"Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
While looking at Ary and then again looking at Kashi, Mike, with a puzzled expression, said,
"Bro's ancestor...1st Warrior...?"
He was left in a daze, but soon understood as he screamed,
"Whaaaaaat?! 1st Warrior is Bro's ancestor?!"
Mike screamed while pointing his right index finger at Ary.
"Ah, hahaha. Yeah."
With a little laugh, Ary said, while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well,"
Kashi said as he continued,
"He was the one who had the ninth crest. If I remember it correctly, then that crest is known as the 'Crest of the Demon Hunter'."
"Eh?"
Mike reacted as he felt the name was relatable to their work.
"Oh..."
Ary reacted as he was lost in his thoughts.
"Hey, Senior."
Mike called out.
"Hmm?"
Kashi reacted as his gaze shifted to Mike.
"That name...isn't it the same as our work? Our job is to slay demons and find a way to defeat the Demon King. Doesn't the name of that crest and our work feel so relatable?"
Mike commented while putting his right finger on his chin.
"Of course it does."
Kashi replied while folding his arms, as he added,
"That crest was especially discovered by Ary's ancestor. Before that, there weren't any ninth crest."
"....."
While Ary mused in his thoughts, thinking,
'That man that I saw...was the first Warrior, isn't he?'
He remembered the man that he saw during his mental training.
But suddenly, his face shaped a perplexed expression. He pondered,
'But then...how did he know me? I'm his successor, right? What just happened back then?'
"Bro?"
Mike called out after noticing him lost in thought.
"Hmm?"
Ary reacted as he returned to his senses.
"What's wrong?"
Mike asked, thinking that Ary might have had some trouble.
While showing a fake smile to Mike, Ary replied.
"Nah, it's nothing."
Then, Ary shifted his gaze to Kashi, asking,
"Senior, what about another round of combat?"
Since he had powered up, he had considered doing more training.
"I know you want to treasure your power, but you also need to rest your body. We'll train later."
Kashi replied while showing a smile to Ary.
"Oh, okay."
Ary replied with a nod.
SWISH!
With a swishing sound, some people fell to the ground behind them.
"Hmm?"
Mike and Ary reacted as they turned around.
"My back..."
While rubbing her back, Emily said.
"Yo-hoo~ Kashi. We're back."
Mai said while stepping toward Kashi with an enthusiastic look.
"...."
A poker expression shaped Kashi's face. He turned his face after seeing Mai.
"Umm!! You're so rude~"
While pouting, Mai said as she embraced Kashi's left arm.
Mike and Ary couldn't help but smile at them.
"Man, I'm so sweaty. Damn it."
Emily said while getting up.
"Same here."
While wiping the dust from their clothes, Erica and Mary said as they got up.
After seeing Erica, Ary stepped toward her, asking,
"How was your training, Erica?"
"...."
After hearing this, Erica's face shaped into a weary expression, and she replied in a low voice.
"Good, I think."
"Hmm?"
Ary reacted by lifting his eyebrows after seeing that kind of reaction.
Mary and Emily were looking tired as well.
Ary looked at them and said,
"You three sure are tired, huh?"
"Yeah..."
They replied in a low voice while lowering their gazes.
Mike looked at Emily's clothing and then stepped toward her, saying,
"Emily, I think I understand."
Then, he placed his right palm over her left shoulder.
"Hmm? What?"
Emily reacted by lifting her right eyebrow.
A proud smile formed on Mike's face. He commented,
"I understand that I'm not the only one who's amateur—"
"GUAKH?!"
Before Mike could even say any further, with full force, Emily punched at Mike's face, and with swift speed, Mike flew backward and hit the rock.
"...."
Ary and Kashi were left speechless after seeing this.
While Erica and Mary showed fake smiles with a sigh.
"Wow... Emily."
Mai said as she clapped her hands, saying,
"You're actually good at punching. Nice."
Sigh!
Emily didn't say anything but sighed.
While Mike, who was falling to the ground, mumbled,
"I didn't say...anything wrong...did I...?"
"By the way,"
Mai called out, then she glanced at Kashi, saying,
"You see, all of us are tired now. So, wouldn't it be better to get refreshed by a hot water bath?"
"Huh?"
Kashi reacted as he understood what she was trying to say.
"Wait, you're saying that—"
Kashi said, but while interrupting his words, Mai announced,
"Yes, let's all of us have a bath at the hot water stream in the woodland together."
"Eh?"
Ary reacted after hearing "together."
Sigh!
"She never changes, will she?"
With a sigh, Kashi mumbled.
However, after hearing "together," the fragile Mike gets powered up and runs toward them, howling,
"Yeeeess!! Let's goooooo!!"
***
Swish!
With a swishing sound, the red-scarf demon appeared in the dungeon in the astral realm.
"Hmm. So this is the dungeon where those two ended up dead, huh?"
He said to himself while looking around with his crimson eyes.
He closed his eyes to use his invisible skill.
Swish!
He was completely invisible from the tip of his toes to the top of his brown hair with black horns.
"Huh?!"
A guard outside the dungeon reacted as he felt something.
"What's wrong?"
Another guard beside him asked.
"I just sensed something."
The first guard said, then he turned toward the dungeon, saying,
"Let's go and have a look."
"Okay."
The second guard replied, and then they started walking inside the dungeon.
While the scarf demon was checking the soil of the place where Shikalah died,
"Hmm...so the warrior who killed Shikalah was an Ultimate Warrior, huh? Hmm... "
"Who's there?"
While holding their swords in their hands, the guards arrived at the dungeon.
"Hmm?"
The scarf demon reacted as his gaze fell to his left.
"Oh~"
He responded as a sinister smile formed on his face after seeing the guards.
"Hmm? There's no one."
The second guard said while looking around.
While scratching the back of his neck, the first guard said,
"I do sense something here—?!"
SMACK!
Suddenly, the first guard fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Huh?! Hey, what's wrong—?!"
SMASH!
The second guard fell to the ground with his head decapitated.
"Tsk."
The scarf demon responded while clicking his tongue as he commented,
"How weak they are. It ruined my mood."
Then, he started walking inside the dungeon.
Soon, he arrived at the place where Leon died.
"Hmmm..."
He responded by looking around, saying,
"So, this is the place where Leon died, huh?"
Then, he closed his eyes, saying,
"Show me what happened here!"
Then red energy surrounded his body.
"Huh?!"
He reacted by opening his eyes wide.
He was left in a daze for a few seconds, then a sinister smile formed on his face. He mumbled,
"Ary Inochi, huh?"
Then, with a little laugh, he said,
"Just wait for a while till I cut you into a million pieces, Inochi."
Swish!
Then, he vanished.