Into the unknown

"So, since my brother is taking care of your friend over there, let me have my fun with you,"

The demon said as he moved towards Mia. He knew the match was a losing battle but still decided to try, as he thought his brother would join him before things could get out of hand.

"Do you really think Crim will let someone as weak as you guys kill him?"

Mia said as she stood up.

"I'm gonna take my time with you, just so I can get the chance to prove you wrong."

She paced on as she chanted for speed from the goddess of gifts.

In the blink of an eye, she stood in front of the demon, not giving it a chance to react since she was too fast for him to notice.

She pierced his stomach with her sword and activated a paralysis spell, instantly blocking the mobility of the demon.

"What the...?"

The demon said in shock as blood drooled out of his mouth.

"Guess what? There is only one person I know who I've never been able to defeat, and that's Crim. So, if you guys are this weak, then I'm sure he won't have any issues dealing with your brother over there."

She then grabbed the demon by his head and turned it around to view the fight between Crimson and the other demon.

---

"How... How is that possible?"

Mia's opponent said in shock after seeing his brother slain by Crimson. Mia misunderstood his reaction, thinking it was because she was right about Crimson's victory. But the reason was the mana absorption skill that Crimson used. It was more than impossible for a being, except the gods themselves, to possess it,but to use it perfectly as well.

"Haha," Mia laughed as she grabbed her sword, which was still in the stomach of the demon, as she readied to end him.

"Wait, Mia, don't kill him,"

Crimson said as he walked towards them, dusting off his uniform with his hand.

"We need info, and he'll be a good source,"

He said, staring at the demon with bloodlust in his eyes.

Mia finally released the demon's head, and it fell to its knees, the sudden impact with the ground causing it to cough up a mouthful of blood.

After reaching in front of it, Crimson stopped and looked down at the demon with a spine-chilling glare.

"How can we return to the human realm?" he inquired.

The demon was suddenly drenched in sweat, a dreaded expression appearing on his face as he felt as if Crimson was staring directly into his soul.

Not bearing any way to lie due to sheer intimidation, he opened his mouth to speak.

"The same way you entered, by a dungeon,"

He rumbled with a shaky tone.

"Dungeons are also in the demonic realm?"

Mia inquired as a puzzled expression appeared on her face.

"And how can we find one?"

Even though the demon didn't have the strength to lie, it was still a demon and, as such, couldn't let the humans who killed his brother and supposedly him get away. So, he decided to set them up.

"Keep on moving north, and you'll come across the demon fortress. There's a lot of dungeons over there."

Since Crimson knew the demon couldn't lie, he decided to take his words. Slashing its head off in a flash, the severed head began to laugh maniacally before dying.

Afterwards, they gathered the demon corpses and decided to sacrifice them to the gods. Crimson decided not to partake in this offering, since he felt different about something.

Hence only Mia prayed the sacrifice, as the demons turned into black dust, seemingly purifying and turning white before reaching above the trees.

Afterwards, Mia walked to Crimson, who seemed to be in thought while relaxed, leaning against a tree.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know,"

Crimson replied as he came back to his senses.

Without wasting time, they decided to make their way north, being led there by a compass Mia had prayed for.

Days turned into weeks as they traveled, not encountering any major problems along the way.

But this was the calm part of their journey, since all the demons in the vicinity, just like the ones they'd killed, were going to the same place they were, which was the fortress of the demon king.

Within the peaceful days, both of them relaxed, not trying to stress themselves since they didn't have a reason to.

The interesting conversation that Mia had begun back in the river upon their arrival in the demonic realm wasn't mentioned again.

Within this time, Crimson seemed to be in a state of confusion as he would space out now and then, not knowing what was happening to him.

They fed mostly on plants and the demonic game they could catch on hunts, preparing them by roasting. The demonic meat was filled with excess mana, which gradually increased their mana pools over time, but the difference wasn't noticeable to them at that point.

The demons in the demonic realm exchanged mana at slower rates since the mana density of their entire atmosphere was high, hence allowing Crimson to see dramatic changes in his mana level overnight.

---

"My lord, we've seen humans approaching your village,"

a peculiar creature said as he bowed down to one of its kind that sat on a flashy throne.

The features of these creatures were much like the demons, as they bore humanoid features, black skin, claws, and tails, but there was one additional feature that was easily distinguishable amongst these demonic creatures: the pair of black angelic wings that adorned their backs.

They were in what seemed to be a hall, several guards bearing the same features standing at each side of the room, clad in black armor.

"My lord, what do you want us to do?"

"Humans? What are they doing here? Well, you have permission to eradicate them,"

The one who sat on the throne, also clad in the same style of armor but bearing a more unique and complex design that clearly depicted his status, replied.

All the other demons in the room began to leave, marching to eradicate the two intruding humans.