"What was that you were saying about opponents, sweetheart?" the demoness asked with open mockery.
’Hurry up, Rose...’ Mark thought as he gathered the courage for what he was about to do.
Mark looked at Alice lying on the grass, then at Yuki and the others scattered across it like broken toys.
Alice was the only one trying to get up, but her arms were trembling so badly she could barely lift her torso off the ground before collapsing again — she was at her limit.
’Neither Alice nor Yuki can face her in this state. And even if they could... the power gap is ridiculous.’
Mark glanced at Rose out of the corner of his eye.
The vampire was still tracing runes in the air with both hands, her fingers moving at a frantic pace.
’She said she needed five minutes... but at this rate I don’t think we have even thirty seconds left.’
Mark ran the numbers in his head — if Alice and Yuki couldn’t fight, there was nobody left who could buy the remaining ti.
Nobody except him.
’This is a terrible idea,’ Mark thought as he felt his body resist what his brain was ordering it to do. ’And it’s probably the worst idea I’ve ever had...’
But he had no other choice.
Mark slowly set Vorax down on the ground.
"Stay here," he whispered to the sli.
"Master..." Vorax pulsed weakly in protest.
"Stay here," Mark repeated in a tone that left no room for argunt.
And then Mark began walking directly toward the demoness.
His entire body was screaming at him to stop, to turn around, to run in the opposite direction as fast as possible.
But Mark kept walking.
She watched him with a smile, her eyebrows rising slightly as if she hadn’t expected that move.
Mark stopped a few ters from her and swallowed before speaking.
"If I surrender..." Mark said in a voice that sounded surprisingly steady. "Will you let the others go?"
Hearing that, she stayed silent for an instant — then burst out laughing.
"Oh, sweetheart... I certainly wasn’t expecting that," she said, catching her breath.
Mark didn’t move, didn’t even say anything.
He just waited for her to speak again.
"Tell sothing," she said, tilting her head. "What kind of necromancer puts himself on the line instead of sending his undead to do the dirty work?"
Mark looked her directly in the eyes.
"I like to think I’m different from the rest," Mark replied with a half smile.
"HAHAHA!" The laugh was so explosive Mark felt the air pressure against his face.
She brought both hands to her stomach, doubling over with laughter.
"Oh... oh, this is too much..." she said between laughs, shaking her head.
Mark didn’t flinch — not because he had nothing to say.
But because every second she spent laughing was one more second Rose had to finish the spell.
’Keep laughing...’ Mark thought. ’Laugh all you want.’
"Alright, alright..." the demoness said, running a hand through her silver hair. "For the laughs you and your little dolls have given , I’ll grant your little wish."
While she spoke Mark didn’t take his eyes off her for a single second.
"I’ll let your undead go," she said with a casual wave of her hand, as if granting a trivial favor. "Besides..."
She leaned slightly forward and her red eyes locked onto Mark’s.
"...I’d rather take you in one piece."
Her tongue, long and dark purple, slipped out from between her lips and traced slowly across her upper lip from one end to the other.
"Because I have plans for you, my little reincarnated one."
Hearing that a chill ran down Mark’s spine from top to bottom.
Mark took the last few steps separating him from her until he was standing directly in front of the demoness.
Standing before her, Mark had to tilt his head up slightly to see her face — she was taller than him, not by much, but enough that Mark had to raise his gaze to avoid staring at her tits.
"Honestly..." Mark said, looking her directly in the eyes and keeping his expression as neutral as possible. "I don’t know what you an by that reincarnated business."
"Playing dumb won’t fool , sweetheart," she replied in a soft tone. "Your very presence gives you away."
But Mark wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying, because inside his head there was only one thing.
’Thirty seconds.’
That was all he needed.
Thirty damn seconds more.
’Just a little longer...’
"But anyway, we’ll have all the ti in the world to talk once we’re back inside my dungeon," the demoness said as she raised one hand toward Mark.
Seeing that he was running out of ti, Mark did the only thing he could think of and... punched her directly in the stomach.
Mark’s fist hit the demoness’s abdon with every ounce of force his body could generate.
She didn’t move. Didn’t step back.
She didn’t even blink.
She simply lowered her gaze slowly toward Mark’s fist still pressed against her stomach, then raised it back to his face.
"...Have you completely lost your mind?" the demoness asked in an unmistakable tone of disbelief.
Mark, his fist still against her stomach and his knuckles throbbing with pain, looked up with a grin on his face.
"Honestly, I ran out of ideas..." Mark said. "And this was the best I could co up with."
"A punch? Seriously?" she said, still incredulous. "Your big trump card was punching ?"
"Yeah..."
"..."
"..."
"You’re completely insane."
"I had to try..."
She opened her mouth to say sothing else but couldn’t, because Mark cut her off with a loud shout.
"Alice, NOW!!"
And the nun shot up from the ground, her legs — which monts ago couldn’t hold her — driving against the earth with an explosive force that cracked the ground beneath her feet.
"Will of the Weak!" Alice scread at the top of her lungs, activating one of her miracles.
The demoness turned her head toward Alice but it was already too late — Alice’s fist had already slamd into her side with every ounce of force she could muster.
Sending the demoness’s body flying toward the trees like a projectile, tearing through the air of the clearing at a speed that left a trail of wind in its wake.
She hit the first tree, splitting it in half, then the second, the third, and so on until she finally ca to a stop, the sound of shattering wood echoing through the forest like a chain of explosions.
’Holy shit... it actually worked.’
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