Wang Jin and the C rank demon were currently engaged in a heated battle. Fists and claws were exchanged between them. 

I went over to Alter. She seemed to have been tied up in some sort of magic-enchanted rope. 

Using Dainsleif, I was able to cut through it with ease.

"Are you okay?" I asked Alter. 

"I'm fine. Tired." 

"I see. Then, could you go back to the storage room and call for Rokas and Percivale?"

"Brother is here?" Her interest in the conversation suddenly rose at the mention of Percivale's name. 

"Yeah, we ran into them earlier. Now hurry. I don't think even both of us can hold off a C-rank demon for very long."

Having understood the gravity of the situation, Alter nodded and went for the door. 

I noticed the demon suddenly turn its head away from Wang Jin. It seemed to have noticed her trying to leave. 

Raising its claws, it shot towards her. 

I anticipated this and had already activated Death's Vision. I couldn't trust it very well, but given how Wang Jin had managed to hit it a few times, it might have had some semblance of truth in it. 

The foresight was thankfully correct. Just knowing the general location of the attack was enough for me to know where to block. 

With a loud *thang*, my sword met with the demon's claws. 

Grr, even its strength is way above mine. I can barely hold it off. 

"Don't turn away from your opponent, buddy!"

Fortunately, Wang Jin was here to save me from getting crushed. He leaped into the air and threw a barrage of punches at the demon. 

Which didn't hit. Without us even noticing, the demon had already moved to a different location, leaving Wang Jin to punch the air. 

Upon seeing that he wasn't hitting anybody, he stopped his attacks and landed beside me. 

"What's the plan?" I asked him. 

"Plan? What plan? We kill him, of course." He replied, smirking. 

"That's easier said than done."

The demon did not leave us a chance to talk. It once again closed the distance in a flash and swiped in multiple directions.

Wang Jin charged forward, meeting the demon's attacks with his own. I noticed a gale of wind covering his fists, adding a heat-like effect to his punches. 

I wasn't too far behind. My feet kicked off the ground and I launched myself forward. 

Arriving behind the demon, I slashed downwards.

*thang*

Another sound indicated I was unsuccessful. My sword had met with the demon, who used his other hand to block my slash. 

"You two are far too weak!" It screamed. 

I noticed it charging up some sort of devilish power in its body. 

Ah, this must be it. The so-called Devil Ashra. 

It was another name for the mana the demons' used. 

Because demons' bodies are basically made from evil, it is only natural that their very self changes the mana they receive into something fitter for their race to use. 

This was Devil Ashra, the power they used to fuel their attacks. 

"RAGHH!" 

The demon let out an ear-piercing screech, forcing me to cover my eyes so as to not get deaf. 

The scream seemed to carry with it a huge amount of Ashra. I felt myself getting weaker just hearing it. 

I felt myself losing control over my senses. My legs weren't moving like they used to, and my strength was being sapped away. 

It went on to the point that I felt like I was twice my age already. Tired, weakened, and enfeebled. 

Forcing myself to stand up, I expended a great deal of mana to repair my body. 

This was a bad decision. I felt my body being flung back like a harmless corpse. 

I flew all the way to the other side of the rooftop and was only stopped because of the railings. 

"Gah…" 

I looked at the sword in my hand. Dainsleif shone in its bright red glow. The moonlight reflected off its blade, turning it into a mirror. 

My face could be seen on it. It was battered, bruised, and bleeding. 

"Fuck it, I need to get up." 

Even in my sorry state, I pushed myself to get up. I raised my head and noticed Wang Jin, who was also on the floor. 

He, too, was unable to handle the effects of the scream. 

Right… I have to stall for time. I need to make sure I survive until they get here. 

Once again, Death's Vision. 

I ran like my life depended on it. The demon was raising its arm in preparation to finish Wang Jin off. 

As I made my way towards them, I wondered.

Why was I saving this man? 

Was he even worth saving? 

I guess none of that mattered in those few seconds. In one final burst of speed, I pushed myself in between Wang Jin and the demon's claw. 

Even under the constant pressure I was experiencing, I managed to slide the edge of my blade against the demon's claws, deflecting it. 

The demon's eye rose slightly. 

It was because, in that short timeframe, I was able to slightly graze the demon's skin. 

But that wasn't the whole reason. 

Usually, a D rank like me wouldn't have been able to even scratch a C rank. That was just how big the gaps were between ranks. 

It was only made possible because I had one of the greatest swords in the world: Dainsleif. It could cut what could typically not be cut, and the damage it caused could not be repaired. 

Even if it was B rank at the moment, it could still cut through metals as easily as slicing through pie. 

The demon was probably wondering why the wound wasn't healing.

"Y-you… what did you do!? My beautiful skin!" 

How narcissistic, hah.

"Ah, fuck. That hurt…" 

Behind me, Wang Jin was already waking up. He seemed to have a faster recovery time than most people.

"Get up and help me. I can't handle him alone." 

"Alright, alright. Just give me a second…" He began stretching his neck. 

"Y-you will pay for that!" 

The demon's mood increasingly grew mad. It looked like it would explode from the rage it was holding inside.

Its power was now at its peak. The air around us had grown heavy and hard to breathe. 

"So what IS the strategy, Wang Jin?" I asked the same question from earlier. 

"Same thing. Kick its ass!"

At his call, we both charged forward, not waiting for the demon to get stronger. 

I made the first move, moving Dainsleif and slashing in a cross-slash. 

The force of the hit left behind after images, causing a small 'X' to appear in the air. 

Both hits were blocked. I didn't relent, though. I continued slashing and slashing. My role was to be the suppressor. 

In between each of my slashes, the demon would try to be sneaky and launch an attack or two. 

I wasn't so foolish as to let it do that, though. Having done more damage than before, Death's Vision now had more trustworthy predictions. 

I countered his counters, unleashing my own flurry of cuts. 

Sparks arose from my blade and his claws as they clashed. I was confused about the existence of sparks, but I didn't question it. 

After all, these claws were somehow able to resist my slashes. 

They weren't all-powerful, though. I could see that with each hit, my blade began chipping away at his nails until they became uneven. 

I focused my attacks on those spots, planning to break them in half. 

What the demon didn't know, however, was that I wasn't planning on attacking alone. 

I was just a distraction. 

From behind me, Wang Jin appeared, the wind allowing him to move quickly. 

In an instant, he appeared in the demon's blind spot and repeatedly struck its chest. 

The demon growled visibly in pain. I took advantage of the slight change in its guard and slashed accordingly. 

"Enough!" Another scream came out of the demon's mouth, forcing both of us to fall back. 

Ah, shit.

What was left of our remaining energy was now a small fraction of what we had. I could barely keep myself upright. 

"Now this… I don't mind male humans either."

Just as the demon's hand was about to reach me, I heard the door open. 

The figures of Rokas, Percivale, and Alter stood at the door. 

They had finally arrived. Now, we had a chance.