To Become Number One

Chapter 11

The light in the darkness.

The surroundings around us were really dark. The wind's breeze is touching my skin, making me shivers a little despite the hugs from people I wanted to protect from these evil creatures in front of us, trying to harm us.

Their eyes are blazing in the dark with hunger and the predatory could be seen as how sharp the stares they're pointing at us— but the eyes of the man who's grinning from ear to ear is what's making it scariest than these demon's presences that surrounding this little house that is, any minutes from now, will be broken already.

He made his knuckles contact before I've heard a loud sound of an explosion coming from it. “I've been waiting for you to appear, you little pieces of shits,” He said so deep and sharp, yet I noticed something with his voice. Antsy for a new challenge he'll face, and excitement to punch these creature's face and kill them.

After all, this is Killian Astaroth… the man who named at demon itself, as right now, all I could see is his hunger for adventure and challenges.

The demons groaned— the only thing they could do to answer him since they couldn't talk. These demons don't know how to speak or let me say, they don't have a mind to think or so. All they could do is to hunt and prey until they are satisfied, and if you're genius enough to hide at them, then you're safe.

That's the only thing we could do even how helpless we were— and I'm talking with my parents here. We can hide from them by thinking ahead— three steps ahead, in which of course, we also taught the people at our place back then to avoid getting harm by these evil ones.

These demons could be attracted by light so it means you must've turned off any lights at your home when it's dark so they wouldn't know that someone's living on that house. Covering your windows with dark clothes is also a must, and since garlic smells stronger than anything else, putting too much garlic around your home especially when it's night will help you hide from their strong senses of smell since if you wouldn't put anything, your scent will linger to the air and that would attract these monsters.

But knowing that this place doesn't know anything about it, confirmed the reason why they are prone to this kind of accident.

Killian made those small explosives with his hands again, as right now, I don't know if I am able to look at his face since he's really scary. I mean, if he was already scary ever since, even he's silent— of course, I'm talking about how he stares at. Looking at him right now, who's equally the hunger and predatory that could've to be seen in his eyes that are much stronger than these demons, I don't know if I should be scared of these demons when he's right here since he's scarier than them.

Because right now, it was as if his red eyes are blazing too, just like how these demons eyes are shining in the darkness.

“Hey weakshit stupid girl, get the hell out of here,” He said as he gave me a little stare, before transferring his gazes at those demons who are slowly entering the small house where we are right now.

I quickly shook my head. “Are you kidding? If we ever use the door, those demons would quickly prey at us!” I said a fact, especially that I saw a demon just at the door, and their arms and feet… or let me say tentacles, are surrounding it!

These demons aren't the ordinary demons that most human knows since they couldn't walk straight and could only crawl with their feet and hands at the land but yeah, their face is scary! I don't know how to explain it since the structure of their faces aren't the same with others since some of them have different structures, but two things could be noticed at their similarities, and that is their pair of shining red eyes and their big mouth with the needle-like teeth!

“Who said you are using the door?” Killian suddenly said and in just a bang, when he pointed his left palm at the side of him, it suddenly exploded and swear, that part of the house just suddenly had a hole in which…

“Killian! What the heck have you done?” I shouted in disbelief. Why did he ever destroy this house when these people with me couldn't afford to even create a new one?

“I made a way for you to escape, stupid. And don't cry,” He said as a matter of a fact before he glared at the demon who was about to come to us. The demon stopped, while we quickly ran towards where he is. The child's crying as the woman carried her daughter.

“At a time like this, do your surroundings even matter when your life is at stake?” I got frozen at what he said.

Because even I wouldn't want to admit it.

But he was right with this one.

“Go, evacuate those people and everyone close to this place, I'll stall them some time so you could escape,” He said it calmly, but he's still grinning. I couldn't really explain it but right now, it was as if he could already see that he will enjoy this one.

He's asking me to escape and leave him here.

“What about you?” I asked through a little voice, unsure if I should ask that.

Killian gave me a side stare before he focused his attention on the demons crawling at the wall of this house, as he continues to made his tiny explosions that I only thought of it right now— he's buying time so that those demons wouldn't attack us.

Just as when his smirk grew wider before I heard him speaks.

“Maybe you forgot that I'm the strongest among us, even at that half-half bastard,”

Just as when the demons are on the place where we were earlier, right in front of us, I jugged the woman tightly as I could feel her terrified feelings through the air. No, even I was terrified, but if only I let these demons see that I'm scared, it will only make them stronger and give them more reason to prey at us.

“I'll ask for some reinforcement,” I whispered to him just before I readied myself for some running. It'll be a marathon, I already know it.

But then he just shook his head.

“I don't need some help. Go!”

Just as when we move as I helped the woman to run, since I know it'll be hard for her since… she was really weak earlier, despite that she looks fine today. I noticed her losing balance so I quickly came into her aid as we ran away from it.

Due to our movement, the demons' instincts are to jump at us to stop us from escaping to them. Thankfully, Killian jumped to where we are earlier to cover us and stopped them with his explosive attack, enough for them to put a distance and that's the reason why we successfully escaped from that place.

Running a little more until we're back into a light surrounding, and not too far again when we're finally back to the place where the donation is happening. I was catching my breath as they looked at us— seeing our presence that came out from nowhere and with haste in our movement, some of them already knows that something is happening in this place.

We were quickly surrounded by medics as they assisted those people who are with me. Ms. Hera quickly came in my aid to ask what's happening and why I'm looking so scared, in which, I pointed at the place where we came at since I still couldn't talk properly, as if was followed by a very loud explosion coming from that place, enough for them to finally grasped the situation.

“Killian! Where's Killian?” Ms. Hera quickly shouted even she already knows what's happening. Mr. Monaghan and some of our professors ran towards the place where the loud explosion came from. It didn't take a while when those explosions repeat that made those people scared for what's happening. Ms. Hera quickly came into my aid when she saw me kind of losing balance.

“Artemis, would you want to rest for a while? We will come back to bring Killian—” She didn't even finish at what she's saying when I quickly shook my head.

“I'll c-come with you,” I said, stammering as it's still hard to breathe because I'm still catching my breathings. She looks at me for a while before she nodded. Just as when she looks at our left, and that's when I noticed my classmates who are close at us.

“Ma'am, we will be going too.” They said in unison as I could see, from the way they stood up right now, all of them are scared, but they are fighting it since if they let their fear conquer them, they wouldn't be able to step forward.

“It'll be dangerous,” Ms. Hera said but I saw some of them shook their heads, and right now, all of them look so serious.

“But it's part of our training to become Mages,” Yvonne said with her serious voice, and it was as if she's on her other personality again— every time she's using her power.

Ms. Hera sighed. “Right, think of this as your advance training but remember, you'll stay at some distance only and let those Pro handle this.” She said as she started to ran, in which we followed behind her.

“We promised, Ma'am.” My classmates said in unison.

Ms. Hera, who's just a little ahead of me, looks at me from her shoulder. “How many demons are there?” She looks so serious right now since this isn't just something, like this one, with just one mistake, life will be at stake.

I tried to remember it. How many are them… the crawling on the wall, the one which is at the door, and those at the roof of the house earlier… “I don't know, Ma'am, but based on their presences… they're more than five.”

Ms. Hera only nodded. As we slowly come closer to the place, I heard the explosions becoming louder and I noticed, from the distance where we are, there are some lights that I think are from their abilities.

And not so far, I saw Mr. Monaghan stopping Killian by holding his arm in which the other one's catching his breath but based on his looks right now, it was as if he still wanted to fight as I could see the annoyance on his face.

Just as when we're almost near at them when Killian's voice echoed at the place. “I told you, Sir, I could still fight!” He made emphasis on the word Sir as if he's still trying to respect Mr. Monaghan, despite that he's shouting even the one he's talking at is just in front of him.

“No, kid. It's enough that you've killed the boss already. Let those Pro do their duties.” Mr. Monaghan answered as he threw us some glimpse before he nodded at Ms. Hera, I think.

Yet it was as if Killian's still oblivious at our presence since he turned his attention back to those demons, and I am right since they're more than five because right now, the Pros are fighting at those demons in which are seven, I think.

As my eyes traveled somewhere that I almost vomit everything I've eaten when I saw the biggest demon with its intestines outside its body and its… I shook my head as I averted my stares at it.

“Damn it, I still wanted to kill those little pieces of underling shits!” I heard Killian as my eyes traveled to him, and I noticed his shirt is a mess right now as my eyes widen in shock, and before I could think of what I'm doing, I quickly came at Killian's place as I hold on to his arm, which made him tensed as I felt it, but my focus is on bleeding arm!

“You're bleeding, Killian!” I said with a little loud that made him took a glimpse of me before he quickly averted his gaze at mine.

“These are just scratches,” He wiped his lips with the back of his hand. “Why are you here, you stupid weak,” He looks… no, he glared at me again, and just as when his gaze transferred at others as his face turned sour.

“Hello, Killian. We're here to fetch you and to see if you're okay,” Yvonne said smiling at him, but Killian, who's scowling, just made a ‘tch’ sound before he turned his attention back in front, in which I followed too.

As I noticed that the Pros successfully defeated those bunch of demons right now with cages and handcuffs made from Ms. Hera's ability which is fire, just as when I felt Yvonne's presence beside me before I heard her whispers.

“So do you plan of holding Killian's arm until later? And it's kinda shocking that he isn't removing your hands on his triceps. Wow, is something happened—”

As when it quickly loaded into my brain, I quickly let go of Killian's arm as I quickly stepped backward, away from them that I could feel their confused stares at mine as if I'm the only one who heard what Yvonne said, but what's on my mind right now is how warm my cheeks are from embarrassment, especially when Yvonne laughed and that Killian looked at her, questioning, in which I hope that he didn't hear what Yvonne said.