was revealed.
"I knew I sensed something," the demon said.
"Another human infiltrator—"
"AAAAAH!"
Lisa instantly stabbed him with her mana-infused spear.
He collapsed.
Norm exhaled.
"That was close."
Lisa frowned.
"…He sensed you, but not me."
"…Wait."
"Do you hear that?"
A faint sound echoed.
Crying.
They entered a nearby house.
Inside—
A small figure sat in the corner.
"…A child?" Lisa whispered.
Norm looked closer.
"…No."
"…A demon child."
Silence.
"…Do we kill him?" Norm asked.
Lisa hesitated.
"…He's a demon."
"But…"
"…he looks harmless."
Norm nodded slowly.
"…We should leave him."
"SLASH."
The child collapsed.
Lisa froze.
"…What?"
She turned.
"…Rio."
Rio stood there, wiping blood from his blade.
"You shouldn't hesitate."
"They're demons."
Norm clenched his fists.
"…That was a child."
Rio shrugged.
"A demon child."
"Same thing."
He smirked.
"That makes my kill count fifteen."
Lisa's eyes widened.
"…Fifteen?!"
"The castle will notice at this rate!"
Rio laughed.
"How?"
"There bodies disappear once killed."
"And even if they notice…"
"…it doesn't matter."
He turned and walked away.
"I want to fight the strong ones."
Lisa sighed.
"…You're hopeless."
Inside the Castle
Guard demons rushed into the hall.
"Lord Chunini!"
"There have been multiple disappearances!"
"Houses have been destroyed!"
"There are rumors that humans are responsible!"
Chunini narrowed his eyes.
"…Humans."
He turned.
"…Then I'll deal with them myself."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"They don't stand a chance."
To be continued…