Under the cover of night, Toyosaki High School had transformed into a ghostly realm.
A palpable demonic aura enveloped the entire campus, twisting the moonlight into a bizarre blood-red hue.
On the rooftop of the teaching building, Kamiya Makoto gasped for breath, covered in blood.
His clothes were torn to shreds, and his arms and chest were covered in deep wounds that exposed bone, with blood staining the ground.
In front of him, a terrifying demon, three meters tall, let out a satisfied roar.
The demon's form was extremely grotesque... like countless drowned bodies forcibly stitched together, its greenish-purple limbs flailed wildly, frozen with the terror and malevolence of their dying moments.
Monster-class demon — Skeleton of Grievance!
"Cough... cough cough..."
Kamiya Makoto coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with the determination of a desperate fight.
He could not retreat.
Behind him, Yukino Shita Chizuru stood quietly.
The hem of her school uniform skirt swayed slightly in the demonic wind, and on her exquisite face, there was not a trace of fear, only a hint of... faint disappointment.
"Is this all you've got, Makoto-kun?"
Her cold voice pierced Kamiya Makoto's ears like a needle.
"If you can't even deal with a small fry of this level, how can you be my sheath?"
"My Lord Onmyoji?"
Every word was like a whip lashing Kamiya Makoto's soul!
"I... I can do it!"
Kamiya Makoto roared, squeezing out every last bit of spiritual power remaining in his body!
"Come forth! My Shikigami, Inu-Oni!"
A magic circle appeared before him, and a half-human-tall demonic dog, engulfed in ghostly blue flames, roared and charged forward.
This was his strongest Shikigami, possessing top-tier demon-class strength.
However, against the Monster-class Skeleton of Grievance, Inu-Oni's charge was like a child running into a giant.
"Roar—!"
One of the Skeleton of Grievance's countless arms casually swung, swatting Inu-Oni fiercely to the ground like a fly!
"Woof..."
Inu-Oni let out a whimper, the ghostly flames on its body instantly dimmed, turning into specks of light and dissipating.
With his Shikigami shattered, Kamiya Makoto felt a heavy blow, instantly falling to one knee, his vision becoming somewhat blurry.
It's over... am I going to die here?
No!
He stared at the slender figure beside him, and a surge of unwillingness erupted from the depths of his soul!
He had promised to protect her!
Kamiya Makoto roared in his heart, and the last gleam of light ignited in his eyes!
As long as he could kill this monster in front of him!
As long as he could show her that he was not useless!
Any price was worth it, even if it meant burning his life force!
The spiritual power on his body began to surge at a terrifying speed, and a magic circle ten times larger than before slowly unfolded beneath his feet, brewing a world-destroying aura.
A hint of playful excitement finally flashed in Yukino Shita Chizuru's eyes.
That's more like it.
Makoto-kun was finally going to show her something that interested her.
However, at this critical moment.
A somewhat impatient male voice, without warning, came from the entrance to the rooftop.
"Tsk, in the middle of the night, why are there bugs chirping, it's bothering me."
The voice wasn't loud, but it was like a clap of thunder, instantly piercing through the entire demon-infested rooftop!
Kamiya Makoto's break out suddenly stalled!
He and Yukino Shita Chizuru simultaneously looked at the entrance in horror.
A man was slowly walking onto the rooftop.
His posture was tall and straight, and his black trench coat flapped in the demonic wind.
It was as if this ghostly realm, capable of distorting reality, was merely a backdrop in his backyard.
And behind him, still followed that stunningly beautiful maid, her expression respectful and humble.
It was them!
It was that extremely arrogant man from the jewelry store today!
Kamiya Makoto's pupils suddenly constricted!
How could he be here?
Lu Cheng's gaze ignored the monster... falling directly on Yukino Shita Chizuru.
So that's how it is.
This little knife, unable to endure loneliness, was finding amusement for herself, was she?
A bit interesting.
"You... you two, run! There's a monster here!"
After a brief shock, Kamiya Makoto instinctively roared, and although he hated this man, the kindness in his bones still made him issue a warning.
"Run?"
Lu Cheng chuckled, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
He stopped, turned his head, and finally cast his gaze upon the roaring Skeleton of Grievance.
That gaze was utterly indifferent and... disgusted.
Like a human looking at an annoying cockroach... He reached out and gently touched Ruzuki Rin's forehead.
A wisp of power instantly flowed into her body.
"Rin."
Lu Cheng spoke indifferently.
"Go, deal with that bug."
"Yes, Master."
Ruzuki Rin bowed respectfully, and when she raised her head again, destructive divine light was already burning in her purple eyes!
A terrifying pressure erupted from her petite body!
"Wh... what?!"
Kamiya Makoto was completely stunned; he felt that the power he had gained by overdrawing his life was like a flickering candle in the wind before this pressure, teetering on the brink of extinction!
How was that possible?
This maid... her power...
Yukino Shita Chizuru's expression also instantly froze, replaced by an unprecedented... fanaticism!
Ruzuki Rin's figure moved.
There were no complex techniques, no elaborate magic circles.
She simply took a step forward, as if strolling in a leisurely garden.
The next moment, her figure appeared like a ghost before the massive Skeleton of Grievance.
Then, she pulled out a short knife from her maid outfit and lightly slashed.
A blade light, condensed to the extreme, flashed and vanished.
"Hiss..."
The massive body of the Skeleton of Grievance froze in place.
The next second.
Starting from its head, a tiny crack silently spread downwards.
There was no explosion as imagined.
The Monster-class demon that Kamiya Makoto had staked his life on fighting, like a precisely cut apple, was neatly divided into two halves from the middle.
Then, it turned into a sky full of black ashes, dissipating into the night wind.
One strike.
Instant kill.
The entire rooftop fell into a deathly silence.
Kamiya Makoto knelt on the ground, stunned, maintaining his previous posture.
His mind was blank.
The being he had staked everything on, even sacrificing his life to fight... couldn't even withstand a single move in front of this man's maid?
What... what exactly was this...
Ruzuki Rin's figure returned to its original spot.
Amidst the flying ashes, a fist-sized demon core, emanating pure resentment, floated in the air.
She extended her delicate hand, adorned with a white lace glove, and respectfully held the demon core.
Then, she turned and walked to Lu Cheng.
She knelt on one knee, holding the demon core high above her head with both hands.
Her posture was as devout as a worshipper offering the most precious sacrifice to their god.
"Master, it has been dealt with."
"This is its core."
Lu Cheng casually took the demon core, toying with it between his fingers, feeling the pure energy within, and nodded in satisfaction.
From beginning to end, he had not looked at Kamiya Makoto again.
It was as if this "protagonist" who had given his all and staked his life, along with his tragic, desperate battle, was merely an insignificant backdrop in the night.