The Witch

Flames soared, demonic dogs howled in terror, fur exploded in the light of fire, and chaos reigned.

The temperature rose instantly, giving Noah the illusion of being thrust back into hell. The flames bursting from his ring were serpentine—tyrannical, nightmarish—as they engulfed the pack of dogs, sending them tumbling backward through the air, their bodies crashing to the ground and mostly turning to ash upon impact. Oddly, the smoke did not rise but flowed downwards, sinking into invisibility.

Was this because they were in an anomalous domain? Noah observed the charred remains, an unsettling mix of flesh and twisted demonic essence.

Scattered flames consumed the pack, igniting them as they ran howling through the fire, desperately fleeing the engulfing pain. Noah knew what to do amidst the turmoil; he swung his blade to the sides, fending off the inflamed mad dogs before charging towards the woman at the alley's end.

"Awooo!" The black beast he had seen before suddenly burst out of the wall, lunging at Noah.

Battle-honed reflexes kicked in; Noah's swift blade cut through the creature with ease, bisecting it mid-leap.

"Exquisite," Gladius commented lightly.

The beast fell in two, the upper half still fruitlessly barking at Noah before hitting the ground.

The sight of the black brute being split and executed beneath Noah's blade instilled fear even in the most vicious hearts, causing the remaining pack to hesitate. They parted ways, watching him with trepidation.

"It's over," Noah declared, advancing towards the woman at the alley's exit.

"You won't make it out," she sneered.

"We'll see about that," Gladius muttered in Noah's mind. "I've dismantled some of the supports; this place is on the verge of collapse."

Step by step, Noah approached, finally standing face to face with the woman.

"How does it feel? Can you touch me?" The woman looked at Noah arrogantly, seemingly unaware that the veil of concealment was lifted. Gladius had silently severed the twisted spatial spell; now Noah could see her clearly.

Her skin was pale, almost translucent with visible veins beneath, her brown hair cascading down, gray eyes rimmed with dark makeup enhancing their delicate shape, full lips, a petite nose, and gaunt cheeks.

"Go ahead and grab her breast; show her who's the real devil," Gladius urged.

"You lost," Noah said, seizing her wrist.

"!?" She recoiled instinctively, but Noah's grip prevented her escape. She wore an expression of surprise mixed with shyness, struggling in vain as Noah's unwavering gaze trapped her.

"You!" she gasped, her former pride and condescension gone. "How did you get out—you guessed..."

Noah caught a strong scent from her—not a perfume, but a poison, quickly clouding his senses, sapping his strength.

What's happening? She's poisoning my mind. Noah involuntarily let go as she snatched her wrist free, her eyes gleaming with triumph.

He felt terrible, the world spinning as a fog seemed to envelop his mind.

"You can't escape my grasp," she said, wiping off Noah's touch from her wrist as if erasing his presence, taking pleasure in his frustrated state. "So much for the demon hunter."

"I call upon the Afin Flame," Noah invoked his soul fire, waking his soul, clearing his mind.

"Hmm?" She frowned, retreating instinctively, but Noah charged.

Amidst her screams, Noah tackled her to the ground, pinning her beneath him with his blade at her chest, looking down into her eyes while snuffing out the soul flame to avoid inhaling the potent scent.

"Who are you?" Noah interrogated coldly, the sharp blade barely grazing her skin.

"You wouldn't dare kill me," she said confidently.

Noah pressed the blade slightly deeper, piercing through her cloak, lightly cutting through her top layer, revealing the fabric beneath.

Her face began to change.

"You cut my clothes." She locked eyes with Noah. "I thought you were a demon, but you're just a thug."

"I'm no demon," Noah declared. "I make a living hunting them."

"Your soul is already monstrous, lying won't work on me. You should work with us," she defied.

"What's in it for me?"

"Me."

She began to part the torn section of her clothing.

Noah frowned. Was this an insult to her? He raised the blade, noticing her flushed face.

"Kill her," Gladius urged. "Kill her!"

"Tell me who you are," Noah demanded.

"Be honest," she said flirtatiously. "You're captivated by me."

Without a word, Noah sheathed his blade, preparing to carry her away for further questioning.

"Kill her!" Gladius shrieked.

Suddenly, Noah felt the jade amulet at his waist tremble. A chill ran down his spine as a low growl emanated from the side.

Dogs again? If it's a demon dog, I'm not afraid.

The woman smirked with contempt.

He looked up to see a behemoth.

A giant hound with seven or eight blood-red eyes, ears hidden within a dense black mane, massive teeth gleaming with a deadly metallic sheen and stained with blood, its body mountainous, occupying the street, its back as high as a two-story building. The multi-eyed beast of hell fixed its gaze hungrily on Noah, fire flickering within its dreadful maw, drooling scalding saliva that hissed as it hit the ground.

A demonic beast.

Such a size... at least twice that of the winged demon.

As Noah prepared to act, the colossal dog swatted him, striking his midsection and sending him flying across several meters. He tumbled through the air, instinctively reaching out to brace for impact, but collided violently with the ground.

The blow left Noah with excruciating pain; he lay there, half his body numb and aching, the force penetrating his armor and wreaking havoc within. Incapacitated, he could barely struggle, unable to draw a full breath, gasping for air.

"Huff—huff—"

The commotion drew the attention of neighbors and guards. Noah, panting heavily, felt something bubbling up his throat—blood? His vision blurred, and strength drained from his limbs.

"You can only watch the massacre unfold now, weakling," the woman said as she clambered onto the beast's shoulder.

"The witch..." Noah looked up at the woman atop the demonic beast.

She didn't deny the title, instead reclaiming her arrogant stance.

The witch and the gigantic demon vanished into the night.

A massacre? Killing who? Innocent people... Noah felt waves of distress. Demons, and women who conspired with them, wreaking senseless slaughter in the city... as a demon hunter, I must stop them—but how?—If I had been more vigilant, if I noticed the approach of that demonic beast and killed it, all this could have been avoided—could have!

"Gladius let out a cackling rebuke of Noah's foolishness," Gladius spoke theatrically. "But would I do that? I'd rather say: 'Don't worry, I'll take care of you.'"

"You knew," Noah rasped, questioning within. "You must have felt it approaching. You could have warned me."

"Of course, I knew. I deliberately didn't tell you so that you'd take the hit."

"—You wanted me to kill her, making a judgment without reason, so I'd trust you unconditionally. To kill anyone you say should die," Noah sharply deduced the truth.

"Such a detestable guess. I always tell you the correct path because we're friends. Ah, why can't you understand my righteousness! Your judgments are ignorant and naive! All you need is to believe in the Blade Demon! From now on, you'll have no doubts, never make mistakes!"

Really? Noah closed his eyes in agony, his body aching all over.

"In truth, I relish seeing mortals suffer. In suffering, your faith wears thin. You begin to doubt yourselves, hate your decisions, question your actions. Watching this change in mentality..." Gladius's voice echoed.

Patrolling guards arrived, seeing Noah.

"Who are you?" they demanded angrily.

Huff... huff... Noah struggled to rise, reaching for his blade, dragging it back to his side.

"Put down your weapon! Or I'll shoot!" a guard aimed his crossbow. "Don't move! Hands on your head and kneel!"

"I am—" Noah's throat ached, blood smearing his neck, "a demon hunter."

"Demon hunters are goddamn criminals. Drop your weapon!"

"I'm reasonable, I hope you are too," Noah held his wounded arm.

Noah's tone softened the guard's demeanor.

"...What happened?"

"That alley," Noah gasped, slowly walking towards the spell-bound narrow street where a dozen large dog corpses lay alongside tiny monstrous remains. "Come see, sir." He gestured harmlessly to let the guard pass.

The guard approached hesitantly, peering inside and widening his eyes in shock.

"All these dogs?"

"And big ones, not ordinary dogs, you can tell," Noah wiped the sweat caused by pain from his brow.

"...Who killed these monsters?"

"I did," Noah explained wearily. "The recent murders must be related to these things... I saw a giant demon roaming the city, set to kill tonight. We need to find a way to stop it."

"Stopping demons is for hunters!" the guard protested. "What is this thing?" He glanced again at the piled bodies. "...scary..."

"Before it frightens the civilians, you must clean up. Since you can't fight the demon, protect everyone," Noah rotated his shoulder, moving sent sharp pain through his body. "You're right about one thing; stopping demons is a hunter's job... I'm going to kill it, kill the demonic beast."

As strong as a mountain, powerful as a dragon, with endless stamina and formidable combat prowess, its body covered in demonic essence.

How to hunt such a creature.