The surging flames engulfed everything around.

Inevitably, not only myself but also Agent Kong was swept into the tide-like fire. Unable to help himself, he let out a terrified cry, “Ah!”

Only then did I remember I had forgotten to warn him, so I hurriedly reassured him, “Don’t worry, my flames won’t harm allies.”

In fact, not only did they not harm allies, but even the ground and nearby greenery remained untouched. Whether it was the destructive heat or the blinding intensity of the light, they only worked against the enemies. As long as I willed it, the flames would exhibit this multi-standard special effect.

But the ordeal wasn’t over yet. At the moment the three demons were destroyed, two more crawled out from the shadows beyond the reach of the fire and light.

At the same time, through the previous skirmish, I confirmed one thing: their combat power was inferior to that of the fallen demon hunter from last night.

Their massive builds were the same, but their speed had significantly decreased, and their agility was in a completely different league. At least when they charged, although I didn’t have time to move my feet, I could still move my arms and make a symbolic attack gesture. Whether their attack power was the same, I couldn’t say, as they were taken out before they could land a blow.

As for their defensive power… well, the flames I unleashed earlier would have had about the same effect on last night’s fallen demon hunter, so there wasn’t much difference to discern.

In summary, the fallen demon hunter from last night was probably an elite among them, while the ones before me were just small fry.

The two demons let out deafening roars and charged recklessly, as if they didn’t care about their own lives.

Doing so would only lead to the same outcome as the three demons earlier.

Considering that some demons earlier had used their companions as shields, it’s clear they’re more like beasts lacking humanity but at least possess some intelligence. I don’t believe they’re foolish enough to make such senseless sacrifices. This overly aggressive frontal charge seems intended to draw my attention, doesn’t it?

I didn’t turn around but instead used the surrounding flames to sense what was happening behind me.

As expected, a shadow had quietly crept along the ground to a spot far behind me. Although it was still within the reach of the firelight, the shadow seemed completely unaffected by the illumination and spat out a demon from within.

At this moment, that demon was cautiously approaching me, avoiding the flames on the ground. With the roaring sound of the flames and the two demons’ charging howls in front of me, even its massive, clumsy body could execute a stealthy assassination attempt.

Initially, I planned to burn it to ashes directly, but then I reconsidered—wasn’t this a great opportunity?

Agent Kong and Zhu Shi believed my strength lay solely in my offensive capabilities, so why not use this chance to demonstrate my tolerance for sneak attacks? I had originally intended to use the wraiths to showcase this, but they didn’t show up. Now, with this situation falling perfectly into place, there was no reason to let it go to waste.

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Fortunately, this demon wasn’t as agile as the fallen demon hunter. Even with this additional maneuver, I could still protect Agent Kong.

Raising my right hand toward the two demons in front of me, I commanded the flames on the surrounding ground to surge toward them. Under my control, the flames consumed them in an instant, reducing them to ashes.

The demon behind me, seeing the obstructing flames on the ground redirected elsewhere, wasted no time. It accelerated and charged closer to me without hesitation.

Its two arms morphed into mantis-like bone blades, crossing like scissors in a slashing motion aimed at my torso.

I pretended not to notice, not even turning my head.

However, Agent Kong had spotted the demon. His face immediately turned pale, and he shouted, “Watch out!”

At the same time, he pulled the trigger on the demon.

If it were last night’s fallen demon hunter, it would have been entirely impossible for a human’s reflexes to keep up. Even if Agent Kong’s brain could react in time, his body wouldn’t move fast enough.

But this demon wasn’t on that level. A gunshot rang out, and whatever special round was loaded in that revolver, it caused the demon’s massive body to veer off course. It brushed past me, narrowly missing.

As Agent Kong himself had said before, his weapon was ultimately an emergency tool. While it managed to disrupt the demon’s charge, it couldn’t inflict significant damage.

Realizing its ambush had failed, the demon let out a frustrated roar. If it had thought to attack again at that moment, it might have been trouble. But instead, it chose not to linger, fleeing into the distance without looking back.

I could only sigh and glance at the retreating back of the demon in the distance.

As my gaze landed on it, a brief flash of fire, as quick as lightning, erupted. In an instant, its body turned to ash.

The battle was over. All the surrounding flames and disturbances dissipated. Except for the scattered ashes on the ground, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

According to Agent Kong, this was undoubtedly an example of "an overly simple act of killing."

Given the precedent of the fallen demon hunter, it was impossible to completely rule out the possibility that these demons weren’t human. I only killed them without hesitation because they didn’t look human to me.

However, if the enemies I faced earlier had been entirely human, and I had been required to kill them, there would have been no difference in practical difficulty—though overcoming the psychological hurdle would have been another matter. They, too, would have been effortlessly destroyed by me.

In the face of this power, life is so fragile... As I imagined that scenario in my mind, I felt a complicated, indescribable emotion.

"That scared me to death—I thought that monster was actually going to get you," Agent Kong exhaled in relief beside me. "Zhuang Cheng, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

As I thought about Agent Kong's intervention earlier, my initial reflections were replaced by a sense of helplessness. Truly, life is often filled with disappointments. It seems I’d be better off looking for other opportunities to demonstrate my combat abilities—or perhaps abandoning the idea of live combat scenarios entirely. Simply showcasing my skills in front of them might be a more reasonable compromise.

Of course, if possible, I still hope for a chance to display my abilities in a more dramatic and impactful way.

I set aside my scattered thoughts for the moment and stepped forward, wanting to touch the ashes on the ground.

I was curious—would the ashes of these strange creatures be different from ordinary ones after being burned?

But after just two steps, I stopped involuntarily.

Agent Kong should be standing behind me at this moment, and his shadow, cast by the sunlight behind, was projected onto the ground in front of me. Yet, at some point, the arms of that human shadow had changed shape, resembling long, blade-like weapons.

Instinctively, I turned around.

But before I could even bring the figure into my sight, the world abruptly spun. My vision fell to the ground, and shortly after, a headless body—one that was both familiar and unfamiliar—collapsed beside me.

I struggled to lift my gaze, trying to see who had attacked me.

But the next moment, a heavy slash mercilessly struck into my eye socket, shattering even my brain...