Dead.

  It didn't take long for Leox to realise that his life had been taken from him once again.

  No worries.

  As he lay face-first atop the corpse of the holy knight, he tried his best to sense what was taking place around him. To his surprise, he was able to hear nothing but silence. No cheers of victory from whoever had killed him, or scurrying footsteps as they fled from the scene.

  After an unknown amount of time, the damage done to Leox's brain and skull had remade itself. The skin has been reformed around the area, leaving no sign that any damage had been done.

  He retrieved his sword and pushed himself to his feet before looking around. There was still no sign of any demon.

  Where are you?

  When he finally spotted it, he realised why he had missed the demon in the first place.

  Sitting in the back row of the stands, in a corner hidden by the darkness of shadows, was a human-shaped demon, sitting silently. Its body was that of a woman's, though the skin was dark enough to blend in with the absence of light. If not for the golden tears that flowed from its eye sockets, Leox thought he might have missed the demon, and would have to wait until it cracked his skull open once more.

  After realising that it had been seen, the demon rose to its full height, which was well over six feet. Her body resembled the statues that men made of their unrealistic expectations of women. Her curves were plenty, and her muscles were lean and powerful. As she stood there, the golden tears continued to drop from her eyes, and a faint whimper of sadness left her lips.

  Leox held tightly onto his sword, making sure not to keep his guard down as he checked the demons' overview.

  [Unknown]

  [Awakening Stage: Third Stage]

  [Classes:]

  Unknown

  [Class Skills:]

  Unknown

  "Shit..."

  A third stage. Was it even possible for him to close the gap between himself and such a being? He recalled reading that the Fallen Saints were unable to use their skills, as their mana sources were broken, and they were unable to use weapon skills, as they always appeared unarmed.

  But when Leox looked down at the woman's hands, he realised that this wasn't the case. A steel shortsword rested in her grip, stolen from one of the dead knights.

  He cursed again.

  "Who are you?" He attempted to ask, after noticing that the demon didn't attack him immediately.

  "Demon." It responded, voice sounding perfectly human.

  Leox didn't move his eyes off of her for a second. He slowly circled the stands, preparing to use Overheat whenever necessary.

  "No, who are you?" He asked again deliberately.

  The demon paused for a moment before asking.

  "Sarah. Who are you?"

  "..."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Weird. Why does the demon almost seem... normal?

  Leox paused in his steps. "I am Leox. Leox Lether."

  For a moment, he expected the conversation to continue. Was it possible for him to gather information from the strange creature? But then, suddenly, the demon clawed at its own face, scratching skin from its cheeks until golden light bled from its skin.

  "No. You are the immortal!"

  The demon pounced, covering the distance between them in a mere second. Leox raised his blade just in time, and the two weapons clashed, sending a strong vibration through his entire arm. The blow sent him sliding backwards on his feet, giving him time to process the words before being engaged by the demon again.

  The immortal?

  The demon attacked again, but this time it didn't use regular attacks, and instead activated one of its sword skills. It swung its blade in an upwards motion, sending a range-arched strike of physical energy towards him, that tore up the stone ground beneath him.

  Leox didn't bother dodging the strike and instead used True Counterstance. The sound of glass shattering echoed throughout the church hall, as he felt his body enter a state of complete and utter calmness.

  The strike crashed into his body, leaving almost no effect on him, other than a faint amount of pressure spreading throughout his body, before eventually, leaving as soon as it arrived. Leox watched as the demon's body jolted, and it cried with pain. The energy of its strike had been sent back to it in full force, leaving it reeling in pain, and creating an opening for him to take.

  Leox used Greater Overheat on his legs, feeling the very familiar burning sensation spreading throughout his muscles, bones and skin. With one step, he covered meters of ground, then another, slashing his sword horizontally towards the demons mid centre.

  Blade tore through flesh, and golden blood spilt from its once perfect stomach. The demon cried as it stumbled backwards, and eventually stood its ground once again.

  "Die!" The demon cried desperately, as it swung its hand sideways as though it were closing curtains.

  A great gust of wind from outside suddenly flung the door open and crashed forward where Leox stood. He felt himself coming off balance, just barely managing to stand his ground. Then the demon dashed in close again, swinging its sword.

  It seemed the demon's mana was working perfectly, despite what he had heard about them.

  Leox used True Counterstance again, standing still as the sound of shattered glass echoed through the room once again. He braced himself for impact, as he waited for the attack to land.

  It never came.

  True Counterstance could only be held for a few moments before he was forcefully drawn out of the stance. The demon had paused its strike, adapting to Leox's method of combat, and only swung once it was certain it was safe.

  Its blade thrust forwards, taking Leox in the neck. However, before the strike landed, he quickly overheated his neck, strengthening its defence. The blade only pierced it enough to cut his artery open, causing him to bleed out once the blade was removed.

  It's better than losing my head.

  Leox fell to the ground once again, defeated. The demon stood over him, staring at him through it's tearfilled eyes. She could see from the look on his face that although he should be dead, there was still somehow life in his eyes.

  Its face contorted into anger as it descended on him with its blade once again. It stabbed it into him, piercing his body in numerous locations, drenching them both in blood and gore as it cried fiercely.

  "Die! Die! Die!"

  Leox felt no pain as he watched his body become riddled with holes.

  Sorry, but I can't.

  After the fiftieth stab, the demon removed its blade with a final squelch, looking down at Leox. His eyes had finally closed, and his breathing had stopped.

  The demon dropped its sword.

  "I've done it. The immortal has become mortal!"

  It rose to its feet and wiped its eyes of its golden tears, using the backs of its onyx black hands. Then, she looked down at those hands, her face suddenly showing an expression of confusion.

  "Why did I kill him? Who is he?"

  The tears started to flow again. It seemed as though it was battling with its inner thoughts, and a loss of memories.

  "Who is he? Why did I kill him? Who is he? Why did I kill him? Who is he? Why did I—"

  Its minute of demonic ranting was drawn to an end, as it felt its head suddenly fall from its shoulders. At the same time, a blade pierced its chest three times, one of them puncturing its heart perfectly.

  The body fell to the ground and Leox stood over it. His hair danced with flames, and his fresh uniform was now torn to shreds, despite his body having remade itself perfectly.

  "Sorry, but I don't know who I am either."

  Leox stood over the corpse of the fallen demon and stared at its face. So many questions ran through his mind, but what he wished to know most, was what had brought the demon to tears.

  Why were you here, Sarah? What was your story?

  He asked himself these questions as he used his blade to carve open the demons chests, to retrieve the heart that he had punctured. It was like a piece of solid, golden stone that was warm to the touch, and frequently pulsed with a strange energy. Afterwards, he placed the heart in his pocket and headed towards the door leaving the bloody scene behind him.

  He was desperate to put distance between himself and danger, so he could inspect his Overview once again.

  Finally, he had reached the second stage of his awakening.