13 Unbearable loss

Vlad was kneeling on the ground, unable to rise, and it seemed the only path left for him was death when suddenly his eyes widened as he detected a red light in the distance.

He turned and saw some of the Gifted had charged a massive fireball nearly two meters wide. The Gifted was none other than Jessica, and the woman's eyes burst with killing might as she fired the spell, which moved at a shocking speed.

How Jessica could fire such a spell, given her zero training in magic, is where the Gifted part came into play. Most likely, her Gift was related to magic.

Just as Vlad thought the woman was trying to help him, he saw that the fireball's trajectory would reach not only the demonic mantis but also him. It was clear that the woman did not care about his life as long as her attack could take down the abyssal demon.

"Dammit!"

Vlad shouted as he made all the energy inside him explode, enhancing the strength of his Force covering his body right before the explosion. The demonic mantis did the same, concentrating all of it in the front to act as a shield.

"¡BOOM!"

The blast was shockingly powerful and could have shattered a car to pieces, sending two figures flying away.

Vlad fell nearly ten meters to the side, with half of his body sporting scorching wounds. He was lucky to have only sustained such wounds thanks to his massive outpour of Force at the last second, and the demonic mantis's Force shield also worked to diminish the blast's power.

The demonic mantis managed to stand straight even after taking that blast. Its left arm was wounded, but that was all. Of course, that did not mean the attack did not have an effect, as it forced it to consume much of its dark Force to protect itself.

The abyssal demon turned its eyes toward Jessica. Still, as it saw the woman falling to the ground, exhausted from energy depletion, it lost interest and turned once more toward Vlad, who lay on the ground.

Vlad could barely stand up, and a complicated smile appeared on his face as he saw the demonic mantis walk toward him, seemingly determined to end his life. Just as the demonic mantis was about to hack toward him, a small figure jumped to its face and scratched its right eye!

Shock and terror appeared in Vlad's eyes as he saw that the small figure was none other than Jormungandr. Perhaps it was due to his small size or the fact it had no energy, but the demonic mantis did not perceive Jormungandr's attack.

However, once the abyssal demon noticed the small yellow cat, it shook its head and pushed it away. But before Jormungandr could even fly off, the abyssal demon struck with the staff of its scythe.

"Jormungandr!"

Vlad shouted as the abyssal demon's strike sent the little cat crashing into a tree with such force that it shattered every bone in his body.

The little yellow cat fell to the ground, blood pouring everywhere as it turned toward Vlad. As it attempted to meow, only blood emerged from its mouth as the light faded from its eyes, marking the end of its life.

Vlad's eyes widened, and at that moment, his Sea of Consciousness seemed to rage on, going wild, translating into immense pain. Yet, the young man did not even register it due to the sense of unbearable loss he felt as he gazed at the tiny little yellow kitty lying dead on the ground.

If it had to be described in words, it would be like something ripped his arms from his body, taking a piece of him.

The demonic mantis did not bother to look at the small cat; instead, it turned its eyes again toward Vlad, intent on delivering the last blow. Yet, its entire body suddenly froze as the young man looked back at it.

It was a creature born in a place full of bloodshed and chaos, where life and death were everyday events. Yet the eyes of the young man in front of it froze its blood as it saw in them a sense of wrath that should not be possible for a human.

That paralyzed fear lasted for less than a second, yet it was enough for a figure to flash toward the demonic mantis, appearing before it before striking with its broadsword.

"Angelic Slash!"