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“There isn’t much time, the important figures in the academy are about to notice the existence of this barrier.”

The guy in black drew out a long sword blazing with flames and pointed it at Lilith. “Meet Crimson Flame,” he announced with a gentle voice.

Lilith was taken aback by the demon’s politeness. Weren’t demons always described as bloodthirsty and treacherous creatures?

“I wouldn’t have known that you’re a demon if Carol didn’t mention it.”

“Demons aren’t necessarily vicious and likewise, humans aren’t necessarily kind. They just look at things differently.”

“That means the rumors I heard about demons devouring men are false then?” Lilith nodded thoughtfully then let out a soft sigh. “Guess even I was misled by those rumors. How disgraceful.”

“Not at all. It’s true that demons devour men.”
“……”
“Rather than devouring men, it’s more like the hatred demons have toward men is to the extent that they would devour them. Likewise, it is the same for men.”

The guy in black didn’t seem like he had any intention to continue the conversation, even so, he still said, “Humans and demons have been fighting for ages. The bone-deep hatred between the two races won’t dissolve so easily.”

“Then what’s there to talk about?” Lilith got into an offensive stance too. “Although I’m not a human, I’m still closer to humans.”

In any case, she was a human in her previous life too.

And most of her friends were humans too.

“Hence I definitely won’t let you leave so easily.”
“I think so too.”

The guy in black smiled wryly before his figure suddenly blurred in Lilith’s vision.

Fast!

Lilith was shocked. The dragon blood in her body boiled and her golden pupils were instantly activated. Even so, the blazing sword named Crimson Flame drew closer to her.

Although she used every bit of her strength to sidestep and evade, the sword still managed to leave a wound on her left arm.

The wound didn’t bleed, but it was red and swollen like a scald on her skin. Lilith could even hear it sizzling like barbecued meat. Even her speed of recovery slowed tremendously.

“As expected.” The guy in black withdrew and indulged in his thoughts. “Vice President Lilith, you have a good constitution, yet you don’t know how to put it into good use or use any high-level spells or martial skills. You rely only on your strength and instinct, what a waste.”

“None of your business!” Lilith hissed through her teeth.

“Indeed it isn’t, but…”

The guy waved his weapon, creating the illusion of beautiful flowers with his sword.

“In a real battle, you’re finished the moment your opponent figures you out.”

Crack, crack, crack.

Cracking noises suddenly appeared in Lilith’s ears.

Then, the world in Lilith’s eyes shattered like glass.

The guy in black also turned into countless pieces in Lilith’s eyes, and then turned like a rotating kaleidoscope. It was impossible for Lilith to tell what was true and what was false.

“You…”

Lilith waved her fists around, but couldn’t even touch the hem of her opponent’s shirt.

“See?”

A sharp pain exploded in her chest.

“It only took me a small trick to render your physical strength and beastly instincts useless.”

Lilith lowered her head slowly to find Crimson Flame embedded firmly in her chest.

Every ounce of energy in her body was drained. She felt as though her blood had frozen all over.

So cold…

Yet the pain in her chest burned intensely.

“I kind of figured out that you’re not human, so I aimed right at your heart to finish you off.”

The guy pulled his sword out. Bright red blood that was slightly tinted gold came gushing out from the wound like a fountain.

“No matter how terrifyingly powerful a beast or monster is, none of them can survive if they are pierced in their heart.”

Lilith lost her support when the guy removed the sword and slumped to the ground.

Her consciousness gradually blurred. Her vision gradually turned dark. She could hear something buzzing in her ears. It sounded like Carol’s sobs.

………

“W-…Where is this…?”

Brea found herself in a completely unfamiliar environment. Given her timid personality and the frightening hell-like scenery around her, she even started stuttering out of fright.

The only thought in her little head was to crawl into a place and wait for rescue.

How about taking the initiative to strike? Impossible. She would never take the initiative to strike. The word ‘initiative’ never existed in Brea’s dictionary. Being timid was sometimes a form of life statement.

“Hey little girl, are all humans this timid?”
“Y… You are…”

Brea subconsciously wanted to hide, but there was nothing except lava and corpses in this place so she could only bite the bullet and face this person who had suddenly appeared.

He was dressed in loose black mage robes. She couldn’t even sense life energy from him, save for those scarlet pupils under the hood over his head.

“…D-…Demon?”

Brea turned pale from fright, then turned to flee.

“Hey, am I that scary?”

Rustle…

The sound of something rustling against the ground came from behind.

Brea couldn’t even manage a few steps before she fell face-first on the ground.

Unbeknownst to her, a strange insect that appeared to be a black centipede had wrapped itself around her leg.

“I-In… Insect…?!”

Brea turned even paler as tears slowly welled up in her eyes.

“G-Get… rid of it… quickly! …I’m… I’m terrified…”

“Hey little girl, can you think with your tiny brain? Why would I get rid of it when I took this thing out to scare you in the first place? You think I’m dumb?”

The demon mage shook his robes. More strange insects crawled out from under his robes and swarmed toward Brea.

“AHHHH!!!” Brea let out the scream of the highest decibel level that she could ever manage in her entire life while shaking her head frantically. “DON’T COME NEAR ME! DON’T! DON’T COME!”

She kicked frantically as she struggled to move backward. However, her efforts were futile. It couldn’t stop those disgusting insects from crawling onto her petite and delicate body.

“Oh, I see that you can speak normally.”

The black-robed demon mage shook with excitement and even jumped in joy.

As a result, more insects dropped out from under his robes. Like an endless stream, they swarmed toward Brea and slowly covered every inch of her body.

“Hey little girl, looks like your flesh is a delectable treat to be able to attract my little cuties.”
“NOOO…!”
“Don’t worry, my little cuties are fast eaters. You will turn into a pile of bones in less than two minutes. No, I’m afraid that not even your bones would be left. My little cuties aren’t picky eaters after all.”
“NOOOO…!”
“No need to be afraid. Too much tears will cause human flesh to turn sour. It’ll ruin the texture for my little cuties.”
“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Shrill cries pierced the sky.

Yet, they fell on deaf ears.