“What? A demon? Already?”

  Veronica ran faster.

  There was no way they could have already summoned a demon. They must have already summoned an existing one. People had been going missing for weeks even before she came to Greystone. Perhaps it was a ringleader, or a subordinate of the cultists, there to help with the ritual.

  “Can you tell what type of demon it is? Lesser? Soldier? General?”

  [A demon has been detected 500 meters ahead.]

  She grit her teeth. “Damn. Not useful when it actually matters.”

  [I’m sorry.]

  Veronica shook her head and grunted.

  The sun was dipping, dusk already making its way into the world. The lights from Greystone behind her illuminated her path forward.

  Although the viscount seemed to be their target—killing a demon was more important than preventing the summon of one. Being in town meant she had clear access to the baron and viscount, able to react to any attempts made by the covenant.

  But now that plan was going to change. Stopping a demonic ritual was one thing—now she had to stop it and kill a demon. She could only hope that the cultists wouldn’t make a move on the viscount yet while she was out hunting.

  Strands of hair whipped loose, stringing past her eyes as she ran. “If it’s only a lesser demon,” she muttered, “then I should be able to deal with it.”

  Her pulse steadied as the ground sloped downward. She planted both feet solidly on the slope, sliding down while using her free hand for balance. Once she reached the bottom, she kept running. The trees soon thinned, opening into the fringe of a clearing. Sage’s warning rang again in the back of her mind.

  [The demon is within seventy meters.]

  The demon was close—close enough that she could feel the air infused with the heavy scent of sulfur and damp heat.

  Veronica dropped lower, easing her steps until the sound of her boots barely brushed the dirt. The forest thickened here, branches clawing overhead like a ribcage. She moved between them, careful, patient, until the trees finally gave way to a rough clearing.

  She froze.

  Three figures in robes stood ahead, their torches casting a sickly glow. Their masks caught the fire’s light in fractured gleams. Among them… there was a shape that dwarfed them all.

  A demon.

  Its shoulders were massive, ridged with muscle that shifted beneath a hide too taut to be human. Its posture slouched, yet even hunched it stood nearly eight feet tall. A head like a ram’s but stretched grotesquely, twisted horns spiraling back along its skull, and a jaw too wide, teeth jutting like stone shards. Its arms hung heavy, claws grazing the earth as it lumbered in slow steps beside them. It was goat-like, but with the body of a young troll.

  She shifted through the treeline slowly, barely catching glimpses of them, more worried about revealing her location.

  They spoke in low tones, words carried off and blocked by the wind before she could hear. She continued edging forward, irritated she couldn’t listen.

  Sage. Can you amplify the sound so I can hear them?

  [Yes. Amplifying.]

  A hum deepened in her ears. Everything became distorted; her ears became hypersensitive. The immediate world around her turned mute, but a low rumbling filled its empty space. In a few moments, she could hear the rough, but faint and muffled words of the group.

  “…they will… the girl… brought back already. After… members will… of the rest of the town.”

  “Be patient. The envoy has set up the… her blood will be the final piece of…”

  “…ritual site. Stalling… will be convenient…”

  “”Will all die… their way already. Town… be razed to the ground. Sister Virellia of the Veil will be pleased.”

  The demon rumbled at that sentence, the sound too deep to be coherent speech. The cultists all seemed to hum, as if they understood. One of them tilted their head up at the demon, but said something too illegible for her to hear.

  Veronica’s pulse tightened. That was enough information. Even with the terrible quality, enough of their words strung together for her to get a general idea. The viscount’s daughter. That was the only person the “girl” could have been, if they were talking about envoys.

  She was their target; she was going to be made into the sacrifice for their summoning. And from the other thing she picked up, the entire town might be in danger; either before or after—the entire place will be razed to the ground.

  She clenched her fists. Her breath steadied, drawing in a slow breath, while channeling her mana until her mana veins were circulating. The demon seemed to be a demonic soldier, not the lesser one like she’d been hoping for.

  This would make things much more tricky. Demonic soldiers were not something regular Tier-2 mages could handle.

  A demon’s power was equivalent to their ranks. From Lesser, to Soldier, to Centurion, Commander, Warlord, Archfiend, and then Demon Lord. Even lesser demons, ones without much flare or uniqueness about them, could slaughter Tier-1 mages. It would take a full ten-member squad to take one down. Even for Tier-2 mages, it took a small party.

  But a soldier? That was approaching territory that needed Tier-3 mages.

  Even if I’m only Tier-2 right now, I should be able to cast a Tier-3 spell, she thought.

  Her fingers trembled as she began assembling the magic needed for a Tier-3 Path of Ruin spell. A unique spell she created herself during her studies. She just needed a minute to cast it due to the tier-difference.

  Two wings appeared behind her right palm. A third began to vibrantly shudder, fighting its way into existence while her body rebelled.

  She also had to wait for the right moment, when they all lined up for her to strike.

  Veronica gathered more and more mana, her mana rings increasing in rotational speed, ready to unleash the spell—until Sage interrupted her. The sound in her ears distorted once more for a slight moment.

  [Additional presence detected ahead. Rustling of leaves. Arc of tension detected. Consistent with a pulled bowstring. Weapon likelihood: Youth Bow.]

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  A bowstring? Out here? Veronica froze mid-spell cast. Her eyes immediately narrowed, and her gaze flicked around.

  Her ears pricked at the sound as Sage amplified something snapping.

  An arrow sliced through the leaves, a moment later, heading directly for the cultists.

  The demon was the first to react to the sound. Upon its body turning, a loud grunt escaped its maw. This caused the cultists to all turn and put their guards up and leapt back a half-step.

  The arrow hit one of the masked men.

  It was too shallow.

  The head of the arrow tore into the man’s arm, barely sinking its metal tip into his shoulder before he plucked it out and snapped it in half. It hadn’t even drawn blood.

  “Who’s there?!” he shouted in fury.

  The demon stirred, molten flames inside its body kindling upward through various cracks of its blackened armor.

  Veronica’s gaze quickly shot to the side, facing the direction of where the arrow came from. Sage told her the rest.

  [Air vibration and brush movement detected. Size and stride suggest a child. Probability… 94% to be Finn. He is currently sprinting east.]

  “That damn kid!” she cursed beneath her breath. “Always getting in the way!”

  Her hands rose, palms glowing. Light spiraled before her in a tightening helix as she forced mana into the forming matrix. Without a staff, every second cost her more strain. “Just a few more seconds…” Her jaw clenched, grunting, eyes fixed forward.

  Eliminate the demons, Veronica! Promise me that! Please!

  The words of a dead friend burned in her mind.

  That was when the demon turned, chest rumbling with a roar. Its eyes gazed through the trees to find the hidden assailant. It roared; a burst of fire exploded from its mouth toward where the attack had come.

  The space in front of him exploded, sending a loud shockwave of sound, burning leaves and toppling the nearest trees. Yet as the trees fell and the clearing opened— it spotted nothing.

  Whoever it was, they were quick to flee.

  “Insignificant—!” it roared.

  [Concentrated demonic power detected. Finn casualty rate: 34%]

  Flames welled between the cracks of its flesh and armor. Its eyes ignited molten red. It leaned toward the treeline, maw glowing as fire pooled within. It was concentrating power to fire off an incinerating blow much more powerful than before. Several times more powerful.

  Veronica’s eyes tensed.

  It was going to kill Finn.

  Panic jolted through her veins. Her eyes flicked right—then back to the demon.

  Time fractured. Thoughts collided, overlapping.

  Do it! Shoot now!

  Not enough time. Fire early, stop it!

  This won’t kill it!

  The spell won’t finish in time—idiot, why use a Tier-3?!

  Too slow!

  It’s aiming for him—move! Stop it!

  He’ll die!

  Disrupt it with something else!

  No time. Too late. You should’ve cast three seconds ago!

  Her hands trembled. Just six more seconds.

  [Finn casualty rate: 74%]

  Five more seconds.

  [Finn casualty rate: 82%]

  A memory resurfaced.

  A pair of children.

  A little girl’s broken voice, crying a name.

  The boy Veronica failed to save.

  The first mistake of the Fall. A mistake that had carved her open and never healed. She had let an innocent young boy die. After that—it was simply a cascade of death. Throughout the invasion, she watched as people were torn limb from limb, gored beyond recognition as she arrived too late to save them.

  The children were the hardest to watch. And she had seen more than one. More than hundreds.

  And it had all started, because she couldn’t save that little girl’s brother.

  Milo…

  The thought of the girl sobbing her brother’s name—that broke her.

  “DAMN IT!”” Veronica roared.

  The forming spell shattered in her hands. She funneled every scrap of mana into Burst, a Tier-2 Path of Ruin spell, one suited for her current tier. The spell formed in an instant at perfect efficiency.

  A powerful blow of condensed mana came free. She had used a more raw, more primitive version of this spell to break the slave shackles off her hand back in the forest. Now, she used it on the ground below her.

  Sage’s mana barrier formed around her as a shockwave detonated beneath her feet. Earth split. Grass, dirt, and splintered twigs exploded upward as her body rocketed forward. Over fifty meters of clearing vanished in an instant. Her landing carved a gouge through the soil, boots skidding, body whiplashing with violent force. She could feel her body straining hard with the sudden stop.

  Though it helped, her mana barrier didn’t fully protect her body from the force. Mana could only help reduce so much physical strain. She ignored the pain regardless.

  The cultists flinched, surprised by Veronica’s sudden appearance. However, the demon remained unfazed, continuing to channel its demonic energy, about to fire.

  “Another pest—” it roared, before the fire in its mouth bubbled to the top.

  One target or two—it simply didn’t care.

  Veronica immediately pulled up her own mana barrier. A large one, spreading her mana out wide to cover several meters from herself, forming a large wall.

  [I shall help.]

  Sage assisted, changing its own barrier to match Veronica’s, layering them on top of one another.

  Spells that simply used pure mana without much complexity were much quicker for her to cast. And there was nothing quicker than using mana for a barrier. She had no problem being efficient with it.

  [Finn casualty rate has dropped to 6%.]

  [You are 64% likely to suffer substantial injuries blocking this attack.]

  “So be it,” Veronica muttered, teeth clenched. “I’m not falling here.”

  Her fingers shook, pressed flat in the air, behind the wall of light she’d raised. Sweat rolled down her brow as she focused.

  Time slowed drastically during this one moment.

  How exactly, did she get in this situation. Why was she standing between a kid, and a demonic soldier—one who was far stronger than her current tier. A demon far out of her league, one that normally would take several Tier-3s to take down. It was a move made on impulse. Something she couldn't morally ignore.

  A small part of her cursed Finn for being such a nosy child. She should have just let him die. It was the smart move. Eliminate the cultists and demons, and prevent them from harming others. He got himself killed. She had no responsibility for that.

  None at all.

  Absolutely none.

  Every single body she saw broken and lifeless in the future—those weren’t her fault, either. Everyone who died was simply too weak. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t arrive in time. Why did she have to bear the responsibility of a demon killing everyone in a city?

  If anything—it would be better to have the demons invade. Just so she wouldn’t have to worry about collateral—since everyone would already be dead. Let the demons pile up in a bowl and blow it all up.

  That was one way to look at it.

  Maybe another version of herself would have done that.

  What she did now was simply on a whim. To let him die, or not. She’d regret either choice she made. Could she truly live with herself by letting someone die, knowing she could have saved them?

  Would it be on her hands?

  Another part of her couldn’t blame Finn. Bravery came in all shapes and sizes. She could condemn him for being reckless and stupid. But she couldn’t condemn someone for standing up.

  Veronica didn’t consider herself righteous. Not in the slightest. Her magic was quite the opposite. Her magic had been used to end wars with the Kingdom. Following orders like she was taught to do, she slaughtered hundreds if not thousands in an instant, all while she floated above, watching below.

  She wasn’t a hero, and she’d never really aspired to be one. All she wanted was to live. To have a normal life. The main reason Veronica traveled across the world and fought the demons in the first place was all because of Maeve.

  Maeve was her mentor. Her most trusted friend. The one who taught her that even if her life unapologetically sucked, that didn’t mean she couldn’t make others happy.

  Maeve hated demons. They had taken her family from her. With demons tearing up the continent, Maeve couldn’t sit still. And so, Veronica fought. She joined the battle. Just to make her happy. Veronica simply inherited her hatred, as her student.

  But now she understood the same pain. The demons had taken everything Veronica loved too—more than Medusa’s curse ever had. Maeve, Viya, Martin, Parek, Victor—all of them were gone.

  The demon bellowed. Its jaws opened wide.

  The world turned white with fire as the clearing exploded.

  Flames roared against her shield, a furnace-hot blast that set the trees ablaze in an instant around her. The barrier shuddered under the weight of the attack, trembling with cracks of light. Veronica’s teeth clenched; sweat poured down her face. Her legs sank into the earth as the force pressed her backward.

  “Hold,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “Just… hold!”

  [Barrier integrity at 73%...]

  [52%...]

  [31%...]

  Her arms shook violently as she funneled more and more mana into the shield, every vein in her body screaming in protest. Her lungs were burning; the air was filled with choking smoke. Around her mana core, her mana rings spun rapidly, trying to increase how much mana she was exerting. Her entire mana core room trembled.

  The fire pressed closer and closer, pushing back the barrier.. The wall bent inward, light groaning like glass under immense strain.

  “Not… yet…”

  She couldn’t die here. Her choice was made to protect Finn. Dying here meant that choice was pointless. If she was going to follow up on being reckless like him, she’d make sure to follow through.

  Her mana rings spun past their limit as she screamed. Not a scream of pain, or misery, or fear. But a scream of anger—and her sheer resentment and stubbornness to not back down.

  Another crack ripped across her shield, splitting it down the middle.

  Then, with a deafening shatter, the barrier broke.

  The fire swallowed her whole.

  At the same time—a familiar pain from within, engulfed her. Her mana rings spun to their maximum limit. A vibrational force exploded from within her body.

  [Mana ring rotational speed has exceeded a critical threshold.]

  [Mana core integrity has been compromised.]

  [WARNING: RESONANCE MANA OVERFLOW.]

  Today's Bonus Path combination is: Path of Revelation and Path of Focus.

  Path of Revelation and Path of Focus, specialize in precision insight. These are mages that generally uphold order and integrity, their magic being able to isolate truths and lies. They are able to identify and tap into the truth of the world, leading them to correct answers, discerning fact amid chaos. This includes exposing traitors, revealing hidden agendas, or even developing counter-magic by dismantling spell helixes. Mages following these paths often end up as interrogators, and counter-intelligence officials, often hired by Kingdoms or large organizations. Their magic is usually limited to strictly identifying singular situations, where only one answer among answers is the most truthful.

  Looks like no one died... but the situation has changed. Now, who do you think will die first in the next chapter?