Iver: Let Me See (Shouting)

Upon seeing Iver, the team leader paused for a moment.

He suspected they might be ambushed... but the leader never imagined that the one who ambushed them was none other than Iver, who should have been in a wheelchair or fast asleep, trapped in a curse! At this distance, however, his senses were crystal clear. There was no way he could be wrong.

—Demon Scholar, Second Level.

What's going on? Or is this person not Iver at all?

Shock, apprehension, confusion—in just a moment, the team leader's thoughts raced. Four or five possibilities flashed through his mind as he quickly considered whether he should launch a sneak attack, curse, or retreat.

According to his combat habits, he should have activated [Nightmare Illusion] at this point to control "Iver" and buy time, but he didn't bring that thing with him.

It's like a Pharaoh instinctively reaching for his gun in a crisis, only to find he doesn't have one.

This is why even the strongest team leader hesitated briefly.

But the Demon Dog that Brayden had just summoned did not pause at all; it attacked Iver with incredible ferocity and without the slightest fear.

Another Demon Dog, which was dissipating due to its master's death, also launched a surprise attack on Iver, along with its companion.

It wasn't a real dog, but a demon with a dog-like physique and habits—it was about a meter tall even when lying on the ground, its entire body covered in crude armor made of scrap metal. Because it had been simply processed, its red, rusted shell was covered with many sharp nicks. The Demon Dog's head was ferocious and terrifying, its mouth burning with flames, and its body reeked of a stench like that of a rotting corpse.

The armor did not protect bones and internal organs, but rather human corpses and rotting flesh.

The Lash Demon, whose master had been ambushed and killed by Iver and was about to be banished, remained motionless. It simply crossed its arms, watching the leaders with a cold smile, without uttering a word.

This highly intelligent demon had already predicted the outcome of the battle.

Faced with the ferocious attack of the Demon Dog, Iver neither dodged nor fled.

If it had been a little over a month ago, when Iver encountered the supposed second boss, "Vicious Dog" Shell, at the Pelican Bar, he would definitely have been very wary of him.

After all, the Demon Dog has no vital organs. Unlike the Great Purple, it can't be killed instantly by a single headshot from Iver.

The Demon Dog is essentially a weak demon in the form of a soul capable of manipulating rotten flesh with curses. Its entire body, including its dog head, is merely a mecha it controls.

For this reason, for low-level superhumans who lack the ability to counter the soul, to kill the Demon Dog, they must break its metal shell and rip out the rotten flesh inside; or break a few of its legs or its head. In short, they must render the Gundam piloted by the dog incapacitated in order to defeat the Demon Dog.

It is precisely because of this tenacious vitality and its ability to restrain most low-level superhumans that the Demon Dog has become a familiar that almost every low-level Demon Scholar of the Noble Red Society.

But for Iver today, the situation is completely different.

The butterfly that had been resting on his right middle finger took flight and made room.

As Iver watched the Demon Dog charging towards him, he simply flipped his right hand outward, palm facing outward.

Flames gathered in his palm and then transformed into a flaming butterfly.

This flame butterfly is golden, with only the outline of red flames visible at the edges.

Its attribute is "Dispel". Its effects include dispelling some negative status effects on friendly units, dispelling some shields on enemies, and dispelling undead creatures.

Despite being a demon, the Demon Dog is essentially a kind of undead.

It didn't scatter; instead, it spread its wings and exploded on the spot.

A dazzling golden halo radiated outwards from it, passing through Iver's body without causing any harm. But the Demon Dog seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall, intercepted in mid-air by the golden light and forcefully slapped back.

They let out sharp, piercing cries like attacked dogs, crashing onto the grass by the door with a dull thud from their armor.

As the two Demon Dog tumbled to the ground, wisps of golden flame rose from the gaps in their wrecked iron armor.

That was a sign that the curse that had been binding the corpse was being dispelled.

The Demon Dog's movements became visibly sluggish and stiff, before it collapsed to the ground and lay motionless.

—With just one strike, he defeated both Demon Dog that pounced on him immediately!

With the help of a fleeting glimpse of light, the team leader finally saw the Sapphire Jewelry that Iver was wearing.

Without a doubt, that was the item used to combat the curse. He must have been awakened by Resist Curse when he was previously under a sleeping curse.

But it was just an ordinary Sapphire Jewelry and did not possess any extraordinary properties.

Realizing this, the team leader was no longer afraid.

He pointed at Iver and shouted curses:

"[—Go to hell!] "

As the invisible power of the curse spread, several bursts of blood erupted from Iver's body.

It was as if three invisible blades had pierced his body, Iver bled profusely.

But a curse released temporarily can only be this powerful at best. He was, after all, just Demon Scholar, not Ritual Mage.

Iver swayed slightly, then raised his left hand, which had been behind his back, once again.

That was a handgun. The very same handgun that had just pierced Brayden's calf.

Iver didn't aim at the team leader, but quietly targeted Brayden was lying on the ground howling in pain, unable to dodge and too painful to retaliate.

" —Brayden!"

The team leader was immediately startled and anxiously reminded him, "Relax and don't resist!"

A purple light shone in his pupils, a hazy Roland glow emanated from his right hand, and his left hand gripped the burnt corpse of Pero forcefully! As the purple light on Brayden's body surged three times in succession, the leader transferred the triple resistance, which had not yet ended due to the ritual on Pero's corpse, to Brayden!

— [Protection from Bullets], [Minor Natural Resistance Penetration], [Weakness Reinforcement]! The Path Power originates from the Dream Realm and acts upon the soul. Therefore, the destructive power of extraordinary beings is significantly stronger than their resistance, and by more than one level.

Before reaching the Fourth Level and having their life force strengthened by the Path Power for the first time, at least two-thirds of professions are unable to withstand ordinary firearms. This is why each Dao has its own methods to temporarily increase its resistances.

The means to Path of Transcendence is ritual magic.

Ordinary Protection from Bullets are enough to deflect small-caliber bullets directly through an invisible shield, as if wearing steel armor. Adding Minor Natural Resistance Penetration further strengthens the skin, making it impenetrable even to rifle bullets. It can even withstand long-range spear attacks from First Level melee superhumans.

With the addition of [Weakness Reinforcement], even if weak points such as the eyes, throat, heart, and head are attacked, they will only be blocked by the light shield that appears.

These three ceremonies are inexpensive and require simple materials.

Releasing all three costs approximately three to four Red Candle Coin. Each ritual takes a few minutes, and the three together take about ten minutes. The effect lasts for one hour.

In Lloyd District, such rituals are frequently performed whenever someone shows their face in public, in order to prevent being ambushed or shot.

While summoning the demon and waiting for their apprentice to cast the curse, the team leader and the fat man Pero took the opportunity to cast resistance on themselves.

They hadn't expected that Iver, despite only being at the First Level and on the Dedication Path, would attack like a mage, completely wasting Pero's resistance! However, the leader possessed the ability of "Ritual Transfer." He could transfer the effects of his rituals from one person to another. Perfect for making use of what was useless.

The team leader breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Brayden had gained complete bullet resistance.

Do you know why I didn't aim at you?

Iver asked softly, "Do you know why I'm not in a hurry?"

The next moment, he suddenly pulled the trigger.

A dark line pierced through Brayden's head.

His head instantly shattered into pieces, blood splattering everywhere. Brayden's screams abruptly ceased.

The four-man Demon Scholar team, each accompanied by a demon, was wiped out by three-quarters of its members by Iver the moment they met!

"Because I want to see your Blade Demon."

Iver's lips curled up slightly as he pointed his pistol at the team leader. "Now that everyone in the way is gone."

"—Show me, or I'll kill you."