“Let's launch an attack.” Aster declared in a solemn voice, which created different reactions between his two companions.

'Seriously?'

Twy had his mouth wide open. He didn't think that his cautious partner would take this kind of risk.

Meanwhile, Eliza raised both her hands in the air as she cheered in a silent manner. “Yes. We're going to fight...!”

She was about to rush into the corner by herself when Aster grabbed her shoulder.

“We're not going to fight in a straightforward battle.” he took his hand back before explaining his plans to them, “First we have to separate them.”

Eliza turned to face him. Her small head is tilted to the side. “How would we do that? They're all inside the hall.”

“Who says we have to fight them inside?” the young man flashed an evil smirk.

'I see why he's confident.' Twy was enlightened. 'He already had some kind of plan in that head of his.'

•••

Inside a square room with a luminescent forest of moss. There are four goblins, with tattered skins, trampling on the viridescent paradise.

In the air was the imp, floating with the use of magic and its wings. It was chomping on hideous centipedes like they're thick chinese noodles.

Here these demons gathered with one mission: to stop anyone with the courage and ambition to go beyond.

The room all seemed peaceful, that was until the goblins' elongated ears... twitched.

In the corridor before the room, a pebble bounced off the stone path. It created a soft, but distinctively sharp sound.

The goblins turned to look at the path, but after a moment their eyes went back looking at the butterflies after they did not see anyone.

Only the imp's gaze didn't leave the corridor. Still, it didn't move to check and instead put another insect into its mouth.

The tranquility was once again disrupted. This time the stone hit one of the goblin's back.

Anger rushed up in the head of that demon; it ran towards the corridor seeking bloody revenge on the culprit. The other goblins just watched it charged forward, while the imp summoned a purple ball of flame.

The wrath-filled goblin vanished... swallowed by the darkness of the corridor. Silence reigned the hall, once again.

The imp acted like it was about to throw the fireball when—

The demon that rushed forward with no thought was thrown back into the room. It landed a few meters away from the imp, whether it was alive or not—it doesn't know.

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And it wasn't given any time to check as suddenly two humans emerged from the path and charged towards them.

The imp grinned, showing its malevolent teeth with guts and carapaces of insects in the gaps.

“Kikiki.”

It threw the fireball towards their assailants before it flapped its wings. The imp ascended until its big head almost touched the ceiling.

Below, Aster and Eliza ran separately. They both dodged the ball of flames as they charged towards the standing goblins.

The young man took one, while the bare-fisted young lady fought two.

Aster sprinted and slashed his sword overhead.

The goblin stepped back in alarm, but he suddenly stomped his right foot forward and changed the track of his sword. From a slash his attack turned into a thrust which pierced half the goblin's neck.

“Mine!”

Before Aster could finish it off, Eliza's high-pitched voice resounded around the room.

The young man immediately lunged to the side of the demon. His shield glowed with dark luster as he shouted in his mind.

'Shield Bash!'

He gritted his teeth and used his round shield like a battering ram. It rammed against the goblin's side which created a resounding impact that made his ears ring.

The demon though was successfully sent flying to where Eliza is fighting.

She was surrounded by two goblins and a purple fireball heading towards her head. Yet the girl only grinned.

When she heard the sound coming from her left, Eliza jumped and rotated mid-air before giving an upward kick. The heels of her boot connected which set the goblin in the path of the fireball.

Once she landed on all fours her boots and rings glowed before she sprinted through the demons, heading toward the fallen goblin.

Aster gazed at the two goblin 'welcomed' their fiery friend before he turned his head upwards. There he saw the imp without its trademarked grin and instead, it was glaring at them with murderous eyes.

The young man steadied his breathing and sheathed his sword; his hand held the edge of his shield. He then lowered his body and positioned his right arm like he was going to throw a javelin.

The moment he saw a fireball forming on the imp's palm, he shouted, “Go!”

Eliza who had taken hold of the fallen goblin's leg spun while holding it. After she heard Aster's signal she released her grip.

“Go fly high, Twy!”

The goblin's body flew in the air heading towards the shocked imp. Twy who's hidden from its sight was clutching for his dear life on the abdominal flesh of the demon.

'Fuck you Aster and your fucking plan!'

The kitten caught a glimpse of Aster's shield flying past him and braced for the impact that came after.

The body of the goblin spun forward due to the explosion and now, it placed Twy on top.

The view of the enemy had never been clearer to Twilight before... the minute muscle movements of its hideous face which turned from grim to despair—everything, everything came to a slow motion in his eyes.

However, instead of gloating on his enemy's fear, his whole focus was solely inside his body. From the collision of his mana to the outbursts of energy that was its result, and finally from focusing the most of that energy unto his right claws.

Twy jumped off the body. He traveled at a slow speed— no, in his perception he moved like a snail. The moment his close to the imp, he swiped his paw from right to left... like he is tearing the space in front of him.

'Burst Cut.'

Before Twy could realize it the figure of his enemy vanished and his nose was almost touching the ceiling. Yet before that happened the gravity beckoned him back to the ground.

'Damn, I'm falling!' he instinctively paddle his legs like he's in the water, but it didn't help. In his panic, he started cursing his partner.

'Fuck you Aster! It's all because of that stupid plan. Now I'm going to die young again!'

However, before he could even start to think what form would he be in his next life, Twy landed. Not in the hard, mossy floor but instead in the firm arms of someone.

The kitten looked up and saw Aster's teasing smile. “Aren't cats good at landing why are you so scared?”

Twy who's a man inside almost cried in relief. Even if he experienced death once, who would like to experience it twice?

But his good feelings didn't last after his sensitive ears caught wind of Aster's murmur.

“A landing practice must be added to his training routine...”

'Fuck you!!'

•••