>BOOOOOOMMMM!!!<


    Explosions surged forth as the retreating Demons burst into mes.


    One after the other, they were rendered into cinders by Lucy''s sh.


    The further they ran, the lesser they became.


    Still, the Demons kept running, since that was the only way to guarantee survival.


    By the time the Northern area was in view, only about a dozen Demons were left.


    The hole they had created to initiate their invasion was in sight, causing the Demons to run even faster—if that was even possible.


    Lucy felt them escape her grasp, but it wasn''t because they had miraculously be more adept at running.


    No, it was the opposite.


    ''I''m... already getting tired?''


    Lucy was distraught, but her mission remained the same.


    She would kill the Demons if it was thest thing she did.


    From beyond the broken-down walls, Lucy could hear explosions, but she ignored them.


    Sooner orter, they would all die by her de!


    Focusing on thest dozen Demons in view, Lucy kept moving and ying them, but thanks to her exhausted state, about seven of them escaped her grasp and crossed the wall.


    She could hear them screech for joy, their demonic sounds grating in her ears.


    ''You won''t escape!'' Resolving this in her heart, Lucy clenched her teeth and ran broke through the walls.


    >BOOOOOMMMM!!!<


    Debris flew in multiple directions as the unstoppable warrior clung to her de and appeared majestically—or more like a wild, unrestrained beast.


    "RAHHHHH!!!" She let out a devastating roar and looked around for the enemies.


    However, what Lucy saw... was enough to calm the fierce rage in her heart.


    "Hoho, strong one. You strong one." A feminine voice echoed in the air, causing Lucy to shiver.


    ''This... this is...!!!''


    The pressure she had been feeling all along began converging in a single direction.


    As the personification of terror made its appearance, the redhead knew...


    "Me. Stronger."


    ... That the perpetrator of the chaos was right in front of her.


    ***********


    Having a feminine body, the fiendish Demon was grinning in excitement.


    She looked just an adult human woman—though more savage than normal.


    Her hands and legs were covered in darkness, though, and the nails protruding out of them resembled ws.


    Between her perky breasts was a glowing red core that served as the Demon''s core.


    The gleaming gem was so exposed, yet the power the Demon disyed was enough to let those around her know how delusional they would be in assuming she was vulnerable.


    Horns proceeded from her long, ck hair, and her fangs were disyed thanks to her smile.


    Her eyes glowed red, and her body was currently enveloped in fiery Demonic Energy.


    The terrifying half-human-looking, and half-monster-looking, creature had a ck tail dancing behind her and she licked her lips in anticipation.


    At least a hundred lower-ss Demons were behind her. This was clearly a trap... and they had drawn in their prey.


    Standing by her lonesome was the slightly exhausted redhead. The mes that burned around her didn''t flicker as intensely as they did some minutes ago, but she wasn''t down for the count.


    Still, she did not move.


    The stale air around both sides seemed so choking, yet no party made any move.


    The human girl, though masking it with a facade of bravado, was actually terrified.


    Why?


    It was because she knew the nature of her opponent very well.


    "You''re... you''re a Middle-Rank Demon!" Lucy bellowed, ring at the enemy with both anger and fear.


    Other than the fact that she was outnumbered, Lucy already realized that she was outmatched.


    The reason was simple...


    A Level 30 Warrior like her was no match for a Middle-Rank Demon—at least, not alone.


    "Haa... haa..." Sharp exhtions escaped Lucy''s lips and her mind went to work in a sh.


    ''In terms of Level, we could be about the same, but the Stats difference can''t bepared.''


    Demons in their base form were naturally superior to humans, that was no secret.


    ''She also seems to be in peak condition, and she has backup... but I''m exhausted already. How much longer will Ist?''


    Lucy felt her Mana drain quickly, and she was already feeling her body ache.


    She didn''tst as long when facing the Hero, but after their fight, Lucy had ensured she trained her stamina and fortitude well.


    She was stronger than in the past, but her overall limits remained the same.


    ''Can I win? I doubt it...''


    If only Sarah was present. The two of them would have been able to put up a decent fight—probably even kill the Middle-Rank Demon.


    Whether they would be able to achieve that, and also kill the several Lower Rank ones present, was a different question entirely.


    "Come. Fight. You. Lose. Me. Win!" The Middle-Rank Demon was crude atnguage, but her ability to converse was a testament to her intelligence.


    She wouldn''t be an easy foe to fight.


    "But... I have no choice..." Lucy brandished her de, and the red aura around her burned even brighter.


    "... He... he entrusted me with this ce." The de seemed heavier than normal, but Lucy did not stop gripping it.


    Now supporting her hold with two hands, she took her stance and gave a determined gaze.


    "I... I will... I will protect this ce no matter what!"


    "Good! Good! Fight meeeee!!!" The Demon sharpened her ws and manicallyughed, ready to have some fun with the human.


    "Taboo Skill: Crimson Warrior!"


    >BOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!<


    A whirlwind of red energy, dark and sinister, swirled around Lucy, and her body glowed with a more terrifying kind of Mana.


    "Taboo Skill?!" The Middle-Rank Demon grinned with excitement.


    She felt the hair on her body stand up, but the crude being cared for nothing but violence and bloodshed.


    The desire for chaos flowed in her veins, and she hadn''t gotten nearly enough to satiate her hunger.


    >SHUUUUUUUUUU!!!<


    The energy settled, converging on the human girl, as her body waspletely dyed in red.


    "When you reach the peak of human power..." Lucy held her sword tightly.


    It was overflowing with aura—immense, deep aura.


    "... When you reach the limit of your capacity..."


    Her eyes were nowpletely red—the whites and all.


    "... You receive a Skill."


    It was the trump card of anyone who reached Level 30, but also their greatest weakness.


    **************


    The Taboo Skill.


    It is like a monkey''s paw—one that gives and also takes away.


    Desiring more power after reaching the zenith, exceptional individuals are granted one Skill that transcends their limits.


    No one knows why this system exists.


    Perhaps this is the way the world mocks the powerless, or takes pity on them.


    A taste of godly power is given, and weaklings are thrust into a temporary state of absolute strength.


    But, for this power, there is a consequence...


    [ALERT!]


    [Taboo Skill Has Been Activated]


    <All Stats, Skills, Levels, and umted Experience will be reset after the duration of this Skill>


    ~You May Lose Your Life~


    [Do You ept?]


    ... That is, the loss of everything one had built up for their lifetime.


    The price for temporary absolute power... is the permanent return to a state of weakness.


    **************


    "I ACCEPT!"


    >VWWOOOOOOOSSSSHHHHH!!!<


    In a red blur, Lucy charged at the Middle-Rank Demon, ready to tear her to pieces.


    "Heuk!"


    Her de descended on the Demon, causing blood to spurt out instantly.


    ''Tch! Too shallow!'' Lucy growled internally, seeing that the monster intentionally stepped back to avoid a fatal hit.


    ''Shit!''


    Quickening her flow, Lucy leaped forward, determined to finish the job quickly.


    ''Just one strike and I can already feel myself losing consciousness.''


    There was no way she could turn back now.


    Even if she had to die in the process, Lucy was determined to end the enemy''s life.


    "RAHHHHH!!!"


    Her de descended once more, causing the space around her to distort.


    Her Mana burned bright, and this time, it was clear that she had the upper hand.


    However—


    >WHOOSH<


    —The Demon vanished.


    "Wha—??!"


    Before Lucy could make sense of the situation, a ball of mes exploded behind her, causing her to scream as she was propelled forward.


    "ARRGHHH!!!"


    More sts exploded around Lucy, and amid the confusion and pain, she spotted the Middle-Rank Demon a distance away, and her Lower-Rank Lackeysbining their meager Miasma to form basic Fireball Spells.


    ''Tch!''


    Lucy leaped into action and dodged their flurry of assaults, but the consecutive volleys began to get annoying.


    ''She''s hiding behind her troops. I have to pass through them to get to her!''


    With that in mind, Lucy charged onward, deflecting the mes that were in her way.


    "Faster! Faster! Faster!"


    >BOOOOMMM!!!<


    The ground ruptured and debris flew in every direction as she cleared the Demons in her path.


    Everything was to reach her main opponent and kill her.


    Sessfully mowing down everything directly in her path, Lucy moved in her straight line and reached the Middle-Rank Demon.


    Unfortunately—


    "You. Stupid!"


    —There was yet another trap waiting in store for her.


    "Die. Human!"


    A glowing Magic Circle apeared right underneath Lucy, and she was in no position to avoid the effects that manifested.


    It was literally toote.