Chapter 78
Ethan shot forward like a green blur, moving at around 100 meters per second.
He could see the horde of demons almost reaching the walls, and he pushed himself to go even faster.
This side was different from Austin's—here, the gates were still closed and holding strong.
A green aura covered his entire body, and his eyes glowed the same color as he ran straight up the wall.
The soldiers stationed on top barely had time to register what they were seeing—someone in elite uniform racing upward like it was nothing.
Before they could react, Ethan launched himself into the air above them.
The archers and mages on the walls paused for just a moment, shock crossing their faces.
Then recognition hit them: the uniform meant an elite had arrived.
Hope flickered in their tired eyes.
As Ethan began falling toward the ground below, he focused his mana.
His feet slammed against the wall, creating a spiderweb of cracks in the stone, and he burst forward with even greater speed.
His target was clear: the two high demons leading the charge.
"Wind spell: Tornado Cutter!"
Raging winds wrapped around his body like a shield.
The moment his feet touched the ground, a massive tornado erupted around him, twenty meters wide.
Demons caught in it were torn apart instantly, their bodies ripped to pieces by the spinning blades of wind.
Arcs of wind energy shot out in every direction, cutting down anything within a hundred meters.
The two high demons died before they could even cast their first spell.
The tornado shredded them along with the rest.
Ethan stood at the center of his storm, breathing hard.
Creating and maintaining this spell had drained him—around 80% of his mana was gone in an instant.
That was the problem with area attacks like this.
They were devastating against weak enemies, but useless against anyone truly powerful.
Most elites never used them in real battles.
But when you were surrounded and didn't have time to deal with enemies one by one, sometimes you had no choice.
The tornado would last a few more minutes at best.
Ethan sat down heavily on the ground, exhaustion washing over him.
Losing so much mana all at once felt like having his energy ripped out.
He stared into the distance, a strange feeling creeping up his spine.
Something huge was coming.
He couldn't see it yet, but he could feel it.
The direction pointed toward where Austin was fighting.
Before he could think more about it, he felt something else—a gaze fixed on him from somewhere in the shadows.
Demon Generals. They're here.
West Side
The demons had cast a spell called Berserk, trading their life force for increased physical strength.
But the effect only lasted as long as they had life to burn.
After endless fighting, that life force was running out.
Austin stood over the demon he'd been battling.
They had been evenly matched, each attack met with a counter, each move predicted by the other.
The demon's battle instinct was incredible feral and sharp.
But Austin had held his ground.
Now he looked into its dying eyes and brought his sword down, cutting off its head.
The fight was over.
But the cost was clear.
Austin's body was covered in wounds, deep cuts and bruises marking every part of him.
His mana was nearly gone.
As soon as the demon fell, his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
He had fought with everything he had.
The battle had kept him going, adrenaline and instinct pushing him past his limits.
But now that his mind registered the fight was over, his body finally gave in.
His eyes closed, and darkness took him.
Nearby, the kingdom's semi-cultivators were finishing off the remaining demons that had made it through the gate.
Austin had done his part—the main threat was gone.
Lucas appeared walking through the chaos, his steps calm and measured.
He found Austin lying in a pool of demon blood, carried him gently, and placed him in the shelter of a broken building.
Then he walked back to where Austin had fallen, pulled his katana from its sheath, and stared into the distance.
He didn't need to speak.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
The demon that emerged from the shadows made Lucas's breath catch in his throat.
She looked far more human than any demon he had ever seen—and far more beautiful than any woman, human or otherwise, that he had ever encountered in his entire life.
For a moment, his focus wavered, struck by something he hadn't expected to feel toward an enemy.
Long red hair flowed down her back like a waterfall of liquid fire, catching what little light remained and seeming to glow with its own inner warmth.
Each strand moved gently, as if stirred by a breeze that touched only her.
It framed a face that belonged in paintings and dreams—delicate features, high cheekbones, lips that curved in a way that was both dangerous and inviting.
But it was her eyes that held him frozen.
Deep red, like fine wine or rubies, they seemed to have blood swirling within them—but not in a way that was grotesque. Instead, it was mesmerizing, hypnotic.
Looking into them felt like falling into a beautiful nightmare you never wanted to wake from.
They looked at him not as an enemy, but as something curious—interesting.
Her skin was pale and smooth, flawless like porcelain that had never known a single imperfection.
It seemed to almost glow in the dim light, soft and perfect.
Small horns curved gracefully from her forehead, not ugly or monstrous but elegant, like a crown only she could wear.
They marked her as demon, yes, but they also made her unique—exotic in a way that human women could never be.
Her body was curved in all the right places, full and womanly in a way that could tempt any man to forget his duties, his vows, his very name.
The dress she wore hugged those curves before flowing down, revealing part of her long legs—legs that seemed to go on forever, smooth and perfectly shaped.
Every movement she made was graceful, deliberate, like a dancer who knew exactly the effect she had.
She stopped a few meters away, and Lucas realized he had been holding his breath.
In that moment, standing there with her red hair and red eyes and perfect pale skin, she didn't look like a demon at all.
She looked like something else entirely—something ancient and powerful and beautiful beyond reason.
Beautiful, his mind whispered.
The most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
Even knowing what she was—a demon.
Some part of him, some deep instinct, recognized beauty so absolute that it transcended species, transcended loyalty, transcended reason itself.
She was, without question, the most beautiful woman—demon or otherwise—that Lucas had ever laid eyes on in his entire life.
Another demon stood beside her—a male with blue hair and the same red eyes.
Power radiated from both of them.
Lucas could sense it immediately:
the man had reached 9-star strength with a Gold Stage Mana Core.
The woman was even stronger—Moon Class elite.
"Why do you humans always keep fighting us?" she asked. Her voice spoke in the demon language, but Lucas understood perfectly.
"You want to release a Demonic Mana Beast. Our mission is to stop you." Lucas kept his guard up, sword ready.
She sighed, almost sounding tired. "If you only understood how special your world is. Creatures made purely from mana—they're incredibly valuable. Just let us take it."
Lucas raised his sword higher, not trusting a single word.
"Just like always," she muttered. She turned away, then glanced back.
"We'll come for it whether you like it or not. But as a parting gift..."
Her eyes glowed.
Before Lucas could react, she crossed the distance between them in an instant.
One finger touched his chest, and his body went stiff.
He collapsed to the ground, unconscious before he hit the dirt.
The blue-haired demon frowned. "Why don't we just take the girl now?"
"I want to," she admitted. "But if I push too hard, someone at the peak of Rank 1 will show up to stop me. Like always."
She shook her head. "Let them release the Demonic Mana Beast first. Then we move in. The contract we signed with it will be completed, and the beast will be connected to my soul."
She looked around at the battlefield, at the walls and the distant city. "I hate this place. Being trapped in that semi-dimension makes cultivation almost impossible. The mana there is practically nothing just like here."
The man nodded. "True. But at least not much time has passed on the other side. Only a few hours."
A small smile crossed her lips.
It was the first hint of warmth she had shown.