The special forces fired a controlled burst at the ranks of the monsters, and the satisfying chime of the notification in his system sounded as if they were killed instantly.
They kept popping up as more and more mobs were being killed from the distance. And it didn't take long for the Demon King General Telus to notice the unusual scene that he was witnessing before his eyes.
"What kind of weapon is that?" Telus muttered under his breath. "There was a flash of light from the end of the cylinder, and a projectile pierced through my soldiers like they were made of paper."
Vincent noticed Telus's gaze shifting towards them. "He's onto us. Keep moving, and stay spread out. Don't let him get a clear target," he commanded his team.
Alpha 2 and Alpha 3 nodded, continuing their suppressive fire while maneuvering to new positions.
Vincent glanced at the notifications, but his focus remained on the battlefield. Telus raised his hand, and the ground beneath Vincent's team began to tremble. Blood-red spikes shot up, attempting to impale them.
They dodged skillfully by jumping, rolling, and darting to the side.
Vincent aimed at Telus and fired a burst. The bullets hit the mystical barrier, and it penetrated, grazing his left shoulder.
"What?" Telus frowned. "Their projectiles break through my barrier? That's impossible, this barrier is impervious to the magic project—" he paused as he activated his magic eye and scanned the area, analyzing the weapons being used against him.
"These weapons… they aren't magic-based," Telus muttered, his eyes narrowing as he confirmed there was no magic aura emanating from them. "How is this possible?"
Realizing the danger these non-magical projectiles posed, Telus tried to regain control of the battlefield. He summoned more blood spikes and sent them hurtling toward Vincent and his team.
"Look out!" Vincent rushed to one of his soldiers and pushed him out of the way just as a blood spike erupted from the ground where he had been standing. The spike narrowly missed them both, and they quickly scrambled to their feet, continuing to dodge the deadly magic.
Alpha 2 and Alpha 3 maintained their suppressive fire, forcing Telus to focus on them. Vincent, seeing an opportunity, signaled to Alpha 1 and Alpha 4 to flank the general from the sides.
Telus, noticing the flanking maneuver, attempted to raise another barrier, but his concentration was broken by the continuous barrage of bullets and spells. The mages from the backline had joined his team.
"What a nuisance," Telus growled, his eyes blazing with anger. "Let's see how you handle this!"
He raised both hands high, summoning one of his most devastating spells: Bloodstorm Tempest. The air around him crackled with dark energy as he chanted an incantation, and a massive vortex of blood began to form above him. The swirling mass of crimson liquid expanded rapidly, turning into a tempest that radiated sheer malevolence.
With a swift downward motion of his hands, Telus unleashed the Bloodstorm Tempest upon the battlefield. Torrents of blood sharpened like blades, rained down, slicing through the ranks of the defenders.
The mages at the backline caught off guard, were hit hardest. The blood blades tore through their defenses, cutting them down mercilessly. Screams of pain and terror echoed as they fell, their bodies crumpling to the ground.
"Shit…" Vincent cursed. "So he wasn't serious at first huh?"
Vincent quickly accessed his system's inventory tab, his fingers deftly navigating through the options. With a determined look, he selected the Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle and materialized it into his hands.
"Alpha 2, Alpha 3, keep up the suppressive fire. Alpha 1 and Alpha 4, maintain the flank. I'm taking the shot," Vincent commanded.
As the Bloodstorm Tempest continued to wreak havoc, Vincent found a suitable vantage point. He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he aimed down the scope at Telus.
The Demon King General was still hovering and in mid-cast.
"Steady… steady…" Vincent muttered to himself, aligning the crosshairs with Telus's body. He knew he had only one shot to make this count.
He exhaled slowly and squeezed the trigger. The Barrett roared, the recoil powerful but expected. The .50 cal bullet shot through the air with a deafening crack, piercing through the mystical barrier and striking Telus squarely in the chest.
"Gugh…"
The .50 cal tore a gaping hole in Telus's chest, and Telus couldn't be more shocked. He stared blankly at the one who fired at him, Vincent. And Vincent fired another shot, which tore through Telus's left arm, severing it completely.
The demon general screamed in agony, his voice echoing through the battlefield. Blood gushed from his wounds, the dark energy that once sustained him now faltering. Telus's body wavered in the air, his control slipping as he struggled to maintain his power.
"No… this cannot be… defeated by mere humans…" Telus muttered, his eyes wide with disbelief.
As Telus's body wavered in the air, his eyes glowed with an even darker, more sinister light.
"You leave me no choice," he snarled. His form began to twist and contort, his body expanding as dark energy enveloped him. Blood-red tendrils extended from his wounds, knitting his flesh back together and growing into grotesque, monstrous limbs. His horns lengthened, and his once pale skin turned a deep crimson.
His eyes, burning with hatred, locked onto Vincent. In a blur of motion, Telus flickered and reappeared behind Vincent, a massive blood scythe materializing in his hand.
Vincent barely had time to react as Telus swung the scythe. He ducked instinctively, the blade missing his neck by inches but slicing through his tactical gear, leaving a deep gash on his back. Pain seared through him, but Vincent gritted his teeth and rolled away, coming up in a crouch with his rifle raised.
"Alpha 1, Alpha 4! Cover me!" Vincent shouted,
His team responded instantly, firing full auto at Telus. Bullets whizzed through the air, impacting the demon general. However, to their horror, the bullets seemed to pass through Telus's flesh only for it to regenerate instantly.
Telus laughed, a chilling, echoing sound that sent shivers down the spines of everyone on the battlefield. "Your weapons are impressive, but they are futile against my true form!" he taunted.
Vincent, undeterred, knew he had to change tactics. He quickly accessed his system, this time purchasing an M67 grenade. As the grenade materialized in his hand, he looked at the gaping hole in Telus's chest.
"Alpha 2, Alpha 3, keep his attention!" Vincent ordered.
His team intensified their fire, creating a cacophony of gunfire that echoed across the battlefield. Vincent pulled the pin on the M67 grenade and, with precise aim, hurled it towards Telus. The grenade flew through the air and landed perfectly in the hole in Telus's chest.
Telus's eyes widened in realization and horror. "No—" he began, but the grenade detonated, a massive explosion ripping through his torso.
Telus's monstrous form convulsed, blood and dark energy spraying in all directions.
"No… this cannot be… I will not fall to mere humans…" Telus snarled, his voice weaker than before.
Vincent watched as Telus's regeneration faltered, the combined damage from the grenade and the continuous gunfire proving too much for even the demon general's dark magic to handle.
"Damn you all… This isn't over!" Telus spat. With a final, desperate surge of dark energy, he cast a spell to teleport away. His form flickered, and in an instant, he vanished from the battlefield, leaving behind a lingering cloud of dark energy and a smoldering crater where he once stood.
"He retreated?"