The sudden appearance of the demon caught us completely off guard! Everyone froze in place, unable to move. That wretched demon arrived as if it owned the place, exuding a nacing aura that weighed heavily on all of us.
"Lyra, Rosan! Defensive spells, now!" I barked out orders without hesitation.
Rosan's spell shimred into existence, forming a temporary shield that would mitigate both magical and physical damage. Lyra followed up with her magic, fortifying our defensive capabilities. These spells were crucial to ensuring the safety of my team.
"Well, going defensive right off the bat? How boring! Hahaha!" The demon sneered, its sadistic grin reminiscent of the Berserker Troll King I once faced. "Shadow wolves, let's make this entertaining! Feast to your heart's content!"
The shadow wolves around us howled in response, their eyes glowing ominously. It was clear the demon had full control over them, forcing us into a grueling battle of survival. Outnumbered and surrounded, there was no room for hesitation.
"Alan, Theo, Darius, Freya! Handle the wolves and form a protective circle around the supporters. Thorn, assist the attackers, and Vivin, guard Lyra and Rosan!" I commanded, strategizing as fast as I could. "Elan and I will deal with that demon!"
"Understood!" Elan's twin daggers, coated in a deadly poison, glinted as he prepared for battle.
I launched the first strike with , aiming directly for the demon. But my blade barely grazed it. Elan swiftly followed up with , a move ant to finish enemies in a single blow. Yet, even his strike only left a shallow cut on the demon's neck.
"Heh, that tickles!" The demon jeered mockingly.
It retaliated with , its shadowy tendrils ensnaring Elan's legs. Without missing a beat, it swung a shadow-cloaked fist at him.
"Not on my watch!" I countered with , slashing through the binding magic and intercepting the demon's attack. The clash of dark magic and steel sent shockwaves through the battlefield.
anwhile, the attackers were faring well against the shadow wolves, thanks to the support from Rosan and Lyra. But then the wolves' eyes turned blood red, and their movents grew erratic and vicious. The demon's forced control had driven them into a frenzy.
The tide shifted. One by one, my teammates started to take hits. Rosan desperately cast to keep everyone standing, but exhaustion was setting in. Alan and Darius faltered, their strikes losing strength, while Theo fired arrows as fast as his bow would allow. Thorn, our tank, was barely holding on under the relentless assault. Only Freya seed to have energy left.
I rembered Envi's advice: fire was the key to defeating these wolves.
"Freya! Use your fire magic sword at maximum output! Burn those cursed wolves to ash!" I shouted.
Before she could act, the demon landed a blow on my abdon.
"Ugh!" The adamantium armor absorbed most of the impact, but the force still left reeling. Elan stepped in to distract the demon, his agility and relentless strikes keeping it at bay.
"Understood!" Freya began chanting. "Oh great fire god, grant the flas to incinerate all who oppose us! "
Her flaming blade erupted in an inferno, scorching the shadow wolves in an instant. The attackers took a step back, shielding themselves from the intense heat.
But more wolves kept appearing, their endless numbers overwhelming us again. The attackers were forced back into combat, their exhaustion mounting.
"This isn't good, Elan. The team can't hold out much longer. Let's end this demon now—together!" I said, determination fueling .
Elan nodded. "Let's finish this." He activated , unleashing a flurry of dagger strikes, while I used , doubling my speed.
The demon summoned a shadow barrier, a dual-purpose spell that protected it and retaliated against attackers. Elan's relentless strikes chipped at the barrier but couldn't break it.
"Leave the barrier to !" I shouted, activating . My katana glowed with energy as I shattered the barrier in a single strike, leaving the demon wide open. Elan's daggers found their mark, and his poison began to take effect, paralyzing the demon.
Seeing my chance, I combined my strongest attack with a scroll enchanted by Rosan. "!" My blade glead with holy light as I struck. The demon let out a final, agonized roar as my blade cleaved it in two.
"Well done, Master Naoki!" Elan praised, but there was no ti to rest.
We rejoined the others, working together to eliminate the remaining wolves. After a grueling half hour, the battlefield finally fell silent. Everyone was exhausted, our potions depleted, and Rosan and Lyra's mana nearly gone.
"Alright, team. Let's retreat—"
Before I could finish, an overwhelming aura radiated from the demon's corpse. My vision blurred as it reappeared, its form now fused with dark magic. A crimson elixir crystal pulsed in its chest, its power surging.
The demon flung aside like a ragdoll. My movents were restricted by shadows as it laughed maniacally.
"Naoki!" my team shouted in alarm, their voices tinged with fear.
I stood up, steeling myself.
"Oh, don't get up just yet," the demon sneered. "We're just getting started!" Its laughter echoed as it prepared for its next move.
And then, I heard Vivin and Alan scream.
"Hiikhh!"
"Nooo! Damn you, demon!!!"
Before any of us could react, the demon moved with impossible speed, beheading Thorn and Theo in an instant. Their bodies collapsed lifelessly onto the ground. In the blink of an eye, I had lost both an attacker and a tank.
Despair swept through my team like a cold wind. The demon's awakening had made it far deadlier than I could have ever imagined.
"Rosan! Lyra!" I shouted, my voice trembling with urgency. They imdiately understood.
Rosan's spell cast a shimring barrier around us, providing high resistance to dark-elent attacks and preventing fatal damage.
The demon snarled in frustration, unable to inflict critical harm on us. Its rage was palpable—it hadn't expected a Rank A magic knight like Rosan to counter its attacks so effectively.
Lyra stepped up next, her magic amplifying our strength.
My attack power and defense surged as the spell took effect, but my teammates weren't done yet.
Both Rosan and Lyra began chanting in unison, their voices intertwining like a spell woven from hope itself.
"Oh sacred god of water, grant us your blessing to trap this foe in the depths of your unending sea. "
A massive cylinder of water materialized, encasing the demon. It thrashed violently, but the prison held firm, restricting its movents.
"Great work, Rosan, Lyra!" I comnded them, though my focus was already shifting.
I had been gathering my energy for a skill I hadn't used since defeating Mark.
I won't let anyone else die today. I will protect them all!
I drew my blade, its edge glowing with raw energy. ""
My strike pierced through the demon's very essence, purifying its soul. Trapped within the water prison, it couldn't avoid my attack.
"UAAAGHHH! YOU FILTHY HUMANS! DAMN YOU ALL!!!" the demon scread in fury as it dissolved into light, finally defeated.
The battle had ended, but we collapsed in exhaustion. None of us could believe how intense the fight had been. Yet, before we could even catch our breath, I rembered—there was still one more demon, the one controlling the massive elixir crystal and its ritual.
"This isn't over! We need to retreat—"
"Na-Naoki-sama... l-look!" Lyra stamred, pointing toward the elixir crystal.
The crystal had transford into a massive, terrifying gate. Dark magic coiled around it, horns protruding from its edges, with the crimson crystal glowing ominously at its center.
It looked like a doorway to summon sothing far beyond our comprehension.
"Damn it! When did it finish? This is bad!" I cursed under my breath.
From the distance, the remaining demon began walking toward us, standing with the monstrous gate behind it.
"The summoning ritual is complete... The Gate of Gehenna will bring forth an unimaginable being. But before that, let deal with you pests!"
The demon transford, its new form radiating even greater power than the one we had just defeated.
"Brace yourselves! We're taking it down!" I commanded my team.
"Master Naoki, the effects of are still active. It won't be easy for it to break through," Rosan reassured .
Without hesitation, I charged the demon head-on. It conjured five dark magic swords, each floating nacingly around it, controlled like puppets by telekinesis.
"" I countered with my own skill, weaving through the strikes and matching its movents blow for blow.
Freya, Alan, and Darius joined the fray, their combined efforts driving the demon back. Frustrated, it began chanting in an unknown tongue before shouting its spell:
A massive dark cot materialized in the sky, aid straight at us.
"This is bad, Naoki! Protect everyone, now!" Envi's voice rang in my mind.
"Rosan! Lyra! Maximum defense magic!" I shouted.
The two quickly downed MP potions and unleashed their strongest spell.
A powerful barrier enveloped us, but even then, the cot's destructive force shattered parts of the shield, leaving us sprawled and injured.
"Foolish humans! You should have bowed to when you had the chance!" the demon sneered, preparing to finish us off.
Just as it stepped forward, the massive gate began to tremble, and a new, even greater presence erged from within.
I felt a suffocating aura of pure malice as a colossal shadow wolf stepped through the gate. It was unlike any we had seen before, its body pulsating with an ominous red glow. Its eyes burned with rage, and it unleashed an earsplitting howl that shook the battlefield.
The demon barely had ti to react before the shadow wolf turned on it, tearing it apart into three bloody pieces in an instant.
"Ugh! Why... why are you attacking ?! I summoned you! You're supposed to obey ! All this was for the Demon King!!!" The demon scread in agony, its voice breaking in despair.
The shadow wolf didn't respond. It simply devoured the demon in a brutal display, its berserk fury unstoppable.
We all froze, stunned by the sight.
This wasn't salvation. This was sothing far worse.
A notification appeared in my mind.
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WARNING!
A Unique Monster has appeared!
Level: ???
Status: Enraged. It will destroy everything in its path.
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...
....
---Continued to the next Chapter---
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