This woman was remarkably distinct. All I said was my name, yet the smile that lit up her face seemed to indicate that she had gained something of great importance. I began our journey toward the village with her by my side, but along the way, we encountered the old man and the soldier, positioned on the side.
"Halt there, you demon."
I was aware that I wouldn't be welcomed with open arms in that village, but I decided to try for her. I will have no regrets.
'Mom, I tried.'
A smile formed on my face, as if I had released a burden from my chest. I wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but the feeling was good. I continued walking.
"Stop right there, you demon."
The old man couldn't help but tremble every time I approached. It was evident that he was frightened by my presence.
"What are you going to do?"
The soldier, in desperation, lunged at me, but Max intervened and defended the attack with his sword.
"Easy, soldier. This issue is not yours."
"You!!!"
I leaned in and brought my lips close to the old man's left ear, then said:
"Yes, I am a demon, and I will kill all of you."
I released my murderous intent toward the old man, whose trembling body gave in to the wave of fear that enveloped him. Causing him to collapse on the ground, where fear made him lose consciousness, leaving him prostrate in a pool of his own distress.
"Izumi?" Ui asked.
I fixed my eyes in the direction where she was and let my gaze wander in her direction. Then, I began to move in that direction, passing by her.
"Let's go."
I continued walking without turning to look, but I was aware that she remained standing, watching. With her arms crossed over her chest.
"You like her."
"What?"
"Never mind."
I understood what Max meant. Although Ui might be interesting due to her interest in me, I didn't appreciate her; she was the kind of extroverted girl who always meddled where she wasn't needed. I despised that behavior.
We continued to move away from the village, but suddenly, I heard shouts that grew louder, indicating they were approaching in my direction. By the scent, I already knew who it was.
— Heeeyyy!!! Wait for me!
The voice was unmistakable; it seemed she had decided to follow us.
'Damn it.'
I had imagined she would stay in the village to contribute to construction and protection, but it seemed this woman was as self-centered as I was.
"Wait for me!!!"
"It looks like she's chosen you."
"Shut up."
She approached me, stopped for a moment to catch her breath, and then said:
"I will be your guide, Izumi."
Initially, I thought she would be a burden, but it seemed she played a more significant role than the other two.
"You don't have to; I'll get there on my own."
I had a hard time accepting that she would be useful for the cause.
"Still, I will go with you, even if you don't want me to."
"Do as you please; I don't care."
"I'll do my best, Izumi."
"Stop profaning my name."
"Sure thing, Izumi."
I realized she would probably be more annoying than Max. I couldn't eliminate her at that moment, since her importance lay in helping us reach the first fearless one more quickly. For now, I would tolerate her.
"What did she see in him."
"Were you awake?"
"Yes," with a shy expression, her sagging breasts replied
"I like her."
"What?!"
The short one began to pull something out of her backpack and unfolded it so everyone could see. It was a map that was remarkably more detailed than Max's.
"Xixixixi!" She laughed as she glanced at the map.
Suddenly, the short one ripped the map right in front of us. In the blink of an eye, I drew my two swords, leaped over her, and pointed the blades at her throat.
"Give me a reason not to kill you right now."
"Now, only I know how to reach the fearless one."
"What?"
"And I know you won't kill me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
I fixed my gaze on the short one and let my murderous intent take over, but, surprisingly, she didn't avert her eyes from mine. Her body trembled with fear, but her eyes seemed to reveal something different. I smiled and stood up from her, and then she let out a sigh of relief.
"If you lead me to the wrong place, I'll kill you!"
"Okay."
Saggy boobs went toward the short one and held her shoulders, swaying them.
"You're an idiot?! He could have killed you!"
"I know."
"You're insane."
"Maybe because of him."
"What?"
"Shut up and show us the way."
"Alright. To reach the fearless of demons, it will take three days."
"Fearless of demons?" Max asked.
"Yes. It's a fearless demon that controls and experiments on other demons and humans. I've never seen him, but they say he's the immortal madman."
"The name sounds powerful, but what he does makes him look weak."
"I don't know. Let's go; I'll show you the way."
We traveled for two days, and on a mountain, I could see hundreds of demons of different types coming towards us in a forest of imposing trees. It seemed like they were staring at us.
In the previous two days, I hadn't encountered any demons, but upon seeing all of them now, a sense of excitement took over me. I was eager to take action and face a challenge.
I unsheathed my swords, ran toward the demons with a smile on my face, and yelled:
"Ihiaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Izumi, wait!"
"Come, you demons, come be killed by me!"
I leaped over the demons and initiated the fight with my Kotxi Swivel. Despite cutting down numerous demons, they kept getting closer, which only increased my excitement to continue. I chose not to use my Iz abilities to fully enjoy the battle.
The demons came in various forms, including animals, humans, and diverse mixes. Generally, the mixed creatures were more challenging, but in front of me, they were like ants.
Next, my problems joined to assist, which left me somewhat dissatisfied, although there was no alternative but to accelerate the defeat of the enemies. Therefore, I decided to use my Iz abilities, and in no time, all the demons were down, lifeless.
Exhausted, I fell backward onto the ground, a smile on my face and panting breath.
"Finally, a good thrill."
"You pushed yourself too hard, and here are the consequences."
"I'm surprised he managed to defeat so many."
"So, this is your true strength?"
"I'll get even stronger."
"I won't be left behind."
While I lay on the ground, a shadow loomed over my eyes. It was Ui, looking at me with a smile. Honestly, I couldn't understand this woman.
"What's up?"
"Nothing. Just admiring something beautiful."
"Beautiful?" Saggy boobs retorted with sarcasm.
"Screw it! Show us the way," I said as I got up.
"Alright, Izumi. Xixixi!"
Even though I asked her to stop profaning my name, she continued to say it whenever she pleased, an irritating woman. We traveled for a day, and we arrived at the headquarters of the Fearless Ones. It wasn't very tall, but it was spacious, and suddenly, the doors opened.
"It seems we're the VIP guests."
"Be careful when entering, everyone."
"Yes."
"Okay."
We entered the headquarters and saw a building, probably three stories high. From the top, I could smell the strong scent of a demon.
"Welcome, my faithful test subjects."
"Test subjects? I'll show you who's a test subject here."
I activated my Speed Iz ability and jumped toward the demon. However, before my swords could reach his throat, I collided with something and had to retreat, anger in my eyes.
"As you can see by the foolishness of test subject 1015B."
'1015B?'
"You cannot pass this barrier. If you want to face me, you will have to go through certain stages," he said, looking at me, sneering at my situation and smiling.
"What stages?" Max asked.
"I am Aaron, the Fearless One of this headquarters. As you can see, I'm on the third floor. You test subjects will have to go through the ground floor, first, and second floors to face me on the third floor. I hope you don't die."
As he turned his back, my fury increased. I was extremely irritated; being humiliated in this manner was unacceptable to me.
"You'll see. I'll humiliate you in the worst way possible."
I started walking toward the interior of the headquarters. I could try to break through the barrier and go directly to the main course, but I chose to play his game and show that none of his tricks would stop me from reaching him.
"Wait, Izumi. Let's plan first. We don't know what's inside."
"Screw it!"
"That's a problem; he's already made up his mind."
A plan? I didn't need that; I would show this Fearless One that brute force alone was enough to kill him.
"Lhilhilhilhilhi!"
I entered the ground floor and encountered several demons in a massive room, where sunlight only penetrated through the huge windows of that floor.
"Come on! I'm going to devour you."