The underground air felt heavy, like it was about to explode. One side was swallowed by darkness, while the other glowed with the white light of ice.
"Who are you?" Isabella asked, feeling challenged by the other girl's power.
"You're actually not bad," Seraphina said with a jealous look. "You made a cold, rich woman stick to you like this, huh?"
"Hmm, wait, girls! Let me finish something!" Marcus interjected.
(System, help me out! I'm in big trouble!)
["Host, use your own head to get out of this. The System is tired for today. Once you complete your quest, you will get your rewards."] The System replied, clearly wanting to watch the show.
"Oh... God."
"He is mine, so you can go back where you came from," Isabella snapped.
"No, Miss Perez. You are so popular; why are you sticking to a boy like him? There are plenty of other men who like you."
"Huh? You know me...?"
"WHO DOESN'T KNOW the 'Icy Cold Young Miss' of the Perez family nowadays?"
The tension became even hotter, and Marcus was stuck right in the middle with nowhere to go. He tried to sneak away, but both girls grabbed an arm. They asked in unison:
"Who do you want to go with?"
"Me, right...?" Isabella insisted.
(OMG, if I go with Isabella, she's already mad and will probably eat me alive. But Seraphina is even more dangerous with that shadow aura,) Marcus thought.
"I choose... uh... neither of you!"
As the girls were about to get even more heated, a demon commander appeared—and he wasn't alone. It had been a demon trap all along. Many commanders and generals emerged from the darkness.
"Hahahaha! Today... I will finally kill the Ice Queen!" the lead demon laughed.
"Hmm. I was just about to get some stretches in by dealing with this Isabella, but who would have thought these demons would offer themselves up as a free meal?" Seraphina said, showing her true side.
"OMG, you demons are actually saving me from these two women!" Marcus cried out.
The girls let go of Marcus's hands, but as soon as they heard him say that, each grabbed one of his feet. A fight broke out, and the two began using Marcus like a tug-of-war toy on the floor as they fended off the initial surge.
Finally, the shadow assassin drew her shadow weapons—two curved knives—letting go of Marcus to face the strength of the demon generals. She vanished into the shadows, her voice echoing:
"Hey, little demons. You won't escape me. I lurk in the dark, and nobody ever finds my shadow!"
She used her [Multiple] skill, creating thousands of clones. On the other side, the Ice Queen was turning demons into frozen statues. But as they killed them, the demons seemed to multiply.
"What? They are using a teleportation array!" Marcus shouted. He saw an opening to escape, but he decided to stay and help.
"Ahh, gosh. I can't just let them be done for. Their Qi will run out, and they'll be exhausted soon."
As Marcus realized this, Seraphina's stamina began to fail. She could barely stand on her toes. She wondered why the demons weren't attacking Marcus, who was standing right behind them.
(System, give me some anti-demon gear so I can escape if my life is in danger!)
[Host has been given a free Anti-Demon Aura. No demon will dare approach you for the next 3 hours.]
"Thank God for this aura. Now, let's find a plan to save these two annoying women."
Marcus moved behind the demons. He wasn't planning an open attack, but rather to close the teleportation array. It wasn't as easy as he thought; being only at the 2nd layer of the Mortal Stage, he lacked the raw power the girls had.
"Hey, Seraphina, you need some help fighting?" Marcus teased, seeing her struggle.
"No... I'm just getting started!" Seraphina panted, continuing to fight even as her Qi flickered.
"You! Help us a bit, you useless guy!" Isabella shouted, her strength also beginning to fade.
Marcus saw he couldn't close the array without a fight. He used his fire skill to damage the array's foundation, causing a crack. He struck a second time, clearing out the smaller demons by using smart tactics and his [Anti-Demon Aura].
"Why am I doing this for these women? I could just run and leave them to die... but I can't. I'm not that heartless."
He signaled the System. "I know you're tired, but I have one last request. When I say 'Go,' you need to teleport us back to my mansion."
[System accepted request]
Marcus sprinted toward Isabella, grabbed her hand, and rushed toward Seraphina.
"I said I'm okay!" Seraphina protested, her pride still high.
"Sorry, Miss Seraphina, but I have to do this!"
He swept down, grabbed her, and shouted, "Go, System!"
A horde of demons lunged at them, but they were already traveling through the system's dimensional barrier. A moment later, they appeared in the safety of his mansion.
As soon as they arrived, Isabella lost consciousness from pure exhaustion. Seraphina, however, used her last bit of strength to glare at him.
"Ahh... I will definitely kill you for what you just did..."
"Oops... my bad..."
Before he could even finish his sentence, Seraphina collapsed into his arms.
"Gosh... I'm really stuck with these two for now. But cultivation comes first. No time for romance!!!"