Before they died, the two red demons had the opportunity to admire the perfect, dreamlike waltz of the stunning young woman.
As they exhausted themselves, the peach-haired girl’s eyes filled with the softness of spring water. With elegance and decisiveness, she delivered two more hammer blows, taking the lives of the two red demons.
As she had said, they didn’t even have time to let out a single scream, and before they realized they had died, their bodies collapsed helplessly.
‘Virtue +10’
‘Virtue +10’
‘Current Virtue: 54’
Looking at the neatly lying red demons, Vanessa held her bloodstained war hammer with one hand, resting it against her shoulder, and bowed slightly in respect, softly speaking, her voice as delicate as raindrops on tender green leaves.
“May you all have a good dream.”
The little white fox, who had been watching the whole time, quietly stared at the girl’s back with meaningful eyes, as though trying to discern something.
Her hair and eye color matched perfectly. She must be from that family.
But still, it didn’t seem like enough evidence. The fleeting flame she had seen earlier might just be a similar spell, not the terrifying sacred flame. As for the hair and eye color, it could all be a coincidence.
After all, from what she knew, that family was essentially extinct, with only one insignificant male heir left, someone unworthy of attention. Now, out of nowhere, a descendant with an intact bloodline had appeared. It seemed impossible.
Just as the little white fox was lost in thought, she suddenly felt something, her gaze snapping to a nearby thicket, her expression changing.
This was bad... they had been discovered after all.
It was to be expected. After all this time fighting, the strong scent of their kin’s blood was heavy in the air. The red demon chieftain had certainly noticed it.
In the next moment, Vanessa’s gaze sharpened, and she suddenly rolled backward.
“Boom! Boom!” In the next instant, the place where she had been standing was blasted into a small crater. Though she had managed to dodge in time, the shockwave still knocked her off her feet, sending her flying.
Vanessa’s boot heels scraped the ground as she slid for a distance.
Her magical resistance and the defense granted by [Armor Wall] had helped a great deal. Otherwise, even the residual force from the blast could have broken her bones.
Even so, she was still injured. However, she didn’t cast her basic healing spell on herself.
She had her own plan, her eyes fixed on the giant dark shadow slowly emerging from the forest.
“To my surprise, little human sister,” a rough voice called out. A red-skinned demon, nearly three meters tall and brimming with explosive muscles, stepped forward.
He carried a two-meter-long spear on his shoulder.
The spear’s shaft was as black as ink, and its blade resembled the claws of a giant dragon, with an icy blue gem embedded in its center. The spearhead was adorned with blue tassels.
Clearly, this was an enchanted weapon, likely no lower than the [Magic Tool] tier.
Vanessa recalled that weapons were ranked into five levels: [Ordinary Iron], [Refined], [Magic Tools], [Divine Weapons], and [Legendary Weapons].
Of these, [Ordinary Iron] and [Refined] weren’t enchanted, while [Magic Tools] and above possessed enchantments. At the [Divine Weapon] tier, weapons even had their own intelligence and recognized their master.
Vanessa remembered that in the original story, Aeciphysis’s weapon was a [Divine Weapon], a growth-type one that could absorb demon and villain blood to gradually reach the [Legendary] tier.
From the red demon before her, Vanessa felt a heavy pressure. Clearly, this red demon was far stronger than her in terms of Soul Art cultivation.
Could she have run into a Demon General?
But why? She clearly remembered in the original plot that Aeciphysis only killed a few red demon grunts and never mentioned a Demon General.
Where did things go wrong?
Vanessa silently tightened her grip on her hammer.
“Tsk, these useless fools.” The red demon chieftain looked at his fallen subordinates with disdain, not a hint of anger or sympathy in his eyes.
“Red demon, do you want to avenge your comrades?” Vanessa smiled, her lips curving into a knowing grin.
“Avenging them? Hmph, these worthless idiots don’t deserve it.” The red demon chieftain snorted. “Five against one, and they all got killed. I don’t even want to admit they were my subordinates. And they expect me to avenge them?!”
“But still, they are my kin. Human, do you know how we red demons treat those who kill our own kind from outside our tribe?” The red demon chieftain eyed Vanessa’s stunning appearance and luxurious form, licking his lips greedily.
“By the way, I’ve never seen such a beautiful human before. Tsk, I’d bet those village girls I’ve raided before couldn’t even compare to a single strand of your hair.” The red demon chieftain’s gaze was shamelessly greedy and full of lust, looking at Vanessa as if she were some prized object on a shelf.
“Looking at a lady like that is very rude, Red Demon,” Vanessa said, her smile still present but her voice now lacking any warmth.
“Heh, looking? Can’t handle it? You won’t just be looking in a moment~” The red demon chieftain let out a disgusting chuckle.
“What’s your name?... Never mind, human names are like labels on items—meaningless,” the red demon chieftain said, slinging his spear over his shoulder, clearly thinking Vanessa posed no threat to him.
And he was right.
Vanessa knew that, no matter how strong she was, she was still just a small fry who had barely reached the [Apprentice] level, while this imposing red demon, though unknown in identity, had already shown great magical power. It was clear she stood no chance against him.
This was likely a Demon General.
If he truly was a Demon General, she was in trouble.
Even Aeciphysis had to exert all her strength to deal with enemies like this. Normally, there was no way Vanessa could win.
The little white fox seemed to think the same, which was why she had pretended to be dead when the two first met. She had hoped to slip away while the red demon chieftain’s attention was on Vanessa.
She knew that every red demon chieftain was at least at the Soul Spirit level, and this human had no chance against that.
However, the red demon chieftain wasn’t an idiot. He had clearly noticed the little fox’s subtle movements.
“Where are you going, my lady?” the red demon chieftain sneered. “Our chieftain is very interested in you. Please come with me; don’t refuse.”
“.......” The little white fox stopped in her tracks, knowing she couldn’t escape. Despite the chieftain speaking to the girl, his focus was clearly on her.
This was quite the revelation, and even Vanessa was surprised.
This powerful red demon had called the little white fox "my lady"?
So, was she also a demon?
Now that she thought about it, the fox had looked strangely familiar to her.
“According to our tribe’s rules, anyone who kills one of our kin from another tribe will be dismembered,” the red demon chieftain’s voice pulled Vanessa’s attention back.
“However... such a beautiful little lady, it would be a shame to kill you.”
“Woman, I’ll give you the chance to serve this chieftain. Don’t make the mistake of not recognizing your place.” The red demon chieftain towered over her, relishing the sensation of controlling her life or death, a feeling he found irresistible.
“.......” Vanessa remained silent.
“What's wrong? Do I need to show you the difference in strength personally? Just a reminder, my patience is limited. If it weren’t for your beautiful appearance, you’d already be dead.”
The red demon chieftain smirked. “You’re strong, and I’m curious to know what kind of human you are, to have strength that surpasses a red demon.”
“But if you think strength is just about raw power, then you’re mistaken.”
“Whether it’s a strong human or a strong red demon, it’s all about magic. The higher the rank of the battle, the less physical strength matters.”