Chapter 289: Papa Is a Terrible Liar

Location: Yuno City

Place: Main Street

Yuuta ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

The horrifying screams from the previous street still echoed inside his head, along with the image of those blinded civilians desperately reaching around for help. Yet it wasn’t his own life that frightened him the most. Elena was still tightly wrapped around him, her small arms clinging to his body as he supported her with one arm and kept her face pressed safely against his chest.

He couldn’t risk anything happening to her.

Yuuta continued running through the main street, but the farther he went, the more he realized how badly Yuno City had deteriorated. Fires burned between abandoned vehicles, shattered glass covered sections of the road, and frightened civilians rushed between buildings looking for somewhere safe to hide. Screams and distant explosions came from several directions, making it impossible for Yuuta to understand where the danger was coming from anymore.

Elena shifted slightly against his chest.

"Papa...?"

"I’m here."

Yuuta tightened his arm around her.

"Just keep holding me."

Elena nodded against him and gripped his shirt more tightly. She didn’t understand why Papa was running or what was happening throughout the city, but she could feel how quickly his heart was beating beneath her cheek.

What Yuuta didn’t realize was that he was no longer running alone.

Eight figures had already left the rooftop behind him.

The Poison Demons moved through the air above the ruined street, their long black robes whipping violently behind them as they pursued Yuuta. They weren’t truly flying in the same manner as a creature with wings. Their bodies seemed to glide through the air instead, repeatedly crossing from one building to another without ever needing to touch the streets below.

At the front of the group was the Poison Warden.

Unlike the excitement spreading among several of his subordinates, the Warden remained unusually quiet as he watched Yuuta’s distant figure. Ever since the demon beside him had claimed that the fleeing human possessed blood-red eyes, an uncomfortable sensation had been growing inside him.

What is this feeling?

His shriveled purple face tightened.

There was something strange about that human.

The Warden couldn’t explain it, but the longer he followed Yuuta, the more the sensation reminded him of standing in the presence of the Demon King. It wasn’t the same overwhelming pressure, yet something about the human ahead made his instincts react in a way they never should have reacted toward an ordinary mortal.

Could this really be the human His Majesty is searching for?

The Poison Warden glanced toward the demon flying beside him.

"Are you certain?"

The demon looked toward him.

"Warden?"

"His eyes."

The Poison Warden’s voice became more serious.

"Are you absolutely certain they were Blood red?"

"Yes, Warden. I saw them with my own eyes."

The Poison Warden looked forward again.

Yuuta was still running.

For several more seconds, the Warden couldn’t see anything except the back of his head.

Then Yuuta felt it.

He didn’t know how, but something inside him warned him that the danger from earlier hadn’t remained behind.

Yuuta’s breathing became heavier as he continued running. He tried to ignore the feeling at first, telling himself that it was only fear after everything he had witnessed, but the sensation refused to disappear.

Someone was following him.

Yuuta turned his head.

His crimson eyes widened.

All eight demons were behind him.

At the front of the group was their leader, Vezrath, the Poison Warden.

They were moving above the street with terrifying speed, their black robes whipping around their bodies as they glided after him. The sight sent a surge of fear through Yuuta, and his arm immediately tightened around Elena.

At that exact moment, his crimson eyes met the Poison Warden’s violet ones.

Both of them froze for entirely different reasons.

Yuuta’s face went pale because his fear had just been confirmed. The demons hadn’t simply happened to move in the same direction.

They were chasing him.

The Poison Warden’s reaction was completely different.

For a fraction of a second, he forgot to move.

Those eyes were unmistakable.

Blood red.

The demon hadn’t been mistaken.

A slow smile spread across the Warden’s shriveled face as the meaning sank in. This wasn’t some insignificant human fleeing through the chaos. This was the human their forces had been ordered to search for, and if the Poison Warden was the one who captured such an important target and delivered him successfully, the reward could change his position among demonkind entirely.

Perhaps even enough for him to rise among the Upper Blood Demons.

The uneasiness he had felt moments earlier disappeared beneath sudden excitement.

"Hahahaha..."

Yuuta heard the laughter behind him.

His heart beat faster.

The Poison Warden’s smile stretched wider as he continued gliding after him.

"You were right. He really does have blood-red eyes."

Vezrath could finally say it with certainty. He had seen those crimson eyes himself, and whatever doubts remained in his mind disappeared immediately. This was the human the Demon King wanted, and somehow, among thousands of people scattered throughout Yuno City, he had been fortunate enough to find him first.

His excitement was interrupted when he noticed movement farther ahead.

Several Agency soldiers were visible through the smoke covering the distant intersection. They were still far away and hadn’t noticed what was happening yet, but Yuuta was running directly toward them. If he continued in that direction, it wouldn’t be long before he reached their position.

Vezrath ground his teeth.

No. I can’t lose this opportunity.

He had no intention of letting another group interfere now. If he successfully captured the human personally requested by the Demon King, the reward could completely change his standing among demons.

Vezrath’s violet eyes narrowed as an idea entered his mind.

"Yes... this will do."

The seven demons gliding beside him looked toward their Warden.

"Everyone, throw the poison."

One of them immediately reached beneath his robe, but another hesitated after hearing the order.

"But Warden, what if he dies?"

Vezrath didn’t even look at him.

"There’s no need to worry about that. The Demon King said he needs him alive."

A cruel smile appeared across his shriveled face.

"He never said we couldn’t cripple him."

The other demons immediately understood.

Their hesitation disappeared, replaced by wicked smiles as they reached beneath their long black robes. Each demon pulled out a small spherical bottle containing a thick purple liquid that shifted violently inside the glass.

Far ahead, Yuuta suddenly felt that terrible sensation again.

His instincts screamed at him so strongly that he glanced over his shoulder, and his crimson eyes immediately widened. The demons were still gliding after him, but now several of them were holding strange round bottles in their hands.

Purple liquid moved inside them.

What are they doing?

One of the demons threw the bottle.

Yuuta barely saw it move.

The small object shot toward him with inhuman speed, crossing the street so quickly that his body reacted almost entirely on instinct. Yuuta twisted himself sideways while pulling Elena securely against his chest, and the bottle passed beside him before smashing into an abandoned car.

CRASH!

Purple liquid splashed across the vehicle.

A violent hissing sound immediately filled the street.

Yuuta had already begun moving again when the sound made him glance back, and what he saw caused him to stop for a moment. The poison was eating through the car. Metal softened and collapsed beneath the purple substance, the door deforming as though it were being melted inside a furnace, while the glass and surrounding frame rapidly dissolved with it.

Yuuta stared in horror.

"Fuck... What the hell was that?"

His gaze moved from the dissolving vehicle to the demons approaching in the distance. If that bottle had struck his body instead of the car, he didn’t need anyone to explain what would have happened.

Then Elena moved slightly against his chest.

Yuuta looked down at her.

For a moment, an even more horrifying image entered his mind. That bottle hadn’t only been thrown at him. Elena was in his arms. A slight mistake while dodging, a bottle coming from another direction, or even a few drops landing on her could be enough.

His grip around her immediately tightened.

No.

Yuuta forced his exhausted legs to move again and ran.

I can’t let them catch me.

He wasn’t thinking about whether he was willing to die anymore. That question didn’t matter while Elena depended entirely on him to get her somewhere safe.

I can’t die here.

Yuuta held his daughter tightly against his chest as he pushed himself forward with everything his body had left.

Not while Elena is with me.

His legs were already beginning to lose strength. He had been running since morning, searching throughout the city for Erza, and what little energy remained had now been forced into keeping Elena away from the demons chasing them.

His breathing had become rough and painful, while every step made his exhausted muscles feel heavier, but slowing down wasn’t an option.

If he stopped, Elena would be caught with him, and that was the one risk he couldn’t accept.

Another bottle came flying toward him.

Yuuta immediately changed direction, and the bottle struck the road several meters ahead before bursting into purple liquid.

He barely had time to avoid it before a second followed from above, forcing him to turn sharply again. Once the demons realized he could dodge their attacks, they began throwing the poison one after another instead of allowing him any chance to recover.

Yuuta started running unpredictably through the ruined street, moving from one side of the road to the other whenever another bottle came toward him.

He vaulted over the hood of a crashed car, landed between scattered pieces of debris and immediately ducked around a fallen streetlight as another bottle shattered behind him. Purple poison hissed against the pavement, eating through whatever it touched while the demons continued gliding after him.

Elena remained tightly against his chest throughout every sudden movement.

"Papa..."

"It’s okay. I’ve got you."

Yuuta said it despite having no idea how much longer he could keep this up.

He couldn’t outrun them forever.

The demons were moving through the air while he was navigating destroyed streets on exhausted legs with Elena in his arms. Even if he managed to avoid every bottle, eventually his body would give out.

What am I supposed to do?

For the first time, running no longer seemed like enough.

Then Yuuta remembered something.

I can fight.

His thoughts immediately returned to Isvarn’s training. He wasn’t completely helpless anymore. He had learned about aura and had begun understanding the power inside his body. Against an ordinary threat, perhaps he could stop running and finally defend himself.

Yuuta almost slowed down.

Then he felt Elena’s arms around him.

His confidence disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Fighting while carrying her was completely different. He didn’t know what those demons were capable of beyond their poison, and one mistake could expose Elena to an attack meant for him.

No. I can’t fight them like this.

Yuuta looked ahead desperately for another option, and that was when two large armored vehicles appeared through the smoke.

His crimson eyes widened.

The vehicles had been positioned across part of the street, creating a temporary barricade around a group of civilians. Seventeen lower-grade Agency officers were spread throughout the area... some helping injured people toward cover while others guarded the road with firearms and swords.

Yuuta had no idea who they were. Their equipment and uniforms made them look more like secret agents than ordinary police, but right now he didn’t care.

I’m saved.

Relief surged through him.

"Officer!"

Yuuta raised one hand while continuing toward them.

"OFFICER!"

Several members of the unit immediately noticed him.

"Someone’s coming!"

"Who is he?"

"Looks like a civilian!"

One of the officers stepped away from the armored vehicle and prepared to move toward Yuuta, but another suddenly pointed above the street.

"Wait! Something’s following him!"

Every head turned upward.

The eight black-robed figures were gliding between the buildings behind Yuuta.

The reaction from the officers was immediate.

"Demons!"

"UNIT, PREPARE FOR COMBAT!"

The personnel helping civilians quickly moved them behind the armored vehicles while the remaining officers formed a defensive line. Firearms were raised, swords were drawn and several agents moved forward to cover Yuuta’s approach.

"KEEP COMING!" one of them shouted. "WE’VE GOT YOU!"

Yuuta felt an enormous weight leave his chest.

They knew what those creatures were.

More importantly, they were prepared to fight them.

Yuuta tightened his hold around Elena and ran toward the defensive line, believing for the first time since the chase began that he had actually found somewhere safe.

Then his instincts screamed.

The sensation struck so suddenly that Yuuta didn’t have time to think about where the attack was coming from. He threw himself sideways with Elena protected against his chest, stumbling several steps before regaining his balance.

Something passed through the space where he had been.

It wasn’t another bottle.

A mass of violet poison struck the street ahead of him and immediately burst apart.

Purple gas erupted across the road.

Yuuta’s eyes widened in horror as the poisonous cloud expanded past him and rolled directly toward the Agency barricade. The officers barely had time to react before the violet gas engulfed the front of their formation, swallowing the very people Yuuta had believed would save him.

Screams erupted almost immediately.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"IT BURNS!"

"HELP ME!"

Yuuta stopped in horror as the officers stumbled out of the violet cloud. Their protective clothing was already dissolving, followed by the flesh underneath as the poison continued eating through anything it touched.

One woman managed to stagger several steps toward him before collapsing, her body so badly damaged that Yuuta could see parts of the bone beneath her face.

Behind her, the others fell one after another while the two armored vehicles began deforming beneath the same poison, reinforced metal sinking inward like melting wax.

Yuuta’s stomach twisted violently.

He covered his mouth and forced Elena’s face deeper against his chest, refusing to let her turn around. Tears gathered in his eyes as the screams weakened around him. Only moments ago, those officers had been alive. They had seen a stranger carrying a child and immediately prepared themselves to fight whatever was chasing him.

Now they were dying because of it.

*Why...?*

Yuuta’s trembling gaze lifted toward the demons.

Their laughter answered him.

They were enjoying this.

Rage surged through Yuuta so suddenly that his fear almost disappeared beneath it. Those officers hadn’t even known him, yet they had stood between him and the demons without hesitation. Now their bodies lay across the street while the creatures responsible laughed above them as though their lives had meant nothing.

They killed them.

Yuuta clenched his teeth.

I can’t let them keep doing this.

For one furious moment, he wanted to turn around and fight. Isvarn had trained him. He possessed aura. He wasn’t completely helpless anymore, and every part of him wanted to stop running and make those creatures pay for what they had done.

Then Elena moved against his chest.

"Papa..."

Yuuta froze.

The anger inside him collided with reality immediately.

Elena was still in his arms.

Another poison bottle could come at any moment. Another cloud could cover the street. If he tried to fight while carrying her, she would be standing directly in the middle of everything.

The demons laughed again behind him.

Yuuta looked over his shoulder.

They were still watching the remains of the Agency unit.

But they wouldn’t stay distracted for long.

Shit.

His eyes rapidly searched the street.

Think. Think!

He couldn’t keep running with Elena. His legs were already exhausted, the demons were faster than him, and now he knew their poison could melt armored vehicles. Fighting while holding her was impossible.

What do I do?!

Then he saw it.

A narrow passage between two damaged buildings.

There was barely enough space for a person to pass through the debris scattered around its entrance, and farther inside, partly hidden behind broken furniture and construction material, stood an abandoned refrigerator.

Yuuta’s eyes locked onto it.

There.

The idea frightened him almost as much as the demons.

He would have to put Elena down.

Leave her alone.

Even if only for a few minutes, every instinct inside him rejected the thought immediately.

Then laughter behind him suddenly stopped.

Yuuta’s blood went cold.

"They’re looking for me."

There was no more time.

If the demons spotted Elena before he hid her, he might never get another chance.

Yuuta immediately ran toward the passage.

Elena tightened her arms around his neck when he suddenly changed direction.

"Papa?"

"It’s okay."

His voice came out breathless as he rushed between the buildings.

"It’s okay, Elena. Papa’s here."

Yuuta didn’t know whether he was reassuring her or himself.

Behind him, one of the demons spoke.

"Where did he go?"

Yuuta’s heart slammed against his chest.

Hurry.

Yuuta rushed deeper into the narrow service passage and desperately searched for somewhere to hide Elena. The alley ran between the backs of two commercial buildings, with broken delivery crates, garbage containers and pieces of collapsed masonry scattered throughout it.

Most of the hiding places were useless. The demons could see from above, and putting Elena behind nothing more than a pile of boxes would leave her exposed the moment they entered the passage.

Then Yuuta noticed an overturned commercial refrigerator beside the rear entrance of what had once been a restaurant.

It was one of the large stainless-steel storage units used in restaurant kitchens, but the destruction throughout the city had torn it away from the wall and damaged one of its doors.

The locking mechanism had snapped completely, leaving the door hanging crookedly from its hinges.

Several broken shelves had fallen out, while the lower compartment remained mostly intact and was partially concealed behind delivery crates and a collapsed metal rack.

Yuuta immediately understood that it wasn’t safe against the demons.

Nothing here was.

Their poison had melted an armored vehicle.

But the refrigerator wasn’t meant to protect Elena from an attack. It only needed to keep the demons from seeing her while Yuuta drew them somewhere else.

He hurried toward it and pulled away one of the broken shelves.

The damaged door resisted briefly before opening, and Yuuta checked the compartment as quickly as he could. There were no chemicals, broken glass or sharp pieces of metal inside, and because the latch was destroyed, the door couldn’t lock Elena inside.

That was enough.

It had to be.

Yuuta crouched and looked at the little girl still clinging tightly to him.

"Elena, can you promise Papa something?"

Elena’s frightened eyes moved between him and the strange hiding place.

"What, Papa?"

Yuuta gently took her hands.

"I need you to hide here for a little while. No matter what you hear outside, stay quiet and don’t come out until Papa comes back for you."

"In there...?"

"Yeah."

Yuuta hated how frightened she looked.

He lowered his voice.

"The door can’t lock. See?"

He pushed it closed partway and pulled it open again so she could see.

"If you absolutely have to get out, you can push it open. But don’t do that unless you really, really have to. Papa needs you to stay hidden."

Elena looked inside again before tightening her fingers around his hand.

"Where is Papa going?"

The question hurt far more than Yuuta expected.

He couldn’t tell her that he was going back toward the creatures that had just melted seventeen people alive. He couldn’t tell his four-year-old daughter that he had no idea whether he would survive long enough to return.

"I’m going to make the bad people go somewhere else."

"Then Papa comes back?"

Yuuta’s throat tightened.

"Yeah."

He carefully placed Elena inside the lower compartment and moved one of the loose delivery crates closer to the side, breaking up the refrigerator’s outline from the street without blocking the damaged door. Elena pulled her knees toward herself while Yuuta crouched in front of her.

"Whatever happens, don’t make any noise. Okay?"

"Okay."

Yuuta reached forward and brushed her hair away from her face.

"And, Elena..."

He swallowed.

"I love you a lot."

Elena blinked at him before noticing the tears running down his cheeks.

"Papa, why are you crying?"

Yuuta immediately smiled.

"Crying? Who’s crying, little princess?"

Elena pointed directly at him.

"You."

Yuuta blinked as though genuinely confused. He looked over his left shoulder, then over his right, even leaning slightly to check behind himself before finally pointing at his own chest.

"Me?"

"Yes!"

"Seriously, Elena?"

Yuuta wiped one cheek and stared at the tear on his fingers before quickly hiding his hand behind his back.

"Papa is not crying."

Elena’s frightened expression finally cracked.

A tiny giggle escaped her.

"Papa is terrible liar."

"What?!"

Yuuta placed a hand dramatically against his chest as though she had deeply wounded him.

"Your own Papa? A liar? Elena, where did you learn to accuse innocent people like this?"

Elena giggled again, this time a little louder.

"You are!"

"No, no. This must be some other Papa you’re talking about."

Yuuta looked around the narrow passage again.

"Where is he? Show me. I’ll have a serious conversation with him."

Elena covered her mouth with both hands as another laugh escaped her.

"It’s you, Papa!"

"Me again?!"

Yuuta shook his head in exaggerated disappointment.

"This little princess is becoming troublesome."

For a few precious seconds, Elena wasn’t looking toward the ruined street anymore. She wasn’t thinking about the explosions, the screaming people or the frightening creatures chasing them. She was simply watching Papa act stupid in front of her, and the fear that had remained on her little face since they left the apartment finally softened.

That was all Yuuta wanted.

He smiled at her properly this time.

"There. That’s better."

Elena tilted her head.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Yuuta gently tapped the tip of her nose.

"Papa just likes your smile."

Elena smiled even wider.

Yuuta wanted to stay there.

He wanted to keep making ridiculous faces until she laughed so much that she forgot tonight had ever happened. He wanted to pick her back up, carry her home and complain to Erza about how their daughter had started calling him a terrible liar.

But the demons were still searching for him.

Their distant voices were getting closer.

Yuuta kept his smile.

He refused to let Elena see it disappear.

"Okay, little princess. Remember our promise?"

Elena nodded.

"Elena stays here."

"Exactly. And Papa will come get you."

"Promise?"

Yuuta’s throat tightened, but his expression didn’t change.

He raised his little finger toward her.

"Promise."

Elena immediately wrapped her tiny finger around his.

For a moment, Yuuta simply held it.

Then he slowly let go.

"Good girl."

Yuuta began closing the door, and Elena continued smiling at him through the narrowing gap.

"Papa."

"Hm?"

"Terrible liar."

Yuuta almost laughed.

"Seriously? You’re still saying that?"

Elena giggled, Then the voices suddenly echoed from the main street.

"Where did he go?"

Another voice echoed behind him.

"He was just there."

Yuuta’s expression changed immediately.

The demons were searching for him.

He gently pulled the damaged refrigerator door almost closed, leaving it resting against the broken frame without engaging any latch. Through the remaining narrow gap, Elena continued watching him.

"I’ll come back.. .Little Princess."

Elena nodded.

Yuuta pushed the door until only a thin opening remained, then quickly moved several meters away from the hiding place. He deliberately stepped through loose glass and kicked an empty can toward the opposite end of the passage, creating enough noise to draw attention away from Elena.

His hands were trembling.

He was terrified that this was the wrong decision, but there was no perfect place to hide a child in the middle of a demon invasion. He only had seconds, and keeping Elena in his arms while corrosive poison continued flying toward him was becoming a greater danger with every passing moment.

Yuuta wiped the last of the tears from his face and looked toward the entrance of the passage.

Behind him, Elena remained hidden.

Ahead of him, the demons were getting closer.

He remembered her tiny smile.

Papa is terrible liar.

Yuuta almost smiled.

"Yeah..."

His crimson eyes hardened.

"I’m a terrible liar."

He stepped toward the mouth of the passage.

"But I’m done running."

To Be Continued...