Getting Rid Three Demons General

The hand-shaped cracks on the greatsword were exactly where Aura had previously grabbed it with her bare hands. The sight was impossible to ignore.

The Greatsword Demon, stared at the damage in disbelief. His mouth opened as if to speak, but no words came out. This sword was his prized weapon, forged to withstand the greatest of forces. Yet, it was now marred with cracks from a mere grip—something that should have been unthinkable.

"Schwert, what are you doing? Attack already!!" The Astrolabe Demon shouted, urging the Greatsword Demon now named Schwert.

"I... I can't beat her."

"What? You're a warrior! At this range, no matter how strong the mage is, you can't lose!"

The Astrolabe Demon's frustration masked the icy tendrils of dread creeping into his own mind. He had never seen Schwert hesitate like this, and the implications were terrifying.

Aura drew closer, each step deliberate and heavy, her presence growing larger in the Astrolabe Demon's vision. As she neared, she lifted her head, revealing a sad, pitiful, and hollow, tearful face.

This was an expression no demon should have!

"You are pillars of the demonkind." Aura spoke slowly, her voice carrying a weight that seemed to press down on the very air around them. "We shouldn't be enemies. We should fight against humans together and achieve the great cause of the Demon King."

There was a moment of silence, as if the world itself had paused to listen. Then, with a voice tinged with regret, Aura continued,

"But I, Aura, have no choice but to do something that goes against the great cause of the demonkind..."

Aura lowered her head and gripped the axe handle with both hands, tightening it more and more until even the axe handle began to tremble.

Her hands took on an unhealthy, pale red color, as if all the blood had drained from them.

"Although I don't know your names, please remember that you are right and I am wrong."

She raised her head, and her long purple hair fanned out behind her, and her features, usually sharp and calculating, softened into an expression that bore an unsettling resemblance to the serene, goddess statues worshipped in human temples. It was a face that radiated compassion

With deliberate slowness, she lifted the axe high above her head, the blade reaching its zenith. The weapon seemed to vibrate with anticipation, the air around it crackling as if the very atmosphere was waiting for the blow to fall.

"So, I beg you, stop me."

The words hung in the air, a desperate plea wrapped in the inevitability of what was to come. The pressure in the clearing intensified, a suffocating force that pressed down on the demons like a physical weight.

The Clock Pendant Demon was the first to crumble under the mental strain. He hugged his head, crying, snot running down his face. This wasn't his real behavior but an instinctive reaction. The Clock Pendant Demon was used to mimicking humans, especially when he was scared and wanted to beg for mercy.

"Crazy… Crazy… You're crazy!" The Clock Pendant Demon's voice was a high-pitched wail, shrill and panicked. He scrambled backward, his mind shattered by the sheer intensity of Aura's presence. In a final, desperate act, he unleashed all the mana he had accumulated, pouring it into a barrage of magic cannons. The forest was bathed in a blinding light, the magic forming a searing sun that aimed to obliterate everything in its path.

"I beg you, stop me," Aura's voice came from behind the three demons. Their pupils contracted; they hadn't felt Aura move at all—too fast, too fast! Aura swung her axe over her head, slashing diagonally downward.

"...If you can, that is."

Slash!

With a single, brutal swing, Aura's axe descended on the Greatsword Demon. He instinctively raised his massive sword to block the blow, but the force behind Aura's strike was unstoppable. The axe blade crashed into the greatsword, and for a fleeting moment, the two weapons formed a cross, the immense pressure causing the Greatsword Demon's armor to groan and bend under the strain. But that moment of resistance was brief—too brief.

Then came the second swing, the third!

The Greatsword Demon didn't even have time to react before his limbs were severed, and his head was chopped off.

The Greatsword Demon, once a towering and formidable force, was reduced to nothing more than a pile of mutilated flesh and twisted steel. The demon's body, armor, and weapon had become indistinguishable from one another—a grisly mess of splintered bone and shredded metal.

Fourth. Fifth. Tenth. Hundredth.

Slash, slash, slash, slash!

Aura's axe became a blur, a whirlwind of destruction that turned the Greatsword Demon into unrecognizable chunks. The ground beneath was slick with blood and littered with the remains of the once-proud warrior. The very air around them seemed to hum with the echoes of her brutal assault, vibrating with the sheer intensity of her actions.

When the last fragment of the Greatsword Demon had been obliterated, Aura's hollow eyes turned to the next target: the Astrolabe Demon.

"Ahhhh!!!" The Astrolabe Demon screamed, his voice a shrill note of panic. In a desperate bid to survive, he clutched his astrolabe and activated his spell. The gears of the device clanged loudly as the space around Aura warped, and in an instant, she was teleported several miles away.

Whoosh—

The Astrolabe Demon collapsed to the ground, his body drenched in cold sweat. The intense burst of mana required for such a long-distance teleportation had drained him significantly, leaving him mentally and physically exhausted. His breath came in ragged gasps, the relief of having escaped palpable. He thought he was safe, even if only for a moment.

Swish!!

The chilling sound of an axe slicing through the air reached his ears. The Astrolabe Demon's eyes widened in terror as he looked up to find Aura standing directly before him, her axe already descending with deadly precision. The blade was a hair's breadth from splitting his skull.

In a panic, the Astrolabe Demon activated his astrolabe spell again, teleporting Aura even farther away this time. The strain was immense, nearly breaking him. His vision blurred, and his hands shook as he clung to the astrolabe, his mind racing with fear and disbelief. How could she keep coming? How could she possibly be this fast?

But his thoughts were interrupted by the all-too-familiar sound that now filled him with dread.

Swish!!!

The third astrolabe spell.

Swish!!!

The fourth astrolabe spell!

Swish!!

"Ahhh, stay away from me!!!" The Astrolabe Demon's scream was a mixture of terror and frustration as he teleported Aura to a height of several hundred meters in the sky, hoping that the fall would at least damage or even kill her.

But it didn't.

With a dull thud, the sound of the axe cutting through the air reached his ears once more, growing closer and closer with each passing second.

"Ahhh!!!!"

The fifth astrolabe spell!

…

The thirteenth astrolabe spell!!!

Thud!

But finally, the inevitable happened—the Astrolabe Demon's casting speed slowed for just a split second. It was all the time Aura needed. In that brief, fatal moment, her axe cleaved through him from head to toe, splitting him in half with one clean stroke. The defensive magic he had hastily conjured shattered like glass, utterly incapable of withstanding the sheer force behind Aura's strike.

As the two halves of the Astrolabe Demon's body fell to the ground, a pool of dark blood spreading beneath him, Aura stood, her breath ragged, her body trembling. The intense acceleration and the impact of falling from such a height had turned her eyes bloodshot. Blood poured from her mouth, nose, and ears, but she didn't waver. Her spirit was terrifyingly strong, an indomitable force driving her forward despite the toll on her body.

"You're the last one," she muttered, her gaze locking onto the final demon—the Clock Pendant Demon.

The Clock Pendant Demon, who had witnessed the slaughter of his comrades, fell to the ground, his legs giving out beneath him. His entire body quaked with fear as he scrambled backward, desperately trying to put distance between himself and the bloodied demoness who now loomed over him.

"Wait, maybe we can talk! You only want to take that elf away, right? Go ahead, we won't stop you! We won't stop you!!" His voice was a shrill plea, filled with the terror of someone who knew their end was near. The Clock Pendant Demon's eyes were wide with desperation as he tried to bargain for his life, offering anything to avoid the fate that had befallen his comrades.

"...Too late." Aura's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion as she raised her axe once more.

With a single, swift motion, she brought it down, shattering the Clock Pendant Demon's defensive magic as if it were nothing. The axe cleaved through his neck, severing his head, which rolled away with a dull thud, the life in his eyes fading rapidly.

The clock pendant around the demon's neck activated, its hands spinning rapidly in reverse. In a grotesque display, the Clock Pendant Demon's head reattached itself to his body, the wound sealing as if it had never been there. The demon gasped for breath, his eyes wide with horror and disbelief.

"Please... please spare me! Aren't we are from the same race?" he begged, his voice trembling as he realized that even with his unique magic, he was utterly at Aura's mercy. The fear in his voice was palpable, his survival instincts kicking in despite the futility of his situation.

Aura whispered, her voice laced with a deep, sorrowful compassion that contrasted sharply with her actions. Her gaze was gentle, almost tender, but her body remained cold and mechanical. The rings in Aura's eyes expanded as she imposed three commands upon herself—the last of which was to kill all the demons before her.

The Clock Pendant Demon's time-reversing magic was one of the most intricate and miraculous magics Aura had ever encountered. It held the potential to change the very fabric of the warfare, a magic so advanced that, given time, its wielder could have ascended to the rank of a Great Demon, perhaps even becoming one of the Seven Sages of Destruction.

When Aura first witnessed the Clock Pendant Demon resurrect himself, she hesitated. There was a part of her that recognized the value of this demon's abilities, the potential to revolutionize demonkind technology and reshape the future.

But—

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!!" Aura's body was no longer under her control.

Aura brought the axe down again and again, each swing a brutal, decisive strike that reduced the Clock Pendant Demon's newly restored body into a mess of blood and shattered bones. The time-reversing magic kicked in instantly, rewinding the damage, bringing the demon's body back to its previous state.

However, the Clock Pendant Demon's time-reversing magic could only restore his body to his previous state.

Aura's axe moved faster and faster, so fast that sometimes the time-reversing magic couldn't activate in time. Her axe would strike a second time, reducing the already shattered corpse into even finer pieces.

The time-reversing magic was indeed intricate, but with each reversal, the body only restored to a broken state, and was then immediately ground into finer pulp by Aura's axe.

One time reversal from the Clock Pendant Demon was met with Aura's axe shattering his body ten times over. The once sophisticated magic was rendered useless, unable to keep pace with the sheer brutality and speed of Aura's strikes. The demon's body, once so resilient, was now nothing more than a collection of blood, bone shards, and mangled flesh. The time-reversing magic desperately tried to activate, but there was no longer anything left to restore.

The magic's caster was dead, and no spell could last forever. After reversing for thirty minutes and tens of thousands of times of body retracing, the clock finally froze and stopped ringing.

Aura's axe, now dripping with the remnants of what was once the Clock Pendant Demon, came to a stop. The ground around her was littered with the remains of her foe, a mere pulp of blood and flesh, with no trace of the demon's former self. The once feared Clock Pendant Demon had been utterly annihilated, reduced to nothing more than a grotesque smear on the earth. Bones, hair, and even the magic that had sustained him were gone, obliterated by the overwhelming force of Aura's will and her merciless axe.

"It's over."

Aura whispered to herself, her voice barely audible in the aftermath of the battle. The rings in her eyes slowly receded, leaving behind her natural, albeit exhausted, gaze. She slung her massive, blood-stained axe over her shoulder, its weight now more of a burden than a weapon, and trudged over to where Frieren lay unconscious.

Aura knelt beside Frieren, carefully tearing another strip from the already tattered hem of her skirt, exposing her thighs. She used the strip to securely fasten Frieren to her back, tying the knot with more care than she had shown to any of her previous actions. It was a stark contrast to the brutal efficiency with which she had dispatched the demons just moments ago.

"So tired."

Aura muttered, feeling the full weight of Frieren on her back. This time, the strain wasn't just physical—it was as if her entire being was weary. She stretched out her hand, noticing how the blood had returned to the surface of her pale skin, the spider-web-like network of swollen blood vessels pulsing just beneath the surface.

The highest authority of the obedience magic rested with Frieren. As a subordinate, Aura couldn't dominate others, but she could exert control over herself.

She had first tested this method of self-enhancement in Kribi, a desperate attempt to push her body beyond its natural limits. The results had been catastrophic. The overwhelming surge of power had caused her muscles to tear her bones apart from within, leaving her in agony. It had taken a full week of care under Zanze's watchful eye for her to recover from the ordeal.

This time, however, she had been more cautious. Aura had carefully adjusted the mana output, fine-tuning it to the precise level that would grant her the strength she needed without completely destroying her body.

Splurt—

As Aura tried to take another step forward, her legs gave out beneath her, sending her crashing to her knees. The weight of Frieren on her back was too much, and she couldn't muster the strength to rise. Her body was trembling, drained from the battle and the self-inflicted strain of her magic.

For a moment, she just knelt there, breathing heavily, her mind racing. Perhaps the damage wasn't as severe as it felt. Demons were resilient—tougher than most creatures. A little rest, she told herself. A little more rest, and she would be fine.

With great effort, Aura placed her hands on the ground and tried to push herself back up. Every movement was agonizing, her muscles screaming in protest. But she forced herself to her feet. It wasn't safe yet—she still had to get Frieren out of the battlefield.

"They escaped." Aura muttered to herself as she finally stood, swaying slightly. She scanned the area, her sharp eyes searching for any sign of the demons she had fought so viciously. Only one remained—the shredded remains of the Clock Pendant Demon

The Clock Pendant Demon had been the last to die, and perhaps before it passed, he realized that his body could no longer be restored. In his final moments, the Clock Pendant Demon hadn't used his magic on himself but on the other two demons.

The Astrolabe Demon and the Greatsword Demon had teleported away the moment they were revived, not daring to linger for even a moment, lest Aura cut them down.

"That's good."

If she had not been forced to do so, Aura would not have attacked her own people. Although there were demons who died at her hands during the fight for the position of the Seven Sages of Destruction, that was for the fight for power, not like now... for such a ridiculous reason to save an elf.

"Frieren, I hate you."

Aura gently lowered Frieren from her back, intending to find a more comfortable position. Her body was utterly exhausted; the petite elf she could normally lift with one hand now weighed her down to the point of suffocation.

Aura studied the face of the white-haired elf in his arms. The face was childish, round, soft, and peaceful. There was no similarity between her and the future Frieren who would be filled with hatred and resentment at the sight of the demons.

"Frieren, I hate the way you'll look when you grow up. If possible, please don't become a hateful adult."

"I would rather you understand nothing, be a fool who believes that there are good demons in the world, think about nothing, hate no one, and live a carefree life."

"Then you and I will surely be able to pass by each other peacefully in the future."

"Now that I've saved you, maybe you won't kill me after all."

"Haha—"

A dry, hollow laugh.

Aura knew Frieren couldn't hear her.

She was just talking to herself. What was that? A sense of humor? The demons didn't have that. Aura had been with humans for so long that she had picked up some of their bad habits.

She, Aura, truly had fallen.

"All right, Frieren, we should go."

Aura lifted Frieren's hand, draping it over her shoulder. Using her mana, she manipulated Frieren's legs to mimic walking. Aura was so exhausted she couldn't do it any other way.

"Let's leave this battlefield, and from now on, you don't see me, I don't see you, and we'll have nothing to do with each other."

Aura spoke softly, limping along. Frieren was unaware, and Aura was merely talking to herself, trying to convince herself.

From now on, she never wanted to have anything to do with any humans or elves.

Thud!

The sudden, severe pain that shot through Aura's chest made her eyes widen in shock. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked down, her vision blurring from the intense agony that spread through her body.

A golden spear had pierced through her chest, its radiant tip stained with her blood.

She coughed up blood, turning back in disbelief. Before the attack had hit, a powerful demon like Aura hadn't sensed even the slightest fluctuation of mana.

Apart from Serie... apart from the Demon King... could there be another being in the world as terrifying as this?

Aura looked back and saw, a hundred meters away, a woman with orange hair in pigtails entering her sight.

'Ah... Flamme... it was you who came looking for me.'