As the agonizing pain surged through his lower body, Ron resisted the impulse to remove the feathers, knowing that doing so would only cause him to bleed out further. Drawing upon his wind magic, he channelled the swirling currents to stabilize himself, while employing earth magic around the wound to provide support for the embedded feathers.
"I can't hold on," Ron gasped, his body buffeted by the biting chill of the high-speed winds.
The Rockfang unleashed another barrage of feathers, propelled with such velocity that they sliced through the air like lethal projectiles. Ron swiftly conjured a thick block of stone, forming a protective barrier to slow the impact, realizing that evading the attack was impossible given his injuries.
"BOOM!" The explosive force shattered the rock barrier, hurling Ron sideways, his body crashing heavily onto the ground.
Struggling for breath, Ron felt an ominous sensation, as if his lungs were filling with blood, suffocating him from within. His vision blurred, darkness encroaching.
Then, in a surge of familiarity reminiscent of the moment he made a pact with Azazelus, Ron's eyes were consumed by a deep crimson glow. It swept through his entire being, engulfing him as if submerged in an ethereal abyss of water.
{Output - 5%}
.
From its vantage point above the rocks, the Rockfang observed Ron's body descent towards the ground, disappearing into the billowing clouds. Yet, an unsettling feeling crept over the creature, as though it was being watched by an unseen presence, an awareness it couldn't comprehend.
Soon, a humanoid figure came into view through the eyes of the Rockfang. Its sharp, predatory gaze detected potential threats from afar, and it focused on this new arrival. The figure assumed a poised stance and, in a sudden burst of energy, soared upwards, reaching the Rockfang's location within a matter of minutes.
The Rockfang couldn't shake off its mounting fear.
The figure's eyes blazed with a fiery red intensity, emanating a faint, ominous glow. His complexion took on a darker shade, tinged with a subtle reddish hue. Small, horns adorned his forehead, and his teeth sharpened slightly, lending him a more menacing visage. His transformation retained his basic humanoid form but intensified his presence, exuding an aura of power and intimidation.
Remarkably, Ron's body began regenerating at an astonishing rate, the wound caused by the feather healed, leaving not even a single scratch behind.
The Rockfang, gripped by terror, attempted to strike first by unleashing another volley of feathers. But as they neared their target, their trajectory altered abruptly, as if influenced by an unseen force.
Raising his arms, Ron summoned four spears comprised of pure darkness. With lightning-like speed, he launched them towards the Rockfang, their trajectory too swift for the creature to discern or evade.
As the dark spears made contact with the Rockfang, the creature disintegrated into a fine dust, vanishing as if it had never existed.
Breathing heavily, Ron landed onto the top of the mountain panting in the aftermath of the strange surge of power.
"Was that my demonic form?" Ron pondered, his mind racing with questions and uncertainty.
Shivering from the cold, Ron decided to continue his journey, aware that he had lost his stamina pendant while fighting and his bag during the fall. All that remained was an enchanted scroll tucked away in his pocket.
"I need continue moving," he muttered, making his way down the mountainside towards the other side.
Finally reaching the bottom, Ron's entire body was drenched in sweat.
As he looked at a specific portion of the map, he had a strong intuition that unexpected events awaited him.
"Well, thank goodness I remembered where it is," Ron remarked, as he moved towards the forest with gain trees in the distance.
.
"AAAAA, I'm lost!" exclaimed Ron as he climbed one of the tallest trees, scanning the surroundings in a desperate attempt to orient himself.
"There are just too many trees," he muttered, feeling overwhelmed by the dense foliage that stretched in every direction.
Then, Ron's gaze fell upon a colossal tree, towering even higher than the one he was perched upon. It stood near the elves's tower, a magnificent creation of elven magic. The tree served as a vantage point for the high-altitude elves, who diligently monitored the forest for any intruders. Armed with bows and arrows, they swiftly dispatched goblins and other creatures that dared to approach.
"Sneaky-sneaky," Ron whispered to himself, concealing his presence within a nearby bush.
"Just a bush, nothing to see here," he reassured himself as he stealthily circled around the massive tree, venturing further into the forest.
Having successfully completed his stealth mission, Ron discarded the bush disguise and took a deep breath, relieved to have eluded detection.
It was then that he noticed a small, enchanting girl with delicate, pointy ears, standing before him.
"AAAA—A Human!" she gasped, her voice catching in her throat, but before she could utter a sound, Ron stealthily closed in from behind and swiftly struck her, rendering her unconscious.
"Well, now I will know exactly where to go." said Ron with a smug face.
.
The elf girl groggily regained consciousness and discovered herself bound, with Ron sitting nearby, innocently poking at her pointy ear.
"Hey, hands of! No touching, you human!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a mix of irritation and amusement.
Ron chuckled, feigning innocence. "Alright, alright, no touching. But listen, do you happen to know a place called Death Canyon around here?"
The elf girl rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You've got to be kidding me. I'm not your personal GPS. Just leave me alone, please."
Ron leaned in closer, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Oh, come on, just a tiny hint? Pretty please?"
As Ron inched closer to the elf girl's face with a mock-serious tone, he questioned, "Do you know?".
The elf girl responded with a resolute, "No."
Undeterred, Ron leaned in even closer, their faces almost touching. With an exaggerated sense of suspense, he repeated his inquiry, "Now, do you know?"
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, she replied, "No, I still don't."
With their lips almost grazing, Ron couldn't resist adding a touch of dramatic flair. He whispered teasingly, "Are you absolutely, positively sure you don't know?"
" I know!"
"Subarashi :)"
.
After successfully knocking the elf chick unconscious again, Ron hoisted her onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and ventured towards the indicated location.
Carefully, he tied the elf to a nearby tree, ensuring she wouldn't cause any more trouble.
"Is that the legendary Death Canyon?" Ron wondered aloud as he reached the edge of a cliff, peering down with a sceptical expression.
At the far end of the canyon, a peculiar door stood, beckoning as if it led to some hidden realm. Ron's attention shifted to two elven guards stationed at the entrance.
"Those guards don't look too strong," Ron thought, trying to stifle his laughter. "I guess the Death Canyon is on a tight budget."
Without missing a beat, he executed a daring maneuverer using wind magic, leaping down behind the unsuspecting guards and swiftly knocking them out.
He wanted to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, unless it was absolutely necessary.
{Violence is not the answer, it's a question}
Now faced with the locked door with complex symbols and patterns. He shot out his wind and fire spell but however, much to his surprise, the door remained unscathed.
"Well, that was embarrassing," he muttered with a sheepish grin, realizing that brute force wouldn't solve this puzzle.
"But what if?" Ron pondered, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He stepped forward and extended his hand started covering with red aura. He used a spell of decay upon the lock.
Since he could sense magic, Gazelle instructed him in the utilization of dark magic, but only in small amounts. Using excessive dark magic could overwhelm the black taker, exposing his dark magic to others.
Even after all the training, Ron was still confused about the devils' claim that he was a blessed child. Usually, a blessed child is supposed to have a lot of potential and know holy magic, but Ron doesn't seem to have either of those.
Ron wonders if the goddess gave him a boost, but he doesn't really care much about it. He just thinks, "Well, whatever."
To his surprise, the door on contact with his dark magic melted like butter. Ron walked inside carrying in the two bodies of the guards and went forward.
As Ron ventured inside, he found himself faced with nothing but a pool of water. Without hesitation, he dived in and swam, his curiosity guiding him deeper into the mysterious depths.
.
"That is the heart?" Ron gasped, his eyes fixated on the dark structure floating in front of him, adorned with winding vines and exotic plants.
The heart appeared small, palm-sized, yet emanated an intense, foreboding energy. Its smooth, obsidian-like surface absorbed all light, creating an abyss of pure darkness. Despite its irregular, jagged shape, the heart pulsated with an otherworldly rhythm, as if it possessed a life of its own.
.
"Yeah, no regular person would get close to this kind of stuff let alone eat it," Ron commented, expressing a blend of amazement and disgust in his voice.
The dark heart, a creation wrought from the life force of countless individuals, held a gruesome history. It was forged using the life of prisoners of war from Aeries, as well as innocent women and children especially virgins.
The Hero even though he was strong he barely won again the dark lord after he obtained the dark heart sacrificing his own life in the process. Sadly, his efforts proved futile, as the injuries sustained in battle eventually killed him too.
With a mixture of determination and trepidation, Ron steeled himself for what lay ahead. "Well, here goes nothing," he muttered, opening his mouth wide and taking a bite of the dark heart.
"Noom Noom Noom", he chewed and swallowed, only to immediately recoil in disgust. "That tastes like shit!" he said as he spat out.
The following minutes were marked by several vomiting sessions. Finally, he fully ate the whole heart.
Ron started to feel something crawling into his heart.
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