I remembered the moment I flash-read the Tautology On Demonic Civilization in my mansion's library.
Demons in this world, aside from being a multi-raced species, were primarily categorized by the concept they took as foundation.
For example, the Succubus that Hayja mentioned back then was considered a Dream Demon because their origin of demonization stemmed from the concept of dream.
This reflected some aspect of their existence like innate ability, anatomy, appearance, and even desire itself.
I could be considered a Plant Demon thanks to the Thaumanthus flower that was essentially part of me.
This meant I was included within the same category as other common plant-based demon races I read about in the Tautology on Demonic Civilization, like Dryad and Alraune.
"Is that demon a Crimson Oni?" I asked Eli in my mind.
『 Yes, he is a Crimson Oni. 』
Some races of demons were more common than others.
The Crimson Oni was one of them.
There was a brief passage within the Tautology on Demonic Civilization that the Crimson Oni race was considered to be a Monstrous Demon.
This meant their whole concept of foundation revolved around them being monstrous in nature.
As if the concept of a demon in itself was not monstrous enough...
Like, that was basically demon-based demon, and a demon that was more demon than a normal demon was not a demon that an average newly demonized demon like me should fight without thinking twice—
I felt like I just had a stroke.
I turned around and calmly walked to the other side. I called out all of the flying weapons I had.
Thankfully, they were still the same in number. Their condition didn't deteriorate that much either after a full-blown war with the Jagan Basilisk.
To think that those weapons I looted from a pitfall trap were really good in quality.
I split them between those that hovered high in the sky and those that hovered around me, since having them all near me was basically a sight pollution.
『 Are you not angry that your painstakingly hard hunt was stolen by another? 』
I noticed the wording that Eli used.
It meant that the Crimson Oni was definitely killing the Jagan Basilisk when it was weakened after fighting me on purpose.
I grumbled as I said that all of the fighting had exhausted me.
I did not want to deal with whatever was stealing the kill of the Jagan Basilisk from me.
Ignoring Eli's hint aside, what if that demon was simply helping me with the kindness in his heart?
First off, a demon helping another demon without gain was very unlikely.
Why? Because a demon was a being with the same intellectual capability as a human but with heightened desire. An average human being did not even have the altruistic nature to help others without getting something in return unless they were a one in a thousand saint.
Let alone a demon.
Then again, if a demon had an altruistic desire and that desire got enhanced, a kind demon might exist in the Demonic Realm.
Of course, for a Crimson Oni to apply to that category was very very unlikely.
Out of a sudden, a deep guttural voice echoed and shook the surrounding.
"Coward."
I felt an intense goosebumps.
I turned around, and I saw the Crimson Oni provoking me with a finger gesture.
I did not know his expression beneath the shadowed face, but I could assume that this demon was grinning like a dumbass.
『 Heh, you have been essentially marked. The oni will not leave you alone until an altercation happens. He will probably chase you like a hunting dog if you run away. 』
I sighed at my predicament.
I thought that running away might not be possible with how fast that Crimson Oni stole the last kill.
So the only option was to fight, and maybe find an opportunity to improvise mid-clash to escape safely.
Am I strong enough to kill the Crimson Oni, though?
『 You will struggle a lot. Especially since your arsenal of spells is really limited at the moment. 』
Well, that can be fixed the longer I fight. Though, my heart and mind was still a little bit exhausted.
What is your experience with the Crimson Oni?
『 The Crimson Oni are annoying insensitive pricks that deserve a good beating time to time. 』
Well, looks like someone has a bone to pick with.
Before long, I shouted at him.
"Hey, you oversized tomato with a horn!"
I got a reaction from the Crimson Oni, so I continued.
"Did your mother drop you on your head as a baby, or did you just naturally grow up to be a kill-stealing parasite that leeches off the hard work of others because you are too incompetent to hunt your own prey?
"If that's the case, do me a favor and go back to whatever hole you crawled out of and practice on something your size, like a pebble, because clearly anything bigger scares the brain in that tiny skull of yours!"
The Crimson Oni was dumbfounded for a moment, until the same menacing and guttural voice reverberated around the vicinity.
"Can you back up all of your barking…?"
I continued to hurl more insults.
"That is rich coming from a walking traffic cone with anger issues. Wait no, your issue lies more on your stupidity, and maybe your ugly pants, and your cheap sword! Actually, screw that! Your face is a more depressing issue!
"Wait, why are you quieter than a decomposing corpse? Are you crying? Are you crying even though you're looking older than my grandpa? Are you that weak because you're a horse-sized wittle bwaby? Is that because your brain is the size of a turd? Is that why you're mentally retarded?
"Can I talk with you mama instead? I want to teach her how to educate her child better! Oh wait, do you even have a mama, or did you just sprout from some rotten fruit because no one would want to claim responsibility for creating such a useless, horned failure of a being who can't even shit a turd the size of his brain??"
『 I'm not the Crimson Oni you insulted, but at this point, even I want to punch your face. 』
The Crimson Oni, extremely agitated beyond belief, rushed forward at an explosive speed.
He hurled his massive sword forward.
But just before the attack connected, the Crimson Oni stopped in his tracks, as if he had been chained by something invisible.
"A lizard hunter that become a dumbass hunter, that's me~"
I had been carving an improvised magic circle on the ground around me the moment the Crimson Oni called me out. So, I needed the Crimson Oni to get near to activate it.
Hence why I was insulting the Crimson Oni to lure him this whole time.
I believed that my Demonic Essence's trait would make my spellcasting faint and hard to detect, and it was not like it could be seen from a distance. The magic circle itself was nothing complicated. It was just full of magic circuits that bound and prevented movements within the surrounding radius to any entity except for me.
I could just make it that the spell reached far. But that would take a great toll on my heart, especially since I had been drunk with Demonic Essence.
Without further ado, I winded my halberd and swung forward with the intent to kill, finishing the big rat that was caught in my trap.
I also commanded the flying weapons near me to do the same.
But right before I could connect the attack, the oni broke through the spell.
He continued hurling his giant sword, continuing the motion that had been released from the magic bind.
"Kuh!"
The halberd and the sword clashed.
The shockwave from it was enough to send away all of the flying weapons meant to attack him.
I was not confident in a contest of strength, so I commanded the halberd I wielded with the telekinesis to take me away from there in haste.
"Hahaha, I'm dead."
The amount of killing intent that the red demon emitted was enough to drown a toddler and probably suffocate them to death. This made me thankful that I'm the size of an average middle schooler, and not an actual dwarf.
Wait, since when did the bar become that low?
The Crimson Oni, instead of pursuing me, looked up.
A moment after, something struck the Crimson Oni so hard that it created thick smoke in the surrounding area.
『 The Jagan Basilisk must've been a great inspiration for you to mimic it like this. 』
I had called down a flying weapon I put on the sky, turning it into a kinetic orbital strike.
And of course, I did not only send one.
Before the oni could catch up, more flying weapons dropped at high speed.
They bombarded his position until there is none of them left on the sky.
But a few seconds later, the Crimson Oni emerged from the smoke of destruction in a confident gait.
He carried the same giant sword and grinned, as if that attack was nothing but a minor inconvenience.