Back in the cathedral, during training, Ethan had been taught one absolute truth: in this era, nothing could oppose the Light.
Except for one...
One thing that shouldn’t exist in this age.
The one slain by the Five Calamities themselves.
"...Demon God," Ethan muttered, forcing his grip steady on his blade as mana raged through him.
The Light in his veins surged like molten gold, every heartbeat cracking like thunder in his ears.
Lucian’s grin didn’t waver.
"Hmm? You know about our lord?"
The last time the Demon God stepped foot in this land was during the time when the Five Calamities were fighting for the status of ’The God’.
The Demon God interfered in the matter and got slain in the process.
At least, that’s what the human fairy tales claimed.
"How... how do you have Dark Mana?"
Ethan demanded, eyes locked not on Lucian, but on the weapon in his hand.
It wasn’t the demon himself that repelled the Light.
"It’s that sword," Ethan breathed.
Lucian’s smile widened.
"Precisely. It’s name is the Soul Eater. The weapon once wielded by our lord himself."
If the Primordial claimed that it’s the Demon God’s weapon, then there must be some truth to it.
Ethan lowered his stance, sword held in both hands.
In one explosive step, he pivoted, raising his knee before snapping a side kick into Lucian’s ribs.
Lucian saw it coming and didn’t even flinch.
The kick landed. And that’s when Ethan pulsed Light Mana into the point of impact.
"AGGHHHHHHHHH!!"
Lucian’s voice cracked into a raw, inhuman scream.
He staggered back, clutching his side, his skin sizzling where the Light had touched him.
’One clean hit like that, and I can kill him...’
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
’Damn it, Leon was right. I should’ve taken the head the first time.’
"Shit." He cursed.
Not wasting his time, He shot forward, Light bursting from his feet, his sword flashing toward Lucian’s neck—
CLANG—!
The Soul Eater rose just in time, locking the Light Blade in a deafening collision.
"You think I’d let you?!" Lucian snarled, forcing Ethan back with sheer strength.
Lucian’s free hand shot forward, his fingers curling after he murmured a spell.
The cobblestones beneath Ethan writhed, then surged upward, hardening around his boots like a vice.
"What—?!"
Ethan’s eyes darted down.
Crack—
"Huh?"
"Don’t take your eyes off me," Lucian whispered, his voice sounding like ice to Ethan’s ears.
Ethan’s eyes widened.
From behind the demon’s back, something tore through his flesh with a sickening rip.
A thick green arm, slick with blood, shot forward gripping a slab of concrete the size of a carriage.
Ethan froze.
Both of Lucian’s hands were still on his sword.
He somehow had a third arm.
"What the—?!"
The slab arced down at him, blocking out the moonlight.
Ethan had no room to dodge. He had no time to raise his blade.
’SHIT!!’
Click–!
A clicking sound echoed, and the concrete split into dozens of neat chunks before it could touch him. Fragments scattered across the ground.
"Hm?"
Lucian’s head tilted, his eyes sliding toward the source.
He grinned.
"Ah... I almost forgot about you."
Ethan followed his gaze.
And there, standing in the moon’s shadow behind Lucian, was a figure he didn’t recognise.
A young woman with hair as white as the moon’s surface tied into a sharp ponytail, a silver half-moon hairpin glinting at the side, her flawless face pale as poured milk, half-hidden behind a sleek black eye mask. Beneath it, her ocean-blue eyes gleamed like the sea reflecting the midday sun.
She wore a black shirt and matching skirt that didn’t even reach her knees. Her legs were framed by tall leather boots, gloves covering her hands.
A single-edged sword rested in one of her hands.
With a flick of her thumb—
Click—!
She eased the blade loose from its sheath.
The sound it generated was clean.
Click—
Another sound rang out, and her figure blurred into nothingness.
A moment later, the stone binding Ethan’s feet shattered into dust.
Not wasting a second, Ethan kicked off the ground and landed several feet away from Lucian.
Glancing to his right, he got a closer look at the young lady.
"Who ar—"
"Introductions mean nothing on the battlefield," she said, cutting off Ethan’s sentence. "Use your Light Mana again. We’ll distract his focus."
"We?"
Ethan wanted to ask, before he shot a glance toward the roofs of the buildings on both sides.
Several figures wearing black cloaks, some in gentlemen’s suits and others in the same outfit as her, stood on nearly every roof above.
Their sharp eyes were fixed on the demon in front of Ethan.
"You are surrounded."
Eula said to Lucian.
Lucian didn’t move. His head hung low, shoulders shaking, before a treacherous laughter escaped his mouth.
"PFFTTT—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
"YOU HUMANS THINK YOU COULD DEFEAT ME?! THAT YOUR KIND HAS ENOUGH POWER AFTER THE GREAT CALAMITY WAR?! YOU HUMANS ARE NOTHING WITHOUT THE FIVE CALAMITIES!!"
"HOW VERY NAIVE!!"
Ethan, Eula, and the others froze as they heard those words coming from a demon’s mouth.
Lucian’s voice dropped down.
"Such a pity."
In a matter of milliseconds, Lucian stabbed his Soul Eater into the ground. Twisting it, he sent Dark Mana surging in every direction.
ZOOOOOOMMM—-!
"Atta—"
"Wha—"
Neither Eula nor Ethan had the time to react. As soon as their bodies were hit by the shockwave, they were launched several feet back.
CRASH—!
Eula’s figure smashed into a nearby pole beside a narrow alley.
"Ugh!"
Coughing out blood, she maintained her vision.
"Huh?"
She was stunned to see Ethan still in the same place, holding on to his sword pinned to the ground.
Even Lucian couldn’t believe his eyes.
’Who is this boy?’ she questioned. Then, unknowingly, her head turned toward the alley next to where she had crashed.
There she saw a familiar boy with black hair standing, holding onto the wall, his golden eyes blinking twice as he noticed Eula.
Eula blinked back in confusion.
"The moon is beautiful tonight," he greeted with a smile. "Don’t you think, princess?"