The war axe struck the fiend’s wounded leg with great force and carved into flesh, drawing blood. Alas, the razor-sharp blade failed to pierce deeply.
The fiend’s flesh and bones were too resilient, blocking Daniel’s attack even as he roared in defiance. His muscles bulged as he unraveled every bit of power from his body and armaments, lightning currents pouring out of him, but it was to no avail. The Lionaer Fiend’s leg was still attached and functional.
I retrieved a vial from my storage belt at will and emptied it in one go. Crumbs of what had once been ether stones flowed down my throat as I swallowed. My back was already drenched in cold sweat, and beads of it poured down my temples as I dragged my feet closer to the beast that was radiating unbearable heat.
The temperature around me increased rapidly, and my heart dropped into my stomach as flickers of black flames lashed out at me. Daniel was still the Lionaer Fiend’s main focus, but clearly, it recognized me and the threat I posed.
That was…better than expected, although I did not feel particularly lucky. Our plan being suicidal was one thing, but for the fiend to actually consider me a threat was a little too much.
Calm down! You are the bait. Distract the enemy! I roared inwardly as ether surged through me.
My stomach ached and the network of ethereal lines weaving through my body flared up, but those were minor side effects, well within my expectations. Ignoring them, I stepped closer with Paralyse at the ready.
“This better not be a mistake,” I muttered, reaching for the ether stored in one of the full 1-Star Ether Gates.
Once accessed, I drained it with a command and redirected the ether toward Paralyse. My eyes burned like the fiend’s flames had consumed them, but I didn’t stop. Something warm flowed down the corner of my eyes, and a pained groan thundered through my mind. It was Aureus, and he was hurting.
My heart writhed as Aureus’ pain flooded the bond, but I—no, we—didn’t change our strategy. We leaned on each other’s strength and merged our powers, for the importance of the task at hand was imprinted in our heads. We knew what we signed up for when the plan was put into effect, and we were more than willing to pay the price.
The bond flared up, and I could instinctively feel the hairline cracks as they formed, but we continued anyway.
As if sensing a sudden threat, the Lionaer Fiend stopped launching its myriad of attacks at Daniel. He barely escaped the fiend’s grasp with a deep gash on his arm and armor when its head jerked in my direction.
As our eyes met, Paralyse triggered. Strength poured out of my body like a nasty leak in a pool, but the trait set off and activated as it should. The effect…well, we didn’t expect a miracle or anything. A fresh Adept was not supposed to be able to freeze an Evolved Fiend for several seconds. That was never the plan. Nonetheless, Paralyse failed to meet my expectations. It had barely any effect on the Lionaer Fiend.
My legs felt like jelly as the ether of an entire Ether Gate left my body, and it took every bit of willpower to stay on my feet.
Good!
I didn’t quite agree with Aureus, but the potion’s ether was already circulated through the weave. If not for the monstrosity staring me deep in the eyes, unraveling my deepest secrets, I would have redirected the ether flow to fill the refined Ether Gate again. Alas, I was more occupied with trying to look like an opponent the Lionaer Fiend wouldn’t want to deal with.
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Fortunately, the fiend didn’t have the luxury to attack me. It was paralyzed for a moment, which my allies exploited to the fullest. As the Lionaer Fiend froze in its tracks, Sophie appeared behind the beast, one arm hanging from her shoulder, unmoving and covered in blisters. Her other arm surged forward all the faster in return, stabbing the Lionaer Fiend in the side. Her blade, however, didn’t manage to pierce fully through the fiend’s hide. Only the tip penetrated the Lionaer Fiend’s natural defense, albeit barely.
Daniel roared at the top of his lungs as the fiend’s head jerked toward Sophie, and his axe came crashing down again, digging deeper this time around. The fiend roared and let out a fiery breath, forcing Daniel to retreat to Sophie’s side. They backtracked with their traits at the ready, their Soulkins’ bloodlust pouring out of them in waves.
For a moment, even I thought Sophie and Daniel were the main strikers of the group, as their desire to kill filled the surroundings. But then I saw Scott again, the glow in his eyes was insignificant compared to the brilliance radiating from his spear. It shone like the sun when Scott emerged in the beast’s blind spot. The fiend must have noticed something as it spun around with a defiant roar. Scott was not as fast as the Lionaer Fiend, even in its current state, but he moved nimbly and evaded the incoming claw strike with ease.
He passed through a wall of fire a moment before it erupted from the ground and rammed the spear into the fiend’s chest.
The fiend’s blazing mane surged toward Scott and his spear, only to fizzle out when they came in contact with the brilliant light. A roar echoed through the vicinity, but it no longer sounded mighty. It was a roar of pain and desperation.
The Lionaer Fiend lunged at Scott, but the remnants of Paralyse, its half-severed leg, and the poison that had spread rapidly through its system slowed it tremendously. The fiend’s strength was fading, and Scott took it upon himself to twist the spear blade in its chest. An even more brilliant light coalesced before my eyes, and I almost didn’t catch the black flames as they fizzled out of existence. The temperature dropped to normal, and our foe dropped to the ground.
It was not yet dead, but it spasmed. Dark sparks shrouded the fiend for a moment, but no flames manifested. Daniel wasted no time and was upon the enemy in an instant, his body crackling with lightning currents as he rammed his war axe into the fiend’s throat.
Blood pooled around the Lionaer Fiend, and it stopped moving at last.
“What a pain in the ass,” Daniel groaned, ripping his axe free. He patted his damaged scale mail and winced as his arm hurt. A potion appeared in his hand, and he emptied half of it on the deep gashes on his upper arm before consuming the rest, stopping the bleeding.
“Do you have one more of those? Or maybe a dozen or so?” Sophie asked, sheathing her shortsword to retrieve her other blade with her good arm.
She had to grit her teeth to suppress the pained grunts escaping her lips with every abrupt step. She yelped out loud and let go of the blade stuck in the fiend’s butt. “Fuck, that’s still hot!”
Sophie was cute, and she certainly looked like a model, but she had those moments—moments in which I couldn’t help but wonder how she survived this long.
Her palm was red, and blisters were forming on her fingers.
“GUYS!” Fabienne’s voice rang out from behind, sharper and louder than I’d ever heard it. “If you’re done with the fiend—I need help! Now!!”
Scott spun around and cursed softly, yanking his spear free. The ground beneath his feet cracked as he propelled forward.
“What is—oh shit!” I exclaimed when I turned to see the Terror Ants that survived the fight with the fiend pursue Fabienne relentlessly now that the main perpetrator was dead.
I willed the bits of ether I’d recovered to circulate through my body but failed to enhance it. Since one of my Ether Gates was empty, even though it had already been refined, the weave resisted me. Instead of empowering me, the weave drained me.
“Don’t worry about it.” Daniel smiled as he stepped forward, sheathing his war axe. “Since the fiend is dead, there’s no need to be overly cautious.”
There was no way that made sense, but I could tell Daniel truly meant it. So did Coco, the Thunderhorn Bull, as he manifested beside Daniel, hooves scraping across the ground.
“Go for it. Smash them all!” he shouted as Coco let out a deep bellow before charging into the masses, lightning coating the Thunderhorn Bull.
Or was it better to call Coco a bulldozer? I wasn’t quite sure, but the bull certainly looked more like a weapon of destruction as it tore through the Terror Ants with shocking ease.