Chapter 26: Ch. 24 - Neiracia and Duo Mercenary (4)
Lliotra's instincts proved correct once again. The masked young man was no ordinary human. He was stronger than all the Level 1 Sterminatore he knew. Perhaps he was on the level of a Super Demon, or maybe even beyond that. One thing was certain—there was no way he was getting out of this alive.
"You won't escape. I won't let you escape."
Lliotra threw off his cloak and decided to fight. He was tired of running. The masked man wasn't teleporting—he could swap places with any object, including something as small as a pebble. He had already switched places with Lliotra twice. Running away would only be a waste of time.
"You haven't answered my question. Tell me, what do you know about Nessthanovla and Merlin the Immortal Mage?"
"Die, be reborn as a demon, and then I'll answer that question." Lliotra spat to the left, clenched his fists, and channeled prana throughout his entire body. "And I'll gladly help you die."
Without another word, the short-haired demon launched a full-power attack. He unleashed his Demon Curse ability without hesitation. The world in his perception slowed down tenfold. More precisely, his thought speed, perception, and reaction time had become ten times faster.
If he could land just one punch, he could use the chance to escape for real. But if that failed, he would cause as much chaos as possible. Then, he would use the people who gathered as shields. However, if that did—
Lliotra's train of thought came to an abrupt halt when his perception of time suddenly returned to normal. Not only that, but the prana enhancing his body had also vanished. He was back to his normal state. And, to his shock, his eyes widened as he realized—the young man had already grabbed his wrist.
By the time Lliotra snapped out of his surprise, his body was already slammed to the ground, his left cheek pressed against the brick surface.
If that were the extent of it, he would have sighed in relief. But six wind spears had already pierced his legs. The same had happened to both of his arms. It didn't stop there—three more spears stabbed into his left shoulder, while another three impaled his right. And Lliotra could feel two more wind spears hovering just above his nape and head. This human was absolutely ruthless!
"Talk." The young man crouched in front of the demon's face. "What do you know about Nessthanovla? Do you have any information on Merlin? Oh, and also, why are so many demons roaming freely in this city?"
-----ooOoo-----
Celinee collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath, her eyes fixed on the demon's body pinned against the wall—four kunai impaled it in four different spots, keeping it in place. Even though it could regenerate, the kunai slowed the process significantly—especially since the body no longer had hands, feet, or a head.
The demon, whose severed head was still rolling on the floor, was stronger than Celinee had anticipated.
She was stronger than the demon Mariel had hunted. That one had only excelled in prana capacity. However, the demon Celinee had faced was superior in more than just prana. She was fast. She could produce sticky threads like a spider—but they were razor-sharp. Those were the threads she had used to manipulate the man Celinee had killed earlier.
If not for the spirit power she had awakened a week ago, Celinee might have already fallen under the demon's control. She needed to be more cautious in the future; a large prana reserve didn't necessarily make a demon strong. The real deciding factor was the power of their Devil Curse.
Celinee rose after nearly two minutes, having returned to her human form. The ninja ignored the demon's head and other severed body parts, walking straight toward the pinned corpse. She also paid no attention to the chaotic state of the house.
After all, she had already killed the homeowner. More than that, if any other household members happened to be away, they could use the destruction as proof of the incompetence of the Sterminatore in this area. The blue blood dripping from the severed hands, feet, and head was undeniable evidence of a high-class demon's presence.
This city needed to wake up to the threat of rampant demons.
Celinee yanked the demon's body from the wall, leaving the four kunai embedded in place—one below the neck, one beneath the heart, and two above the leg joints.
Without hesitation, the ninja turned and left. She didn't care about other demons that might appear due to the human's death. She had no time to wait and hunt. The demon in her grasp had to be taken away before it could regenerate. More importantly, Celinee didn't want to be teased by Mariel for taking too long. That guy could be insufferable.
When Celinee arrived at Mariel's location, she found him standing atop a demon's corpse—headless and missing all its limbs. Mariel had killed the demon with brutal efficiency. Celinee could see wind-formed needles embedded in its neck, arms, and legs, ensuring it couldn't regenerate.
"What took you so long?"
That irritating question came as expected, and Celinee couldn't stop herself from scoffing.
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"The demon I fought was stronger than the one you faced. But that doesn't matter. Let's go. I don't want to carry this thing any longer."
— Ultores Café —
Karflo was startled by the sudden call from one of his assistants, causing him to instinctively shove a magazine filled with nude women out of sight. He couldn't afford to let his secret slip; if his wife found out, she would make him sleep outside the bedroom for an entire month.
"Did you just hide something, Master?" the assistant asked as he stepped inside. "Was it a top-secret document?"
"It's nothing." Karflo waved his hand dismissively before putting on his professional expression. "Now, tell me, why are you here?"
"The two young ones who wanted to join earlier are now downstairs. They bring two demon corpses. It has been confirmed that they are indeed high-class demons."
Karflo was not surprised. In fact, he smiled in satisfaction. "We have two new members who are truly strong," he muttered as he pulled out two silver necklaces from a drawer—each engraved with ancient runes used by mages.
"Oh, is Master planning to recommend them for Her Majesty's dirty work?"
Karflo merely chuckled at his assistant's question. "Let's go," he said, rising to his feet. "I need to assign them three or four tasks before deciding whether to offer them to Her Majesty or not. But before that, we need to get to know them first."
-----ooOoo-----
Mariel was not surprised at all to see the rows of glass tubes filled with demon hearts. Celinee, however, was. But Mariel quickly placed a hand on her shoulder before her emotions flared up and led her to destroy the tubes. Perhaps he needed to force Celinee to learn meditation techniques.
"We're taking these two demon corpses. Tomorrow, we'll provide three hundred thousand escal as payment for the two hearts. Come back tomorrow morning."
Mariel nodded, allowing the two workers to take the demon bodies. He then pulled Celinee outside before her anger escalated further. And as soon as they stepped out of the demon heart storage room, the thin-bearded man who led Café Ultores was already there, greeting them warmly.
"I didn't require you to bring two, but I'm glad you did. And congratulations on becoming part of the Ultores Organization. Here, take these silver necklaces as proof of your membership."
Mariel immediately took the two necklaces offered by the man. He handed one to Celinee and kept the other for himself.
"Drop your blood onto the necklaces. They will turn red. By doing that, you are officially bound to Ultores."
Without hesitation, Mariel did as instructed, and so did Celinee. Their necklaces turned completely red. If they had seemed ordinary before, now they carried an eerie aura.
"My name is Karflo," the man said, extending his hand. "I oversee all Café Ultores establishments in Neiracia Empire. As long as you're in the empire, you can always come to me if you need help. We'll do our best to assist you."
Mariel accepted the handshake. "I'm M, she's C. We work for money and pleasure."
"Heh, money and pleasure? That's not a bad reason." Karflo paused for a moment, then his expression turned serious. "I have a job for you. If you're interested, meet me tomorrow morning after you collect your promised payment. The job will suit both of your reasons."
"We'll decide after hearing the details. For now, we need to return to our inn."
"Of course. I hope you both get some rest."
Mariel nodded and walked away. Celinee quickly matched his pace, and before long, they were outside the building.
"Do you think they're a couple?" Karflo asked his assistant. "Do you think they sleep in the same bed?"
"Master, whatever their relationship is, it's none of your business. Now, let's get back to work. I don't want to have to tell your wife that you're always late because you're too busy reading prostitution magazines."
"...!" Karflo was utterly shocked. "Y-You know?!"
"Master, everyone knows you're a perverted, lecherous, and disgusting man. So stop talking and get to work. I refuse to work overtime just because you can't keep your eyes off filthy magazines!"
Karflo said nothing. He hurried ahead of his assistant. He still had a lot of work to do.