Chapter 24 - The Strongest Hero

Gio healed as he stood up. He looked at Alice with a grin as he stepped forward, "Another human with such power. I guess I won't have to feel bad about losing the old wizard's soul."

Alice pulled her sword, "You're in mortal's land, be gone back to hell, vile fiend."

"Make me." He jumped forward at an immense speed conjuring a trident.

Alice deflected the thrust with her sword thanks to [Sword Arts] and discreetly pulled a dagger from behind her waist, swinging at Gio's throat.

She's fast, I see, it's those outside the room, they buffed her. He pulled his body back using his tail as an anchor on the ground and then with a roar, he screamed unleashing a blast that pushed Alice away. Taking that chance, Gio flew toward the door to kill the buffers outside.

Alice caught him by the tail and swung her sword at his spine.

Gio jumped and spun mid-air, kicking her sword up and swinging his trident at her face. She deflected the attack with her dagger and countered with a kick.

Gio cut his tail to dodge the kick and hit Alice with a kick of his own, sending her toward the wall. He then pointed his hand at the buffers outside, charging a massive black fireball. "They'll die, and you'll be dealing with me in the meantime." He unleashed the fireball and charged at her to prevent her from protecting them.

With a passive face, Alice stared at him as her eyes flashed with a blue flare. She disappeared, and the fireball got deflected upward, hitting the top part of the gate's frame and causing it to collapse, blocking the entrance.

She could hear Sara and the other calling her from the outside, but she had more pressing matters to tend to.

"What was that speed, woman? My name is Gio, what's yours?" He glared at her with a smile.

She stared at him with a stern glare, "Giving a fake name, why should I tell you mine? I once again ask you to leave our world." She sheathed her blade and started cracking her fists.

"What would sheathing your blades help with? If you couldn't harm me with them, what prospect do you await?" Gio's trident burned with black flames as he smiled.

[Martial Arts]

Alice appeared ahead right in front of his face, punching him in the cheek enough to knock two teeth out. Gio's body spun around and he sent a kick at her face, which blocked with her forearm and went in with a kick of her own.

Gio blocked her kick with his arms and got sent flying back with them bruised. "This raw strength." He looked at Alice's limbs, seeing them glowing with magic. "Physical enchantment? No, it's more than that." He giggled.

"To think you're using Magic enchantment to enchant the buffs you got and your own Physical enchantment skill. And on top of that, you seem to be using a martial skill, I don't which one, but I'm certain it's there." He giggled as his arms healed, "I've only heard of stories about this happening. Only heroes could pull such a thing."

"That doesn't matter, does it?" Alice replied as she ripped her baggy coat, remaining in her tight marital clothes. "I've never liked swords, my fists always felt more natural to use." In the blink of an eye, she appeared again in front of his face swinging a punch.

Gio took the hit and swung his fist at her face as a counter. Alice dodged the attack and punched him with her other fist, sending him rolling around.

This is strange, those enchantments should make her fast, but not to the point of me not seeing her coming. Something is off, what is she doing? It has to be another skill at work, but what is it? It couldn't be a teleportation skill, those are obvious to catch.

After half a minute's exchange of fists, Gio began to realize that Alice wasn't teleporting around; he could see a faint haze before and after she appeared. Carefully hidden, but are direct indications of illusion magic, but still a strange one. He couldn't sense any mana but was certain magic was used.

"What tricks are you using? Human pugilist!" He accelerated even further, spinning past Alice's fist, and instead of landing, he opened his wings to hover upside down and slashed across the face and neck with his claws as she turned to attack him.

With blood splashing from her face and neck, Gio landed a fair distance away from her and smiled. His wounds started to heal, "This is the difference between you and me. This is the difference between devils and humans. Unlike your feeble kind, we're immortal beings of immense power." He extended his hand toward her.

"I wanted to take the old man, but you're more interesting than him. You're young yet talented," He smiled, "Be my little pet, I'll treat you nicely, day and night. I'll even grant you immortality and power beyond your wildest dreams." His eyes glow with a pink light, sending a wave of magic.

Alice giggled, "Charm magic doesn't work on me. And isn't your healing a bit too slow?" She stood with a smile, waving her palm on her wounds and they disappeared with a burning blue flame. [Self-Regeneration] [Bugendai Sozo]

Alice's special skill that she became the hero with was [Bugendai Sozo], also called infinite creation. As its name implies, this is a creation skill that can be infinitely leveled up to increase the volume, quality, and quantity of what she can create. Albeit she couldn't create a skill, she could use [Bugendai Sozo] to overcharge a skill she already had, and even create things that her body already created or emit like light.

To look like she's teleporting, she has been creating a haze of light around her body to blend her movements together, making them harder to distinguish at high speeds alongside buffing all of her enchantment. She used it the same way to heal, using [Bugendai Sozo] to create more of whatever [Self-Regeneration] created to heal herself.

The title of hero was never given lightly, and only those with the power to stand above all managed to claim it. This devil had lived long enough to remember her from a thousand years ago, but luckily she didn't look like her past self, nor had she told him her name. If he knew he was facing the hero of old, he'd probably run back to hell and bring in reinforcement, whole armies to kill before she regains her full strength.

"Impossible! To have such…" Before he could finish his words, Alice's foot said hello to his face, bashing his nose into his skull.

This devil might be stronger than me, but with the buffs and [Bugendai Sozo] I could hold out and win. This fight might be hard, but it'll never be harder than the last fight against Asura. That last battle against him was bloody, far more than this is. Even with him being betrayed and backstabbed, and his generals joining our side, I was at my prime alongside my party and the strongest adventurers of the world, yet we could barely edge a win due to his seeming to give up fighting in the end.

She smiled as Gio flew with blood gushing out of his face to the wall.

No matter how hard and painful this fight is, I've seen worse. Alice smiled, rushing after him with a clenched fist and glowing blue eyes.