Everyone save for Gary went slack-jawed from this declaration, with Gabriel's nearly hanging to the floor as the tears of betrayal began to eke out of his eyes.
Unfortunately for the healer, Gary felt little shame in offering him up as a meal. Some would call it greed. Call it cowardliness. Call it evil. But given the choice, Gary would gladly sacrifice him if it meant he and the rest got out.
Rather than Gabriel, it was the confounded eyes of the Demon King that truly bothered him.
"To offer up a teammate so casually... I take back what I said. The name of Delane fits you well." He admitted, this time with a true smirk.
"I respect your attempts at survival; A shame that the levity of your sin is too great to excuse."
As he spoke, he held out both hands in front of his chest, making a grasping motion as the dark purple miasma around him condensed within his palms. A hilt made of shadows began to form, with the mist flowing up its body as an immaterial blade came into existence, releasing an aura that could only be described as sickening.
With a blade now formed, the Demon heaved the blade above him as his muscles enlarged in preparation for a heavy strike.
Sensing the danger, Gary's leaped backwards with the grace of a cat, landing several meters away from the reach of the blade.
But even then, Gary could still feel his skin crawling, as if being a couple of dozen yards away meant nothing to the enemy in front of him. He stared at the blade suspended in the air with a heightened focus, prepared to move at the smallest sign of an attack.
Then... well, Gary didn't exactly see what happened then.
The tip of the sword had quivered for a barely perceptible moment. Just a moment.
Then, it vanished from its place, and that was when Gary felt the ground start shaking.
A sharp tremor traveled through the floor like water, knocking him and his team off balance as it struck their feet.
And just as Gary gained back his footing, came the explosion of mist.
He had managed to steady himself and look back at the Demon, with perfect timing for his wide-open eyes to be stung by the billowing icy chill of gray mist.
He held up his arms to protect his face as the mist whipped around his body, threatening to snatch the bits and threads of leather that were violently fluttering in the wind, freezing his blood as the freezing temperature slipped past his torn armor and touched against his skin.
Afer a few seconds of suffering, the wind died down enough fro Gary to peer through the cracks between his forearms and saw the massive black blade stabbed deep into the cratered ground.
The Demon pulled the sunken blade out of the stone, as if it had been a mere piece of butter.
And although the mist obscured his view, Gary could still see the mist billow about, as if something of great size had just been swung through the air it inhabited.
Then, a large, blunt tip made of shadow pierced through its veil, the shrouded wielder pointing to the human that dared try to fool it.
"Now, little worm. Let us dance."
'Hah...' Gary drew his shortsword as he let out a remorseful sigh. 'It was worth a shot.'
It was too late for negotiation; the best thing to do now was to try not to die.
Returning to his resting bitch-face, he readied his sword as he slipped back into his adventurer self.
Shasa! Gab" He shouted, leaving his order unsaid. They had worked together for ten years, and he knew they were aware of what to do.
As expected, Gabriel proceeded to buff each member with [Holy Might] and Shasa was already in the middle of casting a spell, releasing a [Dispersal] onto the encroaching mist.
Once the clear light of the spell lit up, the mist began its retreat, its mass squished to the back of the hall and revealing the massive figure.
A good sign, to be sure. The mist was still unknown to them, and its effects may not be limited to just concealment. Gary just hoped that they could keep it away, but the mist had already begun to spread out once more. Another [Dispersal] would be needed in a few minutes.
With the visual on the enemy, Alfred leaped forward into the front, positioning his thick steel shield between him and the Demon.
Given a clear target, the Demon approached Alfred with lumbering, footsteps. Footsteps that began to turn into a full run as he charged forward.
Brandus and Gary rapidly formed at either side of Alfred, observing the target that was closing in. Waiting for the opportune moment.
While the adventurer guides given out did not give advice on handling a resurrected demon, they did give advice on how to handle a charging enemy. And that was how they were going to face it.
Bending his knees a little lower, Alfred squared his shoulders and cast [Quagmire] and [Ensaring Vines] beneath the Demon's feet, sprouting both a wet field and rapidly growing briars.
But the thin vines and shallow water did nothing to stop the charging beast, who tore free from the spells with frightening ease before pulling his blade back once more.
The blade was forcefully swung down, forming a dark crescent along its trajectory as it met the raised metal shield of Alfred.
Alfred's resistance to the blow lasted for half a second, right until the might of the blow shattered the bones of his shield-bearing arm and sent the druid soaring over Gary and Brandus' heads.
They watched on as their frontline flew like one of Edwin's arrows, colliding against a wall with a sickening crunch before Alfred's limp body slid down the wall, leaving a smear of crimson across its surface.
Worried shouts of 'Alfred!' echoed out, but Gary had no time to worry about the state of his friend. The blade that had just treated their toughest member as a sandbag was now pointed at him, with the face of a scowling demon just a few yards away.