Mark was at a convenience store on that night while that situation unfolded in the parking lot. He wasn't in his demon form, of course.
'It's so convenient that this store stays open even after midnight. They really save me. After hours of searching for him, I end up forgetting to eat, so I need to come here all the time to get something to fill my stomach.'
Mark casually walked between the few shelves of that store, looking at the goods that he could buy. Mostly, what was useful for him was canned food, because he could buy a lot and stock for the rest of the week... well, if he had the money for that.
'After all this while giving my life to the military, I couldn't find a proper job in human society. Since I was so strong and unstable, they preferred to isolate me completely from them. That's such a hassle, to be honest... I needed to steal Myron's money to run away from there and have enough to live for some weeks.'
As he chose his food and put it in a plastic basket, he felt a chill running down his spine. Most likely, it was his sharp senses kicking in. Since he was a soldier, he could perceive any form of threat directed toward him or any signal of danger around. However, this time, he knew very well that it was kicking in because someone was staring directly at him.
He discreetly turned to another corridor between the shelves, so he would have an idea of who was doing that.
Nonetheless, the only gaze he met was of the woman at the counter. She had a smile on her face and a charming look. She licked her red lips as her smile only grew, then winked at Mark.
He could only smile and wave back awkwardly, returning to choosing his food.
'Damn it... There are too many beauties in human society. Well, I think this woman is a human, at least. I would be able to perceive the Divine Flames inside her for sure. That thing stinks to me, so I can feel from far aw... away...'
He slowly stopped his ramblings as he sniffed something strange in the air and the hair of his neck stood on end.
'Wait... I actually feel something coming from far away right now but,' he turned to the door of the convenience store, "but it is slightly far away. And not only that, there is a certain amount of Dark Energy as well!'
Mark didn't need to be a genius to figure out what was happening there.
Desperately, he left the basket on the ground and sprinted out of the store. The woman in the corner seemed to get flabbergasted by his speed, but it only added fuel to her fire as she sighed while looking at Mark running away as if he was about to commit a crime or run away from the police.
Mark crossed some streets until he got to a place where he would not be seen by anyone. As he changed to his demon form, he bent his knees and jumped upward. However, that wasn't an ordinary jump, but a very huge one; huge enough for him to get on top of the nearest building without problems.
When he landed there, his transformation was complete. His hair acquired a white color, his iris got completely black and was outlined by a red circle. His skin was grayish, horns grew on his head; curved black horns, one of them shorter than the other as it got broken, apparently. His nails got longer and sharp as knives, acquiring a black color.
'There is a fight happening right now,' he thought as he raced forward again, jumping from building to building, his speed even higher than before, his jumps even more unbelievable. 'For paladins to be fighting, a demon certainly is inside this territory. Aside from me, there is just one demon I know that is causing a ruckus here!'
"Come to have your bloody banquet, Lamia!" he shouted, summoning his Soul Mirror.
****
Mask couldn't help but grin when he saw the fear showing up in the faces of the paladins in front of him. Their golden eyes were shining with anxiety, not confidence anymore.
[I had an idea that this random demon was walking around the city for some reason.] Mask commented.
[At some point, I could perceive his aura, though I wasn't sure whether he was an ally or enemy. Anyway, now he is my best option,] he said while moving casually the sword and stabbing the back of one of the two male paladins that he took down, killing him.
[I think I don't need this garbage anymore. I just used them to provoke you and make you all lose your focus from your surroundings, you know?]
He pulled out his sword and casually shot it downward again, stabbing the other as well. Simply like that. Straighforwardly like that. No mercy, no hesitation.
Mask's eyes weren't as indifferent as his expression, though. There was a malicious gleam there that showed somewhat pleasure. The sadism of that demon triggered the paladins, but they couldn't do anything until their leader ordered something.
[I am really trying to piss you off, not gonna lie. However, you know, I couldn't help myself but do this kind of sh*t. Did you really think that I was confident enough in my current strength to fight an entire troop of paladins? Don't make me laugh. I am no idiot. I know how things work!]
Gabriel, the leader of the paladins, bit his lower lip as he stared at the demon. Sometimes, he spared a glance to the female paladin beside him, who called them to go there and help her partner, who now was dead beside Tobey's feet.
'This demon was planning everything from the start... We overestimated his strength, being more cautious than needed. The only problem is that we didn't plan it thinking from a wider perspective. Instead of the wild barbarian and murderer that we thought he was, this demon relies more on his wits than anything else. His strength isn't that impressive either if what he showed a moment ago is all he's got.
'However, I won't go back to our Sacred Temple today without fighting until the end, and I bet that my soldiers feel the same. Regardless of this bloodseeker coming after us, we can't back away and let this S-grade demon escape again!'
Gabriel pointed his fist towards Tobey, a determined look on his face. He regained his composure and had his resolve in a matter of seconds. His Soul Mirror materialized around his fists, showing itself as white gauntlets adorned with silver details.
"Soldiers... You know very well what to do!" he shouted, taking a step forward.
The other paladins gave a warcry and dashed forward ready to take down that demon. They could feel the bloodseeker's aura in the air, but they didn't let it intimidate them. As long as they could do it quickly, that monster wouldn't have the chance to ever see their faces.
[Hmm~] Mask thought, narrowing his eyes at Gabriel. [It seems that this commandant has something other than just air inside his head. He was quick in taking his decision and didn't let himself get provoked by me during all my acting here. That's quite impressive.]
The coldness in Mask's mind contrasted completely with the sarcastic and contemptuous personality that he showed outside. It shocked Tobey, who was watching all that scene from the corner of their mind.
The paladins were harmonious and well-coordinated in their attack. Mask thought for a while that it was going to be a mess of several swords coming toward him at the same time and getting in each other's way. However, that was not the case.
[I know very well that paladins are well-trained soldiers, but sometimes I forget it since I never really fought one personally. That's, like, the first time. Yet, it's noticeable that even paladins of such average grades have a considerate amount of skill and experience.]
Mask waved his body backward, dodging a diagonal attack aimed at him. With a light leap to the side, a thrusting spear reached nothing but air.
He dodged one, two, three times more, using his fast steps to get away from any attack aimed at him.
The paladins attacked alternately, coming from all sides and always trying to aim at his blind spots. Mask couldn't really say that he was having an easy time. That was just the start, after all; when seconds became minutes, he would start to struggle. Tobey's demonic self was well-aware of how weak his body was at that moment, it couldn't bear all the power that their Demon Form had.
Just as he thought, it was a matter of time before he began to get scratched by those weapons without even having the chance to fight back. Anyway, he didn't have the intention to fight back. He would keep dodging, defending, and taking some harm from time to time.
[That is, until...] He felt that the environment suddenly began to change, which was good news. His sadistic eyes shone with hope. Bloodseeker was approaching.
He dodged another slash aimed at him just barely enough not to get beheaded. However, the way he waved his body to the side made him lay to the exact same direction from where a punch was coming. But not a punch from an ordinary soldier, but Gabriel, with his shiny Soul Mirror.
"Smash him, Ferreus Mons!" Gabriel shouted as he shot his fist forward.