Splurt!

"That's one..." Gray mumbled calmly as he wiped the blood off his rapier with a flick of his wrist.

The headless corpse of a mid-tier demon collapsed in front of him, black blood spraying across the rocky ground.

[Spirit Eyes]

"...Fuu."

Fwoop!

Due to his high mastery of the [Spirit Eyes], he could now see the flow of energy in every creature.

Not to mention in demons, where the pulsing red lines showed their intent, their weak points, and their next movements before they even made them.

"Garh!"

A group of six lowest-tier demons lunged at him from the left, with their claws extended and mouths open in feral screams.

Gray's body dissolved into silvery mist.

[✧ Dream Mist ✧]

He reappeared behind them in a flicker, rapier already swinging in a clean horizontal arc.

Splaat!

Three heads flew off in a single motion. Before the remaining three could turn, he used his unique ability.

"[✧Swap✧]"

He instantly switched places with one of the demons.

The creature found itself suddenly in Gray's previous position, confused for a split second, long enough for Gray to drive his rapier through its spine from behind.

Splurt!

"That's four."

[✧ Dream Mist ✧]

He dissipated into mist again, reappearing over another group of low-tier demons, unsheathing his rapier so quickly that their head had already flown to the sky before they could actually react.

Then, he quickly spun around as he noticed a much higher amount of demonic energy shooting towards him.

"Tsk... another Mid-tier Demon."

He leaned down, grabbed a handful of dirt, and directly threw it at the demon's eyes, causing it to instantly swipe the dirt away with its arm.

"You little fucker!" the mid-tier demon groaned slighly, his arms bulging with demonic energy as he prepared to throw a punch.

Just then, Gray jumped into the sky, sheathing his rapier back into his waist.

[Nine Heavens Thunder Claw]

Golden-blue lightning exploded from his fingers in the shape of five razor-sharp claws.

SPLURT!

The technique tore straight through the demon's chest, ripping out its core in a burst of electricity and black blood.

The brute collapsed mid-charge, his body twitching as lightning cooked it from the inside.

Gray flicked his wrist, dissipating the lightning.

"...That's twelve."

[...Six low-tier demons or a single mid-tier one, Gray.]

Hearing Jasmine's words, Gray nodded slighly, scanning the battlefield for one last mid-tier demon.

Until... he found yet another mid-tier demon, which was just perfect for him.

He dissolved into silvery mist once more.

"[✧ Dream Mist ✧]"

Reappearing directly above the demon, he dropped like a shadow. His rapier flashed downward in a precise arc, severing two of the demon's arms in one clean cut.

Splat! 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"W-WHAT?!"

The demon howled in rage and pain, swinging its remaining axes wildly. Gray used Swap instantly, exchanging places with a rock behind it.

"[✧Swap✧]"

He appeared at its exposed back and drove the rapier straight through its spine with brutal efficiency.

Splurt!

The demon convulsed violently before collapsing forward, black blood pooling beneath it.

Gray pulled his rapier free and took a single step back.

At that exact moment, the Demon Hunting Book floating beside him erupted with intense black light.

The pages flipped rapidly on their own until they stopped on a particular section.

[Ding!]

A mechanical notification rang inside Gray's mind.

[Jasmine has reached 1% of her original power.]

[Authority of Destruction is now available for one single minute.]

"One minute, huh? That's more than enough," he mumbled, and glanced up at the sky.

There... he now noticed an extra figure, hovering between Lyra and the demon.

Her long golden locks flowed behind her like a cape, her usually expressionless golden eyes brimming with killing intent.

She held an elegant, glowing sword in her right hand, her body radiating powerful golden mana and sword intent that pressed down on the entire battlefield.

It was none other than Gloria.

"Lyra," Gloria said without looking back, her voice sounding calm but commanding. "Support me from the side. Do not engage directly."

"Understood." Lyra nodded, gripping her sword tighter.

The possessed demon let out a deep, rumbling laugh that shook the mountains.

"Hahaha… Two little insects dare to stand before me?" Its voice was layered with ancient cruelty.

"A pathetic avatar and the so-called Headmistress of Gloria Academy. How amusing."

It spread its four wings wider, dark red flames igniting along its body.

"I will enjoy ripping you apart and devouring your souls!"

BOOM!

The demon attacked first.

It thrust one massive clawed hand forward, unleashing a concentrated beam of crimson demonic energy straight toward Gloria.

The beam was so dense it left a trail of burning void behind it.

Gloria's eyes narrowed. She raised her sword, golden mana exploding outward as she swung in a clean, horizontal arc.

"Golden Severance."

A crescent wave of pure golden sword intent collided with the beam.

The two forces met with a cataclysmic explosion, the shockwave cracking the ground for kilometers below and sending rocks flying like bullets.

Gloria didn't stop and shot forward like a golden comet, raising her sword.

"Lyra, flank it!"

"On it!"

Lyra moved in perfect sync, circling to the demon's left side.

She summoned a barrage of golden weapons from multiple portals and launched them like a meteor storm.

The demon laughed maniacally.

"Pitiful!"

It swung its massive arm, shattering dozens of golden weapons mid-air with raw physical strength.

Then it opened its maw and unleashed a wide-area flame breath that forced both women to dodge.

Gloria appeared above it in a burst of golden light, sword descending with terrifying speed.

"Divine Judgment Slash!"

A colossal golden blade of sword intent, dozens of meters long, slammed down toward the demon's head.

KRRRRRRRR!

The demon crossed its arms and blocked the strike.

The impact created a massive shockwave that split the mountain peak beneath them. Cracks spread across its red skin, but it endured.

"Hahaha! Is this all you have?!" it roared, pushing the golden blade back with brute force.

"I expected more from the famous Gloria!"

It retaliated instantly.

Dark red flames erupted from its body, forming giant fiery claws that swiped at Gloria.

She dodged with graceful precision, but one claw grazed her shoulder, tearing through her golden mana armor and drawing blood.

Lyra saw the opening and attacked from the side.

"Golden Chains of Judgment!"

Dozens of thick golden chains shot out from portals, wrapping around the demon's arms and torso, trying to restrain it.

At the same time, she summoned a massive golden greatsword and brought it down toward its back.

The demon roared in fury.

"You dare?!"

It flexed its muscles violently.

The golden chains shattered like glass. It spun around and backhanded Lyra with terrifying force, sending her flying across the sky.

"Lyra!" Gloria shouted.

Lyra stabilized herself mid-air, coughing up a small amount of blood, but her eyes were still fierce.

"I'm fine! Keep attacking!"

The demon laughed louder, clearly enjoying the fight.

"Yes! Struggle more! Your despair tastes delicious!"

It suddenly flapped all four wings at once, unleashing a storm of crimson flame feathers that rained down like deadly meteors.

Both Gloria and Lyra were forced to defend desperately, with Gloria cutting them down with golden sword waves, and Lyra destroying them with lightning strikes.

But the demon was only getting started.

It charged straight at Gloria, claws extended.

The two clashed in close combat. Gloria's elegant swordplay met the demon's brutal, overwhelming strength.

Every collision created spatial cracks in the air.

CLANG!

CLANG! BOOM!

Gloria was clearly stronger than Lyra, her sword intent refined to a terrifying degree.

She landed several deep cuts on the demon's body, golden mana burning the wounds and preventing them from regenerating quickly.

But the demon possessing Dullmanak's body was a Low Noble for a reason.

It suddenly grabbed Gloria's sword with one clawed hand, ignoring the golden energy searing its palm, and pulled her forward.

Its other fist slammed into her stomach with monstrous force.

CRASH!

"Kugh!" Gloria was sent flying backward, blood spilling from her mouth. She stabilized herself, but a visible crack had appeared in her golden mana armor.

Lyra immediately moved to support her, summoning a golden barrier and launching a storm of lightning spears.

The demon roared with laughter.

"Is this the best you can do?! Pathetic!"

It unleashed another wide-area attack, a sea of crimson flames that covered the entire battlefield.

With just a single move, both Gloria and Lyra were forced to retreat temporarily, defending with everything they had.

Seeing this, Gray, who was right below them, frowned.

"...Is he getting stronger?"

[Yes. His power is rapidly increasing... it seems that Mephistopheles is giving that body more power to deal with those two.]

[But the reinforcements have already arrived now... so the surging portals shouldn't be much of a problem.]

At those words, Gray turned back and saw a bunch of familiar faces.

It was the professors from Gloria Academy, each one of them easily killing a wave of demons in a single sweep of their hand.

There were also students leading with the weaker ones.

"Gray!"

A familiar voice called out to him, causing him to turn his head and see a familiar woman happily running towards him.

"...Selina?"