Cyrus and Alpha had walked some meters inside this burning hell of a place. They weren't entirely lost because Alpha could sense some other demons around, and that was the direction they were both heading.
It didn't take much to walk, and they both arrived at the location Alpha had pointed out. Some demons were working hard, digging holes because they were ordered to.
Cyrus glanced at the long, straight hole, and he could already tell what they were planning. Maybe the gutters were the end of the line where the demon general would cross.
"You there, why aren't you doing anything?" asked a lady with short red hair and adorned in battle clothing.
Cyrus didn't answer her, causing her to walk away from the miner she was with and towards Cyrus. "I asked you a question, are you not here to stop the demon general?"
"Yes," said Cyrus.
The girl gave Alpha a look and redirected her gaze back to Cy before she looked at one of the workers hitting the ground hard with his digging ax.
"Hey Matthew, go get some rest and toss me your tool," the worker did as he was told and escaped the gutter.
The girl caught the ax and threw it at Cyrus, implying to get in the hole and start digging. "Do you need me to tell you what to do?" said the girl. She paused and continued.
"You're an E-rank skill user, aren't you? Your work is to dig the gutter, and when the general arrives, you get out of here before the battle starts," muttered the girl with a serious expression as she walked off.
"Who is she? She's strict."
Alpha smirked, staring at the girl walking off. She had her eyes back on Cyrus, who had already wrapped his black sleeve around his waist, revealing his little muscularity behind those black singlets.
"She's Iris, one of the strongest summoned, and it seems she's upset. She was put in charge of a low quest."
By this time, Cyrus had already jumped inside the gutter. He glanced to his left and right, workers with serious expressions were all he could see.
Some of them were also digging into what could be said about red demon cores. Cyrus adjusted his yellow helmet with a torchlight, he sighed and began to hit the ground hard.
'At least I'll be safe for a while before the battle begins,' thought Cyrus, raising the ax and digging hard.
Time had skipped, and Cy was becoming too noticed by some of the workers, the speed at which he was working was insane and unseen.
"Woah… didn't that guy just pass us?"
"I was about to ask the same thing. He's working like he's got issues with his girlfriend."
Afterward, Iris walked in.
"I need the three of you to get me the weapons… Just three blocks from here," she said, pointing at Cyrus and two other worn-out workers.
Now Cyrus was beginning to hate this girl. However, she gave him a cold look, implying she didn't care how Cyrus saw her. "If you're weak… you're my errand boy," said Iris as she walked off.
Cyrus gripped the ax tight with a calm expression and leaped out of the hole along with the two workers.
The three of them walked through the desolate land. As Iris had said, the bag of weapons was just three steps away from them.
However, as one of the workers was about to lift the load... Boom', a red humongous ant uprooted from the ground, screeching with its red glowing eyes staring viciously at the worker who had stumbled down.
"Holy crap," the other worker voiced out.
The ant launched itself forward and bit the leg of the one on the floor, getting ready to devour him as the ant tossed him into the air and opened its mouth wide.
"Fuck, I have to go call a strong demon," muttered the one beside Cyrus with a shaking voice as he turned around and dashed off to call someone like Iris.
Some inches from getting devoured by the red ant, bam', Cyrus dashed forward and leaped towards them... He got there in an instant and caught the worker by his shirt before tossing him to the floor as he gained his footing.
Boom'
Now the ant was mad, he was this close to having a meal and some dude just interrupted that. It veered around, stared at Cyrus, and launched at him.
"It's... it's coming."
Cy smirked, he waited for the ant to get close enough and when it was, he leaped up and the next thing was KaBoom, he smashed his fist into the cranium of the ant, melting the head as purple blood came gushing out.
"It died with a blow," said Cyrus, his eyes had already made contact with the super frightened worker.
Now, Iris and some of the workers arrive at the scene only to see a dead ant, Cyrus, with the weapon bag, and the other worker beside Cyrus.
"It's dead?" said the latter worker who had run away.
"It was a low-rank beast," Iris commented while staring at Cyrus, who was covered in the purple liquid.
'Even if it was a low-rank beast, an E-rank skill user shouldn't be enough to kill it, he's not even holding a weapon,' thought Iris with her neck slightly bent, so she could see behind her, precisely looking at Cyrus's fist.
As she took another step forward, an ice arrow was inches from taking her life. However, Cyrus, who she could have sworn was far behind her, was in front of her holding the ice arrow that was inches from her eyes.
"They're here," said Cyrus, not having time to entertain the surprise and shocked look on Iris' face.
After Cyrus said that, the once hellish domain with flames became cold, everything was freezing, including the ground and buildings.
Far from them, they could see monsters, polar bears, humanoid elf demons, ants, and many more monsters.
But Baras caught the eye of Cyrus, the ice-colored elf sitting on the throne was smiling and grinning from that distance.
"If you can fight, I'll need you by my side," said Iris, as if begging Cyrus.
The workers were now armed with weapons, and the ones who couldn't fight were off the battlefield. In a flash, the two daggers materialized within Cy's grip when the elf ordered his demon armies.
"Advance."
-{Baras the ice demon sees you as an Enemy... Do not let him leave Alive.. KILL HIM}