Having shaken off the wretched Phantom Fiend, Nanoda continued to walk slowly through the jungle.
She had to admit, the space inside the barrier was unexpectedly vast.
According to Aaron's intelligence, it was pure coincidence that the nations of the Central Lands had discovered this barrier.
Having endured the trials of the Demon Race, the Humans of this world had developed to the present day, yet there were still many unexplored things.
"Haaah~"
Nanoda sighed. Where was the promised Demon Race army?
Her sigh echoed clearly among the towering ancient trees.
Just then, discordant footsteps sounded from ahead. Nanoda's Mana Perception clearly captured a massive amount of unfamiliar mana.
A single-horned Demon emerged from the darkness ahead, followed closely by another tall, iron-armored Demon.
From behind these two Demons, a large number of gazes were cast her way.
She was genuinely afraid that the Demon might suddenly utter: "Let's explore the area ahead later."
"Human, how did you get in here?"
The single-horned Demon spoke first. His name was Zaha, originally a subordinate of Grausam the Miracle, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction. His nickname was "The Keeper."
Zaha had mistaken Nanoda, who had her broken horn covered and her mana hidden, for a Human.
Behind Zaha stood the tall Demon clad in bronze armor, looking like an iron bucket. His name was Briz, a subordinate of the Undying Böse, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction. His nickname, matching his armor, was "Bronze."
Briz carried a square-headed bronze hammer in his hand, looking somewhat similar to the one wielded by Thor, the God of Thunder in Marvel.
Nanoda casually removed her headband, revealing the broken horn on her head.
"I am also a Demon."
After a moment of silence, Zaha spoke expressionlessly.
"I see. It is my first time seeing a fellow kin with such a small amount of mana. The outside is clearly swarming with Humans, so how did you slip in?"
"I sneaked in quietly under the cover of night."
Nanoda's answer was somewhat far-fetched.
Unable to find a better excuse on the spot, she wanted to gather some intelligence from the other party before attempting to subjugate these Demons.
"Very well, I shall believe your excuse for now. There is one more thing. Did you kill that Phantom Fiend?"
Zaha scrutinized Nanoda, as if trying to see right through her.
"Yes, it was me. But to be more accurate, the phantom it created killed it."
Nanoda's tone was relaxed. This time, she was telling the absolute truth.
"That is impossible. Well, I will not pursue the matter. Now, you have two choices: one, become my subordinate and follow my orders; two, become the subordinate of this guy beside me."
Zaha issued the invitation directly.
"Is there a third choice?"
When Nanoda uttered these words, Briz, who had been standing silently all along, finally spoke.
"I have one right here. That is, to be killed by us and disappear from this world."
As he spoke, he slowly raised the bronze hammer in his hand.
"You are but a weak existence. We can offer you protection. All you need to do is obey the commands of the strong. This is not a place you can come and go as you please."
Zaha said this as if it were a matter of course. In his eyes, even the mana of an ordinary Demon soldier was stronger than Nanoda's. However, since the other party could kill his Phantom Fiend, she must have some degree of strength.
"Is that so? Then I have a fourth choice here. How about you guys become my subordinates?"
In the worldview of the Demon Race, whoever had the greater amount of mana and the stronger magic was the one to be obeyed.
Nanoda ultimately chose to drop all pretenses. As she spoke, she drew two broken horns from her leg pouch to serve as short swords.
Without activating her ability to absorb mana from the atmosphere, the mana displayed within Nanoda's body was miniscule. However, this did not mean she was weak; under such circumstances, she could focus entirely on her martial arts.
All she needed to do was imbue Severance Magic onto the broken horns. Relying on her technique, she could easily slice through her enemies.
"Zaha, what is this called in Human terms?"
Briz hefted his heavy hammer and stepped out from behind the single-horned Demon.
"It's called arrogance."
Seeing that the large Demon was about to make a move, Zaha clasped his hands behind his back, ready to watch a good show.
The Demon soldiers behind the two of them simply stood and watched, lacking any orders to act.
"I am a direct general under Lord Böse of the Seven Sages of Destruction, Briz of the Bronze. Under the Bronze Magic I release, as long as you come into contact with the bronze weapons and armor I create, not only will your weapons be corroded, but the wounds I inflict will also be tainted with a poison that will make you wish for death."
Briz's opening speech was full of glaring flaws that filled Nanoda with the urge to retort.
Putting aside the fact that he directly revealed his own magic's intelligence to the enemy.
Regarding this toxic wound effect, what was he doing using a hammer? He could swing it all day and not necessarily leave an open wound; wouldn't it be much easier to inflict a cut with a sword?
As for the corrosive effect upon weapon contact, Nanoda trusted her own horns. They were, after all, the horns of a Great Demon from the Mythical Era, and coupled with the Severance Magic she imbued them with, they shouldn't be destroyed so easily.
Nanoda could only explain Briz's behavior with a single reason: confidence.
Given the stark contrast in their mana levels, Briz possessed absolute confidence in his own strength.
Mana was the foundation of the Demon Race's status and the source of their arrogance.
Even the most cunning Demon would become careless because of mana.
While capable of wielding Bronze Magic, Briz was also an outstanding Demon warrior.
Despite wearing heavy bronze armor and possessing a physique like an iron bucket, he was surprisingly agile when he ran. Raising his heavy bronze hammer, he closed the distance in an instant.
Meanwhile, Nanoda reacted just in time, her two broken horns striking precisely against the bronze hammer, sparking a shower of sparks.
Clang!
In the brief clash, the broken horns and the hammer bounced off each other.
"Ugh..."
As Briz pulled back the hand gripping the bronze hammer, his other massive hand, covered in bronze armor, reached out to grab Nanoda's neck.
Nanoda exerted a slight force with her feet, shifting her body backward slightly while her pair of broken horns swiftly slashed across Briz's palm.
The bronze armor was sliced open, leaving a shallow, cross-shaped scratch on the back of Briz's hand.
The seemingly clumsy Briz was actually very fast, but Nanoda was even faster!
Briz stumbled back several steps. His eyes, hidden beneath the iron helm, peered through the slit to glance at his injured hand.
The broken-horn Demon opposite him was like a seasoned assassin, and the weapons in her hands were even more peculiar.
Nanoda landed from her backward leap and glanced at the broken horns in her hands.
During the simple exchange just now, they had not suffered any wear and tear. Perhaps because Severance Magic and Bronze Magic had consumed each other, the damage Nanoda dealt to that large Demon by slashing his bronze armor had been significantly weakened.
"I truly underestimated you."
Beneath the iron helm, Briz took a deep breath. From here on, he had to go all out.
____
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