[IMPORTANT INFO: Please read this Chapter after reading the Chapter titled ‘Grim News. There was a mistake in the lineup. I’m sorry.]

The Mage, the Lord, the Villager—all three persons in the room looked at the blood-stained window and realized that something had already begun in the garden… something dark.

Immediately, the Lord was escorted by the Mage and the villager trailed behind them. They moved to a door in the room that led to a terrace. The terrace, more like a verandah was an elevated structure that allowed those within the house to enjoy the outside air while gazing upon their compound.

However, this time there was no relaxation or enjoyment on any of their faces. Only plain curiosity and a dark foreboding.

Usually, a noble would shrink back in fear and retreat to his room if he saw such a bloody sight on his window. However, Lord Karl was different.

He was a veteran in sword arts and was quite capable in combat. Besides, he didn’t have the ideology most pampered nobles had. This was one of the reasons why the people in his territory looked at him in awe and respect.

He was a decent man.

Decent enough to know that now was the time to face the problem that plagued his territory. Besides, he had nothing to fear since a renowned mage was with him.

As they stepped out of the lounge and came to the verandah, the eyes of the mage bulged, and he didn’t waste any time before he began chanting.

The Lord and villager were petrified at the sight of blood and carnage that had smeared the once-beautiful compound. Dead bodies of guards were everywhere and blood stained the marvelous grounds and flowers.

The malefactor of this all was seen to be casually approaching the mansion. The being could be described as nothing more than a shadow, a demon of death. While the noble and villager were still pondering on the matter, utterly confused and shocked by the sudden development, the mage—Zakiel Laquis—had already finished chanting an intermediate spell directed at the Demon beneath them.

Fortunately, it hadn’t noticed their presence yet. Or perhaps it didn’t just care?KRIIIKKKKK!!!

Sparks of electricity appeared and the bolt instantly descended upon the Demon in a flash.

BOOOOOMMMM!!!

The shockwave resounded and the explosion caused those inexperienced in magic to be pushed back by the pressure.

This was the intermediate spell, [Lightning Descent].

Unfortunately, the Shadow Demon evaded it, to the surprise of everyone. Lightening was one of the fastest elements there was, and an intermediate spell was no mean feat.

For a being, who hadn’t even noticed their presence earlier, to dodge such a quick spell… it was impressive!

The Mage gave a wry smile and awkwardly stared at the Demon who muttered in its unintelligible language.

“So this is the calamity, eh? Truly… it is a being of chaos.”

*****************

Kahn’s white eyes glared at the new humans who showed up. They stood on the platform of the verandah, causing them to look down on his figure. This annoyed him greatly.

He turned to the one who was responsible for the lightning spell he had evaded moments ago and narrowed his eyes.

“I’ll kill you first.”

The three humans, from their heights, sensed the bloodlust coming from the strange monster, a Demon no one had seen for hundreds of years.

“It looks like a Shadow Demon… I read about them in texts…” The more enlightened man among them retorted as he eyed the black being.

As a Magic-User, one who finished his course in the most prestigious academy in the Kingdom, as well as studied the arts of the arcane, it was only natural that he would be aware of a Demon’s description.“But how can this be? They were all defeated and banished to the Demon Realm? Why is one of them here?”

Even though his voice rang out, Zakiel Laquis spoke only to himself.

None of the other two humans knew much of what he referred to, but they had certainly heard of Demons before, and they couldn’t believe their eyes.

“Can you… defeat it?” Lord Karl finally blurted out, sweat covering his forehead.

From the moment the monster dodged that lightning strike from earlier, the swordsman noble had realized he wasn’t its match.

“Of course.” Mage Zakiel responded.

What he was more concerned about was the source of the Demon’s appearance, not the Shadow itself.

‘From the research texts and books I’ve read ok them, Intermediate Spells should be enough to kill a Demon. Shadows are also not very durable, so they can be killed easily.’ The Mage reasoned.

Of course, he knew this wasn’t the case for all of them. For higher-ranked Demons or the Supreme Demon Lords, even Advanced Spells would not be able to take them down in a single shot.

Still, those cadre of monsters were never alone. As commanders, they showed up with their troops. Compared to the descriptions on them, this Shadow Demon was by its lonesome. Plus, since it had avoided the lightning strike from earlier, that meant Intermediate Spells could seriously injure, if not kill, it.

Once again, the Shadow Demon muttered some unintelligible words, but the humans didn’t hear. If they did, they would have known to be more prepared.

Kahn had said;

“Come down!”

As it always happened, dark spikes ascended from the ground, cutting through the mansion’s concrete verandah like tofu. The sturdy bricks fell apart and the whole structure collapsed instantly.

The men who stood atop the verandah would have met the same fate—being torn to shreds by the multiple dark blades, but were saved by the Mage’s defensive magic.

It was a force field made of lightning!

The cackles sparked, repelling the shadows. However, even though the men were protected, the platform they stood on wasn’t. In no time, it was going to collapse.

“Hang on!” Zakiel Laquis cried.

Quickly using Basic Magic to create a platform using mana, he spread it like a carpet and caused it to levitate, carrying all three people away from the crumbing structure and toward a safe location on the ground.