"Eh?"
Nanoda stood beneath the city walls, watching the hundred-plus Demons. Looking at the two leading Demons, she felt increasingly strange. Had she seen them somewhere before...?
"A human city... and a kin?"
The Demon male was equally puzzled as he looked up at the horn-broken Demon on the city wall.
Nanoda remembered. Weren't these the remaining members of Aura's suicide squad?
"Oh! It's Lugner! And... who is that again?"
That gentleman-like Demon should be Lugner, the one who used Blood Manipulation Magic and would be defeated by Fern in the future.
The one beside him should be the guy who confidently challenged Frieren to a duel in the future and got instantly counter-killed... who was it again? Because he died too quickly, Nanoda hadn't remembered his name.
"My name is Draht!"
The Demon youth, Draht, furrowed his brow. He felt he was being looked down upon.
Beside him, Lugner reached out to stop Draht, who was about to flare up, and asked Nanoda, "Do you know us?"
"I've heard a little about your great names. However, what are you here to do?" Nanoda changed the subject.
Just then, a Demon walked up from the back of Lugner's team. The Demon stammered somewhat, "Ass... Association... Join... Lady... Aura."
The expression wasn't very fluent, but Nanoda understood the gist of it. Moreover, she recognized him; this was the Demon soldier she had sent out years ago to promote the 'Mutual Love and Peace Demon Association,' who had been out of contact for several years.
"So it's friendly forces. So, you want to join the Demon Association run by me and Aura?"
"To be accurate, I am the only one interested in the Association. These Demons and Draht simply wish to seek refuge with Lady Aura," Lugner explained unhurriedly.
Lugner couldn't quite see through the level of this horn-broken kin. Generally, powerful mana would dissipate from a Demon's body; the strength of one's mana was the indicator of a Demon's status.
Any living creature, even if they couldn't utilize mana, would have traces of mana within their bodies. Yet, the fellow before him was too bizarre; there wasn't a single shred of mana spilling out.
Compared to Lugner's caution, although Draht also remained expressionless, his actions revealed he was extremely impatient and reckless.
"Where is Lady Aura? We only want to see her."
Behind them, the pile of Demons also focused their gazes on the city wall. Vincent and the city defense soldiers beside Nanoda swallowed their saliva, feeling as if they were being stared at by a pack of ferocious beasts.
"Uh... she is still on her way here."
Nanoda smoothed the hair on her forehead. She didn't feel safe letting these Demons in before Aura arrived; it would be troublesome if these guys started killing people indiscriminately.
"Hmph, what do you count for? A weak existence with broken horns—how can you represent Lady Aura?!"
Draht could sense almost no mana from Nanoda. Looking at those broken horns again, she was, at a glance, a Demon who lived a very failed life.
Hardened. Her fist hardened.
She hadn't expected Draht's tongue to be so venomous.
Seeing Nanoda remain silent, Draht thought he had hit the mark and became even more unbridled.
"Are you planning to rely on those useless Humans around you?" He turned his head and spoke to Lugner again. "As I see it, we've been deceived by that person and these few Demons. What Association? Lady Aura isn't here at all."
Draht arrogantly pointed at the top of the city wall.
"..." Lugner remained silent, seemingly in thought.
"It's true... it's really true..." The few Demons who had led the way tried to persuade them.
"Let's just kill our way in and see."
After speaking, Draht and the hundred Demons behind him became murderous. Lugner silently moved to the side, expressing no stance.
Demons were just like this. Unless it was out of specific interest, they liked to solve most matters with their own power. Most Demons were super battle maniacs who simply found fighting exhilarating.
Arrogant as they were, they only submitted to the arrangements of the strong.
"What do we do now?"
Vincent's expression turned ugly. A hundred Demons who looked like elites—he and these city guards couldn't withstand them at all. Now, they could only rely on Nanoda.
When he saw Nanoda's expression at that moment, Vincent was startled.
Expressionless. Calm. Terribly calm. Her eyes were as deep as the abyssal sea, revealing nothing.
"I. Will. Handle. It."
Nanoda spoke each word with a pause, her palm already reaching into her leg bag.
She wasn't actually angry. Since she indeed kept a low profile, it was normal to be looked down upon by kin who revered mana above all else. She was merely very disappointed with Draht's methods and his condescending attitude.
This time, she didn't intend to use mana. She wanted to tell Draht that mana was not everything.
"!"
Sensing the oncoming crisis, Draht spread the five fingers of both hands, and ten transparent white threads composed of mana slashed out in a cross pattern!
Draht was very confident in his magic. His Mana Wires possessed hardness and sharpness that could easily sever a human body.
Nanoda was already gone from the city wall.
Where? Where did she go?
Accompanying the movements of Draht's hands, the mana threads danced, creating a continuous sound of breaking wind. Some threads touched the city wall, leaving deep gouges.
"Schwing!"
Nanoda's vanished figure blurred into existence; when she appeared, she was already behind Draht.
Hundreds of Demon soldiers reacted as if facing a formidable enemy, raising their various weapons one after another. The dozen or so Demons who originally belonged to Nanoda trembled all over, momentarily unsure of what to do.
Lugner was also startled by Nanoda's move. In just the blink of an eye, Nanoda had disappeared from the wall, and in another instant, she was behind Draht.
"What is this?!"
Let alone killing intent or mana, Lugner didn't sense any aura at all, as if she had cast Teleportation Magic.
"This is human martial arts!"
"Urgh!"
The base of the broken horn in her hand smashed toward Draht, who had only turned halfway. Before Draht could release his mana threads again, Nanoda had already subdued him.
Thud.
Draht only felt a massive force assault his face. His originally stiff features twisted and crumpled, and his entire head dragged his body down, smashing straight onto the ground, sending dust flying.
He wanted to crawl up and counterattack immediately, but his mind was in chaos, and he couldn't move even a single finger.
"Am I, who currently possesses no mana, still weak?" the expressionless Nanoda asked calmly.
"I acknowledge your strength. Please forgive Draht's rudeness; he is just too young and lacks experience."
Seeing Draht lying on the ground unable to get up, Lugner hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over. At the same time, he developed a strong interest in this kin before him.
Just then, a head popped out over the city wall.
"So, why did you call me here?"
Led by Zari, Aura arrived on the city wall, looking somewhat confused at the large mass of Demons outside the city.
Seeing Aura appear, the originally aggressive Demons knelt in submission one after another.
Lugner bowed to Aura and then said,
"We have come to seek refuge with you."
____
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