"Ah — " Leaf's scream suddenly came from behind.

Ashes turned around and found the wind did not disappear but only weakened. It sent Leaf flying into the air.

At the same time, the Magic Slayer materialized behind her.

"How... is that possible?"

The cyclone should be a form of magic power, and it did not make sense that the G.o.d's Stone of Retaliation had failed to block it.

Ashes could not afford to give it much thought. She aimed the sword at her opponent's neck.

However, the demon blocked her strike with one single hand. At this point, Ashes clearly saw its arm emanate blue light.

The Magic Slayer did not spare her another glance before he conjured another wisp of wind that made Leaf drift even farther.

"It's... picking on Leaf only!"

Ashes followed at its heels, but the Magic Slayer managed to keep her at a distance. Leaf attempted to fight back, but the Magic Slayer pinned her down with a wave. Not able to concentrate her mind and summon her power, Leaf became utterly defenseless under the firm clutch of her enemy.

"Is this how a Senior Demon controls its power?" thought Ashes, her palms starting to sweat. It not only subdued Leaf but also deflected her attack effortlessly. If she could not keep pace with the demon, the demon would probably kill Leaf in the end.

Ashes had never been so strained before.

"Faster, just a little faster!"

For the past two years, Ashes had been following Taquila witches' training routine and noticed a drastic change in her physique. Her magic power increased and her body was well nourished by the magic. Sometimes, she even had a feeling that her magic power was gradually taking place of her flesh and blood.

Yet this was not enough.

She must move faster to save Leaf.

And protect the people she wanted to protect.

Ashes concentrated her mind to summon her power. During the holy duel with Lorgar, she had discovered a unique combat technique, which was to direct all her power to a specific body part to strengthen and enhance it. This was also the reason why the wolf girl could transform her each limb separately.

Since the Magic Slayer was not paying particular attention to Ashes, Ashes could focus her mind. As the surrounding magic power was in disarray, she could sense the flow of the magic power in her body more acutely.

After the demon distanced itself from Ashes for the fourth time, Ashes was around 20 meters behind. The demon brushed away the vines conjured by Leaf and attempted to s.n.a.t.c.h her by the chest.

It seemed that Leaf was doomed.

However, at this very moment, Ashes mustered all her strength and kicked at a big tree!

For a split second, her hand touched something.

She streaked at the Magic Slayer like a bolt of lightning. Time appeared to have stopped. She could almost "see" the crushed tree crumple underneath her kick, its twigs and branches flying in midair and slumping heavily on the gra.s.s.

The Magic Slayer, for the first time, stopped and used its arms to block her strike.

"WHAM! BANG!"

The Magic Slayer was thrown into the air. It flew through the air several meters and performed a double somersault before it landed on the ground.

In the meantime, Ashes caught falling Leaf and blocked further attacks from the demon.

"Hmm..." The Magic Slayer raised its brows and, for the first time, showed some interest.

"Fire!"

Just then, the reinforcement Ashes had been waiting for finally arrived. The G.o.d's Punishment Witches stationed at the terminus station jumped out of the bushes and aimed their grapeshot guns at the demon. Thunderous roars pierced the air above the forest. As bullets hailed down, the demon flitted from tree to tree like a fleeting ghost to dogde sh.e.l.ls. In the midst of flying tree bark and crumbs, its blue light flickered.

A short way farther on, there came a ruffling of footsteps. Apparently, the First Army had surrounded the forest.

The demon cast Ashes one last glance and leaped off. With a surge of magic power, it soared into the sky and vanished into the darkness.

"d.a.m.n it," the leading G.o.d's Punishment Witch spat. She crouched down in front of Ashes and asked, "I'm Elena. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." Ashes answered while looking at half-unconscious Leaf. She wiped the blood off Leaf's face and said, "But she needs treatment."

"Rest a.s.sured," Elena said. "Miss Nana and Miss Nightfall are on their way."

As soon as the Upgraded descended to the ground, a junior guard greeted him.

"Sir Ursrook, your air tank."

Before the guard finished, Ursrook s.n.a.t.c.hed the tank from him and inhaled deeply.

"Awh——"

After a long silence, Ursrook handed the tank to the guard and said, "Get a new one for me."

"Yes, sir."

The guard took out the old tank and implanted a new one in his spine. This was a more convenient and faster way to breathe as it did not require armor for transporation.

"How about your trip..."

"Had a little problem, but I antic.i.p.ated that earlier," Ursrook replied expressionlessly. "That's men's territory. If I couldn't even deal with that, I would doubt about Kabradhabi's loyalty."

"No, that wasn't your real power," the guard defended his master hotly. "The air tank limited your power. If you were around the Birth Tower, those low lives would have been no match for you, sir!"

Summoning magic power would significantly reduce a Senior Demon's health points. To maintain a certain number of health points for a safe return, he had to reserve some of his power when combatting with the witches.

"I was just planning to bait the hook this time. Next time, I'll pick a place more favorable to us for a fair duel," Ursrook looked in the direction of the southern forest and mumbled, "A place for their perpetual rest..."

"If only the Sky Lord could give you more support," the guard complained indignantly. "In that case, you don't have to risk yourself, and the Birth Tower in Taquila..."

"Risk myself?" Ursrook interjected, "I actually feel it quite interesting. I prefer to go check myself rather than simply relying on others' reports." He dug a deformed steel bead out of his armor and studied it attentively. "The awakened females haven't improved a bit, but the males, who used to have no magic power, are now somewhat different. It turns out that human beings aren't completely useless... If only I could get to know more about them."

The guard did not reply but looked apparently disapproving.

Ursrook put the steel bead in his inner pocket airily and continued, "As for the lord... I believe he must have done his best. It's just that the king has his own problems and considerations. We don't need to be too frustrated about it. After all, our ultimate goal is to reach a higher realm, and that's the reason we fight, isn't it?"

"Yes... you're right," the guard muttered while bowing his head.

"Let's retreat, and take the 'tombstone'. It's a long journey to Taquila," Ursrook instructed as he slowly rose into the air and turned in the direction of the ruins. "Now, we've set the hook. We're just going to wait for the fish."

"Until it's time to haul in our net."

"We'll surely meet again one day."