Splinters and dust rose from the attic as a horse-sized dog-like monster with an iron body slammed into the floor where Eriza once stood, shattering the floor beneath them and causing them all to fall into the third-floor hallway. "Wow, that was something," the Demon Lord said calmly, dusting off his noble clothes nonchalantly. Verandez, whose fall was broken by a large purple monster made entirely of slime, glared at Eriza with intense anger in his eyes.
"Tch, what are you doing? You're supposed to be helping all of us, remember?" Eriza asked, trying to use her ability as she got up with a slight limp, the fall having sprained her ankle. Verandez held his head in pain momentarily but then shook it off. "That won't work!" he yelled as one of his summons, a near person-sized red bird with bone-crushing talons, flew towards her, its talons gleaming menacingly.
Eriza gritted her teeth in annoyance and raised her arms, pointing her palms at the monster. A small bolt of fire shot out from between her palms, hitting the bird-like monster and burning it mid-air. Its burning body flew past her shoulders, leaving a trail of smoke and the acrid smell of charred feathers.
The Demon Lord crossed his arms, watching this with a mild amount of interest, a faint smile playing on his lips as he observed the unfolding chaos.
"You'll die for what you did!" Verandez yelled as the dog-like monster from before bounded towards Eriza, its iron body leaving cracks on the marble floor with every step. Eriza fired off another bolt of fire at the monster, but its iron hide remained unharmed. The beast slammed its body into her, launching her through a wall. She coughed up blood, her head spinning and her vision blurry as she slowly stood up, holding the side of her head, which was bleeding.
She blinked and shook her head, muttering, "I can't see, it hurts." Her vision slowly began to clear just in time to see the dog-like monster leaping at her. Instinctively, she raised her arms to defend herself, though it did little good. The monster bit down on her arms, the pressure cracking her bones within its iron jaws.
"Unhand me!" she yelled, desperation in her voice. Summoning all her strength, she fired a bolt of fire directly into its mouth, the flames igniting its fleshy insides. The creature released her with a pained howl, its insides burning as it collapsed, dead, at her feet. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as Eriza cradled her injured arms, wincing in pain. The remnants of the wall she had crashed through lay in rubble around her, and she leaned against the debris, trying to steady her breathing.
"Die already, you monster!" Verandez yelled venomously as the purple slime slithered toward Eriza at a terrifying speed. Leaning against the debris, she tried to hit it with a bolt of fire. Just as the bolt was about to connect, the slime created a hole in its body to dodge the attack. It closed in on her and fully submerged her within its acidic mass.
Eriza's clothes, hair, and skin began to burn agonizingly slowly in its acidic body. She fired multiple bolts of fire over and over again, desperately trying to burn the slime from within. By pure luck, one of the bolts hit the blue and red core of the slime, causing it to disintegrate. The slime fell apart around Eriza like water, and she collapsed to the ground, coughing up and gagging out slime that had gotten inside her body.
"M-my lord, h-help... me," she quietly begged as Verandez ran up to her, picking up a small piece of debris.
"This is what you deserve, monster!" he yelled, swinging the piece of debris toward her head. Eriza struggled to even move, but before his attack could connect, his swing was effortlessly stopped mid-air.
"That's enough," the Demon Lord said with a thin, dangerous smile. "I can't have you actually kill her, as entertaining as that would be."
Verandez gritted his teeth in anger as he tried to pull his arm away, but no matter how hard he pulled, the Demon Lord wouldn't budge. "Tha-thank you, my lord," Eriza said, her breath coming in erratic gasps, her body trembling from the pain. The Demon Lord looked down at her, giving her a bemused look, his eyes cold and calculating.
"I didn't save you because I wanted to," he said, his voice dripping with disdain.
Eriza nodded, swallowing hard. "I-I know, my lord. You sa-saved me in case something hap-happens to the portal due to my d-death," she stuttered through the pain, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Correct," the Demon Lord confirmed, his gaze shifting back to Verandez.
"Let go of me!" Verandez screamed, his voice cracking with desperation. The Demon Lord obliged, releasing him suddenly, causing Verandez to fall backward onto the floor with a thud.
"Hmph, still pathetic," the Demon Lord remarked, his tone full of contempt. Verandez glared at him for a moment, anger flashing in his eyes, before a thought crossed his mind.
"I summoned you, right? So listen to me and kill that thing!" he ordered, pointing at Eriza with a shaking finger.
The Demon Lord grinned, a malevolent glint in his eyes. "You're right, I'll kill her for you, my dear summoner," he said before breaking into a chuckle. "That's what you thought I would say, right? Oh, my dear summoner, I'm not like your pets."
He began to walk over to Verandez menacingly, each step deliberate and heavy. Verandez's anger turned to fear, his bravado crumbling as he realized the gravity of his mistake. The Demon Lord stood over him, looking down at him as if he were a mere insect.
"When you make a deal with hell, you have to be very careful. Down there, we all are very greedy, you see. We always try to twist things in our favor," the Demon Lord explained, his voice calm and eerily soothing. Sweat dripped down Verandez's forehead, his fear palpable.
"Don't worry, I can't kill you, or else the contract will be void," the Demon Lord assured him, leaning down and placing his right hand on Verandez's head. "But I can't have you try and kill us either."
A sudden drowsiness hit Verandez, his eyelids growing heavy as if an invisible weight were pressing down on him. His entire body felt drained, every muscle weak. "Sleep well, my dear summoner, and don't bother me," the Demon Lord said with a satisfied smile, his grip tightening momentarily.
Verandez slowly fell forward, his consciousness fading. A thought of forgiveness ran through his mind, a final flicker of regret. *I'm sorry, Levarick. I'm too weak to avenge you.*