"You really like to play with water, huh?" Zeno said while staring at the woman who was taking a bath in a pond inside a forest.
She was paddling while gesturing for the demon sitting above a tree branch to co and join her.
"Soaking your body underneath feels so nice," the woman answered.
Then she lied down on the surface of the water and remained motionless for a second before her feet and hands began to make little movents.
"Zeno? Why do you think water is the most deed useless elent?" She asked while staring at the blue sky above.
Upon hearing her, Zeno leaped down from the tree and walked a little closer to the pond.
"Seriously? I never thought that water was useless. Underestimated? Yes!" Zeno replied.
The woman laughed at the demon’s answer, and she spoke again.
"I got it, then let rephrase my question: why do you think it is the most underrated elent?" She said.
Zeno contemplated for a while. He stared at the woman swimming in the pond before answering.
"Maybe because it doesn’t have enough destructive force like fire? Or the speed and sturdiness of the wind and soil?" He chuckled as he shook his head, listening to his own reasoning.
"That’s one, but water is so versatile that it can boil and be hotter; it can even freeze and be sturdier than any piece of land out there; then, with enough pressure, it can gain speed. There is a much bigger reason aside from that," the woman replied.
The demon knitted his brows as he heard the human’s explanation, but he still waited patiently for her next set of words.
"Because we’re living in a world where people could not see the true value of water, in an era where fire and lightning reigned supre and having a water affinity ant weakness and would imdiately put you in the healer’s section," she said.
Then she stood up, looked into Zeno’s eyes, and continued speaking.
"They know nothing about water," she added, and she scooped up a small amount of water with her left hand.
Afterward, she threw it into the demon’s face, but the liquid dispersed into thin air before hitting Zeno.
"Kill joy," the woman pouted while glaring at him.
But then a smile arched at Zeno’s lips.
’Ezrail,’ he thought.
The next second, the woman was lifted up from the pond as if an invisible force were holding her; afterward, her body moved forward and stopped just a few inches away from the demon.
"H-Hey, put down," she complained, but the demon didn’t listen to her
She was floating several centiters above the ground. Zeno put her wet and misaligned hair at the back of her ear to get a proper look at her face. Afterward, he raised his arms sideways and embraced her.
"This is the proper way to drench next ti," Zeno uttered.
"Silly," the woman smiled and returned the hug as she felt that the force preventing her from moving had disappeared.
Then Zeno spun around and let his body and that of the woman fall into the shallow pond.
. . . . .
"I won’t die just because of sothing like that!" Tencent replied.
"And besides, I spent most of my life living underneath the water," he added.
Then his other head turned around and looked at the group of rcenaries.
"We need to move faster, am I right, woman?" He asked.
Upon hearing him, Heaire nodded, and the n glanced at her with confusion.
"What does he an?" The duke asked.
"Soone is coming behind us at an incredible speed, and if I’m not mistaken, this energy signature is from the Third Commander," Heaire replied.
Jez closed his eyes and tried to sense the surroundings; however, he couldn’t trace the entity that the psychopomp was talking about.
"It’s pointless to track him down; we better get going," Heaire stated, and she leaped from the giant palm.
She glided into the air and landed a few ters away from Tencent.
"Let clarify so things first. If you’re thinking that I’m with you guys right now because I’m afraid of you, you’re mistaken. It’s my own accord, and I’m still at the deities’ side," Heaire said as she looked at Zeno before directing her gaze towards Tencent.
"Quit it, woman!" Tencent exclaid.
Then he observed what the demon would do; however, no words ca from him as he silently turned around and walked away.
Heaire stared at Zeno’s back. Thoughts about him were still circling inside her mind, but she chose to keep them hidden for now. She began to follow the demon’s lead, and the rest did the sa.
Tencent was the last one to move; he looked at the direction where they ca from first.
’A being that can almost rival deities, huh,’ he thought, then slithered to catch up with the demon.
Their group traversed the path ahead of them, and they exited the swamp without having an ounce of sweat. Then soon enough, they t several monsters along the way, but with just a swing from the demon’s scythe, the unknown creatures split in half, and their heads fell to the ground.
Zeno showed no rcy to them while the group followed in silence. No one was uttering a word as they all watched the demon massacre the monsters approaching them.
Afterward, the group entered an area filled with sand. The humans covered their eyes as extre brightness ca from above. They were still thousands of ters beneath the ground, and yet the light resembled the rays coming from the sun. The demon stared at the ceiling above them; it was painted blue like the sky, and pieces of crystal-like clouds were protruding from its horizon.
’I rember a place like this,’ Zeno thought.
The group looked around, but all they saw was a sea of sand. Its countless grains occupied the whole area as if it were endless.
"Just keep walking; he’ll let us pass by if we don’t bother him," Tencent said.
However, as soon as he stated those words, the place began to tremble and the sand started to fly upward, causing the Ruby-class rcenary to close his eyes and complain.
"What is this now?" He asked before unsheating his machete.
"It looks like curiosity got into him," Heaire comnted.
And then a huge monster, which caused the humans to gulp, made its appearance. It had an elongated body with more than a hundred legs.
It erged in front of them with its towering height, and the group lifted their heads only to see a dragon’s head looking at them with vicious stares. Then, at its back, two pairs of red-colored wings unfolded and flapped several tis.
It was followed by a howl that reverberated throughout the whole place.
Tencent and Heaire lowered their heads and did not dare look into the monster’s eyes.
anwhile, Jez and Royle were contemplating what kind of monster was standing before them.
’Dragon? No, its body definitely is of a centipede, but that head and wings,’ Jez thought.
"Scales and exoskeletons, huh?" Royle uttered in disbelief.
The monster’s cry lasted for almost a minute, and the mont it stopped, he focused his eyes on the group of outsiders marching to his place.
"Humans, along with a Fallen and a Fallen commander..." The monster paused for a second, then directed his gaze towards Zeno.
"Together with a demon, and not just any ordinary demon," he continued.
Then, in those few seconds, the monster moved his head downward as if paying his respects to Zeno. After that, he reverted his eyes back to the giant snake.
"Have you gone mad, huh? Tencent!" He exclaid, like a parent scolding his child.
"I-I c-can explain, Sentry," the snake stuttered while cowering in fear upon the ntion of his na.
However, the monster flapped his wings once more, and a barrage of wind sent the giant snake a few ters away.
"Your answer will be the basis for your companions’ lives," Sentry replied.
"So you’re the sole reason why three of us, commanders, are dead. I didn’t expect that it was all your doing!" He added. His words spelled danger, and his body started to emit bloodlust that was suffocating enough to make the humans, along with Heaire, fall on their knees, grasping for breath.
"This is madness..." Jez murmured as he did his best to get back on his feet and repel the energy that kept on pressuring them. He was surprised to feel this kind of bloodlust.
In his whole life, he never experienced such things; even the demon king’s pale in comparison.
Then he took a second to peek at the psychopomp and the demon at his side. The woman’s body was trembling while the man was staring at the monster with his hands inside his pockets and still keeping his silence.
’He’s not being affected at all,’ he thought.
Afterward, Tencent’s voice echoed from behind the group as he started to explain their current situation. He told everything important to the monster but didn’t disclose anything regarding the demon’s identity, though he knew that Sentry already figured out who he really was based on their previous interaction.
"For one human life?" Sentry said, shaking his head.
Then he leaned his head downward and continued speaking.
"The creature you’re looking for is more difficult to find than the Book of Necronomicon," he declared.
The rcenaries sighed upon hearing him, but they all shared the sa thought.
’Book of Necronomicon? What is that? And how large is this place actually for you to say that?’ They said at the back of their heads.
They wanted to ask questions but were afraid to butt into the conversation.
. . . . .
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