488. Wrath
“Keep the Demons back!”
Jaakko shouted as he hurled his kusarigama into the sky. With a tug of its chains, he yanked down a [Vampyr Bat] and stomped it beneath his feet. He looked up, panting. The hordes of Demons didn’t stop. The crimson pillar tearing through the sky continuously poured out these creatures of the Netherworld.
The Cyclops was getting tired. His injuries were flaring up. But still, he was motivated. He rallied the adventurers and soldiers around him, forming a perimeter to protect the refugees from Lunaris. After all, why should he falter now? He was getting close to Level 100. Soon, he would reach his next Class advancement. That only emboldened him to fight on.
“Jaakko!”
undefinedA pair of voices cried out amidst the fighting. The Cyclops kicked a [Hellhound] back and blinked. He turned to face his two teammates as they ran towards him.
“Zack, Helen.”
He harrumphed, nodding at them.
“I’m glad to see the both of you are alive.”
“We were in trouble, but Salvos saved us.”
Helena spoke as she cut down a [Hellbeast] with her short sword. She came to a halt next to the Cyclops as Zack backed up behind the two of them for cover.
“She really has a knack for timing.”
The [Mage] sighed. Jaakko shook his head.
“It is good that she saved you, however we need to focus on surviving. Zack, I need you to support those [Barrier Mages]—
The Cyclops started. Then his single eye blinked as he looked up. There was a powerful flash of golden light. An overwhelming blast in the distance that shook the earth. He stumbled back, and as did Zack and Helen. The trio looked in the distance as the flames vanished, leaving behind a giant column of smoke.
“That’s…”
Zack pursed his lips. Jaakko nodded simply.
“Salvos.”
Helen looked up. Her eyes flickered as she spoke.
“She is fighting someone. I can’t tell if she’s winning. It must be a powerful enemy if all her clones have died to it.”
The Cyclops grunted.
“And that’s why we need to carry out our part. Come on.”
With that, the other two adventurers nodded and got to work. They continued fighting off the hordes of wild Demons as a high-leveled battle continued to rage on ahead.
I looked on as the golden flames dissipated. My clone’s fire vanished, leaving behind nothing but a gray curtain that extended to the sky. The smoke slowly vanished, and I saw the shadow of a figure beneath the veil.
Ira floated there, panting and bleeding. His entire right arm had been ripped off, and his shoulder was bleeding, pouring with blood. The right side of his face was burned and scarred. His body was injured too, but less so than his face. He slowly descended from the sky, having survived the explosion.
I expected as much. I didn’t hear any notification resound in my head. And this was a Primeval Demon. He had to be strong. A single explosion from my clone wouldn’t have been enough to finish him off.
That was why I was already there, flying towards him.
His head snapped up, eyes growing wide as I swung down with my Divine Nebular Scythe. He was no longer holding onto his blood-spear. The arm that held it had been burned off. This was my only opportunity to finish him off. My weapon flickered as a black flame burned at its edge. I aimed straight for his neck.
“Die— [Radiant Slash]!”
I screamed as I swung down at him. His eyes bulged from their sockets. I had him this time. I was certain it was over. The blade drew closer. The scythe was just about to reach his neck. But at the very last moment, blood exploded from his burned skin. Black blood. Demon’s blood. It spurted out like a giant hand, catching my scythe.
I blinked as the [Radiant Slash] was stopped entirely in its tracks. Ira glared up at me as he raised his remaining arm and struck out.
“Nice try—”
It was a simple punch, but it hit hard. I couldn’t move out of the way in time, my weapon caught by the giant blood-hand. The single attack broke through my Aura of Greater Protection, shattering the invisible barrier and sending me flying.
The Primeval Demon shook his head as I crashed into the earth. He looked down at himself, then at his missing arm. He scowled.
“That will take a while to regenerate.”
He ran his remaining hand over his body, and I looked up. I watched as his burned skin rippled, recovering in mere moments before my very eyes. It was like he was pouring a healing potion over himself. I watched as the wounds stitched up, and my eyes narrowed.
“I remember hearing— well, seeing through my clones— that you had regeneration abilities. But that is quite slow, isn’t it?”
I got to my feet, dusting myself off. Ira raised a brow at me and snorted.
“My blood magic works faster than your Human potions. Belittle it as you may, you will still die here.”
He pointed at me, and a deluge of blood-projectiles shot down my way. I leapt into the air, zipping away from the attacks. They trailed after me, but I quickly lost them, redirecting the attacks to the ground.
Meanwhile, Ira just floated in the same spot, running his hands over his body as his wounds slowly healed. I frowned. I remembered hearing something about Ira’s rapid regeneration being a part of his Grand Skill. If so, that meant he wasn’t using his Grand Skill just yet.
I considered activating my Grand Skill right now to try and take him down. If I struck him with a good blast of Divine Essence, he might not be able to use his own Grand Skill in time to recover. Or maybe he couldn’t use his Grand Skill at all yet. How long had it been since he fought Orgaf? It was possible Ira had a super long cooldown period, after all.
I shook my head. It was too much of a risk. If I used my Grand Skill, then the Primeval Demon used his, it would only become a battle of attrition. And I didn’t think I was going to win that fight. I didn’t want to goad him into using his Grand Skill. Killing him as he was right now was my best chance of winning this fight.
I flew straight up into the sky as the blood-projectiles exploded beneath me. I swerved back, heading straight for Ira as he stopped healing his wounds. He raised his left hand, pointing a finger at me.
“[Blood Bath].”
My eyes flickered. I recognized this attack. I’d fought two [Changelings] who’d used this as a Combined Skill before during that Greater Vampire Families meeting. A black beam shot out from Ira’s fingertips as I gritted my teeth.
I teleported to the side at the very last moment, zipping away from the Primeval Demon. He aimed at me, and the beam followed. I watched as the attack completely ravaged the landscape around us, exploding and destroying a chunk of the city. I flew off as Ira laughed.
“You have no clones to play your tricks with now, Human.”
I could feel the intensity of the attack even from a distance. If he caught me once with one of his proper Skills, I was pretty much dead. The black beam dissipated. I watched as he unleashed another volley of blood-projectiles my way. I quickly circled around the Primeval Demon, trying to avoid his onslaught of blood magic. And while I was preoccupied, he began to mend his right arm.
I saw the way his blood rippled in the stump on his right shoulder. Strands of black blood formed like… they were being sewn back together? No— like they were veins taking shape. It was a slow process. At least, compared to using a Potion of Regeneration. But still, if this kept up, he’d soon be fully healed from all the damage he’d taken. I couldn’t allow that.
I quickly flicked a wrist, and my Divine Nebular Scythe vanished. Instead, a massive arrow replaced the weapon. The Giant Killer Arrow. I created a bow made from fire as I dipped down, avoiding the blood-projectiles passing overhead.
“Just because I don’t have my clones doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you!”
I yelled as I loosed the Epic Grade Weapon at the [Hellprince]. He raised his head, blinking. He smirked, continuing to regenerate his right arm uncaringly. The blood barrier surrounding him shifted, moving to protect him as usual.
“Do you really think that would—”
And the Giant Killer Arrow tore straight through the sphere. Ira’s eyes grew wide as the large projectile went straight for his head. He ducked, barely dodging the attack in time. He spun around, watching it vanish.
“What was that?”
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