The howling of the Demon gradually subsided.
Suddenly, dozens of high-pitched screeches rang out from so far below. The Reapers watched as thin crystalline fragments that reflected the sunlight burst out of the carapaces of the Titan Centipedes, causing crimson to coat the ground, like a lake of blood.
Their eyes widened as they saw the raised, tattered hand of the Lower Demon raised, palm turned downwards.
Castrelle instantly understood. The Titan Centipedes had been living in the caverns for an incredibly long period of time. Of course, there was a necessity to drink water for any living creature. However, the only source of water in that cavern was the crystal-rich stream.
It meant that those crystalline fragments were coursing through the bodies of the Titan Centipedes, leaving them susceptible to Gremory's control over the crystals.
There had been some slight hope that the Lower Demon would be killed so that they could launch a second, safer expedition. However, it wasn't like the prospect of killing dozens of Titan-class monsters in order to further explore the quarry was exciting either.
Gremory had been reduced to tattered flesh clinging to a skeleton, his organs spilling out of his exposed abdomen. Each one of his slitted eyes had been torn out and consumed, leaving him blind and impervious to his surroundings.
This was how he failed to notice the shade that weaved about the suppressed Titan Centipedes, wielding a long ivory rapier.
One by one, that shadow moved about, spearing into the brains of the Titan Centipedes in between their carapaces.
And of course, the blinded Lower Demon paid no notice to this.
Looking Glass pulled the rifle from his back, pointing down the scope towards the shadowy figure. All he saw was a maddening expression, a man with stark black-and-white hair wielding a bone rapier as he moved about the injured Titan Centipedes, finishing them off.
'What is he doing?' Underneath the mask, Looking Glass's expression twisted slightly. 'Is he trying to assimilate with the Titan-classes en-mass? Wouldn't that pain be too unbearable? Is this guy a madman?'
However, Quincy, who had seen a part of his forte by journeying with him came to an understanding on what he was trying to accomplish.
Mercury was going for the kill on the weakened Lower Demon.
Even tattered and broken, it was still feasible for Gremory to kill a lone Reaper, only at the starting line of the Alpha Echelon. That was something Mercury understood well, having seen the top Reaper teams fight against it without succeeding in killing it.
On the ground floor of the quarry, Mercury pushed past the fatigue and stress that weighed on his body.
The bloodlust that had built up in his chest had begun to overtake him. He felt an intense urge to rampage, but his remnant sanity pierced through the madness, causing him to calculatingly pull off his plan.
Dozens of slips of parchments flew down from the heavens, aqueous light forming into words on their surface. He ignored them. He knew what they all said.
"Rise." He muttered, brushing his hands over each fallen Titan Centipede.
Black mist began to emanate from the surface of the monster corpses, gradually forming into the shape of the creatures they once were.
Seeing this, Looking Glass was shocked. He had never seen this man before in his life, but he watched as dozens of Shades arose at once, stirred from their eternal slumber.
In fact, everyone had been watching this development. Their elated celebrations had ceased, and they watched in awe as the crazed Reaper they had never seen before began to use his strange, terrifying forte on the Titan Centipede corpses.
'What is this?' Looking Glass's eyes widened. 'He revived monsters? Is he really capable of bringing something back to life? Does that make him a capable supporter? No, something's off about this.'
He could see the glint of malice in the bright-red gazes of the Shades. It was a feeling directed at the mysterious Reaper.
Mercury ran past Gremory, the Lower Demon hearing the commotion that had been made. He raised his hand to control the crystalline fragments, causing the corpses of the Titan Centipedes to stir. However, this did not affect the shades. To kill them, it was essential to go for the brain of the corpses, where none of the crystal fragments were present.
Following behind Mercury, the Shades suddenly made contact with the Lower Demon, swarming around him. This was because Mercury had jumped up behind Gremory, spearing the bone rapier into the tattered flesh of his back. He grasped onto these strands of oily, pus-covered flesh, climbing up the back of the Lower Demon as he cried out in pain.
The Shades began to tear at Gremory's legs, trying to bring him down in order to get to Mercury. This caused Gremory to fall, trying desperately to slam his broken fists down onto the Shades in a final, desperate attempt to save his own life. However, Mercury knew from experience that this was futile.
It was Gremory's lack of understanding that caused him to fail.
As the Lower Demon toppled to the ground, Mercury jumped off of his shoulders, flying over the dozens of Shades and sprinted towards their corpses. One by one, he quickly speared into their exposed brains as they closed in on him. The Shades began to falter, one by one, until one remained.
There was only one more corpse to dispose of. The Titan Centipede's shade lurched at Mercury, but it was far too late. He placed the point of the bone rapier in between the head carapaces of the corpse, thrusting the length of the blade into the brain of the creature. The maw that closed in on his neck immediately fell away, the black mist blowing away in the illusory breeze.
'Bugs… especially bugs would forget to protect themselves. Wild beasts have no instincts for preservation when angered and cornered to this extent. This was their mistake. This was my blessing!'
He had transformed his enemies into his own personal army. Without any knowledge of how to kill them, Gremory had been transformed into a torn-apart husk of what he once was. Crimson and molten pus leaked out around him, fallen into pieces in the center of the quarry floor.
Looking Glass, positioned high above, watched through the scope as the mysterious Reaper walked over towards the fallen Lower Demon, remaining helpless. All Reapers gathered watched this scene. They were in awe.
Mercury placed the point of the bone rapier against Gremory's fractured skull, grinning madly. His amused smile was inhuman, innate bloodlust surging up like euphoria within his chest. This wasn't the instinct of a Reaper. This was the instinct of a Monster.
"Feed… the crystals… to… the forest…" Gremory's final words echoed weakly through the quarry pit, failing to reach the ears of all the Reapers watching from above.
Without parroting a response, Mercury thrusted the bone rapier into Gremory's brain, ending his life. The mess of flesh and bone on the ground gradually became dull, free of movement.
The second Lower Demon, Gremory, had been defeated.
Above, atop the cliff-face, the Reapers that had gathered were completely silent.
Mercury knelt down beside Gremory, using the point of the rapier to carve out a piece of the Lower Demons rotting flesh, choosing a piece that seemed free of pus and blood. It was oddly scaly, covered in thick greyish leathery skin where scales weren't present.
'I initially thought that I would be able to fight the Lower Demon's shade and take its ability, but after seeing the Reapers fight against it, I knew I had no chance, moreso in my state. Its cunning and instinct was probably decent enough to want to protect its corpse after realising its state. It would have been a futile attempt.' Mercury gradually relaxed, feeling fatigue weight him down once more. 'But I'll have to settle for this instead. I don't know how long a Shade remains. If I return here in the future, I might be able to attempt to kill him again and claim his power.'
Without hesitation, Mercury tipped his head back, placing the piece of lukewarm Demon flesh on his tongue, swallowing without chewing. Even though it had remained in his mouth, it was a horrifying taste. It wasn't any flavour in particular that made him want to instinctively vomit. Unlike the taste of the Dweller Demon's flesh, it came alongside a horrifying feeling of dread, as if he would be killed at any moment.
He would later realise this was the premonition of the pain that would soon strike.
As the Reapers watched him do this, murmurs erupted between them. Looking Glass had been the only person to deal a killing blow to a Lower Demon. Who could this person that they had never met before be? How powerful could he be?
This directly confirmed Castrelle's suspicions of him, and challenged Quincy's perception of him. She had spent a few days alongside him, sharing meals and even camping alongside him. She had seen his strength firsthand, and his reckless cunning. But she had never once assumed that the man she had met in the forest would be someone capable of singlehandedly killing a Lower Demon, even if it was injured to that extent.
Looking Glass continued staring at the mysterious Reaper through the scope of his rifle, his usually-calm state wavering. What welled up in his chest was excitement, anticipation, and fear.
Then, the mysterious Reaper at the bottom of the quarry fell over onto his side, sprawled against the stone floor, covered in blood.
Mercury had suddenly fainted.