Xain looked at him, flabbergasted and in complete shock. *That's him,* he thought, recognizing Ercale's eyes instantly. *You're finally back.* Ercale looked amused. "What is it, ape? You look happy to see me," he said, withdrawing his right arm from around Malvorr's shoulders and taking a step towards Xain. Everyone else was equally stunned by the sudden appearance of this mysterious man.
*What is he? I can't watch his thoughts either,* Grace thought to herself, her mind racing. The demon, meanwhile, having healed enough of its body, turned to look at Ercale. *Lord Ercale, in his own body? How is that possible?* it wondered. *Who the hell is that? And how did he just come out of a lightning bolt?* Even questioned, unable to reconcile this with his knowledge of magic. *Is he a threat or an ally? He clearly knows the child, but what is their relationship?* Mar pondered. Mincs, on the other hand, had simpler thoughts. *What is with the number of attractive men today? We've seen almost every type of beauty there is at this point!* Despite being paralyzed by fear earlier, it didn't dampen her overall spirit. Elanor, feeling out of place, simply thought, *Ugh, I wanna go home!*
The Fiend, as soon as he was able to move again, immediately stepped between Xain and Ercale, making Ercale raise an eyebrow. "You're the one from that guard house," he remarked, recognizing him. From within the mansion, Eriza looked down at Ercale, unable to shake the feeling. *Why does that man feel similar to Lord Malvorr?* she wondered.
Finally, Malvorr's voice cut through the air. "I can't help but notice I'm being ignored," he said, sounding amused, though the malice in his voice was unmistakable. Ercale turned back to him.
"Hmm," Ercale mused, glancing up at the portal before returning his gaze to Malvorr. "Why don't you leave? This place doesn't belong to you, after all." He waved Malvorr off before turning back to Xain, completely disregarding Malvorr's presence.
Malvorr started chuckling as if he'd gone mad, but his face quickly contorted with anger. "How dare you!" he roared, making a claw shape with his hand and beginning to invoke, "Tarj—"
Before he could finish, lightning sparked as Ercale's right foot connected with his chest. Malvorr's eyes went white as he gasped, the air knocked out of him. He was sent flying, hitting the top of the mansion, skidding off of it, and disappearing from view.
Everyone except the demon and Grace watched in complete shock and wonder. This mysterious man had batted away Malvorr like he was a pesky fly, when even one of The Strongest had struggled. *How could he do that to Lord Malvorr!?* Eriza thought, fuming with rage.
"Annoying trash," Ercale said before turning back to Xain. The Fiend stood ready to protect, but Xain put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know why you're protecting me, but you don't have to—not from him," he said. The Fiend just looked down at Xain's hand before jumping backward. *Why did he react like that?* Xain wondered, his hand shaking. He thought The Fiend was somehow disgusted by him, but he didn't have time to dwell on it as he felt Ercale's hand on his chest.
"Um, could you explain?" He asked nervously. Ercale didn't reply and closed his eyes as if focusing on something. Grace watched them. *What is going on? I can't read Xain's thoughts properly. It's like I can't know anything about this man.* It was odd, but it had happened before. Back when Xain was injured, Grace at certain times couldn't see the angel's thoughts, and on rare occasions, she couldn't read Xain's either. *Are both those cases related to this man?* she wondered as Ercale continued to stand there with his eyes closed.
"Okay, this is getting very awkward. Could you stop groping me, please?" Xain asked, feeling the tension in the air.
"Shut up. I finally have it...!" Ercale suddenly withdrew his hand, clutching it with his other as if soothing some sort of pain.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Xain asked, worried.
Ercale clicked his tongue. "Tch, so all of this was for nothing. I can't completely separate myself from you," he muttered.
Xain was confused about what he was talking about, but suddenly everyone looked up as the portal began spewing out more demons. Dozens of Veinblood Cherubs and several imps emerged from the portal. With no named demon to guide them, they eyed the group below. The Veinblood Cherubs' vein-like patterns glowed blood red as they began to float, while the imps unfurled their leathery wings and screeched.
"Well, whatever. You guys stay alive while I take care of the trash heap that is the Demon Lord," said Ercale, not giving Xain any time to respond as he disappeared, leaving behind sparks of lightning and a large scorch mark on the cobblestone ground.
"D-did that guy just say Demon Lord!?" Even exclaimed as Xain winced. *Oh right, none of them knew that part.* But they didn't have much time to ponder that as the demons from above descended towards them with murderous intent, forcing all of them to get ready to survive. Xain couldn't help but think, *Why couldn't you have just taken care of them, Erkie!?*
Meanwhile, Ercale landed in the forest behind the mansion, surveying the damage caused by Malvorr's skidding impact. Several trees lay broken, and a swath of the ground was torn up. "Wow, I guess I should have held back a bit more," Ercale remarked, looking down at Malvorr. The Demon Lord's noble clothes were in tatters, his once immaculate appearance now disheveled, with his orange hair matted with dirt.
"Who the hell are you!? Do you know who you're fighting against!?" Malvorr roared, his voice dripping with rage as he got to his feet, both hands glowing with vibrant red demonic energy.
Ercale chuckled. "No, should I?" he asked nonchalantly.
Malvorr's face twisted with fury. "I'm a fucking Demon Lord! I'm the Malevolent Lord who even demons fear!" he yelled, his entire body now radiating vibrant red demonic energy. "And I'm the conqueror of Aetheria!" He advanced, ready to annihilate Ercale, who merely stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter—not just any laughter, genuine hysteric laughter.
"What's so funny, huh?" Malvorr snapped, venom in his voice.
Ercale raised a hand, signaling for Malvorr to give him a minute as he tried to compose himself. "Gods, that was good. I haven't laughed like that in ages," he said, wiping away a tear. Malvorr trembled with barely contained rage.
"Answer me, you piece of trash!" Malvorr demanded, his voice echoing through the forest.
Ercale met his gaze with a cold, piercing stare. "It's just what you said—about being the conqueror of Aetheria. How could I not laugh at that?" He covered his mouth, struggling to hold back another bout of laughter. "After all, you're so weak."