The knights advanced through the forest, making their way through the trees. Their mission was to eliminate anyone who escaped into the forest. They were to leave no witnesses.

  Demetrius Blerh was in charge of this expedition. With him were five other soldiers, for a total of six.

  "Archers! Keep your eyes peeled!"

  All of them were armed with swords and full armor, but only two were equipped with bows and arrows. He would have preferred crossbows, which, unlike bows, could penetrate the armor of Imperial soldiers, but he could understand why the Marquis who had hired them had skimped on the armaments.

  They were there to eliminate civilians and destroy villages, luring Captain Gareth Stronghold to their location. The Theocracy's agents would handle the rest. If everything went according to plan, they wouldn't have to face a single Imperial soldier.

  Not that they're much of a threat…

  Personally, Demetrius wasn't at all worried about the possibility of a clash with other soldiers. He and his older brother, Dimitri, were trained veterans, having been to war more than once, always returning with only a few bruises.

  But why were they there then? Why take part in that farce orchestrated by the Theocracy? Simple: for money. The Marquis who had hired them wasn't one of the Empire's Great Eight, but he had enough money to finance this masquerade. Of course, he and his brother had been overcharged using their veteran background as an excuse. The Marquis had been so enthralled by their nonsense that had appointed his brother Lieutenant, while to him had been given the title of deputy for the operation.

  It's easy money.

  Demetrius rubbed his hands together at the mere thought of his hefty pay. He had to keep himself from drooling.

  "Deputy Lieutenant! There's something moving in the distance!"

  "Huh?"

  He shifted his gaze to where his subordinate had indicated, noticing a tall figure in the distance.

  "Is this the girl we're looking for?"

  Demetrius asked, but received a negative answer from one of his comrades.

  "No. It's too tall. From the Marquis's words, we're chasing a little girl with two children. That creature is alone. It could be a monster..."

  He gritted his teeth. If that figure had truly been a forest monster, their equipment would not have been enough.

  "Do we know what kind of monster this is?"

  "It appears to be a female. Perhaps…an Oni? Or a dryad."

  Demetrius began cursing the gods he didn't believe in. To him, religion had always been money-grubbing bullshit. If they encountered an Oni, they would have to be wary of its powerful fire attacks. If it were a dryad, however, they would have to retreat. Dryads were considered, in importance, equal to deities and defended the forest from anyone who dared to harm it.

  It wasn't a given that they would automatically see them as enemies, but they weren't sure. The best idea would have been to retreat. But Demetrius had other plans.

  From what I hear, dryads are women of unparalleled beauty! Maybe I can woo her and have some fun!

  Driven by desire, Demetrius ignored his companions' complaints and gave the order to advance. He too knew how powerful the dryads were, but as long as they didn't anger her, they would be safe.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Once he approached the mysterious figure, which seemed to be gazing around in a bewildered manner, Demetrius was able to get a better look. It was a humanoid figure, much taller than a human, with two wings on its back and long red hair. Its right hand pulsated with a strange red glow.

  She was definitely not a dryad. Given the color of her hair, she could have been a vampire, but from her wings, he theorized she was a dragonkin. His instincts told him to run away, but his brain told him to leap on the girl instead. Despite everything, her beauty was undeniable.

  "Hmm? I finally found someone!"

  The creature declared, noticing the knights approaching her. Despite being alone against six armed men, there was no fear in her tone. Her voice was pure and innocent, like that of a young girl who doesn't know how babies are born.

  "And who are you? I mean…What are you?"

  "Are you all men? What a shame..."

  The girl had completely ignored the question, as if the knights before her didn't even exist. Her comment had an undertone of disappointment, as if she had completely lost interest in who she was facing.

  "Don't waste time with idle chatter! Tell us who you are!"

  "My name is Almodea, and-"

  "She's a dragonoid to me, Deputy Lieutenant! We have to be careful!"

  She hadn't even had time to respond before the weapons were already pointed at her. A couple of soldiers raised their shields to protect themselves from possible fire, while others began drawing their bows, preparing to shoot.

  Despite this obvious aggression, the girl didn't seem the least bit disturbed by her situation. This was what Demetrius couldn't explain.

  She's a little weird, but damn if she's beautiful! Maybe I can have some fun with her before selling her on the black market.

  Slavery had recently been abolished through laws proposed by the Princess of the Empire, but this only applied to humans, not a demi-human race like the dragonkin standing before the soldiers. It was said that, along with elves, dragonkin were naturally skilled in magic. Demetrius had heard from some adventurers at a diner that some dragonkin could cast spells at least level 3. On average, one in ten mages in the Empire could reach level 4, but a dragonkin? She could reach level 5, maybe even level 6, considered the maximum for a human. She might even be able to cast level 7 or 8 spells, but Demetrius had no idea if such spells actually existed. This was magic of the Gods and he was no believer.

  That said, if he sold it to the right person, he could have made a nice nest egg.

  I will be able to get so much money that I will never have to work again for the rest of my life!

  Driven by greed, Demetrius stepped forward.

  "Take her! It might come in handy!"

  The soldiers looked at each other doubtfully. Attacking a dragonkin who didn't seem aggressive would be like asking her to fight. They weren't trained gendarmes, but merely peasants in the Marquis's service. In short, combat wasn't their forte, and they didn't feel confident facing a monster.

  Noticing their indecision, Demetrius grabbed one of them by the shoulder and pushed him forward.

  "I gave an order! Capture her!"

  The soldier sighed and moved toward the girl. He reluctantly raised his hand, reaching to grab her chest. It was the first thing his eyes landed on. The girl's breast was pretty curvy.

  -And then...the limb fell to the ground.

  "I don't like being touched by people I don't like. Didn't you know that?"

  The astonished man looked at his now handless arm and, after a moment of hesitation, groaned in pain:

  "Ahhhhhhhh! My hand! My haaaaand!"

  "So much fuss over just one hand! Pathetic..."

  Almodea waved her hand lazily as she muttered in annoyance, and the man's head went the same way as her right arm. The other knights jumped back in fright.

  How could she decapitate a soldier in iron armor with such a thin hand? Only then did Demetrius look at Almodea's hands. He had noticed the small claws, but he didn't believe they were sharp enough to cut through metal.

  The soldiers were shaking with fear, terrified beyond belief. It was supposed to be an easy job, none of them were supposed to die, yet...

  "You humans are so boring. Especially when you're scared."

  …What they saw next made their hearts beat even faster.

  Almodea's wings spread in all their greatness. In a swift movement, the two closest soldiers were pierced through and through by the dragon limbs. Their shields were useless; they were pierced along with their armor and torso. The lifeless bodies of the two men were lifted by the wings, only to be shrugged off as if nothing had happened.

  The two archers raised their bows and, taking courage, shot a couple of arrows at Almodea.

  "Impossible!"

  "What trick is that?!"

  They couldn't believe their eyes. The arrows had bounced off her skin, which must have been so tough that they could snap their iron tips. The surprising thing was that not even monsters like ogres or orcs, feared for their strength and endurance, could have withstood such attacks as Almodea had.

  "Ahhhhhh!"

  Realizing that the situation was not in their favor, Demetrius let out a cowardly cry and abandoned his companions, starting to run in the opposite direction to Almodea, hoping to reach the village and suggest a retreat to his brother.

  "Hey! Where are you going?!"

  "Don't leave us here! Coward!"

  The two remaining soldiers left the bow and tried to follow Demetrius' example, but soon fell to the ground, unable to move their legs.

  "B-But what?"

  One of the two dared to look away. What he saw made him vomit into his own helmet. His legs, like his companion's, had been severed the exact moment they turned to flee. How had she managed to strike them with such precision and speed? Was a dragonkin really that powerful?

  "Please! Let us go! We-""

  His companion's voice was cut off before it could be heard. The supplicant's skull was crushed by the girl's boot, causing brains and blood to spray everywhere.

  "Oh, Gods! Aaaaah!"

  He vomited again, so much so that part of his helmet leaked out, now completely filled with that greenish, smelly liquid.

  "Ewww! That's disgusting! You're disgusting!"

  With a kick, almost instinctively, the girl severed his head, sending it tumbling under a nearby tree. Despite having slaughtered five people in cold blood, Almodea seemed more concerned about the foul smell of vomit coming out of the last soldier's helmet than anything else.

  "The blood is ok, but the vomit smells like shit!"

  She shook her head, trying not to think about the smell that was so bothering her. A furrow appeared on her beautiful face: it was a smile. The hunt wasn't over yet.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Demetrius ran like he had never done in his life.

  Shit! Shit! Shit!

  His adrenaline reserves exhausted. He sat down at the foot of a large tree, using it as makeshift cover. He placed his hand on his chest, trying to contain his breathing. His heart was exploding in his chest.

  "I have to…go back to the village…"

  Demetrius had to return to the village and tell his brother to order an immediate retreat. He didn't believe the dragonoid was powerful enough to eliminate all the soldiers who had come with him, but he no longer had the will, nor the courage, to remain in that area.

  The man removed his helmet, which was making it difficul to breathe. He ran his hand through his hair, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He was still having trouble breathing, and his heart was pounding so hard against his chest that he felt like it was about to explode.

  Demetrius ooked in the direction where he'd abandoned his companions. He wasn't doing it to make sure they'd escaped, but to prevent that dragonkin from chasing him. He didn't care about the others; he was almost certain they were all dead.

  He surveyed the area a second time. He calmed slightly when he saw only trees in the distance. No dragonkin in sight.

  "Wow…You're really pathetic."

  His heart skipped a beat when he heard that pure voice he'd heard before. He slowly turned his head and saw the dragonkin standing beside him. When their eyes met, his heart stopped.

  "Please! Let me go! I'll give you everything you want!"

  Demetrius began to beg the girl. He no longer had the strength to get up and run away. He could only cry and hope.

  "Hahahaha! Your face is funny!"

  "Does that mean…?"

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  He thought the girl would let him go, but she grabbed him by the neck, wrapping her clawed hand around his entire face. She lifted him off the ground as if he weighed nothing. He tried to resist, but his two decently strong arms didn't have even a quarter of the strength of Almodea's skinny one.

  "How about we talk a little? Start singing!"

  Demetrius's screams could be heard for several meters away, but there was no one to hear them. To help him.

  It was only half an hour later that Almodea allowed him to die.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  They had been running for who knows how long.

  Amy had lost count of the minutes that had passed since her escape. Probably more than half an hour. She and her siblings had hidden behind a tree to catch their breath, but distant noises made them resume their desperate flight.

  She glanced back quickly and saw—of course—the worst-case scenario. A squad of five knights was hot on her heels.

  Throw away the dead weight.

  Those words echoed in her head, as if someone had forced them on her.

  Do you want to die here?

  Let them go!

  They are children, they won't kill them.

  If you died, they wouldn't survive on their own. Leave them!

  "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

  She regretted even having had such horrible thoughts. How could she abandon her siblings? How could she have even thought of that? Was this what adventurers meant when they said "a man ruined by war?"

  Distracted by her thoughts, the girl lost her balance and fell to the ground. Amy spat out the mortar ended up in her mouth and tried to get up, but she didn't have time. The attackers had already reached them.

  "Please! Take me, but spare my siblings!"

  She begged, kneeling before what appeared to be the leader of the group chasing her, shielding her little siblings

  They're only six years old each. They're not going to kill children, are they?

  "Bog! What do we do?"

  One of the knights asked as he approached the leader of the group.

  I hope the Gods punish you all! All of you!

  The young woman railed, but only in her own mind; she was in no position to respond in kind.

  "Lord Reven wants them all dead! Even the children! What are you waiting for? Kill them!"

  At those words, the girl was horrified.

  How can you kill innocent children? What do these men want? Judging by the crests on their vests, they look like soldiers from the Ashen Kingdom. Why are they doing this to us?

  "Come on, let's exterminate this scum!"

  A blow followed, aimed at Amy's back. Was it an axe? A sword? She didn't know, but it certainly hurt terribly. The young woman collapsed to the ground, unable to move, forced to watch her own blood fall beside her as the knight who had struck her moved, his weapon still smeared, toward his siblings to finish the job.

  She tried to raise her head to shout at them to run away, but could only watch helplessly as her tormentor approached her brother first, who bravely imitated what he had seen her do, stepping in front of his little sister to defend her.

  I'm proud of him. I wish I could have done more for them at this time. Forgive me, if you can... Mom...Dad.

  The girl tried to get up again, but the excruciating pain in her back stopped her once again. It was then that a scream was heard.

  "Uh? What?!"

  The soldier stopped short, confused.

  What's happening?

  Amy shifted her gaze and noticed that a crow had positioned itself between her brother and the soldier. It was different from the normal ones. This one had a more reddish hue to its feathers.

  "Come on! Kill that bird and let's get this over with!"

  He urged one of his comrades, but the crow seemed to have other intentions. A reddish energy began to emanate from its feathers, concentrating into what appeared to be an A inside a circle.

  What…What is it?

  Amy had never seen such power. Despite her ignorance, she could feel her heart beating rapidly. It was fear. She was even trembling, even though she couldn't move. However, something wasn't right. Before the bird's arrival, she had felt like she was about to pass out, but now she couldn't keep her eyes closed. It was as if the unholy fear she was feeling was keeping her alive, preventing her body from fainting from the bleeding.

  Fear…That drives away death?

  A black substance began to ooze from the crimson symbol, but it didn't fall to the ground like water poured from a jug. The slime stuck to the A as if it were a magnet, and something enormous, humanoid-looking, began to form.

  For some reason, the girl's heart began to beat even faster, as if something had happened that renewed her pre-existing fear, something that prevented her eyes from remaining closed.

  What's going on?

  The young woman wondered, confused.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Almodeus finished generating his body and placed his feet on the ground, watching the knights, visibly terrified by the arrival of this giant creature.

  He smiled. He loved the look of terror on the faces of fools.

  "What the hell is this thing? A slime? An undead?!"

  An undead? I'd never been compared to one. I don't know whether to consider it an insult or not.

  "It doesn't matter! Die! You ugly monster!"

  One of the knights shouted, striking Almodeus in the arm with his sword. But the attack was completely ineffective, as the iron weapon shattered as if it were made of glass.

  "Pathetic..."

  The soldier eyed the shattered weapon. His companions took a step back, but the same fear that kept Amy from dying was holding them in place like beautiful figurines.

  All this terror…It's so intoxicating! And dangerous, yes… When fear completely takes control of a mind, it becomes incapable of thinking and, deprived of purpose, loses its reason for existing.

  Words, like a formula, came out of his mouth.

  "Absolute Fear."

  Despite being a spell, the one Almodeus cast did not belong to the ten tiers of arcane magic. It belonged to a separate category, called Absolute Magic.

  Absolute Fear was his favorite spell and had three different tiers. The first instilled fear in the target, whether multiple or single, bringing anxiety and panic. The second tier brought with it panic and stopped someone from moving at all. The third and final tier maximized the previous effects, causing cerebral paralysis, followed by an instant death effect. While all this occurred, the victim remained conscious. Despite lasting only a few seconds, it was not a painless treatment. Each individual stage was slow and painful, both physically and mentally. Its creator would describe it as "A lifetime of constant and endless fear."

  Almodeus had decided to set out with that spell to test his powers in the new world.

  As expected, the targeted soldier suddenly froze. His head burst like a balloon, with enough force to shatter the unfortunate man's helmet. The other knights retreated further, astonished at the sight of that event.

  "What happened?!"

  "It's that thing's doing!"

  "Is he an enchanter or a necromancer?"

  He felt the soldiers' confusion growing with their terror. Nevertheless, two of those armored fools charged at him.

  "You're just insects. Why don't you accept it?"

  Almodeus thundered, summoning his main weapon, a trusty walking stick. A simple one, true, but it could be transformed into anything.

  A sickle should do the trick.

  He swung his transformed staff and cut one of the soldiers in half, then grabbed the other by the head. Almodeus wrapped his large hand around his skull, lifting it until he could see him face to face. The man's helmet obscured his face, but Almodeus could see the fear etched on his features through the spirals of his eyes.

  It exudes a terror I haven't seen in a long time. That of an insect unaware it's about to be trampled!

  "You know, I have to thank you..."

  He commented, tightening his grip around the man's forehead, crushing his head to a pulp.

  "If my Absolute Magic, which is the highest level of arcane magic, hadn't worked for some reason, I would probably have been at an extremely disadvantage in this world."

  Standard arcane magic was divided into ten levels. Beyond these tiers, there were others. There was Divine Magic, an enhanced version of Holy Magic; Void Magic, capable of altering reality, used primarily by the species known as Eldritch Horror. Hirashi, for example, belonged to this category; Finally, there was Absolute Magic, an invention of Almodeus himself. It was the supreme level of magic, capable of bending the laws of reality and bringing any spell to its maximum potential.

  "However...This does not appear to be the case! Therefore, I can state without a shadow of a reasonable doubt that, in this world, there exists no being that could even think of defeating me!"

  The blood of the crushed soldier began to drip onto his fingers. He stopped to watch it, fascinated; it was a truly satisfying sight.

  "That's a monster! Go away! Run!"

  As he watched them flee, Almodeus began to laugh maniacally.

  "You have no problem attacking women and children, but when someone stronger shows up, you run away? Typical of humans..."

  He raised his right hand towards the fugitives.

  "Running won't do you any good! Fight, flee, it will make no difference! Fire Ball! "

  An explosion followed those words. Of the fleeing knights, none remained alive. Their corpses lay charred on the ground, like broken toys.

  "They're weak. A level 3 spell was enough to kill them..."

  Almodeus's gaze moved to the girl on the ground.

  The wound on her back is very deep. If it weren't for my Aura of Terror, she would already be dead.

  He took a step toward her, but a child stepped in between, as if to shield the girl.

  "Don't touch my big sister! "

  Almodeus opened his eyes slightly in surprise. He had activated one of his abilities, called Terror Aura which caused anxiety and fear the closer you got to him. This mechanic was called "Terror Radius".

  Even though he'd kept it low, his aura was still active. For a child to face him was something he'd never seen in his entire life.

  Humans continue to amaze me...

  A faint, hoarse voice caught Almodeus's attention.

  "Please...Whoever you are... Let them go! Take me in their place!"

  The older sister tried to raise her arm in his direction, but she was too weak to do so, so she simply prayed to the devil with her last remaining strength.

  Admirable. Useless in a practical sense, but admirable.

  Almodeus thought before speaking, his voice calm yet menacing. Thanks to his aura of terror, his words seemed even more terrifying to Amy.

  "I don't mean to hurt you. Also because..."

  He stopped and looked at his shadow, from which black liquid flowed out which formed the body of his daughter Almodea.

  "Ah! There you are, little spot!"

  "Here I am! Sorry I'm late, Dad. I see you've been busy!"

  "It's no problem. What do you have in your bag?"

  "Oh, I went back to Fear Tower to get something!"

  She commented, laughing and putting down on the ground a black bag she had brought with her, then approaching the humans.

  "Hi, little ones! You're so cute!"

  Unlike her father, Almodea had a much friendlier aura. She remained taller than the average human, but no one would be scared off by seeing her all smiley.

  "So much blood, but don't worry! The illustrious Almodea will give you a hand!"

  Almodeus laughed at that statement, which was made in an extremely lively tone.

  She says it with such energy that it almost makes me smile. My daughter gives a new meaning to fear, something even I haven't been able to grasp after centuries.

  He watched the girl take a vial from her bag and pour it on the open wound. It was a healing potion. It wouldn't have any effect on him or his daughter due to their various immunities, but on the injured girl? That was another story.

  Almodea could have used a spell to heal the girl's wounds, but she preferred to use a potion as an experiment. It wasn't out of the question that magic didn't work in that world the way it did in theirs and, therefore, magical objects might not have any effect. It didn't cost anything to try

  "That's it! In a few hours, you'll feel better. You'll be as good as new, trust me!"

  Almodea reached out to the injured girl, helping her to her feet. Meanwhile, her father began using his tentacles to create a pile of the corpses of the knights he had just killed.

  "What's your name? I'm Almodea Fearterror! Nice to meet you!"

  She introduced herself, shaking the girl's hand in a friendly manner.

  "I-I'm Amy."

  The girl stammered, before turning to her siblings.

  "These are Loyd and Nemi."

  The children greeted Almodea in a less formal but no less forceful manner. She had earned their trust after saving her older sister.

  "You have her to thank. If it hadn't been for her will, you probably would have died here."

  Almodeus commented, looking at his daughter.

  Maybe I'll be seen as the bad guy, but seeing my daughter make friends with someone she likes, that and more!

  He didn't mind playing the bad guy. He had already decided to rescue the village to gather information. Almodea seemed to have taken a liking to those humans, so making them believe she was the one who had requested the village's rescue would make the villagers see the demoness in a positive light.

  "These corpses give me half an idea..."

  He commented, eyeing the various lifeless bodies of the knights. He didn't want to send any A.L. Bots, he wanted to avoid suffering unnecessary losses among his own ranks.

  Almodeus raised his right hand and began to ooze his dark ink, a black substance he could control at will, which comprised his entire body. The ink engulfed the soldiers' corpses. Their flesh could be heard melting, as if they had been immersed in acid. The same thing happened to their iron armor.

  I'm getting a rough idea of what I could create as a secondary resource in this world. Let's see...

  "What are you doing, Dad?"

  Almodea asked him, approaching curiously. The demon finished covering the corpses in ink and turned to his daughter, making his intentions clear.

  "Since I couldn't send A.L. bots to the village, given their small numbers, and I didn't want to draw too much attention to ourselves, risking revealing our true strength to the villagers or attackers. So, I decided to use my necromancy skills to create something new from the corpses and add my ink. Behold!"

  The demon raised his right hand and conjured a magic circle over the mass of ink.

  "Summon: Black Knight!"

  The mass of slime took the form of what appeared to be a heavily armored black knight, approximately three meters tall and wielding a gigantic dark sword. His body beneath the armor was not visible, nor was his face. Only his blood-red eyes were visible.

  It was a medium type of undead, one of Almodeus's favorites. He was only level 50 by default, but he had very high attack and defense stats for his level. Compared to the two elementals Almodea and Hirashi faced before, the Black Knight wasn't much, but using corpses to summon him had boosted his strength, likely up to level 52.

  The Black Knight possessed various useful skills.One of these allowed him to resurrect any slain targets in the form of an "Undead Knight", an undead creature ranging from level 10 to 22. Another ability the Black Knight possessed was the ability to withstand one killing blow per day, becoming a perfect flesh shield. Finally, he could use an attack called Black Mist, which allowed him to assume a gaseous form for a few seconds. He couldn't use it for flight, but it was useful for closing distances.

  "Ah? A Black Knight! Cool! I like it!

  "Yeah...I'd say it's time to activate it."

  Through the slit in the helmet, the monster's bloodshot eyes could be seen growing in intensity. The knight turned to Almodea, then shifted his gaze to his summoner and bowed, awaiting orders.

  "Massacre all the knights in that village. Don't let any of them escape! Also, avoid harming the civilians."

  The Black Knight nodded and raised his colossal sword, charging towards the village, tearing to pieces every tree and boulder he encountered along the way.

  "Do you think one Black Knight will be enough to do all the work?"

  Almodea's question was more than legitimate. In their home world, the Black Knights were pretty powerful nd wore armor stronger than diamond, but they were certainly not invincible. There were dozens and dozens of monsters capable of eliminating them, even with a single blow.

  Almodeus could have summoned one of these, but he thought it would have been too Overkill.

  "Judging by the humans I've faced, that's probably even too much...Now come on! Let's go see how the massacre is going!"

  Almodeus began to move towards the village, when he heard a faint voice behind him.

  "Um, wait... I'd like to thank you for your help. W-What's your name…Sir?"

  Amy approached them. She seemed to be feeling better already, still holding a defensive posture, but she seemed more confident than before.

  Almodea lowered their guard with her kindness, typical...Well done, my little spot!

  "I have many names: Hope Devourer, Devil's Entertainer, Charro Negro, Absolute Lord! But you can call me by my favorite: Almodeus Fearterror!"

  The demon stared straight into her eyes, making poor Amy jump and step back. He was not surprised by such an action, his appearance was polluting after all.

  Speaking of appearance, it seems my containment form is too terrifying for the vast majority of humans. So, as much as it annoys me, I'll have to modify it.

  He began to shape his body, first shrinking his size to about eight feet tall, then using the excess ink to create a sort of cloak that covered the rest of his body. His top hat became tighter and the sleeves became wider, partially hiding his clawed hands and inhuman features.

  "What are you doing, Dad?"

  Almodea asked curiously, approaching. It was rare for her father to change his appearance.

  "I had to modify my body to avoid alarming the other villagers. Unfortunately, I still have a problem to address..."

  Almodeus looked down at his chest, then began to think.

  Despite all this, I'm missing some details.

  Anticipating that he would have to blend in, he had taken something from the Memorabilia Room.

  The Memorabilia Room was a room located on the tenth floor of the Fear Tower. Inside, it housed a sort of museum, allowing Almodeus to indulge his passion for collecting. Some of the items contained no real value, but they could be useful, like the mask Almodeus donned. It was an old purple and red mask depicting an angry face. It was called the "Mask of Brutality." Its main feature was to increase the wearer's aggression, along with their physical strength, while weakening their defense stats. Obviously, it had no effect on him, as he was immune to external status changes. In that case, it was fine, since he needed it more to cover his face than for the buffs.

  To get around the problem of the red and clawed hand, he used simple metallic gray iron gloves. They had no special abilities, other than enhancing physical strength, but they could be useful for avoiding problems should the demon touch something sacred.

  -His ink didn't go well with white magic.

  Perfect. That's how it should go...

  Almodeus thought, before turning to Amy, who now seemed less afraid of him, but still remained on guard.

  "You said you want to pay me back, right Amy?"

  The girl nodded at the demon's question with a determined look. However, Almodeus could see some uncertainty in her mind.

  "Don't worry. I don't intend to harm you. The only thing I ask is that you not reveal my true appearance to any living soul. What you saw must remain between me, you, and your siblings. Have I made myself clear?"

  Amy lowered her head and bowed.

  "I, Amy Nichtigkeit, solemnly promise, on behalf of the village of Anna, to honor your request, Lord Almodeus!"

  The demon nodded and peeled off a couple of pieces of ink from his belly, which, of course, instantly regenerated. With the detached pieces, he formed spheres with a red "A" on them and threw them at Amy's feet.

  "If retreating soldiers or hostiles approach, you can use the sphere to summon inkwalkers. They will serve you as their master."

  After giving her this gift, he turned toward the village. Not noticing any smoke, he assumed that the Black Knight had almost finished his duty.

  "Come, Almodea! Let's go teach the invaders of Anna's village the true meaning of fear!"