And so the two of them, amid Eris's complaints, walked along a narrow yet lively alley that kept climbing upward.
The alley's ground was paved with bluestone slabs, and due to years of erosion, the slabs had become slightly smooth.
Stone houses on both sides were arranged in picturesque disorder, walls covered with mottled green moss, some unknown vines spreading out from the corners of the walls, adding a bit of greenery to this ancient alley.
The sky had already completely darkened, and the alley, at intervals, had oil lamps hung up, providing nighttime travelers with just enough light to barely make out the road.
Occasionally one could see a few half-open windows, with warm light spilling out from within, and bursts of laughter and cheerful voices coming through, letting one feel the warmth of home.
And it was in such an alley that Ash noticed, a familiar blue-haired girl, for some reason, was sneaking along behind him, following him furtively.
———
Although she knew she was no match, and could never be a match for a god-level monster, Roxy did not intend to give up just like that on avenging her disciple, even if it was the smallest counterattack.
Therefore, in her daily life she spread all kinds of rumors about the Evil God as revenge, and even personally returned to the Demon Continent trying to find this Evil God's weakness.
Though even if there was a weakness, she probably couldn't exploit it herself, at least it could provide some help to the heroes who might subjugate this Evil God next.
If all else failed, she could tough it out for seventy or eighty years, and by then even if the Evil God hadn't died, he would certainly be very old... at that time there should still be a chance.
It just so happened that the Evil God acted tyrannically on the Demon Continent, always forcing various Demon Kings to hand over treasures, which led her to follow the trail to this port.
And this was not her first time coming here, but the last time she returned was after being persuaded by a disciple who was attached to their hometown, making her squint her eyes as she gazed at this familiar street scene, unconsciously murmuring softly, "If only Ash could return to his hometown too..."
This unchanging street scene in her hometown made Roxy unable to help but think of the disciple who had always wanted to return to his hometown yet was unfortunately cruelly killed, and her chest ached faintly.
"That child was clearly a good person, clearly never did anything bad, only wanted to return to his hometown.. Why did he have to encounter that kind of thing."
She murmured softly, yet following the rumors she began searching for the red-haired human girl, who was quite rare here.
Although in some of the rumors, the Evil God and her disciple had some similarities, and there were even rumors that Ash was the Evil God, Roxy only took that as hearsay, and it even made her so angry she almost got into a fight with someone.
Because in her heart, although Ash had some twisted tastes, he was absolutely not the kind of person who would massacre a city.
After going to sea, she spent an entire day inquiring about the whereabouts of the conspicuous brainwashed, tortured girl.
But in the restaurant, she didn't dare get too close, keeping a street's distance away, not looking directly.
After all, a powerful swordsman could observe the presence of hostility through another's gaze, and if he sensed her look he might kill her on the spot... because she had no confidence in hiding her anger.
Watching from afar, that red-haired girl who looked about the same age as herself, Roxy, trying her best not to look at anyone else, followed all the way to the alley.
The monster called the Evil God didn't say a single word, but that child kept saying something... If someone who didn't know the truth saw, they'd probably think that child really had a good relationship with him, right?
How pitiful, to actually be targeted by this kind of monster, and brainwashed so thoroughly... Roxy's gaze toward Eris was full of sympathy for that innocent, pure girl.
But at this moment... a black shadow fell from the eaves.
A demon male with four arms suddenly lunged straight at the figure that made her hate so much she couldn't sleep at night.
"Die, Evil God! Today your title will be inherited by me!"
The male, whose age couldn't be discerned because he was a demon, swung different weapons with his four arms, attacking Ash's vital points at astonishing speed.
That movement and speed left no room for criticism; no matter how you looked at it, he was a rare skilled fighter.
'Maybe I can use this chance to try a sneak attack?', Discovering the Evil God was being attacked by what looked like a very strong challenger, Roxy's eyes immediately lit up, and she unconsciously gripped her magic staff and quietly chanted an incantation, gathering her strongest attack.
She knew that once discovered, she might not even have a chance to speak, so she only had one opportunity to strike.
The crystal at the tip of the magic staff also flickered faintly, as if responding to her nervous mood.
However... before she could finish chanting, in the next instant she realized her own foolishness.
In that dim alley, the light was too faint, so much so that she couldn't even clearly see the specific process of what was happening.
She only heard a loud "BOOM!" and then saw...
That four-armed demon, like a fragile toy, was easily grabbed by the face with one hand by Ash, and violently slammed toward the wall.
In an instant, the wall couldn't withstand this enormous impact, producing spiderweb-like radial cracks, and deeply caved in, almost about to collapse.
And that four-armed demon didn't even have time to let out a scream before losing consciousness, yet his body, because it was deeply embedded in the wall, did not slide down.
"M-Monster!", Roxy's magical power scattered along with the fear in her heart, and that man called the Evil God suddenly turned around at this moment.
"?"
Their eyes met in midair, and just this brief contact of gazes made Roxy feel an indescribable terror, as if a cold current instantly pierced through her entire body.
Although in this darkness she couldn't see the other's eyes clearly, she still had the illusion of having become prey, locked onto dead by a terrifying monster.
Was it because she was discovered using magic? Or had she accidentally exposed her hostility? The terrified girl had no way to think much, and turned to flee this terrifying place.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, her steps faltered, and she even unfortunately fell to the ground, yet scrambled and rolled without any dignity, fleeing in panic deeper into the alley.
Her breathing soon became rapid and disordered, her heartbeat echoed in her ears like thunder, and every step seemed to use up all her strength.
The dark alley, in her eyes, was like an endless abyss, the walls on both sides seemingly ready to reach out and grab her at any moment.
But she didn't dare look back at all, afraid that if she did she would see that terrifying figure, chasing after her like a ghost.
However... Roxy hadn't run far before her back collar was suddenly yanked by a sudden force.
As her legs left the ground, Roxy's whole body was suspended in midair.
'I'm done for!', Her body instantly froze in fear, but in this final moment of life and death, she still mustered her courage, put all her strength into it, and violently swung the magic staff in her hand toward behind her, trying to make a final struggle.
Having originally caught up just to say hello, Ash was instantly somewhat dumbfounded, yet still reflexively caught the magic staff, urgently persuading, "Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! What are you doing? A long-awaited reunion isn't supposed to be like this, right? Normally shouldn't it be a hug?"
"Why would I hug a murderer like you... Huh?", It was only after Ash came closer that Roxy could see clearly... what appeared before her was actually the face of Ash, who should have already died.
In an instant, Roxy, who had originally still been shrouded in fear, had the expression on her face instantly replaced by anger, her voice even trembling slightly with rage, "You-You bastard! Just how far are you going to toy with people before you're satisfied?"
"Wait a moment first, there are way too many things in that one sentence I want to retort to. First, you're not a person, second, I haven't toyed with you, right?"
"You haven't? Using illusion magic, turning into my disciple's appearance! And moreover my disciple who was killed by you! And you call that not?", The girl, furious beyond measure, directly let go of the magic staff she had been gripping, and following that abandoned her chanting, violently twisted her body and threw a punch at his face.