"Now, where were we?"
How is this possible? He wasn't breathing just a moment ago!
His sudden revival made me so petrified that I couldn't fully grasp the situation. But one thing's sure: We can't handle this demon anymore. Just like he said, his strength has tremendously soared upon the appearance of the dreary sky.
The knights immediately marched before us and positioned themselves to protect the Commander.
"Ah, right! I was going to remove all the pests!" He exploded in maniacal laughter.
"Eenie, Meenie, Miney"—he pointed to the knights—"Mo! Should I handle these weaklings first?"
Soon after saying those words, the demon reached our direction at the speed of light and attacked the knights without much effort. Even though it was quite a lousy attack, it still managed to deal a lot of damage and break their formation.
Their shields and spears were smashed, and some knights were gravely injured.
"All that... from a measly physical attack?" The Commander was dumbfounded.
The demon didn't even use any of his powers! The Commander won't be able to handle him in his state. Do we even have a chance at this point?
The demon looked down on us. "I'll play with you later."
"Now that these pests are out of the way, who shot that arrow?" The demon looked above.
Before I could shout Leon's name, we heard his yelp, and his body was thrown right before us.
"Ah." I covered my mouth to stop myself from throwing up.
Leon's shoulder was dislocated as the arrow he shot at the demon was buried in his stomach, and his fingers were a mess.
"Ah!" I screamed, trying not to believe what was before me.
I kept calling Leon's name and screaming at the top of my lungs as I stared at his dying body. This all happened in an instant, and I couldn't react appropriately.
The Commander is saying something, but I can't hear anything other than the sound of my breath. What is he talking about? What's going on?
"Lady Adel!"
I snapped out of it as the Commander squeezed my shoulder.
"Run! Now!"
Where exactly? Where should I go? I don't belong anywhere—I don't belong here.
"Lady Adel! I'll distract the demon, so run away now!"
I closed my eyes and covered my ears. Stop! Please stop calling me by that name! I'm not Adel! You have no idea who I am!
I want to live. I want this nightmare to end.
"Ugh." The Commander collapsed on the ground as his left arm was alarmingly severed.
Sweat and blood are dripping from his face, and his armor is a wreck from the damage he received. His arming sword was shattered the moment he tried to defend the demon's physical attack, and he could no longer support the weight of his body.
Despite his pitiful state, he never took his eyes off the demon until his last breath. It was the eye of a warrior in despair.
The demon jeered. "You should've given up when I asked nicely, pathetic warrior."
He pointed his sharp nails at the Commander's neck. "Because of your incompetence, your subordinates will now suffer by the mouths of my demonic beasts."
His point shifted in my direction. "Starting with you." After saying those words, the demon vanished.
Without much thought, I forcefully dragged the bodies of Leon and the Commander, hoping to reach the fortress before the herd of demonic beasts came.
I cautiously stepped back in horror at the moment when an unnatural fog surrounded the ground. I could already hear sinister growls and heavy footsteps advancing toward the fortress. I picked up the Commander's broken sword and prepared myself to defend, despite knowing I could never win against them.
My conscience lingers on the fact that I couldn't do anything besides hoping and praying, and I could never leave their unconscious bodies behind to be mauled by beasts. I just forcefully closed my eyes.
If any Gods are out there, please give me the strength to defend them. As pathetic and reckless as it sounds, I won't run away.
I can hear the beast's heavy footsteps getting louder. I squeezed my grip on the sword as it trembled from my body's natural reaction.
Although I expected to feel something as the minutes passed, nothing happened. Instead, I was met with a deafening silence.
I slowly opened my eyes and backed away after seeing what was before me. The beast was already spreading its wide mouth, ready to consume me with its sharp teeth.
Why did they suddenly cease their advancement? It's like time has stopped for them.
"Have you called me?"
A small, talking rock suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He looks like... a golem?
I looked around but couldn't hear anything other than this tiny creature. Even the caws and rattles of the crows in the forest can't be heard.
"What are you?" I questioned.
He bowed and replied, "I'm Pygmy, the Earth Spirit. You have awakened me from my slumber on the depths of this very ground!"
I kneeled. "I haven't got the faintest idea how I summoned you. Perhaps you did this?" I asked as I pointed at the demonic beasts.
The golem nodded and said, "Yes! I can only stop time in a limited radius, but it is enough to cover a whole city!
He waddled toward me and touched my hand.
"I heard your desperate pleas to defend your comrades. Your golden heart moved me, so perhaps that's why I awoke!"
The sudden appearance of this creature and how I summoned him muddled me. I still can't recall the mysterious powers of Adelaide, so maybe they're slowly resurfacing when I desperately need them.
"Pygmy, thank you for appearing immediately. I'll save the questions later, but do you think you could handle these demonic beasts?" I appealed.
Pygmy nodded happily and bubbled, "I may not contain spells that have the strongest attack compared to that lizard, Salamander, but I'm confident with my defense!"
Salamander? Is it another spirit like Pygmy?
"What do I have to do, Pygmy?"
He shook his head and answered, "I'll do the action! It's been so long since I've fought against demons. Do you mind having a contract with me?"
My eyes furrowed. "A contract?"
"It's like an official bond between a spiritualist and a spirit! With their unbreakable bond, the spiritualist can use the spirit's abilities infinitely; it will be even stronger if the spiritualist has the best spirit affinity!"
I looked at my hands. "But I don't know if I'm worthy of your trust, Pygmy. I have no idea if I even have an affinity for spirits!"
Pygmy smirked and said, "You may not have realized it, but you have an affinity for spirits, and that's why you were able to summon me!"
He tugged at the hem of my shirt. "I'll just need to show you. Would you mind carrying me? I need to have a closer look at your face."
I didn't question his request, and I carried him. Upon getting closer, he gently kissed my forehead, and I felt something surge inside my body.
"This is just a temporary contract since you won't be able to handle all of my powers in your current state, but this is enough to defeat Belial and his demonic beasts."
After that, it's like Pygmy and I have become one. I was still conscious even after Pygmy had taken over my body.
"Take this, you ugly beasts!" I (Pygmy) shouted.
Pygmy kicked the beast that was about to devour me. Multiple giant stone pillars suddenly came crashing onto the herd of demonic beasts, and he clapped once, which sent ear-splitting sound waves.
The unpleasant sound distracted the demonic beasts, so Pygmy didn't hesitate to charge forward and menacingly kill the beasts with numerous sharp pillars emerging from the ground.
As we were about to be surrounded, he aggressively stepped on the ground, which made the ground tremble like an earthquake. The beasts were staggering, and they helplessly fell into the cracks.
With that, the demonic beasts disappeared in an instant, and so did the fog.
"You…"
I turned around and saw the demon holding something. Is that a stone? Hold on, that's the stone from the Commander's office! It was used to create the mana gate connecting the northern region!
Why is it in his possession? Did he kill the people in the fortress?
"I'll deal with you later." The demon was about to escape when Pygmy created a hand from the ground and grabbed the demon.
"Ha! Do you think this could stop me—Huh?! I... I can't use my abilities!"
The demon gave me a sharp glare. "How does a weak human like you possess the sealing ability of a spirit? Don't you know who I am?"
He kept on squirming like a cornered rat, but the fear on his face was evident.
"Of course, I know you," Pygmy answered as our voices echoed harmoniously.
"Belial, a lesser demon who's the most worthless of all the nine princes ruling over the nine orders of devils, you're the kind of devil who will tell despicable lies that the heavens despise."
Pygmy touched Belial's head and chanted something I couldn't understand.
"Ꭵ ፈᎧᎷᎷᏗᏁᎴ ᏖᏂᎥᏕ ᏕᎥᏁᎦᏬᏝ ᏕᎮᎥᏒᎥᏖ ᏖᎧ ᎶᎧ ᏰᏗፈᏦ ᏖᎧ ᏖᏂᏋ ᎴᏋᎮᏖᏂᏕ ᎧᎦ ᏂᏋᏝᏝ ᏗᏁᎴ ᏁᏋᏉᏋᏒ ᏒᏋᏖᏬᏒᏁ"
"No, No! I can't go back there! No!"
The demon struggled until the end. His body turned to ashes and was replaced with an enslaved person's crippled body. So, this is how they summoned the demon.
I clenched my fist in anger, thinking they used the enslaved people as vessels! If Adelaide hadn't been able to escape, she would be under a demon's control by now.
I hurriedly went back to Leon and the Commander. I can hear their faint heartbeats, but I don't think Averon could do anything to help them.
"Pygmy, is there any way for me to heal them?" I questioned.
"It may not be as effective as Undine's healing abilities, but I can heal them to an extent!"
The area within the fortress was covered with a blinding light. I can feel the warmth and comfort surrounding my body. My fatigue remained, but the wounds and scratches on my body had disappeared.
I looked at their bodies, and my eyes widened in shock. I thought Pygmy's healing abilities only worked to an extent, but the Commander grew a new arm!
Suddenly, I felt excruciating pain all over my body, and the healing stopped. I could feel that Pygmy had separated himself from me as I coughed blood and gagged for some air.
"What is happening, Pygmy?"
Pygmy panicked as he saw me coughing up blood. "You used too much of my abilities, Contractor! I-I'll heal you!"
The same warm glow came from his hands, but I was still in pain.
"Huh? Why isn't it working?" Pygmy was baffled.
I slumped on the ground and could no longer handle the pain. Is this the consequence of borrowing power from a spirit? But it was only a temporary contract!
"Contractor!"
I took deep breaths to ease the pain somehow. Before I lost consciousness, I could hear the ground grumbling. Is it another wave?
From afar, I can see the mage and knight who left the fortress two days ago, waving the crest of the Holy Knights.
"The Holy Knights have arrived!"