Ilfris stood as still as a statue. His now crimson eyes scanned the faces of each and every one of the people that stood around him in shock. The sword in his hand throbbed as a large eye at the center of its guard stared up at the Guildmaster. The Goblin saw this and instinctively reached for his dagger. Such tremendous amounts of power flowed from the Demon, yet that did not terrify him. He was used to it. Things that possessed greater amounts of sheer strength or power was common for him. But what made him shudder was not the sheer strength of the foe before them. It was his control of the power he held that made him terrifying.

He could feel it in his bones as the Demon directed his overwhelming bloodlust towards them. He did not move, but his yellow eyes could see it as clearly as he could see in the dark. Whatever it was that he used to transform his body, he placed it into his sword for some reason. The sword itself seemed to morph into a different form in response to this. Its edge was now serrated, with cracks all over its body. He could see the veins between each crack as it pumped something beneath the metal.

"You are trespassing onto my territory. Perish now, and I will forgive this slight."

The Guildmaster said with a terrifying tone.

"Look, I'm just a little lost. I'm trying to get out of Arenhein as well since this isn't really part of the bargain but this damned thing is interfering with me."

Ilfris waved the sword around as he looked around.

"Look, it already ate the other slaves and the Demon down there, so I won't be able to-"

"ILFRIS!"

Like a bolt of blue lightning, steel bit into the soft flesh of the man's shoulder.

"Oh... It seems you've esc-"

Ilfris didn't even have the chance to finish his sentence when the Watch Captain decapitated him with her sword.

As her sword cut through the skin on the other side of his neck, threads of muscle sprang out and took hold of his head. The sword in his hand turned towards her, its eye locked onto her chest. The blade let out a sharp hiss as it shot forward like a snake in hiding. Muscle and tendons were weaved seamlessly into the metal itself as it sprang towards Iris' chest like a leg pushing itself off of the ground. The Watch Captain saw this, and dodged quickly. Hair fell to the ground as the blade zipped past her head as she moved to cut Ilfris' legs.

"[Crimson Blade]"

Something erupted from Ilfris' chest. Iris rolled to the side as tendrils of blood slashed the spot where she was at.

It gave him some breathing room, but it was not enough. Arrows pierced his body as Semilia let loose from their higher position while Ruric fumbled for the mechanism at the side of his guns. But before he could fire a round into the Demon, the sword in Ilfris' hand changed rapidly. Its blade stretched out to form a round shape as Ilfris hid behind it with a serious expression on his face. Something cut through the air, light trailed behind it as it fell towards Ilfris.

The thing tore out a large area of the sword as it found its mark. Chunks of Ilfris' side and arm were gone as well, turned into gore splattered on the stone around him. An arrow jutted out of the ground, pieces of Ilfris' flesh still stuck to it. His eyes turned towards the man on horseback, bow in hand with a disgusted expression on his face. He recognized the crest on his armor. Lord Arwin dismounted quickly as the Ilfris quickly repaired the damage to his body.

"Goblin! Stay here and protect Sem and Riel!"

His ears twitched at Stefan's command. He turned his head towards him, but he was already gone.

All of them watched as Stefan jumped from the window and down onto the street. His hands moved quickly as his legs propelled him forward. Slash. Ilfris' chest was cut open. The sword in Stefan's hand blurred into a flash of steel. But he did not use it to strike. His stance changed quickly as tendrils shot out towards him from Ilfris' open wound. He kept his sword close as he blocked both the tendrils and Ilfris' sword. Stefan was quickly driven back onto his back foot as Ilfris' attacks bore down on him savagely.

Iris dashed for Ilfris' open back. She was about to thrust her sword deep into it when skin tore apart and a pair of arms emerged to grab her. Her hand moved in an upward arc. One of the arms got cut off, but the other managed to catch the blade between its fingers. The two of them struggled to break the deadlock, but the Goblin could see clearly that the Demon wasn't taking the fight seriously. Ilfris glanced at Lord Arwin. The man steadily approached him with Aster by his side.

"Is that the person you wish to-"

The sword in Ilfris' hand throbbed as the Demon gritted his teeth.

"[Transfer]!"

Iris' sword pierced through Ilfris's chest while Stefan hacked off Ilfris' arm. But the Demon was not fazed by this.

He threw the sword to the side. The weapon howled as it flew through the air while something oozed out of its handle. Moments later, flesh and bone shot out from the weapon. Ilfris' body quickly reformed from the pile of flesh as his old body melted into a puddle of crimson that splattered all over Stefan and Iris. However, Ilfris looked at Lord Arwin with a mix of anger and confusion. No... His eyes were on something else.

"You! W-Why the hell are you here?!"

Ilfris yelled as his eyes dripped with blood.

"You were supposed to be up north! You were supposed to find your city and the one you love in tattered-"

"You talk too much, Demon."

A shape blurred from beside Lord Arwin. In that split second, he heard three attacks that struck something solid and a wet, squelch sound.

Ilfris roared as he threw off the man in front of him. He landed gracefully on his feet as his hands clutched the dagger that almost tore out his own neck earlier. Ilfris stared at Lord Terius with a mix of anger and terror. In that split second, Terius closed managed to stab his dagger deep into Ilfris' right eye. The Demon gritted his teeth as his sword changed its shape. It turned into a slender weapon, its tip made clearly for piercing through armor. Black liquid dripped from its tip as Ilfris watched Terius closely.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

He blinked. The moment he opened his eyes, the two were immediately locked in combat. Terius held a dagger and a short sword, both weapons he used to parry and probe at Ilfris while the other blocked both blades with his sword. Terius easily dodged Ilfris' attempts to strike at him, but his attacks barely reached Ilfris. Still, the young Lord fought on equal footing with Ilfris. The Demon unhinged his jaw and shot out a tongue that ended with a bony tip at the end, but Terius simply dodged it and sliced it off with his dagger.

Terius ducked quickly. His foot swept at Ilfris' legs, a move that the Demon failed to see. Ilfris roared as he twisted his body like a cat and rolled to the side. His visage became more and more haggard as the young Lord closed the distance between them once more. Ilfris' arm changed quickly as hard bone appeared over his skin. With his arm and sword, he blocked Terius' attack as he brought down his two weapons onto Ilfris with a thunderous clap. Steel bit into bone and flesh as Ilfris pushed back against the tremendous amount of force being pushed onto him by the terrifying Terius.

"[Path of-"

"[Sweeping Strike]!"

"Roll over and fucking die already!"

Stefan's words echoed through the street as Iris slashed at Ilfris' waist.

Iris' sword cleanly cut through Ilfris' waist with a lightning-fast sweep of her sword while Stefan thrust his blade deep into Ilfris' chest. Ilfris did not try to move nor block Terius' attack. Instead, he glared at him with his crimson orbs that burned with intense hatred as Terius drove his weapons down onto Ilfris' face. There was a wet thud as he viciously hacked away at Ilfris' head. All of them looked away as Terius' attacks relentlessly ripped apart Ilfris' face while he simply regenerated the damage.

Finally, the Demon snapped. The Human visage gave way just as Terius drove his sword deep into his newly regenerated brain. Like a flower in bloom, his head opened up like a grotesque flower made out of flesh and bone with petals lined with rows of sharp fangs. The three of them jumped back as the sword in his hand changed form into a greatsword whose edge was lined with numerous teeth. Lord Arwin shouted something at his men. His orders were drowned out by the piercing roar that made his ears hurt.

"Aster! Assist them! The rest of you! Provide cover fire! [Eye of Battle], [General's Aura]!"

Lord Arwin shouted with his arm outstretched, his face contorted into a deep scowl.

The Knight by his side dashed forward and left clouds of dust behind her. Sunlight. That was the only way to describe Aster's sword as she swung it over her head. Crack! Bones shattered as Aster's sword struck Ilfris' shoulder. She jumped away quickly as Ilfris snapped at her with his jaws. Eyes appeared all over his body, their cat-like pupils glued on the two people that tried to sneak behind him. His body moved fluidly as he brought down his sword on them in a diagonal slash. The weapon grazed Stefan on the shoulder while Iris managed to dodge it in time.

Terius moved quickly and seized his chance. But this time, however, the Demon met his flurry of blows with blows of his own. Tails sprouted from behind Ilfris as he twirled and weaved from side to side to match the Lord's speed. Terius' attacks slowed. Each strike from him was getting weaker, and his movements were getting sloppy as well. Blood. Everyone watched as one of the tails struck Lord Terius' arm. Blood gushed out of it as he broke off his attack and jumped away towards Aster.

"... I see."

Terius touched the blood that stained the sleeve of his shirt.

"I'll need a Healer that can cast Detoxification Magic! If you get hit by his tail, the wound doesn't close!"

Terius shouted as he threw his dagger at Ilfris' head. Ilfris swatted it away with his sword and let out a vicious snarl in return.

"I see now why the sword brought me here. Destiny. Destiny! It. It will bring me the victory promised to me... Vic... Victory! Death! Death to you, Terius!"

Ilfris spoke in a garbled voice. The Demon's crimson orbs threw daggers at the young Lord, fueled by intense amounts of rage that burned like the flames of Hell.

His stance changed with his body. The muscles in his legs exploded in size as they turned more animal-like. He wasn't even finished transforming when the ground beneath his feet exploded. With a loud bang, Ilfris pushed himself forward, the Demonic sword over his head as he lunged for Terius and Aster. His jaws opened down the middle and a muscular tongue exploded out of his gaping maw. Terius blocked the appendage, but the tongue managed to entangle his sword. His sword shot out of his hand as Ilfris pulled back and left him exposed to his next attack.

"[Unyielding Stance]!"

Aster's sword slid against the massive greatsword that thundered down on their position. Sparks flew as she pushed against Ilfris' attack while she gritted her teeth in agony.

"[Hawk Shot], [Wind's Blessing]!"

"[Flame Arrow]!"

Ruric and Semilia loosed at Ilfris, their sights trained at Ilfris.

"[Limit Overdrive]"

Ilfris roared loudly as his body contorted.

Streaks of light and flame flew out in different directions as Ilfris moved to block their projectiles. He twirled and spun his massive greatsword around with no effort as if it was a part of his body. Magic Arrows and steel bullets ricocheted and broke as he swatted them out of the air. The few that struck him were simply absorbed into his body. Steam left his mouth as he stared at them. He let out a roar as he lifted his sword over his head and threw the weapon at them.

Crap! He turned towards Riel and Semilia. He said nothing as he took their hands and dashed for cover. There was no time for gentleness. He threw the two of them against the wall and dove for it as well as the sword smashed through the balcony and into the room. He clung onto the two of them as the sword carved a path through the room. Pieces of wood rained down on them, most of them he had to protect Riel from with his own body.

"[Greater Strength]!"

Elya met the greatsword with her own greatsword and stopped it in its tracks.

The Goblin groaned in pain, yet he immediately looked out of the window over Riel's head. Down below, he saw Stefan and Iris as the Demon turned its ire towards them. Bloody. That was the only way he could describe the two. Stefan's arm was covered in gashes and the chestplate he wore was gone and left his chest exposed. Iris' legs were lacerated, and her left arm must've taken a bad blow. Still, the two of them stood before Ilfris, a cloud of steam visible between each haggard breath they took.

Stefan was the first to move. He dashed forward, his stance low and close to the ground as Ilfris lunged at him with his arm. Iris moved as well, although not as quickly as Stefan. Ilfris' eyes moved rapidly as the distance between them closed. The Demon let out a roar as he sidestepped Stefan's thrust while his tails wrapped around Stefan's waist. He spun around quickly and lifted off Stefan. His tails snapped like whips as he threw him onto Iris, the force hard enough to send the two of them across the street and onto the wall of a building.

Ilfris hissed as he turned towards the three figures that warily circled him. Arrows rained on him with Lord Arwin's signal. The bolts easily pierced the soft flesh he left exposed, yet he did not flinch. His crimson eyes blazed with despise as he snarled at Lord Terius. Ilfris roared. As the noise assaulted everyone's ears, Ilfris charged at him on all fours. Arrows were loosed towards him, yet the Demon surged forwards with his unrelenting fury.

"Tch. I always hate it when people let their emotions get the better of them... [Sweeping Slash]!"

Lord Arwin dashed forward and quickly slashed at Ilfris' hands.

He rolled to the side and slashed at Ilfris' leg. Aster quickly followed Arwin's lead as she trusted her sword deep into Ilfris' chest. Finally, Terius jumped and threw his sword. Its point quickly buried itself deep into Ilfris' head with a wet, snapping sound. It was over. Or, it should've been over. Everyone watched as Ilfris' body lurched over, devoid of life and movement. Yet there was still something wrong with the mana in the air since none of the Mages there could use their Spells.

"Close... If I were a real Demon, that would've been the end of me."

"When d-"

All heads turned towards the man behind Elya.

Tendrils wrapped all over her body tightly while Ilfris held the Demonic Weapon to her throat. The Goblin turned to the Guildmaster and Azalia. For some reason, Ruric disappeared in the middle of the fight. Ilfris smiled as he reformed a missing arm. The Goblin stood in front of Riel and Semilia, his dagger already in his hand. His yellow orbs locked onto the weapon in the Demon's hand.

"Sorry about this, Amazoninan. Shifting makes me a tad bit hungry..."

Ilfris grinned as the sword in his hand began to throb in anticipation.

"[Devour]."