That's right. Even if he were to run away now, they wouldn't care. After all, with the stony entrance sealed tight, their expectation might not be less than anticipating him to die from friendly fire.
If he 'did' successfully escape, they would surely use it as an excuse to exclude him from basking in the victorious aftermath of this battle and ensure he is punished for fleeing.
Ezekiel suddenly felt the cold marble wall pressing against his back and stopped moving.
"COVER ME!" The Hero roared. He launched forward, vanishing from view as though he had teleported… no, Ezekiel knew what teleporting looked like from the mage with his 'Great Mage's Arcane System.'
The Hero's speed and physical strength had already surpassed what was believed to be humanly possible, placing him in the realm of immortals and breaking the boundaries of what they thought impossible.
In short, before the echoes of the Hero's words faded, he was already soaring above the Demon Lord, his sword in hand, ready to strike down with a powerful swing.
[Eternal Cleaving Strike]
The Hero's sword hummed, bathing in an otherworldly translucent sapphire hue.
Ezekiel knew the skill all too well; when unleashed, it delivered a devastating strike infused with divine energy. It could ignore any form of immortality or heavenly protection, allowing the strike to inflict direct, tremendous damage on immortal beings.
It can also shatter divine barriers and magical defences, penetrating even the most fortified defences with sheer tremendous force. Its devastating effects also affect those nearby.
It was evident the Hero was going all out, for this was a one-hit kill skill.
Yet, as the blade bathed in divine radiance plummeted downwards, effortlessly slicing through whatever resistance the air delivered to lower his descent, a voice—cold and filled with a snicker—resounded across the throne room.
[Celestial Sheild of Retribution]
The devasting sword strike collided against a shimmering translucent radiance that seemed like... no, Ezekiel was sure was constituted of the divine, creating a resounding, 'BAANNG--- BOOOMM!!'
A blinding light enveloped their eyes.
The shimmering translucent shield intercepted and nullified the devastating impact of the strike before redirecting its destructive attack back towards the attacker with a more immense amplified force.
It was a perfect counter.
Unbelievable, Ezekeil wanted to mutter. His lips parted, but he was too stunned to utter a syllable. His eyes shifted to the burnt, sliced and horrid corpses, the ten-thirteen-meter-tall, completely armoured, silvery-ebony-plated horned humanoids who had become casualties as they couldn't survive the aftermaths of the devastating attack.
It was obvious that the Hero hadn't held back his strike, as there was proof that he didn't, and yet, the Demon lord had taken it head-on without moving an inch from his throne.
Come on, I didn't ask you to be too overpowered. Shit!
BOOOMM!!
The Hero finally landed on the ground, sliding backwards, his feet effortlessly tearing through the cold stone slab like a hot knife through butter, trying to use the friction he had previously sought to destroy to halt his body. He finally came to a stop. He immediately hunched forward, collapsing on one knee, his lips parted as he coughed out blood.
"Cough!! Cough!!!" The Hero held his throat as he tried to recover.
"ALEXANDER!!"
"BROTHERR!!"
"HEROO!!"
As soon as they saw him fall, everyone from the Priestess to the archer rushed to his side to check on his condition.
The Hero raised his hand to stop them from using their skills. He muttered, [Divine Intervention], and immediately, all his wounds healed, and his Prana and stamina were restored.
"We don't have time for small talk! I have activated a temporary buff that will enhance our skills equally. Let's use everything we have and attack the Demon Lord with all our might. It's either we defeat him now, or we all die," the Hero growled.
Despite receiving the full impact of his own multiplied devastating attack, which could have killed numerous immortals with just one hit, he got back on his feet and prepared to fight again.
Within Ezekiel's line of sight, he observed as the Heroes' party nodded their heads in understanding. They focused their fierce gazes on the Demon Lord, who had risen from his throne, probably realising that this was not a battle he could fight while sitting down.
BOOOM!! BOOMM!!!
A rumble shook the vast throne room with each footstep, sending vibrations in every direction.
"Come, show me the power of summoned Heroes in this world!" the Demon Lord spoke, his voice thundering across the throne room. His words were answered with dazzling arrays of skills and spells, each capable of sending Ezekiel across the room and back by sheer force.
[Divine Wrath]
[Feral Rampage]
[Eldritch Nova]
As the final battle erupted before him, the aftermath enough to take his life and the radiant blinding light capable of seizing his sight, Ezekiel raced to hide behind a nearby pillar.
BANGGG!!
BOOMM!!
Seconds became minutes, and minutes turned into hours. Hours ticked as the vast throne room continued to rumble, with different vengeful growls and painful screams resounding across the air.
Ezekiel reached into his enormous sack and pulled out a glistening dagger with a sharp edge. He firmly grasped the dagger's metallic handle before retrieving the frost dragon bladder poison from his breast pocket.
He then waited patiently.
….....
Five hours later
The sounds of screams and clashes of battle finally quieted down. Ezekiel remained hidden for a few minutes before emerging from his hiding place, anticipating the battle's outcome.
Before him were countless beheaded beasts, each varying in size from five to ten meters. He assumed they belonged to the Beastmaster, recognising some beasts ripped open or smashed into mince meat from a few familiar remaining body parts.
A bulking man sat on a pile of the beast's corpses - the Beastmaster! Ezekiel immediately recognised him from his familiar attire.
But unlike previously, his left and right arms were decapitated, his two legs were still in their positions, and his lips were marred with blood and tiny pieces of flesh and tendrils from unknown sources.