Prodigy

"Well... Well..."

A creature with pale skin, lean muscles and wings that stretched out from behind his back emerged from the cloud of smoke.

Its eyes glowed with an intense yellow light and a cruel smile played on its lips.

The creature sneered.

"Somebody managed to defeat you James... I'm quite disappointed."

Throwing a glance of disdain at James who was trying to recover from Luna's attack, the creature hissed.

"Don't make me regret signing a contract with you..."

The Demon brushed its claws against James's cheek, drawing blood and making the guy wince in pain before turning toward Luna and Lucy.

For a moment, the being just simply stared at the duo, assessing them with a mix of curiosity and amusement. However, as soon as his eyes landed on Luna, his facial expression became filled with recognition and a twisted sense of delight.

"I know you..."

Pointing his clawed finger at Luna, the creature's voice dripped with malicious intent.

"You are one of those 'prodigies' that the whole demon realm has been buzzing about. You are a star you know... Your head is worth a fortune in the underworld."

The Demon took a step closer to Luna, his presence oozing with dark energy.

"Nice to meet you, miss Luna Whitethorn~"

Showing its sharp teeth in a wicked smile, the demon reached for its sword and unsheathed it with a menacing metallic sound.

[ Unholy Intent ]

The being activated one of its skills, making the blade of his sword glow with weird aura and lunged forward, aiming for Luna's neck.

If not for her Sixth Sense skill, Luna's head would have been separated from her body in that deadly strike.

She barely managed to weave out of the way of the demon's weapon.

'He's strong.'

Observing the demon Luna, glanced at Lucy who was preparing to cast her spell and simply placed her hand on her staff, interrupting Lucy's incantation.

"You should escape."

Luna shook her head, while glaring at the demon.

"I... Luna, I can't just leave you here"

Lucy protested, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

"What if... what if..."

Luna's expression softened for a fleeting moment before hardening once again with resolve. She reached out, gently placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"I'll be fine, Lucy. But you won't be if you stay. This demon... he's strong. I need you to get help, to gather reinforcements. We can't defeat him alone."

Lucy's eyes widened with realization as Luna's words sank in. She knew Luna was right. They stood no chance against such a powerful adversary on their own. Reluctantly, she nodded, her hands shaking as she clasped Luna's.

"Okay... okay, I'll go."

Lucy whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

Luna offered a small, reassuring smile before gently pushing Lucy away. She watched as the girl with silver hair ran in the opposite direction, disappearing into the maze.

"That was a smart choice... You knew she would hold you back."

Chuckling to itself, the demon raised its sword once again, preparing for another attack. It was about to lunge forward when its movements were suddenly constrained.

Slightly confused, the creature turned its gaze toward the ground.

Its legs were chained with ice shackles!

Frowning in annoyance, the demon used his sword to strike at the chains, but they remained intact.

"Oh, I almost forgot you are also a mage..."

Mumbling under his breath, the Demon channeled his own Mana and tore the ice apart with his claw, freeing himself from the shackles.

However, while he was busy escaping the ice shackles, Luna took advantage of the distraction to unleash the second movement of her Weapon Art.

Whoosh...

She threw her first, coated with a layer of thick Ice Aura, unleashing a focused blast of mana that collided with the demon's chest, sending it reeling back with a cry of pain.

Although it caused the demon slight pain, no real damage was inflicted.

'He's probably an E+ or D- Rank demon...'

Biting her delicate lips, Luna quickly analyzed the situation.

There was no way for her to defeat the demon on her own. No matter how skilled she was as a mage or a martial artist, she couldn't match the demon's raw power and brutality. He was a minor rank if not two above her own.

'I'll have to drag out this fight..'

Eyeing the demon who was approaching her Luna raised her fists once again.

If she wasn't that focused on the being before her, she would've noticed another demon that had entered the area.

However, she didn't.

Luckily, the demon was not interested in attacking her. His different color eyes were focused onto its kin, a wicked grin spreading across its face.

***

Tap... Tap...

The sound of my footsteps echoed as I ran through the maze.

The corridors seemed endless, twisting and turning in on themselves. Fortunately, I had a trail I could follow - the Mana Signature I've placed on James.

While running, I noticed some stains of blood and even bodies scattered along the way.

Some of them were demon corpses, some were human.

"..."

If I had seen such a sight in my previous life, I would have been terrified and most likely shaken to my core but after my previous personality merged with this body's memories, I seemed to have developed a sort of indifference towards the gruesome scenes.

Demons have a rough and ruthless lifestyle, and bloodshed is no stranger to them. The same could be said for the demon I possessed.

'I'm getting close…'

Scanning the area with a thoughtful expression, I took a turn to the right and emerged into a small open chamber.

Instantly, my eyes were drawn to two figures standing in the center of the chamber, engaged in a fierce battle.

One of them was Luna.

And the other one was...

'Found you...'

A sinister smile crept on my face as my eyes befell upon the creature Luna was dueling with.