The air warped as Fade reappeared behind the Archdemon, a blur of shadow and motion. Fade's weapon, a combination of gun and blade, flashed at a horizontal arc aimed precisely at the neck.
What met Fade's blade was not flesh, but a sudden bloom of writhing tendrils that exploded from the demon's back, shrieking as they deflected the strike with grotesque elasticity.
Fade squeezed the trigger of Erebus, now loaded with mana-infused rounds. The bullet tore through the air like a railgun, its sheer velocity warping the air behind it. Fade's mana-infused bullet exploded upon making contact with the Archdemon's body.
A portion of the Archdemon had a hole in it, but it quickly restored itself. A stronger mental pollution surged out, but it could not affect Fade in the slightest. The Archdemon already expected that and attacked with his tendrils.
Fade backed away and vanished in the darkness. The Archdemon turned, his face split by an inhuman grin.
