With Darren's gaze still sending them off, Gregory and Rayla reached their positions, greeting their foe with the eyes of a hungry predator.
The male demon stopped his barrage to stare down at the duo that greeted him. Yes, demons were mostly over 6 feet tall, with their highborn getting to nearly 7 feet, inches above the tallest werewolf, who were normally known for their large builds.
"Who are you?"
Rayla, silent as always, began to slowly cast spells and place buffs on Gregory as his body gained a pale glow.
"You don't deserve to know our names. All that matters is stabbing my spear through your black demonic heart."
The male demon stabbed the end of his Guandao into the ground. He made a show of cracking his bones and stretching his body all over.
"Despite you not telling me your names, I will tell you mine. In our world, it is customary to uphold honour and pride amongst the strong. I am Houndmoon, the Black Glaze, and I fight for the propagation of my people. Let our blades decide who is right or wrong."
With a flash, he picked up his weapon and charged at Gregory like a hungry tiger. Gregory was surprised by his pace but as a seasoned warrior, he corrected his posture and welcomed the blow from Houndmoon.
Their weapons clashed; Gregory fending off a downward slash from Houndmoon with the full length of his spear.
In his heart, he thanked Siestri for making such a sturdy weapon as he could feel the immense force that was contained in that one swing. Gregory pushed back, creating distance between them.
Speaking using telepathy, Rayla passed a message to Gregory.
"He's stronger than expected. Instead of me acting as just your support, you'll have to create chances for me to use my destructive spells on him."
"I understand. Then I will trust you."
Gripping his spear even tighter, he charged at Houndmoon with light but strong steps. Whipping the spear to the right, he readied himself for a full-on stab.
Houndmoon snickered, seeing the force behind Gregory's swing as mere child's play. He didn't add any force to the block he prepared. With a smile on Gregory's face, he sent a mental image to Rayla to prepare a strong fire spell to release his signal.
Spinning the spear in his right hand, he grabbed it without wasting the force generated from the spin and swung sideways, aiming to cleave Houndmoon in two.
Houndmoon casually stepped back, blocking with the middle of his weapon. Before he could prepare his counterattack, he felt the force behind the spear's swing immediately weaken. Gregory pulled back, dashing behind him and grabbing the neck of the spear as he stabbed towards Houndmoon's neck.
With shock plastered across his face, Houndmoon pushed himself forward, swinging his weapon behind him to parry Gregory's attack.
"Rayla, now!!"
Heat gathered above Rayla's staff and swelled into two medium-sized balls before hurtling towards Houndmoon. His eyes stared in disbelief at the level of coordination in the attack of the duo. He had underestimated them and fell directly into their trap.
Unfortunately, this joust was far from over with just one witty move. The demons were warriors who had fought thousands of wars amongst themselves and honed battle skills that could oppress a hundred strong men.
Hitting the shaft of Gregory's spear with the blade of his Guandao, Houndmoon stuck the end of his weapon in the ground and used it as a pivot, spinning around with a kick to Gregory's torso. The ball of flame that headed towards him now sailed past, clashing with low-level demons that ran past.
"Did you think that I was that weak? That I would fall victim to your childish trick? Your antics debase me, and for that, your life would be forfeit."
Gregory stood firm, his chest heaving while his body rested on his spear planted in the ground. Although he didn't expect the battle to end with just that, he had hoped that it would at least cause Houndmoon a certain level of injury.
Steadying his breath, he kicked his spear off the ground, holding it at his side. He weighed the pros and cons of his next move and tried to plan out each phase of the battle. At a distance, Rayla hovered slightly above the ground as the cold, harsh wind ruffled her clothes.
On her face, you could see her disappointment and the anger that brewed due to Houndmoon's words. She was prideful, and repeatedly calling her a child was pushing it too far.
Houndmoon stood between them, and with the disadvantage in numbers, he decided to wait for their next move. A hasty attack in this situation could spell doom for him.
His eyes darted between his assailants, making sure not to miss the slightest body movement while he held his Guandao in the middle, placing it at an angle behind his back.
"Gregory, I think it would be better if we both attacked separately and only linked our attacks at the last moment when we are completely sure he is beaten."
"If that's what you think is best, Rayla. This battle must be ours."
This time around, Rayla attacked first. Slightly waving her wand, she conjured a pure white cloud to appear above them.
Houndmoon looked beneath his feet to see the ground slowly freeze up. Understanding the danger that the cloud fostered, he charged ahead for Rayla, brandishing his guandao at his right.
"You know I won't let you do that."
Gregory charged forward, activating his werewolf blood for a boost in speed, running ahead of Houndmoon. Positioning his spear sideways so the side of the blade was parallel to the ground, he stabbed at Houndmoon's chest, aiming to push him far away from Rayla while she finished her casting.
With a frown, Houndmoon parried the blow, hoping that his demon strength would come out on top. This was a mistake-a great lapse in judgment.
Pioneer werewolves had superior blood that gave them large boosts in their physical capabilities. And given the fact that Gregory had originally been a Viking before he was turned, his strength was far beyond normal confines.
Houndmoon was pushed further than his original position when he stood between the witch and the werewolf. He sneered, as his earlier charge had been disturbed by the arrogant werewolf. He had to admit that he was really strong. Now, it was too late to run away from the cloud.
Reading his guandao and steadying his feet, he bellowed, "Come."
The cloud faded to show spikes of hardened ice that hovered less than 20 meters above the ground, all pointing in Houndmoon's direction and blocking any hopes of escape.
"Scum of hell, begone."