Simon could guess from Merath’s behavior that Merath would most likely be in sort of trouble because she had no proof of how Jorra died.

He had a feeling that if the Abyss were to investigate thoroughly, they would most likely find out that Merath was the one that killed Jorra.

And even if she said he was the mastermind behind Jorra’s death, she had no proof.

The more Merath thought about the consequences of what would happen if she went back to the Abyssal, the more intense her hatred for Simon became.

"I’ll kill you."

Simon’s eyes flashed with a cold light.

"Try."

At that moment, a familiar voice echoed in Simon’s mind.

[Don’t kill her.]

Simon furrowed his brows slightly.

His gaze did not leave Merath, but his thoughts shifted toward Lilith.

[Why?]

Lilith’s voice became slightly more serious.

[Because you’ll be marked.]

Lilith continued before Simon could ask what she meant.

[If she dies, there’s a high chance that the Abyss would know, and you’ll be marked so the Abyss would know her killer.]

[Even if you kill her using mental techniques, you’ll still be marked.]

Simon’s frown deepened when he heard Lilith’s words.

[Can you do anything about me being marked?]

Lilith scoffed.

[Can you do anything in your current state?]

Simon’s lips twitched slightly.

She was right.

He needed to rest, not fight.

[Don’t forget that if you become marked by the Abyss on top of being hunted by the Shadowgrave Clan, then you might as well dig your grace now and sleep inside it.]

Simon remained silent.

He knew that Lilith was right, but he wanted to kill Merath.

He truly wanted to.

She was a threat and a hidden blade that could stab him from the front or the back at any point in time.

Merath was not weak, she was a Daemon with a mysterious and powerful organization backing her.

Leaving her alive was dangerous.

If he could, he would genuinely kill her now, but Lilith was right.

Not only was he in no condition to take unnecessary risks, the Abyss was an organization he had no information on.

He exhaled softly, but the action caused pain to spread through his chest.

Merath saw that Simon was not doing anything after he dared her, and her eyes flashed.

She thought he had maybe become afraid, and her lips could not help but curl upward.

"What? You don’t dare?"

Simon looked at her with a slightly raised brow.

"Are you so eager to die?"

Merath’s smile widened when she heard Simon’s response.

’He can’t do anything. He’s probably too weak and he’s just putting up a front. That Mind Spear he used on me was probably a last ditch effort to scare me away.’

’Too bad... I want your head.’

Merath suddenly moved without saying anything.

Her bloody aura exploded outward, and a crimson blade formed in her remaining hand.

She dashed toward Simon, Sonya, and Akaza with frightening speed.

Sonya who had been watching Lilith like a hawk reacted instantly.

The ground beneath Merath rose like a wall, but Merath swumg her crimson blade.

SHIIING!

The earth wall split apart cleanly.

Akaza rushed forward at the same time, his fist was covered in dense demonic energy and it felt like his fists possessed the weight of the world.

Bang!

He punched toward Merath’s head.

Merath tilted her body slightly and dodged the fist by an inch, then she raised her knee and struck Akaza in the stomach.

Bam!

Akaza’s body bent slightly, and blood almost flew out of his mouth.

Merath’s physical strength was far more than he expected, and Akaza was inwardly stunned.

Weren’t they both Supreme Archfiends?

He was not only a Supreme Archfiend, his race also walked the strength path, so why was Merath so strong?

Unfortunately for Akaza, he had no idea that not only was Merath a Daemon, she was from a race that also walked the strength path and the blood path.

And well, in terms of physical strength, Martial Demons are nothing compared to Hemarchs.

Although Akaza felt like vomiting blood, he gritted his teeth and grabbed Merath’s knee.

His eyes flashed with a fierce light.

"Got you."

Sonya slammed her foot on the ground, then several stone spikes erupted beneath Merath.

But Merath’s bloody aura expanded like a wave.

The stone spikes cracked.

Some shattered.

Others were deflected to the side.

Then Merath twisted her body in a way that seemed impossible and kicked Akaza in the chest.

Bang!

Akaza flew backward and crashed into a tree.

Sonya’s expression changed, and she raised both hands.

The ground beneath Merath softened, then tried to swallow her feet.

Merath looked at Sonya with a cold expression.

"How annoying."

Her bloody aura became sharper.

The earth around her feet exploded, and she appeared in front of Sonya.

Sonya’s blind eyes widened slightly.

Merath swung her crimson blade.

Sonya crossed her arms, and thick gauntlets made out of earth rose from the ground, forming a shield in front of her.

CLANG!

The crimson blade struck the earth gauntlets, and Sonya slid backward several meters.

The earth gauntlets did not crumble into pieces, but they cracked.

This time around, she aimed for Sonya’s neck.

Simon’s eyes flashed at that exact moment, and another Mind Spear formed in his mind.

Merath’s instincts screamed, and she immediately tilted her head to the side.

The black mind spear grazed her cheek and flew past her face, instead of piercing fully into her mind.

Even then, Merath’s expression changed.

A sharp pain spread through her head, and her attack toward Sonya became unstable.

Sonya seized the chance.

She roared and sent a punch at Merath.

The earth gauntlets on her hand flew and more stones and rocks joined with the earth gauntlets, forming a massive earth hand.

The earth hand punched Merath.

Bang!

But at the last moment, her bloody aura formed a protective film around her, preventing her body from sustaining serious injuries.

She twisted her body midair and landed several meters away in an elegant manner, then she sucked in a cold breath of air and held the side of her head.

A small portion of Simon’s mental energy had seeped into her mind after she was grazed by his Mind Spear.

She looked at Simon with a dark and complicated expression.

Simon’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

"What? You thought I was running low on mental energy and could not fight back?"

"You thought I was afraid of you?"

"Like I said... Try to kill me, and I’ll show you that a wounded tiger is still a tiger."