My soul left my body.
I slowly turned my head.
Standing a few steps behind me…
Was.
A.
Fucking.
Demon.
Level 4.
Red skin.
Fangs.
Breathing like a bulldozer.
"Oh hell nah," I whispered.
We both started running like two idiots escaping from an unpaid bill.
"WHAT TYPE OF SHIT IS THAT?!" Kaito yelled, sprinting like his bloodline depended on it.
"Oh, that's the demon you wanted to know about," I replied while running too, hair flying like I was in a shampoo commercial from hell.
Crazy, right?
Now you must be wondering: Hikari, girl, why aren't you using your powers?
Well, let me explain one thing,
There were TOO MANY PEOPLE around.
Humans running left, right, diagonally, crying, screaming, tripping, possibly praying.
If Kaito and I used our powers here, civilians would get hurt. Or worse...dead.
Which means…
Our families would murder us before the demon even got the chance.
So yeah.
Running was the only option.
To be honest? I had zero energy to fight something THAT ugly so early in the morning. Zero. None. Disgusting monster, ruining my ice-cream moment.
Kaito looked at me mid-run, face full of betrayal.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO GET EATEN?! RUN FASTER AND STOP TALKING TO YOURSELF!"
Oh right.
Let's not break the fourth wall too long.
We reached a quiet area, no people, no noise, just us, the wind, and one demon breathing like a broken vacuum cleaner behind us.
Kaito stopped.
"Let me finish this fast," he said, summoning his sword.
The air literally vibrated.
A blade appeared, long, silver, elegant but radiating a deadly aura. Blue light pulsed along the edge like lightning trapped in metal.
I blinked.
"Damn!! Did you upgrade it?? It looks FIRE!!"
He shoved me aside.
"Shut up before I feed you to the demon."
Fair.
The demon roared, the ground shaking like an earthquake warning.
Kaito charged.
And holy shit.
THE FIGHT WAS INSANE.
The demon towered over us like a walking nightmare, red skin cracked like burning charcoal, steam rising off its body with every breath.
Its growl vibrated through the pavement.
Kaito stepped forward, raising his sword.
The blade began to glow, brighter and brighter, mana surging up his arm.
I whistled softly.
"Daaamn, look at you. Someone's been training. Show-off."
He didn't look back.
He didn't have to, his left eye twitched.
A tiny vein popped.
Then he charged.
Metal clashed with monstrous claws, and a shockwave burst out so hard it sent trash cans flying.
The demon swung, a wide, brutal slash.
Kaito dodged at the last second, sparks shooting across the ground as his blade scraped against the concrete.
I folded my arms, watching like this was a movie.
The demon roared, shaking the entire alley.
I nodded approvingly.
"Not gonna lie… ugly as hell, but the roar? Ten outta ten. Very dramatic. Good job, buddy."
The demon actually paused and looked at me.
Kaito yelled, "STOP COMPLIMENTING IT!"
He launched himself upward, doing a clean arc in the air, slicing down with enough force to leave a burning trail of mana behind him.
BOOM.
The demon staggered back a step.
A step.
That was all.
Kaito landed, sliding back as dust exploded around him.
The demon lifted its head.
Not a single scratch.
I blinked.
"Woooow. Okay. Respect. That skin is kinda slay. What moisturizer does it use? Lava?"
Kaito shot me a look like he regretted every moment he knew me.
The demon lunged.
Kaito blocked, barely, and the impact sent him crashing back into a wall.
The air left his lungs in a choke, but he pushed himself up, gripping his sword harder.
His breathing got heavier.
His shirt was torn at the sleeve, hair a mess, sweat dripping down his neck.
But the demon?
Still steaming, still glowing red, still ready to kill.
I tilted my head.
"Well… this is awkward. Kaito, babe, you good? Blink twice if you're dying."
Kaito didn't answer.
He stood there, sword lowered, panting, chest rising and falling sharp and uneven.
He forced his stance steady, but I could see his legs trembling.