“Ugh! Uuugh!”
Lana thrashed with all her might, but the tight restraints rendered her resistance futile.
As Privia’s fingers grazed her neck, Lana’s head jerked back as if her very soul was being sucked away.
“Hmm.”
At the tip of the dragon’s slender finger, there was a semi-transparent sphere resembling a will-o’-the-wisp. Privia slightly parted her lips, drawing it in and closing her eyes as if relishing the taste.
After a mont, she spoke.
“… I suppose they’re not demons. You’ve engaged in sothing despicable.”
“What? What do you an?”
Philip asked, looking puzzled.
“You’ll understand if you co with .”
With those words, she opened a portal. Now familiar with the process, Philip quietly followed her through.
They erged in the center of the Shadow Cat Tribe village.
Dozens of Shadow Cat Tribe mbers had gathered, standing in formation with expressions reflecting a mix of fear and determination, akin to new recruits.
An unusual tension hung in the air, and Philip soon spotted Stella.
“… Have you arrived?”
Chief Stella donned dark-stained leather armor and had two short swords strapped to her waist.
“Everything is ready. We’re leaving the village to attack Neffen’s hideout. It’s a warehouse in a village about three hours from here.”
Privia raised her hand to interrupt Stella.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“What?”
“Watch.”
As Privia waved her hand, the mist barrier enveloping the village began to slowly dissipate. It had protected the village for over a hundred years.
“Huh? What’s happening?”
Chief Stella was taken aback, unable to stop the unfolding event.
However, Privia remained composed, believing there must be a reason behind the barrier’s disappearance.
Yet, as soon as the barrier vanished, they sensed intruders approaching the village. Philip gasped as he saw figures clad in typical assassin attire swiftly converging on the square.
“Oh no.”
It appeared that those who prepared the attack weren’t solely from the Shadow Cat Tribe.
‘… Honestly, it’s not a terrible plan.’
The reason Neffen targeted the Shadow Cats was due to their innate skills as assassins.
Until now, Neffen had been trying to persuade and manipulate Shadow Cat mbers who had left the village. However, sothing went awry at the Academy, and it seed that he decided to take matters into his own hands, even if it ant facing potential losses.
‘It seems he took the two previous failures at the Academy quite seriously. It was a daring decision to take the risk before unforeseen variables derailed their plans.’
Although daring, it wasn’t a bad choice. If he hadn’t had the dragon with azure hair by his side, he would have had to risk his life to navigate through this situation.
Crescent’s intentions seed clear.
Eliminate those who resist and capture those who surrender.
The number of assassins in their ranks was uncertain, but judging from the size of their force, it seed that most of them had been brought here.
Accompanied by three Shadow Cat guards, the final boss of this stage made his appearance.
He was a man with violet skin and horns on his head, giving him a demon-like appearance.
While beings like Incubus or Succubus could typically assu the appearance of a complete human, Neffen intentionally revealed his true form.
It was Incubus Neffen who now stood before them.
“Neffen….”
Stella murmured his na.
“So, you decided to break the barrier yourself, finally determined to be in my embrace?”
He strode across the square and stood at a slight distance from Stella. Then, he dramatically spread his arms like an actor on stage.
“Living as a pet cat isn’t all that bad. Especially if a pet is as pretty as you, I could adore you for quite so ti.”
Phillip observed Stella’s expression closely. She responded with a composed deanor.
“… Where is Tania?”
“Oh, you an your niece? If you’re referring to that adorable child, she’s right here.”
As Neffen snapped his fingers, a little girl with a hat pulled down over her face stepped forward. Slowly, she approached Stella and removed the hat, revealing a striking resemblance to her.
“….”
The girl looked just like Stella. Stella reached out her hand, eager to hold Tania’s.
“Tania….”
However, the heartwarming reunion did not co to pass. As Tania stepped into the vicinity, she swiftly extended her razor-sharp claws without any warning.
The Shadow Cat Tribe’s claws were harder than most tals, making a re swipe a potentially deadly attack.
In her current state, targeting the opponent’s neck could end their life in an instant.
Yet, Stella, being in a position of authority within the Shadow Cat Tribe, possessed exceptional prowess compared to other mbers. She deftly evaded Tania’s claws, which barely grazed her neck.
The situation elevated Stella’s blood pressure, causing bright red blood to spray like a mist. Disbelievingly, Stella called out to Tania.
“Tania!”
However, Tania persisted, baring her fangs like a feline, and continued her assault on Stella. Unable to bring herself to attack Tania, Stella kept retreating.
“You people are truly amusing. After locking you up in the basent and subjecting you to torture for years, you co out not as a human but as a cat?”
Neffen’s laughter grated on Phillip’s nerves. Glancing at Privia, he noticed her raising her hand in apparent irritation.
“You’re quite audacious for a wretch like you.”
With a swift motion, Privia directed her finger towards Neffen, gathering an overwhelming magical force in the air. It far surpassed anything Phillip could conjure.
In no ti, the magical energy took the shape of elongated spears, which shot forth with incredible velocity, piercing Neffen’s body instantly.
“Don’t worry, you’re special… ugh!”
Nonchalantly crossing her arms, Neffen was impaled by the spears and found himself pinned to the ground, appearing like a skewered fish.
“It was quite a challenge to find you, but it’s impressive that you ca out in person.”
Privia hovered in the air. In an instant, a plethora of magic skills erupted from her hands without pause.
Ice pillars, bolts of lightning, fiery orbs, toxic mist, and other magic skills. Though they weren’t necessarily lethal to demons, they were potent enough to cause imnse suffering.
With no need for spells, transformations, or staffs, Privia unleashed destruction at will, a feat no mage could replicate.
At that mont, the Incubus’ body was disintegrated, akin to a srizing acrobatic display, sothing only dragons were believed to achieve.
“Kraaaaak!”
“I rather enjoy the sound of insects being torched.”
The final magic cast upon Neffen’s ravaged form was ti stop.
The Incubus Neffen froze like an ice sculpture, and after Privia let out a contented sigh, she spoke.
“The rest is up to you.”
“What?”
Phillip, who had been absentmindedly observing Privia’s magic, was taken aback and asked in confusion.
“Are you deaf? I an, you handle the rest. Those assassins and the Shadow Cat Tribe are not demons, so there’s nothing I can do for them.”
Using telekinesis to raise Neffen’s lifeless body, Privia opened a portal and vanished.
‘Wait, is this real?’
After Privia vanished, Philip sighed.
—————
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