A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1472 - 995 Preparation Work

Chapter 1472: Chapter 995 Preparation Work

To be honest, these kinds of demons are nothing to Duanmu Huai—he could take on a whole group of them with just one hand. However, this time, his goal for hunting demons wasn’t as simple as just eliminating them.

"It’s all on you, Mio! I’ll draw its aggro, and you focus on attacking!"

That’s right—this time Duanmu Huai was acting as the tank. His job was to hold the monster’s attention while Naruse Mio learned how to fight. After all, the fastest way to improve is through real combat, and Banriya wholeheartedly agreed with Duanmu Huai’s approach.

"Me?!"

Staring at the terrifying monster in front of her, Naruse Mio felt her heart pounding. After all, before her parents were killed, she had been nothing more than an ordinary girl... Wait, huh?

A girl living an ordinary life who one day faces tragedy, awakens a hidden power within herself after her parents are killed... Change the gender here, and doesn’t that sound just like the premise of a light novel protagonist?

Now Duanmu Huai wanted to see if she truly had the potential of a light novel protagonist.

"That’s right!"

While casually swinging his war hammer to block the dissident demon’s attack, Duanmu Huai nodded firmly at Naruse Mio. Banriya, gripping both fists tightly, also looked at her with encouragement.

"You can do it, Lord Mio! I’ve already taught you how to channel your magic power!"

"Ugh..."

Hearing Banriya’s words, Naruse Mio raised her right hand. In an instant, fiery red mana surged out from her, engulfing her figure. Moments later, a bolt of lightning shot from the magic circle in front of her and blasted straight toward the dissident demon!

"Whoa!"

The dissident demon clearly hadn’t expected such a delicate girl to wield this kind of power. The red lightning fired from Naruse Mio’s hand struck the demon directly, detonating on its body with an explosive burst of thunder and lightning. However, the demon wasn’t weak by any means; sensing her magic power, it immediately darted aside, attempting to escape.

But in that critical moment, Duanmu Huai’s sharp eyes caught its movement. In a flash, he swung his hammer down precisely, severing the demon’s forelimb and pinning it to the ground!

"Quick, finish it off!"

"I... I..."

"Think about how many people this demon’s devoured!"

Seeing Naruse Mio hesitate, Duanmu Huai shouted angrily at her.

"This is a demon that kills and eats humans for fun, just like the one that murdered your parents!"

"The one that murdered my parents..."

Hearing those words, Naruse Mio was immediately flooded with memories of that nightmare—the demon that had toyed with them, killed her parents so easily... In that moment, the red mana around her flared even brighter. She raised her hand again, pointing it directly at the dissident demon in front of her.

"Go to hell!"

With Naruse Mio’s furious roar, a crimson orb of light burst forth from her hand, hurtling straight into the demon’s massive body.

"AAAAHHHHHH!!"

The moment the dissident demon was struck by the red orb, it let out a shrill, agonized scream. Its body began to contort, crush, and distort as if some invisible, overwhelming force was grinding it out of existence. Piece by piece, it broke apart. Moments later, its remains dissolved completely and vanished without a trace.

"That’s the power of Lord Wilbert! Lord Mio has indeed inherited this strength!"

Witnessing the scene, Banriya immediately cheered, while Naruse Mio stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the spot where the demon had disappeared. Her expression looked utterly bewildered as if she had no idea how to process what had just happened—the area before her was now completely empty.

"Not bad."

At this point, Duanmu Huai walked over and gave Naruse Mio a reassuring pat on the head.

"That’s how it’s done. Remember, there’s no mercy in battle. I know this might be hard for you to accept, but right now, the only thing you can do is push forward. Your parents are gone. They died protecting you. What you need to do now is ensure their sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Maybe you hate fighting, but if you don’t fight, you’ll be killed. And when that happens, your parents’ sacrifice will become completely meaningless. Do you understand?"

"..."

Listening to Duanmu Huai’s words, Naruse Mio lowered her head and stared at her hands. After a moment of silence, she raised her head and gave him a firm nod.

"I understand, Uncle."

After the "big cleanup," Duanmu Huai and his group moved into a mansion that was, for all intents and purposes, a freebie. Luckily, most of the previous owner’s furniture was still intact. With just the three of them living there, things didn’t have to get overly complicated. Of course, Naruse Mio was initially one hundred percent unwilling to live in such a haunted house, but Duanmu Huai’s response was, "You’re a Demon Clan heiress. What are you so scared of ghosts for?" Coupled with Banriya’s persuasion, she eventually agreed, albeit reluctantly.

That said, Naruse Mio didn’t forget to grumble to Duanmu Huai about how this made her look like some kind of ultimate villain... After all, she was part of the Demon Clan, living in a haunted mansion—could things get any weirder?

To that, Duanmu Huai simply chuckled and said nothing. In the end, his method proved effective. Although Naruse Mio was still uneasy about living in a haunted house, at least she no longer spent entire days standing blankly in front of the ruins of her old home.

If she had the energy to complain, it meant she was finally starting to crawl out of her darkness.