Warrior stood in front of the awakened demon with his unsheathed gunto. He flowed his essence into the gunto, and its blade began to glow white with a few black strands.
The demon, which was looking at the derating back of Ruddy with its malice-filled eyes, turned its head towards Warrior.
They locked eyes with each other for a few moments, after which the demon moved like a blur and clawed at Warrior.
Warrior lifted his gunto and blocked the demon's attack. A groan escaped his lips when the demon's claw landed on his gunto.
The demon tilted its head and looked at Warrior in confusion.
"Heh…You think I can't even block you, huh?" Warrior snickered at the demon and stepped back.
The demon moved once again and started to attack Warrior with its sharp, steel-like claws. Warrior didn't back down either and parried or blocked all of its attacks.
The demon twisted its body and attacked him with its mace-like tail. Warrior jumped above the tail, dodging it.
The demon turned back towards him and opened its maw wide to bite at him.
Warrior looked at the razor-sharp, blade-like teeth of the demon and threw his gunto at its mouth and pressed on the gunto's end with both of his feet. The gunto pierced through the mouth of the demon as black blood started to leak out from his mouth and back.
Warrior grabbed the gunto's handle as he landed back on his feet and looked at the demon.
The demon had covered its maw with its hand. Warrior stepped forward to slash at the demon.
It looked at him with furious eyes and jumped towards him.
Warrior flowed more of his essence into the gunto and swung at the demon's neck, ready to behead it in a clean strike.
The gunto was about to behead the demon until the demon moved his head, and the gunto landed on its fangs. Sparks flew out when they hit each other. The demon opened its claws wide and clawed at Warrior.
Warrior tried to dodge by stepping back, but it was already too late. The claws danced on his upper body as they left deep wounds on it.
A loud groan left his lips as he nearly fell on his knees due to the pain. Warrior gritted his teeth and tightened the grip around the gunto's handle as he stood up.
Ruddy stood beside a tree with his hands on his knees, panting. The two masked figures were looking at him with annoyance as one of them spoke.
"How can you be tired already? We haven't even run that much." He scoffed at Ruddy.
Ruddy lifted his head and looked at him with a drained face as he spoke.
"Hah… look at hah… me… don't you see how frail I am?" Ruddy spoke as he took gasps in between.
The masked figure turned silent and just stared at Ruddy.
"Why don't you just pick me up on your back like before?" Ruddy suggested as he forced himself to stand straight.
The masked figure turned to the other, and the other masked figure nodded at him.
"Alright." The masked figure said as he stepped towards Ruddy.
He lifted Ruddy and began carrying him on his back.
Ruddy looked at him with wide eyes as his lips turned into a smirk, which he hid quickly.
The trio— The two masked figures and Ruddy on the back—began to move towards the temple of dawn.
Moments later, the temple was in their view as they continued to move towards it.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps. The masked figure, whose hands were free, took out his mace and turned towards the direction of the sounds. None of them spoke as they stared in the same direction.
Soon, a squirrel jumped out of the bushes they were looking at.
"Just a squirrel." The masked figure spoke as he heaved a sigh.
Ruddy, however, didn't look away and continued to stare in that direction. Then, it happened. The shadows began to wiggle and turned into a humonid creature with blue eyes full of malice. It had long arms and spiky hair. A black, paste-like substance dripped out of its maw as it opened it, and let out a loud shriek full of malice.
Ruddy's face turned dark, and his eyes turned cold when he looked at the hexborn with his Ichor Eyes.
'It's that same damn dormant demon...' Ruddy gritted his teeth and yelled.
"Behind you!"
The masked figure moved and swung his mace in time as the shadowy demon was already there to attack him. The mace landed on its side, sending it flying towards the trees.
The masked figure with the mace looked at the other one as he shouted.
"Go to the temple."
The other masked figure nodded as he began to run towards the temple.
"W-What?! Why are you not helping him kill that hexborn?" Ruddy questioned in a loud voice.
The masked figure shook his head and replied.
"Hexborns can't enter the temple."
Ruddy turned silent and looked towards the temple with a sharp glint in his eyes.
"I see..." Ruddy mumbled.
Soon, the masked figure left the trees behind and entered the land filled with scroached black sand.
Ruddy could see the statues now, and they were as he thought them to be. They were frozen in time, pointing their weapons at each other. Some of them were of humans, some looked like humans, but most were of different races, which looked no less different than those abominations.
'A war, maybe?' Ruddy thought as he looked at all of the statues.
Ruddy shivered when he saw a statue stare at him with eyes full of fury. Ruddy removed one of his hands from the masked figure's shoulders and took out the dagger he had tied to his lap.
"It's all because you dared to have thoughts about my life." He spoke in a cold voice as he lifted the dagger.
The masked figure was puzzled by his words and asked.
"Huh? What did you say-"
But before he could complete his question, Ruddy impaled his neck with the dagger.
The masked figure fell to his knees as strength started to leave him, but before he could fall, he threw away Ruddy with gritted teeth.
Ruddy skidded down the scorched black sand, which started to cut into his body.
A groan left his lips as he lifted his head and looked at the masked figure who was looking at him with eyes full of fury, with a hand on his neck.
Ruddy stood up and jumped at him without any hesitation. The masked figure tried to fight back, but his wound was too heavy for that.
Ruddy sat on his abdomen as he lifted the dagger above his head and stabbed it right into his neck.
Tears welled up in the masked figure's eyes as the embrace of death started to call out to him. Ruddy didn't stop and took out the dagger and stabbed it again, then again... and again...
Only after hearing God's Will voice did he stop.
[You have slain a beast (Dormant), Human.]
[You have received a relic.]