“D-Demonia!” Aurora screamed.

“You just had to brag about how lucky we are, didn't you?” Ryu pointed at the witch and the demon. “Does this look lucky to you?!”

“W-well if you look at it one way, what are the odds of these two showing up for any other adventurers, nya?”

“I don’t want this kind of luck! This is the exact opposite of what we should be running into every time we go out to explore!” Ryu exclaimed.

“Morgana, maybe we should let them go. They were just defending themselves,” the witch said to her companion.

“Nonsense! They killed Slimey and now they will pay with their blood,” the scantily clad demon said in the same sultry voice they had heard prior.

The hairs on Ryu’s neck stood on end. [Insight] did nothing to assuage his fears. In fact, it only worsened them.

[Level: ???]

[Skills Acquired: ???]

[A protection spell has been cast on the target to prevent statistical checks]

[Caution is advised when approaching unquantifiable organisms]

He looked up at Aurora; her ears drooped as she used her remaining energy to keep them airborne. The spell she had cast had sapped her of her strength. Agrius! We have to call Agrius! He made to reach for Sylfie’s pack only to find it half dissolved, cryptic conch and all.

“Hmm, how should I dispatch these three? Should I dice them into little pieces? Burn them to a crisp? Maybe I should feed them to my other pets. That’ll teach them a lesson,” Morgana pondered.

“I’d like to see you try!” Sylfie challenged, steeling herself. Sweat dripped down the side of her forehead as she tried to put on a fierce display.

“Don’t encourage her!” Ryu exclaimed. “Uh, miss demon—”

“That’s General Morgana to you, worm.”

“Y-yes, General Morgana, we were just in the area doing a bit of slime hunting and, well, we were ambushed by your pet, Slimey.”

“That isn’t Slimey’s fault!” the demon boomed. “He was just curious! But you killed him in cold blood without a second’s hesitation!”

“She’s not going to listen to reason, Ryu! We need to finish her off now!” Sylfie exclaimed.

“Finish her off how?!” he replied, incredulously.

Was she insane? Ryu could tell she was afraid, a slight tremble in the hand that held her dagger.

“Ha! Little miss elf wants to fight! At least she’s got guts! Very well then, I’ll humor your request,” Morgana grinned, deviously.

She reached down her throat, pulling out a brilliant sword, inlaid with gemstones and runes Ryu had never seen before. The blade was coated in an energy that burned deep crimson like the fires of Hades itself.

Sylfie recoiled at the sight.

“Creepy!” Aurora exclaimed.

“You know, maybe demons aren’t so bad—ow!” Ryu exclaimed as Sylfie kicked him in the shin.

“Save it for later!” she remarked.

“Now,” —Morgana licked the flat of her blade— “who’s first?”

“See, I feel like she’s trying to tell me somethi—ow!”

“Will you quit it?!” Sylfie exclaimed.

“He can’t help it, nya. It’s in his DNA. He was born stupid,” Aurora stated.

“Hey!” Ryu objected.

“Are you finished?!” Morgana interrupted, resting her blade on her shoulders. Her eye twitched as she ground her sharp teeth.

“Morgana, I really don’t think this is necessary,” the witch said again.

“I told you already, Faye, if we don’t enforce our territory and our things, no one will fear us! The title of general may as well be useless! Do you want adventurers infiltrating our home and stealing your potions' ingredients?”

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The witch frowned, mulling it over for a moment. She turned to her partner after some thought. “You’re right, let’s kill them.”

“That decision was way too fast!” Ryu started to sweat as Morgana grinned.

“These three are my prey,” she said, jetting towards them. Morgana raised her sword, swinging with brutal force. Aurora moved swiftly out the way, dodging slashes left and right as Sylfie blocked stray swipes with her dagger.

Ryu held on for dear life; it seemed like he was just there for the ride. He didn’t have any weapons with him, and if he manifested the [Aqua Staff] now, he was almost guaranteed to drop it in the forest below. This aerial battle couldn’t last long with Aurora in her current state and Sylfie unable to access her bow.

“Aurora! Bring us down! We’ll have a better chance on the ground!” he ordered.

“Aye aye!” Aurora obliged, diving below the trees. She set them on the ground, scrambling back into Ryu’s shirt.

He manifested the [Sapphire Pauldron], [Sapphire Gauntlets], and the [Aqua Staff], preparing himself for what was to come.

“You’re not getting away that easily!” Morgana shouted, diving into the forest after them. She landed thunderously, slicing the trees around them.

Sylfie drew her bow, sending several arrows coated in black liquid flying. Morgana cut them down with ease, catching the last arrow in-between two fingers. “Ha! You’ll need a lot more than that to—”

“Burn to Ash and Cinder: [Phoenix Fire]!”

The demon erupted in a blaze of glory, screaming. Ryu recognized the tactic from when they fought the Hibiscus Stag. The last arrow she had embedded in its hide had also been coated in the same black liquid. Oil! So that’s how she beat it.

Morgana swiped her sword, dispelling the flames with a gust of wind. She looked furious, gritting her teeth as she swung at them wildly. Ryu released bullets of water at high speeds against her, rolling out of the way as she shot red bolts of energy at him from her palm.

They weren’t doing any damage to her, only enraging her further with their attacks.

“Ryu! We need to take her sword away!” Sylfie shouted. “It’s probably strong enough to deal damage to her!”

“How?!”

“By stealing it of course!”

She was right, they still had the [Thief] skill at their disposal! Ryu tried to draw Morgana’s attention by shooting more bullets of water at her, but the demon wisened up to their tactics, slamming Sylfie’s hands with the flat of her blade.

Sylfie screamed in pain as she clutched her hands. They were broken.

“Goodbye, miss elf. Don’t worry, I’ll send your boyfriend and his pet with you shortly,” Morgana cackled as she lifted Sylfie by the neck, bringing her sword back near her waist.

“Sylfie!” Ryu called out to her as she kicked and struggled against the demon’s grip.

“Ryu! We beat the Slime King, nya! That’s an area boss! And you killed more than enough slimes in the forest today!” Aurora exclaimed.

Ryu’s eyes flashed. He knew what she meant. He couldn’t think for a second—he needed to act. Sylfie’s life was on the line.

He invoked [Thief], aiming for the sword near Morgana’s waist. There was a woosh! of wind as the spell hit its mark. Morgana looked stunned. So did Sylfie. Ryu frowned. The sword felt much softer than expected. It was much lighter too. He looked at the demon again, realizing that the sword he had targeted was still clutched tightly in her hand.

What was in his hand then? Ryu checked the item he had stolen, bringing it up to the moonlight. His eyes widened, mesmerized by the glorious prize he had obtained.

Morgana shook, dropping Sylfie to the ground. “N-no! Y-you! Give them back right now!” she exclaimed, covering herself with her sword and free hand.

“I refuse,” he said calmly.

Sylfie stared at him in horror.

“Ryu’s a monster, nya,” Aurora remarked.

“No, I am simply a man,” he replied.

“P-please!” Morgana exclaimed.

“Begone, demon! This will be your only warning! If you do not heed it, I will be forced to steal your other possessions as well!”

“N-no! Anything but that! I-I’ll leave! J-just stay away from me!” she screamed, flying off past Faye.

“H-hey! Morgana! Where are you going?! Aren’t you going to finish the job?” Faye called after her.

“I’ll remember this, adventurer!” Morgana yelled at Ryu as she left.

“Um,” —Faye looked down at the adventurers below— “Sorry for the trouble. We’ll kill you some other time,” she bowed and took her leave, flying after her companion.

That’s too polite!

“Cruel. That was cruel, Ryu,” Sylfie shuddered.

“I did what I had to do,” he said with a stoic expression.

“You could have taken the sword and given them back to her.”

“And what kind of message would that send? We have to teach the forces of evil not to mess with us adventurers!” he exclaimed, striking a heroic pose.

“What kind of message are you sending by stealing those,” she asked, pointing at Ryu’s hand.

“You just wanted to keep them, nya.” Aurora shook her head.

“Ha! As if that were my goal! I merely deduced the most efficient way to defeat our foe. I probably even earned a new title from this. What do you think it's going to say? Demon Vanquisher? Demon Slayer, perhaps?”

“Actually, I think the one you just received is much better than those,” Sylfie remarked.

Ryu checked his [Adventurer Title] with a smug expression. His ego quickly deflated like a balloon upon seeing his new title, however.

I can never return to town again.

[Title gained for second heroic feat!]

[New Adventurer Title: Demonic Panty Snatcher]