The scream reverberated through Wintermoon estate, alarming everyone. Melissa glanced at Percy for a moment and rushed to the Glacia Knight Order’s camp. The Glacia Knights were already up and rushing to put on their armor. Even though their armor pieces were easier to put on than ordinary pieces of metal as Artifacts with high magical attunement and special functions that made it easier to put them on, it took a few minutes before everyone was ready to fight.

Melissa spent those minutes, checking her equipment, retrieving potions – she handed a few to Percy, who accepted them without a word –, and check out the mansion.

The nobles, commonbirth Egos, and instructors rushed out of the mansion, their bodies either drenched in sweat or blood. Two instructors were badly injured, one of them missing an arm, and two more Instructors of the Imperial training were missing.

They’re probably dead.

Percy didn’t know how many Imperial prospects had been in the mansion, but the number emerging from it was less than expected.

“Heaven bless if the rest of them took the day off to roam the forest,” Melissa mumbled, but Percy was unsure if that would have been better.

I don’t know how many Demons are in the Moonlight Forest. We saw dozens, and there are probably a lot more.

Terrifying screeches and eerie gaggling resounded through the Wintermoon estate as if on cue. Several windows of the mansion shattered, and Archyeas and other Lesser Demons, which Percy had never seen before, jumped out of them. Simultaneously, a handful of shadows emerged on the mansion’s rooftop.

They weren’t as tall as the Elite Demons, but [Hawk Eyes] tracked them immediately, The shadows were the size of an adult man and were covered in coats and masks. From a simple glance, Percy couldn’t tell whether they were demons hiding their appearance or if they were…human. But that didn’t matter at this moment. Their identity might be crucial later, but survival was Percy’s utmost priority right now.

Thus, his attention trailed to an oddly familiar crimson marble levitating between the masked enemies.

“An Infernal Lair,” Percy pointed at the marble, pulling Melissa’s attention to the rooftop.

“There are probably multiple Infernal Lair Seeds like the one we’ve encountered in the mansion,” Melissa cursed, retrieving her Wand Artifact to jump into action.

“How did they get through the Demon Ward?” Ulfhar asked quietly, forcing Melissa to halt in her tracks.

“I…don’t know,” She responded, while clutching the wooden wand tightly, “But I do know the Demon Ward in the Wintermoon estate would have sensed powerful demonic essences. The Infernal Lair Seeds were probably perfectly concealed and will release only a few dozen Lesser Demons and some Elite Demons into the Wintermoon estate before their energy is used up. A fully nurtured Infernal Lair Seed wouldn’t have made it through the Ward!”

Even if there was a handful of Infernal Lair Seeds like the one they’d cleared, nothing bad should happen. The Glacia Knights were strong enough to deal with one half-nourished Infernal Lair. There were almost a dozen Orders, and dozens of Egos stronger than the average Knight present. As long as the Knight Captains and Instructors fought the strongest Elite Demons, the Wintermoon estate and every living in it should survive.

Unfortunately, that would have been too easy.

Percy’s attention pulled back to the Infernal Lair Seed while the masses of Demons surged out of the mansion.

Something about this is off. What are those shadowy figures doing? And why is the Seed’s color changing?

Percy was right when he thought something big was about to happen. He held his breath as the Infernal Lair seed levitated above the mansion. The shadowy figures jumped from the rooftop and landed amid the crowd of Demons, leaving the levitating marble alone.

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The marble changed into a deep violet tone as it comprised, but the changes didn’t last long. [Hawk Eyes] improved Percy’s vision enough to see tiny cracks in the compressed seed. The Infernal Lair Seed was transformed into something else and exploded.

A large shockwave, eerily black in color, swept through the clearing, tearing the mansion’s rooftop apart before moving onward. The shockwave’s destructive power decreased drastically once the rooftop was no more, but Percy had a bad feeling. His Ego reacted violently, stirring within him as the shockwave swept through him. The shockwave didn’t harm him, yet something happened.

The shockwave left behind remnants of the same vibrant violet color the Infernal Lair Seed had changed into. It didn’t affect Percy directly, but he sensed several changes in the surroundings. The Blueflame Hawk, which Percy had summoned earlier, fell from the sky and stopped moving. It wasn’t dead, but the shockwave did something to it. Percy reached down to capture the Blueflame Hawk, but something unexpected happened when it landed in his arms.

The Blueflame Hawk was pulled back into Percy the moment they touched.

I cannot sense the Gnoll Warrior, either. Whatever this is, this prevents me, and probably everyone else, from summoning our Monsters. Their Augmentations are still present and unchanged, but this mixture of demonic essence and whatever it is mixed with restrains all Monster Cards and…

Percy’s eyes fell upon Ulfhar, who collapsed to the ground. He was still alive and didn’t seem injured, but his head was covered in beads of sweat. Something was happening to Ulfhar and some other Knights all over the clearing, yet they didn’t seem physically injured.

“Doom of Power,” Melissa cursed, “They’re going all out.”

She noticed Percy’s confusion but didn’t go into detail. Instead, she ordered Knight Liam and others to bring Ulfhar into safety while Igor approached Michael, his Sword Artifact unsheathed.

“Doom of Power is an exotic device of the Demons of the seven hells. It’s rarely used because it restrains all powerhouses above the Elite Tier. This includes Demons. We block our channel to the Monster Cards too, but this is not as bad as it sounds…if you want to stay positive.”

Percy raised an eyebrow, but Igor only shrugged.

“At least, the Doom of Power drains the Demons’ demonic essences to keep it active.”

So, Elite Demons will be our strongest adversary, and they cannot fool around with their demonic essence, either? That’s good…if not for losing Ulfhar and the other Knight Captains to the Doom of Power. This will be a lot more bloody than I was hoping for.

Even though Percy would have loved to learn more and prepare for the worst-case scenario, there was no more time to talk. The Archyeas and other Lesser Demons had already reached the camps.

“Think of the Demons as my property, please!” Percy shouted in the group of Glacia Knights, “I will return the favor with some nice Sword Artifacts later.”

Since the Glacia Knights knew what Percy was talking about, they nodded silently and formed a defensive formation around Melissa, who walked ahead. She formed several icicles as thick as her fists and released them with a burst of energy. The first barrage of icicles didn’t even hit the Lesser Demons when the second round had already been formed.

The first icicles exploded in the eye socket of one Lesser Demon and hit the wings of two Archyeas. The former died, while the latter lost their momentum. The second barrage of icicles struck the Archyeas and killed them.

Percy was impressed at the display of Melissa’s power. She had grown much stronger in the last few months. But that was expected. Percy was the same, after all.

He charged forward, [Sharpness] and [Frostbite] enhancing the Silvron Sword. [Hawk Eyes] was also full in motion, just like [Blade Mastery] as he emerged before the first three Lesser Demons. One looked like a smaller and very dark version of a crippled Minotaur, while the two others were oversized Gnolls with black eyes, hide, and an overwhelmingly disgusting smell.

Percy studied the three Lesser Demons, determined their prowess, movement, and most likely course of action, and responded accordingly. He blocked the first Demonic Gnoll’s claw and froze it with [Frostbite]. He twisted the blade as he blocked the attack to retain momentum, which he needed to spin around and inflict mild cuts across the other two Lesser Demons’ chests. [Sharpness] ensured the blade cut deep enough into their chest to do some damage, while [Frostbite] froze the flesh around the wound.

The frozen bits and pieces of flesh cracked and fell apart when the Lesser Demons moved, worsening the injury.

The corners of Percy’s lips tilted upward.

Since you’ve attacked us, I might as well reap some benefits. You guys better die quickly. My Ego is hungry!