Chapter 64
This is a fictional story by realTensai
"Citizens continue to grieve the tragic loss of 12-year-old demon girl, Fuja Bitone, whose life was cut short in a police altercation just four days ago. Yesterday's protests surged to unprecedented levels, with over 500 thousand individuals converging at the WRO council headquarters, demanding nothing less than what the WRO pledges to uphold: Equality."
Alvis turned off the television with a sigh. The moment he turned it off, the crushing roar of protests flooded his ears. He glanced out his window and grimaced.
"How am I supposed to go out there?"
Nevertheless, he put on his jacket and got going. He had come back from his class trip yesterday, though the state he found his city in was worse than what would have befallen Awaniko.
As soon as he stepped out, he was greeted by an army of demons. Angry demons. He was tempted to hold his ears as their cries were genuinely hurting his overdeveloped senses, yet he decided against that.
If one of them saw me holding my ears, I'd only get into trouble.
Grimacing, he continued his stroll, merging with the crowd. His eyes wandered from left to right, from one poster to the other. However, the message on them was all the same. They wanted justice.
While Alvis and his class were in Awaniko, a tragedy occurred within Utopia. A young demon girl was killed by two human officers as they suspected her of stealing. They arrested her and one officer kneeled on her neck to hold her down as she tried to escape. However, while restrained, the girl couldn't breathe and died. It turned out that she was innocent, yet it was already too late. No matter how one saw it, it was an act of racism. Killing a girl just because she might have stolen something couldn't be justified and, as a result, the protests only escalated further.
Ever since the Union started taking in demons from the Demon Continent, racism skyrocketed. People still held on to their old beliefs and prejudices. The demons were responsible for two world wars and brought forth the worst creature to ever cross the planet. Even now his followers remain, causing horror for everyone who they cross paths with. Alvis shivered just thinking about a certain insane man.
No matter how hard the WRO tried, they couldn't stop the racism.
"And now we are at this point."
Alvis sighed, shaking his head.
The demons weren't protesting alone. Among them, some dwarves, elves, and humans marched too, their faces tight with anger, their voices demanding change. Yet even as he watched, another group of humans stood at the edges, glaring, muttering.
They don't see justice. They see a threat.
And then there were the demons themselves. Not all were grieving. Some wanted more than justice. He caught sight of a sign that sent a chill through him.
"Blood for Blood."
If something doesn't change soon, it's gonna turn ugly.
Even a fool could see the country was headed for disaster
Once again, Alvis shook his head, freeing himself from all those negative thoughts. He had spent his entire class trip worrying, so he now needed a breather. Turning into an alley with less turmoil, his brain focused on the things he could control. And as if to pat himself on his shoulders, he stared at the rewards of his struggles.
[STATS MENU LOADING…]
Level 4: ???
Mission: ???
STATS
Name: Alvis Silva
Level: 16
Class: Mage
HP: 300
MP: 450
-----
Strength: 20
Agility: 24
Health: 25
Sense: 19
Intelligence: 35
----
Available Ability Points: 0
Skills
Skill slot: 5/7
[Passive]
Evasion Lvl. 5
Mind Shield Lvl. 1
[Active]
Advanced Mana Manipulation Lvl. 8
Assassin's Eye Lvl. 6
Mastermind Lvl. 12
Inventory
No Items
Daily Quests
- Push-ups [100/100]
- Sit-ups [100/100]
- Squats [100/100]
- Run [10km/10km]
A cheeky smile spread across Alvis' face. Not only did all of his stats improve drastically, his skills leveled up too! And as if to top it all off, he gained a new passive skill called Mind Shield.
Mind Shield: Protects your mind from all kinds of mind attacks.
This was the explanation of the skill once Alvis focused on it.
Attacks like Lia's hypnotism and Voyzez's insanity fall under this category.
It basically was his mind protector spell, but as a passive skill. So now Alvis didn't have to cast it and use mana for it, but it was active all the time.
I couldn't wish for more.
However, the one thing that had Alvis' inwards twisting was his new level and mission. The smile on his face vanished, replaced by a grim look as he stared at the question marks. Until now, his new level always appeared after clearing the last one. However, this time was different. Alvis couldn't even guess what would await him at his next level. Judging based on how things always got incredibly more difficult from level to level, Alvis could only gulp.
Something even worse than the Trial of Insanity.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he imagined the worst. Yet he bit his tongue, immediately suppressing the negative thoughts.
"As if he'd make things easy for me. "
He clenched his fist, his lips curling into a determined smirk. Nothing could shake his resolve anymore after facing Voyzez with no respawns left. No matter what the Devil would throw at him, he was certain that he would win. After all, he now also had 500 assassins under his command.
After defeating the Priest of Insanity and thus proving his competence, the Assassins' Guild's leader accepted Alvis as one of the branch leaders and gifted him 500 men. But instead of using those 500 assassins to kill people for money, he would use them to hunt down the Devil Cult. It was their sole purpose.
"Thus the name Devil Hunters."
Alvis still couldn't understand why Lia thought of the name as corny. Isn't it the coolest name ever?
However, the name of their group didn't even matter that much. There were a lot of other things he needed to take care of. One of them being how to take care of 500 men. His shoulders slumped as the heavy weight of responsibilities revealed itself. Those men were all assassins who earned their bread by killing people. Yet Alvis forbade them to kill anyone who wasn't part of the Devil Cult, but that meant they basically lost their jobs.
Alvis scratched his forehead, a sigh escaping his mouth. He had to make sure they all found a job to make ends meet until they would face the Devil Cult again. Luckily, they didn't have to find a new base as they would just use the one the old Organization used in Beqa. Right now Adler was arranging everything necessary.
"I'm lucky to have him."
Having such a competent man as a right hand lifted a lot of pressure off him. Adler was also in charge of gathering news about the Devil Cult. They couldn't wait for them to strike first if they wanted to hunt them down. Priest Zaini was a major component of Alvis' team too. He didn't join the Devil Hunters, yet he stayed in contact with Alvis. They would exchange any new information they get and would work together as an alliance. With his resistance to any curse, he was a reliable comrade. And being in contact with such a religious person rubbed off on Alvis, making him increase his daily prayers.
It's the only thing that keeps me sane having to deal with the Devil himself.
Alvis chuckled. However, the Devil wasn't even his only enemy. His face turned grim and his heart started pounding against his ribcage as he remembered the Assassins' Guild leader's last words. It was something that had been on Alvis' mind ever since the day he first died.
Who was the one who sent an assassin to kill me?
No matter how much he had wracked his brain over it, he couldn't find an answer. He had thought it was the Devil Cult, yet it didn't even make sense. If Alvis was the one they were waiting for, why should they want to kill him?
It has to be someone who is against the Devil Cult.
And by asking the leader of the Guild, he found out that his thought process was right. The one, or better to say the ones who wanted to kill him, was the organization that opposed the Devil Cult the most. Even more so than the Arifuners. It made sense that they wanted to see him dead, considering the Devil Cult's prophecy about their leader being a white-haired human with mana. However, they were the worst enemy Alvis could ever have.
I have to be really careful from now on.
One wrong step and not only his life but also the lives of the ones he cared for the most could turn into hell.
A vibration in his pocket snapped him out of his thoughts. A quick glance at his watch made him groan.
Oh, I need to hurry.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and quickened his pace. The streets blurred past him, his thoughts lingering on his growing responsibilities. Before he knew it, he arrived.
It was the place he had visited more often than school. The white building towered above him, reawakening all of his bad memories tied to it, yet Alvis ignored them and stepped into the hospital.
The familiar scent of disinfectants tickled his nostrils as soon as he entered. Without wasting time, he walked to the room assigned to him and waited there. Luckily for him, he didn't have to wait in the waiting room first.
What a miracle.
As he sat down on the white bed, he waited for his doctor to come. He had an appointment for a general checkup with the same doctor who delivered him the news of his sure death but also the news of his recovery.
"I'm kinda looking forward to seeing him."
Alvis leaned back on the examination bed, a small smile tugging at his lips as he remembered that blissful moment. The doctor had been even more excited than Alvis had been at first, which just showed his character.
"I bet he's gonna say something like, 'So, how's the whole defying death thing treating you?'"
Alvis chuckled to himself, however, the door opening forced him out of his thoughts. As his eyes met the person who entered, his eyebrows naturally wrinkled. The old man wore a white robe and certainly was a doctor, yet it wasn't the doctor Alvis had waited for.
"Who are you?"
Alvis' mouth moved faster than he could think and his words came out a bit harsher than he had intended to. Yet the elderly man kept smiling, his eyes barely open. However, this sight somehow made a shiver run down Alvis' spine.
"I'm your new doctor," the man said, his voice soft, yet still impactful. "I'm sorry to inform you that your last doctor unfortunately passed away."
The words slammed into Alvis like a blow to the chest. His breath caught, and for a moment, his mind refused to process what he had just heard.
Dr. Lazen… is dead?
He sat up straight, his pulse thudding against his temples.
"No, that's—That's not possible," he muttered, shaking his head.
The new doctor's expression remained calm, almost detached.
"He died in a car accident."
"A car accident?!"
That doesn't make sense. There hasn't been a car accident in Utopia for ages.
Alvis' finger twitched and he could only grit his teeth. It would take some time before he could digest this news.
"I'm here to replace him," the old man said, his smile that never really reached his eyes still on his face. "Don't worry, I'm an expert in my field. After all, the WRO itself sent me."
It was upon hearing these words that Alvis' heart dropped. His palms became sweaty, and his chest tightened, making breathing almost impossible. His mind spun through possibilities, trying to reject the most obvious one, yet the dots in his head had already connected.
They've made their move.
The Guild's leader's last words pounded in Alvis' skull. He had told him about those who had sent an assassin to kill him. Alvis swallowed hard, his gaze flicking back to the new doctor. The man still stood there, smiling that same unnerving, hollow smile.
Waiting. Watching.
He knows.
The realization hit like ice in his veins. The organization that wanted to see Alvis dead was no other than the organization that led this very country.
It was the World Race Organization!
With the appearance of this doctor, they've made clear that they were still after him.