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The world was filled with red. Intense heat waves melted the cobblestones and twisted the street lamps that sprung out into the streets, leaving only their aftermath to melt and twist.

The black-robed Demon reigned over the black, wretched smoke. The six oddly shaped eyes embedded in the goat-like face of the Wearer of Death looked blankly into the hell below.

“Haaa… Haaa….!”

In the center of that hell, Seletina managed to avoid falling down by kneeling and clinging to the Sacred Sword Elyutinias that she had thrust into the cobblestone pavement.

Pearly sweat trickled down the maiden’s white skin, and Seletina’s breathing was ragged as she couldn’t control her raging lungs.

Her body’s reaction was likely not only due to the fact that her own body was screaming, but also to the fact that she had been released from the extreme tension of preparing herself for death.

All but a circle a few meters wide around Seletina had been consumed by the infernal world.

The cobblestone pavement where Seletina was located did not melt, and it seemed as if it had been cut through time and space, avoiding the effects of the flames.

Besides the kneeling Seletina there were two Shinobi dressed in black. They held their palms up to the sky with a slight tension evident under their black face veils.

Eupho and Yopha of the Flowing Shadows finally released the barrier spell they had drawn over the small circle, exhaled shallowly, and lowered their hands.

“Thank you,” Seletina said as she stood up unsteadily, wiping the sweat from her chin. Those words of gratitude came from the bottom of her heart.

If they had not come, Seletina would have been burned to the ground by now without a single cell left.

Eupho and Yopha held up the knives without removing their gaze from the black goat.

“Dummy. Even if it’s you, going one on one against an Upper Rank is foolish.”
“Suggestion. Let’s retreat for now. We need some time to recuperate.”

They were proposing retreat.

Seletina, in turn, didn’t agree with them, but she also didn’t think they were wrong. She knew that retreat was the best choice, yet…

“If we don’t stop it here, Ulbdor will turn into hell.”
“… Ridiculous. If the goal is to win, then tiring ourselves any further would be pure stupidity.”
“We won’t last much longer.”

Even Eupho’s breathing was shallow and rushed as he said this.

If one looked closely, they could see that their clothes were cut up in many places, revealing no small number of wounds. This alone suggested that they must have had a tough fight with the Demons somewhere else.

They were both physically, as well as magically exhausted. Their bodies, which had taken both tolls, were beyond description. Their bodies showed symptoms similar to, but not as severe as, Imitia’s during the defense of the gate.

Seletina, seeing their trembling bodies, couldn’t help but agree with them. Surely, no matter how hard they tried here, they would meet a grim fate. Yet…

“It’s worth sticking around for a bit more.” Seletina said.
“Why?”
“There is a possibility that General Aubance will come. If he joins us, we’ll be able to turn the tables.”
“Denial. He won’t come.”
“Why do you think so?”
“This isn’t the only district where an Upper Rank appeared.”
“I see…”

Seletina bit her lip in bitterness.

Ulbdor had been invaded by several Upper Ranks.

If two of Flowing Shadows’ members, with their excellent information gathering skills, had rushed to Seletina from an overhead view, it would mean that General Aubance also had his hands tied against an Upper Rank.

“By the way, that red-headed fool is also fighting with an Upper Rank.”
“Lichter is? That’s ridiculous… Just how many Upper Ranks invaded Ulbdor?”
“Fortunately, only three. But there might be more.”

Eupho and Yopha both seemed on edge as they spoke. And no one could blame them. Meeting three Upper Rank Demons was something that was hard to do even in the Contaminated Zone, which served as the Demons habitat.

That just went to show how powerful and rare of an existence the Upper Ranks were.

Amidst the crimson sky, the symbol of death, the jet-black Wearer of Death swayed leisurely, seemingly indifferent to the anxiety and despair of those below. The six eyes of the black goat stared at Seletina, like the eyes of a child staring at an ant’s nest.

“Why won’t it move?”

Seletina stood up slowly, trying to calm her breathing. She licked her pallid lips, struggling to maintain her balance.

“Unknown. Maybe it’s mocking us?”

Eupho, who had been closely observing the black goat, was also at a loss for its actions.

The Wearer of Death remained still. One couldn’t tell whether it was simply not moving, thinking, or just observing Seletina and the others. This was a rare sight, as Demons were creatures typically driven by the urge to destroy and pursue pleasure.

However, if the behavior of the Wearer of Death had to conform to one of the above mentioned possibilities, then the most likely one would be that it was thinking.

It was definitely not to defend from its own attack just now.

The black goat possessed an acute ability to sense the waves between Demons. This unique characteristic was due to the Wearer of Death’s unique ability to summon underlings.

The prevailing theory regarding how Demons, typically devoid of language or telepathy, communicated with each other, was by discerning the color of the waves of each individual Demon, which was indeed correct.

Neither humans, nor spirits were able to discern these so called ‘waves’, which is also why they couldn’t understand the Demons. Nonetheless, Demon communication was so crude that it could be likened to that of insects. The stronger the wave, the more powerful the individual, and the greater its influence.

This was especially true for Upper Ranks.

The three Upper Rank demons were in a state of excitement, which in turn influenced the remaining Demons, forcing them into a state of ecstasy, which drew in others, just like pheromones.

If one were to describe the state of mind of the Wearer of Death, bewilderment would be an appropriate word. Apart from it, there had been two other Upper Rank waves in Ulbdor. However, now one of them seems to have disappeared.

“What is that?” Seletina muttered.

Something was flying in the sky, twirling and spinning.
It was a head.
If one strained their eyes they could clearly see it.

A black goat’s head, identical to that of the Wearer of Death, was flying, and it eventually crashed down in front of Seletina’s eyes. It fell on the burnt cobblestones with a sizzling sound, and the six eyeballs popped out of their sockets.

“Who’s next?”

It wasn’t long after that Lichter, his entire body dyed red and looking like a vengeful ghost, appeared.