?


    "The demon could speak? How is that possible?" I questioned, my mind reeling with the revtion.


    It went against everything I knew about demons. Only high-ranking demons possessed the ability to speak, and this demon before us seemed far stronger than any ordinary intermediate rank monsters.


    Then that meant that the demon in front of us is definitely far stronger than what we had taught of.


    But what troubled me the most is not the fact that it could speak but that, it was telling us to run away.


    "Hey, Zephyr! Did you hear that?" I eximed, turning towards Zephyr.


    Zephyr scoffed, his expression a mixture of confusion and frustration. "Do you think I''m deaf? Of course, I heard it. That monster just spoke!"


    "That monster, just spoke!!"


    "I can hear it too!"


    My anxiety boiled over, and I couldn''t contain my anger. "You bastard, you told me it was a low-rank exile, then an intermediate one. Now it turns out there is a demon capable of speech? Are you trying to get me killed?" I shouted, my eyes darting between the demon and Zephyr.


    Zephyr''s tone hardened as he responded, his frustration mirroring my own. "Do you think I had dreams that this demon would appear here? I''m just as confused as you are, damn it."


    There was no use in talking with Zephyr, I had to do something.


    Frustrated with our conversation going in circles, I knew I had to take action. Zephyr had cleared this exile in his previous life, so there had to be a way to defeat it. I needed to think calmly, to find a solution amidst the chaos.


    "Calm down, Eren," I repeated to myself, willing my racing heart to slow. I had to focus on the task at hand and find a way out of this dangerous situation.


    But before I could gather my thoughts, the demon lunged into action. It vanished from its original position with a fluid motion, unsheathing its katana in a disy of deadly elegance. The air crackled with power as the king of oni made its move, its speed and precision unmatched.


    "....!"


    Caught off guard, Zephyr barely had time to react as the demon appeared before him in a blur.


    -Ack!


    The sound of metal meeting metal echoed through the air as Zephyr defended against the demon''s swift strike, their weapons shing with force.


    -ng!


    The impact sent Zephyr flying through the air, his sword slipping from his grasp. My face paled, witnessing the devastating blow.


    ''Forget about calming down! If I take a hit like that, I''m done for,'' I realized, the fear gripping me tightly.


    But the demon wasn''t finished. It leaped forward, ready to deliver another blow to Zephyr.


    "Ahhhhh! F*ck it!"


    Finally mustering the courage to act, I moved swiftly, determined to intercept the demon before it reached Zephyr. I fired a bullet from my gun, knowing it would be futile against the demon''s defenses. But my intention was to distract it, to divert its attention from Zephyr, even if only for a moment.


    And I seeded in doing so as my bullet hit the mark on it''s shoulder but it failed to do any damage to the demon, it''s skin was as thick as an iron shield.


    But in exchange, it''s concentration was now on me.


    In turn, the demon''s focus shifted toward me, its eyes filled with a mix of anger and annoyance. "I''m dead meat," I muttered under my breath, bracing myself for the imminent sh.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Unsheathing my sword, I charged at the demon, prepared to face my own mortality. But before I could reach it, Zephyr appeared in front of the demon, his entire body surrounded by flickering electric shes that momentarily disoriented me.


    He had managed to grab hold of his sword once again in the short time I brought for him.


    "Matchless swordsmanship, 1st move," Zephyr''s voice resounded in my ears.


    In an instant, a ck line appeared horizontally in front of me, as if the very fabric of space had been split in two.


    "cknces, Last strike"


    I stood in awe, witnessing the incredible swordsmanship unfolding before me. Zephyr, who had been behind the demon, now stood on the opposite side in a matter of seconds.


    The ck line passed through the demon, and just when I thought it had dealt a critical blow, I heard a resounding sh.


    -ng!


    The demon had deflected Zephyr''s attack with its katana, blocking the devastating strike.


    "Run awayyyy..." the demon growled once again, its actions contradicting its words.


    "Tch," Zephyr clicked his tongue in frustration. Despite the setback, he didn''t back down, continuing his engagement with the demon. I joined in, seizing every opportunity to aid him in the fight.


    The battle unfolded in a flurry of strikes and parries, the sh of des filling the air. Each move showcased the skills and resilience of both sides.


    The demon despite its tattered state, exhibited a masterfulmand over the de, its strikes heavy and precise. While we relied on the agility of zephyr and my asional disturbance shots to counter the demon''s onught.


    Zephyr, with his closebat expertise, engaged the king of Oni''s in a dance of des, their swords meeting with lightning speed. He sought to exploit any opening, any vulnerability he could find in the demon''s relentless assault. But was unsessful so far.


    Meanwhile, I fired my gun when ever the opportunity arrived and switching back to defense when Zephyr was pushed back.


    As we fought, I couldn''t help but marvel at Zephyr''s power.


    ''This guy! how strong is he?''


    He is using aura de that only 3-star knight and above could use and that too he was using it from the start of the battle, not to mention the strength he exerted was obliviously more than that of a peak 3-star knight.


    Maybe he is at 4-star level.


    His techniques surpassed those of a typical three-star knight, utilizing aura des and disying the matchless swordsmanship.


    "He''s already at the level of an average mercenary," I realized, amazed by his prowess.


    But what puzzled me even more was the demon''s ability to effortlessly parry all of Zephyr''s attacks. It seemed impervious to our assaults, and my bullets merely irritated it at best.


    "How the hell are we supposed to defeat this demon?" I muttered, feeling the weight of the battle pressing upon us.


    ---***---


    ~~Please read Author''s thought~~