“Vivian, duck!”
Nolan’s voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
Vivian turned her head curiously. ‘What’s going on?’
Behind her, a longsword burning with golden flames and a long blade shimmering with a cold light swept toward her in a cross formation.
*Eek!*
Vivian’s hair stood on end, and a chill ran down her spine. In her panic, she dropped into a defensive squat, covering her head tightly with her hands and burying her face between her knees.
Vivian had entered her “Head-clutching Squat Defense” form!
Two sharp slashes grazed the top of her head. The blades cut through the air with a sharp whistle, even taking off a few stray hairs from the top of Vivian’s head. The cross-slash struck the face of the encroaching Demon.
Blood splattered. Scalding, foul-smelling Demon blood sprayed out.
*Roar!*
The massive humanoid Demon was sent reeling backward by the two heavy strikes. It let out a deafening roar and suddenly raised a hand to its face, trying to stem the bleeding from the wound. But dark red blood continued to gurgle uncontrollably through its fingers. It flowed down its neck, down its legs, and finally dripped onto the soft sand of the wasteland.
The Demon’s blood seemed highly corrosive. It sizzled against the sand, and in an instant, it dissolved a bowl-sized hole in the ground.
The Demon’s other hand swept wildly through the air. The merchant caravan behind it suffered the consequences. As if clearing a cluttered desk, the thick Demon arm swept through the center of the caravan with unstoppable force.
The caravan was instantly thrown into chaos. Wagons filled with heavy wooden crates lay tilted in the sand, and goods were scattered messily along the road. Whether it was the accompanying servants or the armored caravan guards, everyone was affected. Even the large pack beasts, as sturdy as bulls, were knocked to the ground.
The Demon’s roars, the screams of the injured, and the wails of the pack beasts rose and fell, echoing over the wilderness. The silent wasteland had become chaotic in the blink of an eye.
Nolan, holding his longsword, slowly landed beside the crouching Vivian and patted her shoulder. “As long as we defeat it, we can eat cheap bread.”
“But…” Vivian looked up, speaking with some embarrassment. Then, she lowered her head and rubbed her flat stomach. ‘I’m hungry… I have no strength left.’
She looked at Nolan expectantly, blinking her large, watery eyes. She hoped he would be sensible enough to offer a little bit of blood. Just a little bit would be enough… Vivian pinched her fingertips together, making a “just a little” gesture.
Unfortunately, Nolan completely misunderstood her meaning. He thought Vivian was simply frightened by the Demon’s ferocious appearance. Nolan’s mind raced as he searched for a solution. It was only natural to feel fear toward these terrifying Demons. When he had fought on the front lines against Demons before, new soldiers often suffered from similar psychological issues.
At that time, the most common solution was… Courage, a low-tier holy spell of the Light element. This spell could give the timid the courage to face powerful enemies for a period of time.
It also had a very strange use. One could cast it on low-level enemies. That way, the weak enemies wouldn’t run away; instead, they would bravely turn back to deliver their own heads…
“Vivian, relax your body. Don’t resist. This blessing will make you brave.”
Nolan formed a ball of brilliant golden light in his hand. Vivian looked at him in confusion. ‘What I want is blood, not light…’
She couldn’t figure out what Nolan was up to. The orb of light in Nolan’s hand drew closer and closer until he pressed it against Vivian’s forehead.
*So hot!!!*
Vivian, still squatting on the ground, jolted from the sudden pain and leaped thirty feet into the air. ‘I’m going to die! I’m going to die!’
Purple flames erupted around Vivian’s body as she hurried to expel the Light energy Nolan had sent into her. ‘What kind of blessing is this? It’s burning me to death!’ she grumbled inwardly, feeling wronged. ‘Is this guy Nolan an idiot? Doesn’t he know that Vampires are harmed by Light energy?’
Vivian cursed Nolan in her heart, but she forced a smile onto her face, not wanting to make him feel bad. “Thank you for your blessing. I feel very ‘good’. Yes… very ‘good’.”
She spat out the last two words through gritted teeth. ‘If I don’t suck your blood tonight, I’ll take your last name!’
She suppressed her anger with all her might, already making a little plan to get her revenge tonight.
Nolan saw the previously listless Vivian suddenly burst with energy and nodded in satisfaction. The Courage spell really was useful! He had no idea that the Vivian before him was already thinking about how to get back at him tonight.
*Boom!*
Blake failed to dodge in time and was swatted away by the Demon’s palm. He crashed heavily into the sandy ground near Vivian and Nolan, kicking up a large cloud of dust. Vivian waved her hand to disperse the obscuring dust. A pit half the height of a person appeared before them.
Blake propped himself up with trembling arms, struggling to crawl out of the pit. The surface of his dark green armor was covered in a network of cracks, looking as if it were held together by shattered metal fragments.
“You two, I can’t hold on any longer. I’ll leave the rest to you…”
With a *clatter*, he released the long blade, which was now broken in half. Blake closed his eyes peacefully, as if falling into a quiet sleep.
“You aren’t dead, are you, Blake? Wake up! If you’re gone, where am I going to buy bread?” Vivian knelt in front of Blake and patted his face.
“I’m not dead. Just let me lie here for a while. Once you finish off the Demon, just give me some treatment. Add it to the debt I already owe you,” Blake opened his eyes and spoke calmly, as if giving his last will.
A red glow flashed in Vivian’s hand as she used Blood Magic to quickly stop the bleeding from Blake’s wounds. “Then stay down. We’ll be back soon.”
Having said that, Vivian stood up and turned to face the constantly roaring Demon. By now, its right arm had been severed at the base, leaving a smooth cut that gushed dark red Demon blood.
“Nolan!” Vivian shouted. “Let’s end this quickly!”
A fierce fighting spirit burned in her eyes. ‘How dare you hurt my friend? Unforgivable!’
“My thoughts exactly!” Nolan gripped his longsword, and the flames on the blade instantly flared up. He lunged forward, turning into a streak of golden light as he rapidly closed the distance to the Demon.
The Demon, as tall as a mountain range, let out a low growl and reached out with its remaining hand to grab Nolan. A smile played across Nolan’s lips as he made a sharp turn, dodging the grasp. His back foot kicked hard against the earth, and he leaped high into the air.
In an instant, Nolan had rushed in front of the Demon, level with its head. “Holy Light, turn into a blade!”
With Nolan’s roar, the longsword slashed horizontally. A third wound appeared as the Demon’s face suffered heavy damage once again.
*Roar!*
It clutched its face, unable to stop itself from letting out a heaven-shaking roar.
‘The chance!’
Vivian suddenly raised one hand, and thick purple aura erupted around her. “It’s time to end this…”
The pressure rippled outward from her. Purple flames swirled around her body as Vivian spun at high speeds, transforming into a rotating purple energy drill. She kicked up a massive tornado on the wasteland. The tornado rushed toward the wide-open Demon at incredible speed, leaving a purple trail of distorted afterimages in midair.
*Bang!*
The purple energy drill slammed into the Demon’s chest.
*Sizzle.*
After a series of high-speed drilling strikes, dark red Demon blood exploded outward, pouring down like a waterfall. Finally, Vivian gave a powerful thrust forward. A massive hole was pierced straight through the Demon’s chest.
“Argh!”
The humanoid Demon threw its head back and let out a final roar. Then, its legs gave way, and the light faded from its eyes. It slowly collapsed onto its knees.
“Mission accomplished. Time to go home.”
Vivian shook out her loose black hair, gathered it behind her, and tied it into a ponytail.
**[Slayed Berserk Demon, XP +1000]**
**[Level: 38 (4785/5000)]**