a story of a strong demon

I gave her another task: "Now, you'll attack me with the sword again." This was truly painful for her because she was extremely tired, and her arms and legs were aching. Yet, I insisted she continue using the sword. Every time she tried a new attack, pain shot through her.

I made her wield the sword for almost an hour, and she became so exhausted that she could barely stand. I told her to rest for a while so she could recover and be ready to fight demons later. While she rested, we took the opportunity to ask each other questions.

First, Shushi asked, "Why do you wear the mask?" I was about to tell her a lie, and I answered, "When I went to fight the upper rank '2' demon, Joso, he used a poison attack on my face, and it got burned. Since then, I've worn this mask to cover it."

She then asked, "Did you kill Joso?" I responded, "No, someone saved me and took me to their home. When I asked them why they did that, they said that if we had fought him, we both would have been killed."

Shushi then asked, "How many upper ranks are there, and who is in upper rank '1'?" I told her, "Upper rank '1' is Shangshu, and I think there are around four or five upper ranks in total." She asked, "If Joso used poison in his fight, then what does Shangshu use?" I replied, "I think Shangshu only uses physical power. He uses Kung Fu and martial arts."

Then she asked, "What does the upper rank '3' use?" I replied, "He and I have never fought, and I don't know what he looks like, but from what I read in Keats' book, upper rank '3' uses illusions. Once someone falls into his illusions, it's hard to escape. Only a powerful demon fighter can break free, but normal demon fighters get trapped in it."

I said, "Now, it's my turn to ask questions." She agreed, and I asked, "Was your boyfriend a demon fighter? He must have known who the upper rank '1' was, so why did he fight him? The villagers said he died while saving you because he loved you. Did you love him too?"

She replied, "Yes, my boyfriend was a demon fighter. But Muire said that when Suka saved me from the demon, he didn't know that it was an upper rank '1'. It was their first encounter, and he didn't realize how powerful an upper rank could be. The villagers were right; he loved me, and I loved him. But I hadn't spoken to him for a few days because he had been busy."

"I never expected him to die in front of my eyes while saving me," she said, starting to cry. I tried to console her, and after a while, she calmed down. I apologized and asked, "Can I ask you something else about Suka?"

She nodded, and I asked, "Do you miss him?" She replied, "Yes, I miss him a lot."

I then asked, "Suka was taken by Shangshu, right? Could it be that Shangshu turned him into a demon, and now he's living as one?"

She answered, "When I asked Muire about it, he said that Suka was very powerful in human form. If he had lived a few more years, he could have killed the Demon King. His goal was to kill the Demon King and control the demons, using them to help humans. But his dream was left unfulfilled."

"I don't think he's living as a demon," she continued. "Shangshu would be crazy to turn him into a demon. If he became a demon, he would've already defeated Shangshu and come to fight me. He wanted to be more powerful than me."

By now, it was nearly night. Demons would soon appear. Shushi asked, "Can I ask you some more questions?" I replied, "No, no more questions. Night is almost here, and you need to use that sharp sword to kill demons. Get ready."