The following morning, students gathered eagerly in the academy’s courtyard, their faces filled with anticipation. This mission had sparked excitement throughout the school, and everyone waited anxiously to hear who would be selected to assist the Hunter Association.Miss Sapphire stood at the front, a list in hand. Her gaze swept over the crowd before she began.“The following students have been chosen to represent our academy and assist with the C-rank gate,” she announced. Her voice was calm but carried a note of seriousness that underscored the importance of the task.She began calling names, each one met with a ripple of murmurs and excited smiles.“Elijah Noland,” she read, her eyes briefly meeting his as he stepped forward confidently, his expression smug.“Aria Windstrider,” she continued, and Aria walked forward with her usual cool composure, her gaze focused and unwavering.Several other students’ names followed, each stepping forward to join the group, their expressions a m
The city streets were eerily quiet as Dante, Aria, and Marcus made their way through, alert for any sign of civilians in need of rescue. The buildings bore the scars of the monster attacks—broken windows, cracked walls, and deep gouges in the pavement where claws and fangs had left their mark. Though the air was still, there was a palpable tension as if the city itself was holding its breath.Marcus, always quick to lighten the mood, broke the silence. “You know, I wasn’t exactly planning to spend my weekend dodging ogres and wyverns,” he joked, his voice low. “But at least I get to do it with decent company.”Aria rolled her eyes, though a slight smirk crossed her face, and Dante gave a nod, focused but appreciative of the humor.As they moved further in, the distant sound of crashing echoed through the streets, followed by faint screams. Marcus’s expression turned serious as he adjusted his stance, ready to step forward if needed.“Sounds like we’ve got some action up ahead,” he sai
The streets were quieter now, the echoes of roars and battle sounds growing distant as Dante, Aria, and Marcus led another group of civilians to safety. Dante’s focus remained steady, his gaze scanning the area for any sign of threats, while Aria coordinated the movement of the group with calm precision.As they rounded another corner, Marcus took the lead, his defensive stance reassuring to the nervous civilians. “Stay close, everyone,” he murmured, glancing over his shoulder. “We’re almost to the safe zone.”Dante stayed silent, only giving a brief nod when Marcus looked back at him, but his expression conveyed a sense of calm that seemed to settle the group. Though he spoke little, his presence exuded a quiet strength that reassured those around him.Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed from a side street. Dante’s head snapped toward the sound, his eyes narrowing. Without a word, he motioned to Aria and Marcus, who understood immediately.“Go,” Marcus said, stepping up to guard the civ
Dante’s instincts took over as he propelled himself forward, moving with a speed that left Marcus frozen in surprise. His focus was singular—reaching the boy before the ogre did. The young boy was stumbling, his face etched with determination and fear as he carried a younger girl on his back, trying desperately to escape.The ogre, a towering mass of muscle and rage, was closing in fast. Its heavy footsteps sent tremors through the ground, its mouth twisted into a snarl as it zeroed in on its prey.“Keep running!” Dante called out, his voice steady and calm, hoping to give the boy reassurance.The boy looked up, his eyes widening as he saw Dante approaching. With a renewed burst of energy, he pushed forward, his breaths coming in shallow gasps as he struggled under the weight of the girl on his back.Within moments, Dante closed the distance, reaching the boy just as the ogre lifted its massive club. Without breaking stride, Dante scooped the boy and the girl into his arms, pivoting w
It's undeniably lonely at the top, so lonely that one may wonder why everyone strives to reach it. The Demon Lord sat upon his throne, contemplating when his long and solitary life might come to an end. He hadn't been born into this position; once, he was the lowliest of his kind. Born as a low-born demon, he had fought his way to the throne, a dream shared by demons from high-born to low-born. In this realm, only the strongest could attain the pinnacle and command fear from others. Since everyone coveted the top spot, few managed to hold it for long—until he became the strongest. His strength was unparalleled, unchallenged by any other."My lord," the only human residing in the demon realm responded to the Demon Lord's summons."Lucian," the Demon Lord sighed."You summoned me," Lucian replied. Kidnapped by demons during a foray into the human realm, Lucian had been spared by the Demon Lord, who brought him to his palace. Over the decades, Lucian had regaled the Demon Lord with tales
The demon lord engaged the hordes in combat. Demons had a lot of magic, but due to the nature of their realm, they mostly used fire magic. Many of them employed fire magic to fight against the demon lord, who relied solely on his sword. The demon lord didn't cower; he kept cutting down their fire and any demon that blocked his way. The swing of his sword was so powerful that it would cut several demons in half. This continued as he fought his way through. The leader of the attack noticed that they might not succeed if it continued like this. While looking for an opening, he noticed how the demon lord was trying to protect the human."Attack the human," he ordered, and they all concentrated their attack on the human. The demon lord knew this would happen, but he was prepared to do anything to protect the human. He used his body to shield Lucian from the fireballs shot at him. For the first time in his life, Lucian rooted for the demon lord. It became harder to protect Lucian from the m
It has been more than a century since Lucian returned from the demon realm and told them about the peace. Just as he said, no demon had appeared for over a century. When Lucian stepped out from the gate, awakeners were already waiting for the demons that would come out from the gate. Everyone was surprised to see a human walk out of the gate. Whenever the portal is used in the demon realm, it creates a tear in the human realm from which they walk out. The arrival of Lucian shook the human realm. When he told them of the peace, everyone started seeing him as the hero who brought the peace. Lucian didn't tell them about the demon lord; he just told them he had destroyed the portal before stepping in. Even after he died, they still called him the hero of the world.With the peace that humans got, they used the time to develop their weapons. They went ahead to make alliances with the elves and even had the elves live among them to teach them some elf magic. They also went into an alliance
Levi was surprised to know that 626 was pregnant. He never knew the children he once kidnapped from the orphanage and streets had grown to the extent of testing the forbidden fruit."Who is the father?" He asked, but got no reply. "Would you prefer their heads to explode?" He asked as he touched the device hanging on his necklace. 626 noticed the action, which gave her the answer to one of their biggest questions. They had always wondered how Levi was able to make their heads explode. So she had just realized it was the device he attached to his necklace."707," she lied and called the one Levi killed earlier today."Well, it doesn't matter. Maybe this child will be the key to everything." Levi's eyes glistened.From then onwards, Dr. Levi started taking care of 626. He never allowed her to have any encounter with the others. So, even though 626 had discovered the device that makes their heads explode, there was no way to tell others. Also, her health kept deteriorating. Days turned t