Moments later, both the demon and the human respawned, but this time, their states were different.
For the previous 3,298 combined deaths between them, they always revived in a perfectly healthy, painless state.
This time, both of them got to experience the worst migraines of their lives.
Edol rolled on the ground, screaming and clutching his head.
The demon wasn't doing much better, a bit of blood leaked from its forehead as it smashed its head into the ground repeatedly.
As Edol rolled, trying to suppress the agony, he saw the demon's pain reduction strategy.
'Smashing your head against the ground? As if you can keep your pain reduction method from me!'
Edol promptly followed the demon's actions, smashing his own head against the hardened dirt.
The demon, still slamming its head, let out a cry of pain.
There was something different this time, however. Now, Edol could understand its cries.
"AAAARGH MY HEAD!!! I thought this would only kill me!"
The shock from understanding the convoluted cries produced by the demon almost managed to dispel the pain raging in Edol's skull.
The demon didn't notice Edol's shock, it had found a new way to remove the pain.
Have you ever had a headache so bad that you wanted to reach into your head and rip out the part of your brain that was producing this pain?
Well, the demon decided that this strategy might solve its problem.
Ugly snatched an earth spike that was lying on the ground randomly, clutching it like it was the holy grail.
Without a moment of hesitation, the demon slammed his head against the spike.
A second later, the demon respawned. The pain in its head was still excruciating, but it wasn't quite as intense as before.
"Ahh! I've found the way!"
Ugly snatched up another earth spike and proceeded on with its new pain reduction strategy.
"He knows the way!" Edol followed the demon's actions, temporarily putting the mystery of his sudden demon language knowledge aside.
And thus, the disturbing scene of the two repeatedly… "reducing pain" played out in the dim red landscape.
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Meanwhile, in another realm.
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Joff looked up, gaining comfort from the grizzled face looking back at him. It was the face of his father, the man he looked up to the most.
Han's shoulders trembled as he patted his son on the back, betraying his confident facade.
"Son, even if we don't make it through this today, our enemies will face hell. We've done all we can. All that's left is to pray to Goddess Danu."
The boy nodded his head, turning his attention back to the bloody scene that lay before him.
All of his village's precious livestock had been gutted for this last, desperate attempt. Among the livestock were a few unusual animals, along with a few humans, mixed in. The animals were summons bound to a few lucky, magically inclined residents of the small village.
These summons could be anything from a small mouse to a powerful bear, possibly equipt with their own legacy. They were valued just like family members, and many of them possessed at least a basic level of intelligence.
The villagers would never kill their summons for any reason, not even to stave off their own deaths. Heck, some of the villagers would probably give their own lives to protect their animal partners.
Something they viewed to be worse than death led them to take these drastic actions.
A scream echoed from the distance, accompanied by the clang of metal.
"Shit! Those damn traitors are here."
Han stood up, facing toward where the shouts had sounded. The father-son duo was currently at the tiny temple the townsfolk had made in worship of Danu, situated at the north end of the town.
Their enemies were approaching from the south, leaving a trail of blood and death behind them. Of the original two hundred fifty residents, only a few remained alive- the ones who were holding off their enemies currently.
Joff and his father were the only two left who hadn't joined the fight.
"Joff… you were the best son I could've ever asked for. If there is anything else after this life, I hope you can be my son once again."
Han took one last look at his son, a few tears welling up in his eyes. He had already lost so much in this fight… and he still didn't know why. The people that the villagers had thought of as allies had suddenly turned their backs on their former friends, starting a massacre of unprecedented size.
Now, the only hope of revenge the people of this village had was Joff. The only member of the village who had the ability to summon a companion, but had not yet attempted a summoning ritual.
That was why the townsfolk were giving their lives to stall their enemies as long as possible. It was why all of the summons were lying dead, gutted for a ritual.
The blood from the magic-imbued creatures would help to summon a hopefully powerful entity, one that would help the villagers avenge themselves.
Han began moving toward the fighting, missing the familiar weight on his shoulder. He was also a summoner, one whose partner was now lying in the heap of bodies behind him.
'Ghost… I hope to see you in the next life, too.'
His partner had been a Sichuan eagle, one of the most intelligent of all the summons at the village.
'I wish you could have stayed with me to the end, old friend.'
His partner was intelligent, but he wasn't strong. Their foes weren't stupid, both Ghost and Han knew that with such a small body, there wasn't much he could do to hold off the enemies.
Ghost made the decision to sacrifice himself in the ritual, the same decision the other weaker summons had made.
Han had now nearly reached the fighting, in a daze of memories the entire time.
The few remaining villagers were hiding among debris thrown across the main road. Carriages had been toppled, woodwork smashed, and rocks towed out into the road, forming a makeshift blockade. The scattered trash seemed to have been built up into a bunker at one point but it had been knocked clean over already.
Blood ran down the sides of the road, foretelling the death that lay ahead.
Thirty meters down the road, a troop of thirty men slowly advanced. The warriors looked dead tired but continued on forward. They clearly hadn't expected so much resistance from the villagers; even now their foes hadn't surrendered.
The villagers lay on the ground behind broken pieces of wood, waiting for the soldiers to approach. If one of the enemies got too close without spotting a hidden villager, the sneak attack could be deadly.
Han ducked behind a building, drawing his own weapon from his back. The brilliant wooden longbow that had been his companion for years looked ready. Ready for a fight, ready to kill.
Drawing an arrow, Han envisioned his enemies. Where they stood, where the gaps in their armor were… which one was the leader.
"Haaa…"
Letting out a deep breath, Han stepped out of cover. An instant later, the arrow he had readied flew from his bow, a faint streak of light chasing after the arrow.
The soldiers immediately noticed the attack, erecting a translucent barrier to block the projectile. It was all that they could do with their little remaining mana.
The arrow reached the barrier and paused in the air. All of the arrow's momentum had been halted and it would soon fall to the ground… if it was a normal arrow.
The faint light caught up with the bolt, shattering through the shield in an instant and propelling the arrow forth once more, this time at a much greater speed.
A man in the center of the squad fell, the arrow protruding from his throat.
Perhaps the villagers would still be able to hold off for some time, giving Joff a chance to avenge their fallen brethren.