After the Fall of the Demon Race, Reincarnated as a Demon Girl - Chapter 17

Renith’s blade fell, and Jiros’s head rolled to the ground.

Her expression was calm, her eyes unruffled.

Then, using earth magic, Renith buried both bodies, cleaning up the scene entirely.

With that done, she prepared to head to the two remaining farms to eliminate the other transmigrators there.

Clap, clap, clap—

A sudden round of applause broke the silence. Behind Renith, a faint, shimmering figure materialized.

Reacting instantly, Renith raised her hand and unleashed a surge of blazing fire. But the flames didn’t strike their target as intended—instead, they passed cleanly through the apparition.

“Hey now, no need to be so tense. I was just passing by.”

The shimmering figure drifted gently onto the grass, flickered briefly, and gradually solidified into a blurred human form.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am ‘Shape-Shifter’ Noxusk, a transmigrator—or, as you would say, a ‘Chosen One.’”

Playing with a ring on his left index finger, Noxusk bowed deeply toward Renith.

“What do you want?”

His polite gesture did nothing to lessen Renith’s hostility—in fact, it only intensified. She gripped her short staff and codex tightly, ready to attack at the slightest hint of movement from Noxusk.

Having fought numerous transmigrators, Renith had already discerned some patterns in how they named their “god-given” abilities.

Whether it was Layla’s “Dissect,” Jiros’s “Encirclement,” that other one’s “Stalk,” or now Noxusk’s “Shape-Shield,” she could vaguely infer their abilities from the names.

Layla’s “Dissect” allowed her to turn any object into a sharp blade with a touch, cutting through living beings at will.

Jiros’s “Encirclement” let him stealthily set up traps to corner his prey and take them down with concentrated attacks.

As for that other one’s “Stalk,” though Renith had only encountered him briefly, she guessed he could appear a fixed distance behind someone and maintain that distance, shadowing them relentlessly.

By that logic, Noxusk’s ability likely related to his physical form.

Given that her attack had passed right through him, his power seemed similar to the intangibility she remembered of the Sloth Demon General—untouchable by any physical attack.

That state was nearly invincible, but it had one fatal flaw: soul-based attacks.

It was only by using Alegria’s divine magic to strike the Sloth Demon General’s soul directly that they had managed to defeat him.

Although Alegria wasn’t here now, Renith had the ability to replicate that divine magic through her own spells.

Sensing the threat, Noxusk let out an uneasy chuckle.

“One can never have too much money. Magic scrolls are priceless and rare. I originally intended to capture you and have you transcribe scrolls for me, but the power you’ve shown far exceeds that of an ordinary archmage. I’m no match for you.”

“And since I happened to receive some news along the way, I’m here only to propose a deal. We are not enemies.”

Noxusk glanced at the two freshly filled pits behind Renith. He had witnessed the entire fight and had no desire to become the next Jiros.

“Just transcribing scrolls?”

Renith’s gaze fixed intently on Noxusk’s eyes. He shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her stare.

This guy clearly had his own agenda, but Renith was intrigued by the deal he mentioned.

“Oh? A deal? Let’s hear it.”

A flicker of curiosity crossed Renith’s otherwise stern expression. She knew well that if she could pry some useful information from this transmigrator, it would make her next moves much smoother.

“It’s quite simple for you. You just need to come with me. In return, I can provide materials, money, even status—whatever you desire, to the best of my ability.”

Renith frowned. This sounded far too much like what a condemned prisoner might hear the day before execution.

“Can I ask what this is about?”

“Ah, you recall that historian you killed a few days ago? The organization behind him has taken notice of you. They’ve requested your presence at their Mobius City branch. What they want, I have no idea.”

Renith remembered Tao Jin. With his dying breath, he had pleaded:

[Don’t kill me. If I don’t return, they’ll grow suspicious.]

It seemed the organization had tracked her down through some means.

Accepting this would truly be like walking to her own execution—agreeing to a “fatal appointment.”

“I killed him, you know. They most likely want revenge. You should just attack me directly instead of proposing a deal.”

Renith raised her short staff. Noxusk reacted as if facing a mortal threat, hurriedly raising his hands in a defensive gesture.

“No, no, no, no… You’ve got it all wrong. I don’t have the strength for that—I’m all about preying on the weak. The power you’ve shown is beyond anything I expected. I… I can’t win!”

“That’s why I came to inform you and propose a deal. It’s your choice whether to go or not. If you go, I benefit. If not, it’s no skin off my back.”

Suddenly, Renith understood. Noxusk had approached her for a deal rather than attacking outright because he knew perfectly well he stood no chance against her.

Most of her unease faded, and her brow relaxed.

After defeating four transmigrators, Renith had gained a clearer understanding of their general power level—their abilities were bizarre and tricky to handle.

The royal capital had now become a stronghold for transmigrators.

Heading there with her current strength would be like throwing herself into a trap, risking her life for nothing. After careful consideration, Renith decided to bide her time.

She hadn’t yet decided which city to go to next. Since Noxusk had brought it up, she might as accompany him and see what they were really up to.

“I agree, but I’m only interested in information. Money, power, status—if I die, it’ll all end up back in your hands anyway. And those things… don’t interest me.”

Renith’s expression remained calm and unmoved. She had seen plenty of materials, wealth, and high status in her time—none of it held any appeal for her.

She had only ever had three goals in her two lives: one was to defeat the Demon King. After achieving that, she found a new purpose—to witness new horizons through her own strength. The second was the mission Alegria had entrusted to her in this life.

“Really?”

Noxusk hadn’t expected Renith to agree so readily. She was either incredibly bold or supremely confident in her abilities.

“Um, are you… sure you don’t want to think it over?”

Renith shook her head.

“The deal is settled. I’ll come find you tonight, but I have urgent business to attend to first.”

She turned toward the direction of the farms. Two more transmigrators were waiting for her there.

“Alright. I’ll return to Elbard’s estate. You can find me there.”

With that, Noxusk departed.

Without delay, Renith sped off toward the remaining two farms.

…

When she arrived at the farm, the scene before her took Renith by surprise.

Forty or fifty villagers, armed with hoes and shovels, were breaking down the farm’s iron gate. Leading them were Hubert and Lance, the former carrying a musket and the latter with one slung over his shoulder. Behind them was a cart carrying Elbard’s body.

Next to Elbard’s corpse sat two trussed-up individuals, stripped naked and trembling, their clothes discarded nearby.

Everything had happened too quickly. The villagers had pushed the cart right up to them before they could even process Elbard’s death. The cold muzzle of a musket was already pressed firmly against their foreheads.

From a distance, Renith heard the villagers shouting things like, [Elbard is dead! Surrender your weapons and we’ll spare you!]

It seemed the village, long oppressed under Elbard’s brutal rule, had been simmering with resentment. The spark of rebellion had been smoldering in the villagers’ hearts, waiting for the right moment to ignite.

Now, with Hubert and Lance bringing Elbard’s body back, the villagers’ fear had completely evaporated.

In an instant, it was as if they had awoken from a deep slumber. Freed from their invisible chains, their pent-up fervor for rebellion burst forth like a flood.

Hubert and Lance had organized the villagers and marched toward the farm. After dealing with the guards, they broke down the iron gate—just as Renith, fresh from dealing with the transmigrators, arrived on the scene.

It seemed things had gone smoothly for Hubert, too.

“How did it go?”

Renith landed lightly in front of Hubert using wind magic, startling him and the nearby villagers.

“Not bad. Your injuries… are you alright?”

Hubert noticed the dried blood on Renith’s robe near the shoulder and grew concerned.

“I’m fine. They’ve already healed.”

Renith waved a hand dismissively.

“Oh, right.”

As if suddenly remembering something important, Renith carefully used magic to retrieve a body wrapped tightly in white cloth from her codex’s dimensional space.

She had encountered Roe Ann on her way to the farm. He was on the verge of death, muttering incoherently.

When he saw Renith, the last breath left his body. He smiled, words left unspoken, and closed his eyes forever.

She turned slightly toward Hubert and said softly,

“Hubert, this is…”

But before she could finish, she noticed Hubert’s body beginning to tremble uncontrollably, as if pierced by an invisible chill.

His face turned pale as a sheet, drained of all color, his eyes filled with grief and panic.

“It’s Roe Ann, isn’t it?”

Renith nodded.

“I knew it. He and I lived in this village together for years. Whenever we had time, we’d share a drink or two.”

“For over a decade, we saw each other day in and day out, as close as brothers. Even covered by that cloth, I can still make out his curly brown hair and that familiar build. I could never mistake him.”