"I don’t get it, why didn’t you just say that you know me? He probably wouldn’t have attacked you if you had...right?" Izzy raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the Demon, Azazel.

"Er, right...yes, of course, human or not, I wouldn’t have tried to kill you if I’d known you were a friend of Lady Izzozon’s...probably," Replied Azazel awkwardly.

"I guess it kinda slipped my mind...he attacked without any warning, and I immediately went into survival mode," I shrugged wearily, as I finished healing myself up.

"How are you here? Weren’t you a captive of one of the human nations?" Izzy asked him curiously, a bright smile on her face. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Yes, I was...it was hell, reduced to a helpless slave at the hands of mere humans for what felt like an eternity. However, recently, my captors began making adjustments to the control device restraining me. For some reason, the device malfunctioned as a result, and I was able to break free.

However, it was still partially functional, and breaking free took a severe toll on me. I was in a weakened state as a result, but I managed to kill the humans around me and then tunneled underground using my Exploding Fists ability," He explained with a weary grimace as he recalled it.

Come to think of it, a while back during our stay in Kaygee Town, I remember hearing rumors of small earthquakes breaking out across the nation of Agate to the south and then spreading here to Obsidian.

The rumors quickly died down though, so I didn’t think much of it. Guess he was to blame for those earthquakes...man, talk about hardcore, he was literally punching his way to freedom, and underground no less.

And by pure chance, he happened to end up near the Haven. And of course weaker Monsters are gonna run away from a Demon. Well, guess this case is closed now.

"Wow, I see...I wonder why we didn’t hear anything about your escape?" Frowned Izzy thoughtfully.

"It makes sense, if you think about it. The Dark Continent nations, their greatest weapons are the Demons under their control, possibly the greatest deterrent that’s keeping the Light Continent from invading. Not only would revealing that their Demon escaped result in the nation being targeted, but they’d also come off as incompetent. Not to mention that announcing the fact that a Demon is on the loose will cause mass panic," I pointed out with a shrug.

"I suppose you have a point there...even after all this time, I see that humans have no changed," Muttered Azazel with a dark look in his eyes, before turning back to Izzy, "But at least I got to see you alive and healthy again, my lady...for the first time in a long time, I have some semblance of peace of mind..."

"Hey, can I ask you something? Towards the end of our fight, you said something about not having much time left...," I trailed off as I brought it up.

"Huh? W-wait, no...what does that mean?" Stuttered Izzy, her eyes widening in horror.

"I told you, didn’t I? Breaking free of the control device took a severe toll on me...most significantly, it inflicted irreversible damage to my core. The damage has slowly but surely been spreading...," He replied with a bitter smile, before glancing at me, "Fighting against you, human boy, it hastened the spread of the damage. In a matter of mere minutes...I shall die."

"N-no...no, no, no, you can’t die! I...I was so lonely for all this time, b-but I could only wallow in self pity. I-I was safe, while all of you were suffering...I have to save the others, but I-I’m...I’m just too weak! Please, Uncle Azazel...you can’t die! I can’t save everyone else without your help!" Cried Izzy, grabbing onto his shoulders as tears poured down her eyes, her shoulders trembling.

"Forgive me, my lady-...Izzy. You know as well as I do, once a Demon’s core is damaged...death is all but inevitable. So...this is goodbye, kiddo," He smiled, as he patted her head, before turning his gaze to me, "Tell me, human...do you truly consider her your friend?"

"Yeah, I do. And I’m not the only one she can count on," I replied with a nod.

"I see...that’s good, then. Her father, my King...and my comrades...I want them to be freed of their shackles and experience freedom once again. I suppose asking a human to help free Demons would be ridiculous, but at the very least, I ask that you support her-..."

"Oh, actually, I do plan on helping her with that. Though, I’m nowhere near strong enough to attempt it as I am now...but whenever she decides that she’s going to go for it, I’ll help," I informed him honestly.

"Heh, typical human...you wouldn’t hesitate to betray your own kind?" He responded with a wry smile, as cracks began appearing in his skin.

"You’ve got it wrong. I’ll protect those who are precious to me, regardless of their race or species. The enemies of my friends are my enemies, it’s as simple as that. No matter who or what they, I’ll kill anyone who threatens me or those close to me," I answered...this is kinda awkward, I don’t like being open about how I feel, it makes me feel kinda vulnerable, but given the current mood, I feel like I have to be honest.

Even Izzy’s looking at me with a wide-eyed look of bemusement, despite her anguish and sorrow...

"Huh? I...wasn’t expecting that. Hah...hahaha! Well, now...you’re an interesting one, aren’t you?" Chuckled Azazel, as the cracks on his face deepened, spreading out across his body.

"U-Uncle Azazel...," Muttered Izzy, her lower lip quivering as he lightly ruffled her hair with a weak smile.

He’s probably gonna be dead soon...but it can be prevented. I highly doubt he’ll agree to this, but I suppose there’s no harm in trying...

"You know, you don’t have to die here...there is a way you can survive. You probably won’t like it though...," I spoke up, as I stepped forward...

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