When the plot-skips players into the game world

The team leader's sweat was about to pour.

Moriarty's words were like those of a Demon... He clearly knew I brought the Blade Demon, so why was he so composed?

Is he a Demon Scholar, or a Demon disguised as human?

And how did he know I brought the Blade Demon?

"—Is there a traitor?"

The team leader suddenly realized.

Since Aiwass Moriarty was a Demon Scholar, the mission he received from the beginning was wrong—it's possible that this man was from the Lohar Society, only he had hidden it well, and I was unaware of it!

So, this matter was an internal faction strife from the start.

And I was the cannon fodder sent in!

"Wait, I have something to say..."

He had already had an epiphany, but it was too late.

"No way."

Aiwass's cold voice came: "You cannot surrender."

The next moment, a bullet came hurtling.

The team leader felt the crisis just before the trigger was pulled—despite his best effort at evasion, he couldn't completely dodge it.

Or rather, it was precisely because Aiwass didn't aim at his head that he was able to avoid it narrowly.

Even so, after the team leader's right shoulder was hit, it was as if sliced by an invisible blade, and his right arm burst into a spray of blood, flying off.

A strong corrosive sensation came from the wound.

For the first time in his life, he felt such agony. His mind went blank in an instant, unable to remember any spells or curses to use. He couldn't help but fall to the ground, howling in pain. The screams echoed far under the night sky.

In that moment, an idea flashed through the team leader's mind.

When he had previously doused someone with strong acid, the victims seemed to have screamed just like this...

So this is what it feels like...

"Hurry up, don't waste time. Otherwise, I'll kill you right now."

Aiwass's chilly voice resounded again: "Where's your Blade Demon?"

Just then, the Fire Butterfly that had been leisurely floating towards them also approached the team leader.

The team leader looked up, his eyes filled with terror as he watched the slowly approaching Fire Butterfly.

"—Blade Demon! Save me!"

He called out instinctively.

The Blade Demon, which had been hovering behind him in spectral form, suddenly became visible at the command.

The Blade Demon looked like a heavily armored Knight from the waist up, covering the head and chest. But its armor was pitch-black with many fierce spikes.

The Blade Demon had no lower body—it floated in midair. Beneath its chainmail skirt, black smoke billowed like a Dark Cloud, flickering with electric light.

Even beneath the Blade Demon's helmet, no eyes were visible. Just two glowing Red lights shining from where the eyes should be. It wore gauntlets, holding a thick two-handed Sword.

Like a silent squall, it advanced and slammed its sword onto the Fire Butterfly, which had a high-temperature attribute.

This time it intercepted it with melee attack, causing the Flame Butterfly to detonate instantly, erupting into a vortex of a fiery Storm, engulfing the Blade Demon within—

When the fire dissipated, the Blade Demon's armor and blade were visibly heated red. The fiery Storm, which lasted for about three to four seconds, clearly drained some of the Blade Demon's strength. Most noticeably, the black smoke billowing beneath it had significantly lessened.

However, the Blade Demon indeed took the hit without letting it reach its master.

Immediately after, the Blade Demon, engulfed in the rising heat—like a red-hot iron turned bull, turned its head towards Aiwass, who stood at the doorway, and charged with a thunderous rush!

Visible to the naked eye, the lightning gathered on the blade, its flowing electric light causing the Sword to shine with a dazzling Light in the night.

—This was the Lightning Strike!

A universal skill that can be learned only after obtaining at least two levels of Affinity for Lightning—not limited to swordsmanship but including all professions that use metal weapons for attack.

Though common, it was useful.

As long as the distance was close enough, the electric light released from the blade could cause the opponent's body to briefly stiffen, paralyze, and spasm.

What followed was an unavoidable, unstoppable decapitating strike!

The Blade Demon's charge was incredibly fast. Even if Aiwass wasn't in a wheelchair, it would have been very difficult for him to dodge with just his own movement speed.

But just then, he didn't know when grey threads had wrapped around his waist.

With a light hop backwards, the threads imbued with shadow power swiftly pulled Aiwass back into the shadows.

At this moment, the Fire Butterfly that had previously perched on Aiwass' fingertip, suddenly erupted into a blaze, pushing Blade Demon back half a step.

It was the Defiant Flame Butterfly, masquerading as a Flame Butterfly.

It had ceased to follow form, revealing its true self—

The red and black wings ignited with flames, and the black-haired girl's crimson pupils suddenly widened.

With strong hostility, she let out a childish shriek.

A light orb, akin to molten lava, coalesced in front of her mouth—just for an instant, a deep red flame the thickness of a grown man's forearm shot forth.

Blade Demon's desire to attack was very strong.

It braved this attack, intent on slicing through the Defiant Flame Butterfly!

Electric light flickered—lightning released from the tip crackled upon the Defiant Flame Butterfly, twisting around her in serpentine arcs, but failed to paralyze her.

Then, a heavy sword strike came down!

However, no blood gushed out, only sparks flew.

This attack was very effective; the Defiant Flame Butterfly's body was nearly severed, indicative of her lack of resistance to physical means.

However, Blade Demon didn't manage to kill her in one strike.

Failing the first attack, Blade Demon lost its last chance.

The light cannon emitted by the Defiant Flame Butterfly was far more powerful than Blade Demon had imagined—flame streams carrying hot winds howled as they continuously repelled and ultimately pierced straight through it!

With the Defiant Flame Butterfly at the center, the surrounding grassland visibly withered and burned at an observable rate.

The flame stream that had pierced Blade Demon fell to the ground, starting to burn fiercely.

This was the Defiant Flame Butterfly's most common and unremarkable mechanic, "Guiding Flame Stream." It randomly targeted a player and continuously guided a fire stream, setting ablaze the path it traced.

This was a very typical guiding firewall mechanic, which couldn't really kill anyone. It only served to divide the battlefield.

However, although Blade Demon wasn't as lacking in intelligence as the Aberrant Limb Demon and Hook Demon, it clearly didn't know how to respond. It was like a newbie player who completely ignored the mechanic, stubbornly standing still, absorbing the full brunt of the beam.

Just a single hit left Blade Demon's armor tattered and torn.

As the Defiant Flame Butterfly spun in the air, gracefully landing like a dancer completing an elegant leap, closing her wings as if entering a resting state, or perhaps preparing for something.

The heavily damaged Blade Demon, however, didn't pause for a moment.

Without any hesitation, it charged at the Defiant Flame Butterfly once more!

But when its blade fell upon the Defiant Flame Butterfly, her wings suddenly opened, launching a counterattack!

With a swift spin from the Defiant Flame Butterfly, a roaring, heavy torrent of flames directly blasted Blade Demon away!

Aiwass too was familiar with this mechanic.

This was the melee counter-state of the level fifty Defiant Flame Butterfly—after entering this state, the Defiant Flame Butterfly's wings had to be hit by ranged attacks or water attribute attacks to extinguish the flames on its four wings.

If the Defiant Flame Butterfly was hit by melee attacks and lost a certain amount of health before then, it would end its resting state prematurely and immediately launch a full-screen counterattack!

This was a mechanic that could wipe out the entire group if not handled properly.

As the Defiant Flame Butterfly's wings unfolded, it flew again into the sky.

Eyes formed on the wings, three on each, conjuring one after another.

Twelve eyes swept across the ground, relentlessly attacking Blade Demon and the team leader with claw-like strikes.

Blade Demon survived all twelve sweeps of the beams, but the team leader was dead after the second hit.

The Defiant Flame Butterfly, its fury still unabated, transformed into a blazing meteor, howling as it flew towards Blade Demon.

And Blade Demon, now a wreck with only half a helmet and one right hand, still refused to dodge or flee.

It was like a warrior bracing for a charging Knight, lifting its sword. Concentration and energy gathered, white radiance accumulating on the blade.

Timing its strike perfectly, it released an incredibly brilliant sword thrust—

But that radiant sword light was instantly engulfed by the flames, to no effect. The black Knight's helmet clanged on the ground and subsequently faded away.

Having received the experience notice from Blade Demon's defeat, Aiwass, back at the entrance, couldn't help but exclaim at the sight.

"Blade Demon bro, you took the full brunt of that?"