‘Impossible,’ Brittany thought. It had felt like an hour, but the fight had only lasted mere moments. In those mere moments, the monsters she had come to know over the last year, had dropped down. It wasn’t just a shock for her, but for the others around her too.

‘They have fallen?’ Nirot thought. The scene before her wasn’t something she had expected. She was sure they had all struck the old man several times, and even if he was immune to attacks, as some creatures were, they all wielded magical weapons, which bypassed such immunities. Yet, he didn’t even seem tired at all, and other than the two nicks on his body, he seemed completely fine.

The old man had taken blows from Adam, who could down even her mother, someone who Rage Danced with the abilities of the Rot family, in a single blow. He had managed to defeat, without breaking a sweat, seven Experts.

Defeating Fred was understandable, sure, considering he was a typical warrior and had no will to live. He had chosen to fight, so the Iyrmen youth had reconsidered him slightly.

Yet the rest were truly great.

Jonn, however, was a Guardian. He was greater than a typical Expert, technically the most experienced out of everyone here.

Kitool, who was extremely skilled, with the ability to strike multiple times, as much as Adam could when he surpassed his limits for a moment, but she could do it for much longer.

Jaygak, who, though perhaps was considered to be the weakest of the group, was a force to be reckoned with, and with Stormdrake in her hands, she was no joke to face.

Jurot, who was the greatest of the group of Iyrmen, slightly older than the rest, and who had the goal of being Gold Rank since he was young. It was back then, because of what happened with Balrog, that he had aimed for such lofty heights. He, who possessed the ability to shrug off attacks from almost every creature, was someone the Iyr had taken into consideration over the years.

Then there was Lucy. She had trained with the Iyrmen over the last year or so, and she wasn’t to be underestimated. With Great Destroyer in hand, she could face many other warriors who were more experienced than her, even someone like Jonn.

And Adam was Adam.

The entire group had someone for the young Iyrmen to look up to, for all manner of reasons, including the fact that they were so young though they possessed so much power. It was a group made of beings who one should bet on more than nine times out of ten.

Just like that they had been beaten.

Nirot’s fingers twitched to her shield and axe, but she did not act on her impulse. As much as she wished to face this being, whoever it may be, she had promised to listen to Adam.

The old man remained silent and still for a moment, allowing the Priests to stabilise their companions. He listened to the words of the Priest of Mahtu, who had cast a particular spell, but he decided to leave the matter. He had killed the Demon, and had completed his task.

His eyes fell to Stormdrake, which was tightly grasped in the Devilkin’s hand. He thought about taking it, but decided against it. There was no need to aggravate the Iyrmen any further than he had already done so, and if he had taken it, it would have caused that man to annoy him to no end.

He stepped up towards Adam, staring down at the Half Elf. ‘Should I kill you?’ He remained silent, thinking deeply about the matter, before sighing. He reached down, and picked up the shield, which was red and hot from the heat. ‘I should keep this with me so I can-,’

“What are you doing?” Nirot asked, her voice low.

“I am taking my spoils after the battle,” he said. “Would you deny me this right?”

“You will not take the shield,” Nirot said, her voice still low.

“If I insist?” the old man asked, staring into her eyes.

Nirot stared at him. The shield was her grandfather’s shield, but more importantly, it had been gifted to Adam by her little brother. She strapped her own shield to her arm.

“Would you risk your life for this shield?” It wasn’t stupid to risk one’s life for such a shield, since it was an extremely rare enchantment for a shield, providing one with far more protection than a typical shield.

Nirot raised her axe towards him. “I am Nirot, daughter of Mirot, and I am no coward!”

The old man could see the girl’s eyes were stalwart. ‘Right. You are an Iyrman.’ He could also see the Iyrmen teens had also shifted their posture, with the Devilkin strapping his shield to his arm. ‘I shouldn’t press more than this, or she will bother me.’ He reached for the axe, picking it up, slowly. Once the others did not react, he claimed it within his ring.

‘Those two Iyrmen, and a ring which smells deeply of the Iyr…’ He decided against claiming the other ring, understanding that it would cause far more trouble than any of this.

With that, the old man walked past them, leaving the group after thoroughly engraving himself into each of their hearts.

Vonda and Dunes quickly stabilised the rest of the group, and once the old man was off in the horizon, the group suddenly felt a sudden rush of relief fall over them. The impending doom had walked far enough away that the group could finally breathe properly.

Vonda looked to Lucy’s dead body, seeing the cut in her neck. Her body was cool to the touch, and she was unnervingly still. “We should begin to heal them.”

Dunes sighed, staring at the unconscious figures. He wondered how different the fight would have gone if he had fought, but he had the suspicion that he’d be right there beside them.

Vonda and Dunes prayed, healing the unconscious figures.

Fred gasped for air, staring at the sky, looking up to see Vonda. He reached up to grab his chest, turning over to pat the ground beside him. “I’m alive?”

“Yes,” Vonda said, before moving on to heal Adam.

Dunes grabbed her arm, shaking his head. He was about to speak, but the sound of Fred vomiting off the side of the road had interrupted his words.

Jurot sat up, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. His eyes were glued to Adam, who was still unconscious. Everyone had been brought up, but they had left Adam down.

The group started to make their way out. Jonn reached for Adam to pick him up, but Jurot grabbed the Guardian’s wrist. “I will carry him.” The Iyrman picked his brother up, and began to carry him.

Even now, he couldn’t believe it.

“It is not her,” Nirot said. “She is to remain within the capital, as she promised.”

Jurot understood what Nirot was getting at. The being was quite powerful, and if they didn’t know any better, they would have thought that he was Jaeryael, but that was not probable. Even if he possessed the great strength and skill that she would, she would definitely keep her promise to protect the capital.

‘So that is how strong they are.’

Kitool remained Jaygak as they continued to walk back, trying to find the Iyrmen who had tried to face such a terrifying foe. They had managed to deal with him for a few minutes, but he was far too powerful for even two Mithril Rank Iyrmen.

The Devilkin’s hand was firmly glued around the hilt of the sword, surprised that she still possessed it after the bout. It didn’t matter to her that she would have died, but Stormdrake was not something she could lose, for it was not hers to lose.

Jonn thought about the lifeless corpse he carried. She was heavy and cold, as the dead often were. They had all been beaten because the stranger wanted to kill her, the Demon Lord. A Demon Lord, something which would have filled any normal person with dread from just hearing the title.

However, she had done nothing to suggest she was really a Demon Lord. She did not go around slaughtering innocents, nor did she go around trying to impose her will onto anyone. The only issue anyone could have with her was her perversion, which was kept in check by the children of the Iyr, who she was terrified of.

Still, a random stranger had tried to kill her for it. Just for being a Demon. He, too, had once wanted to kill her for being a Demon. He, a Half Elf, who had been forced out of his order for half of the blood in his body.

The group found the pair of Iyrmen, who were laying on the road, side by side. They had been neatly placed there, with their weapons lain on either side of them.