Chapter 162: The Devil Fruit
With eyes full of determined focus, Ruvian exhaled slowly as the pressure in the amphitheater grew heavier around him.
He then grabbed his blade as Silvena passed it to him from her dimensional storage.
[The Endseeker] sat in his hand once more, its pitch-dark blade drinking in the dull crimson light of the hall. He adjusted his hold firmly as he began to channel mana subtly along its edge. Then, a surge of strength flooded through his body.
’I need to be careful with my mana reserves. I already used one quarter, almost half of it.’
Turning his head towards Irene, Ruvian said with clear intention.
"Let’s finish him quickly before the other guy comes. With you here, we can take him down without much trouble."
Then, he paused for a few seconds, as if something had just come back to him.
"Ah... right. By the way, good work. I’m impressed that you managed to take down three Greater Demons and dozens of lesser ones on your own."
But after Ruvian had said that, Irene only gave a small pause.
Her eyes drifted off to his side for a moment, not quite avoiding him, but not fully meeting his gaze either, as if she did not expect that praise to fall on her.
"Actually, it wasn’t me," she said quietly. At the same time, she raised her hand and drew out two black daggers from her storage ring.
’Hm? It’s not her?’
Ruvian’s thoughts halted for a brief second.
’Wait, if not her then who?’
His mind moved quickly, trying to piece together the answer.
If not her then who else would be able to deal with three Greater Demons?
The security of this Ashway Bazaar?
Huh? That did not make any sense.
Those men were only here to maintain order and appearance. They were not paid enough to throw away their lives for strangers, and such risks were never part of their duty. Their strength was average at best, enough to control crowds but not enough to face true monsters.
Then could it be the servants from nobles or merchants?
That possibility rose for a moment, but soon faded.
Those people would prioritize their masters above all else. Their first action would always be protection and evacuation, not engaging in a deadly battle against any enemies. It would be foolish for them to do otherwise.
So then... who?
Ruvian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he waited. Noticing Ruvian’s curiosity, Irene sighed softly, then gave him her answer.
"If you’re curious, well, it’s the white-haired man that we met during our first arrival into this auction place. The guy who suddenly picked a fight with you."
Her grip on the daggers tightened just a little, as if recalling the scene.
"Anyway, all I can say is that he is strong," she continued. "He killed the three Greater Demons easily, and then he left to help the people with evacuation."
Ruvian did not speak immediately, but his eyes flickered with thought. Somewhere in his mind, the image of that white-haired man slowly returned.
’I see, so it was the scholar from the Wellencrest Acade—’
Before his thought could fully form, Silvena, sharp and alert, warned them just as a massive surge of blue flame burst forward toward them.
"Hey, stop talking. Incoming!"
Hearing that, Ruvian reacted in a flash as he dodged the blue flames that crashed down at where he had stood.
After that, Silvena scolded the two of them.
"Can we talk about that later? We need to deal with this fast before the other guy comes, remember?"
’Ah, right...’
After forcing his thoughts aside, Ruvian pushed off the ground and steadied his footing. His focus returned sharp and cold.
Silvena was already moving along the left side, slipping past the demon’s sweeping flames with quick, fluid steps.
Seeing her position, Ruvian moved as well, circling wide to the right flank while avoiding the bursts of fire.
In that moment, Irene remained at the center, standing firm as she faced the demon head on, drawing its attention while the two of them closed in from both sides.
Now the demon’s focus split apart, his attention pulled in three directions at once.
If he fixed his eyes on one, the other two would slip into his blind spot.
A low curse escaped his lips as frustration rose inside him.
In the next moment, Arshalak made his choice and lunged toward Ruvian first, while growing sharp claws from his hands.
"Oh come on, you are still mad about that? Just so you know... I wasn’t the one who drew that middle finger!"
With no time left to hesitate, Ruvian surged forward to meet the demon head on.
His blade met the incoming claws, steel striking against hardened flesh with a sharp, jarring clang that echoed through the hall.
Clang!
Even with his body reinforced by [Body Enhancement] and the enchantment of [The Endseeker], he was still being forced back under the demon’s raw strength.
’Tch... it seems like the potion’s effect has already worn off.’
But just as he was about to lose ground in the clash, Irene slipped in and took his place.
Her movements were swift and precise as her daggers struck in a rapid left and right sequence, forcing the demon to react again and again.
The demon struggled to keep up with her pace, his defense growing uneven under the constant pressure.
In the end, unable to endure it any longer, he pushed out a large barrier of blue flame, forcing space between them.
’Damn it, if this keeps on going on... I’m going to lose here!!’
As the demon managed to create some distance and a brief moment of reprieve, a sudden blast of wind struck from his left.
It was a spell from Silvena...
And a very strong one!
[Wind Blast]
The force slammed into his side and dragged him across the curved rows of seats, his body scraping along the stone steps of the amphitheater before crashing hard into the wall.
Boom!
The demon stood no chance against the three of them. Even if he had faced Irene alone, he would still have lost.
So what chance did he ever have against all three together?
However, despite already being pushed to the brink, despite being pinned against the wall, the demon only laughed maniacally as he remained there.
Silvena and Irene moved closer, gathering beside Ruvian at the center of the amphitheater.
"Has he gone mad?" Silvena asked.
Ruvian gave no reply, as he had no answer for that either.
But something was definitely wrong here. His eyes only narrowed as he kept his gaze fixed on the demon.
Then, a cold, strained voice came from him.
"Play time’s over, you lowly insects."
Raising his hand slowly, the demon pointed past them, slightly upward.
Ruvian and the others followed the direction of his finger and turned their heads.
Only then did they see it.
Another demon stood motionless at the shattered window of their VIP lounge, watching them in silence.
Raglak.
And there was something resting in his hands.
’That is...’
The moment Ruvian saw it, his eyes widened in shock.
He understood at once what it was, and just how bad the situation would become for them if that demon used it.
"How do they already have...?"
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[Chapter 162: The Devil Fruit]
