Just like every living being, demon beasts had their own ranks. But compared to humans, they were absolute monsters—three to five times stronger at the same rank

They’re divided into a few ranks ranging from low-level demon beasts to catastrophe-level demon beasts.

The low-level demon beasts are equivalent to the F and E Rank, the intermediate ones to C and D Rank while the high-level ones are equal to the A and B Rank.

And then, there were the Named Demon Beasts—S-rank monsters.

These creatures were rare, intelligent, and devastatingly powerful. From S- to S+, each could obliterate entire towns if left unchecked.

As for the last two, they’re pretty much extinct since there hasn’t been a single one of those for hundreds of years.

But they potentially reach the SS and SSS levels.

Of course, there are very few humans at that level, but if one appear… it would probably lead to world destruction.

Because demon beasts are normally three to five times stronger than the human’s rank.

As for the Bulking Demon that had just interrupted Aestrea’s training?

A strong S- rank demon beast.

“Phew…”

Whistling, Aestrea looked at the Bulking Demon as he threw his gun in the air.

The ground cracked as the demon’s hulking form appeared in his view, standing over four meters tall.

Its muscles rippled beneath obsidian-black skin, eyes glowing a malevolent red similar to Aestrea’s eyes.

A pair of jagged horns twisted upward like cruel weapons, and its claws looked sharp enough to slice through steel.

BOOOOOOOM!

The beast slammed a massive fist into the ground, sending tremors that knocked several people off their feet.

On his back, two giant axes could be seen, each one as sharp as a high-quality sword.

“Alright, big guy…”

He raised his gun and then fired.

Bang!

The shot rang out, slamming into the demon’s shoulder, leaving a small hole in its skin.

The monster roared in pain, but it didn’t stumble or slow down. Instead, it let out another loud growl and started rushing towards Aestre with its horns pointed at him.

BANG!

Another bullet struck the demon’s side, and a small chunk of the monster’s flesh was torn away.

“Too… little damage. This is going to be a problem…”

Aestrea muttered to himself, jumping back, and getting on top of one random monument.

The Bulking Demon was smart, though.

As Aestrea shot one more time, the demon actually dodged the bullet and continued on its way towards him.

“Not today.”

The bullet that came next wasn’t just a regular shot. A faint blue glow surrounded the projectile as it fired toward the beast.

『 Magic Ice Bullet (✦Gunslinger Ice Magic✦)』

The bullet streaked toward the beast and hit it squarely in the leg.

The effect was immediate: a burst of freezing energy erupted on impact, forming jagged patches of ice that spread across the demon’s limb.

KURAAAHHH!

The Bulking Demon roared again, this time in frustration, as its body struggled against the sudden cold gripping its muscles.

“Oh?”

Aestrea raised an eyebrow.

“Your weakness is ice, huh? Lucky.”

His gun morphed effortlessly into the shape of a Tachi sword in his hand.

Aestrea’s hands moved as he swung the sword in the air, casting a wave of ice magic in the direction of the beast.

The frost glimmered under the pale light as it streaked forward, creating a crescent-shaped wave of ice.

“Moonlit Ice Lotus Art…”

『 Second Move! (✦ Moonlit Frost Barrage ✦)』

The barrage of crescent-shaped waves of silver energy cut through the air and collided with the demon’s left arm, sending it skidding back slightly.

The Bulking Demon growled, its fury growing with each passing second, but Aestrea could see the effects of his attack—ice was forming over the demon’s limbs, slowing its movements just slightly.

But even so, Astrea didn’t waste any more time.

He quickly morphed his sword back into a gun and pointed at the demon.

Bang!

Another shot rang out, hitting the demon squarely in the shoulder. He shifted into a crouch, shooting again and again, the sound of his gun ringing louder with each shot.

The Bulking Demon staggered but was still very much alive, he roared again, pushing forward, not willing to retreat.

And as the demon advanced, Aestrea also retracted a few steps.

‘His skin is too hard for me to be able to cut through it… and if I use one of the advanced uses of my sword art, I might lose an arm… I can’t risk it.’

‘The only thing I can do is to save as much time as possible…’

Bang!

Another shot rang out.

However, the Bulking Demon seemed to have gotten used to the pain, and slowly, his speed started increasing.

Seeing this, Aestrea raised his left hand while still shooting at the demon.

Slowly, an ice liquid formed and it transformed into a magic circle that had exactly three stars, forming a triangle.

『 Ice Series: Frost Explosion (✦ 3rd-level Spell ✦)』

A small liquid was thrown against the Bulking Demon. It didn’t look too much, but it suddenly increased in speed and got the shape of an arrow.

BOOOM!

As soon as it touched the Bulking Demon’s skin, it exploded, freezing everything around in a range of ten meters.

Aestrea stopped shooting bullets.

After all, this was just a spell to save more time while he waited for reinforcements to arrive. He couldn’t kill this demon beast alone.

Crack…!

The frozen statue of the bulking demon started showing cracks, and in just a few more seconds, it completely cracked.

KURRRAAAGHHH!

The demon beast roared and then dashed forward at an incredible speed. He pulled its massive double axes from its back in a single motion.

The sound of steel scraping leather filled the air as the monster dashed toward Aestrea at full speed.

“Fuck…”

Aestrea’s eyes widened in surprise.

He raised his gun as quickly as possible and shot it.

『 Magic Ice Bullet (✦Gunslinger Ice Magic✦)』

However, the demon dodged his bullet as it charged like a freight train, its massive body moving with surprising speed.

Aestrea didn’t have much time to react, so he leaped high into the air, attempting to avoid its path.

But… it wasn’t enough.

Before Aestrea could react fully, the Bulking Demon slammed its body into the ground with devastating force.

The collision sent a powerful shockwave through the air. Aestrea was sent flying backward, thrown through the air with tremendous force.

Aestrea gasped as his body was flung toward a nearby building.

“Ahhh—”

The building came into view as he hurtled toward it, and he braced himself for impact.

CRASH!

The sound was loud as Aestrea slammed into the side of the building. Bricks crumbled beneath his weight, the structure groaning as it held under the force of his impact.

Pain shot through Aestrea’s body as his head hit the ground.

He had broken quite a few bones.

He coughed weakly, the sharp taste of blood filling his mouth. His body hurt from the impact, every bone feeling like it was on fire.

“Fuck… it seems that I’ll need to meet the saintess again…”

The words barely left his lips as he coughed, his vision swimming. Blood trickled from his mouth as he lay there, broken, battered, and gasping for breath.

The last thing he thought before his vision started to blur was how much trouble he was going to have after this.

“Well… damn.”

…

[Lucas’s POV]

I could feel the tension in the air as our group arrived at the scene.

We had been rushing here the moment word got to us about a named demon beast—an S-Rank Bulking Demon, no less—attacking the capital.

Dammit…

Why did the notification of the system arrive so late?

I gritted my teeth.

And then as I looked around, I was quite surprised. There were no signs of blood anywhere. It seems that everyone evacuated safely.

But how?

“Let’s go further…”

I spoke to my group.

They were none other than Ella, Maya, Rose, and Iris.

Ella was our swordsman, Rose our mage, Maya was the physical attacker and finally, Iris was our priest who would heal our injuries.

With me as their leader and main attacker, we could potentially kill this demon beast.

However, as I reached the true battle scene…

My heart sank.

We found ourselves at the edge of a broken section of what looked like a residential district, the buildings shattered and broken as though some massive force had torn through them.

There was snow and ice on the ground, frost-covered debris scattered everywhere.

The moonlight shimmered ominously over all of it, giving the scene an ethereal glow.

And at the center of the destruction?

The giant form of the Bulking Demon.

The demon was massive, its black skin glistening under the pale moonlight as it roared toward the sky, holding sharp axes in its hands.

I could already feel the sheer power radiating from its body, it truly deserved to be a named demon beast.

But then, I quickly noticed a few injuries on his body, and some of them were actually pretty deep.

It was at that same time, I heard a familiar voice.

“Dammit. Fucking bull…”

He cursed in an annoyed voice.

“Aestrea…?”

Ella uttered as soon as she saw his figure, her face contorted in worry as she quickly started approaching him.

“Aah… it’s time for round two…”

He gave the bulking demon a bloodied smile, despite being bruised, having a few broken bones, and—by the looks of it—heavily injured.

He had his weapon in his hand and kept a faint yet small smile against the bulking demon.

His red eyes glowed in a terrific way as they held the silhouette of a moon.

“Damn… he looks so cool…”

Iris muttered.

At that moment, even my pride couldn’t deny it.

He looked damn cool.

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