Chapter 12: The Fourth One

The Demons didn't move an inch after seeing Arsha conjure something like that, and before they knew it, their body was split in two from their waist.

The flame blade showed them no mercy but despite that, they were both still alive.

That was because Arsha didn't want them to die just yet. Their skin turned red and the black horns in their head returned as they struggled in the last moments of their lives.

One of them understood that there was no way out of this and just stared at the ceiling waiting to be finished off but the other one was trying to crawl away.

"No, I just can't die yet, I still have a lot to do in life, just where the heck is Derick?!" He screamed in panic and anguish.

He probably would have been able to make it out, that is, if Arsha wasn't still in the area.

Just before he could crawl any further he felt something warm and hard on his head and in that moment, he froze.

"Weaklings like you shouldn't go looking for trouble of this magnitude in a city watched over by a level eight grand knight." He remarked before pressing down his boot on the Demon's head.

The other Demon couldn't bear to watch as his mate's head got flattened on the floor and some of the blood splattered on his face and body.

"But it's not like any of that is really my problem," Arsha muttered before turning his gaze to the last Demon breathing.

Unlike his mates who seemed to be somewhat impulsive, this one seemed to be the careful and observative kind and that was the reason why he was staring deep into Arsha's eyes.

'It would have made sense if he was doing this out of anger and hatred for our race, but I don't sense any of those hostile feelings from him. He's like someone taking care of a bunch of pests just because they're getting in the way of what he really wants to do and he feels absolutely nothing while doing it.' The Demon noted his observation in his mind as Arsha stopped in front of him. 'And the most confusing part is that he gives off a faint scent of a Demon.'

"Hey, I know you're already aware that you're going to die," Arsha remarked before squatting down beside him.

"Yeah, that much is clear." The Demon responded with a voice devoid of hope. 

"There's no reason for you to feel sad since you came here to help murder five hundred people in one spot," Arsha uttered, suddenly switching to a serious tone of voice.

That caught the Demon by surprise, and the expression on his face made that clear.

"I see, I guess it makes sense that you already know about that, but I'm afraid to tell you that it's a little too late for you to do anything about it. A lot of people are going to die today, and if someone strong doesn't show up soon then more than five hundred may end up dying." The Demon revealed before he began to cough uncontrollably.

Arsha could sense his voice growing weaker when he spoke, with the amount of blood he had lost, his time was very short.

After hearing him say all that, Arsha let out a deep sigh before getting up on his feet.

"You can keep your assumptions to yourself, right now, I just need you to answer two simple questions." His voice had suddenly returned to the cold tone, and right now he had his boot on the Demon's chest.

"And the questions are?"

"First, where exactly is your master on this floor, I don't want to waste my time looking for the particular room, and second, is he with the cash prize for this competition?"

_________ ________

It seemed to be time for the battle royale to kick off now as the five hundred fighters in the gymnasium could be seen being brought up to the arena. 

There were a lot of people in the arena stands to see the battle royale and their voices gave the arena a very lively atmosphere as some of the competitors waved at them.

Arsha no longer being there meant that there were only four hundred and ninety-nine of them in the arena at the moment but nobody could really tell.

"Welcome everyone once again, as you all can see, our five hundred competitors are now in the arena, and once the mana field is created the battle royale will begin!" The host's voice resounded through the arena as the voice of the audience got louder.

A mana field was like a barrier created over an area to make sure that no one in the area would just drop dead even after getting seriously injured, the mana field made it possible for concentrated mana to be constantly applied to their wounds and that would be enough to keep them alive until they got medical attention.

Creating a mana field even over a small place required a lot of time and manpower so it wasn't something that anyone could just cast anywhere and anytime. 

While the audience was waiting for the mana field to appear and for the battle to start, the person supposed to be in the only sitting spot in the highest spot was yet to show up.

Well, that was what the people believed, there was a small room behind that seat, and in that room, certain someone sat in silence on the couch by the side with a glass of wine in his hand.

The light coming from outside through the spectator seat illuminated his face faintly to reveal the face of a young-looking man with a sharp jawline and long black hair.

He had eyes that burned like flames and gave off the aura of an Emperor who was waiting for a contest to start so that he could glance at it for a few seconds and be on his way.

Emperors were supposed to be calm and reserved, however, this emperor seemed to be growing a bit impatient. 

He hurriedly took down the last content of the glass before he dropped it on the table beside the couch and got up on his feet. 

"Those three were supposed to be here a while ago, just where could they be?" He pondered with his hand on his chin.

"You mean these three?"

He quickly turned around at that moment to see two heads rolling toward him until they stopped at his feet.

"Temlin?" He gasped before turning to the other one. "Thomane?"

He had disbelief written over his face but he could tell that this was happening for real.

"Sorry, it was supposed to be three heads but I sort of destroyed the other one's head because he was being stupid," Arsha remarked sarcastically with his right hand on the back of his head. "You're supposed to be the fourth and last one, right?"

An immense feeling of anger suddenly swept through the Demon's body as he slowly raised his gaze to look at Arsha who just stood there with his cap and glasses still intact.

"Oh, I see you're angry now." 

"You, I'll show you what happens when you mess with a Demon Lord." The Demon grumbled, his breathing getting louder as two fireballs appeared in his hands.

"Huh?" Arsha muttered with a confused expression on his face before tilting his head a little to the right.

At that moment, the fireballs came flying straight toward him but he didn't move an inch.

The fireballs created a mini explosion on the spot, an explosion that ended up creating a dent in the floor.

"Don't come in here acting cocky when all it takes to defeat you is one attack." The Demon scoffed.

He was just about to turn around when he heard something, it was faint at first but now he could hear it clearly, it was laughter and it was coming from the person he believed he had succeeded in taking care of.

This time around, taking a fire attack seemed to have done some damage to him or to what he was wearing to be precise.

His hat was no longer on his head, the sleeves of his jacket seemed to have been burnt off and his pants weren't looking any good but other than those he didn't look like he took any damage because he was walking just fine and his skin looked okay.

"You really are a third-stage Demon." He uttered with a smile of amusement on his face.

"How did you?" The Demon gasped with a shocked expression on his face.

"Oh, you think I fell for that baseless lie about you being a Demon Lord? A Demon Lord wouldn't need five hundred human souls to evolve into a half-Demon Lord would they?"

Hearing him say that, the Demon knew that there was no longer anything to hide, the person standing behind him knew the gist of what he was trying to do.

"Yes, you figured it out, but are you sure it was a wise idea to confront me alone? From what I've seen, you have a bit of fire resistance but it won't save you from the next thing I'll throw at you." The Demon revealed with a sharp tone before his skin slowly began to turn red.

He was halfway through his transformation as his horns seemed to be coming out when Arsha closed up on him and grabbed him by his neck with his right hand.

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that."

The next thing the Demon knew, his head was getting smashed into the bookshelf just up ahead.