The glass pane exploded into glittering shards as an elderly man crashed through, landing onto the demon's back. His conical hat tilted with the motion, the katana at his belt gleamed under the dim light.
In a flash, the demon froze.
Suddenly, its body slid apart, collapsing onto the floor like perfectly cut pork chops.
It had happened so fast, the old man's katana never even seemed to leave its sheath.
He landed on his feet as the slabs of demon flesh beneath him crumbled into air, leaving no trace.
"Ermit!" Liam exclaimed in awe.
That signature hat, a faint white long beard, and an insane move that his eyes didn't even follow made Liam realise that the middle-aged man who saved them is none other than the mighty S-ranked DH from White Hawks, Ermit.
"Evacuate the campus," calm and collected, Ermit uttered.
Liam tossed away the chairs in his hands. "I knew it was you," he chuckled.
Clashing noises sounded from the outside.
Liam's eye wandered through a busted window, catching a glimpse of several DH in white uniforms taking a demon down.
Those white uniforms are from the White Hawks guild, the guild that Liam least expected to show up. Confused, he couldn't help but ask, "What's the White Hawks doing here, though? Where's the Twilight-"
"Evacuate. Now." Ermit cut him off, calm and collected.
"Alright. We'll do that," Liam didn't question any further. After all, it's the White Hawks who came to their rescue.
"Consider taking a route away from the entrance," Ermit said before walking out of the cafeteria.
On his way out, he came across Hayden who was just entering the place.
As the two men with a calm and serious countenance walked past one another, their eyes crossed for a very brief moment.
And none of them give a shit about each other.
Hayden proceeded to his friends with dead serious eyes locked onto Aubrey.
He aggressively grabbed Aubrey by her wrist and pulled her to him.
"You're coming with me," Hayden dictated.
Aubrey doesn't like it and tries yanking away her hand, but Hayden's grip is as tight as if he never wanted to let go.
In fact, his clutch was rather too suffocating that Aubrey was hurt when she failed to pull her arms away.
"Hands off! You're hurting me."
Liam stepped in. "Easy, Hayden. What the hell was your prob-" his voice died in an instant.
Without hesitation, Hayden ripped his pistol from its holster and jammed the muzzle against Liam's forehead. His undaunted gaze held steady, cold and unblinking.
Frightened, Liam shuffled away and raised his hands.
"Yo, bro, chill. We're in the midst of literal hell right now, you don't wanna do this."
"This doesn't concern you, so stay in your line," Hayden threatened in a grimly serious tone.
"How do you even slip a handgun inside the campus?"
"Alright, you win," Aubrey laid her unrestricted hand on the top of Hayden's gun and gently pulled it down. "I'm coming with you," she reluctantly complies in fear of bringing danger to her friends.
"Are you really cool with this, though?" Liam worried.
"Actually… This douchebag is my personal servant," she confessed, seeming coy about it.
"Are you for real?!!!"
Liam's jaw dropped to the floor, but it was nothing compared to the cacophony of shrieks and whispers that erupted from the girls, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"No way!"
"You're kidding, right?!"
"Tell me you're lying!" Camille couldn't believe it.
"I'm not," Aubrey replied, letting out a small chuckle.
"That's a shame," Liam said. "I really thought you two were dating."
The girls chimed in almost immediately. "Yeah! You two would make such a cute couple!"
"What!!!" Aubrey's cheek uncontrollably swelled. "What made you guys think of that absurdity?"
"Well, you two went home together after our drinking session yesterday, and uhh… we sorta fill in the blanks," Camille said.
"Don't get us wrong, but you two seem really on it," Liam added.
"That's too shallow of a reason. I would never!'' Aubrey glanced at Hayden and gave him a disgusted look. "Never in a million years will I date this psycho! He's way out of my league," she ranted.
"Wait… if Hayden is your servant, then that must mean you're some kind of bigshot," Liam said.
Aubrey let out a cute tee-hee, "I guess you could say that, but actually… my real name is Aubrey Es-"
~~~
Hayden recollected Esperanza's instructions before he got admitted to this school.
Third instruction: I must recognise Grace as Grace Garcia and Aubrey as Aubrey Reyes. No one shall know about the Esperanza daughters' true identity.
~~~
Before Aubrey could spill her real identity, Hayden tightened his clutch on her wrist and pulled her to his chest.
"She's the daughter of a wealthy man. And if you may, I'd like to get her out of here before more demons arrive."
Even in the most chaotic situation, Hayden refused to neglect the instructions given to him, that's why he restrained Aubrey from revealing something crucial.
Hayden quickly dragged Aubrey out of the cafeteria and the others also got out to make their escape. But while Aubrey's friend went to the south where most students are advised to go, Hayden on the other hand lugged Aubrey towards the north where the school entrance was located.
Hayden still has his hand binded on her wrist as they run along the walkway. He was leading Aubrey on the track, but Aubrey was struggling to keep up with Hayden's pace.
"Are you bringing me to my death? Don't you know that the school entrance is where the demon gate is?" gasping for air, she still managed to argue with Hayden.
"I don't like the terminology you used back there. I'm your bodyguard, not your servant," Hayden said, his voice not seeming exhausted whatsoever.
"That doesn't answer my question!"
"I know a shortcut."
Aubrey roamed her eyes around and spotted several demons in a far distance slithering on the buildings engulfed in huge flames. The dark fumes from the burning buildings accumulate atop the barrier, the smoke failing to ventilate through.
"A shortcut to afterlife you mean?!!!"
She was distracted from the havoc, unaware of the demon coming their way.
In front of them, a demon twice Hayden's size charged on its knuckles, its massive shoulders and ripped chest pulsing with each movement. Its posture was disturbingly gorilla-like, but with a mane of a lion on its neck.
The demon barreled with its head leading like a ram, but Hayden didn't make any effort to pivot away. Instead, he confidently pressed forward, unfazed by the monstrous hindrance on their path.
As the demon closes in, it roars loudly and grabs Aubrey's preoccupied gaze.
Terrified, Aubrey froze just like when she first saw the four-legged demon in the cafeteria. Her legs suddenly felt heavy and because Hayden was dragging her as they ran, her feeble legs lost their pace and she tumbled, her knee scraping against the brick ground.
For a moment, Hayden relinquished his grip on Aubrey and leapt higher than the demon. As the demon approached Hayden's reach, he spun mid-air, gathering momentum for a single blow.
He outstretched his feet and, with perfect timing, booted the demon directly in the head. The hit cracked the air with a whoosh that echoed like a whip
The demon's head dislodged from its mane in one clean, violent sweep. As the amputated skull spun flying in the air, the body beneath it instantly crumbled into a silent pile of dust.
Hayden strode over to Aubrey, who was still kneeling, brushing dust from her skirt. He didn't offer a hand. He just looked down at her with dead serious eyes.
Aubrey looked up, meeting his burning stare.
"Will you not be a klutz? I'm trying to save you here."