Things were starting to go south really quick.
From one bad word to the other. To Rodney, it felt like everyone around him was making a deliberate effort to do the one thing he dreaded doing at this instance, pick a fight with a demon. And he couldn't help but shiver at the thought of what was going to happen next. But he didn't have to wait at all for that.
As the lightning bolt from Erwin flew through the air, it had one course and that was the demon who remained unmoving from the spot it stood. And soon enough, the lightning bolts hit the demon on the chest and a Puff of smoke had come out of it covering the area. Then when the smoke cleared out, the demon could be seen falling to the ground and scattering up into ashes.
"Wait, is that it?. Is that what I was scared of the whole ti..?" Blair wasn't even able to finish as the next moment all they felt was a sharp breeze and Erwin was seen being held tightly at the opposite side with his legs hanging from the ground. He struggled to break free and even tried to send shocks through his hands but nothing worked
"Dis...char....ge" Erwin struggled to say and immediately a wave of lightning left his body traveling about four meters circularly. This was his strongest attack and it had done nothing more than push the demon back slightly and that was it. He was still within the grasps of the demon and choking out of breathe. But he had succeeded in doing something though, he had made the demon mad as it's eyes now were glowing even more red than before. And now the demon's chest which would release a black fluid and glow red was shining bright too. Then Erwin's chest began to glow white as well.
"No!!! Erwin!!" Rodney yelled.
Not wasting time all the legion members dashed forward to save their comrade. But they were already too late as Erwin's eyes had now closed and his grip around the demons wrist loosened and his hands fell to his side.
*Bing*
[Demonic energy detected]
[Hostile skill is being used on host]
[-Host is in critical condition-]
[-Emergency protocol activated-]
[-Protocol override-]
[-Host must shutdown for process-]
[-Emergence will now begin in 0:59-]
And just then, the look on the demon's face changed. This was because the white glow on Erwin's chest had now disappeared completely. And without even thinking about it, he tossed Erwin away to the floor where his body landed without care or caution. He laid there completely unmoving. Seeing this, the legion members who had rushed in to save Erwin all paused in their tracks.
"No..."Corey muttered as he felt weak in the knees and fell to the ground.
"He...he..can't be ...dead right, right!" Blair questioned amidst tears in his eyes. They all stood on the spot still. No one had the energy to move again. They felt totally hopeless. What had just happened now just made things even clearer than it could even be to them. They were not in a game.
"He isn't dead. Not yet" Rodney said as he stared at his system's interface. Right now he was looking at the names of those that belonged to the legion's faction. And he could still see Erwin's name there. Knowing from Jack's death at the claws off the wolf beast, he knew if one died from his faction, he was meant to receive a notification and the person's name be erased from the members list.
So going off by this little rough idea, he had hopes that Erwin was still alive somehow. Although he wasn't sure about this, it was all he had both for himself and to console the others who were breaking down. But the cause of their misery was still lurking and while they all took a quick second to look at their systems as instructed by Rodney the demon was gone.
And just when they closed the system window, they realized this scary truth. Now forming a circle, they had all moved so all their backs were against each other. And one by one they all began to say a single thing.
"I see him" Corey
"No, he is here" Blaze
"Over here!" Eiko warned.
"No, guys he is everywhere. The demon is everywhere" Rodney said in an almost hopeless tone. It was like he had given in to the situation and accepted his fate. He felt hopeless in this situation. As right now, the demon had multiplied itself to the exact numbers of the legions on ground. And just like the legions had formed a circle, so also did the demons around them. They were each literally faced with their own demon. And before they could even process the fact that they were being hunted by a demon, it had all begun.
Then one by one, each demon began to pick them apart. Nothing they threw at the demons worked. Blair was the first to be taken even with his ice sword stuck in the demon's hand he was still being dragged away from the safety in the group and like a repeat from before, he was held by the neck and his chest started glowing.
*Bing*
[Demonic energy detected]
[Hostile skill is being used on host]
[-Host is in critical condition-]
[-Emergency protocol activated-]
[-Protocol override-]
[-Host must shutdown for process-]
[-Emergence will now begin in 0:59-]
The white glow once again faded just as quick as it came out. And now the demon was beyond livid as he tossed Blair to the side and scattered into ashes. Then flying in the air, it merged up with another demon. But it wasn't over as soon their defensive line was broken, Corey tried to make a break for it. And while he was running in a straight path, he suddenly stopped and fell to his buttocks and began to yell and scream.
"No...No...No!!" With his open palms pointing at a direction and his face turned with his eyes closed in fear.
"Corey behind you!!" Rodney shouted but Corey Still remained on the floor screaming to be left alone at an empty space. Then from behind Corey, the demon appeared and grabbed him by the back of the neck lifting him up and turning him around to meet a terrified face soaked in tears.
"No!" Corey screamed and grabbed the demon by the head and then his hands started glowing white and his veins popped out from his forehead and his hands. Right now he was pouring all the poison he had accumulated into the demon but wasn't getting a response. He knew he packed some of the most deadliest poison in him and how he wasn't getting to see any effect take place was confusing.
"Quite the deadly one I see. But you should know, you can't poison a demon. Not with this nonsense you call poison!! haha" The demon laughed and once again, it's eyes turned red and Corey's chest lit up white but just like before the light faded very quickly. And the demon broke the usual chain of events this time and held on to Corey. Then elongating his claws he stabbed into Corey's chest running his hand through it like he was searching for something.
"Nothing? Pathetic!!" The demon said and tossed Corey aside.
*Bing*
[Host has suffered major damage]
[Demonic energy detected]
[Hostile skill is being used on host]
[-Host is in critical condition-]
[-Emergency protocol activated-]
[-Protocol override-]
[-Host must shutdown for process-]
[-Emergence will now begin in 0:59-]
It appeared just before Corey too had fallen stiff on the ground unmoving. And like that Johan had been picked up next. But this time there was a drastic unforseen occurrence as the two shifters jumped in and clawed the demon's body multiple times in quick successions until it turned into ash and flew into another demon.
But they weren't so lucky as more demons appeared by their side and with two strikes each, the two shifters were sent flying away. And Johan fell victim next and just like Corey, his body was brutally stabbed by the demon and after rummaging through it, he tossed Johan away.
"No, Erwin...." Eiko said as he was running away.
*Bing*
[Erwin is no longer a member of the legions]
This was what appeared to the four still left standing.
"Gypson!!" Rodney screamed within himself as he couldn't understand how they were all falling one by one. As Blaze and Eiko were taken as well.
"It appears their Mana has..." Gypson was about to say when Rodney's CHI slash had passed through one of the demons right in front of him and struck a tree instead and the next instant, he was grabbed by the throat as well.
*Bing*
[Blair is no longer a member of the legions]
...
And every now and then, more kept on coming. Then the demon's eyes began to glow red as he held Rodney by the neck. And then his chest, a white light began to glow from it. And in his own case, the light didn't look like it would fade as it remained there.
"Ah yes, you have served me well. Any last words?" The demon said as he planned to reach for it.
"I wish I can kill you now!" Rodney struggled to say as he was being choked out by the demon's suffocating grip
*Bing*
[Corey is no longer a member of the legions]
"Arrgh!!!" Rodney screamed.
*Bing*
[Demonic energy detected]
[Hostile skill is being used on host]
[Host feels extreme negative emotions]
[Protocol override]
[Knight Rage 3 : Nether storm activated]
And then suddenly Rodney's white glowing chest began to fade until it was eventually gone. With just finger tips away from reaching the white glow, the demon was livid. And just then it elongated it's nails and as it stabbed it into Rodney's chest, a dark aura poured out from Rodney's chest grabbing onto the demon's wrist and Rodney's eyes shut open.