Chapter 248
Drul had a foreboding feeling that this was done by the same human who had trespassed into their city through teleportation.
He had wandered to this area of the city on a whim after separating from Vasoth at the city center.
But as he entered, the atmosphere was completely different; it was eerily silent and cold.
The usual bustling noise of the city had vanished, replaced by an oppressive quiet that clung to everything like a heavy shroud. The silence pressed down on him, thick and unnatural, as if even the air itself was holding its breath. It was almost as if he had mistakenly walked into a graveyard, not a regular city area.
‘Not only that but…’
He glanced at one corpse, then another, and another; all of them had deep, gaping holes in their chests where their hearts should have been.
Dark, dried blood stained the ground beneath each body, forming a grotesque path of carnage. ‘The human has been collecting their hearts. But why?’ Drul thought silently.
He could not understand why the human would do that.
For alchemy? There wasn’t much that could be done with a demon’s heart.
For a ritual? It was possible, but for him to collect so many hearts at once… it only meant one thing.
The human was likely planning something big and dangerous.
He was internally shocked by how swiftly this had happened, with even the guards nearby unaware that something like this had occurred right behind their backs.
His claws flexed instinctively, the anticipation building in his chest. He had never expected to stumble upon such a scene.
“It looks like I won’t need Vasoth to draw out the human; the prey has willingly come to me.”
A gleeful grin spread across his face, his bright yellow eyes narrowing with excitement. He licked his fangs in anticipation, feeling the thrill of the hunt coursing through his veins. It was an obvious signal of the deadly game that was about to begin.
Looking up, his eyes met the sky… With a sharp inhale, he amplified his senses, letting the scents and sounds of the world sharpen in his mind. His senses amplified as all scents in the world became familiar to him.
“Found you.” Drul let out a feral grin as he leaped high into the sky.
His speed was tremendous as he ignored everything in the distance and reached the place where Oliver was.
“There you are, human!” Drul bellowed joyfully as he looked at the cloaked figure below.
It was definitely the human; he could tell despite the cloak.
The human had tried to mask his scent with mud and leaves, but it was a weak attempt, laughable to someone with Drul’s heightened senses. It was almost as if this was the first time the human had come to the demon lands. Not only that, but the human was definitely inexperienced and young.
It was almost as if this was the first time the human had come to the demon lands. Not only that, but the human was definitely inexperienced and young.
Since he had found the human before Vasoth, he didn’t need to care about what Vasoth wanted. He could do whatever he pleased now.
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Oliver glanced up at the demon; it was the same inquisitor who had interrupted Sera when she was about to touch him at the abandoned temple.
From that brief experience and the demon’s willingness to reveal himself by shouting now, he concluded that this demon had a hot temper and more muscle than brains.
An impulsive, brutal opponent—easy to manipulate but dangerous if underestimated.
A foolish yet brutal enemy.
Oliver stood up; he had rested enough. This inquisitor seemed brutal, and the evident hatred in his eyes was palpable.
He could almost feel the demon’s malice radiating toward him, thick and suffocating like poison.
A cruel and dangerous demon.
Not that it mattered—whatever the demon was after had nothing to do with him. Since the demon was here to kill him, he wouldn’t hold back either.
The hearts of common demons were already stocked in his mindspace, and he wouldn’t mind adding a potent one.
A strange hunger stirred within him, a craving for the power that would come from devouring this demon’s heart. His body craved it… the power he would gain by devouring Drul’s heart… he could hardly wait.
“How did you find me?” Oliver asked, his childish voice now audible.
“You see, I have a keen sense of smell. But…” Drul paused and looked at him with narrowed eyes. The gleam in his eyes was unsettling, a predatory intensity that made Oliver’s skin crawl. “How old are you? Your real age.”
“Hmm… why do you want to know that?” Oliver asked back.
“My scent tells me you’re a kid, but the skills you’ve shown don’t seem to belong to a child,” Drul said with a smile, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“You have a sharp nose,” Oliver acknowledged.
“Then that means…” Drul frowned, his expression darkening as he processed the information.
“You really are a kid.”
“Indeed, I should be around nine this year,” Oliver replied uncertainly; his birthday hadn’t been celebrated, and he didn’t care much, so it was only a rough guess.
Maybe the clan directory would have the exact figure recorded.
In this world of exorcism, people aimed for immortality, so birthdays weren’t often celebrated unless they marked a milestone.
Of course, this was only valid for exorcists; normal humans still celebrated every year. Their lives were shorter, and they cherished each one.
In a way, normal humans were happier than many exorcists with their monotonous lives of meditation and combat.
“Impossible,” Drul said calmly. “A mere kid can’t use such advanced stealth techniques.”
“Then why did you even ask?” Oliver felt exasperated. Why would the demon ask if he didn’t want to believe him?
“Shall we begin?” Drul ignored Oliver’s exasperation and asked with a menacing grin, his claws flexing in anticipation.
“No,” Oliver replied.
“It doesn’t matter what you say! HAHAHA!”
Drul lunged from the ledge he was standing on toward Oliver.