Chapter 132

A loud crash echoed from the front garden, causing Zee's elven ears to perk up. "What is going on out there?" she muttered, her voice tense with concern.

"Shouldn't you check on your allies?" Marcus suggested, his breathing more stable than before.

"I want to, but I can't with my shoulder," Zee replied, motioning to her dislocated shoulder. She turned to Marcus and Lance, who suddenly reared his head, looking past Zee.

"You don't have to worry about that," a voice said behind her, just as Zee felt a hand on her injured shoulder. "Where have you been?" she exclaimed, her worry turning to surprise as she turned around to face Grace.

"Buried underground," Grace replied with a deadpan expression before buffing Zee with her light magic, causing Zee's body to faintly glow. "You should be able to move at your normal pace with this. Probably," Grace explained, her gaze shifting to Marcus and Lance.

"Don't make them fight; they're too injured," Zee interjected, sensing Grace's intent.

Grace sighed, a hint of frustration in her breath. "Whatever, just get moving," she said, waving her hand dismissively before looking up at the hole in the wall. "What are you going to do?" asked Zee as Grace crouched down.

"Stop this invasion," Grace replied, leaping up and through the hole in the wall, disappearing into the mansion.

"So that was the girl Orian's been worried about. What are the odds?" Marcus remarked, recalling the time Grace threw a rock at his face.

Zee turned to them. "Well, it looks like I can go now. Stay safe, both of you," she said, preparing to leave.

"Wait a second," Marcus called out.

"What is it?" she asked, turning back to him. Marcus, with effort, lifted the Magi-Slayer with his right hand.

"Take this. It'll be more useful to you than to me," he said. Zee nodded and took it from his hand. She wasn't a swordswoman, and the grip felt unfamiliar, but with its ability to cut through magic, it would be helpful even in her untrained hands.

"Thank you. I'll take care of it," she said, turning around once more to leave. This time, neither Marcus nor Lance stopped her as she made her way to the front garden.

**Back to the Front Garden**

Everyone turned as The Wandering Calamity, Dash, re-entered the scene, cracking his knuckles with an excited look on his face. "Huh? Where is that strong guy?" he asked, looking around in confusion.

"Focus on helping us first, why don't you!" yelled Elanor, losing what remained of his composure at Dash's antics. One of the drakoraths roared and charged at Dash, its blades poised to pierce him. Dash turned to face it, excitement filling his eyes once again. "You look strong!" he said just as the drakorath's blades snapped in half against his skin. In a flash, Dash punched it in the chest, causing the demon to explode in a shower of bloody viscera.

"Never mind!" Dash exclaimed, slightly shocked that the demon was so weak. *As stupid as that guy is, it's good to have him here,* thought Even as he felt his mana dwindling. *Especially now.*

More demons charged towards Dash. Two imps screeched as they flew at him with their claws extended. Three veinblood cherubs used their telekinesis to hurl chunks of the broken fountain at him from afar, while four drakoraths, two flying and two rushing him from the ground, advanced with their blades ready.

Despite the demons weakness, Dash looked exhilarated. "This is it! Come at me!" he exclaimed. His movements were so fast that no one could see him. In the blink of an eye, he dispatched the demons one by one, each dying from a single, powerful hit. The imps disintegrated mid-air, the chunks of the fountain never reached him, and the drakoraths exploded into pieces upon impact with his fists.

"Good goddess, they didn't stand a chance," muttered Mincs, completely awed by Dash's display of power.

A bone-breaking sound occurred behind her. She turned around to see Mar smashing the skull of an imp that had tried to sneak attack her. "Keep focused, please," said the lycan, annoyance in his voice as he ripped his mace out of the imp's skull.

"Teehee," Mincs giggled, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

Meanwhile, Xain looked up and saw that some of the demons were flying off, heading towards the village instead of attacking them. "Hey! They're flying towards the village!" Xain shouted, his voice filled with alarm.

A nearby demon turned, following Xain's gaze. Without hesitation, it pointed its finger at one of the retreating demons. "Bang," it said, and its index claw launched, piercing through the heart of an imp. "Bang," the middle claw shot out, impaling the skull of a drakorath. "Bang," the ring claw shattered the porcelain body of a cherub. Before it could fire any more, the remaining demons had flown out of range.

"Crap! Shouldn't we go after them?" Xain exclaimed to no one in particular, urgency clear in his voice.

At the same time, The Fiend was locked in combat, protecting Xain and Elanor from a swarm of demons. His serrated claws tore through his enemies with lethal precision. He moved with incredible agility, a blur of motion. An imp lunged at him, and with a swift slash, he ripped through its leathery wings, sending it crashing to the ground. He sidestepped a charging drakorath, eviscerating it in a single, brutal motion, its blade-like arms falling uselessly to the ground. A veinblood cherub hovered above, hurling debris with telekinetic force, but The Fiend leaped, decapitating it in mid-air, its head rolling away as its body crumpled.

Despite The Fiend's efforts, an imp managed to evade him, flying towards Xain with its claws outstretched, ready to strike. The demon, still focused on shooting down the fleeing enemies, failed to notice the immediate threat. Just as the imp's claws were about to reach Xain, blood splattered across his body. Zee, wielding the Magi-Slayer, had cut the imp in half with a single, swift motion.