The Hunter

A large black hand appeared like a ghost beside Galan, but he had just swung his sword with great force and was in an opening, unable to react in time to dodge.

If nothing unexpected happened, this blow would have severed his head, but he merely frowned slightly and continued to charge forward with his sword.

Like a mad bull, it ignored the overwhelming killing intent emanating from the black hand attacking from the side and charged straight at the Demons in a suicidal manner.

Just as the sharp claws were about to seize Galan's vulnerable neck, a flash of light streaked past.

Accompanied by a powerful blast of wind, it instantly sent the black hand flying.

This forced it to stop moving.

The violent Wind Element quickly dissipated into the air after the attack, disappearing without a trace.

Lia, Staff in hand, calmly observed the situation and provided timely cover for him from behind. Noticing the threat to Galan's side, she acted without hesitation, defusing the crisis.

Although he's still a complete novice when it comes to combat,

Often, they couldn't even immediately make the judgment that was most advantageous to themselves. However, after their last joint battle, their experience in cooperation and their understanding of each other's fighting styles had improved.

Most importantly, the unconditional trust established between the two allowed Galan to confidently entrust his vulnerable parts to Lia for protection.

Seeing that his attack had failed,

The Demons frowned as he watched Galan had suddenly rushed up from the bottom lane, retreat rapidly, leaving only afterimages in his wake.

He was incredibly fast, almost as fast as Galan, so much so that Galan missed several times with his sword, failing to hit him as expected.

"Things have been really unsettled lately... Why are we seeing Demons everywhere?"

"Actually, there were even more Demons in the North a few decades ago. After the Demon King died, they appeared much less frequently now."

Frieren muttered something as she responded to Galan in a detached manner.

Not long after the group met, the Demons launched an attack without saying a word. He used a very rare spell, from which a strange black hand emerged from behind, striking the group like a scorpion's stinger.

Seeing this, Galan drew his long sword from his back and shot out like an arrow.

They were locked in combat with the eerie black hand summoned by the Demons using magic.

The longsword and the hand clashed back and forth, even sparking fiercely. The opponent seemed extremely confident in his magic, standing there motionless, manipulating his large hand in a stalemate with Galan. He focused his main attention on Frieren and Lia.

Zack, standing behind the two, was completely ignored by him, clearly finding the formidable Mana emanating from the two Elves somewhat troublesome.

However, Galan precisely capitalized on this point where his attention was diverted.

After suddenly unleashing astonishing force to shake off the large hand...

Taking advantage of the fact that the enemy was unable to react to the sudden change in the battle situation, they forcibly broke through the Demons's defenses.

"Hey! Don't underestimate me!"

Although he said it so domineeringly,

But just as Frieren had said at the beginning, he realized that the enemy before him was not as simple as he had initially thought. The fact that this giant hand alone could prevent him from getting close to the opponent was a testament to the Demons's profound mastery and skillful use of magic, as well as his terrifyingly rich combat experience.

That large hand was incredibly hard.

It even produces a dull thud when it clashes with its own Alchemy Longsword.

What a bizarre magic that it can materialize and evolve Mana to such an extent.

Right now, I'm genuinely afraid that my provocation will trigger some unexpected and powerful move from him...

Under Galan's relentless and fierce attacks, the Demons had no choice but to dodge left and right, avoiding the gleaming blades, and began to re-evaluate the seemingly insignificant warrior before them. It seemed that they had underestimated this man. He looked so unremarkable, like a roadside fish, yet he possessed considerable combat power, even among the allied forces of various nations.

Many famous soldiers died at his hands.

Despite the help of his companions, there are indeed few humans who can barely suppress him in a head-on confrontation like this, "Frieren!"

Galan suddenly roared, and a bolt of purple lightning tore through the air.

It almost materialized into a purple dragon drawn by purple lightning, roaring as it attacked the Demons who had just landed.

[Lightning of Destruction Release Magic]

Almost the instant he finished speaking, Frieren unleashed this powerful spell, perfectly seizing the opening created by Galan.

Seeing that he had no way to avoid it with the help of the two, the Demons smiled faintly and opened his arms behind him.

He then used magic to summon two more black hands, just like the ones before, which enveloped him.

The immense force collided with the barrier formed by the black hand.

It transformed into streaks of electricity and dissipated into the air, clearly indicating that the attack had not caused him any harm.

Galan cleaved the black hand that stabbed from behind with a single stroke.

Then, he lightly tapped his foot and took several steps back to create distance between them.

The three hands swayed and returned to the Demons's back. He waved his hand and removed the barrier.

They confronted each other again.

Actually, I...

1

Do you want to befriend us? Or do you not actually want to kill us, but simply want to better understand humanity?

Do you Demons always use this kind of rhetoric before killing someone?

Seeing that the other person was about to speak, Galan interrupted him first.

So far, the Demons he's encountered have all said the same few things over and over, and he's become indifferent to their NPC-like speech. Demons are essentially no different from wild beasts, and humans cannot coexist or interact with wild animals.

After listening to Galan's words,

A strange expression appeared on his face.

It's like a smile?

"You actually know so much about the Demons?"

"After all, you're all the same."

"Don't you really want to consider peaceful coexistence? After all, it would take me a lot of effort to kill you all."

The arrow, hurtling through the air, pierced the Demons's cheek and embedded itself deeply in the distant soil.

In an inconspicuous corner, an old man, panting heavily, held a hunting bow upright in his hand, his eyes blazing with invisible flames, like a burning bonfire.

The bowstring, from which an arrow had just been released, was still trembling slightly in the air, emitting a hollow, resonant sound.

The Demons slowly turned his head; this was the first time since then that the old man's image had been reflected in his pupils.

When he first appeared, his Mana Detection detected the other party, but because he was so weak, he hadn't paid any attention to this human. However, the other party seemed oblivious to his own mortality, daring to provoke him. Galan was stunned.

He turned to look at the old man.

He was clearly forcing himself to straighten his back; he looked incredibly old. Shouldn't people his age be leaning on canes, massaging their aches and backs, sitting at the village entrance, basking in the sun with the elderly folks, and living a peaceful life?

But the powerful aura emanating from him at that moment even moved Galan, like a demon returning from hell to earth, finding his own revenge.

"After all these years... finally... finally I see you again..."

He bit his lower lip hard, the silver ring on his finger digging deep into his flesh.

A hideous, or rather, utterly sinister smile appeared on his face, as if he were expressing gratitude to the Goddess for this unexpected encounter.