Aldwin stopped his feet, but the dust on the floor made him glide for half a meter. He leaned his body back and spread his feet wide to balance his sudden stop. The beeping sound became more frequent.

Just one meter in front of him, the wall exploded, collapsing the corridor and blocking his way back to his partner. His ears were ringing from the explosion. The dust and debris from explosion filled the air, blocking his vision and making the air harder to breath.

He turned his body back, and deflected a few dagger thrown at him. He transformed his bow into a sword in his right hand and charged at his enemy the demon. His enemy blocked it with his sabre.

His enemy strength wasn’t all that impressive as he was able to push him back with ease.

"Spear, Bow, Sword, and Magic, not to mention you're able to hide your presence. What kind of spirit are you?" His enemy asked. Aldwin stayed silent.

Both used only one hand in their fight. Sword and sabre clashed at each other multiple times in a second, producing a spark that illuminated the dark tunnel, revealing a multiple corpses laying around. The sound of their fight reverberated through hundred of meter of underground tunnel. Rose would have heard it, if she wasn't occupied with her own fight with the hellhound.

Their fight was an elegant dance, they pushed each other back and forth, they spun around each other and around the pillar.

Aldwin had the upper hand in that fight, but his enemy knew the area far too well and used it to his advantage. The demon maneuvered around a pillar and slashed from the other side, making it harder for Aldwin to hit him. Not one of Aldwin attack have been a good hit, it only scratched his enemy at best.

Sweat started to form in both of their face. Not wanting to drag this fight any longer, Aldwin formed a spear in his left hand and using it in tandem with the sword, creating an unusual pattern and style of fighting.

It became harder and harder for the demon to keep Aldwin at bay now that Aldwin used two weapon to attack him. With the spear, Aldwin attack became much faster and his range increased.

The demon jumped back and wiped the blood from his cheek. The wound he got from Aldwin keep getting bigger and bigger, he couldn't keep him at bay anymore.

The demon hide behind a pillar for a breather, thinking that Aldwin couldn’t possibly attack him if he hide there.

He rolled forward at the right time, Aldwin spear pierced the pillar. If he was late even for a second, Aldwin spear would have pierced his chest from behind the pillar.

“Do you think a concrete pillar is going to stop me? You surely have never face a high ranked spirit before.” Aldwin asked and pulled his spear.

Their sword clashed again, but this time Aldwin destroyed his sabre.

Chill run down his spine and he was sweating like a waterfall. He looked back at Aldwin, his sword and spear now gone, replaced by a huge bow and a glowing arrow. Aldwin had drew the bow to the fullest. Without thinking, he ran and hid behind the thickest pillar he could find.

'Damn you Angela! You never told me he was a demon, my magic is useless against another of our kind. Damn you! Da-'mn. His body was thrown to the wall as the pillar behind him exploded. Blood spurted out from a hole in his stomach like a fountain.

Aldwins arrow demolished a half a meter thick concrete wall before piercing his stomach and the wall in front of him. He pushed his body from the wall,trying to stand up and ran away, but Aldwin was already standing in front of him, kicking his face and sent his body across the room.

"You're strong for a master, but still nothing when compared to a spirit." Aldwin said. He readied his bow again.

"ANGELA!" The demon shouted.

A black portal opened behind him,a hand and a chain came from the portal, dragging his body back to the portal. Aldwin shot an arrow, but the hand covered the man, and took the arrow for itself. It exploded, sacrificing itself to save the man.

Before Aldwin could attack again, the portal was closed and the man gone.

Aldwin heard a roar. A roar came from somewhere, dust and filth fell from the shaking ceiling, making the air that was bad even worse. "Rose!"

Aldwin waved his hand above his head. From it, emerged numerous hovering black ball, each with two white glowing eye. The black ball surrounded his body in an arc. .Aldwin snapped his finger, sending the black ball flying through the tunnel, searching for a way to the source of the sound. A way to return to Rose.

--------

Block of ice shattered, sending sharp fragment to the wall and floor before melting and evaporating into thin air.

The beast roared, covering the sound of shattering ice. The air turned red as the the beast roared. Wood, paper, insect, corpse, all caught on fire, creating a thick black smoke that filled the station.

Rose was hiding behind a wall. She coughed and gasped, her mouth wide open desperate for oxygen. Her head throbbed, vision blurred and distorted, the world spinning. She digged her nail in her palm, trying her best to remain conscious of what happening.

She heard heavy breathing from her right, the beast has found her. It spewed fire from its mouth like a storm of fire.

She hastily make a symbol in the air, creating another wall of ice, but because she was almost out of mana and because of a hasty incantation, the wall she created was thin. The ice melt and cracked the moment it touched the fire, but it gave her enough time to prepare another spell. She threw a small ball at the ceiling. The moment it touched the ceiling, it expanded, creating hail of ice that showered the beast.

The beast roared, some of the hail was able to pierce its body while other just melt.

'Damn! Even a B+ ranked spell isn't effective'

She ran around the corner. Her head turned from one side to the other, searching for another place to hide, but she couldn't find one.

Left with no choice, she stood still, starting an incantation. Her eyes closed and her hand together, emitting a warm white light.

The beast chased her, but when it was about to attack, she turned her body and threw small ball of ice like a pitcher throw a baseball ball.

In mid air, the ball expanded and cracked, changing its shape into a giant 4 meter long ice lance. The ice penetrated the beast skin, severing one of its head off. She missed. She was aiming at the beast body, expecting the ice to pierce its heart and kill it instantly, but her vision was blurred by the smoke and her headache, making it harder for her to aim.

The beast roared and charged at her. She crouched and covered her head, she had no mana left to cast a high level defensive spell that could stop its charge, and even if she tried to run it would be useless.

Her body thrown into the wall, causing the wall to crack.

Strangely, she didn’t feel any pain, nor did she suffered any wound. She was thrown to the side of the charging beast instead of thrown at the same direction. She opened her eyes, a white sleeved arm was hugging her from behind. She turned her head, Aldwin was behind her, absorbing the impact from the wall.

She understood it at that moment. Before she was crushed by the charging beast, Aldwin hugged her and thrown themselves at the wall on the side to avoid the beast.

The beast turned back, noticing that it failed to kill its enemy. It charged again at the wall, aiming for Rose, but Aldwin moved her. The beast slammed against the wall, destroying it, and causing the whole structure to shook like it was about to collapse. The beast itself was unharmed by its reckless action.

Aldwin let go of Rose. He placed his hand together, forming a greatsword as dark as the night.

Aldwin ran to the beast and the beast also charged at him. Rose couldn't see what happened through the smoke, but she heard something big fell to the ground.

She ran through the smoke to see Aldwin. Beside him the beast was laying on the ground, limbless.

"Close your eye!" Aldwin told her as he raised his greatsword above his head.

Rose was confused. "Why?"

"You don't want to see this."

Aldwin cleaved the beast head, sending torrent of blood everywhere. Rose covered her eyes at the last moment, before seeing the huge splatter of blood. Aldwin covered her, making sure that none of the blood touched her.

She slowly opened her eyes. The beast body disintegrated, leaving nothing but ashes on the ground.

Aldwin raised his hand, creating gust of wind that blew all the smoke and ashes out from the underground station.

"HOW DARE YOU!" The woman from before screamed. Her voice once again came from all direction.

"Aldwin, can you pinpoint her location?" Rose asked. Aldwins looked around and closed his eyes.

"There, behind that!" Aldwin pointed his sword at one of the pillar that was still intact.

"All of your hound is dead, we know your location,you have no chance to win, surrender now!" Rose shouted.

"You arrogant BITCH!"

A woman came out from behind the pillar. Her hair was black with some of it already grey. Her clothes was in tatters, like a black rag, with many hole and scar. Black Tattoo covered some of her exposed pale skin. Dirt and dust from the smoke covered her already dirty body and clothes.

‘A witch?’ Rose thought.

A fire lit in Rose heart when she saw a knife and trace of dried blood in the woman hand. She bared her teeth. "How.. HOW COULD YOU!" Rose yelled as she threw a fireball from her hand.

The woman raised her hand and created a magic shield to protect herself. Rose created another fireball, but Aldwin grabbed her hand.

"Calm down Rose."

The woman eyed them both.

Her eyes widen when she saw Aldwin. "Why... Why.... someone like you... why did you chose a master like her? Why did you answer her summoning?" She digged her nail into her cheek, causing it to bleed. She fell on her knee."WHY? I have sacrificed so much, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE HER S YOUR MASTER?.

Rose puzzled at her bizzare behavior, looked at Aldwin. "You know her?"

"No" His voice filled with disdain. The woman who was crouching down raised her head in shock when he heard Aldwin answer. Her whole body trembled.

"Yes, yes, of course....I.... I... prove it to you! I prove my undying loyalty to you... ." Her voice was wavering. "Come here girl." She signaled someone to come from behind the pillar.

A girl, 12 years old at most, walked from behind the pillar. She walked without any energy, her stare was blank, hypnotized.

"ALDWIN! Stop her!" Rose shouted, understanding what the woman was going to do.

Aldwin shot her with his bow, but a force field destroy the arrow. He transformed his bow into a sword and slashed the force field causing it to crack, but he was too late.

The girl already laid on the floor. "Behold! My tribute." The woman brought down her knife on the girl chest. The girl eyes returned to normal, and she started to scream.

Rose whole body trembled at the horror before her. She stared at the little girl convulsing body as the woman butchered her with a blunt knife. She heard the girl scream, begging for them to help. She wanted to look away and avert her gaze, but her body froze, and her eyes locked. With mouth wide open she threw her dinner up.

Aldwin ran back to to Rose. He held her body from falling, and placed her head on his chest, blocking her view from what was happening. Her head was burning like crazy.

The girl body stopped moving, and silent returned. The woman was bathed in the girl blood with a satisfied smile on her face. She stood up.

"If…. if lucia know about you she will be elated." The woman spoke as she washed her face with her victim blood. Aldwin stared at her ."Yes, of course you won't be satisfied from just this, but this.. this is nothing more than our first sacrifice for you. We will prepare MORE! BIGGER! GRANDER! We won't stop until you're truly sated. For this, this is our proof of loyalty to you!"

The woman made a deep bow before teleporting out from there. Aldwin looked at Rose, she had fainted.

Aldwin removed his trench coat and put it on the ground. He laid Rose down on his coat. Her breath was loud and her chest heaved heavily. Her face was bright red and her forehead was burning. Her sweater was drenched with blood and vomit. He need to take care of her.

Aldwin looked around. The station was destroyed, and police siren could be heard from outside. They need to get out from there fast, before police could see them.