Such a Fragile Elf

The searing pain from the axe being pulled out sent shockwaves through Aura's body, the jagged blade scraping against bone as it was yanked free. Blood gushed from the wound, pooling on the forest floor beneath her. The injury was severe, likely having cut deep into her spine, but Aura pushed the pain aside. Her priority was Frieren.

Clutching the small, frail body of the elf against her chest, Aura maneuvered with a desperate agility, dodging through the dense undergrowth of the forest to evade the human soldier who pursued them with relentless determination. Each step was a struggle, her legs trembling from the pain and blood loss, but she couldn't stop—not when Frieren's life was at stake.

Despite the pain and the chaos around her, Aura felt a profound sense of relief. The softness of Frieren's body, the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, reassured her that she had arrived in time. The axe that had shattered Aura's defensive magic and nearly cleaved her in two would have easily killed Frieren. Elves, with their delicate forms, were far more fragile than demons, not difference than humans. If that blow had landed on Frieren...

"Aura..."

The small voice of the elf broke through the haze of pain and adrenaline, and Aura glanced down to meet Frieren's gaze, responding with a reassuring smile.

"It's alright, Frieren, leave the rest to me."

Unlike many years ago, Aura could now perfectly mimic a gentle human smile. After all, after Frieren gave the order to "learn to smile like human", Aura was forced to try many times.

Aura thought that her smile should be both beautiful and elegant now.

'So silly...' 

Frieren watched Aura's clumsy attempt at a human smile, thinking to herself.

"Mm," she responded softly.

'What a silly demon, how could I ever doubt Aura?

She can't even comprehend what malice is...

Even if I wanted to kill Aura, she probably wouldn't resist me until she was on the brink of death.

I'm so stupid…'

Frieren's eyelids grew heavy as the exhaustion of her injuries and the fatigue from blood loss overwhelmed her. She wanted to tell Aura how foolish she had been, how wrong she had been to doubt her, but she could barely muster the energy to speak. The pain from her wounds surged through her, sharp and unyielding, as if her body was finally catching up to the damage it had sustained. It was as though every ounce of strength had been drained from her, leaving her barely conscious by the time Aura arrived.

"Hold on tight… grab my horns," Aura instructed gently, her voice tinged with urgency. With careful, deliberate movements, she shifted Frieren onto her back, securing the elf with the torn hem of her skirt. Aura wrapped the fabric around them both, binding Frieren to her to ensure that she wouldn't fall during the upcoming battle.

Aura felt a small, reassuring tug on her horns as Frieren followed her instructions, gripping them with what little strength she had left. But when Aura turned to check on her, she found that the elf had slipped into unconsciousness. Even so, Frieren's fingers remained tightly curled around Aura's horns, as if clinging to the last vestiges of her willpower.

"…Good."

'Frieren always liked my horns.

I don't know whether she wants to eat or want——' The thought trailed off, her focus returning sharply to the immediate danger.

Now, they had to escape the encirclement of these humans.

Standing on a three-meter-high branch, Aura's gaze swept over the scene below. Dozens of human soldiers, clad in gleaming armor and armed with a variety of weapons, had quietly surrounded her. Their eyes were hard, their postures tense, ready to strike at any moment. The blade of one of the axemen was still stained with her blood, the red droplets falling to the forest floor like a slow, deliberate countdown.

In the shadows, hidden among the trees, Aura could sense more humans lying in wait. These unseen warriors were biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Unlike the soldiers Aura had easily dispatched in the past, these were seasoned fighters, hardened by countless battles. Their every movement was calculated.

Aura knew that if she had encountered them from a distance, she could have used her superior speed to pick them off one by one.

But now, with Frieren's life at stake, she had willingly stepped into their trap, closing the distance to save the elf. It was a decision that left her with no easy escape. The distance was too close, and even if she used flight magic to get into the air, they would undoubtedly pull her down before she could gain enough altitude.

'Then we can only fight to the death.'

The soldiers below whispered among themselves, their voices low but audible to Aura's keen ears.

"Hey, Captain, did you see that? It's really a demon! And a lone one at that. Could it be a great demon? I can't sense her presence at all," one of the soldiers murmured, his tone a mix of awe and fear.

"Idiot, the scariest ones are those you can't sense! This demon concealed herself so well that none of us noticed. If she had hidden in the forest and picked us off one by one, we'd all be dead before knowing who our enemy was!"

"Oh, so why did she show up on her own initiative to save that elf? That's ridiculous. I've never heard of any selfless individuals among the demons. Aren't they all cold-blooded and selfish monsters?" another soldier asked, confusion lacing his words.

"I don't know. Maybe this elf is very important to them. It seems that I didn't make a mistake when I chopped it with my axe. This elf really colluded with the demons and betrayed its own race."

The captain, a towering figure with bulging muscles and a weathered face, circled slowly around the purple-haired demon perched on the branch. His eyes gleamed with a mixture of respect and bloodlust. His bare arms, thick and corded with muscle, flexed beneath the weight of his armor, his grip tightening on the axe that had already tasted Aura's blood. He was a seasoned warrior, a hunter who had faced down demons before, and he wasn't about to let this one slip through his fingers.

"Keep your weapons up, and don't let your guard down. The enemy this time is a great demon! Although we have killed great demons before, this one is obviously different from the previous ones! If we are not careful, we may die at any time..."

Boom!!

A sudden magic cannon erupted, its blinding energy swallowing the team leader in an instant.

His body was hurled through the forest, crashing through trees and skidding across the ground until it finally came to a stop in a smoldering pit of stone. The forest in front of him bore the scars of the attack, a gaping circular gap where the trees had been obliterated, their severed trunks teetering before toppling to the ground with a series of resounding crashes.

"Why talk so much before fighting?"

Aura muttered, standing in the exact spot where the team leader had been moments ago. She reached out and caught the battle axe that had been sent flying from his hand, the weapon spinning through the air before landing solidly in her grip. A bloodthirsty smile spread across her face as she turned to the remaining human soldiers, whose eyes widened in shock before they charged at her.

"Don't worry, humans," Aura called out, her voice dripping with dark amusement. "I didn't kill him. But the next person to hit me will die for sure."

Her words hung in the air like a death sentence. Several weapons, poised to strike, wavered in mid-air as doubt and fear crept into the hearts of the soldiers. They were trained to face demons, but this was unlike anything they had encountered before. The demon before them was different—stronger, smarter, and utterly fearless.

Aura seized the moment of hesitation. With a swift, fluid motion, she spun the axe in her hand, using its heavy blade to shatter the swords, knives, and spears that were aimed at her. The weapons broke apart like brittle twigs, their shattered pieces clattering to the ground at her feet.

It wasn't that Aura had lied to them; the obedience spell still held sway over her actions. She couldn't kill the humans, not directly. The magic cannon she had unleashed earlier was carefully controlled, its power held back to ensure that it wouldn't be lethal. The team leader, despite being blasted hundreds of meters away and appearing charred and lifeless, was still alive. His body, though badly injured, was resilient enough to withstand the attack. The backlash from the obedience spell had drained Aura, leaving her unable to sustain another direct assault on the humans.

Instead, she had to rely on cunning. By shattering their weapons, she introduced chaos and uncertainty into their ranks, buying herself precious time and forcing the soldiers to reconsider their options.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!! The demons this time are totally on a different level than the ones we encountered before!"

"Strategy, decision-making, physical strength, magic power, there is no shortcoming. What should we do? Is the captain alive? Should we retreat first?"

The weapons of the human soldiers were broken, but they remained in formation and did not disperse. However, Aura gave them a choice other than fighting to the death sparked debate among them.

Don't think that Aura is stupid when interacting with others. That's because Aura has entered a field that she is not good at. She cannot understand humans at all, so she uses her wisdom in the wrong direction. Even Serie praised Aura's talent.

Here, without the distraction of trying to navigate human emotions, Aura's true nature as a battle-hardened demon shone through. She could anticipate her enemies' moves before they even thought of them, turning every slight advantage into a decisive one. Her strength, both physical and magical, coupled with her unyielding will, made her a force of nature—a demon who reveled in the chaos of combat.

Without a leader, shattered weapons, and a viable retreat option, even the most determined soldiers couldn't avoid fear and have a though to just retreating.

Aura casually hefted the massive axe onto her shoulder, the blade gleaming menacingly in the dappled forest light. She looked at the soldiers with a twisted grin, as if savoring their dread. The plan she had executed had worked flawlessly.

Had they all attacked at once, they might have overpowered her, breaking through her defenses with sheer force. Aura was no close-combat expert; she was a mage, and her strength lay in her magic, these warriors could break through her defenses with one blow. Even a demon general who was good at close combat might die here. Not to mention Aura, a mage.

Judging from Aura's experience in the battle, she was able to manipulate these humans at will, effortlessly and at the slightest cost, to resolve the siege.

"Retreat," a soft voice commanded from the shadows, the likely second-in-command who had assumed control after their leader had been incapacitated. The decision was pragmatic, a recognition that continuing the fight would only lead to unnecessary deaths.

As the soldiers began their orderly retreat, an arrow shot out from the underbrush, aimed at Aura's heart. Aura's hand moved in a blur, catching the arrow effortlessly. She studied it for a moment, then snapped it in half, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

As she watched the soldiers retreat, Aura's gaze shifted to the distance where the remnants of her earlier attack still smoldered. The warrior captain, charred and barely conscious, was being lifted up by his comrades, his body slumped over their shoulders as they prepared to evacuate. Despite the severity of his injuries.

Thank goodness—

Aura wiped her sweat and looked back at the unconscious Frieren. Even though the elf was sleeping, her brows were furrowed, as if she was having a nightmare.

"Meeting me was your lifelong nightmare, Frieren."