Clyde felt shocked at the sudden disappearance of the Shadewraith Tigris's aura.
Still, it didn't really change anything.
'If only there aren't more General Class demon beasts, then we might've been able to save our home, alas…'
He shook his head in pity as closed the door tightly.
Looking at the crowd of people that was waiting for him to lead them out of harm's way, he felt pressure.
The pressure brought upon by having so many people dependent on him.
"Hey, cheer up. What will the people think if they see their savior showing weakness in front of them?"
"We're here for you, Instructor."
Clyde looked up to the two women in front of him as a smile broke out of his face.
It was Agnes and Mika.
However, something about them seemed different.
Agnes had a large scar on her face that went from the left side of her mouth to her now blind left eye. Her body was also filled with wounds.
On the other hand, Mika's left arm was nowhere to be seen.
It was proof of their sacrifices and the danger they faced in order to buy even a little bit more time for the people to evacuate.
'I need to focus!'
Clyde slapped himself and said loudly, "Let's go!"
***
On the other side…
"M-Mister… who are you?"
The little girl's black eyes shone as she asked the boy before her.
[Art of Vampirism]
A chant sounded before the remains of the Shadewraith Tigris that had bursted suddenly converged towards Jin.
He then turned around and looked at the girl.
"Kyaaaahh!"
However, the little girl squealed and covered her eyes immediately.
"Huh?" Jin tilted his head in confusion until he felt cold.
Looking down, his eyes widened in shock.
He hurriedly tried to cover his groin with his hands as he blushed, "S-Sorry!"
After a second, Jin regained his composure and controlled the cursed energy within his body with utmost accuracy.
Like a thread, he weaved it with his sheer control and created a simple black cloak that covered his body.
'Although this will expend cursed energy, it is better than being naked.'
The little girl peeked through her finger and said, "T-Thank you, Mister!"
"Mister?"
Jin's lips twitched, "Do I look that old?"
"N-No! It's just that you're so powerful…" The little girl shook her head.
Hearing such straightforward compliments, Jin couldn't help but scratch his cheeks sheepishly.
He then reached his hand out towards the little girl and said, "Let's get out of here."
But to his surprise, the little girl only shook her head and said, "It's fine, Mister. You've already saved me once. I don't want to burden you for longer…"
She then caressed the head of her mother's corpse and added, "...Besides, I can't just leave my mom here all by herself."
Hearing her words, a vivid image appeared in Jin's mind.
The little girl's sadness seemed to resonate with the him from the time when his mother died.
Biting his lip lightly, Jin did all his best in order to prevent his tears from falling.
Instead, he crouched down and patted the little girl's head, "But would your mother want that?"
"Ummm…" An unsure expression appeared on her face.
Jin smiled gently, "How about this, we can bury her next to my mom so they would be friends in heaven."
"W-What? Your mother left too, Mister!?" Shock could be sensed within her voice.
"Yes."
The little girl finally couldn't help it and cried.
"Shhh, don't cry. Your mother wouldn't like it if you're sad."
"B-But, I just feel sorry for you, Mister…"
"Me?"
The little girl nodded, much to his surprise.
'She's crying because of me? How cute.' Jin couldn't help but chuckle a little.
Grrrrr—
At this moment, a First Class demon beast charged at them.
It was a bull with shining red eyes. Multiple horns sticking on its head, while its hooves were on fire.
"Mister!"
The little girl pointed with fear in her eyes.
However, Jin remained calm, "This is really not good timing…"
Clenching his fists, he placed them in front of him, assuming a boxing stance as he waited for the bull to get closer.
"Mister, just run! You can forget about me and save yourse-"
The little girl wasn't able to continue her words as the bull soon reached the boy.
Jin didn't waste even a second as he launched a punch.
But he didn't stop with just one.
He punched…
And punched.
And punched.
And punched.
…
Along with a chant.
[Fist Barrage]
The technique of Director Ver who saved him earlier. He was able to see through the aura art when he watched him fight the Shadewraith Tigris with just one hand earlier.
Now, he was able to perfectly mimic it. Its power not being different to the one that Director Ver executed.
Pow— Pow— Pow—
All it took was an instant for hundreds of punches to land on the bull.
As the bull collapsed, Jin used Art of Vampirism once again in order to siphon cursed energy from the demon beast.
"Do you want your mother to just be eaten by the demon beasts here?"
The little girl adamantly shook her head.
"Let's bury mom beside your mother, Mister."
"Okay." Jin then felt something amiss and said, "By the way my name is Jin, what's your name?"
The little girl smiled and said, "Portia! My name is Portia!"
Jin helped her stand up. He then carefully carried her mother as they walked back to their house.
'I need something to check in the Book of the Sun too…'
He thought while sensing the situation inside his body. Currently, a myriad of energies were present inside him.
There were various auras, cursed energies, and even some mana.
Compared to earlier, the energies had all settled down even without the presence of an energy core and energy circuits.
'Strange… so this is possible, huh?'
Jin thought as he sensed his body.
Currently, the various energies that intertwined used his heart as their home.
This meant that his heart was currently functioning as his energy core.
Meanwhile, he noticed earlier that compared to when he utilized energy when fighting the dark clothed figures, the flow was much more smoother this time.
Jin noticed that the reason for this was because the energies treated his blood vessels as his energy circuits.
Of course, this resulted in the overexertion of his heart and blood vessels.
The energies still wreak havoc within his heart and everytime that he uses it, it also destroys his blood vessels.
Fortunately, his immortality was able to heal him continuously through the process.
However, this also meant that his body was currently in a perpetual state of destruction and reconstruction.
A feeling of pain so overwhelming that it would have caused many to take their lives.