"It's a windigo," Vincent said casually.
His eyes locked onto the distant figure tearing through the forest. The creature moved with terrifying speed, its massive frame smashing through trees as if they were nothing more than dry twigs. Thick trunks snapped apart, the sound echoing through the woods like distant thunder.
The ground trembled faintly with each step it took.
"This is dangerous," Liana said quietly.
Her brows tightened as she stared at the approaching monster. Even from a distance, the oppressive aura rolling off its body made the air feel heavy.
A transcendent monster.
That was not something meant to exist inside a gate.
If the queen knew such a creature had appeared here, the entire kingdom would mobilize. Elite demon hunters, royal knights, even high ranked casters would be deployed to bring it down.
Because if a creature like this escaped.
The nearby villages would not survive the night.
Wooden homes would crumble. Fields would burn. Entire towns would vanish beneath claw and fang before anyone could even understand what had happened.
"I know," Vincent replied.
He tilted his head slightly, watching the windigo close the distance. The corners of his mouth lifted into a faint smile that carried little warmth.
"You're a demon hunter."
"Do you think we should let it go?"
"Maybe it will draw the queen out. If that happens… I could take my revenge."
His smile widened slightly, though bitterness lingered beneath it.
Revenge against that wretched queen was not merely personal hatred.
It was a path.
A path toward evolution.
Killing someone of her status would grant him immense growth. Enough to push his power to another level entirely.
And releasing a transcendent monster into her lands would certainly attract her attention.
Unfortunately.
Vincent exhaled softly.
He did not have the luxury of patience.
"I…" Liana began.
Her lips parted, but the words died before they could leave her throat.
She swallowed them instantly.
Vincent noticed.
Of course he noticed.
His power did not erase a person's mind. Those who fell under his influence still remembered everything. Their family, their homeland, their beliefs.
Their duties.
But when the moment came to choose.
Their loyalty to him would always stand above everything else.
Even their own convictions.
Vincent chuckled quietly.
"Hehe… don't worry."
"I was planning to stop it anyway."
Just as the words left his mouth, a strange voice echoed within his mind.
Walker of worlds.
Before Liana could react, Vincent vanished.
One moment he stood beside her.
The next moment the space beside her was empty.
A flicker of distortion appeared near the charging windigo, and Vincent stepped out of it as if he had always been there.
Right beside the monster.
A beam of dense purple light condensed into his hand, humming with violent energy.
"Beam of demon light."
He slashed downward.
The condensed beam sharpened instantly, transforming into a spear-like spike that shot forward and plunged deep into the windigo's massive body.
The impact sent a shock through the creature's flesh.
The windigo roared.
Its roar shook the forest.
Birds scattered from distant trees while the ground trembled beneath its weight. Its head snapped violently to the side, its burning gaze locking onto the small figure descending toward the ground.
Vincent's boots touched the earth.
The playful smirk from earlier was gone.
His eyes had become cold.
Sharp.
Calculating.
The moment he landed, his body moved again.
A massive claw crashed down where he had stood only a heartbeat earlier, ripping the earth open as dirt and splinters exploded into the air.
Vincent slid backward, creating distance without hesitation.
Then his arm flicked outward.
A chain shot forward with a sharp metallic sound, whipping through the air before wrapping around one of the windigo's twisted horns.
Vincent pulled.
His body shot upward like a launched arrow, the chain dragging him straight toward the beast's face.
The windigo reacted instantly.
Its massive arm swung toward him, intending to crush him midair.
But the attack never reached him.
A flash of steel cut through the air.
Liana had moved.
Her sword sliced cleanly across the creature's joint, the blade striking with precise force.
[In the presence of a demon your attributes are up by 50%]
The windigo's bone joint shattered apart.
Fragments scattered through the air as the creature staggered.
A faint crack appeared along the edge of Liana's demon hunter sword from the impact.
Even so, she did not hesitate.
Above them, Vincent had already reached the creature's head.
Two spikes of purple light formed beside him.
Without warning, he drove them downward toward the beast's eyes.
One spike pierced straight through.
Dark blood sprayed outward as the eye collapsed instantly.
The second spike struck the creature's heavy bone eyelid and stopped with a sharp crack.
The windigo thrashed violently.
Vincent floated briefly above it, watching the monster struggle.
A faint grin returned to his face.
"Hehe…"
"At the end of the day…"
"I'm still a demon."
In this world, power followed rules.
Casters relied on words of power to shape magic.
Warriors and demon hunters relied on weapons, techniques, and ancient skills passed down through generations.
But demons were different.
Magic flowed through them like blood.
They did not need chants.
They did not need rituals.
Power simply answered their will as long as they stayed true to their nature.
Without speaking a single word, energy surged through Vincent's body.
A sharp horn pushed through the skin of his forehead, growing halfway out as dark veins spread briefly across his temples.
His body shifted.
Not fully transformed.
But changed enough.
For a few short seconds, something ancient awakened inside him.
A flame ignited within his palm.
It burned deep violet.
And the heat it released twisted the air itself.
"What the…" Wilder muttered from behind.
Zeke shielded his eyes slightly while Victoria narrowed her gaze.
Even from a distance, the temperature surged.
The air around Vincent seemed to distort like a desert mirage.
Then he moved.
In the next instant, a storm of attacks descended upon the windigo.
Blinding flashes of purple light.
Exploding bursts of flame.
Liana's sword cutting again and again through exposed bone.
The windigo roared as the combined assault overwhelmed it.
Moments later.
Silence returned to the forest.
Then a system notification appeared.
[Congratulations, You have cleared a Red Gate]
Another line appeared immediately after.
[Board of Valor list updated]
[Heavenly Demon Slaying Party Ranked 26]
A final message followed.
[Head to the adventurers guild to receive a reward]