Though Ezekiel had concealed himself throughout the entire battle, he only needed a glance to tell that after his arms were gone, the Beastmaster had used his fangs and continued relentlessly attacking the Demon lord by bitting out pieces of his flesh like a feral beast. He truly lived up to his title.
Besides them, three burnt figures—the mage, archer, and rogue—lay lifelessly on the ground. The scent of burnt corpses lingered in the air, and he was sure that the Demon lord had taken these three out with every ounce of power he possessed because he would have certainly done the same, considering how much of an annoying itch they were in a battle.
Lastly, at a distance from his position, he witnessed the Demon lord, whose body was now suspended mid-air, his lower half missing and restrained by numerous chains that glowed in a rainbow-like hue.
As soon as he saw the Priestess standing on her feet, he recognised the chains as one of her skills and noticed that she was exhausted.
The sounds of weary boots, desperately beseeching to be replaced, grated against the stony floor and echoed through the throne room. Ezekiel's gaze was fixed on the one responsible - the Hero.
He dragged his bloodied and battered body across the vast throne room and only halted when he was before the Demon lord.
As Ezekiel watched the scene unfold before him, his heart began to race. He had always wondered what would happen if the Heroes' party defeated the Demon Lord without excessively utilising their abilities.
If the Demon Lord proved too powerful for them, they would be killed like insects walking into a death trap. However, he could see the results before him.
There were no more what-ifs.
Ezekiel didn't hesitate as he coated his dagger with the frost dragon bladder poison and surged towards the Beastmaster. Despite being injured, he knew the Beastmaster still posed a significant threat, as he was alive despite losing both arms.
"Do you have anything you would like to say before I end your miserable existence, Demon Lord Vexorath?" The Hero's voice resonated in his ears, no longer bearing the same confidence as it did previously.
Instead, it was filled with caution, hate, and a desire for revenge —all of which Ezekiel knew well.
The weary Beastmaster's senses flared, prompting him to snap his head backwards to look behind him. His eyes widened in shock as searing pain rippled through his body from his throat. He gagged, trying to cough out the blade that had pierced through his oesophagus. His prana gushed—
No, you don't!
Ezekiel twisted the blade and dragged it in a sweeping position upwards, ensuring the frost dragon bladder poison he had used to coat his sword penetrated his most sensitive organs. Before he pulled his dagger out and plunged it into his right eye, he twisted it gruesomely and raised his right hand to hammer it in like a woodworker in a final nail into his finished work.
"AARRRHHHHHHGGGGG!!!" The Beastmaster's thundering roars reverberated through the vast throne room.
Instantly, all who had ears turned towards the source of anguished screams.
"REILLEEYY!!" The Hero screamed, his voice tingling with shock as it reverberated around all four corners of the vast throne room.
'So his name was Reiley?' Ezekiel thought. He had gotten used to being treated as shit that he had to continuously address them by their alias, almost forgetting what their names here.
"YOU BASTARD! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!" The Hero's voice thundered across the vast throne room again. His glaring, hate-filled eyes were fixed on Ezekiel.
The Priestess had already turned her head backwards, frozen as her eyes unconsciously feasted on the gruesome scene unfolding.
Ezekiel didn't bother to respond to the Hero's words, as now was not the time to exchange pleasantries or lay his heart-wrenching remarks for the reason he had turned against them.
He pulled out his dagger from Reiley's socket. He made sure the frost dragon bladder poison defiled the remaining life within him before he freed himself from his grasp and observed as Reiley's lifeless body fell sideways and landed upon the bodies of his decapitated beasts.
A good master accompanies his pets, dead or alive.
Ezekiel lifted his head and stared at the Priestess, his expression devoid of emotion. He must have been so engrossed in planning the best approach to eliminate the next target that he didn't even realise when his legs had started running forward on their own.
If they had been too ignorant to expect a situation like this and make preparations for it, then they were beyond hope.
"BASTARD! STOP! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"
Witnessing the scene unfold, the Priestess attempted to activate another skill and quickly take care of Ezekiel; however, the moment she tried to do so—
CRACCK!!
The Demon Lord was halfway free from the chains that imprisoned him.
"OLIVIA!! MAINTAIN YOUR FOCUS!!" The Hero shouted.
"I'LL PROTECT YOU!!" he added. His gait was swift as he rushed forward to halt Ezekiel's advances.
Olivia's lips were hushed. She trialled her eyes to the imprisoned Demon lord and reinforced the divine chains that bound his body.
That's right. There was no reason to worry about Ezekiel. Even though he had killed Reiley, with the Hero's focus now directed towards Ezekiel, his death will be swift. Her current worries should be managing her prana to keep the divine chains from dispersing.
Unfortunately, Ezekiel was not a patient carpenter. He threw his dagger forward with precision, aiming with increasing accuracy towards the Princess's neck.
"Die!" The Hero materialised, screaming as he hurled his sword towards Ezeekiel in a sweeping motion.
The consequences of throwing his dagger with all his strength and attempting to dodge the Hero's attack kicked in, causing Ezekiel to stumble to his left.
Nonetheless, he used the moment to his advantage and did not resist the fall.
SWWISSSSHHH!!
The first strike missed him by a hair's breadth.