*** Author's Note ***
Sorry for late chapters. Busy week again for me.
Although I want to write more frequently, I need to finish my job first. Need to get that salary to get me through the month.
Anyway. Here's todays chapter!
Enjoy!
***
Those assholes! They ran off without even a word! The plan is now ruined! I thought as I and the party ran towards the Elder. Elves are fast as heck. Especially Alora who seem to be reinvigorated as she swiftly circles around the Elder while Nindr runs in a direct line while the Old Man have his back turned away from him.
"Damn these Elves. What the hell are they thinking?!" Ortho shouts in frustration as we watch Alora and Nindr suddenly rushed the Elder.
"They saw an opening and are going for a sneak attack." Philip defends them as we run towards the fight. "See? They got him." Pointing at the sight of Nindr's surprise attack. We stop in our tracks as we watch in bated gaze as Nindr was about to strike down the Elder. Then our stomach drop as we watch in dismay as his attack was thwarted and he was hit by a rock in the stomach. So we begin to run towards the Elder again.
"What the hell! Who yells in a surprise attack?" Ortho face slaps himself.
"An idiot that's who!" I answered.
We then halted once again as we see Alora uses the opening made by Nindr for her surprise attack. I truly thought that it would work this time. Her attack was so quick and deadly, that I don't think anyone would be able to dodge her attack. That is why I was shocked at seeing the Elder moving in an even greater speed to avoid the lethal strike and even counter with an attack of his own. So we proceeded to run towards him once more, intent on assisting Alora, only to see Nindr finally landing a blow.
"Quickly finish him! Go for the head!" We stop on our tracks as we all shout at the Elf Vice Captain.
"Damn it! Don't monologue you dipshit and kill him!" I shout as we watch in horror as the pompous Elf have the gall to monologue instead of killing his opponent.
Seemingly content on asserting his superiority, he finally decides to inflict the finishing blow. That is when I felt a sudden change within the Elder. This time, I run towards the Elder alone while the others watch Nindr's supposed victory. I will not make it on time! I thought as dark energy burst out of the Elder's body and blasts Nindr away with just his Aura.
"Haha… Hahaha… Hahahahaha!" The Elder laughed to the sky.
No… This is no longer the Elder. This is…
"I see you finally gained control." I spoke while slowly walking towards the former Elder. "M'agorath."
The Elder/ M'agorath turned slowly to face me. His face elated with his newfound freedom. "Hey brat. Good to see you haven't ran off yet. We will have so much fun together later, once I take out these trash."
"Of course I won't. I will not let a chance of watching you get your ass handed to you slip away." I continued, I need to buy more time for the others to get in position. Thankfully, the demon is as arrogant as before. "Actually, I was more surprised that you haven't taken control earlier. Although your personality is showing, it was clear that Maximillian was still in charge. Here I thought you were some powerful demon or something. To see your power exploited by other, aren't you ashamed of yourself?"
"Hah! Time is nothing for me human. Even though that idiot Maximillian's will is strong, he will still fall under my influence eventually. Such is the fate of the weak to submit to the strong, he will submit to me sooner or later, even without your influence." M'agorath spoke in a matter of fact tone.
Good, they are in position now. I only need for him to attack me and the others will pounce and try to get hold of him even for a few second. Then, my job will begin. "So that is your end game? Wait till his will weaken so you can steal his body like a pussy? And you call yourself M'agorath the Fierce, more like, M'agorath the chicken shit." I taunted him.
His expression becomes serious for a second, before he returns to smile again. "You truly are a vexing human. Even though there is nothing in this universe that I want more than killing you right here and now, I reckon it will be more satisfying to see you fall to despair before I squash your meaningless existence." He then made a gesture with his hand, beckoning me to make a move. "So go on. You're companions should be in their positions now right? Come on. Make your move, and I will show you that no matter what you do… Your deaths are already assured." He said with a smug looking smile. "And don't worry. I won't absorb the ambient energy around us. No need to tilt the favor to me further. Seeing that your Void energy is once more sealed, you are not even a threat anymore." He then laughed.
Fine… If he wants us to attack, we will! "Raaahhh!" I roared as I gather my Ki and Amplified my charge. I don't want him to know that I can use a little bit of Void energy since Alora have minimized the effect of the seal she put on me. No. It will be my secret weapon once I get closer to him. Then, I will absorb all his energy. Then the only thing left to do is to kick his ass.
Even before I reached him, Alora was already able to launch her attack. An arrow infused with mana that made it look like a fire eagle was flying towards M'agorath at high speed. I can feel that the power behind her attack was much stronger than the nature attacks of her sister. M'agorath pointed his finger towards it and fired a small beam, piercing and destroying the Flame bird and continued its trajectory towards Alora. Thankfully, the agile elf was able to dodge the almost instantaneous attack, narrowly avoiding getting reduced into dust. Not missing a beat, Nindr quickly launched his own attack. Firing an Earth Cannon with the intent on crushing the demon with a giant boulder. This time, M'agorath didn't even bother dodging, he just let it hit him, and the boulder hit him, only to break into a million pieces, leaving the demon perfectly unharmed. The other Elves also joined in to attack the demon, but all attacks were either destroyed by a finger beam, or doing zero damage against him.
"Hahaha! Attack all you want! None of you will even be able to harm me you weaklings!" He laughed as he continue to defend against all attacks effortlessly.
Finally, we reached the demon. "If magic attacks won't work. How about an honest to goodness pummeling? Come get some!" I roared as I deliver a straight punch to the face of the demon.
A wall suddenly materialized in front of me and blocked my attack. Shit. I could hear the bones on my fist shatter like glass! Trying to muffle a shout of pain, I fail as let out a shout. "Damn it hurts! Motherfucker!" I continued to shout profanities at the demon as I nestle my broken fist in my arm.
The others continued their attacks like nothing has changed. Philip slashing away at the demon with his sword. None of his attacks goes through as it is being blocked by a Mana enriched rock flying around to intercept his sword before it hits the demon. Kurt on the other hand, is getting more attention from the demon.
"Hmmm… A monk eh? Didn't expect to see your kind here." The demon utters while keeping Kurt at a distance with his Magic. "Still practicing that awful technique of yours eh? You and your kind disgust me. No matter. I will erase the Elves and your Order soon." M'agorath sneered before lifting the monk with some kind of telekinesis. "Until I can do that… I will start by erasing you from existence. Begone!" He shouts.
Damn it! Should I use my trump card now? But I am too far from him. With little Void energy within my body, for my energy absorption to work, I must have skin contact. I could try to absorb the surrounding ambient energy first to refill my Void energy, but it will tip him off and I would never be able to get close to him again without getting obliterated. Then, even with her full power, Alora will not be able to deal the finishing blow. Damn it all. If only those two elves weren't so hot headed, then we should've already won. Now, look at this mess…
As I agonize on what to do, there was a sudden spike in energy followed by an arrow imbued by enormous amounts of mana. There is only one here who have this amount of Mana. Alora. Shit! All of our cards are being shown by hotheaded idiots!
M'agorath apparently sensed the energy coming his way also as for the first time since he was released, he was forced to dodge an attack. But even with all his strength and speed, he wasn't able to dodge it all since he got his right shoulder blown to bits, leaving him one arm lighter.
"To think that there is someone who could pierce my barrier like that here. I must have put my guard down a little too much while having fun with you cretins." The demons says while he is holding his injury. He was then hit by a punch from the recently freed Kurt which sent him reeling.
"You believe that you're so powerful that none can harm you. But that only proves that your arrogance. Even a mighty oak can be felled by thermites if they work together. Now. Experience our strength!" Kurt shouts as he focus his Ki to his fist. "Ki wave Explosion!" His thrust his fist which exploded with Ki, engulfing everything in front of him within 10 meters in bright bluish light.
Holy shit! Is that his special move? It's so cool!
Dust flies everywhere as Kurt falls to his knees. His attack seem to have emptied his Ki reserves. So it is a one-time attack then? Is that why he have never used this before? Anyway, it hit that demon bastard directly. It should've destroyed him… Right?
My hope shattered when the dust settled and revealed the figure of the demon possessed Elder. He was still standing, but not without any damage. Almost half of his body was blown off by the attack. The demon stared hatefully at the exhausted monk. I am surprised that the attack was not enough to kill the demon, although it is more surprising to see him still breathing after suffering so much damage.
"Lad! Now!" Ortho shouts.
I am only a few meters away from the Elder and I started to run towards him to finish the plan but suddenly a barrier materialized to stop my advance.
"Elder! We'll save you!" The human mages shouts as they raise their barrier.
Damn these extras! I almost forgot that they were still here! The Elves shot multiple spells towards the mage group and the Elder. The barrier they erected for themselves were punched through like it was made of tissue paper. It must be because they focused most of their effort in erecting a solid barrier for their Elder. The mages were obliterated quickly this time, but their sacrifice bought the demon possessed Elder a few precious seconds, and those few seconds are all that he needed.
"Bastards!" M'agorath screams on the top of his lungs. Dark Aura bust forth from his body, covering the injuries in his body.
"I am going to carry Kurt to safety! Until I come back, hold the fort! It's all on you brat!" Philip shout to me as he rush towards Kurt and carry him on his shoulder before running away.
I turn my attention back at the Demon and saw the dark energy reconstituting his body. This must not be allowed to happen! I tried moving forward but the intense amount of pressure he exudes overpowers me. Shit! He is gaining more power! But it looks like he isn't getting it from the surrounding ambient energy, he must be drawing more of his own power. Is he staying true to his word of not absorbing the ambient mana? I didn't know that demons honor their words, either way, something must be done.
If I can't get closer to him since I am not strong enough in my current state, then how about if I level the playing field even a little? To hell with the plan! All these dumbasses threw it to the window when they rushed the Elder on their own. If nothing is going according to plan… Improvise!
I raised my left hand and the dark energy that has been sealed was released once more. I closed my eyes and directed all of my attention to the slither of Void energy in my hand. I then visualized the said energy to become like a black hole, sucking every bit of mana in my surrounding area towards my hand and into my body. First it was a trickle, then like a dam bursting forth, energy began to rush inside my body and the best part of it, is it is not as excruciating as when I absorbed Void energy that I lost consciousness. It was an intense experience, power coursing through my vein. It feels like I am a balloon that is about to burst from too much air, but still, I must absorb as much as I can if I want to win.
It was only for a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. M'agorath was finally done with his transformation. In place of his left arm, his thin and long arm sprouted, much like his demonic arm back in the Void. His other half have also taken the form of his demonic self, from his right face up to his right arm and torso and a single wing on his back. He quickly push forward to attack me with his sharp claw when he was finished. I absorbed more energy from the surrounding and directed it all towards my fist and met his attack with my own. The amount of force with our attacks colliding was so intense that it created a shockwave which also broke the bones from my knuckle up to my shoulder like a glass hitting the pavement.
Damn it! My body cannot withstand my own strength! I must heal fast and grab him or something! I thought as my mind is about to turn white with pain. But I power through. I can't lose consciousness here.
"Ha! You think you can match me with that amount of power?! Go and absorb as much as much energy as you want and you will still not defeat me! Now witness true power!" He said as he threw another punch.
I directed more energy on my injury and like a puzzle, the bones in my arm healed. Only to get broken again after blocking another of his attacks. This became a cycle of healing and bones breaking as his attacks get faster and faster, not even giving me a chance to counter. Soon, I was overwhelmed and after another punch which broke both of my arms, he then grabbed me by the neck and threw me hard against the ground, breaking more of my bones, turning my organs into mush, and creating a crater.
Vomiting blood like a faucet, I quickly turned my focus and most of the energy I took on healing to keep myself alive. M'agorath, with a smug smile on his face and raised his wings. Probably to stab me with its claws and end my existence. This is the end. I will die here. I thought to myself as he brings down his wings to stab me in the chest. Thankfully, the Elves intervened on time by raining on him a barrage of spells.
"Annoying!" Multiple orbs of light materialized on top of him and shot towards the Elves. Some were able to dodge but those who can't were forced to erect a barrier to defend against the attack. Those who opt to defend were gravely injured as the beams of light pierced through both their barrier and body.
"Evacuate the wounded! Everyone else, with me!" I can hear Nindr shouts as they renewed their attacks.
Occupied by the Elves, M'agorath was wide open. I quickly grabbed his ankle with both of my hands and absorb as much energy as I can. This is it! This is the good stuff! I thought as I start to absorb his Void energy, but before I could absorb more, he kicked me and broke some of my ribs. Damn it! I cursed as the pain of my ribs puncturing my lungs felt like I am breathing in hot lead.
"Sneaky little shit! I will destroy you!" M'agorath shouts.
I can feel the energy inside me well up, healing my injuries at an amazing speed. But even with my body almost at a hundred percent, I don't think I can manage to receive another of his attacks, much less defeat him. I need MORE!
Steeling my resolve, I let his attack hit me and his hand skewered me up to his elbow. Got you! I quickly got hold of his hand and absorbed more of his energy even as his right hand is still sticking up my stomach.
He must've noticed that I am absorbing his Void energy. With an alarmed expression, he says "You think I will let you absorb my energy?! Die!" He roared as he was ready to rend me with his free hand.
Fortunately, Alora was able to close the distance and cut his right hand. Blood and dark energy spurts out of his severed hand. Seeing himself getting injured once more, the Demon goes berserk and run towards Alora. This time, the snobbish Elf is brimming with energy that her very being shone in a brilliant silver light like the moon. Her short sword swinging at a speed that my eyes couldn't even follow as she parries all the attacks the Demon throws at her. They move like the wind as Alora lures the furious Demon away from me. M'agorath might be stronger, but Alora is able to keep up with him with her speed, being able to inflict more and more injuries by the second.
M'agorath is becoming more furious with his inability to catch Alora. He continues to power up and his attacks are even creating destructive wind pressure with every swing. But this move is not without cost. The Elder's body is visibly reaching its limit. Skin and muscle is tearing from the remaining parts of his body as it cannot keep up with M'agorath's continually rising power.
Keep your head in the game Cloud! This is not time to be distracted. Alora might be faster right now, but if that bastard release more of his strength, she will not stand a chance.
I pulled the Demon's severed hand from my body and quickly worked on healing the hole in my stomach. Once the injury closed up, I then focused my attention on the severed hand. It is brimming with Void energy. I can feel it. The urge to absorb it as quickly as possible. I must have it!
With both hands grasping the severed hand, the dark energy in my left hand started to absorb the Void energy within it. This feeling. This is different from absorbing Mana or Ki. It's like drinking a glass of pure water after a year of drinking mud. This is it! My mind screams in joy, like a barren desert experiencing rain after a year of drought. But it only lasted for a few seconds as the energy from the severed hand dries out.
No! No! No! No! I want more! I need more! Healing all my injuries, my eyes then turned towards the Demon wearing the Elder's skin.
I will have more!