I explained to Alice how to suppress all her magical power.
I could already suppress more than half my magic power.
But to fully appear human, I relied on Great Jaw—which, Platform also kindly pointed out, had upgraded without me realizing.
Now, it constantly absorbed my magic into Platform's Shadow Realm.
Not even a speck of energy was leaking from me.
On her first try, Alicia suppressed eighty percent of her magic power.
Her energy was still twenty times my own.
I felt the drop—her power did decrease. She managed it well.
But she was still a walking catastrophe.
A magic energy monster.
Let's leave tomorrow's problem for tomorrow.
I think that's my new punchline.
We packed up and resumed our straight journey.
Alicia was wide awake now, but she still clung to my back like a famished parasite.
We'd rested for two hours before continuing, and we'd covered a lot of ground.
In this eternal dark mist, I couldn't tell if it was day or night, but judging by how long we'd been walking—
Outside, it was probably evening.
We passed the bridge.
The instant our feet left it, the dark mist behind us vanished within a minute.
Nothing but a vast, dried wasteland.
Barren land stretched as far as the eye could see.
Even for a Fenrir, my eyesight was excellent. If I stood on high ground, I could see past fifty miles.
Alicia's grip on my back tightened.
"Ruby?" she murmured. "Where are we?"
For all her overwhelming power, she was still just a kid.
Even without the terrifying dark fog, the wasteland felt unnatural.
And the clouds overhead...
They moved—as if they had a mind of their own.
"Don't worry!" I declared. "I'll protect you!"
(P.S. this is Ruben laughing.)
To reclaim my honor as the one abov—
A cold voice whispered from right beside me.
...How in the world did someone get this close—just two feet away—all of a sudden?!
Even if I had been asleep, that was impossible!
If it were teleportation magic, I would've felt the spatial distortion.
This was instantaneous.
Argh, I hope he's one of the supporting cast in this novel—a companion of sort.
I had to handle this carefully.
First, I leaped several feet away from the stranger.
I took him in immediately.
Not old, not young, but dangerously good-looking.
Black, medium-length hair.
Pure black, high quality. Even a nonhuman like me could tell.
"And who am I unto?" I demanded.
My voice lacked its usual bite, but the aggression in the air made up for it.
The man regarded me with nothing but apathy.
"You?" He breathed. "I have no business with you, vile dog."
But if he wasn't here for me—
Then why was he here?
"I see," I started. "Then would you let us pass? We're headed to a river onward—our destination is Pison."
He finally looked at Alicia.
"I see it," he murmured. "That magic energy..."
Hehehe! I was ignored.
But more importantly—
Pure ill intent radiated from this man. His evil cursed energy was too dense.
Then he finally spoke again.
"Child of man," he addressed Alicia. "Will you come with me?"
Alicia's response was instant.
"Hm?" she mused, her tone indifferent. Cold. "And who might you be?"
The man gave a slight nod.
His voice was smoother now—sugary—like he was offering something sweet.
"I see unlimited potential in you. Come with me, and I will give you a place where your dreams will come true."
No matter how you sliced it—
That sounded like a Devil's temptation to me!
Alicia tightened her grip on me. fгeewebnovёl.com
Her voice was steady.
"Go away." She wasn't just asking. "My dreams coming true is my responsibility. And I'm happy the way I am."
Ignorance truly is bliss.
Maybe because of inexperience—someone who had never seen the depths of true malice—she could run her mouth like that.
If this guy claimed to be the Devil himself, I'd have no reason to doubt him.
His very presence radiated wickedness.
His demeanor, his aura—
The man tilted his head slightly.
"KRRRRSHHH!" —A brutal, crunching tear.
Still intact—alright!
Maybe... Maybe I could do this after all!
He departed from existence itself—
Like he'd been erased from the system of being.
He reappeared behind me.
His arm already in motion—A swing meant for Alicia.
But my body—It reacted before I did.
Instinct. Or maybe sheer dread—
My jaws clamped down on his arm, and in one swift violent motion—
I barely felt the pain before I leaped away, distancing us.
The impact of the bite rattled through my skull.
I tasted my own blood for a moment.
And what's more is...
What's with this form?!
{Yes, Master, you called?}
Now, explain why I look ?!