On the other side, John was barely able to dodge the charge and it slammed into the building. He was able to take advantage of their momentum and barely made it past the red guy.
Precisely because he needs to deal with the Oldman. John knows this guy, he was a side character who appeared briefly when Klad was raiding the demon hand cult.
They call him the Crimson manipulator. Tula
He made a foundation off of blood, more specifically his master's blood. The old man was a butler of some noble who treated him poorly, in an act of defiance the old man killed his own master and escaped.
In that act, he was able to awaken a heretic circle of a star.
In the novel, he was a 3rd circle mystic who used blood to control people to do his dirty work. He only has a bad habit of gloating when he thinks he is about to win.
That is why John draws them into a corner and has the Tula think that he would win. But John couldn't possibly predict that the old man would react to that unfamiliar situation and grasp the possible way to live in a second.
sacrificing his Artifact to save himself
He couldn't have easily found a replacement for that. John didn't know what it was but could tell that it was useful. And obtaining an artifact isn't easy either especially if you're a heretic or some unknown cult member.
Mystic item is highly restricted and controlled by the top brass of people. That is why the best and fastest way to obtain such power is to become a priest.
On the opposite of that, you would have to go through many hoops to obtain such ingredients for a heretic. Or go find a natural mystic occurrence and turn it into an artifact. And even if you find one, you aren't guaranteed that it would suit your power.
however, that's a matter for later, now john just need to deliver this butcher knife that he picks up from the villager to Tula's face.
This is a perfect time to do such things. Redirecting that mass of flesh would need some time and he could exploit that.
"You underestimate me, kid"
When John closed the distance he felt like something was wrong. Tula so far has displayed that he could quickly turn the situation. However, right now he was completely open for John to attack.
However, he needs to know what it is. He still advances and arrives in front of Tula, the old man grins ear to ear like John was caught in a trap. John needed to know what the old man was hiding.
In the novel, This guy gets defeated rather easily, with Klad and his friend being in 3rd circle at the end of Act 1. They quickly dispose of him when Tula doesn't have much of an army and a fighting chance.
John swung at him with the butcher knife.
tch
It hit something, it was fleshy. John looks at the knife and sees that red flesh has extended from Tula's arm. It was hard as a rock and John couldn't pull the knife out. John backs away but his leg wobbles.
The injury earlier caught up to him. Tula then took the chance to raise his walking stick and struck John with it. John rolls over in a nick of time barely avoiding his death sentence.
BOOM!
Another loud boom came when the old man struck the ground, the destruction spread out like a web. John needs a plan and he needs it fast. The old man Tula's arm has turned into a muscle monstrosity but his main body is still a normal one. that means there's a disadvantage to it.
Tula closed the distance and swung at him another time. John back off
He had an idea.
---------
Hilda carefully retreats, to the window, the red muscle has lost sight of her and she needs to use it fully. She quickly cut the curtain from its holding and waited beside the door with the cloth in hand. The thumping sound of their foot came closer and finally, they checked the room she was in.
The maid sprang open with a throwing curtain move. It flew to cover the monster's face. It tries to reach for the curtain but its arms are too big for that. Hilda used her leg to swipe the moster leg, it's massive upper body could handle the balance and toppled down.
She sat on its back and stabbed it in the neck with two knives. She rotated the knife like a helm and severed its neck.
Another monster immediately punched through a wall and attempted to grab her, but she managed to avoid it in time. After finding nothing, the monster broke through with its massive body. It held a chair in its hand and quickly threw it at her. At that speed, Hilda couldn't dodge it and flew out the window.
Hilda has no choice but to return to the original alley. To check on her master and kill the heretic.
Outside her master was being cornered, holding Theia in his arms. Tula uses his massive red arm to deal massive damage to the nearby building. John could barely dodge the old man swinging at him.
Hilda goes to help instantly, with her last set of knives she couldn't just throw it anymore. he closes the distance and delivers a blade strike in Tula's back. However, a massive flesh swells and blocks Her blade.
"Hilda hold his head still! And don't look"
He abandons her blade and grabs onto the old man's head. He attempts to shrug her off but John is faster than that. He pulls Theia's hair up, revealing her cute face with the black eyes.
"Spirit realm.....AGHGHGHHAGHGH"
Tula screams in pain. He wanted to close his eyes but the maid wouldn't let him do that. His soul is being sucked out of his body. Tula hand shakes uncontrollably.