"Did you see that?" Bynum and the rest of the hunters felt cold sweat dripping from their foreheads as they witnessed the entire ordeal from inside a building .
Humans prided themselves on their resourcefulness and strategies, qualities that often allowed them to prevail against more powerful enemies who relied too much on their overwhelming strength to dominate the battle.
But what they had just witnessed was out of the norm.
A demon had used a multi-step strategy, and not just any strategy, but a very clever one that had allowed it to eliminate Angela with almost 100% accuracy.
It was akin to watching a genius tactician, manipulating everything like chess pieces on a board.
This demon possessed the ability to think multiple steps ahead of others, making it far more dangerous in their opinion .
"So, what are we supposed to do?" Nekola asked, his voice tinged with apprehension. "Judging from the battle, there are more than one demon who came here, and there might be more. This is beyond our capabilities"
After witnessing Angela's brutal death, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were all just pawns in a game they didn't understand, played from the very beginning to the end.
If he were being honest, he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Despite his sometimes arrogant behavior, he valued his and his teammates' lives.
"Hey, how did we even get the information so fast about this?" Nekola asked, a furrow forming on his brow.
Something felt off to him.
They had been notified that a demon was planning to annihilate a whole city, which was why they had rushed there in the first place.
If it had been just a virus outbreak, there would have been no need to send them there at a moment's notice because they were not even equipped to handle it.
In fact , there was no info about the virus at all.
They had even been transported using a special type of vehicle reserved for emergencies.
"The request came from the governor herself," Bynum explained. "She received a tip and informed the association two days ago through an emergency data train."
Now that the four hunters had time to ponder the situation, they felt that something devious was really going on here.
But before they could pinpoint what it was, their attention was drawn to Arc, who suddenly vanished into thin air.
"Not good!" Bynum exclaimed .
This put their senses on high alert, and they instinctively gripped their katanas, ready for any sudden attack.
However, a minute passed, and no one attacked them
"Who's that in the sky?" Nekola pointed, noticing a figure hovering above, its dark wings spread wide.
But when he did, he adjusted his plan, using the hunters as a distraction against her instead.
From the very beginning, Angela had been playing into his hands like a fool.
Reign's ability to strategize was on a level that even the smartest humans in this world would find dangerously high. This was what set him apart from arrogant angels and powerful demons.
"Is that demon one of yours?" Bynum asked, pointing at Angela's corpse.
But when he did, he was shocked to see that her body was no longer there.
Reign had used the time they were distracted to absorb her completely.
"That demon lord is a rogue. She's not affiliated with us," Reign deny any connection.
Bynum's eyebrows furrowed. He was still not convinced.
There were too many questions that he needed answered.
However, he couldn't act tough here, fully aware that there were other demon lords lurking in the shadows.
They were at a complete disadvantage.
"Alright, I'll report this to HQ," Bynum answered with a neutral tone. There was no need to argue.
"Good," Reign responded, turning away. But before he did, he paused, as if a sudden thought struck him.
He slowly reached into his back, his fingers wrapping around something golden and ornate.
Reign pulled out a gleaming golden chalice, its intricate designs shimmering even in daylight.
"I almost forgot," he said. "That woman seems to want this thing. Do you know what it is?"
The hunters were also confused by the item.
They did not know what it was, but they could tell that it was no ordinary object.
Reign reached out with the item, as if signaling for them to take a closer look.
Because of how casually he was talking, they had lowered their guard and allowed him to get closer, which turned out to be a stupid mistake.
BOOOOOM!
Lightning exploded from Reign's wings, catching them all off guard. They scrambled to pull out their swords to defend themselves, but the distance was too short.
In an instant, they were struck by him, their bodies sent flying in different directions.