Lucia spoke softly. As her voice fell, the golden lotus beneath them descended slowly, carrying them down into a stretch of wilderness that had clearly been ravaged by fire.
Standing atop the lotus, Kurose Akira slowly swept his gaze across the surroundings.
As far as the eye could see, the scorched plain was littered with charred demon corpses. Hot winds brushed past his face, carrying with them a sharp, blood-tinged stench that made the air heavy and uncomfortable to breathe.
"Let's go down."
Lucia's jade-like feet stepped lightly onto rippling bands of golden light, and she landed as delicately as a dragonfly touching water. Her crystalline bare feet gleamed under the sunlight, radiant with a healthy sheen that made it difficult to look away.
A flicker of worry passed through Akira's eyes once again.
He was concerned that Lucia's pure, unblemished bare feet might be sullied by the filth of this desolate wasteland. Yet every time such worry arose, reality seemed determined to prove him wrong.
Watching carefully, he noticed that between the soles of her feet and the ground there remained a subtle gap—about two centimeters. It was as though her feet never truly touched the earth at all, instead hovering lightly above it.
Magnificent!
The highest respect to Lucia's immaculate jade feet, untouched by dust or grime!
Cough—cough.
…Okay, staring a little too closely there.
Akira quickly shifted his gaze and took in the broader scene. He noticed that the army had established a garrison here, while adventurers were pushing deeper into the wilderness, searching for traces of demons.
Lucia naturally sensed Akira's appreciative gaze. It made her slightly self-conscious—very few people dared to look at her that way.
Compared to the endless procession of devotees in the Radiant Church, who knelt reverently before her day after day, Lucia far preferred this sense of closeness.
That said, she would only allow Akira to look at her like that.
"Is that the demon lair?" Akira asked, his eyes locking onto a distant point.
The lair stood alone in the wilderness, like a massive cavern that had appeared out of nowhere. Its pitch-black entrance towered over ten meters high, periodically emitting eerie noises and a chilling demonic aura that made one's skin crawl.
And this was merely a small-scale demon lair. Larger ones were far more complex and dangerous.
Several hundred soldiers from Red Maple Leaf Territory were stationed around the lair, maintaining constant vigilance to prevent demon incursions and protect their homeland.
Even so, no defense was perfect.
A number of demons had already broken through the perimeter, forcing adventurers to step in and eliminate them completely.
Some fled deeper into the wilderness. Others ran toward the towns.
"There's a fairly strong bug inside," Lucia remarked casually.
"A fairly strong bug?" Akira turned toward her, curiosity evident. He had no idea what kind of strength qualified as "fairly strong" in her eyes.
"Yes. Strong enough to slaughter everyone here," Lucia said calmly. "But something seems to be restraining it. It's afraid to act recklessly."
"Slaughter… everyone here?" Akira froze.
He looked around. Hundreds of soldiers and a sizable group of adventurers were gathered here—none of them weak by any means. To wipe them all out would require at least level 45+, wouldn't it?
Yet when Lucia said "everyone," she clearly didn't include herself.
"We have far too little information about this demon lair," Akira said seriously. "We shouldn't rush in blindly."
"Mm. I'll follow your judgment," Lucia replied with a nod.
Just then—
"Help! Someone help my adventurers!"
A wounded player staggered out of the demon lair, collapsing to the ground.
"What happened?"
The stationed soldiers rushed over at once, and nearby players turned their attention toward him.
"I—I ran into a Flame Demon! Please, I'm begging you—save my adventurers!"
The player dropped to his knees before the soldiers, pleading hoarsely. The soldiers exchanged glances, hesitation written all over their faces.
Their duty was to hold this position, and the demon lair was extremely dangerous. Charging in blindly wasn't something they could afford to do.
Seeing their reluctance, the player turned desperately toward the surrounding adventurers.
"Everyone! Whoever goes in and saves my adventurers—I'll give them half of my guild's assets! A gentleman's word is his bond!"
"Who knows how much your guild's assets are worth?" one player sneered. "Why risk our lives?"
"My player evaluation has been D-rank for a long time! I'm just a few commissions away from D+! My guild is worth at least twenty gold coins!" the man shouted. "Save my people, and I'll give you ten gold coins!"
"Ten gold coins? That's worth the risk!"
"But it's a demon lair. And he said it's a high-level Flame Demon—can we even beat it?"
"Hah! A Flame Demon, huh? Like I'd be scared of that!"
A bald man stepped forward, laughing loudly as he slapped the injured player on the back.
"Remember this—once I bring your adventurers out alive, you'd better hand over those ten gold coins. If you don't, I'll kill you myself!"
"Y-Yes! Absolutely!"
"Let's go!"
The bald man immediately led his adventurers into the demon lair.
The instant they disappeared inside, Lucia spoke softly.
"It's coming out."
"Huh?" Akira looked at her in confusion—
—and then screams erupted from within the lair.
"AAAH!"
The ground began to tremble.
This wasn't an earthquake.
Something was walking out of the demon lair.
"What's going on?""Was that scream the bald guy's?""Why is the ground shaking?!"
Soldiers and players alike stared in confusion.
Then—
A towering demon wreathed entirely in flames emerged from the lair, dragging the bald man's corpse in its grasp.
Beside it, the man's remaining adventurers desperately launched attacks, trying to save their guild leader.
Their attacks were effortlessly blocked by the Flame Demon.
"Pathetic insects! You dare disturb Lord Virgil's rest—courting death!"
The Flame Demon roared, and in an instant, waves of fire surged outward.
The attacking adventurers were engulfed, scattering in panic.
"Damn it! It's a level 40+ Flame Demon!" soldiers and players shouted in terror.
"Quick! Inform the commander—the Flame Demon has left the lair!"
"Stop it! We can't let it leave!"
"Behind us… are thousands of homes!"
The stationed soldiers gritted their teeth and raised their weapons. Fear filled their hearts, but duty compelled them to fight.
The players, meanwhile, retreated to the rear.
Although the recommended level was 40, most of them were barely over level 30.
Facing a Flame Demon above level 40, caution came naturally. They would only step in if the soldiers managed to significantly weaken it first.
"Stupid insects! Die!"
The Flame Demon charged, its five-to-six-meter-tall body crashing into the formation and scattering soldiers. Flaming blades swung, reducing weaker humans to ash.
Akira did not act rashly. His focus was locked onto the demon's status panel.
[Grulas (Elite)]Level: 40 (0 / 20,000)Race: Flame DemonStrength: 600 | Agility: 450 | Mana: 450 | Constitution: 800Growth: 8 (All attributes +8 per level)Skills: (Expand)
"So this is the 'fairly strong bug' you were talking about?" Akira asked, frowning.
"No."Lucia gently shook her head.
Akira's expression darkened further.
That meant there was likely an even higher-tier Flame Demon lurking inside the lair.
And from the demon's words, they now knew that a demon named Virgil was sleeping within.
"Do you want me to deal with it?" Lucia asked calmly. "The one inside will be troublesome, but this one is fairly easy."
"Can you?" Akira asked with concern. "Its level is far higher than yours…"
After all, Lucia was only level 15.
Lucia smiled faintly. "Please wait a moment."
She slowly took out the Sun Scepter, half a meter long, and pointed it toward the Flame Demon.
The next instant, two massive magic circles appeared—one beneath the demon's feet, the other above its head.
Golden chains materialized from thin air, binding the Flame Demon's enormous body tightly in place.
"What is this?! Damn it—cursed holy magic!"
The rampaging demon was suddenly immobilized, unable to move.
The soldiers and players were stunned.
The demon they had been powerless against… was restrained so effortlessly?
All eyes turned toward Lucia—the breathtaking woman with her eyes veiled in white gauze. The power she displayed shook everyone present to their core.
"What are you standing around for?! Kill it!" the leading female officer shouted, exasperated.
"O-Oh! Right!"
The soldiers snapped out of it and launched a ferocious assault.
"Bastards!""You filthy insects!""Let me go!""Damn you!"
The Flame Demon roared furiously, but the golden chains held firm. It could only endure as magic-infused blades pierced its massive body again and again.
Each strike dealt limited damage—but sheer numbers made up for it.
In a short span of time, its body began to show signs of collapse.
"Now's our chance!"
The players recognized the perfect opening and prepared to act—
But before they could move, a golden holy spear suddenly descended from the sky.
"AAAH!"
The spear pierced straight through the Flame Demon's body. Its life force vanished instantly.
At the same time, a notification appeared in Akira's vision.
[Flame Demon (Lv. 40) defeated! Contribution Points +50, EXP +10,000][Obtained material — Flame Core (Elite)]
"..."
Akira outwardly watched the battlefield with composure, but inside, his emotions surged violently.
Lucia's combat power was terrifying.
Even though the demon's HP had already been reduced by the soldiers, Akira was convinced that Lucia alone could have slain this level 40 Flame Demon without assistance.
"Does my strength meet your expectations?" Lucia asked softly, clearly caring about his opinion.
"More than satisfied. Perfect," Akira replied without hesitation.
"I like that answer~"
Lucia smiled, stunningly beautiful, and continued,"As a reward, you may kiss the ground beneath my feet—"
She abruptly realized something was wrong.
Her voice cut off.
"Ah?""Please forget what I just said. I didn't mean it like that…"