Retreat or die

'What just happened?' Kevin's eyes grew somber as he ran a hand over his sweating forehead. Even though his own body was so far away and [Servant's Vision] had no connection to his physical form, it still felt like he had just been through an intense battle.

With just a snap of her fingers, that demon managed to destroy Adriel from within. But that wasn't the worst of it, what worried Kevin was that he didn't seem to be able to use [Servant Vision] on Adriel anymore as if he had just lost his connection with him.

'System' Kevin quickly checked to see if Adriel was still visible on the bluish screen. Fortunately, everything seemed to be in place, and after looking at the screen for a few moments, Kevin managed to sense Adriel's presence again.

'Was this demon so strong that it forced me to lose my connection to my servant?' I have thought that system was something that couldn't be rivaled by anyone but now it doesn't seem to be the case,' Kevin became more and more worried as he activated [Servant Vision].

Instantly, the sight was replaced by the darkness that seemed infinite no matter where his eyes rolled. The only source of light was a huge hole above him.

'Rave, why are you still in that demon's armor, come out,' Kevin commanded the snake. For some reason, the current state of his servant seemed...Terrified?

Unable to resist Kevin's words, the snake carefully crawled towards the surface of the armor and after a few maneuvers, poked its head out.

'Good Jo... What's that...?' Kevin paused mid-sentence as he surveyed the area shocked. A large number of jet-dark creatures could be seen rushing out of the white gate. The pace of the advance was so rapid that some of the demons tripped over their own underlings, only to be pinned into the ground by another raid.

Before Kevin could come out of his shock, a loud screeching sound rang out from behind, followed by a blurring of vision.

"Poof...poof" Kevin leaned forward from his prone position, his eyes filled with terror. For a few seconds, Kevin tried to steady his own breathing until his eyebrows drew together.

'Are they, perhaps, coming for me?' Kevin cursed inwardly as he immediately rose from the ground. Without even a second thought, Kevin leaped towards Uson, signaling him to quickly head towards the base.

From the looks of it, those demons were sent to take care of Kevin. He still couldn't understand how that purple demoness had discovered his presence through his servant. But right now, he couldn't be bothered by such thoughts.

The demon's ordeal was too great for Kevin to have any possible ways of resistance. Even with the help of the Servants, fighting thousands of demons of varying power would simply be futile.

'Damn... I still have no idea how to reach the land of China' Kevin cursed inwardly as he picked his way through the countless bushes.

Even if he could possibly use Markus's god power or even summon the servant himself, it would be impossible to travel for long.

[Flying] itself consumes a lot of energy, but transporting another person while focusing on properly flowing mana through the body would technically be an impossible feat.

'Whatever, I'd rather be somewhere in the middle of the ocean than die in the clutches of demons' Kevin thought as he continued to kick the horse in the stomach, which increased its speed in response.

Kevin summoned a few of his servants and ordered them to spread out around the perimeter. It was just reassurance to know when the demons would be around. Of course, if the servants possessed that ability, they would also try to stop the ordeal of the rampaging demons.

As they continued to rush through the forest, various types of beasts could be seen stationed in the area. Fortunately, most of them were peaceful enough not to be bothered by the onrushing Kevin while the crazies chased from behind.

However, Uson's speed, which improved even more after consuming the soul crystals, was too nimble for the angry beasts to continue their pursuit for long.

"ROAR!!!" Suddenly, a loud roar rang out from the front, followed by the intense heat that made Kevin sweat under his gear. Looking forward Kevin noticed a medium-sized lion standing on a huge rock, staring at him from above.

Flames rose in the lion's eyelids as he prepared to attack the dark figure. Kevin, though surprised, didn't even bother to pause for a second as he summoned Judo to stop the beast.

Both lions immediately fixed their gazes. Without even a second of doubt, the lions lunged at each other as the fire rose in their mouths.

Kevin only felt the heat and the loud roars coming from behind before he continued to charge towards the base. After a few moments, the familiar sight of the sand, followed by the huge pit reappeared in Kevin's vision.

As Kevin rushed inside the base, the figures of the wolves could be seen standing around the struggling Laura.

"Why did you come back?" asked Laura, her voice filled with anger.

"We need to leave immediately, the number of demons is greater than expected. They're already on their way here," Kevin said, ignoring her anger.

In response, Laura lowered her head as Kevin noticed the same fear reappearing in her eyes before suddenly turning sharp.

"There's no way we're going to stay alive if we're stuck alone in the middle of the ocean," Laura said, trying to be as realistic as possible, "We have a better chance of surviving if we just hide somewhere on the island."

"You underestimate the power of demons. One of them could easily kill us within seconds," Kevin continued, "If you want to die that badly, I won't stop you. As for me, I will leave before we are destroyed"

Just as the words ended, Kevin felt the mana inside of his storage dissipating. Sweat broke out around his body, feeling the inexplicable fear emanating from his own servants.

"They're already here," Kevin said as he ducked his head, "Are you going or not?"

"I..." Laura muttered, "Please take me with you."

After hearing Laura's words, Kevin responded accordingly. He gently took her into his embrace, trying not to open up the wounds. If by chance Laura started bleeding, then Kevin would have no choice other than to leave her on this island, defenseless.

"ROAR!!!" Suddenly, a loud roar echoed throughout the area as Kevin stuck out his ear alarmed. He recognized that roar. It was none other than Judo, loudly telling Kevin to back off immediately.

Kevin hastily gripped Laura even tighter into his embrace, while the young woman tilted her head to the side, slightly embarrassed. But Kevin didn't care about Laura's feelings at the moment as he hurried out of the base.

He felt more and more of his mana disappearing while moving towards the gravel. Without even startling Laura, Kevin jumped off the island as gusts of wind immediately propelled the duo upwards.

Kevin's hair lifted slightly, revealing his forehead while Laura tightened her grip around him, circling her hands around Kevin's neck.

"Are you a psycho?! What are we supposed to do now? I don't have enough strength to properly let us settle on the water!!!" Laura screamed directly into Kevin's ear as she squeezed his body closer.

"Calm down," Kevin replied contemptuously. As his words ended, Kevin activated [Ability Sharing] and managed to stop mid-air. Laura, whose eyes were closed, feeling the more neutral breeze, reestablished her sights.

"How ... can you do that? Isn't it Markus power?" asked Laura with a confused look on her face. However, Kevin didn't answer as he continued to descend towards the ocean in silence.

-

"Did you find anything abnormal?" asked the purple demoness as she flew into the sky.

"Yes, Queen," Mara and Vetis, two demons Kevin had met earlier, said before continuing, "We found at least five abnormal beasts on the island. They had inexplicable stamina and possessed strange divine powers that would let them resurrect after death"

"A new species? Resurrecting after dying?" the demoness was very interested in the topic as she asked, "Did you manage to capture them?"

"Unfortunately, all the beasts suddenly disappeared," Mara answered.

Hearing the demons' reply, a slight tingle of Queen's intense aura erupted from her body as she grunted:

"You are all useless"