Chapter 168: Demon’s Descent

"No..."

Aurelia breathed heavily as she muttered weakly.

The bad memories of the past she tried so hard to forget haunted her once again.

Controlling her gift to avoid Pandora was easy since she was near her. She was able to stop it just as it was about to reach Killian due to the large bone spike that raised him from the ground.

On the other hand, Regis was too close to the lich, which made it difficult for Aurelia.

"I-I’m sorry..." She muttered under her breath.

Meanwhile, Pandora seemed like she had just seen something beyond her wildest imagination.

And no, while Aurelia’s ability was a part of it, her shock was because of something else.

Noticing her friend’s expression, the frail Aurelia followed her gaze to see what she was looking at.

It was then that her eyes widened.

A figure was standing in front of the lich. What’s more was the fact that this figure was able to stop the golden light and protect the lich from it.

The figure had four defining characteristics: the black scales that covered its body, the reddish skin that could be seen on its face and some parts of its body, the tail that had a triangle-shaped end, and the black horns on both of its temples.

Not to mention the fact that there were 2 black six-pointed stars on its chest and the red vertical iris that seemed to be floating within its black sclera, a characteristic that only a certain species would have.

Demons.

"They almost got you because of your carelessness." The demon spoke without looking back.

The lich flinched, its grating voice betraying a hint of nervousness, "I-I apologize, Master!"

Receiving no reply, the lich’s nervousness skyrocketed before his "eyes" wandered over towards the boy who had turned into a golden statue alongside the bone spike that penetrated his chest.

"M-Master! I offer this boy to you. I didn’t expect him to have such a trick up his sleeve; no wonder he has incurred Master’s wrath."

While the lich rambled, the demon took a step toward the now golden Regis.

"Strange..." He said as he observed the kneeling golden statue with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Pardon?" The lich asked in confusion.

"Never mind. He doesn’t have any value anymore now that he’s dead. It’s a pity that I wasn’t able to personally punish him... but this kind of outcome is also amusing."

The demon then turned to look towards Aurelia and Pandora in the distance.

His eyes squinted in interest, "To think that he’ll fall by the hands of his own companions..."

’Though I wonder why I can’t sense any demonic power from him... It’s a pity I can’t absorb him anymore to increase my power.’ The demon thought as he glanced at the boy who had foiled his plans in the past.

’However, I’m now more interested in those two girls...’

Aurelia saw the demon looking at her, making her feel goosebumps all over her body.

’It’s fine. I’ll die anyway.’ She steeled her gaze at this thought.

After she had utilized her gift, she felt her own body slowly turning to gold.

Now, she could not even feel anything below her stomach, She could also faintly feel her muscles stiffening as it turned to gold.

Just as the demon was about to take a step, she hurriedly shouted, "Run, Pandora!"

Pandora flinched as she instinctively looked at Aurelia, only to be shocked at what she saw.

"Run from who?" A demonic voice sounded, prompting Aurelia to look behind her.

Dread slowly crept up to her face as she saw the two-meter-tall demon towering over her.

Her lips trembled, unable to utter the word "how".

Seeing the demon up close almost made her heart stop. The demon’s reddish face exuded brutality and a thirst for blood.

However, as the demon stared at the girl in black dress, he frowned, "Boring. It seems like you’ll inevitably die in a few moments..."

"What a pity. I was interested in you because of the power you showcased, even though you didn’t form any stars. Though, I suppose with that much power, a price is to be expected."

"Well, anyways... Fortunately, there’s another one here who’s piqued my interest." The demon said as his eyes wandered over Pandora.

He then took a step forward, instantly appearing before her.

"So fast..." Aurelia blinked, and the demon had already disappeared.

She then looked at the golden statue of Regis in the distance and couldn’t help but feel a grip in her heart.

’Huh? Did Regis’s statue crack, or was it my imagination?’

Aurelia thought to herself before looking toward Pandora with worry.

"Now~ Now~ Now~ What do we have here?" The demon smiled as he crouched in front of Pandora.

Since the shallow water had been turned to gold, Pandora was at a lower elevation than the demon, making its two-meter-tall body all the more intimidating.

"Say, little girl, would you like to sign a demonic contract with me?"

The demon’s voice resounded in the area, only to be met with Pandora’s hateful gaze.

"Oh right, where were my manners?" He cleared his throat before speaking once again.

"I am Ruvalkar of the Baalgoron Tribe, who worships Agaroth, the Devil of Despair and Destruction. I’ll ensure that you will be able to achieve all the things you want if you sign a contract with me."

For the first time, Pandora opened her mouth, "Can you help me revive him?"

Seeing her point at the golden statue in the distance, the demon, Ruvalkar, had a genuine expression on his face, "If you sign a contract with me. I’ll make sure to give you my full support so you can revive your friend once again!"

"R-Really?" Pandora’s ruby red eyes shook.

The demon offered his hands once again, "All you have to do is take my hand and we’ll look for a way to revive your friend."

Seeing that Pandora seemed to be tempted, Aurelia shouted, "Ha—"

Or at least, she tried.

Her lungs had already turned to gold, rendering her unable to utter a sound.

Her arms had already stiffened, and she could also feel that her neck had already turned to gold.

’No!’ She thought helplessly.

Aurelia knew how bad it was for one to make a contract with a demon and wanted to do everything it took to prevent her only friend from making such a mistake.

Nevertheless, she wasn’t able to do anything despite her desperation.

At this moment, Pandora’s hand gradually reached towards the demon’s, making the latter slowly smile.

Ptui—

However, the demon’s face froze as he looked at the spit on his hand.

"Hmm, so that’s your answer, huh?"

His calm face changed in the next second, "How dare a mere mortal—!!!"

Ruvalkar’s face contorted as he clenched his hand into a fist before punching toward the girl who dared mock him.

It was in this moment that a peculiar noise resounded throughout the area.

Crack—

Nothing special happened.

Killian, who was at the brink of death and was looking at the situation with dread, suddenly widened his eyes.

The lich, who had also been observing and didn’t dare to move in his master’s presence, flinched as the blue flames in his eye sockets flickered.

Aurelia, whose face was slowly turning to gold, couldn’t believe her eyes.

’How?’

’How was he able to break out from my curse?’

The curse that had haunted her all her life, the Diamond-grade gift that could be said to be the one to ruin her life.

Although she hated it, she also knew how potent it was.

It was to the point that not even the Executors of the Temple of Light could dispel it.

The cursed touch of the Hand of the Greedy King that turned everything and everyone it touched into gold.

Regis was able to break out of it.

However, although his face was familiar, a question popped into Aurelia’s mind.

’Is he... really Regis?’

The features of the figure who stood in front of her reminded her of Regis.

The very person who was like an older brother to her.

The only person who made her feel like nothing was impossible was him.

However, it was only his face and white hair that resembled him.

The black scales that covered his arms and lower body, the tail that moved calmly behind him, and the black horns on both his temples resembled nothing of the person she knew.

Even her familiar blood red eyes seemed foreign to her right in this moment.

All that she could see was a demon who seemed both familiar and unfamiliar to her.

What confused her the most was the fact that the demon who resembled her friend was looking at her with a peculiar expression.

An apologetic face that had a tinge of determination within.

’Is this one of that demon’s tricks? To desecrate Regis’s image...’

(Aurelia.)

Her thoughts came to a halt as she heard a voice within her mind, along with the sudden mist that permeated the entire swamp.