424. Humanity's Primal Fear
“I am [Your Worst Nightmare].”
Saffron’s eyes grew wide as Avaritia’s voice pulsed out. She could feel the power of his Grand Skill in her bones. A shiver ran through her body— her skin prickling with the crawling feeling of ants running up her back. She lowered her hands, no longer struggling as the Salvos clone carried her further away from the battlefield.
It was overwhelming. The young Vampire shuddered as she looked on. The Archdemon’s body twisted. He was a [Changeling], and he’d transformed many times throughout the fight. But this time? It was almost grotesque to look at. At first, he’d lost all recognizable features of any Demon— not an [Incubus], not a [Hellbeast], and not even like any kind of monster Saffron had ever seen.
He’d shifted into an amalgamation of different beasts and creatures, with various spindly limbs like arms and legs and even fingers poking out of his body before receding back into that ball of flesh. He’d stared up at Salvos with a hundred eyes, then one, then a dozen, then no eyes at all. His body stretched and thinned and expanded in the blink of an eye, all the while keeping a pallid shade as he let out a deep, resounding groan.
undefinedIt happened so slowly and so quickly. Lofus realized this was the time to strike, and the Berserker lunged forward. She swung at the transforming Demon. Her punch connected. For a moment, nothing happened. Then Avaritia’s body exploded.
Lofus blinked, then laughed as she watched his flesh splatter all over the ground. Bits and pieces of the Demon went flying as she stepped back.
“Hah! I did it! That idiot didn’t even see it coming!”
She basked in her victory, but all Salvos did was narrow her eyes. Saffron saw it too. The young Vampire looked on as the chunks of Demon flesh froze midair— the black blood refusing to fall to the ground.
“Lofus—-”
Saffron called out, and the Berserker finally saw it. All at once, Avaritia’s body flew back together. The black blood and chunks of flesh reassembling the same morbidly abdominous shape from before. It happened so quickly, Lofus didn’t even have time to react. And the floating ball of deformed flesh struck back at her.
She went flying as Avaritia’s warped voice echoed, laughing.
“You cannot kill me, Humans. Not when I shall consume your very soul!”
And all at once, the Demon’s body spiked out. Like streaks of veins reaching out with a cloying grasp. And a layer of crimson skin formed over it. Saffron blinked once, seeing the vague outline of a towering figure forming. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the pair of horns protruding out of its head. Curved and long, each with a slender sharp edge, built like a sword.
Avaritia stood tall— twenty feet in height. Not as large as an [Arachne], but he was rippling with muscle. A black aura cloaked around him, dressing him with a faux regalia befitting a king, and he looked up with a shadowed gaze. A long tail made of plated bones swished behind him as he raised his head.
Saffron stared at the crimson Demon as he spread his arms wide.
“How is this? Are you scared? Terrified? I know you are. I have become the thing which Humankind fears the most. I have become the terror from the stories you tell your children when they misbehave. I have become my King himself. The one and only ruler of the Netherworld.”
The [Changeling] cackled, taking a step forward. The ground shook just from that single footstep. Saffron stared on as the Salvos clone paused.
“Regnorex is at the gates…”
The young Vampire whispered, closing her eyes. She knew this was Avaritia. That it was a fake. But he’d co-opted more than just the Demon King’s looks. Saffron could tell. She could feel a pressure weighing on her— one that she’d never felt before.
It was so heavy. Almost palpable. And something within Saffron told her that this was merely a fraction of the real power of Regnorex.
“T-this…”
She bit her lower lip. But as Avaritia stood there, basking in his own grandeur, someone moved. A bear-like creature. One that had two heads, but now only with a single head left. Zin Norwood bounded forward, hoping to strike him while he was distracted.
He inclined his head callously.
“Begone, pest.”
And with those casual words, he swiped his tail at her. Saffron opened her mouth.
“No—”
But Salvos moved. She’d been silent the entire time, not really reacting to Avaritia’s form. But the moment he struck out for the [Druid], she swooped down. The silver-haired girl reached Zin just in time to block the tail-swipe. His tail crashed into Salvos’ side, but the iridescent aura around her sparked out, clashing with the black aura. For a moment, nothing happened— then she went flying.
“Argh—!”
Saffron’s eyes widened as she watched both Salvos and Zin crash into the side of a wall. Avaritia’s black aura had shattered whatever protection was covering the silver-haired girl. The indomitable invulnerable aura she exuded gone. And she lay there, in the crater, bruised and bloodied as she looked up at the faux Demon King.
And the young noble understood— this really was her worst nightmare.
“Huh.”
I didn’t expect that. To be honest, I had been a little underwhelmed by Avaritia’s Grand Skill. He’d just… transformed again. It wasn’t anything special. He was taller now, sure. I couldn’t see his face, and he did have an odd black aura veil covering his body. But to me, he just looked like another Demon.
Yet, somehow, when he struck me with his tail, he’d managed to break through my Grand Skill. It was odd. I was certain [My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends] rivaled— or even surpassed— the Breastplate of Alexander’s Aura of Protection. But against Avaritia as he was now? That didn’t matter.
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