C56: Master's Peak

As we walked up the stairs, Dalia and I stood in front of Paris.

Dalia put a hand on my shoulder and said. "Be careful, don't let him touch you, and don't keep eye contact for too long. Don't do anything that might complete a condition for an ability to activate. Also, keep an eye on what he's doing; only then can you discover what he might be trying to do, which might hint at his ability's activation."

Her gaze sharpened, and she glanced at me with an unsure look.

Was she worried about me?

"Remember, this guy is a trained guard," Paris warned me. She had a stricter approach to everything and didn't look so worried. "The Royal Family wanted him dead because he has information on the other royal guard's abilities. Something an assassin would love to have."

The tenth floor was luxurious and with shiny things all around. There was a nice view from the windows. After walking a bit, we ended up in front of a huge door with golden ornaments.

Was this the entrance to a royal chamber, or what? These kinds of hotels only cater to the super-rich.

"Our target is behind these doors," Delia opened the entrance.

It was a ballroom, without chairs or any other things, except for one man who was a head taller than me and had a stout build. He was wearing a suit and had a stern look in his eyes and hands in his pockets. "So my hunters finally showed up."

He glanced at Paris. "It's an honor for a Special Rank Exorcist to be sent after me. Though I never thought I would see a justice-obsessed freak like you working with the Dark Sword Clan."

Paris didn't answer and instead opened her book. "Reiss Wanderlag, you have the right to remain silent. You're accused of…"

She was speaking fast, but everyone understood what she said. At this speed, she would finish reading his rights in a minute.

As the man charged at us, Delia and I stood in front of Paris. He tried to throw a punch, but Delia kicked at him.

I only saw a flash of that kick, before he was sent blasting off. He smashed into the wall, creating spider web-like cracks.

Delia crouched down, twirled her two knives, and imbued her weapons with Ord.

"Oh? A Hybrid Affinity? Let me guess, Creator and Warrior," the man smirked and dusted himself off.

Delia shot toward him like a bullet, and I followed along. She was extremely aggressive in her attacks, but the man kept dodging.

She didn't fight cautiously and tried to rip the man apart with her knives. He barely evaded and even got a scratch on his cheek.

Jumping back, the man took out a knife of his own. Judging by the Ord in it, that was likely a Magic Item.

The man was physically stronger than Delia, but she was a Warrior and could multiply her physical powers with Ord. So she was the one who ended up pushing him back.

Yet he was still somewhat capable of keeping with her. Since he hadn't boosted himself until now, it was safe to assume he wasn't a Warrior. He hadn't created an item, so he was not a Creator. Blaster? No, he would have shot at Paris by now.

Noticing that he was moving back, Delia recklessly followed him. I called out. "Delia! Don't chase like a mad dog! Remember our mission."

***

'Fuck!' Reiss felt like his arms were going to pop off.

The young girl had only kicked him once, and he had blocked. But another hit like that and his arms would break.

Warrior and Creator, when combined made the best affinities for close-quarters combat.

'Even clashing our weapons is out of the picture. Since she has imbued her weapons with Ord, my weapon will probably break after a dozen bouts.'

But Reiss still had hope as he drew the young girl with him. She followed him recklessly until the brat called out to her again. "Don't follow him. He's trying to create distance between Paris and us."

Reiss glanced toward the youngster. He couldn't have been older than a teen. Why was he even here?

'What a troublesome opponent. It seems like Plan A is a bust.' Reiss knew when to cut his losses.

So instead, he signaled his beasts to attack.

A worm with a wolf's head burst from the ground and bit down Delia's leg. The demon gnawed at it, but the protective Ord around her limb didn't let the fangs even touch her skin.

She wasn't injured, but the attack made her look away, which was enough for Reiss to charge toward her.

Still, he used his body as a distraction and charged at her. But suddenly, he felt a stinging pain in his thigh. Looking down, Reiss saw a hole about the size of a finger on his thigh. It was leaking water. "What?"

The kid!

The only person who Reiss thought was the least dangerous. He had a backpack in his hands, with the lid open, a fish head peeking out of it.

It was a carp, with the fish's cheeks bulged up.

Tchu!... It sounded like someone was spitting. But the projectile was fast. Reiss had no choice but to put his left arm up to block the attack, which caused another bleeding hole.

The carp was shooting some kind of small water globs.

'It's just a low-class demon with no mobility. But despite that, its piercing power is quite high for its level.'

"Seems like you're forgetting about something," the young woman whispered. She was Delia of the Dark Sword Clan.

She was a girl who, during her time studying in the academy, was investigated for a string of murders. When she took her Expert Exorcist Exam, her teammates died and were brutally mutilated. Yet she always came out unharmed.

Of course, having one of their members be a notorious murderer wasn't something the Dark Sword Clan would let get out.

They were using their connections with the higher-ups, who they did favors quite often—getting rid of trouble for them. The higher-ups also turned their heads, and the investigation was cut off.

Still, before the investigation was shut down, Reiss had gotten a look at the files. All the victims were dismembered, their limbs ripped apart, and their heads and torso were buried alive. It was as if the killer was playing with a bug and trying to keep it alive.

To say it was cruel and brutal would be an understatement.

Delia of the Dark Sword Clan was known as the Doll Chopper for some time. She was a serial killer.

Delia swung her daggers at his neck. Reiss was about to use his one healthy arm to block. He knew the knife he was using would stop some of the blow. But for some reason, Reiss instinctively pulled up his already injured arm.

His arm plopped to the ground. Dozens of slashes happened in a split second as Delia's Ord increased to three times the size.

With the arm falling off, Delia blushed, and Reiss noticed a delighted look behind her mask. Reiss used this split second of accomplishment the little serial killer felt and plunged his knife into her belly.

"Leaving yourself exposed like that ain't a good idea. At least wear some normal clothes. Don't young girls have decency nowadays?" Reiss tried to sink the knife deeper, but the blade was only half in.

These damn Warriors were always annoying!

But he didn't have another chance to think too deeply as he felt unimaginable pain, as if his testicles were about to explode.

Delia had kneed him in the balls!

Reiss immediately let go of the knife; his hand went to his family jewels. He fell to his knees and barely jumped back in time as Delia tried to decapitate him.

While jumping back, he used his last resort. The bat demon ripped off the covering and emerged from the roof.

A young woman with a sleeping mask, gray skin, and bat wings for arms started falling.

"SCREEECH!!!" The demon bat's voice caused blood to erupt from Delia's eardrums.

Reiss took this moment, activated a one-time-use demon from under his sleeve, and shot a poisoned dart at Paris, who had almost finished reading his rights.

But instead of hitting Paris, the brat appeared before the projectile. He tried to use his sword to block it.

But the dart was a demon that flew past his sword and dug into the youngster's shoulder. The bug exploded into greenish goo as soon as it drilled into his flesh.

The poisoning process had already started. The kid would die in twenty seconds and was paralyzed until then.

This would have been the end of the battle if it were one-on-one. But Reiss didn't have the luxury to wait, as Paris looked like she was about to finish reading out his rights before the kid died.

Reiss didn't know if charging ahead was the best idea. While Paris wasn't strong, she wasn't weak, either.

He needed more time to think things through! So he charged at the youngster.

"Ugh! Stop!" Delia yelled as she attacked the bat demon.

The bat demon stood no chance; Delia's knives were barely visible to the naked eye. She ripped the demon apart before it could even react.

Reiss felt a bit sad since that demon was the one he had raised since he started his Exorcist journey. She was the second demon he had tamed. But he knew he didn't have the leisure to dwell on it.

Somehow, Delia was fast enough to appear between the youngster and Reiss faster than him.

The Ord being exuded by her was something he rarely saw. She was only nineteen and had plenty of time to grow stronger.

'Her ability is quite suitable for her. I have never seen someone so compatible with their Special Ability. It's like a pyromaniac with a fire ability.'

Reiss summoned the ant demon below his sleeve. It was a low-class demon. That was the first demon he had ever tamed, and they shared quite a bond. While the demon was weak, it was unique.

{Metamorphosis!}

With their bond as strong as possible, the ant demon melted into his skin, and Reiss developed ant-like antennae. Also, his usually slightly tan skin became brown and metallic as an exoskeleton grew.

This was the fusion between master and demon, the peak of a master's ability, a technique that needed both talent and the bond between master and familiar!