章 19: Sealing the demon!
Rustle…
She warily looked in the direction of the sound and saw someone familiar.
"You again!?" she exclaimed, unable to hide her surprise. It seemed like this guy was always around, no matter where she went.
No matter how hard she tried to avoid him, fate seemed to push them together.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, a strange, familial feeling surged in her heart whenever she saw him.
She couldn't quite figure out why.
"Hey?" Oliver waved.
The demons' attention was quickly drawn to the new prey that had entered the scene. Their eyes gleamed with ferocity as they moved slowly yet cautiously, sizing him up.
"Here to help!" he shouted, retrieving the last weapon he had on him—a pair of daggers.
He hadn't used them before because he lacked control over them, but with his other weapons out of commission, he had no choice but to resort to them. Despite not being needed here, the presence of two minor-rank demons spurred him to join the fight.
"YO! DEMONS, COME AT ME!" he yelled, causing the two demons to flinch and then turn even more aggressive.
Growl…
One demon, with muscular arms and a tail, charged at him with angry eyes and a salivating mouth.
Oliver remained calm. Instead of dodging, he waited for the demon to get closer. As it neared, he pressed down on the ground beneath his feet with force, propelling himself into the air. His body formed an arc as he threw one of his daggers straight at the demon's eye.
ROAR!
The demon wailed in agony and pain as the sharp metal lodged itself in its eye. Oliver landed gracefully behind the demon and, taking advantage of its disoriented state, rushed forward to stab its back with his other dagger. But the dagger couldn't penetrate the demon's tough skin.
He silently marveled at the demon's tough hide, realizing it could fetch a high price.
The muscular demon grew even more aggressive, almost berserk, as it charged madly at anything nearby. Oliver continued his attacks, but they were less effective than against weaker demons.
Just then, he heard Nadia's voice from afar.
"You're using a low-quality weapon against a demon. It's ineffective!"
Oliver knew she was right. His cheap weapons were no match for the demon's muscular body. He looked into the demon's black eyes, seamlessly activating his [Cosmic Void Gaze] ability.
[Enshrouding of Death]
A frightened cry escaped the demon's mouth as its eyes began to lose focus. Oliver appeared in front of the demon, and before it could faint from fear, he stabbed his dagger through its face. Simultaneously, he extracted the dagger from its eye and plunged it into the demon's chest with all his strength.
The power of Level-4 strength showed as his entire hand sank inside the demon's body due to the terrible force. The demon was killed instantly.
This all happened in less than a moment. Oliver used [Cosmic Void Gaze] while rushing toward the berserk demon. He activated it so quickly that no one could comprehend what was happening, drawing attention to the act of his hand sinking into the demon's thick skin.
He had successfully hunted the demon.
Even if someone from the outside, including the elders, saw this scene, they would not find anything abnormal. And even if someone keenly sensed something amiss, there would be no proof, as he had killed the source of information—the demon. They wouldn't be able to extract any information.
At best, they could only harbor suspicions about why the demon had suddenly become docile and unstable, allowing Oliver to attack it. He could easily deflect such questions by claiming he was too quick and took the demon off-guard in its berserk state.
Swish!
He retrieved his talisman and slapped it against the demon.
Vrrr…
A vibration was produced before a gray light shone from the talisman, slowly enveloping the demon and sealing it inside.
With this, it could be said that he had successfully completed the demon hunt.
Boom!
He heard a booming sound and turned around to see Nadia throwing the thunder demon against a nearby tree. She moved fast, not letting the demon get back up before stabbing her sword through its abdomen.
The demon screeched in pain—a wail of pure misery.
She was ruthless, quickly using her talisman and throwing it against the demon's body. A light shone as the demon struggled and resisted, but after a futile struggle of a severely wounded demon, it was sealed for good.
She had managed to seal a live demon!
"Good work!" Oliver congratulated her from afar. She looked at him with a serene expression.
She hadn't expected to meet him here, let alone see him draw a demon towards himself.
Did he think she needed help?
The thought made her a bit pissed off. She was not weak.
She felt a twinge of anxiety—surely he didn't think she was weak, right? It wasn't that she couldn't handle the two demons on her own; she was simply adamant about capturing and sealing the demon alive by weakening it.
It was nothing more than that.
She worried Oliver might think she was weak and had intervened to help her.
But she was more powerful than he might realize.
In fact, she had strategically chosen to weaken the demon before sealing it, ensuring a successful capture. She wasn't struggling—she was being methodical and precise.
Still, the idea that Oliver might see her as incapable gnawed at her pride. She wanted to prove herself, to show that she could handle whatever came her way without anyone's help...
Her mother...
Oliver, oblivious to her internal struggle, approached her. "You did great out there," he said with a smile.
She calmly looked at him without any fluctuations in her expression, trying to mask her irritation. "I had it under control."
"I know you did," he responded, his tone was calm. "But it never hurts to have a backup, right?"
She nodded, but the words didn't quite alleviate her frustration. She didn't need a backup. She needed to prove her strength.
As they prepared to leave, the memory of the fight lingered in her mind. The adrenaline, the rush of combat, and the satisfaction of sealing a demon were still fresh. Yet, amidst all that, the shadow of doubt persisted.
'How did he become this strong…?'
'And what was that… the demon…'
She silently glanced at Oliver's back…
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