Brutus was stationed near the northern gate of the town, seated atop a throne sculpted entirely from sand, his eyes closed.

His awareness stretched across the battlefield, tracking the movements of the people around him and even the man observing him from far above.

William's presence was a hindrance, more mental than physical. Still, Brutus knew that Brutus' intentions were aligned with a better future, with humanity's survival. For that reason alone, even the gods would stand in his favor.

But before any of that, he needed to deal with the incoming pest.

He opened his eyes as William's voice echoed in his mind.

[Incoming.]

That was all. No details, no warning beyond that. Brutus did not need them.

He trusted his own strength above all else. He was confident that even if a General-ranked Devil were to appear before him, he had the means to injure it before making his retreat.

He took a deep breath as it finally came into view.

It resembled a wolf clad in golden fur, its eyes a striking shade of purple. A long black tail whipped behind it, white lightning tightly coiled around its length.

The presence it radiated made one thing unmistakably clear. This was no common Devil.

It's close to a rank advancement… but still not a Ranked one. Brutus felt a flicker of disappointment. He had hoped to face a Ranked Devil.

Still, this would suffice as an appetizer.

Brutus lifted one hand, and two massive fists of sand erupted from the ground. At his command, they clenched tightly and shot toward the incoming monster.

He did not rise from his throne. His eyes narrowed.

Aether coiled around him like a patient serpent as he urged the fists forward.

They dissolved into the earth, only to burst out again several meters ahead.

Their emergence was sudden and irregular, but one thing was certain. Every strike was meant to block the wolf's advance.

Heh, quite the persistent worm. The Devil showed no sign of slowing. If anything, its speed increased.

Brutus grinned wildly and raised both hands at once.

The twin sand fists surged upward in perfect sync, then slammed down toward the spot where the wolf was about to be. At the last instant, the creature leapt aside, leaving the constructs to crash into empty air.

But Brutus had not failed.

A sharp grin split his face as a third sand hand formed directly above the wolf.

That had been his intention from the very beginning.

Keep the enemy focused on the threat it could see, and strike with a second attack when it least expected it.

The Devil sensed the danger instantly, the lightning wrapped around its tail flaring to life before it vanished.

Brutus's irises narrowed as he saw it. Sharp claws flashed right before his face.

William whistled in excitement, eager to see the smug bastard fail miserably.

Then, without warning, the throne beneath Brutus surged forward at lightning speed and—

DHAK

The wolf's claws crashed into a sand barrier as Brutus rolled away, creating distance between himself and the mutt.

Grinding his teeth, Brutus reshaped the shield and attempted to enclose the beast.

The wolf responded instantly. Using its skill, it vanished and reappeared atop the roof of a nearby building.

Brutus clenched his fist. "Quite slick, you think you are, eh?" The sand around him began to swirl, his body slowly rising from the ground.

The wolf growled, its muscles coiling tight.

Brutus lifted one hand, anticipating the lunge.

Instead, the wolf leapt to the roof of the house opposite it.

Brutus raised his other hand as well, ready for any angle of attack.

The beast had already gauged his abilities. It knew better than to charge head-on.

"Come at me, you dirty mutt!" Brutus taunted, his gaze level with the monster as sand churned beneath him like a raging tornado.

The wolf slammed its forelimbs into the tiled roof before launching itself high into the air.

Its massive form rose directly above Brutus.

The violet eyes looked down, Brutus looked up, and their gazes met. In the very next instant—

"AUUUUUUUU!!"

The wolf howled, sonic waves bursting from its gaping maw as it descended upon Brutus like a death sentence.

Sand scattered violently, bones rattled, and a sharp groan tore from Brutus's throat.

Windows shattered into fragments, and people inside nearby houses cried out in pain and panic as the shockwave tore through the streets.

William grinned. That's more like it. Show me how the strongest student gets out of this.

Back on the battlefield, Brutus's head rang, his thoughts scattered in disarray.

In a desperate bid to escape the pain, he let his body sink into the sand, his figure completely swallowed by a thick, dark-yellow blanket.

The wolf teleported away, its howls finally ceasing as it reappeared at the base of the tornado.

It opened its jaws, aiming for the foundation this time, but suddenly—

"Enough."

A massive sand hand clamped around the wolf's throat, cutting off its cry.

The beast thrashed wildly as Brutus emerged from the heart of the same pillar, his eyes dark and dangerous.

"You've lived far past your expiry."

The wolf instantly cloaked itself in lightning and tried to dash away, only to fail.

Brutus had already realized the truth. The wolf was not teleporting. It was shifting through space in an elemental state. And for that, its body needed to be free of restraints.

Brutus growled, "You've already wasted enough time."

The massive hand gripping the Devil's throat hoisted the creature high into the air.

And then—

DHAK

"Aghuuuu…!"

The Devil was slammed into the ground with monstrous brutality.

It howled in pain, but that was far from enough.

Brutus lifted it once more, and then—

DHAKK

"Kuu… kuu… kuu…" The Devil whimpered, bones shattered, blood spilling through cracked flesh.

Brutus could have ended its life right then.

But—

DHAK DHAK DHAK

The Devil's body was lifted and crushed again and again, each impact heavier than the last. The ground caved beneath it, sand and stone erupting outward as if the earth itself recoiled from the abuse.

Brutus's expression remained unchanged.

A wild satisfactory grin spread his lips as he continued to torture the devil.

Another slam drove the wolf deeper, its golden fur matted with blood, lightning flickering weakly before dying out completely.

William watched with his eyes narrowed, somehow grasping what kind of person this bastard was.

'Somehow, I now wouldn't hesitate in killing you if you showed even a single suspicious movement.'

°°°°°°°°°°

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