Anton wiped the blood off his face, stood up from the ground, and, manipulating the shadows around him, tied the demon who was trying to stand up to the ground.
"Zz… Target suppressed, commence elimination!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
When Anton reported this, he saw Akira approaching and quickly reacted because, at that moment, helicopters launched missiles at the creature that was roaring in pain on the ground.
The blast wave sent many dangerous pieces of debris flying, injuring several soldiers, but the creature that had been wreaking havoc had been reduced to a pulp of flesh.
"I should make improvements to your suit; you're too exposed." Anton moved away from Akira as she got up, trying to find that thing amid the cloud of smoke.
Akira coughed a bit and picked up her rifle from the ground, but after seeing everything was in order, she smiled slightly. She had underestimated the enemies Anton faced before, so this was much more than she could handle. Only now did she consider the magnitude of the words that described the Association of Light, as spoken by her father.
Boom!
"Zz… Team descending!"
"Roger that; incinerate everything around. Don't forget to search for life signs in the forest; any human found within society's limits must be eliminated entirely."
Akira looked at Anton with severity. Killing so many people was something she understood, but she was also aware that things could be done differently. She lives in a world of assassins and understands that a person's life has a price, but sometimes it's important to negotiate.
Anton had moved a few meters away, looking at Akira, who was focused on what was on the ground, and said, "This is what a Guardian Archbishop does."
"I understand." Akira looked up to meet Anton's gaze, observing her intently.
"You must understand this; this is my current job, and now I rarely work alone because many lives depend on me... One wrong order and hundreds die."
Crack!
Akira was about to say something when suddenly she saw something in the darkness approaching Anton with great speed.
The seconds felt eternal. Akira raised her weapon but soon saw Anton's calm gaze, so she avoided firing by mistake and injuring him.
"Zz… We have another beast; we need reinforcements!"
Anton surrounded his body with shadows; it seemed as if the darkness itself had fused with him in a single fraction of a second, thus protecting his body.
"Damn beast…"
Rooooaaarrr!!!
The gigantic creature attacked Anton with its horns, similar to those of a male crow. This time, it was not like before because the attack continued, taking Anton with great speed and hitting among the branches.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
"Ahhhh!"
Anton let out a furious roar, his sword penetrating the demon's throat, but it was not enough to eliminate it.
Boom!
A few moments later, Anton crashed into a huge tree. This tree was ancient, and its branches seemed so thick, demonstrating its great vitality.
"Argh!!" Anton gritted his teeth, feeling the suffocation his lungs were experiencing at that moment.
Looking into the eyes of this monster, Anton directed himself to another entity. Through these eyes, he could see beyond the visible, finding out who the general of these demons was.
"I found you!"
Anton smiled slightly; the darkness on his body accumulated with density, and he murmured briefly: "I found you!"
At that moment, the darkness that had surrounded him exploded with large spikes that pierced the demon's body numerous times.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
"If a demon general wants to fight me, they should come personally; don't send your vassals to find me because I'll eliminate them so easily that it will make me sleepy." Anton grabbed the demon's horns and, squeezing them hard, separated them.
Crack!
Rrrrroooaaarrr!!!
The beast let out a roar so loud that it made the ground tremble, but Anton did not separate from this demon for even a second.
"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit... I, Anton ShadowBane, condemn you back to hell, where you belong." Anton shouted these words, dispelling all evil in his surroundings.
The infernal cold began to diminish, and all the people who thought they were inside a freezer felt a warm current illuminating them.
"Our Guardian has taken action."
Many soldiers made their respective prayers. Akira watched Anton as he finished destroying the demon but didn't get too close because she had to be careful once more with the surroundings.
"Zz… We have the prisoners, moving to phase two of elimination."
"Zz… The cleanup team has arrived."
Anton took a deep breath, looking at the blood coming from some wounds on his chest, but there was nothing to be alarmed about. However, Akira didn't understand this, so she quickly began to administer first aid.
"Zz… Proceed; send the prisoners to interrogation."
Akira looked at Anton and asked, "Do you always get hurt?"
"It's not common, but it happens." Anton sat on a fallen log, feeling the life this forest gave to the surroundings, and inevitably remembered his past life.
Although he was no longer the man he once was, guilt must be redeemed with good actions, so he must always keep that in mind.
"I'll be fine; I heal faster than normal people." Anton held Akira's trembling hands and administered a warm light to calm her anxiety.
Akira nodded slightly; she touched Anton's face, but before doing anything else, she stepped back and said, "It doesn't matter; you need to be checked."
"Yes…" Anton nodded; he wasn't naive, so that's what the protocol indicated.