<h4>Chapter 24: The Demon Guardian</h4>


    "Ding!"


    Suddenly, Almita made a dinging sound and reported,


    <me Carnal Beasts detected.>


    <Ability:- me shower and poison arrow.>


    <Weakness:-coldness.>


    Rank:- S-ranked.>


    "S-ranked again?!"


    Mike freaked out after hearing the rank.


    Ary narrowed his eyes while ring at them and mumbled,


    "Status gawking eyes."


    Suddenly, his purple eyes changed to blue, and he saw the red-colored energy inside the beasts with stats of twelve thousand in every one of them.


    After glimpsing their stats, his eyes fell on others as he saw their stats.


    Erica:- Five thousand.


    Mike:- Three thousand.


    Emily:- One thousand and five hundred.


    Mary:- Only one thousand.


    Then, he raised his head and saw his stats.


    "Huh?! Twelve thousand and five hundred?"


    He called out as he saw his own stats.


    "Huh? What, bro?"


    Mike''s attention had shifted to Ary.


    "Ah, it''s nothing."


    Ary neglected, then he tightened the grip of his de and cautioned,


    "Listen carefully,"


    Then, he nced at Mike and Emily andmented,


    "I''m going to strike at the beast. Seize the opportunity andunch your best attack on the beast when they are weakened or trying to attack me."


    "Okay."


    Both Mike and Emily agreed.


    Then, Ary nced at Erica and Mary and asked,


    "You two already know what to do, right?"


    They both nodded their heads.


    "Good."


    Arymented, then he nced at the beasts that were ring at Ary and others with anger in their eyes.


    "Here Ie."


    Arymented, then darted at the beast, roaring.


    "Grrr!!! RAWRRRRRRR!!!"


    A beast jumped at Ary tounch an attack.


    "Hmph."


    Ary reacted with a smile since he knew what to do.


    "Ice de!"


    SLASH!


    The beast had been cut in half like it was nothing and vanished while leaving blue fume around the area.


    "Coldness and ice des are nearly the same in a sense."


    With a smile on his face, Arymented.


    "What? Is cold their weakness?"


    Emily asked after glimpsing the scene.


    "Yup,"


    Ary replied, then held tight to his de and darted at the other me Carnal.


    Mike and Emily looked at each other and nodded as if they had already made a n.


    "Hiyaaa!"


    Ary, with his ice de ability, shed at one of the me Carnal.


    "GWAAARRR!!"


    As he shed one, another oneunched a fire beam at him.


    "Tsk."


    While clicking his tongue, Ary jumped above the beam andunched a slice attack at the beast, but unfortunately, the beast dodged it and bite Ary''s left arm.


    "Argh!!"


    Ary wailed while trying tounch an attack.


    Swish!


    As the beast bites his arm, a crystal blue arrow hit his head with swift speed and the beast disappeared.


    "Hmm?"


    Ary reacted as he gazed to his right. He came to realise that it was Emily''s arrow.


    Ary nced at his wound. The poison of the beast didn''t affect him since he had poison resistance, but his strength decreased a bit.


    "Tsk! That''s bad."


    Ary cursed the beast, then he heard the roaring sound.


    He nced at his front and saw the group of beasts ready to attack Ary.


    "KWARRRRRRR!!!"


    Unexpectedly, the beasts started shooting poison arrows from their mouths.


    "Tsk!"


    Ary clicked his tongue and started diverting the arrow with his de.


    The poison didn''t affect him, but it did lower his strength. That''s why he started deflecting them.


    *Clink* *Clink* *Clink* *Clink*


    His de made clinking sounds while reflecting the arrows.


    While deflecting the arrows, he peeked at Emily and Mike, but they were fighting with another group.


    Then, he nced at the beasts. The beasts were constantly shooting arrows at him.


    "Hmmm...."


    Ary, while deflecting the arrows, began to think about how to defeat them all.


    "Damn!! Why aren''t they dying now?!"


    "Hmm?"


    Ary reacted as his gaze shifted to Mike, though he was still deflecting the arrows.


    He glimpsed that Mike was screaming in frustration since their attack didn''t seem to be affected by the beasts.


    "Huff... huff... I''m... already at my limit."


    While gasping, Emilymented.


    Each arrow would consume 10% of her energy.


    She was an A-rank Warrior, which was why she had some disadvantages as well.


    Ary widened his eyes as he realised a way to defeat the beasts.


    He jumped back while dodging arrows and started running, saying,


    "Mike, Emily, retreat now!!"


    "What?"


    "But why?"


    They both seemed confused.


    "Just do it!"


    Arymanded.


    "Okay!"


    They reacted by starting to run back.


    "GRRAAAAAA!!!"


    As they started running, the beasts started following them.


    "Hey, why are they running toward us?"


    Mary asked Erica.


    They were standing some distance away from them.


    "Do we have to run as well?"


    Mary added.


    Erica didn''t say anything but red at Ary, pondering,


    ''What''s he nning now?''


    While running, Ary closed his eyes and began focusing on his de.


    "Coldness and energy...I need both...."


    He mumbled.


    And while concentrating on his de, he mumbled,


    "I need coldness with destructive power."


    Then, he opened his eyes and the colour of his eyes changed to almond.


    He stopped and turned toward the beasts that were running toward him while howling.


    Ary clenched his teeth and with the full force he shed his de toward the beasts, yelling,


    "Lifeforce Assimtion-Strike of Crystal Ice!!!!"


    Swish!!


    And with swift speed, the shockwave containing crystal ice darted at the beasts, and within nanoseconds.


    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!


    A supermassive explosion arose, and the mes of the valley turned cold. Soon enough, the me valley turned into an ice valley.


    "Huff... huff... huff... It worked."


    Ary mumbled while heavily gasping.


    "Ding!"


    Suddenly, Almita made a dinging sound.


    <Unlock Skill:- mal recovery.>


    "Yes!"


    Ary''s face lit up in joy as he heard about the recovery. It was something that he wanted the most, despite having Erica and Mary. Maybe it was because he didn''t want to be dependent on anyone.


    Ary knelt and closed his eyes.


    "Bro!"


    "Ary!"


    Mike, Emily, Erica, and Mary ran toward him after seeing him warm out.


    Swoosh!


    Unexpectedly, a blue me surrounded Ary.


    "Hmm? Is that..."


    Erica called out as she somehow understood what it was.


    Ary raised his right arm and called out,


    "mal Recovery-Activate!"


    And soon enough, the me started to be denser and denser while healing Ary''s wounds.


    He didn''t get hurt much, but he did get a little hurt.


    Soon after a minute or so, the me disappeared and Ary''s body fully recovered.


    Ary looked around him.


    A smile formed on his face. He mumbled,


    "It looked like it worked."


    "Ary..."


    Suddenly, a soft yet terrifying voice was heard from the right.


    "Hmm? Huh?!"


    Ary reacted as he nced to his right and was left petrified as he saw the sweet yet terrifying face of Erica.


    She stepped toward him and asked in her sweet yet terrifying voice.


    "You have me, right?"


    "Y-Yeah."


    Ary stammered.


    She came closer and asked,


    "Then why did you need a recovery skill, huh?"


    "W-Well, frankly, I just don''t want to bother you too much."


    Ary replied honestly, but Erica didn''t seem to be concerned with this.


    Her sharp crimson gaze fell on Ary. She asked,


    "Did I ever say that you''re bothering me?"


    "Ah, well..."


    Ary hesitated.


    Mike, who had arrived there, showed a smile and said,


    "Bro, I feel like you''re being screwed."


    "Shut up."


    Ary replied in a slightly angry voice.


    "Ary...Tell me..."


    Ericamanded.


    "Ah..."


    Ary was left reluctant. He didn''t know how to convince her now.


    "Hmm?!"


    Ary reacted as he sensed somethinging toward them with hyper-speed.


    "Look out!"


    He yelled, pushed Mike back and embraced Erica, and jumped backward but fell to the ground while holding her in his arms.


    Swish!


    The valley behind them got hit by something like a shockwave and then,


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    The way to run out of the valley got sealed.


    "Wha-?!"


    Mike was left bbergasted after glimpsing that attack.


    "W-What is this...?"


    Mary mumbled in a frightened voice.


    "Was that a shockwave?"


    Emily questioned.


    "Are you okay?"


    Ary asked Erica in a panicked voice.


    "Umh, yeah. But what was that?"


    Erica asked.


    Ary didn''t reply but red at the area from where that st came from.


    Ary''s expression changed to fury as he sensed the presence...of a Demon there.


    "To think that you''ll dodge my de...I''m truly impressed."


    A sharp voice was heard.


    As soon as the smoke disappeared, a man with blue skin and five snake-like tails appeared from the right.


    "You...!"


    Ary got enraged as he confirmed that the person was none other than a demon.


    After seeing Ary''s fury, the demonughed and imed,


    "You''re just a mere human and you''ve already started showing your nature in front of me, huh? Not bad."


    The demon said, then he nced at Ary''s face with his crimson eyes and eximed,


    "Let''s see how you can get away from me. From the protector of the mighty Demon King."


    "What?!"


    Mike, Emily, and Mary were left mystified after hearing this.


    Ary, who was staring at the demon with his furious gaze, asked,


    "Are you a Demon Guardian?"


    After hearing his query, the demonughed once again, and while outstretching his arms, he imed,


    "Yes, I''m. I''m the mighty Shikh, or I think you must say..."


    Then, he gazed at Ary and imed,


    "You''re dead."