The shout that came out from Soma's mouth made the atmosphere around the battlefield turn eerily death-state. The demon woman who took possession of Hisako as she was planning to plunge that sword into her heart, ending her life, stopped, and is now watching over Soma.
Hisako on the other hand opened her eyes wide seeing Soma figure riding a motorcycle.
Soma observed his surroundings and found the unconscious man, whose name was Hiroshi, as he remembered. Then he turned his gaze back toward the demon woman and his gaze caught the shocked expression of Hisako.
"What do you mean, brat?".
The demon's voice brought back his attention to her. He exhales to wash away all the nervousness inside him, gulping his saliva to moisten his parched throat. Steeled his resolve and then opened his mouth.
"I have the thing you want, in my possession".
Soma repeated his sentence. Making sure that the demon woman could turn his attention to him only, and forget about the two awakeners that were on the brink of death.
The demon woman with a probing gaze, looked toward Soma who rode the motorcycle while raising his left hand, holding some lower-grade magic item. "Where did the boy come from? His existence was so weak, I didn't sense him approaching here, and the ring in his possession. Is it true that he has the thing I want?". She cast her gaze toward Hisako on her arm and found her surprised expression. There, she squinted her eyes and concluded. "Looking at her surprised expression. It seems the boy is telling the truth. But, let's confirm it first".
Soma, who awaited the demon's response, could only stand there and didn't dare to do anything that would alert her.
"..Okay then. But first, get down from that thing first".
The demon orders Soma. He knitted his brows because she had already sealed one of his escape routes. He knows that using the motorcycle to run from her sight is just a meaningless struggle for him. But he could maneuver through a small passage to confuse her, at least it could give him some time to think for his next plan.
Soma nodded his head, pushed down the motorcycle stand with his leg and turned off the engine. Before putting his foot on the ground.
"Good, now show me what is inside the ring, first!".
"Curse you cautious, woman". Soma curses inside his heart.
Soma began to connect his mana with the ring. After his painful first try, he now can connect his consciousness with the ring more easily than before.
The ring began to glow and the two relics began to appear in front of him, and he snatched it, keeping it safe in his hands.
"..How?".
Hisako, seeing the spectacle, opened her eyes wide and pondered. "How did he take out the relics from the magic item, with Mana sensory security?". Usually, the ring could be opened by the one whose mana was registered by imprinting his or her own Mana into the ring. So it was almost impossible for just some random people to open it, and in case they tried to break it with force, the ring would self-destruct and the item inside would be obliterated as well.
The demon woman opened her eyes wide, and soon showed her white canine, seeing the two relics that appeared from inside the ring. Her attention was caught in the glass container that contained a Devil's blood essence. That relic was her mission all along.
"It seems you are not lying, brat".
Hisako, seeing that dilated her pupil. Blood vanished from her face, and opened her mouth.
"No, leave this place. Don't let the demon have both of those relics, boy. Leave this..".
"Shut up".
The demon woman released her hand that gripped Hisako's hair. She spread her palm and eagle-clawed Hisako's jaw to shut her up. The demon woman put strength into the grip and made Hisako's face grimace in pain. Hisako tried to free from the restraints, but her physical strength was weaker compared to the demon woman before her.
"You are an eyesore, bitch. Should I kill you right now".
"..".
Hisako's pupils dilated but without giving out to the fear she shot a glare toward the demon even before the threat of death.
"So, if that is your wish".
The demon woman began to pull back her sword and try to stab it into Hisako's chest.
"Stop!".
"Huh, What do you want, brat".
"Didn't you hear what I said earlier?".
"...".
"Release both of them and if you don't. I will destroy this glass container in my hands"
Soma, fearing that the demon woman would kill Hisako, began to take extreme measures. He threatened the demon by pressing the glass container that contained the blood toward his left chest and putting some pressure in it.
"What a funny thing you said, brat. I could just take it. before your eyes could blink".
"..Okay then, let's all of us become losers in this fight".
He put more strength in his hand, which held the glass container until it cracked and eventually broke down on his chest and the blood inside it smeared his white jacket.
Witnessing Soma break the glass container with furrowed brows. The demon woman's pupil dilated until it became a dot. The same thing happens with Hisako whose eyes are opened wide seeing the reckless thing Soma had done.
"YOU!".
Soma looking at the demon woman who is not in her right mind began to sweat buckets.
The demon woman released her eagle-claw grip on Hisako and her aura suddenly spiked up and made Hisako, who was already wounded beside her, get pushed toward the wall as she lost consciousness.
Last thing Hisako wanted to do was to tell the boy to run away from the place, but the darkness soon swallowed her consciousness and she fainted in place leaning against the wall.
Soma, who saw the aura that appeared from the demon's body, trembled. As a chilling sensation crept up both in his throat, and heart. Soma prepares for what's incoming, holds the inscription on his hand up, and infuses his mana into it.
"You are a dead meat, boy".
The demon shot forward with a sonic speed movement, and a split second later she arrived before Soma while swinging her sword to behead him. Before the sword touched his neck, a thin film of golden aura wrapped itself around Soma skin. It stopped the blade from advancing to beheading his neck.
Opening her eyes wide, she didn't expect things to turn like this. He could block her powerful attack, despite being so weak.
Soma, who saw the tip of the sword that stopped a centimeter from his neck, sweated.
The demon distances herself and begins to probe Soma. While still retaining her killing aura.
"What did you do?".
"I don't know what you are talking about?".
The golden thin layered aura began to dissipate around Soma's body and it began to crawl back into the inscription again. Soma, whose plan succeeded, had a huge sigh of relief. He didn't think that it actually works.
Soma found out the inscription's ability to defend the holder was from when the item got fully appraised, by the person who had a unique skill appraisal eyes in the series. The information about the inscription he remembered it was.
[Martial Saint Inscription]
[Rank: Mythic]
[Durability: Indestructible]
[Relic Description:
-An inscription that contained a phrase that was written by the almighty Martial Saint himself. It can grant the person who walked the path as a warrior, his enlightenment in the pursuit of the martial art path.
-It also contained a bit of Martial Saint power. It can be used as a protection by injecting a small amount of mana for anyone who holds it in its hands.
-It can also be used as a Key to enter The Martial Saint Tombs.
-Receive Martial Saint inheritance. (With condition???)]
Because at that time no one understood the writing on the inscription. Except his descendants. So in the end the inscription was locked in the hunter association's fault forever, and there is no foreshadowing it will be used again until the latest chapter Soma reads the novel.
"I will ask you again, brat. What did you do?".
The demon raised his sword and pointed it at Soma. Soma who saw that gesture tensed his body and was ready to infuse his mana anytime. To create the barrier that protects him from death.
"Don't know what you are talking about".
"You bastard!".
Soma infused his mana toward the inscription and at the same time the demon once again launched her assault. In that short amount of time, the demon woman had inflicted more than a dozen attacks that aimed at Soma vital.
Because of the protection from the inscription, Soma's body was far away from harm. But his mind is different. Enduring that much killing intent in that short amount of time put his mind in disorder, and besides he didn't have a lot of mana reservoir in his tank. It began to be depleting, putting him in a dangerous situation.
The demon distanced herself and she began to prepare her next move. She concentrated her aura into her sword. The red aura began to coil itself around the silver sword like a snake. Then the sword radiated an ominous red light that filled with chilling murderous intent.
"This is bad".
Soma gritted his teeth, his mind began to ring an alarm. As his survival instinct kicked in, he infused more mana into the inscription.
"Die!".
The demon thrust her sword forward and a red aura shot from its tip. The aura condensed itself and formed a shape like a raging Python with its maw opened wide trying to swallow everything on its path. The python then swallowed Soma who stood still in the middle of the road betting everything on the inscription ability.
The python while opening its mouth, kept swallowing everything that stood in its path. Then after a hundred meters distance from the demon's place. It began to disperse into the atmosphere leaving only destruction on its path. The hard asphalt is gouged and the remaining vehicles, human bodies, everything evaporated by the Viper's fierce aura.
However, the demon's eyes opened wide seeing the perfectly fine human boy who was still standing after receiving that attack.
"Tch".
The demon clicked his tongue, clearly frustrated because of the stalemate situation she got herself with.
On the other hand, Soma survived it. He is desperately trying to endure the throbbing pain in his head, probably because of the depleted mana. He is trying not to show even a small weakness to the opponent before him. Because if he does that he knows his life will be over. He kept his gaze firm and locked at the demon, it made the demon frown.
"..Unkillable roach. fine then, let me see how long you can endure my attack".
Hearing the demon's next move. Soma who already had nothing left in his hand. Began to show his final and risky card.
"Let's negotiate. Demon woman".
"Ha?".
Soma took something from inside the ring and an item appeared. It was a small square plastic case that had a red blood fluid inside it. Seeing that the demons halted her movement as her eyes squinted.
"Let's form a soul pact".