Demon Lord: Erotic Adventure in Another World

Ryuji leaned against the makeshift seat a distance away from the others. Meanwhile, just ahead of his vision, Paul meditated with a low hum. His hands carved sigils into his wooden runic spells.

The glow of purple and silver light danced around his arms while forming the new runes.

'That looks so interesting. One day, I will learn how to use magic!'

Rather, Ryuji knew how to use magic and felt its movement after his changes.

He felt the strange ocean that flooded the sky, filled with an array of colours and brilliant lights. Yet when he tried to grasp them, they darted away in fear, only the blood-red and dark lights remaining close to his body.

'Who can teach me... Alicia, Sheila?'

"Ryuji, are you hungry?" Erika walked over in her new clothes, a long leather skirt with layers of fur holding both her swords just behind her hips with a thick sword belt, now with two daggers and swords, one for stabbing the curved blade for slicing.

In her hands, a steaming bowl of meat and vegetable soul caused Ryuji's stomach to growl.

"Ah... Thanks."

"Haha, your stomach answered me, here. It's boiling, so watch out."

"It looks delicious. Thank you."

Ryuji nodded while grasping the spoon and smiling at Erika. She looked pleased with his response after giving him the bowl. Then skipped off with another bowl, looking back at him with a gentle smile several times before she turned back, handing the bowl to Sheila, who prepared the soup with Alicia.

The instant the spicy liquid touched his tongue, an intense burning sensation and crunchy texture followed, causing him to pause before continuing to eat.

'So, this is food from this world? It's damn hot and spicy... Hah... But it's tasty!'

Ryuji continued to eat in silence while watching the others chat and smile. Meanwhile, as he swallowed each mouthful of food, he watched Paul, who had an awkward expression on his face, standing up slowly with his bowl in hand.

"Did you finish your runes, Paul?"

"Ryuji? Ah, I made some more offensive ones earlier, so these are more defensive. After that tunnel..."

"Yeah, I get you," Ryuji replied quietly. He watched Paul hand in his bowl before getting his things—it seemed the rest would soon end.

"Good appetite," Alicia remarked before walking towards Ryuji and collecting his bowl. Her hips brushed his face as she leaned close; Yumiko watched from a few steps away with a disgruntled face.

"Everyone, let's pack up. There is only one direction to go now, and this island doesn't seem to be completely stable." Sheila, in her thick priestess garb and woollen cloak, reminded them while patting her staff.

"That's right; there are faint tremors," Yumiko replied with a nod.

"Let's get ready." Paul smiled at Ryuji after placing each wooden rune in his makeshift belt, the wooden slots around ten centimetres in size, before grabbing his improved leather bag.

"Right."

Ryuji stood up, grasping his necklace to form his axe; he didn't feel at ease without feeling the weight of its black shaft and the heavy rube-bladed head.

'I really need to improve my clothes.'

After grabbing his new cloak, Ryuji stood beside Paul and Sheila, avoiding Yumiko's intense gaze. With a slight frown, he created a mask using some unused cloth, flipping it around his neck and face before placing it in his mouth.

'This mask is so much more natural...'

Meanwhile, the group finally dismantled their camp, tossing the remaining soup into small insulated canteens for later use. They got ready with their equipment and gear in short order, walking through the snowy path in a neat line with Sheila in the lead.

The island wasn't huge, and they couldn't see anything or any significant features; it was just a flat, snowy island of ice.

"Should we scout ahead?" Paul asked while grinning at Ryuji and Yumiko.

"I'm not sure; there is only a few hundred metres to the edge. Did we make a mistake?" Sheila muttered, "Hmm? Did you hear that sound, like a skittering?"

"No?" Simon picked his ears with his finger, looking around with a confused look.

"Hmm... I heard a strange scratching from below." Ryuji added, hitting the ice with the sharp tip of his axe.

"Yes! What I was trying to say..." Sheila nodded, her eyes darting towards the ground as she grabbed her staff. "It seems there is something beneath us."

"Don't tell me the ground will fall?" Ryuji blurted out his worries.

"Good news for you... Kyaaa!?"

"Erika!"

The distant Erika slipped as the ground cracked, ice water and snow spurting into the air like a pillar before seven strange figures emerged. Ryuji dashed towards Erika and pulled her back with a violent yank, his wrist aching slightly as the leather gloves tore.

"These are monsters!?" Yumiko muttered before stepping forward. Ryuji had ordered her to protect Paul and Sheila, so she stood between them.

"It's not the time to talk about them being monsters or not!" Paul shouted as he unleashed three wooden runes that slammed onto the ice with a bang.

Two bursts of fire and wind erupted, knocking back several strange frog-like monsters as Ryuji and Simon stood back to back facing the strange creatures.

Seven mutated frogs appeared, their humanoid form twisted and deformed with ice growing from their limbs and sharp spines of black ice from their spines while carrying spears and tridents.

'Can't stay back!'

Ryuji kicked off the ground, cutting in a curve and forming a C-shape while releasing a brutal attack from his axe.

His body surged forward at an explosive rate, crossing a few dozen metres in a split second; the first monster's body, covered in ice, cracked from the blow before flying back, missing its head and legs.

"Oh, this is..." Paul looked in awe before pushing his fingers together. A burst of purple bolts flew like missiles in a beautiful arc above Ryuji's head to stop the piercing strike of another frog monster.

'Didn't have time to show off; let's have Paul buy me some time.'

Ryuji pulled back, gripping his axe while Simon stepped forward, slicing the air with a double attack. Two of the monsters dodging his blows before Erika slipped under their gaze and slit their throats.

Three monsters down, the party finally regained their bearings.

"Simon, Erika, Pull back!" Ryuji Shouted, his body filled with a red swirling aura as she dashed forward. The glowing red tip of his axe revealed his intent to use his 'Ravaging Blow'.

However, his body twisted, preparing to spin with a 'whirlwind' strike.

Paul, Sheila, and Yumiko fell into formation with Ryuji as if they'd trained together many times.

They organised themselves and followed Ryuji's voice well, with him three metres ahead, especially Yumiko, who displayed a shocked expression but followed his orders to the letter.

'Ha! Who said the strong can't lead?' Ryuji laughed, his laughter masked by the cloth mask before his body began rapidly spinning, the blade like a chainsaw deflecting the sharp tridents and spears of the frog monsters, their bodies pierced through moments later by the devastating blade of Ryuji's axe.

His shoulder and hands ached as the frogmen's piercing attacks retaliated, drawing blood and scratches on his exposed hands and armorless legs. Yet Ryuji ignored these minor wounds, his battle lust growing as his smile widened.

"Hahaha! Here!"

"Funny, try this!" Erika dashed forward while diving over Ryuji's head, stepping on his lowered shoulder. As she suddenly flashed in the air, it seemed she used 'Blade Flurry' again before diving through the centre of a group of frogs.

'She just used that skill to show off a little too much, doesn't she?' Ryuji remarked in his mind with a bemused smile on his face before sprinting forward, avoiding the deadly spikes that jumped out from the ice around their feet, his axe swinging and slashing into the waist of a frog monster, only to pull back as Erika used her blade flurry.

Like a vigorous dance, her body flashed between the remaining monsters, Erika's blades blurring into flashes of silver. The frog monster's blood painted the snow and ice with a scarlet hue.

"That's it! Save one for me, Erika," Ryuji shouted, but her dance continued to cut through the final frog with her blades.

His voice seemed to distract her, and she turned to him with the most beautiful smile. He felt an attraction to her that caused his heart to throb. Her face looked pale and tired as she waved to him with a peace sign, two fingers swaying as she pulled out her tongue.

'She's really cute.'

However, the moment she killed the last frog and became weak, the ground cracked, knocking the party off balance.

"Eh? Erika, dodge!" Ryuji shouted with his eyes opening wide. A long trident penetrated her from the back, its silver blades shimmering as it lifted her into the air.

A huge blue hand with webbing tossed her to the other side of the frozen island, and she landed with a thud.

"Erika!"

"We see it!"

The ice on the island cracked as a massive amphibian the size of a ship with a massive mouth of yellow teeth appeared, its jaw opening wide and extending towards Erika's fallen body.

"Give me a second! Bloodfury! Yumiko, please save Erika!"

The blood in Ryuji's body surged, his eyes bloodshot as he lunged towards the enormous monster, holding his axe and pulling it for an upward strike to draw its attention away from Erika's body.

'This monster is going down!'

He could feel the immense power flowing through his muscles as his brain thought only of battle and murdering this monster.