The red eyes opened again in the dark—more of them this time.
"Oh?" Kai's smile stretched wider. "You want to play more?"
The Deuman stepped forward. Its arms weren't hanging loose anymore; thick black claws extended from the fingertips, eyes bulging even larger, and a third jagged horn pushed through its forehead like it had just grown there.
"You look uglier now," Kai said cheerfully.
"I—I will kill you," the Deuman rasped, voice wet and broken.
Kai laughed. "Oh, you can talk now? This is gonna be way more fun. I love hearing screams with words."
The Deuman lunged.
This time Kai didn't dodge. He stood perfectly still.
The creature reached him—and split clean in half down the middle, two pieces slapping wetly to the cave floor.
"You're strong," the Deuman gurgled as its body began knitting back together. "But it's no use."
"You sure about that?" Kai asked.
Crimson fire roared up around him again, hotter, wilder.
The Deuman crouched, ready to charge.
"Come to me, baby," Kai said, beckoning with two fingers.
It attacked.
One swing—Kai cut it into pieces again.
But this time, as the chunks tried to regenerate, the crimson flames leaped onto them. The Deuman burned—screaming, thrashing, flesh bubbling and blackening until nothing was left but ash and a bad smell.
"Huh. Weakling," Kai muttered.
He turned and walked back to the group.
"Let's find the stone and get out of here," he said like nothing had happened.
They pushed deeper. The air grew thicker, heavier. After a few minutes, purple light flickered ahead.
"There," Marcos said. "Those are the crystals."
"Yeah," Liza nodded. "Let's grab them and go."
They gathered the glowing purple shards into a sack—careful, quick—and hurried back the way they came.
Outside the cave, it was already afternoon. The sun felt too bright after the dark.
They headed straight to Jeff's shop.
"Hey, Jeff," Kai called, pushing the door open. "We got your thing."
"Give it here," Jeff grunted from behind the counter.
Marcos set the sack down. Jeff peered inside, nodded once.
"That's fine." He slid a small leather pouch across the counter.
Kai opened it. Silver coins glinted inside—bright and heavy.
"How much is this?" Liza asked, eyes wide.
"Fifty silver," Jeff said. "You did a job worth that much."
"Thanks, old man," Kai said with a grin.
"Get out, bastard," Jeff replied, but there was a smirk under his mustache.
They stepped back into the street.
"I want to rest now," Sara said quietly.
"Yeah," Liza agreed. "Eris probably does too."
"Okay, let's head back," Marcos said.
They returned to the rental building.
"We'll meet in Liza's room this evening," Marcos told them.
"Okay. Bye," Sara said softly.
"Yeah," Marcos replied, giving her a small smile.
"Let's go!" Kai said, already heading inside.
That evening, they gathered in Liza's cramped room.
"Where's Kai?" Liza asked.
"He said he was going for a walk," Marcos replied. "Then he just… walked out."
"What?" Liza blinked.
"Yeah. He's a weirdo. You know that."
"You're right," Liza sighed.
Sara leaned forward. "What even was that thing in the cave?"
Marcos settled against the wall. "When a male demon and a female human… breed, a Deuman is born. But it's rare. Usually the human dies when the demon's seed enters her."
"So a demon would have rape a women—" Liza started.
"No," Marcos cut in. "Both have to agree. It's consensual. Otherwise she dies instantly."
Liza frowned. "And they're strong?"
"Yeah," Marcos said. "The gods keep them in their armies. They're useful."
The door slammed open.
Kai strolled in. "I'm feeling sleepy. Let's go to bed."
"Stop doing that!" Marcos shouted.
"Okay, okay," Liza said. "Let's sleep."
As Kai turned to leave, Liza's eyes caught something—a fresh bandage wrapped around his shoulder, peeking out from under his torn shirt.
He must've gotten scratched by those nails when he was fighting, she thought. He didn't even say anything.
They all filed out to their rooms.
The building creaked as night settled in.