The demon leaped back, glaring at the duo standing before it. In its hands was no longer a single sword with two blades on either side and a handle in the middle.

Instead, it now held a pair of sickles gripped tightly in both hands. Even while armed, it still scratched its face, eyes narrowing on the duo who stood between it and Max, blocking any possible path to him. Max stood a few meters behind them, fists clenched, his heartbeat pounding like a drum in his ears.

'Second time. For fuck's sake, this is the second time they're trying to protect me again! Why?! I understand Jake—he's always been the fool who considers me his best friend but Lana?! What the hell is going on?' Max thought, clenching his hands tighter, his teeth grinding back and forth as his eyes locked on the demon ahead.

"You all won't leave?" the demon asked, its tone calm yet laced with amusement as it continued scratching its face with a sickening screech of claws against skin.

"I thought we made this clear," Jake said, his stance firm. He raised his hands into fists, each one pulsing with strength. Lana stood beside him, curling her wings forward, her feathers glowing faintly as they poised to fire.

"Okay then," the demon muttered, lifting one of its sickles and pointing it at the two hunters. "So then, prepare to die."

The words had barely left its mouth when it vanished from sight. The next instant, it appeared directly in front of Jake, its sickle slicing through the air with such speed that avoiding it was almost impossible.

Lana reacted instantly, unleashing dozens of feathers that shot through the air toward the demon like silver bullets. Without even looking back, the demon's second sickle spun around, clashing against the feathers as though swatting away mere dust. Sparks flashed in every direction.

The brief distraction gave Jake a second to lift his hand in defense, knowing he was too slow to dodge. Unfortunately, the sickle sliced through his arm with no resistance, sending it falling to the ground with a dull thud. Blood splattered across the dirt, and Jake's eyes widened in disbelief as pain surged through him.

The next strike was already coming, this time aimed for his head, while Lana desperately tried to keep the demon's other weapon busy with her wings.

'Enough is enough,' Max thought as rage filled his chest. His hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned pure white.

"I won't stand here and allow my friends to get hurt!" he roared.

His claws extended once more as he swiftly navigated through his system interface and activated every single skill he had.

[Strength Surge Activated]

[Adrenaline Rush Activated]

[Magical Energy (LV 1) Activated]

[-10 MP]

[Draconic Suppression Aura Activated]

The next moment, like a gunshot breaking the air, Max exploded from where he stood. His speed increased instantly, boosted by his combined skills. In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of the descending sickle.

'Huh? How did he get here so fast? Wait—why are my hands moving slower than before?' the demon thought, confusion flashing across its face. Unknown to it, Max had activated a powerful skill:

[Draconic Suppression Aura] — a natural dominance field that instilled fear and sluggishness into all enemies within range. The stronger the dragon's presence, the heavier the suppression. Demonic and hybrid entities were affected the most.

The result was immediate. The demon's movements slowed just enough for Max to intercept the attack.

With a feral growl, Max swung his claws upward, blocking the sickle. A deafening clang echoed through the battlefield as steel met scale, the impact sending vibrations through his arms. His muscles trembled, but he stood his ground, teeth clenched in defiance.

"Get away from my best friend!" Max roared, his voice echoing like thunder. He swung his other arm with full force, smashing his claws directly into the demon's face. The blow sent the creature skidding backward, digging trenches into the earth with its feet.

"Go back to where you came from!" Max bellowed again as his aura erupted violently. He exploded from his position, appearing above the demon in midair, claws glowing faintly with his draconic energy.

In a split second, he came crashing down. But before he could land the strike, the demon vanished once again, evading the attack. Max slammed into the ground instead, the impact sending a shockwave through the area and kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris.

The ground cracked beneath him, smoke rising as the air trembled with his fury.

Like a blur, the demon suddenly vanished from sight and reappeared directly behind the dragon. But thanks to his dragon eyes, Max sensed the shift in energy instantly. He spun around in a flash and activated a skill with a sharp roar.

[Fire Wall Activated]

A blazing wall of flames burst into existence behind him, erupting with fierce intensity just in time. The demon's sickle crashed into it, slicing through the flames and scattering them like dust.

For a moment, the whole battlefield was painted red by the fire's glow. But when the embers cleared, the dragon was nowhere to be seen.

"Cut a single hand, I still got plenty for you!" Jake's voice came from behind.

The demon's instincts screamed a warning. It spun around immediately, raising both sickles and crossing them in front of its face just in time. Jake's seven remaining hands came crashing down like a storm, striking the crossed weapons with lethal power.

BOOOOM!

The impact caused a thunderous explosion that sent shockwaves ripping through the area. The ground beneath them shattered, massive cracks spreading outward like spiderwebs. Jake gritted his teeth, pushing with all his strength as the demon held its ground, sparks flying between their weapons.

'Damn it! Those three are the strongest in our squad, yet they can't even scratch that thing?! H…what kind of nightmare have we been thrown into?' Jasmine thought, her heart pounding as her eyes struggled to follow the fight. They were moving faster than her gaze could track—each impact sending waves of pressure that rattled the air itself.

"Dumbass," Jake smirked through the strain, his tone sharp and defiant.

The demon's eyes narrowed, and before it could react, a sharp whooshing sound sliced through the air. It tilted its head to the side just in time to see Lana's wings swinging toward its neck, aiming to decapitate it cleanly. The gleam from her metallic feathers flashed in its eyes like death's reflection.

"Fools! Get away from me!" the demon thundered furiously. Its voice shook the air like a roar from the depths of hell.

Without hesitation, it drove its foot straight into Jake's abdomen with the force of a battering ram. The strike connected brutally, the sound echoing like thunder. Jake coughed up blood as his body was hurled backward, skidding across the ground for several meters before crashing hard and rolling to a stop.

That brief moment of opening was all the demon needed. It spun around sharply, its body moving with terrifying precision. Leaping backward, it narrowly avoided the incoming wings, the sharp edges cutting through the air just inches from its face. In the same motion, it brought its arm forward, driving its fist straight into Lana's abdomen with a force that could crush metal.

The impact detonated with a deafening bang, the shockwave shattering nearby debris. Blood burst from Lana's mouth as her body was launched like a bullet, slamming into a wall with tremendous speed and force. The wall cracked from the collision, dust and fragments raining down around her limp form.

"LANA!" Jasmine screamed in horror, her voice breaking as fear gripped her chest.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.