Dash, seeing the surroundings filled with black shadows, slammed his energy out. A gray energy aura instantly enveloped his body, as well as Shel, Marle, and the Succubus slung over his shoulder. The thick black shadows couldn't get close to Dash and the others. Then, Dash slowly walked toward the door with Shel and Marle tightly holding his arms.
"BRAACK," Dash kicked the door open, and they stepped inside. In front of them, there was a corridor with stairs leading up at the end, but the condition inside the corridor was the same: full of black shadows seeping out of the walls and floor.
"Uuuh… this sucks," Marle muttered.
"J-just stay calm, we'll make it out," Shel replied, sounding a little shaky.
"Don't step away from me," Dash warned.
"Right, definitely," Shel and Marle replied simultaneously.
Dash continued to stride forward, step by step, using his energy aura to push back the black shadows, making it look as if the living shadows were opening a path for him and the others. When they reached the end, Dash immediately began to climb, step by step, with Shel and Marle right alongside him. The black shadows kept pouring out and crowding the path, making it hard to step up without tripping.
"This is taking too long, sorry guys," Dash said.
Suddenly, Dash grabbed and hugged Shel and Marle around their waists with his arms. Then Shel held the feet of the Succubus slung over Dash's shoulder, and Marle did the same thing. "BOOM," Dash immediately jumped high, then ran straight up the wall, carrying the three girls with him, his body enveloped in the gray energy aura.
"WAAAAAA," Shel and Marle screamed in fear and squeezed their eyes shut. Dash kept running up the wall until he saw light and burst out into the bright basement room of the mansion.
"BOOM," he stomped off the wall and shot toward the door across from the downward stairs. "BRAACK," he kicked the door with his foot until the door leaf detached and flew far away. Then he landed, releasing Shel and Marle. The three of them then ran up the stairs back toward the mansion lobby, accompanied by the earthquake, which still hadn't stopped.
When they reached the lobby, they saw many Demons running out of the mansion rooms toward the mansion's exit in a hurry. Dash looked back; the black shadows were starting to seep onto the downward stairs. They immediately ran outside along with the other Demons.
Once outside the mansion, black shadows began to pour out of the ground in the mansion yard and the settlement in front of them. Dash, Shel, and Marle kept moving quickly until they got out of the settlement complex and the ancient ruins, then leaped up into a tree.
"Huff… we're… safe," Marle said, clinging to the tree trunk, breathing heavily.
"Yeah… good thing we made it out in time," added Shel, hunched over and gasping for breath.
"So, what should we do with this Succubus?" Dash asked, pointing to the Succubus on his shoulder.
"Put her down here first," Shel replied.
Dash placed the still-unconscious Succubus on a large tree branch. Then he looked down. The Mafia members, the black-robed people, and the servants inside the mansion were starting to run out. Then he saw a large man with bat wings on his back, curved horns, red skin, a thin beard, and fully wearing a noble-like suit step out of the ancient ruins area.
After confirming no one else was coming out, Dash opened his mouth, white smoke came out, and his hands rose, then slowly rotated, forming a large gray energy sphere.
"HIYAAAH,"
Dash yelled, then punched the energy sphere in front of him, which immediately shot toward the ancient ruins complex. "BLAAAAM," the entire area of the ancient ruins was instantly enveloped in a dome of gray light explosion. "BLUGH," Dash immediately dropped to one knee, breathing heavily, his body drenched in sweat. White smoke rose from his body, and his body shrank back to normal, with a human head.
"Haah… haah," Dash gasped heavily.
"Dash… are you okay?" Shel asked.
"No… I'm fine… just tired," Dash answered.
"Don't overdo it," Marle replied, holding the Succubus in her lap.
"Yeah, don't worry," Dash replied.
The three of them watched the dome-shaped explosion below. They also saw the Mafia members and servants who had stopped running and were staring blankly at the white dome that swallowed their headquarters and residence. Ten minutes later, the light vanished, and no black shadows remained.
The Mafia members, the black-robed people, and the servants began carefully re-entering the complex of ancient ruins and their headquarters. Their leader was a red-skinned Demon who looked like a nobleman, with horns, a thin beard, long upward-pointing ears, and large bat wings on his back.
Seeing that man, Shel and Marle suddenly grew furious. They immediately leaped down behind the man. Hearing something fall behind him, the man turned around and immediately recoiled in shock, seeing Shel and Marle. His red-skinned face immediately looked pale with fear.
"W-what is this… a Half-Orc… and a Snow Wolf… what do you want here?" the man asked.
"You're the leader of the Demon Mafia, right? I saw you several times in Forshville talking to a noble from Grandias," Marle said, pointing her ice sword at him.
"You killed my mom and dad," Shel yelled, raising her rock axe.
"W-wait… d-don't kill me… I did it because I had no choice… my wife and child were taken hostage by that man," the man said, raising his hands.
"Huh?" Shel and Marle asked simultaneously, stepping forward, ready to attack.
"BRUGH," the man tripped and fell to a seated position, his palm raised to stop Shel and Marle from attacking him.
"Why would I believe a word you say? You destroyed my tribe and planned to sell my younger siblings into slavery, so whatever your reason is, I'm still going to kill you," Marle said, getting ready to swing her two ice swords.
"You sold information and investigated the location of my house for money, didn't you? Of course, that noble paid you a fortune, so don't bother saying your wife and kid were hostages, because your paycheck is probably the real hostage since I'm still standing here," Shel added, raising her axe.
"N-no… please don't, forgive me… don't kill me," the man screamed, his hand moving backward.
"You two… look out!" Dash yelled from above.
"Huh?" they both asked.
"Hahaha… stupid," "BUM," the man suddenly slammed something onto the ground, and it exploded, covering their vision with thick smoke. "OHOK," Shel and Marle coughed and jumped back. Suddenly, they were hugged from the front. "CLANG… CLANG," two knives fell onto the ground. They looked up and saw Dash embracing them, protecting them from the two knives that had flown at them with his back. Dash turned around, then "CLAP," he clapped his hands, and the smoke immediately vanished.
The man who was standing and still in the posture of having just thrown the knives was stunned to see the Dragon in front of him.
"Huh… y-you… a Dragonkin?" the man asked.
"So you're the boss of the Demon Mafia, huh? You're a sneaky one, alright," Dash replied.
Suddenly, Dash vanished and reappeared behind the man. "RRIIIP," he immediately tore off the man's two large wings. "GYAAAAGH," the man instantly fell to his knees, his back bleeding heavily. His trembling hands tried to reach for his back. His face looked incredibly pained. Then Dash walked in front of him and crouched down facing the man. He grabbed the helpless man's horn and yanked his head up.
"You were collaborating with the Grandias Kingdom, weren't you? I've only been in this world for three days, and I already hate that kingdom. Can you explain who the noble contact is there that ordered you to destroy the Snow Wolf tribe, target my woman and killed her parent?" Dash asked.
"Ptooey," the man spat in Dash's face and sneered, even though his face looked pained.
Dash released his horn and wiped his face. Then he stood up and turned to look at Shel and Marle.
"Alright, now it's your turn. It's up to you what you want to do with him, go ahead," Dash said.
"With pleasure," Shel said, grinning widely until her fangs showed.
"Okay, thanks for the gift, hehe," Marle added, also grinning widely.
Dash stepped back. Shel and Marle immediately walked forward with their weapons and wide smiles on their faces.
"N-no… don't… don't," the Mafia boss screamed in terror.