Chapter 131

Flying past all its siblings, the imp darted towards the portal—its only escape from the infernal depths of Hell to a safer, greener world. It wasn't an easy journey; larger demons like the drakoraths were also vying for the same chance. The portal, only allowing entry at brief intervals, turned their escape into a frantic race. The air was filled with a cacophony of screeches and roars, mixed with the distant, pain-filled screams of the damned.

Suddenly, the portal hummed to life, glowing ever brighter, signaling it was open. Like a dam breaking, a flood of demons surged towards it. The imp, clawing past its siblings and ripping off their wings to make them flightless, fought desperately to be among the first to escape. It had to enter—and it did.

The imp, along with several other demons—four other imps and six drakoraths—found themselves in a new world, cooler and more breathable despite their lack of need for air. Below them lay a scene of chaos: blood of demons spilled and seven figures standing amidst the carnage. Each figure was distinct: one furry with a mace in hand, one controlling the earth with anger, one wielding fiery weapons with whimsy, one fearsome with the power of light, one pristine despite serrated claws, one cowering but protected by the others, and finally, one with a broken appendage—an easy target.

The imp let out a bloodcurdling screech, echoed by the others as they all descended upon the group, aiming to eliminate these threats. The imp targeted the creature with the broken appendage, extending its claws as it flew towards its prey. It would rip off the creature's head and make this world safe for them all. 

But before it could strike, the demon with its morphed right hand moved swiftly, stabbing the imp in the brain and killing it instantly. Xain turned around, wide-eyed. "Holy crap, that was close!" he exclaimed, watching as the demon pulled its blade arm from the imp, letting its lifeless body fall to the ground.

"Do be careful, Xain," the demon advised. "You appear weak, and demons will notice." 

Xain nodded, grateful. "Thanks," he said, looking around at the relentless onslaught. "Goddess darn, they just keep coming!"

They had been battling the horde of demons for what felt like an eternity, though it had only been ten minutes since Ercale had left to confront the Demon Lord. "I'm going to run out of mana at this rate!" Even exclaimed, raising a wall of stone to block the incoming blades of a drakorath. The stone wall materialized swiftly, its rough texture glistening with sweat and blood, forming a solid barrier just in time to intercept the drakorath's strike. 

"If that's true, then we might be in big trouble!" yelled Mincs, her voice strained as she was starting to get tired. She infused her rapier with fire, the blade glowing an intense orange. An imp lunged at her with claws extended, but she dodged, her movements swift and precise. With a powerful thrust, she stabbed the imp in the chest. Flames erupted from her rapier, spreading through the imp's body and bursting outward, incinerating two more imps flying towards her.

The drakorath attacking Even roared in frustration and slammed its massive body against the stone wall. The impact shattered the barrier, sending shards of stone flying. Even shielded his eyes from the debris, but as he opened them, the drakorath loomed over him, poised to skewer him with its bladed arm. Even clicked his tongue in frustration and raised his hand to fire a mana blast, but before he could, Mar intervened. 

With a powerful swing of his mace, Mar smashed into the drakorath's ribs. The force of the blow echoed through the battlefield, causing the drakorath to stagger. Mar's left hand shot out, gripping the creature's left blade. With a fierce twist, he snapped it off and drove it into the drakorath's skull, the blade sinking deep into the creature's head with a sickening crunch.

"I would have been fine," Even said, turning to Mar, who replied stoically, "You're the one who said he's running out of mana." Even turned back and fired off a mana blast, the beam piercing through three imps1 before fizzling out. 

"But I'm not out yet!" Even retorted, his voice filled with defiance. Mar rolled his eyes but moved on to other demons, his mace ready for the next foe.

Meanwhile, Grace faced off against a veinblood cherub and three drakoraths. As two of the drakoraths swung their blades towards her simultaneously, Grace leaped into the air. She twisted her body mid-flight, her movements a fluid dance of agility and precision, narrowly dodging both swings. While still airborne, she extended her palm and fired a beam of light. The radiant energy seared through the air, striking the cherub just as it prepared to hurl debris at her, burning its porcelain form.

Upon landing, the third drakorath lunged at her, its blades descending in a lethal arc. Grace snapped her fingers with her right hand, and instead of slicing her, the drakorath's blades shattered the body of the burned cherub, reducing it to fragments. Before the drakoraths could redirect their attack, Grace aimed her palm at them and unleashed a brighter, narrower beam of light. The concentrated energy cut through the drakoraths, severing them cleanly in half, their bodies collapsing in a heap of smoldering remains.

Grace then turned her gaze to the portal from which the demons emerged. *This won't end until that portal is closed,* she thought. The sound of flesh being torn apart drew her attention to The Fiend and the demon, who were finishing off several imps and drakoraths that had tried to attack Xain and Elanor. *I could risk going into the mansion to kill the maid, but the number of demons might overwhelm them,* she pondered. She knew that as strong as The Fiend and the demon were, they couldn't hold off an entire wave while protecting Xain and Elanor.

Her eyes shifted to the right side of the mansion. *I could get the elf and the razorhoove,* she considered before sighing. Turning back to The Fiend and the demon, she shouted, "Keep them safe, I'm getting more help!" They nodded in acknowledgment, and Grace sprinted towards the right side of the mansion just as more demons began spewing out of the portal.

The demon's crimson eyes fixed on the new wave. "This will be hard," it whispered to itself, pointing its left hand to unleash a claw shot. But before it could strike, a voice rang out, "I'm back!!!" Dash landed in the center of the front garden, his head bleeding. "And I'm ready to fight again!" he exclaimed with excitement, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.