Chapter 131: Everyday Life of Demons, (2)
After entrusting Julius and the others to Leo and the other two, I joined the ranks of the training demons. Right after that, a demon nearby leaped towards me.
“Grrrr!”
“Don’t announce your ambush with a roar.”
Without even looking in that direction, I swatted the incoming attack away with my tail. With my all-encompassing vision, surprise attacks from behind or from the air held no sway over me. If they wanted to catch me off guard, they’d have to come up with a more cunning plan.
“Bumoooo!”
“Hihiin!”
From the opposite direction of the demon that was deflected by my tail, an ox and a horse came charging in. Both creatures pounded the ground with their four legs, hurtling toward me at full speed.
When I saw this, I came to an abrupt halt and encased my entire body in an exoskeleton, poised and ready. At the same time, the two animals—Shuu and Apao—shifted from their beast forms to their demon forms, maintaining their momentum from their animal forms and launching themselves at me.
Shuu was the first to charge. The tips of his impressive horns were aimed straight at me, and given Shuu’s weight and his current speed, they might just pierce through my exoskeleton.
“Hmph”
But that’s only if it’s a direct hit. As Shuu charged in, I seized his two horns with both hands and planted my feet firmly on the ground, halting his onslaught. The force of Shuu’s charge pushed me back, but within moments, I came to a complete stop.
“Apao, now! Bumo!”
“Hihin! Leave it to me! Hyaaah!”
Just before the clash of forces brought us to a standstill, Shuu signaled to Apao, who was hiding behind his massive form. Seizing this cue, Apao leaped from Shuu’s shadow and launched a dropkick aimed at my face.
While their forelimbs had taken on a humanoid form, their hind limbs remained those of an ox and a horse. In other words, both of them still had hooves. The hoof delivered by Apao’s powerful legs struck my face directly, shattering the exoskeleton and sending a powerful jolt through my brain.
Both their charges and kicks had grown even more potent since our previous sabotage mission. This was certainly a promising development, yet it still wasn’t enough to defeat me.
“Bumo?!”
“Hihin?!”
I exerted force with both hands, lifting Shuu off the ground and hurling him toward Apao, who had just landed on his feet. The heavyweight duo let out cries of distress as they tumbled and rolled on the ground.
As soon as the two were defeated, other demons surged toward me. Leading the charge were the Coalition Army’s demons, while Tigar and the others watched for an opening, ready to strike.
At first, Tigar and the others engaged the Coalition Army’s demons, then they all turned to face me together. This was our training regimen, designed to sharpen our skills. It was beneficial training for everyone. While I was curious about the three newcomers, I focused on the ongoing exercise before me, stroking the healed exoskeleton on my head and assuming a battle stance.
◇◆◇◆◇◆
The training of the three had been entrusted to Leo, Lappy, and Kelf. Kelf was reserved by nature and didn’t assert himself much, while Lappy was not only quiet but had engaged in what could hardly be called a fight—more like one-sided violence—with Julius just yesterday. Naturally, Leo needed to take on the role of instructor.
“Um, I’m Leo. I’m sort of in charge of the junior team. Nice to meet you.”
“…Tch.”
“Hey, Julius! Um, I’m Ariel. And this is Julius…”
“I’m Bolts.”
While listening to the three introduce themselves, Leo observed them closely. He admired his father, Tigar, who was the leader of the Lugall squad of the Atonnement soldiers, the Hades scorpion demon who is now leading them and whom he called “Big Brother”, and Zald, who led the Kadaha squad of the Atonnement soldiers, just like his father. Hence, as the leader of the junior team, he aspired to be like them.
And surely, the three before him were to be treated as fellow members of the junior team. He watched them intently, those who would likely be grouped together with him.
Julius was a boy with bright brown hair and eyes of the same color. He appeared to be in his early teens, around the same age as Leo. His gaze was quite unfriendly, and even now, he was giving Lappy a cold glare. Lappy, who was on the receiving end of this gaze, seemed to have decided to completely ignore it, which only seemed to further irritate Julius.
(Judging by his physique, Julius seems like someone accustomed to fighting, I guess? He probably took offense to Lappy beating him up yesterday because he had confidence in his own arms… But, it’s likely that his perception is limited to the extent that he can’t see through Lappy’s strength, which is stronger than most adults, especially in a bare-handed confrontation. So, it’s safe to say he doesn’t possess the skills of a warrior.)
Following Julius, Leo turned his attention to Ariel. She was a beautiful girl with silver hair, shinier than the white hair of his sisters, Farl and Tuhru, and dark eyes tinged with a hint of blue. As was the case yesterday, it was widely speculated that she had known Julius since well before he became a demon, given how she followed him around.
Currently, she was trying to appease Julius while also gauging the expressions of Leo and the other two. It was obvious that she was worried that they might be displeased.
Despite the anxious gaze of the lovely girl, the three of them remained unfazed. While it was natural for Lappy, who was of the same gender, Leo and Kelf, who were both healthy young boys, weren’t intimidated in the slightest. They were accustomed to seeing beautiful women.
They were descendants of fallen nations that had rebelled against the empire and were even from noble bloodlines. None of them were below average in terms of beauty or appearance, and none of them would turn up their noses at Ariel’s appearance.
(Ariel is probably the smartest among them. She understands the current situation best. She already knew who I was even before I claimed the role of the leader. Surely, when big brother called the three of us, he mentioned me first. Whether male or female, demons grow stronger, and with diligent training, they become skilled warriors. Now, the biggest issue is…)
While giving Ariel a reasonable amount of credit, Leo turned his attention to the final member, Bolts. In Leo’s eyes, Bolts seemed to be the most troublesome of the bunch.
Bolts was about the same height as Ariel, slightly shorter for a boy. His hair was a faded shade of gold, almost leaning towards brown, with a strong wave to it. His black eyes were quite small. With chubby cheeks and a slightly protruding belly, it was clear that this boy was on the plump side.
Being able to put on such weight was a luxury reserved for those born into well-off families. In fact, Leo deduced that Julius and Ariel were probably struggling to afford meals, given their rather lean appearances and hearty eating during the day.
Not that Leo and the others intended to judge based on their family backgrounds. However, whether due to lingering consciousness of his past or for some other reason, Bolts clearly looked down on Leo and the others. His gaze was akin to that of an imperial soldier sizing up Leo and his group.
(Even though he looked terrified of big brother, who obviously seems strong, I thought he was just a timid guy… Is this his true nature? He’s acting all high and mighty with us, who don’t appear strong at first glance. Even though we’re fellow demons… Anyway, I can’t allow myself as the leader of the junior team to be underestimated.)
Seeing Bolts clearly looking down on him and underestimating him, Leo recalled his father Tigar’s words. Before becoming demons, the Lugall squad and the Kadaha squad had been dispatched to quell a rebellion along with other Atonement soldiers’ units.
At that time, one or two units were apparently wiped out and ceased to function as cohesive units. After the battle, Tigar, who had fought in close proximity, told Leo that the cause was internal discord within the units.
(I remember my father saying the collapse of the squad was due to a group of young guys who didn’t listen to the leader and acted recklessly. He said that to survive as a group without allies like us, strong unity is necessary, but they couldn’t maintain it, leading to their downfall. These two… especially Bolts, if left unchecked, he might rebel just like those young guys did.)
Leo couldn’t allow such a thing. He couldn’t let his comrades die. He couldn’t afford to leave even a single cause for the Special Operations unit to crumble.
With these thoughts in mind, Leo made a decision. He was determined to impress upon them that they must not oppose those higher in rank today. He had initially planned to teach them how to transform into demon form with some degree of kindness when he was entrusted with the trio. But now, he needed to modify that plan.
“Lappy. You can accompany Ariel in practicing demon form transformation.”
“Sure thing.”
“Kelf. You can continue what you were doing earlier. I’ll oversee these two. Both of you, stay here.”
“Yeah, got it.”
Lappy completely ignored the glaring Julius and approached Ariel, taking her hand and leading her away from the scene. Kelf, wearing his usual smile, followed suit, guiding the other children behind him as they moved away.
Left behind were Leo, Julius, and Bolts. However, Julius seemed to be concerned about Ariel leaving. He had attempted to chase after her, ignoring Leo’s instructions, but Leo blocked his path.
“Where do you think you’re going, Julius? Didn’t I tell you I’d train you?”
“Shut up! Get out of my way!”
Leo continued to calmly reason with Julius, attempting to persuade him. However, Julius, who was not willing to listen, landed a powerful punch squarely on Leo’s face.
Perhaps due to his experience with brawls, Julius’s fist was surprisingly swift and carried a lot of weight despite his young age. Yet, both the speed and force were far from matching Lappy’s punches, let alone the fist of the demon Leo admired, the Fist of the Hades Scorpion Demon. Despite taking a direct hit, Leo remained practically unaffected.
“Weak. Far too weak. With that kind of strength, you’ll undoubtedly die in your first battle.”
“What the hell did you, guh?!”
Leo’s expression turned serious as he aimed a punch at Julius’s abdomen while ensuring not to inflict a fatal blow. As Julius staggered back, Leo swept his legs out from under him and sent him crashing to the ground from behind.
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Julius couldn’t react in time to brace himself. Air was forcefully expelled from his lungs upon impact, and he writhed in agony, emitting wordless screams. Standing beside him, Leo remained impassive as he swung his leg down toward Julius.
“Wha-?!”
Julius, unable to respond to Leo’s movement, involuntarily tensed up. Leo’s descending leg narrowly missed Julius’s face, creating a depression in the ground as it drove into the earth.
Leo slowly lifted his leg, shaking off the dirt from the sole before allowing it to fall gently. For the first time, a distinct expression of disdain crossed his previously serious face. He knelt down, looking directly at Julius’s face.
“Is it frustrating? This is reality. You guys are weak. Understand that anyone here can end you in an instant if they choose to.”
“You! Don’t get carr-“
Julius, driven by anger, attempted to rise, but before he could do so, Leo swiftly moved and placed a hand over his mouth, pressing his head down. Leo who was adept at wielding his demon powers made it impossible for Julius to remove his hand.
Yet, perhaps due to his unyielding spirit, Julius didn’t relent in his resistance. His tendency to bite back at everything was an issue, but his unyielding mental strength in the face of this power was commendable. While internally impressed, Leo continued without revealing his thoughts on his expression.
“Do you want to become stronger? Don’t you want to become strong and avoid feeling such frustration?”
“…”
Caught off guard by Leo’s question while being held down, Julius paused his movements. However, his previously clouded brown eyes suddenly began to gleam brightly. Deciding that there was no longer a need to restrain him, Leo released his grip on Julius’s face and extended his hand toward him.
“Well then, listen to what I have to say. Listen and become stronger. You all are demons too, so you can definitely grow stronger.”
“…. Hmph.”
Julius stood up on his own without grabbing the outstretched hand. Leo stood up with a wry smile and turned towards Bolsz. He then inquired, “Any objections?”
Bolts shook his head with all his might while trembling. He had underestimated Leo, thinking of him as a mere child, but in these few seconds, he had realized Leo wouldn’t hesitate to end his life if necessary. Thus, the two rebellious boys started to undergo rigorous training under Leo’s guidance.
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