Kael's voice trembled as he shouted, "Help us, Master!" His desperate plea echoed through the battlefield, and the half-demon, observing from a distance, felt a twinge of concern. This was not the simple skirmish he had anticipated.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the half-demon began to move, but Reinhardt intercepted him with a swift attack. The blow clashed against the barrier created by the half-demon youth, and a sneer curled across the half-demon's lips.
"Get out of the way, old fool. Otherwise, you'll be begging for death by the time I'm done with you."
The half-demon released his demonic aura, and with a flourish, he produced his staff. The weapon was grotesque—a twisted amalgamation of bone and dark metal, pulsating with malevolent energy.
The top of the staff bore a skull with hollow eyes, from which a sickly green light emanated, casting eerie shadows around him. Dark runes crawled along its length, seeming to shift and writhe as though alive.
The air around it was heavy with the scent of decay, and a faint whispering could be heard, as if the souls of the damned were trapped within.
Reinhardt, a seasoned monk with a body honed through countless battles, squared his stance. His fists clenched, and the earth beneath him trembled as he channeled his energy.
Unlike the half-demon, Reinhardt had no weapon—his body was his weapon, every muscle trained to perfection, every strike precise and deadly.
He exuded a calm demeanor, the aura of a man who had faced death and conquered it time and again.
The half-demon sneered, raising his staff. Dark tendrils of necromantic energy shot forth, seeking to ensnare Reinhardt, but the monk was quick. He sidestepped, his movements fluid, and closed the distance between them in an instant.
His fist struck out, aiming for the half-demon's core, but the dark mage retaliated, conjuring a barrier of writhing shadows. Reinhardt's fist met the barrier, and a shockwave rippled through the air.
The barrier cracked but held, and the half-demon retaliated with a blast of dark energy. Reinhardt spun away, narrowly avoiding the attack, his movements a blur.
The two clashed repeatedly, Reinhardt's fists and feet a blur of motion as he sought to break through the half-demon's defenses, while the dark mage unleashed a barrage of spells, each one more deadly than the last.
The battle was fierce, a clash of raw physical power against dark mystic arts. But as the half-demon sensed he could no longer interfere with Kael's party, his focus shifted. He barked an order to the turncoat adventurers.
"Go to their aid now! If you delay, I will capture and torture every single one of your remaining relatives before mincing them and forcing you to consume their flesh and blood."
The traitorous adventurers, chilled by the half-demon's horrendous words, had no option but to obey. But as they moved to assist Kael, an ethereal coldness descended upon them, pressing them down.
They froze in place, and as they looked toward the source of the aura, they recognized the girl who had earlier fought Darius. She stood, her presence commanding, her eyes cold.
"Stay where you are," Sansha's voice was icy, laced with an unspoken threat. "Do not further stain your hands with treachery by aiding the half-demon. This time, I won't show any mercy."
The adventurers hesitated, the weight of her words crushing their resolve. They remained rooted to the spot, too fearful to move, as Sansha's aura loomed over them like a death sentence.
Meanwhile, Cruzer stood beside Tessa, his mind in turmoil as he tried to process the overwhelming power on display. He had saved Tessa from the ruins, yet now she commanded such formidable warriors.
Confusion gnawed at him until he finally voiced his thoughts, "Tessa… how did I end up rescuing you when you have such powerful people under your command?"
Tessa glanced at him, her expression softening yet tinged with a sadness he hadn't seen before. "Cruzer, you'll get your answers soon, oh my dear mastermind behind today's event." She paused, her gaze drifting to the chaos unfolding on the battlefield. "For now, watch closely. There's much you need to learn."
Cruzer was shocked that she knew he was the one who informed the guild, despite his extra efforts to hide his identity. A chill went down his spine as he realized that if she had malicious intentions, he would have died without even knowing anything.
She turned towards him and said, "You seem to understand your situation now," and laughed, reassuring him not to think too much. Still puzzled, he turned his attention back to the fight. His eyes locked onto Suhan, who was now advancing on the remaining members of Kael's party.
The rogue, trembling, made a desperate lunge at Suhan, his daggers coated in deadly poison. But Suhan was too quick. With a fluid motion, Suhan sidestepped the attack, and his sword came down with brutal efficiency, severing the rogue's arm.
The rogue screamed, but Suhan gave him no time to react. A second strike soon followed as Suhan once again decapitated another victim.
The male warrior, seeing another of his comrades fall, went into a berserk mode, roaring as he charged at Suhan, his sword igniting with mana as he activated his most powerful skill, "Crimson Fang!"
The attack was fierce, but Suhan remained unfazed. He took the blow head-on, channeling mana to enhance his sword, parrying it right after the attack landed on his blade, sending the warrior off balance, tumbling backward.
Suhan then moved one of his legs backward, pushing off the ground as he lunged forward with his sword thrust toward the warrior. With astonishing speed, he gave the warrior no chance to retaliate as the sword pierced through his chest and out his back.
Suhan then pulled his sword, grinning at the warrior. The warrior fell to his knees with excruciating pain and begged, "Please, don't... don't kill me, I will do anything... p... please." Suhan swung his sword, decapitating him as well.
The healer, the last of Kael's party, was paralyzed with fear, a wet patch forming between her legs as she knelt on the ground. Her staff lay at her side, her trembling hands trying to grasp it but failing. She watched in horror as her party was decimated.
As she saw Suhan with a devilish grin coming toward her, she panicked. With each step he took, she felt her life slipping away, but surprisingly, he walked past her. Feeling relieved that he hadn't killed her, she sighed in relief and closed her eyes for a moment.
However, as soon as she opened her eyes, her world suddenly spun as she saw her body kneeling, with blood spurting from her neck. Suhan had decapitated her so swiftly that she couldn't even register the pain as she fell into eternal slumber.