The sound of explosions continued; screams of agony and desperation from soldiers penetrated the thin wall of the carriage.
Lidien watched Lily get out of the carriage and heaved a sigh of relief.
'She almost got me...'
Then Lidien tried to calm his mind; all the loud explosions became subtle, while the quiet sounds became distinct. As he focused more... everything seemed to slow down, yet he was breathing rapidly.
'Incite of Blood...' one of the three abilities given to Lidien by the Crimson Shard upon touching it.
Lidien smiled and deactivated it. After shaking off the slight dizziness, he stood and left the bed, and went to the other side of the carriage.
Lidien scanned around to check for a weapon he could use and found a small knife used to cut fruit beside the table. He gripped it and said,
"Even if there's someone protecting me, I will not entrust my life to some people I don't know... even if I knew them... I, alone, will protect myself."
Then he walked back to the room and sat on the corner of the small bed, holding the small knife.
"Yet, going outside is a form of suicide, since I don't know how to fight... I couldn't let my Demonic side take control of me... I wouldn't die without knowing how I died, just because I lost my mind fighting."
Suddenly...
Thud!
Lidien immediately pounced on the Hunger that fell from the carriage roof, stabbing its throat directly without a second thought.
As the blood scattered on the crimson bed and his face, Lidien got off abruptly and crawled backwards, panting heavily.
He blinked and took a deep breath, before exhaling to calm his nerves.
Yet, his hands continued to shake violently. He tried to hold them and applied pressure with his other hand as he watched the Hunger clawing at its own neck that was getting choked from its own blood.
The Hunger coughed one last time and stared at Lidien, before it stopped and died fighting to survive.
Lidien forgot how to breathe for a moment.
Gulping, he crawled back to get the small knife from the dead body of the Hunger, looked up, and stared beyond the hole.
As moon rays touched his bloody face, along with his crimson eyes...
He smiled, as his canine teeth slowly stuck out.
'Yeah... In this World, I need to take a life, for me to live...'
Then he looked back at the dead Hunger lying just below him.
'So, thank you for dying for my sake.'
Steeling his resolve, Lidien stood and went to the door of the carriage.
He held the doorknob and quietly opened it while holding his small knife, ready to strike.
Cracking open the door, a Hunger having yellow jagged teeth suddenly stalked inside, meeting Lidien eye to eye.
Lidien stabbed it quickly, making the Hunger scream in agony, then he kicked to open the door.
However, Lidien's understanding of his body betrayed him when he saw that the door was flying, crashing into allies and enemies alike.
Realizing he was stronger than the average human, he pounced towards the lying Hunger on the ground with a knife still in its eye.
And punched it in the stomach with all the force he could muster, watching it crush the organs of the Hunger forming a small pit beneath its body.
Lidien scanned around...
Only to wish he shouldn't have gone out of the carriage.
Soldiers shouting war cries before killing a horde of Hungers, while some of them were just lost or abducted deep in the forest, before a resounding scream could be heard and cut off immediately.
He also saw Mad Dog, licking his blood-dripping axe after chopping off the head of one of the Hungers.
Yet, Lily...
she turned the scream into a beat, dancing wildly with her glowing whip. With every slash of her whip, a head rolled to the ground, showering her with blood.
She didn't care who died, as long as someone entered her zone; no one could leave alive.
However, hidden in the darkness, Lidien saw a man wearing a black cloak.
If not for his Incite of Blood, that let him think more clearly while also giving him the ability to sense blood within a hundred meters, he would not have been able to sense the man.
The man was holding a staff. Then suddenly, it shone bright red, until it produced a fire and sent it towards Lily.
Lidien tried to rush to her side, but it was too late.
Boom!
The flame scattered across the bloody field, smoke curled as it burned the ground.
"No!"
Seeing Lily attacked by an exploding ball of flame made him morph into his demon form.
His hair suddenly got longer and turned white, while his skin got paler, making his purple veins visible to the naked eye.
However, unlike the previous owner, who got out of control after using his ability as a Demon of Wrath, Lidien was different. He could still think clearly.
Unsure if it was because of the effect of Incite of Blood, or just him occupying the body that wasn't his to begin with, it was still good news for him.
It only took a heartbeat for Lidien's transformation to complete, but before he could rush towards the caster, a small and gentle cough caught his attention, stopping him in his tracks.
He looked towards the smoke and saw Lily walking out of it, unscathed.
Lidien sighed, then continued on his way towards the caster.
Yet he was blocked by Hungers who came rushing in as well.
Lidien fought back with his fists. Though he was inexperienced in a street fight, he still had the upper hand.
His body was much sturdier compared to the Hungers attacking him. Unless they could use Verve really well and penetrate his sturdy skin, Lidien would not be affected by their attack.
'Like expert fighters said, nothing could beat actual experience...'
Though Lidien couldn't fully control his Demonic Transformation, being at the Hell stage of Demon Rank was enough to kill the Hungers.