12 A Demon Killer

The loud screeching sound interrupted the silent atmosphere inside the cave. Her senses immediately sharpened, her back ramrod straight as she met Prince Hunter's eyes. Judging by his dazed appearance, the Prince had clearly been sleeping. He had probably woken up because of the same sound.

"Demons!" Prince Hunter hissed. "Untie me."

Cassandra stared at him for a few more seconds before she started deliberating on her next actions. However, the next screeching sound made her aware that whatever it was, outside the cave, was getting closer. She didn't hesitate this time. She used her sword to cut the ropes binding him.

The fact that she didn't see whatever was outside the cave, made her feel a little hesitant to act. She had never heard Demons screech like that. Usually, they would possess animals, making them wild or they would possess people, turning them into dark ones.

"You can no longer use elements." Realizing what she had just said, Cassandra bit her tongue. She immediately spotted the smirk that appeared on his face as he stood and dusted his black clothes.

"So, you knew me after all." He didn't hide the amusement in his baritone voice. Obviously, the fact that she was thinking about how nice his voice sounded even though they were in the middle of a crisis was just... weird.

"Was that a demon?" She turned her gaze back to the entrance.

"If it wasn't, are you going to tie me up again?"

She was about to refute, when another screech echoed. She stilled, her hands tightening around the hilt of her sword. "Can you use a sword?" Stupid question. She fought the urge to slap her face. He is a damn General! He is not only good with magic but his martial arts skills should be at its peak too.

Seeing her in daze, he cocked an eyebrow. "What's with that face? Scared that I would kill you if you gave me your sword?"

She snorted. "Take it."

"Oh?"

She ignored him and started approaching the entrance of the cave.

"Where do you think you're going?" He held her arm.

"Leaving."

"Something is outside, and you want to run towards it?"

She shook her hand free. "If we stay here and that creature detects us, we are dead." Demons usually liked to possess people. Or so that's what most Zealandian's believed. Some said that they devoured the souls of humans. Others said that they could eat the bodies of people, make them rot, their eyes bulging out of their sockets, and saliva flowing from their mouths non-stop. Most of the information in the books had been altered with the intention of scaring children and unskilled ones, so that they would avoid places with dark energy around them.

In the city, most people didn't really know what real demons looked like. It was mostly because they couldn't actually approach a place devoid of dark energy.

Only people who had fought against demons knew how dangerous they could be. Demons had the external appearance of a monster with eight arms and a distorted humanoid face. They were strong and fast, and could easily defeat a group of ten people in a few seconds.

One bite from them could turn anybody into a dark one—a person who still looked human, but was considered corrupted because their souls were dark and tainted.And there is no coming back from being tainted.

Zealandians called the tainted ones, dark ones. It wasn't because they actually look black. In fact, they would retain their human appearance.

It was because, everything that they wanted was destruction and chaos. Unable to feel human emotions like guilt, sadness and happiness, the dark ones were not only faster and stronger than normal humans. They are intelligent creatures that could think like a normal human being.

Unlike demons, dark ones could actually walk inside the capital. However, because of the advancement of technology, new equipment that could detect them had already been installed in and around the capital.

The most appealing character of the dark ones was the fact that they could change their forms. They could imitate humans and animals. Despite this ability, they are still unable to bypass the security of the capital.

The ones who attacked her outside of Zealandia were exactly like this creature. That man was obviously a dark one who had been tasked to kill her. Previously, the Dark ones and Demons could not really leave Zealandia. However, it seemed like there had been a lot of changes since she left this place.

Hunter spoke again."Why don't you use your flames? I can't use elements but… my sword wouldn't be sharp enough to even cut its skin." He calmly smiled at her. "Why don't you protect me, instead?"

This man….

She clenched her jaw and glared at him.

"You brought me here. You should take responsibility."'

This had all been a big mistake. She turned her back and took a few silent steps towards the entrance, trying her best not to make a sound.

"Hey, are you going to leave me alone?"

Cassandra halted her steps. "If you want to stay here, then stay." She paused just as another vision appeared in her head. Then she smiled. "Or… you can run outside and act as my bait."

"You— "

"My fire can burn him." But she needed time to cast a bigger and stronger fireball. Plus… she could only do it if the target was still. Even though she was already considered powerful in the realm of fire wielders she wasn't really that powerful compared to her brother or her late father. The only advantage that she had was the fact that she had black flames—something that was considered rare among fire wielders. "But I need a bait."

"First, you kidnapped me, a prince who wanted to go back to the palace and avoid fighting demons. Now, you want to use me as bait to kill a demon. Lady Cassandra, I don't remember offending you before. Are you really this heartless?"

Did they really have the time to argue about this? "Your highness…" she walked towards him. In response, he took a step back. However, the smile on his face stayed put. Somehow, it irritated her. "Can you use your elemental magic?"

"No."

"Then… are you confident of killing that thing outside with that sword?" She took another step.

"No."

He was lying. He was already a general at such a young age. How could he not kill the demon with a sword? Perhaps it was because he was weak? After all, the ropes that bounded him could suppress him.

She squinted at him. Demons usually didn't enter this forest as it was really far from the gates. That was unless… they smelled someone who had killed a lot of members of their race. Someone who had slaughtered them like pigs.

Obviously, that someone was not her.