"Kill me? You?! A human?!"
The demon man roared with laughter.
"I wondered what you were going to say, and then... what? You got cocky just because you trampled three Hellhounds? Or do you just not realize what I am? Ah—my bad, my bad. I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?"
He licked his lips, sticking out his tongue as he continued.
"I’m a member of the Demon Race, you fragile little human."
Possessing bodies far sturdier and magic far greater than any human—they were the natural enemies of humanity, and their very name was a death sentence.
"I know," Luna replied.
Simultaneously, she dialed up the intensity of her Frenzy. Until now, she had kept it suppressed for the sake of endurance while hunting small fry, but she no longer needed to hold back.
She knew very well.
She had researched the ecology of the Demon Race extensively. She had spent every waking moment wanting to kill them, longing for this day to come, slaughtering them in her mind over and over again.
"—!?"
The demon’s face twisted in shock as Luna’s speed suddenly surged.
"Die."
Luna swung her sword in tandem with her cold command.
The demon reacted instantly, leaping backward to dodge the lethal arc. However, he couldn't avoid it entirely; a shallow gash opened across his chest.
"This bitch!"
His eyes flared with intense emotion, his anger spiking instantly.
Luna didn't feel the slightest regret over failing to kill him in a single blow. He was a long-awaited sacrifice, a prize she had finally claimed. It would be a waste to turn him into a silent lump of meat with just one strike.
I want to break him slowly.
The screams of her fellow villagers echoed in her mind, the image of her home burning to the ground—and over it all, the raucous laughter of the demons resurfaced, ringing in her ears.
It was sickening.
She would wash away that disgust using this man.
"I'll make you suffer before you die."
Their voices, both thick with murderous intent, collided.
Now serious, the demon drew a dagger from his waist. At the same time, he unleashed a rapid-fire volley of Jet-black Magic Bullets from his left hand. He likely intended to create an opening while she was forced to dodge, but—
"Spell: Magic Bullet."
Luna fired her own rounds to intercept. She aimed her magic with pinpoint accuracy, detonating the incoming projectiles mid-air. It was a staggering feat of precision, but with the enhanced reflexes of her Frenzy, it was well within her grasp.
White and black spheres of mana collided, blooming into explosions in the air.
The demon lunged through the smoke.
"Countering me?! Don't get cocky!"
The demon’s blade cut through nothing but empty air.
Having anticipated the move, Luna had already sidestepped. In fact, she had been baiting him. The demon barely managed to parry her counterattack with his dagger.
However, Luna used the raw power of her Frenzy to override the recoil. She forcibly wrenched her sword back onto its path and slammed it down toward the demon.
"What the—!? You bastard!"
The demon’s right hand was lopped off at the wrist, his dagger falling with it.
"Gwaaaaaaaaaah! You lowly human scum!"
Infuriated by the loss of his hand, the demon went berserk, swinging a magic-imbued left fist at her. Luna didn't even break a sweat avoiding such an emotional, clumsy attack.
As she dodged, she hooked his leg. The demon lost his balance and sprawled face-first into the dirt.
"Gwah!?"
He tried to push himself up with his right arm in a panic, but there was no hand to support him. He collapsed pathetically into the mud once more.
Luna felt a surge of genuine joy at the comical sight. What bliss it was to trample this hideous creature!
"How miserable and pathetic."
Luna looked down at the struggling demon with chilling eyes before leveling her left hand at him.
"Spell: Wolf Stream Piercing Fang!"
"Hebuu!"
A violent shockwave of wind slammed into the demon, his scream cut short as he was crushed. His body was driven halfway into the earth, his frame mangled and broken.
Though his limbs twitched, it was clear he was on the verge of death.
Victor had used the Wolf Stream Piercing Fang during a past exam, but Luna’s version was on a different level entirely. It tore through the demon’s high magic resistance as if it weren't there, dealing catastrophic damage. It was proof of how much she had polished her mana.
As she watched the demon stop moving, Luna’s face went pale.
"Ah... ah, ah, ah!"
She had broken him! He was broken!
The toy she had finally gotten her hands on!
She hadn't imagined he would break so easily. She had intended to torment him slowly, thoroughly, making him taste every ounce of her resentment. He was already slipping into unconsciousness.
"You... you... you! Idiot!"
Luna raised her sword and brought it down on the dying demon.
She wanted to give him more pain! More of her rage!
"Don't you dare die on me!"
As if trying to claw back a missed opportunity, she hacked at the motionless demon. Each time the blade bit into him, his body convulsed, letting out muffled, senseless grunts. She didn't know if it was a spark of life or just the mechanical reaction of a corpse.
Even after all movement ceased, Luna continued to swing her sword with a manic intensity.
Over and over and over.
Again and again and again and again and again and again.
A smile spread across her lips. Her entire body thrummed with delight.
Ah... it feels so good...!
Carving a demon into pieces was—
It’s... it’s wonderful!
The sensation of the blade parting flesh, the crunch of bone—every bit of it was pure pleasure. Wearing a smile of pure madness, she continued to rain down her blood-stained sword.
"Ha... ha... ha...!"
Only when she was staring at a heap of gore in a widening pool of blood did Luna finally stop.
"Aha... ahahaha! I did it. I did it, Mother, Father. I finally have the power to kill demons. I’ve avenged everyone... I can really do it...!"
In that moment, a voice reached her.
It wasn't the encouragement of her late parents.
—Ufufu. You look like you're having such a lovely time, don't you, Luna?
A woman's voice, cold enough to feel like ice pressed against her heartstrings, echoed in her mind.
Instantly, fragments of suppressed memories surged to the surface.
A torture chamber stained with fresh blood—a blind woman in sister vestments stepping out of the shadows—a crushing pressure that made it hard to breathe—a terror that gripped her very heart.
Torturer Shizel.
But the images were blurred, failing to take a solid shape. Luna couldn't truly remember. She didn't know who Shizel was; she couldn't even recall the name.
Only the terror she had felt then remained.
Her head throbbed with a pain so sharp it felt like her skull was splitting.
"W-who... are you?"
—There is no need for you to know quite yet. However, the flavor of your maddened emotions is truly exquisite. I’ve finally taken an interest in you. I was so delighted that I simply had to tell you.
The owner of the voice continued.
—We shall meet again. When you, as a human, have completely broken.
The overwhelming presence vanished as quickly as it had appeared. The tension left Luna’s body, and she slumped forward, her muscles going limp.
What was... that?
An indescribable sense of wrongness sat heavy in her chest. It felt as though she was forgetting something vital, but no matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn't pull it to the surface. The fragments were there, buried deep in her subconscious, but out of reach.
Still, it felt too real to dismiss as a mere hallucination.
I don't have time to worry about this...!
Luna shook her head to clear her thoughts and started walking deeper into the forest. There were still many demons hiding in these woods.
She would hunt down and slaughter every last one of them.
She had to make good use of her time, after all.