Chapter 27: Splitting Up
"Damn it."
Kraft rejoined the group, his face filled with regret. The demon was too cunning. He had intended to catch it off guard, to cleave it in two under the cover of darkness, but it had sensed his approach.
The demon clutched its wounded side, an expression of fury contorting its pale, gray face. It was said that demons couldn't understand human emotions, but they did possess feelings of their own. They simply couldn't comprehend the deeper, gentler emotions that humans were capable of.
The demon suddenly raised its hand, and the ground began to tremble violently. The remains of the magical beasts they had slain began to stir. Mutilated limbs started to piece themselves back together, drawn towards the strange monster that had swallowed Serie's magic, coalescing around it.
Sensing that something was wrong, Rhodes and Serie attacked at the same time. Two identical pillars of light materialized in the air above the demon, one slightly smaller than the other. The demon cast a defensive spell, but its black barrier couldn't completely block their combined attack and soon shattered. The demon then simply commanded the beasts around it to act as a shield, absorbing the subsequent explosion.
When the smoke cleared, both the demon and the monstrous amalgamation it was creating were completely unharmed. In fact, because they had killed even more magical beasts, the number of corpses on the battlefield had increased, and the monster had grown even larger.
"What is that thing!?" Somme, who had never witnessed such a spectacle, asked, his voice trembling, his eyes wide with horror.
"Dark magic?" Kraft answered, though he wasn't certain. In his two hundred years of adventuring, he had heard tales of a race that was skilled in dark magic, a race that could bring the dead back to life. He had never believed it, but now, seeing this grotesque 'resurrection', he saw it was a blasphemy.
The monster had finally taken its final form: a massive, misshapen ball of flesh, covered in the heads of various other monsters. The sight of it alone was enough to make one's blood run cold.
"Eat them," the demon commanded. "But leave the one of the unknown race." The monstrous ball of flesh began to roll towards them.
For some reason, the moment the demon had seen Rhodes, it had felt a strange hunger. It was a pure, unadulterated appetite, with no other feelings attached. In theory, its race needed very little food to survive, but this particular demon had a premonition: eating Rhodes would make it stronger. Perhaps this unknown race was a natural source of nourishment for them, or, in simpler terms, food.
The monster charged, and its attack scattered the group, splitting them into two separate battlefields. Somme and Kraft were on the right, while Rhodes and Serie were on the left.
"Rhodes!" Somme roared, trying to charge to their aid, but he was bogged down by a swarm of beasts. Kraft swung his longsword, but he couldn't break through the ever-growing encirclement.
"Just how many beasts does this demon control?" Kraft wondered, his heart sinking. They had already killed at least a hundred of them, yet the horde surrounding them showed no signs of thinning.
Seeing this, Kraft no longer held back. He unleashed his full power, and the sheer force of his presence was so immense that the demon was forced to divert most of its horde to deal with him.
Now, only the demon and the disgusting monster it had created stood before Rhodes and Serie. But Rhodes didn't dare to act rashly, for fear that killing more magical beasts would only make the monster stronger. He had no other choice. He grabbed the little Grand Master beside him.
Before Serie could react, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist. Rhodes held her with one arm and conjured a dazzling ball of light with the other. A blinding white light exploded outwards, forcing all the beasts, and even the demon itself, to shield their eyes.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Rhodes scooped Serie up onto his shoulder and began to retreat, shouting to the others, "Split up! We'll meet in Glimmerwood!"
Glimmerwood had a barrier that magical beasts couldn't pass. If they could just make it there, they would be safe. They had also confirmed the location of the human tribe beforehand, so they could regroup there.
Seeing their prey split up and flee, the demon hesitated for a moment, then chose to pursue Rhodes and Serie, sending only a small portion of its horde after Somme and Kraft.
"Put me down!" Being slung over his shoulder, Serie felt her stomach churn, and she was almost sick.
Rhodes, knowing that the position was uncomfortable for her, shifted her into a princess carry.
"My dear Grand Master, this isn't like the swamp." In the swamp, the demon hadn't shown itself, and it hadn't created this disgusting monster. Other than the Scale-Fiend, it hadn't been that dangerous. But this was different.
"I can walk on my own!" Serie protested, but Rhodes wouldn't let her go.
Without Kraft as their guide, they quickly lost their bearings. Seeing the horde of magical beasts in hot pursuit, Rhodes threw up a wall of thorns to temporarily block their path and then set Serie down.
"We have to split up!" Rhodes had a gut feeling that the demon was more interested in him.
"No!" Serie refused outright. If they split up and Rhodes ran into trouble, she wouldn't be able to save him. There were many magical beasts, but she wasn't completely powerless against them. It would just come at a price.
But the demon didn't give them time to argue. The wall of thorns was quickly broken through, and the monster opened its massive maw, spitting out a torrent of black breath.
"Watch out!" Rhodes pushed Serie out of the way, but he was thrown back several meters by the shockwave of the explosion. His body burned with pain, and when he opened his mouth to speak, a spray of blood came out. But he ignored it, shouting to the nearby Serie, "Go! Now!"
Then he turned and taunted the demon. "Come and get me if you've got the guts!"
Seeing its delicious prey so brazenly provoking it, the demon grew enraged once more. It was about to give chase, but an explosion from behind made it pause. The elf's mana was surging. It could clearly see her power growing.
"Oh? You were hiding your true strength?"
The demon was surprised, but not overly concerned. After all, it had a hundred magical beasts and its amalgamated monster. No matter how strong she was, she couldn't possibly win. But just to be safe, it ordered its beasts to attack her, while it pursued the fleeing Rhodes on its own.
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