Chapter 160: A Deal with the Devil... But Who Truly Is the Devil? (2)
Ruvian raised his eyes again, calmly looking straight into the demon’s gaze.
Of course, there was no chance he would blindly trust these bastard demons, and even less chance that they would truly follow the deal.
He understood them too well.
The moment the demon released Silvena and he let go of the ring at the same time, they would attack without hesitation.
Both of them would be killed in that single moment, quick and clean.
That was simply how demons were.
Nothing pleased them more than deception — letting hope grow in their victims, only to crush it right after.
Promises, deals, mercy... all of it meant nothing to them.
Ruvian knew this very clearly. And because of that... he had never planned to play a fair game from the start.
"On the final count," the demon said, "you will throw the ring, and my comrade over there will let go of your woman."
The other demon lifted Silvena a little higher, as if to show how easy the exchange would be. Her body hung weakly in its grip, as she tried to steady herself.
Ruvian gave a slow nod, his face turning calm and cold.
"Three."
The moment the count began, Ruvian had already sent a short message to Irene.
"Two."
At the same time, he quietly prepared a spell.
"One."
The moment the count reached zero, everything moved in a single instant.
The demon released Silvena’s throat.
Her body dropped slightly.
But at the same time, his other hand had already shot forward, aiming straight for her stomach — a killing blow meant to end her instantly!
But then, just in time...
A shadow stepped in.
A sharp impact echoed as the strike was blocked just inches from Silvena’s body. The demon’s eyes narrowed, a hint of surprise showing for a split second.
"Put your hands off my lady."
Irene stood between them, her stance firm, one arm raised to hold back the attack. She had appeared so suddenly, as if she came out of nowhere.
"Who are you!?" the demon asked, surprised.
"Her most loyal servant."
Irene replied coldly as she glared at the demon.
Then, the demon could barely react as she already shifted her footing in one smooth move. Her body turned, and her leg struck out in a fast, clean motion.
The kick landed hard against the demon’s stomach!
"Hukkkk!!"
The force sent him flying backward, crashing into the corner of the lounge.
His body slammed into the wall with a heavy sound, the impact was strong enough that it sent him to another room.
At that exact moment, Ruvian threw the ring — but not toward the demon. Instead, it flew to the side, cutting through the air and passing cleanly through the already broken wide-window frame of the VIP lounge.
With nothing blocking it, the ring went out into the open air and began to fall quickly toward the lower level below, where debris, broken pieces, and dust could easily hide it from sight.
Seeing that, the demon next to him froze.
A small flash of irritation crossed his face, followed by clear surprise when he understood what just happened.
"You liar!!!"
He said, because the demon thought Ruvian would either keep the ring or foolishly give it to him.
He never expected this.
"What do you mean?" Ruvian said, his face calm, almost casual. "Isn’t our deal supposed to be ’I throw the ring, and your friend let go of her.’"
He slightly tilted his head.
"It’s not my fault you didn’t say where I should throw it. Now, why don’t you go and fetch it before it gets lost among the debris and rubble below?"
The demon’s face twisted with anger.
"Fuck off and DIEEE!!!" he shouted.
Driven by pure rage, he raised his hand and unleashed a burst of scorching blue flames. The fire flared to life in an instant, spreading wide as it rushed forward.
In just a second, Ruvian’s side of the lounge was flooded with searing blue light!
The flames roared through the air, bringing a heavy heat that felt like it could burn everything in its path.
But the demon did not stay to see the result.
Still grinding his teeth in anger, he leapt through the shattered window. His figure disappeared into the open space outside as he chased after the falling ring.
At the same time, the wave of blue fire was already closing in on Ruvian.
But just before it could reach him, something bright and transparent spread out around him, expanding into a large sphere.
[Magic Barrier]
A strong barrier formed in a perfect dome, its clear surface shaking as the flames slammed into it with heavy force. Ripples ran across it again and again, but it did not break.
’That was very close...’
The fire spread over it like a wild ocean, moving and crashing, surrounding them from all sides. The heat pressed inward, thick and suffocating, making the air feel heavy.
"Sorry, I was a bit late."
"No, you came just in time."
Inside the barrier, Irene approached him from behind. She gently lowered Silvena onto the floor, while still keeping the barrier stable.
Silvena fell weakly, breathing hard as she tried to recover.
Once Irene made sure she was safe, she moved closer to the barrier and strengthened the spell.
Outside, the flames still roared, striking the barrier again and again.
Ruvian let out a slow breath, the tension in his chest finally easing a little as the danger was held back.
"Thanks," he said quietly.
Even through the barrier, the heat was overwhelming. The air inside the sphere felt heavy and dry, as if the flames were trying to burn even the oxygen away.
Ruvian lowered his gaze toward Silvena.
"You alright?" he asked.
Her eyelids fluttered weakly before opening a little.
"Sorry both of you... I think I’m dying."
She let out a faint breath, her expression oddly calm, almost peaceful in a tragic way.
"I can already see the light at the corner of my vision..."
Ruvian frowned slightly, then glanced up at the barrier for a moment.
"That’s the magic barrier reflecting the flames, you dumbass."
Both of them went quiet.
"..."
For a second, only the sound of the flames crashing against the barrier filled the space.
Then Ruvian let out a quiet sigh.
"Anyway, stop being overly dramatic. This isn’t the time for that."
"Aye aye... you’re no fun."
Still laying on the floor, she lifted one hand with some effort and moved into a seating position.
Then, a faint glow flickered from her ring, and a small potion bottle appeared in her grasp. Her fingers trembled slightly as she uncorked it, but she still drank it in one go.
A small breath escaped her afterward.
"But yeah, you’re totally right. Being slowly roasted wasn’t part of my plan today."
"Same here. So let’s move somewhere else."
Ruvian stepped slightly forward, raising his palm as his fingers spread. Mana began to gather around his hand.
"Besides, we still have two more demons to kill."
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[Chapter 160: A Deal with the Devil... But Who Truly Is the Devil? (2)]
