Third One

"R-Ray, you bastard..."

Zack's voice weakened more and more with each second.

Lying on the ground, he tightly grabbed the small hole caused by the previous sneak attack of Ray Taker.

"Is Barnt still not done yet?" Ray asked.

"No, sir." she replied instantly as she bowed elegantly in front of him.

Despite her injuries, she did not let it show on her face.

"Hey, why aren't you answering me... Ray!"

Zack screamed his name and yet he was ignored again.

"Whatever. Let him do as he pleases for now."

"Yes, sir. But sir... If I may ask, what are you planning on doing now?"

Ray headed to Mika.

"There's something I want to test with that boy so make sure nobody disrupts me in the fortress." he said in a pensive tone.

"Yes, sir!"

"Damn it...! I said wait, Ray!"

Crawling on him was Zack, who was furious at his comrade's betrayal.

"How could you betray us?!"

"You dare to-"

Martha felt offended and was about to teach him a lesson, but was stopped by Ray.

"Wait."

He faced Zack.

"Zack Yorn, I assume? I'm sorry to break it to you, but neither did I betray anyone nor am I actually that Ray Taker you're thinking of."

"What...?"

It was as if Zack's fighting spirit was broken.

"Since the beginning, I was on the demon's side, after all..."

Ray's entire body proceeded to get completely engulfed in darkness.

The silhouette appeared to get smaller and thinner.

It took the shape of a child.

And when the darkness dispersed, a new person was standing in the stead of Ray.

"...I'm a demon myself." that person said with a smug grin and a voice fitting his image.

Said person was a boy, who looked like he was four years old, with black round eyes and black disheveled hair.

His short black pants with suspenders over his long-sleeved buttoned white shirt made him appear like the son of a noble family.

But for a child, he had a sassy and spoiled attitude.

"W-where is Ray...?"

The boy walked over slowly towards Zack.

"I already killed him before we even prepared for this operation. You were caught in our spiderweb we set up for fun from start to finish."

"You damn- Argh!"

Once he was in front of Zack, he pulled on his hair to lift his head up.

"My name is Yater and if you dare to insult me, then I will swear to you that your comrades' deaths won't be pleasant ones." he introduced himself with a threat.

Yater wore a smile all the time, but it did not reach his eyes.

Being done with him, he slammed his head into the ground and let go.

And yet, Zack was still showing his tenacity.

"Soon reinforcements will come and they will wipe your ass, you brat..." he muttered faintly with a mocking smile.

"Hm? Is that so?"

Zack could not see Yater's face due to him already walking away from him.

"If I were you, then I would run away as soon as-"

"Silence."

"!"

One word.

And that word was spoken in such a threatening and menacing tone that would even make Zack shiver.

"I will leave him to you, Martha." he said calm and yet annoyed as he passed by Martha.

"Yes, sir."

Zack broke into a cold sweat.

He thought that the boy was also just a high B-rank demon like the other two, but the pressure he just felt told him something different.

"You're joking, right...?"

Physically and mentally, he was slowly breaking down more and more.

In the history of mankind, it was more common to encounter demons from lower ranks up to B-ranks than A-ranks, let alone S-ranks.

Since the first invasion 500 years ago, only less than a dozen encounters with A-rank demons were recorded. And even if it were just A-ranks, the damage and chaos they caused was devastating.

Not only were their physical attributes far more superior compared to B-rank demons, but also their demonic gifts and fighting instincts.

If it took at least two S-ranks to fight a B-rank demon, then at a bare minimum five S-ranks had to be sent out to deal with an A-rank.

Therefore, Zack deemed himself and the others as doomed.

Because they were in the presence of an A-rank demon.

"..."

Lost in thoughts, he did not react to Martha, who lifted his chin up with her foot.

"Now look me in the eyes." she said with her returned confidence.

Back to Ophelia and Wendy.

"W-what is this pressure...?" Wendy muttered anxiously.

"Zack..."

Ophelia stared in his direction from afar.

"Hm. Seems like he joined the fray." Barnt said as if he lost all interest in the fight.

The two women were keeping Barnt at bay for a while, but everything they could do until now was dodging, which made them start getting out of breath.

They did not even have the leisure to mourn over the lifeless bodies of their comrades on the ground.

All four people, who were to back them up in this fight, died at the hands of Barnt.

"O-Ophelia we have to help Zack and the others!"

Without a doubt, the presence belonged to a strong person. Even stronger than the demons they were currently facing.

Ophelia nodded with a hint of nervousness before they headed back to the fortress' entrance.

"..."

Barnt just stayed behind and looked at them indifferently with his hands on the back of his head.

"Maybe I should chase them or else he will get mad at me." he said with a sigh.

Meanwhile, Ophelia was the first to arrive at the scene.

Lightning mages were the fastest due to their lightning attributes.

"What is going on here...?"

She was unable to comprehend it at first.

The wall beside the entrance was heavily damaged.

Zack was standing still in front of Martha.

And a child heading to the fortress was carrying Gerard and Mika, who were both unconscious, on his shoulders with ease.

Said child, Yater, noticed her and twisted his face to her.

"!"

His intimidating gaze was enough for Ophelia to understand.

She looked at her trembling hand.

"Is he... Is he an A-rank?"

Then, Wendy also finally arrived.

At first, she had the same reaction as Ophelia, but she quickly made a decision.

"L-let's help them!" she suggested uneasily as she looked at Mika and Gerard.

"..."

Ophelia seemed reluctant, however, she had to put her act together.

After all, her students were in grave danger.

"Y-yes!"

They charged at the child, who faced them with his back.

Each one of those two engulfed an arm with their magic element in preparation for an attack.

Almost in reach, Ophelia stretched her fist at him, whereas Wendy was about to deliver a vertical chop.

"!"

However, before they could touch him, two people blocked their attacks.

"Damn it... My body!"

"As if I would let you do that!"

"Tch." Ophelia clicked her tongue when Barnt rushed straight between them and Yater.

And yet, that was not the thing that surprised them the most.

Wendy lost her strength due to the shock.

"Z-Zack..." she murmured anxiously when Zack stopped her attack by changing his arm into iron.

Wendy and Ophelia jumped back to create some distance.

"Don't let them in, you hear me Barnt and Martha?" Yater commanded without even facing them as he continued to walk unfazed to the fortress.

Barnt cracked his knuckles and Martha leisurely flew above Zack.

"Yes, sir!" the two demons obeyed seriously.

Barnt did not waste his time and directly rushed at Ophelia.

"Go, kill her." Martha ordered Zack with a smirk on her face.

"W-Wendy... Get away from me...! I can't control my body!" Zack said struggling as his body moved towards her.

"Z-Zack, what are you doing...?!"

Wendy put up her guard, however, Zack created another spear out of thin air and stabbed her foot.

"Daaaamnnn iiittt!" Zack screamed in anguish.

"Hng...!"

His fist was turned into iron and was directed at her face.

Hurriedly, she got down and pulled out the spear out of her foot.

And when she was about to leap into the air with her wind magic, Zack put his hands on the ground and summoned multiple spear-like pillars from the ground.

Some of those grazed her, but once she was high enough, she could take a small breather.

She took a glance at Martha, who did not move from her spot.

"Is this perhaps her doing...?"

At the same time, Ophelia was fighting against Barnt.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you only dodging?" Barnt mocked her with a provocative grin as he launched a barrel of attacks at her.

"Haa... Haa..."

Ophelia was deeply grasping for air.

For some reason, she was burning up from deep inside her body.

She was sweating more than usual and her heart was beating louder and faster.

Faint and black steam emitted from her body.

"Ha...Ha...Ha...Ha"

Her breathing was getting more irregular.

"This sensation..."

Barnt sharpened his eyes.

"Is she from that bloodline...?"