Chapter 57

"The Witch Heart Demon was right. Just follow the knight, and you'll find the Saint Van Gonzal contract... Human mage, hand it over!"

Did they track me through Johnny? Seems like this demon has some brains after all.

Facing his opponent, Abel subtly prepared his defense.

He took a slight step back, lifting his right arm that held the wand just enough to be ready for action — an obvious stance to anyone familiar with magic.

"A mere human mage dares to resist? My men, come forth!" the Earth Demon shouted, his appearance that of a young black man. Slowly, he raised his hands, causing cracks to spread across the ground and walls of the alley. The cracks gaped open like portals, from which dark red and blue-skinned demons began to emerge, surrounding Abel.

A low rumbling echoed, and the ground beneath their feet churned like a rising tide. The walls shifted, transforming the confined alley into a vast, open space. More demons poured out, encircling Abel.

Abel took in his surroundings with a calm nod. "Is this some sort of space manipulation?" he thought. The Earth Demon had opened a subspace to not only prevent Abel's use of teleportation magic but also to create the perfect battleground for himself and his minions.

"Capture him, but keep him alive. I need to deliver him to the Witch!" ordered the Earth Demon.

"Keep him alive? Then it's fine if we take a few limbs, right?" one of the demons sneered.

"Yes, as long as he lives, do what you want."

The surrounding demons cackled and roared in response, their malicious intent clear.

Abel, still emotionless, moved his wand in a wide arc. A blue and white ring of fire erupted from its tip, expanding outward. As the first wave of demons lunged at him, the ring exploded with tremendous force, sending the demons flying in all directions.

With a quick motion, Abel tapped his forehead with the wand. Immediately, it felt as though an invisible, cold liquid flowed over his body, and he vanished from sight — the Disillusionment Charm taking effect.

"Where did he go? Where's the mage?" shouted one demon.

"Is he hiding?"

"Are all your brains made of sulfur?" another demon snapped. "This is the Earth Demon's space. He can't hide here!"

The low-level demons growled, frantically searching for Abel, but the Disillusionment Charm kept him perfectly invisible. As they scrambled, a tall, dark red demon suddenly shrieked. His body was sliced cleanly in half, dropping to the ground, lifeless.

Before they could react, two more demons lost their heads, their bodies collapsing in death.

"It's the mage! Be careful! Watch for magic fluctuations!" one demon warned, prompting the others to grow wary.

In the midst of their heightened alertness, one demon caught a fleeting glimpse of Abel appearing behind another. The demon barely had time to react before the body in front of him was cleaved from the left shoulder to the right hip, falling dead.

"I saw him! The mage becomes visible when he attacks! Watch for it!"

But before the demon could finish his sentence, he felt his perspective shift unnaturally. His vision spun, and when it stopped, he realized he was staring at his own headless body. His consciousness faded into the abyss.

Abel knew it was only a matter of time before his method was uncovered, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.

When using the Disillusionment Charm, it breaks the invisibility spell if another magic is cast. So, Abel would cast Sectumsempra to assassinate the demons, then immediately recast the invisibility spell, using the bodies of fallen demons as cover to avoid detection.

However, with the demons now on alert, he was soon found again.

"Die, mage!" a massive, dark red demon roared, spewing sulfur-laden flames at Abel's last known location. The flames spread swiftly, covering a wide area, even incinerating two unlucky demons who couldn't get out of the way fast enough.

Seeing the opportunity, Abel's eyes lit up. He dodged around the flames, flicking his wand toward the large demon.

Sectumsempra!

Abel intentionally aimed for the demon's arm rather than a vital point. As soon as the spell was cast, the demon's arm was severed cleanly and fell to the ground.

Roaring in pain, the demon swung his remaining arm wildly at Abel. But before he could make contact, Abel disappeared again using the Disillusionment Charm. Enraged, the demon sprayed more sulfurous flames, burning even more of his own kind in his blind fury.

Abel, recognizing the opportunity, deliberately made himself visible for brief moments, killing one demon after another. He lured the furious, injured demon into attacking recklessly, causing him to torch more and more of the weaker demons who couldn't escape the flames.

"Fool! You're playing into that human mage's hands! Calm down!" the Earth Demon bellowed. But the burly demon paid no attention, continuing his rampage and incinerating any demon unfortunate enough to cross his path.

Frustrated, the Earth Demon clenched his teeth and reached out with one hand. The ground beneath the rampaging demon surged upward, forming a giant hand of stone and earth, crushing the demon and reducing him to a lifeless pile of flesh.

The Earth Demon's eyes glowed faintly red as he scanned the battlefield, his gaze locking onto the invisible Abel.

"I see you now, mage," he growled.