CHAPTER 31: KILL ME IF YOU CAN

"At long last, I’ve finally found you, demon prince meliodum."

"Prince Meliodum? Who the hell is that?"

The woman descended slowly through the opening, levitating with controlled grace, she locked her eyes onto her target. Not daring to look away—not this time. He had slipped through her grasp once before, and she wouldn’t let it happen again.

She paid no attention to the girl in the room, to her, Lady Kaori was irrelevant and unimportant. Her focus was fixed on a single objective, and she was prepared to do whatever it took to see it through.

"You utilize powers you have no idea of, I call that ignorant and foolish. Well, it doesn’t matter, after all by fulfilling the demon’s king will, you unwittingly led me to you."

Her voice dropped, deep and distorted, carrying an eerie calm. Unlike their previous encounter where she had been wild and consumed by frenzy, she now radiated control, every word measured and deliberate.

’Shit, I was having so much fun I forget to you the spirit concealment skill to mask my spiritual energy.’

"W-who is that..." Lady Kaori’s voice trembled with disbelief. Where Mason saw a beautiful and seductive supernatural being, she saw something entirely different—a cold, bloodthirsty demonic entity cloaked in darkness and malice.

’System.’

[Yes master.]

’Can you measure her power and tell me my chances of survival?’

[Certainly.]

[Measuring spiritual output...]

[Spiritual energy output successfully measured.]

[Estimated chances of survival - 30%]

’30%!?’

[While you may have levelled up, her energy output is precisely ten times stronger than your current strength.]

’Damn it, ten times stronger? Shit, I don’t see a way out of this one.’

"What do you want with me?" He asked, his tone steady and masking the urgency behind his words.

He was stalling, buying himself a few more precious seconds to think, to come up with anything that might shift the odds in his favor..

"What do I want? Isn’t that obvious demon prince?" An intense surge of heat gathered around her hand, the air shimmered with rising waves of energy. In an instant, it solidified, forging itself into the shape of a long, razor-sharp spear that radiated searing heat.

"I want your head, demon prince Meliodum, and to ensure you don’t run away from me this time..."

In that instant, alarms blared across the entire academy, echoing through the megaphones as flashes of red light pulsed brighter in the room. A moment later, a cold, mechanical voice crackled to life through the speakers, delivering a message that sent a chill down every spine.

"Code red, this is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill. Every student should exit the academy immediately, I repeat this is not a drill."

As the message echoed through the academy, Lady Kaori’s heart sank—her fears were confirmed. The threat she had hoped to avoid was no longer a possibility, but a grim reality unfolding before her eyes.

"You bastard, what did you do!?"

"Oh? I just came along with some beasts of my own."

The supernatural woman lifted her spear high into the air, its heated edge glowing ominously, then leveled it with precision and aimed it directly at Mason.

"All to make sure that you won’t be able to escape me once again, here I come."

She took step forward, gripping the spear tightly in both hands, her eyes locked onto Mason with unwavering intensity. Every movement was calculated, fueled by deadly focus and unspoken intent. "Demon prince Meliodum!"

"Watch out!" Lady Kaori exclaimed, her voice filled with awe. The gap in power between her and Mason was undeniable, but if anyone could save them both from the entity before them, it was him.

The supernatural lunged forward with supersonic speeds, moving so fast that even Mason struggled to keep up.

At the last second, he barely managed to evade the attack, but the spear still grazed him, leaving a deep scorch mark that burned fiercely, searing his skin with relentless heat.

"GAHH!!" He clutched his right arm tightly as the searing burn spread relentlessly across his skin. Though it was only a graze, the pain and heat expanded rapidly, like a parasite consuming everything in its path.

"What is the spear!?" He questioned as he gritted his teeth in pain.

"After our last encounter, it became clear that facing you head on without precautions was a bit challenging, in order to fully achieve my objective, no detail could be missed out."

[Foreign toxin detected, the host body is burning at an exceptional rate.]

[Third reward item has been forcefully opened.]

[You have obtained a new skill!]

[Demons King Longevity: You have gained immunity to all toxins and abnormal conditions including the most severe diseases.]

[The demon’s king longevity has been activated.]

’Well I’ll be.’

"This weapon was forged specifically to kill you, the microtoxins is made directly from the pits of the underworld. It doesn’t matter if you possess the demon’s king bloodline, you cannot es-"

As the supernatural beauty spoke, her words were abruptly cut off by the sharp hiss of steam rising from the burns on Mason’s skin. Within seconds, the scorching wounds sealed themselves completely, leaving no trace behind.

"Oops, you were saying?"

The supernatural tightened her grip on the spear, frustration flickering in her eyes. She had believed her preparations were enough to overpower him, but now, it was clear she had underestimated her opponent.

"You bastard."

Huddled in the corner, partly from embarrassment over her semi-naked state, Lady Kaori watched in awe as Mason’s severe injuries healed completely before her eyes.

"I-impossible... How did he, how could he heal from that..."

In that moment, the supernatural’s energy surged explosively. Lady Kaori clutched her throat, struggling against an invisible force that choked and pinned her down with brutal intensity.

At the same time, Mason’s legs suddenly felt unbearably heavy, as if he were lifting a 500-kilogram weight, rooted to the spot by the overwhelming pressure.

[Hostile energy detected]

[Estimated chances of survival - 25%]

’S-shit.’

He shifted his gaze to Lady Kaori, who was struggling to withstand the hostile energy pressing down on her. If this continued much longer, there was no doubt she would succumb to it.

’As much as I dislike her, I can’t lose a potential harem member, the supernatural wants nothing more than to kill me, so if I tactically run.’

With a powerful, precise leap, Mason summoned every ounce of strength he had and sprang through the hole in the ceiling.

"You’re not escaping me this time!" The supernatural being shot through the hole after him, hot on Mason’s trail.

Immediately after the two departed the room, Lady Kaori’s brother burst in, kicking down the door in a hurry. As the alarm blared, he sensed a hostile energy lingering where his sister had been and wasted no time rushing toward it.

"Kaori!" He rushed to her side, his heart pounding out of care, but by the time he reached her, she had already collapse, unconscious and unresponsive.

"Wake up, Kaori!" He scooped her into his arms without hesitation and rushed out of the room, heading straight for the academy’s infirmary.

Questions raced through his mind, who had done this to her? Why was she unconscious? And perhaps most pressing of all... what happened to her clothes?

Despite the whirlwind of questions flooding his mind, none of it mattered now, not when his sister’s life hung on the line.

He may have treated her like a second-rate Spirit Caster in the past, but that didn’t change the truth she had always been his sister, his blood. And right now, that was all that mattered.

..

As Mason led the supernatural across the rooftops, he stole a quick glance down at the academy below. Dozens of beasts, ranging from B to C-rank, were being pushed back by the academy’s officials, their coordinated efforts holding the line.

At the very least, he didn’t have to worry about their safety.

"Alright then."

He leapt from the rooftop and landed in a narrow alleyway, far removed from the academy and the crowded public spaces. Given the circumstances, it was the best option he had isolated, contained, and away from thousands innocent lives.

The supernatural landed just behind him, her movements graceful and controlled. She twirled the spear in her hand with practiced precision, then leveled it at him, her eyes locked onto his back with deadly intent.

"There’s no where for you to run, your end is now."

"Run?" Mason let out a low chuckle as he turned around slowly, calm despite the tension in the air. One by one, he summoned the Lycan’s fangs into his hands, their familiar weight grounding him. With both weapons in hand, he faced the supernatural.

His eyes gleamed with a fierce crimson glow as his energy surged, flaring up around him like a storm barely held in check. The air grew tense and charged with raw power.

’Even if it’s a 25% probability, it’s worth a try.’

"I’m done running." With a faint, confident smile tugging at the corner of his lips, he raised one of the daggers and pointed it directly at the supernatural.

"Kill me if you can."