“Chase after them!”


    Deep in the middle of a rocky canyon, fifteen silhouettes leapt from rock to rock, chasing over dozens of shadows. However, those shadows weren’t just formless entities, they were horrid monsters in all different shapes and sizes. Some of them were feral versions of apex felines like tigers or lions, while others were oundishly overgrown versions of ostriches and other sturdy flightless birds. But no matter what their features were, they all shared the same, distinct attribute… They all weren’t from this world.


    “We can’t let a single Outer Demon escape! Surround them now!”


    The fifteen humanoids continued their wild chase, not willing to leave a single inch for the Outer Demons. Amazingly, once they’d reached an eptable distance, over half of the humanoids started to change rapidly.


    Their muscles expanded and their flesh-coloured skin was soon covered in grey fur. Their human heads extended in an unnatural manner, with their face being pulled straight out, turning into a savage image of a wolf’s snout. Their hands turned into razor-sharp ws and their feet expanded to sasquatch-like proportions.


    “Awoooooo!!!”


    Howls that could send chills down anyone’s spine echoed through the canyons, stunning the Outer Demons for a moment as they unconsciously looked backwards. However, that was a brutal mistake. The moment they stopped for just one second, their chasers took advantage and pounced.


    Several of the half-man, half-beasts disappeared from their line of sight as they gushed forward faster than the wind could chase them. With the physical might surpassing that of any living creature on the, the predators sent flying ws through the Outer Demons’ flesh, turning them into nothing more than a meaty paste.


    One after the other, the mythical beings tore their opponents to shreds. Like predators that hunted purely for sport, the half-men didn’t bother to consume their prey. After killing one Outer Demon, they skipped to the next one. And the next one. And the next one. Eventually, the numerous Outer Demons had been reduced by half before the rest of the party even got involved.


    And that wasn’t going to fly.


    “Don’t let the Werewolves hog the spotlight! We can’t let them im all the credit!”


    One of the Vampires blurted out with a reddened face. Being physically inferior, the Vampires were exhausted by the chase and could only watch as their allies got one step ahead of them. However, now that they’d caught up, there was no way they could let the Werewolves do all the work._-.


    All of the remaining Vampires rushed out with what remaining energy they had left and started to cast their spells. Fireballs, Earth Spikes, Lightning Strikes…


    A myriad of spells was cast, smiting down several of the remaining Outer Demons that were fortunate enough to escape the Werewolves’ onught. And as it stood, the Outer Demons that dared to invade were going to bepletely wiped.


    But before the final Outer Demon could be exterminated…


    “SCREEEEE!!!”


    “Fucking-…!!!”


    A pterodactyl-shaped Outer Demon swooped in from the skies with its ws extended and beakpletely open. Being the predator it was, the Outer Demon didn’t go for the physically superior Werewolves that ripped itspatriots into pieces, but rather, it aimed at the weakest link.


    An ignorant True Vampire, who had barely trained his body. Exhausted from all of the running, his senses were dulled significantly and he wasn’t able to sense the danger until it was toote. The pterodactyl swooped in with a vengeance hidden within its furious eyes.


    If it was going to die, it was at least going to take one of its hunters with it.


    But before the Outer Demon could rip the heart out of its opponent… A ck dart bolted faster than the speed of sound, crashing straight at the pterodactyl which sent it flying dozens of metres away.


    As the Outer Demon crashed onto the ground, it wailed out in agony, unsure of what foreign object had changed its trajectory. With a mournful yelp, it looked down at its chest, only to see a magnificent ck ymore protruding out of its body.


    It attempted to move, but the sword had impaled itself deep into the hard rock. And just before it could regain its bearings, a ck ember flickered from the edges of the ymore and it quickly ignited into a zing me which engulfed the Outer Demon whole.


    The Vampire who was almost maimed by the Outer Demon gulped cautiously as it had almost had his soul reaped. And with bated breath, the man turned in the direction where the ck ymore hade from, hoping to figure out the identity of his saviour.


    And it didn’t take long before the Vampire got his answer.


    Sashaying indifferently as if they weren’t on a battlefield, a young woman that was covered from the neck down in an obsidian and silver battle suit emerged seemingly out of nowhere. The suit possessed high defensive capabilities, even though it was extremely slim-fitting which allowed the user to have a high degree of manoeuvrability and breathable air. Which was greatly needed, given that the woman was exceedingly tall and had extreme curves that would prove hard to restrain in battle.


    As the young woman approached the Vampire, she tapped once under her chin, which forcibly retracted the helmet which covered her face. At that moment, the Vampire that she’d saved unwittingly sucked in his own breath as he marvelled at the perfect features of the female warrior who saved him.


    Her silky ck hair flowed effortlessly down to her shoulders, not extending a centimetre farther. However, that wasn’t a bad thing at all, as they highlighted much of her unlined, sculpted face. Her pointed nose and small mouth seemed uncharacteristic for a rough warrior such as herself, but it only added to her charm. And most importantly…


    The woman’s deep agate cat-like eyes.


    They stared deep into her opponent’s souls, enticing any men who dared to peer within them.


    “Are you alright?”


    “Mistress Ysabelle!” The Vampire abruptly stood up in attention and saluted the woman. “Thank you for saving my wretched life! I’m deeply honoured that you took the time to save a worthless soul like mine!!!”


    “Yeah…”


    The woman named Ysabelle frowned slightly and confirmed the safety of her subordinate. Once she realised that there wasn’t any significant injury, she lost all interest in the man and turned away.


    “Rest up. Once we’ve annihted the Outer Demons, we’ll be returning to camp.”


    “U-Understood!”


    The ck-haired Vampire shook her head before turning to the other soldiers around her. Mainly, the Werewolves that were busy tearing the remnants of the Outer Demons flesh by flesh. Although she was appalled by the sights, the woman still walked up to them and said:


    “Captain, pull back your men.”


    “Why? Are your men too tired to continue?”


    In contrast to the respectful tone that the Vampires gave her, the Werewolves weren’t as hospitable. They red back at Ysabelle as if they were insulted that a female Vampire was ordering them.


    Ysabelle’s subordinates jumped at the insult and charged forward as if they wanted to make the Werewolf eat his words. However, the female warrior stopped them with an outreached palm and a shake of her head.


    “We’ve eliminated all of the Outer Demons that escaped from our. I’m just informing you about that. However, if your men are willing to chase ghosts in the canyon, feel free to do so. I won’t stop you.”


    “…”


    The Werewolf captain locked eyes with Ysabelle and fell deep in thought. After a while, the half-beast smiled, showing his sharp fangs and spewing out his disgusting, horrendous breath.


    “You’re a feisty one. I can see why our Alpha likes you. Perhaps it might be a matter of time before you join our family.”


    “… You stinking beast! How dare you insult our Mistress that way! Do you dare-…”


    “Hold it!”


    Ysabelle stopped her subordinate from continuing any further by raising her hand. However, that didn’t mean she would let that statement hang in the air. The agate pupils that coloured her eyes turned deep red and an obsidian fire wreathed around the poor Werewolf, like a serpent ready tond a killing blow.


    “I have no interest in your Alpha, Captain. I hope you understand that. If not for our alliance, I wouldn’t even spare a single second talking to him.”


    “Heh… Why are you fighting so hard? Don’t worry, our Alpha will be sure to treat you gently.”


    “… You sure have a lot of guts for someone whose life is hanging in the bnce.”


    “Really? Is my life truly in danger?” The Werewolf smiled horridly and ced his snout closer to Ysabelle. “Do you really dare to burn me?”


    Ysabelle’s frown deepened as her created mes flickered like ephemeral tongues, none of them crossing the finishing line to scorch the Werewolf Captain’s skin. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind at that moment but eventually… Her mind had made its decision.


    “ARGHHH!!!”


    The arrogant Werewolf, who had been beaming with confidence just moments before, was now engulfed in pale, white-and-ck fire. Unable to endure the heat, the Werewolf dropped onto the floor and desperately attempted to extinguish the fire.


    “H-HOT!!! IT BURNS!!!”


    “Captain!!!”


    The other Werewolves immediately rushed to their fallen leader, but they fell short of saving him as the mysterious mes were burning far too quickly. No matter what they did, the Captain was still wreathed in fire and had no chance of escaping.


    “You bitch! Remove the mes at once!”


    “Don’t worry, that much won’t kill him.”


    Ysabelle snorted and watched impassively as the man burned. Only after a full minute had passed, did the girl finally relent and pull back her created fire. s, the damage had already been done.


    Most of the fur on the Captain’s body had been incinerated, leaving the Werewolf with nothing but scorched skin. Covered with third-degree burns, it would take multiple hospital and magical treatments for him to fully recover.


    But that wasn’t Ysabelle’s problem anymore.


    “Y-You… You dare to attack us?”


    “If I were you, I would seriously consider shutting my mouth.”


    Ysabelle opened up her palm and created yet another one of those mysterious mes. Seeing that, the numerous Werewolves unconsciously backed away. And then, they chose the wise decision. Rather than deal with the female Vampire that could incinerate them in an instant, they tended to theirrade’s wounds and kept quiet for the rest of the time.


    With peace restored, Ysabelle turned around and sauntered back toward her subordinates. That was when a middle-aged woman emerged from the darkness and started to whisper something into her ears.


    Ysabelle’s face went through a myriad of emotions as the words poured into her ear.


    First, her anger turned into shock. Then, a radiant smile appeared on her lips. Until finally, a mixed grimace could be seen.


    Unknowingly, Ysabelle turned to a random position and gazed far into the distance, as if she was homing in on something that was far, far away. The emotions overwhelmed her and with a poignant cry, she whispered:


    “Jin…”