Level Up Legacy

The new challenger turned toward them with a face covered with blood as half of it was hidden beneath the hood. As if recognizing them from earlier, she returned to finishing her victim. However, Arthur realized it was the man he spared yesterday.

"Wait!" shouted Arthur as he took a step forward. "We still have some use for him. Can you let him go?" asked Arthur as he approached her, but her hostile expression made him realize she began to doubt him too.

"Are you a part of this group?"

"And why would we warn you ahead of time if we were?" rebuked Whisker as he reached toward his bag. "The man you are holding ambushed my friend a day ago, and we spared him. However, he did not report back to his superior, making us believe he can be useful."

"That has nothing to do with me," said the woman as she raised her hand toward the struggling man, who seemed suffocated. A burgundy aura rose from her hand, like blood turning into vapor. Whisker clicked his tongue as he wore his gauntlets and rushed forward fast enough to get there in time. "Foolery," muttered the woman as she turned her attack toward him.

Arthur could feel something was wrong with this woman, but he could not pinpoint it. That aura she used to kill these mobsters also made him on edge.

The burgundy aura exploded toward Whisker like a whip that could not be stopped. Even though the feline was fast, that flash of red sent his arm flying, detached from his body.

The cat did not hesitate to attack with its remaining arm, making her dodge back and let go of the man. Arthur also rushed forward, dragging the man by the collar and throwing him toward the far wall.

As he turned to face the woman, he found her rushing toward him with scarlet eyes that made her entire eyes. It was the first time Arthur managed to see her eyes, making him realize she was far from a human, even if everything about her told him she was.

The burgundy aura exploded again, seeking to tear him apart. Arthur summoned his black armor in a heartbeat, fending off the attack. The red collided with the black, and the meeting point resulted in an explosion of both space and matter.

Boom!

The world folded into itself as the tower lost its structure, making the scenery crumble around them. Arthur was thrown back, as was the woman, with each pushed back for several meters. However, in that instance, their minds traveled elsewhere.

Arthur opened his eyes to find himself inside his sea of consciousness, the same desert and mountains, with fog clouding his view. He was beside a river he had never seen before, but it had no water, only blood.

"Who are you?" asked a voice in his mind, and Arthur realized that something was standing on the other side. It was a creature that looked like a human but had red scales, scarlet eyes, and a long tail. At closer inspection, Arthur realized she was the woman. "How can you be here?"

"That should be my question," muttered Arthur with a frown as he stared at the woman. "What sort of creature are you?"

The woman did not answer, and her figure began to fade. Arthur tried to take a step forward but found himself back inside the orphanage, with that vision gone and never seen again.

On the other side of the crumbling space stood the woman, who gazed at him with confusion and apprehension. The tower sought to fix itself as matter began to gather again, reforming what had been lost. _{????n????????????????????. ????????????}

"You are not a mortal creature," muttered the woman with a frown as she squinted her eyes at him. "What is a descendant of the gods doing here in such a place?"

"If there are any gods out there, then I would hate to be related to them," said Arthur with a frown. "You confuse me to be something else, but I think I know what you are. I heard some people mention your race but never thought I would meet one myself."

"A demon has appeared in Sith Town," muttered Whisker with a frown as he held into his severed and bleeding hand. "This is not an opponent that we can handle, Seika. We should retreat."

"Are you a demon?" asked Arthur without replying to the feline. He had his doubts, which Whisker confirmed, but he still wanted some answers to what just happened. A smile formed on her face as she took off her hood.

"I am indeed," said the woman, revealing two scarlet eyes and small horns on her forehead. "I never thought I would meet someone like us in this place. If you are no descendant of gods, then what are you?"

"A human."

"A human cannot have a world inside them," said the woman as she raised her hand, clenching it into a fist. "No one other than the gods can have that. The sole exception has been my race, making them the enemy of mortals and gods alike. Tell me, are you a demon or a god?"

The woman spat the last word with such hate that Arthur knew which answer would make her attack him. However, he was neither.

"A human," said Arthur as he repeated his answer. "Are you an enemy?" he returned a question of his own. His lightning crackled around him, threatening the demonic creature.

"…this might be the first time that I am asked such a question," said the woman with surprise before she grinned again. "Demons are always the enemy, self-proclaimed-human. That is a universal truth."

"As you have witnessed, I rarely conform to universal truths," said Arthur as his lightning receded. "Although I prefer each to walk their way, you injured my friend here. I cannot ignore that."

The demon looked at him with the same grin before she looked at Whisker and waved her hand. The burgundy aura exploded again, but this time from his arm, as the severed limb flew back to attach itself.

"Our fight is inevitable, but not today," said the woman as she raised her hood. "We will meet again, Seika. This tower might be big, but fate has brought us together once, and fate likes to recur."

Arthur did not answer her and watched as the woman walked away toward the bucket. She grabbed it and entered the inner quarters of the orphanage, where the children were held captive.

"A demon healing the sick might be the biggest joke in existence," said the feline as he rubbed his arm, which had just reattached itself. "Are you alright even after receiving her attack?" asked Whisker with concern. "A demon is an omnipotent creature for other creatures. If injured by a demon, it would never heal."

"Even inside the tower?" asked Arthur with surprise.

"I have no idea, but I doubt a tower could heal the wounds inflicted by a demon," said Whisker with a frown as he gazed toward the orphanage. "My arm would have never healed if she did not cancel her mist."

"Mist?"

"Demons receive their powers from their bodies, which have evolved past other races. Their mist is produced from their blood, which they can control at will. Thus, these demons need no mana."

"Peculiar creatures," said Arthur with interest. "Let's take our man and leave. The children will be fine."

"How would we know that? A demon would finish the quest and then kill them," said Whisker with a frown. "These creatures are not friendly toward others. I heard horrible stories."

"Go and check on the children while I talk to our man, then," said Arthur as he turned around. Whisker nodded and headed inside while Arthur walked toward the dazed shivering mobster. "Do you remember me?"

"…of course I do, sir," said the man as he snapped out of his dizziness. "I never told a soul about you, I swear. I just said that you killed me alongside the others. I don't want to be here, but Vesper is…."

"No need to be afraid. I believe you now since you did not expose my identity even after returning to Vesper. I want to know the reason."

"You spared me, sir, something that Vesper has never done. I would do it in a heartbeat if I could somehow contribute to his fall. I lost parts of myself because of that man; one was courage. I am nothing but a spineless coward now."

"The mere fact that you are standing against him now means that courage is still inside you," said Arthur as he crouched beside the man. "I will take down Vesper and make him experience what you experienced. However, I need to do that from the inside."

"…you want my help?" muttered the man with surprise before he started shaking his head. "I cannot! I will be killed!"

"You would not do anything dangerous, just a few chitchats with the town folks and your comrades. I need you to whisper rumors about the power struggle in Sith Town."