Two days passed, and I concluded that there was nothing else I could prepare further for the journey. Despite only two days of recovery, my right arm was feeling so much better. I'm genuinely amazed at how effective the cooling gel was. Safe to say, I've bought a couple of healing creams and cooling gels, which I distributed to everyone for the journey. I also handed them some agility and strength potions that I brewed recently, along with a secret weapon enhancement that the local alchemist taught me after I bought so many ingredients from him. It'll be invaluable when we inevitably have to fight those demons.
Kronk certainly hasn't been sitting idly by for the past two days, either. He figured out the direction from which the Great Demon came and pointed us to the location on the map. He also took the liberty of explaining the rank of demons.
Lesser Demon > Great Demon > Greater Demon > Demon King
Lesser demons in general are pretty weak. They possess no healing factor that other higher forms of demons have. If we were to encounter a group of lesser demon, it wouldn't be too hard for us to take them out. Greater Demon, on the other hand, are extremely powerful beings, capable of rivalling even a blue or red dragon. Some even surpass the strength of dragons but not to the degree of a Demon King yet. There had only ever been one Demon King that ever existed, and it almost caused the destruction of this entire world. Humans, elves, and reptilians had to join forces just to bring him down; such was the strength of his powers and abilities.
I asked Kronk whether he knew about the strange roaring spell that the Great Demon used on us, which caused us to lose ourselves and rush in blindly. He explained that the roaring spell was one of their signature techniques, known as a "taunt", which causes its victims to lose control of themselves. It is typically short-ranged, and only strong-willed adventurers are capable of resisting its effects. Stronger demons are even capable of forcing their opponents into a frenzied state with an ability called "Bloodlust". Should we actually encounter such a demon, we better pray that our minds are disciplined enough to resist its effects. Otherwise, we'll be dead before we know it.
***
We headed towards the location that Kronk pointed to us on the map. With him leading the way, the chances of us getting lost are rather slim. Kronk was bringing along a—staff? Some sort of walking stick? Either way, I was genuinely surprised that he needed one when he didn't show any trouble walking before, and it had never left his side even when we were resting. The location took us east towards the south of this continent. Where we first arrived was southwest of this continent, where Sliddy's bar was located.
Honestly speaking, I'm extremely glad we have Kronk to guide us. Without him, chances are, some of us would be dead by now. He was always the first to predict the incoming weather or any incoming ambushes. We are rather lucky that we had not encountered any death-storm so far. It was mostly burning rainstorms where we were forced to shade ourselves in caves.
The multitude of caves in this continent is something to be thankful for, mostly due to naturally formed ones or some that the reptilians carved out as temporary shelter. Demons are somehow capable of withstanding all the weathers here without difficulty, but sadly, the reptilians weren't so lucky.
As we sat in a cave to wait for the rainstorm to pass, I recalled a previous question from before. I enquired with Kronk on why exactly they used mud for their houses when burning rainstorms occurred more frequently over the others. He informed me that reptilians are generally better at expelling their heat as compared to humans. By using mud, they can retain the heat inside the building while their cold-blooded bodies expel it naturally. I guess it's due to their natural physiology that they're able to survive in this continent so well.
***
The enemies we encountered thus far were thankfully just stray lesser demons, which we made short work of. There was no need for us to aim for the brain, unlike the Great Demon that we fought before. These demons were small and weak in nature, but some still had the tenacity to attack anything on sight. Similarly to humans, each rank has its own strength, where even lesser demons have weaker or powerful ones.
Ah, right, completely forgotten that the flora around here are without a doubt extremely dangerous. Giant sundews and Venus flytraps thrive on this continent, waiting to turn any unexpected humans, demons, or animals into plant poop. As I've said, Kronk had saved us more times than I can count. Pietro nearly became plant food when he almost stepped on a giant sundew's hidden leaves.
It's been two days since we departed from town, and we only made it halfway to our destination. We camped at another nearby cave when night was approaching. We are certainly encountering more stray demons as we approach closer to our destination. After confirming that we are indeed still on the right path, I began to worry about what we might actually find at our destination. Is there a powerful demon awaiting us? One capable of rallying all the other demons? This whole thing felt way above my pay grade.
Tonight was my turn to take point on the lookout with John. I noticed that Pietro was sleeping in one corner while Rose slept in the other. Guess it should be safe enough for me to bring up a hushed conversation with John.
"Do you still think that Pietro is hiding something?" I whispered.
"Can't say. Can't shake the feeling that he's up to something, but I can't quite figure it out. He had not suggested we detour somewhere else, nor did he give any unreasonable orders thus far. Maybe we should cut him some slack," he replied.
"Perhaps. He is rather stern, but that doesn't warrant suspicion. I'll continue to keep an eye on him, just to be safe," I told him.
Silence engulfed us momentarily. Odd, was John always so distant with me? I don't recall this ever happening before. While it did seem like Lily was the one holding us together, I had plenty of conversations with John before about literally any topic, and we ate together often. Did something happen? I tried to strike up another conversation with him as this silence was just getting awkward.
"John, you met Lily, right? How's she? Hadn't seen her in ages," I asked him.
"Hm? Oh, she's doing great. A total babe now, by the way. You won't recognise her, that's for sure," he chuckled.
"Ha ha. I'm sure I can recognise her signature glasses. Not many elves wear those anyway," I told him.
"You'll be surprised at how much she had changed. Who knew that elves would hit their growth spurt after a century later? One thing still remains though—" he stopped and stared at the ground.
"She's still into you. You should meet up with her, for old times' sake," he continued.
Lily... is still into me? On what basis?
"You're just messing with me, aren't you? There's no way she's still interested in me after all this time. I'm certain she's met with many other dudes the past five years. Did you even hear her say it herself?" I questioned John.
"Oh, I'm fairly certain. When I asked her about you, she feigned ignorance and asked who you were. 'Who?Oh... that Zen', and she began talking nonsense while being flustered. It's quite obvious that she's still into you," he answered.
Why do I get the feeling that John is disappointed or feeling down?
"John—are you—perhaps?" I stopped myself from asking further.
"What are you boys talking about?" asked a voice behind us. We turned our heads around quickly, only to realise that Rose was awake now. Is it already time for our shifts?
"Is it time already? Felt like we sat not too long ago," I asked her.
"No, it isn't time yet. I just woke up and heard the both of you chatting away, so I thought I should join in," she explained.
Hopefully, she had not overheard our conversation about Lily. She can get overly jealous when I speak of any girls. What an overprotective little sister I have that is so hung up on her brother.
"Hey John, I'm—sorry," I apologised to him.
"Hm? Oh—it's nothing. It's not your fault, anyway. I blame myself for this feeling. It's probably due to the fact that I hadn't met her in such a long time that I was amazed by her drastic changes. You don't have to worry, I'll get over it," he explained himself.
This deep conversation is really affecting our mood. Had no idea that John had feelings for Lily. Had she changed thatmuch that even John fell for her? This means I must steady myself if I do end up meeting her, since I know full well how much of a sucker I am for female elves. I felt sorry for John though, surprised he didn't try to woo her when he has feelings for her.
"Who're you guys talking about?" asked Rose.
"Um, we were talking about John's... older sister! That's right—John hadn't met his sister in such a long time and was surprised by her changes. Ha ha ha," I tried to talk my way out of it.
"Yes, we were talking about my wonderful and genuine elder sister that absolutely exists. I met her recently and was surprised by her. Har har har" muttered John.
Brother, you suck at lying.
Rose squinted at both of us, but we avoided her gaze. Giving up on interrogating us further, she proceeded to sit on the log beside me and rested her head on my shoulder.
"Are you sure you two are siblings? From what I'm seeing, you two look like lovers more than anything. Hahaha!" John laughed.
"Oh, please, she's just an overly attached little sister," I said bluntly.
"As long as I'm on Onii-chan's side, I don't care what he calls me," retaliated Rose.
"You can't stick with me forever, Rose. You and I, we'll be getting our own partner someday, but you're welcome to visit anytime," I explained to her.
"And until then, I'm gonna stick with you, so bear with me," she held my arm tightly.
"Rose will be a beauty when she's older. I'm certain there will be plenty of guys gunning after her. Haha," chuckled John.
"John—I would rather you went after Lily than Rose. Let me warn you right now," I warned him.
"Who's Lily?" asked Rose.
"Er—John's older sister. That's right," I spoke without thinking.
"That doesn't make any sense!" she shouted.
Both John and I burst out laughing while Rose pouted as she waited for us to answer. Pietro awoke from his slumber due to our loud commotion, and good thing too since it was time for us to change shifts. John and I proceeded into the cave to rest when he decided to whisper in my ear.
"I won't be touching Rose or Lily, don't you worry, buddy. I owe you that much. But you, on the other hand, are gonna need to decide," he whispered.
"What are you talking about? I'm not choosing my little sister as I don't even see her in a romantic way," I explained to him.
"Dude... seriously? Even a dense guy like me can see that Rose and Lily are into you. Even if Rose is not aware of her feelings now, when you eventually date someone, she's bound to be jealous of your partner. You are her hero, Zen. Ask yourself this: are you gonna be okay if Rose started dating someone? Think about it," he left me to answer the question myself as he lay on his sleeping bag.
Will I be okay if Rose started dating someone? I mean—"sure"? I guess? I don't even know what to feel right now. I only see her as nothing more than my little sister. As for Lily, sure, I had a crush on her when I was young, but that was a long time ago. I have no idea what I'll feel when I actually see her, honestly speaking.
I rested on my sleeping bag and shut my eyes. Now is not the time to think about romance. A dangerous day awaits us tomorrow. That is what I should be focusing on: getting some sleep so I'll be well-rested tomorrow. I pray to the above that Kirin doesn't disturb me tonight to talk about girls. Please, don't.
***
Dawn embraced us with its warm rays, and we prepared ourselves for the inevitable journey. Kronk had already scouted ahead, and from what he discovered, we should be able to find the cause for all these disturbances after we climbed up that hill in question.
Great, once we find out what it is, we'll call for reinforcements and head back to the West. Let's not try to be heroes ourselves. Hopefully.
After a quick breakfast, we packed up everything and proceeded towards the hill in question. We thought that we'd be needing climbing gear, but to my amazement, Kronk had already prepared a rope for us to climb to the top. How did he even climb up there in the first place? Is our guide so unafraid of being ambushed or attacked by demons? I mean, sure, he can predict the weather and foresee incoming attacks; but still, what if he met another Great Demon? He literally ran at the sight of one the last time.
We took turns climbing with the help of the rope. It wasn't easy, but the footholds on the rocks eased our climbing experience. Good thing the hill wasn't too steep, or our arms would be sore by the time we reached the top. John and Pietro climbed ahead, and I asked Rose to head up before me, but she insisted that I'll be staring at her butt, so she pushed me to climb ahead first.
It wasn't too much of a hassle, but I eventually made it to the top, giving a hand to pull Rose up when she reached the peak. What greeted us was a vista with a huge clearing for miles, and in the distance, we finally discovered what we're looking for. Numerous demons were flying about in the clearing, and smack dab in the middle of it all, was a huge menacing demon. Is that—a Great Demon or a Greater one?
Kronk was the last to make the climb, and he joined us in figuring out what we were staring at. He pointed out that the largest demon in the middle is most certainly a Greater Demon. The good news is that he's incapable of controlling many demons just yet. Its demonic influence isn't at the level of a Demon King who can literally control all the demons in the entire Northern continent. But from the looks of it, this demon is preparing for war. While not exactly a huge army, I counted at least a couple of hundred demons under his control.
The Greater Demon raised his arm while holding onto... something. Huh? Is that—a katana? Why would a demon be wielding a human weapon? That's... weird.
For some reason, Inazuma began rattling on my hip. Is Kirin feeling excited or something? He had never acted like this before. Does it have something to do with the demon or the katana it's wielding?
The greater demon unsheathed the katana and pointed towards a direction, roaring loudly as it commanded the demons to follow its instructions. Wait a second, isn't that direction... the town where we came from?! Is it planning to wage war with the reptilians? Would the reptilians even stand a chance at defending themselves against hundreds of lesser demons?
I quickly turned my gaze towards Kronk, and he was definitely starting to freak out. He looked as though he wanted to head back to town to help out his people.
Let's not panic and figure out our options. Technically, we're done with our quest and should fall back to call for reinforcements. But will they even reach in time to help in protecting the town? I highly doubt they'll make it in time.
Another option is to leave the reptilians to their fate, but I'm not so heartless to leave them to their death when they had shown me such hospitality thus far despite not being the same species. I continued to rack my head to find other alternatives when Pietro raised a question.
"Kronk, if we defeat the Greater Demon, would the demons disperse upon its death?" he asked.
"All the demons will break free from his influence, that's for sure. But if they were to reach town before that, it would still be for naught. The demons will wreak havoc in the town as they fight with my people and their own kind," answered Kronk.
"So our only option is to defeat it quickly before those demons reach town," said Pietro.
"I do not agree. We should hurry back and help the reptilians instead," John spoke up.
"We won't make it in time. Even though there were more demons that couldn't fly, there was still a considerable amount that could. There's just no way any of us can make it in time to help," Pietro explained.
"You do remember the four of us nearly died fighting a single Great Demon. If it weren't for Zen's quick thinking, all of us would have died," John retaliated with a raised tone.
"But now we are all well equipped, aren't we? We know their weakness, so we are more than capable now. As the leader of this group, I say we fight the Greater Demon," Pietro replied calmly.
"This is madness. Our deaths serve nothing in protecting the town whatsoever. We stand a better chance in helping the town instead of throwing our lives," John insisted.
Both of them raised some good points. It's certainly "better" to eliminate the Greater Demon quickly to wreak havoc on the lesser demons. But if we were to fail, it would be for nothing. The town would be destroyed along with our deaths. From that perspective, it would be better to help the town, even if there's destruction before we reached it. The four of us fought a Great Demon and died by it. Who knows what power this Greater Demon is capable of?
Both of them continued to argue as I dragged Rose away from them to have a private discussion of our own.
"Any idea on what we should be doing? We're sort of running out of time, and those two are bickering to no end," I asked her.
"I think we should—" Rose paused as both of us heard a 'shuu' noise that sounded awfully familiar.
Not a moment later, a loud bang erupted. Was that—a firework? I turned around to see what just happened and noticed that Pietro was holding a circular container with smoke trails from the top. He must have pulled the rope to fire off the firework.
"W—why did you do that? You just doomed us all!" shouted John.
Some form of wind pressure sliced across the hill between us and John's side. What the hell was that? The direction it came from was from the clearing. I quickly turned my gaze and realised another one heading straight for us. This one sliced the hill behind us instead, causing the side where Rose and I were standing to crumble. The hill is falling apart!
John's side was still stable, but ours was crumbling apart. We're losing our foothold the longer we stay here. The thought of jumping to the other side crossed my mind until I heard Rose screaming in fear. I quickly checked on her behind and realised she was falling towards the ravine. Without thinking and acting on instinct, I ran and jumped after her.
We were on a free fall, and I tracked towards her, grabbing her arm and hugging her tightly. Shit—I got no parachute here! How am I gonna break the fall and survive?!
Should I jam Inazuma into one of the tree trunks to halt my speed? What if it breaks? Kirin will kill me before I even touch the ground. Wait a minute—what is coming at us? Are those—giant Venus traps?!
A few of the leaves were hurtling towards us with their mouths open. These plants must have thought we were easy prey that would fall straight into their mouths. But this was an opportunity for us to survive.
I shouted at Rose to hang tight, and she responded by hugging me tightly and wrapping her legs around my thigh. I spun our bodies to avoid the leaves, causing a couple of them to crash into each other to our advantage.
I dodged the last one attempting to trap us and quickly unsheathed Inazuma with my right hand, jamming the blade into the soft stem of the leaf that was lunging at us, making sure the blunt edge was facing downward.
My right arm, now aching with pain, continued to grip Inazuma one-handed while I held Rose with my other arm. We slowed our descent with the help of the soft stems and, thankfully, came to a stop just short of the ground.
Phew, we somehow made it safely. The leaf split apart and fell to the side. Sorry about that, but you did try to eat us.
Now that we're back on solid ground, what the fuck had just occurred? Where did the wind pressure even come from? Was there something strong enough to slice a chunk of a hill apart? Don't tell me—the Greater Demon attacked us so quickly?
It took me a while to realise that Rose was still hugging me tightly, burying her face deep in my chest. I held her shoulders to check if she's alright, but only then did I notice that she was shaking. Was she afraid of something? Is that the reason why she couldn't react when the hill was crumbling apart?
I thought we could finally have a breather, but a loud crash erupted behind us. Something large had landed nearby, and I braced myself, hoping that it was a huge rock that had fallen. Unfortunately, it was the Greater Demon that we saw earlier. It had two horns and a large blue-coloured body that is somehow slimmer compared to the Great Demon we fought. Those elongated arms and claws of theirs are gruesome to gaze upon, but at least this one has giant wings that make more sense tucked behind its back. And that katana; it glowed with a purple hue that reminds me of Inazuma. That katana has got to be a legendary item. This is bad, really bad.
Rose recollected herself after the sudden loud crash, and I told her that this is no longer the time to be scared. She needed to prepare her spells and, if opportunity arose, drink our stats-enhancing potions. We will certainly need everything at our disposal, including my secret enhancement, if we wish to stand a chance at beating it.
"You," the greater demon pointed at me.
Huh? They can speak human tongue? Since when? I was expecting it to say something like "Ahhh, fresh meat" before charging blindly at me with a cleaver.
"You—know of me?" I answered.
Perhaps an opportunity did arise. I hid Inazuma behind my back, and Rose caught on immediately, rustling through her bag to look for the enhancement.
"Your features... they're—familiar. Just like the human that fought the Demon King. I recognised those features," spoke the Greater Demon.
Do I resemble my father so much that anyone, even demons, could recognise our similarities? No matter, I should drag this conversation longer for Rose to prepare for our enhancement.
"You're mistaken, I'm only fifteen years old. It's not possible that I fought the Demon King," I spoke casually to the demon.
"No—you did not. But perhaps your ancestor did. Yes... you are probably related to him. The resemblance is uncanny. I shall kill you and take my place as the next Demon King. I will succeed where he had failed," spoke the demon as he raised his tone.
"Who are you? Do you serve the Demon King?" I asked the demon.
"Served him, I did. But no longer. I was the first lieutenant of the Demon King. The sole survivor from the demonic era! Iwill reunite the demons and rise to be the Demon King! Witness me!" roared the demon as he raised both his arms, as though expecting the Gods to view him.
"Really? Seems to me that you're just a remnant of the past clinging to a glimmer of hope. You can barely even control a hundred demons yourself. I doubt you're able to succeed where he failed," I insulted him.
Rose tugged my cloak from behind, signalling me that all was ready. Good, it might be tempted to attack us soon after I insulted him so.
"I don't like your words, human. I am a Greater Demon from the great era. You will cling onto life while I deliver your body to the other demons. They will acknowledge my strength while we devour your warm, lifeless corpse," said the demon.
Ugh, doubt I even taste that nice, but playtime is over. Time is of the essence if I wish to save the town from utter destruction.
I checked Inazuma's blade to be sure. Excellent, Rose did an excellent job in coating it thoroughly. Talk No Jutsu is over, time to roll.
I made the first move and rushed towards the demon while Rose stayed closely behind. The demon had already prepared himself for our attacks. I was expecting it to take a swipe at us with the katana or its claws, but it suddenly roared. Shit, is he using his taunt spell already?
Both Rose and I were being pushed back by the intensity of the roar and braced for the inevitable. Huh? A few seconds passed but I can still think clearly. Seems to me that it was just some normal ass roar. That's—odd.
I nodded lightly to Rose, to which she responded and hung back. I took point and approached the demon, all the while preparing to defend myself from his incoming strikes. Odd, it's not even trying to attack me. I reached its right side where his right arm was gripping the katana. I took a gamble and decided to strike the demon since it barely showed any movement. Using my guild's signature attack Shadow Strike on the demon's right arm, I sliced through the meat but not the bone, pulling Inazuma inwards to damage the demon further. And as the material merchant informed me, steam began to arise from the wound. Can't heal now, can ya?
The reptilians had somehow managed to discover the perfect recipe to prevent demons from healing for a short period of time. It is a sort of wax coating that you need to spread across your blade. It has limited effect and uses, but it's way better than nothing.
Although, why is this demon just staying still? Is he charging himself up for some sort of devastating attack on us? Things are getting awfully sus right now and I don't like the feeling. Should I hang back to see what its next move before I deal damage to him again?
Just as the thought lingered in my head, the demon began his move… albeit rather slowly. He was trying to swing the katana, but it would appear that the demon was somehow having difficulty wielding it for some reason. As I kept my observation on full alert, I've only just noticed that the katana's blade was always touching the ground, which is something you shouldn't be doing if you want to keep your blade sharp.
It took the demon some time and with great difficulty, it swung the katana with its right arm.
*BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!
Mother of God! I'm so glad I dodged that! It sliced through the entire landscape with just a swing!
Holy shit, this is no joke. I must never be caught in the path of that katana's blade or I'll be sliced to ribbons.
As I was still stuck in disbelief from the extent of that attack, Rose took the opportunity to attack the demon on her own. She stabbed the demon's torso a couple of times and eventually used her guild's signature attack, the Holy Strike, which pierced through the demon's body. Rose is exceptional when it comes to figuring out her opponent's weak points. I also noticed that demon's are generally more vulnerable to piercing attacks rather than being sliced.
The demon swung his left hand towards Rose, which was much quicker than his katana attack, but it was nothing that Rose couldn't handle. She dodged low, pulled out her rapier from the demon's torso, and stabbed at the demon's foot before leaping back to gain her bearings. Steam arose where she stabbed, which meant she coated her rapier with the special wax too. It doesn't last long as my previous strike earlier was starting to heal, albeit slowly. We should push to accumulate the damage on the demon.
I ran at top speed and went in close. It noticed me, but once again, didn't react so much as a twitch. I decided to attack the demon from behind and sliced both knees. The demon lost balance and dropped to his knees, giving me the chance to remove him of his wings. I swung upwards into an uppercut and took both of his wings clean off.
"You'll pay for that, human!!" roared the demon.
The demon once again attempted to swing his katana towards me, and I knew I had to dodge it. Just as the demon almost completed his slow swing, Rose rushed in and stabbed through the demon's arm, causing him to grunt in pain and releasing his katana. It fell to the ground, erupting a massive, loud thud that threw volumes of dirt into the air.
Holy shit, how much does that thing even weigh?! Is that why the demon had so much difficulty in wielding it?
The demon was pissed and lunged at Rose, attempting to take a swing of his claws at her. His speed had increased significantly after dropping his katana. Shit, is Rose gonna be pulverised?
"Accelerate!" she cast her spell.
It was nail-bitingly close, but she managed to dodge it at the last moment, away from those claws. The demon continued his assault and rushed towards her in an attempt to hurt her. Without his katana, the demon was moving so much faster now as opposed to his sluggish movements earlier. Was the katana somehow weakening the demon?
I threw the idea aside as I had to help Rose right now. I took aim and threw my dagger at the demon to pull his attention away from her.
*Thung!
Despite hitting home and with the bladed edge, my dagger couldn't pierce through his thick skull. The demon stopped in his tracks and turned his head to glance at me with a deathly glare. My dagger, which hit the back of his skull, had flipped forward and Rose once again took advantage of it. Quickly grabbing my dagger before it fell to the ground, she lunged and pierced the demon's throat when he was glaring at me. Nice, quick thinking, Rose!
The demon roared in anger at the unexpected sneak attack, which erupted a huge shock wave. Rose and I held our ground and withstood the impact of the wave. He ripped and tossed my dagger aside, rushing to grab its katana once again.
Can we win this? Is it possible for the two of us to beat this demon? The demon reached for his katana and attempted to lift it. He struggled to pull the katana up with one hand and I know this is our chance to strike him.
Both of us rushed in and pierced through the demon's torso, forming an X with both of our weapons. The demon roared in pain but seemed dead set on lifting his katana no matter what. Realising that it just couldn't lift it with one hand, it decided to use both hands to lift it up.
Oh no, I'm not gonna let you. I quickly reached into my back pocket and took out my strength potion. I can already hear Rose chanting her other spell to further boost my strength.
"Light Blessing!" she cast just as I finished drinking my potion.
Alright, time to dismember this moron. I pushed Inazuma forward from where I pierced, roaring loudly as I used all my strength to push my blade forward and miraculously managed to slice all the way through the demon's left arm. Rose instead aimed for the demon's head in an attempt to pierce through the skull. Hopefully, we can kill it if we destroy its brain.
The demon dodged Rose's attack with a spin and hit her with its left wing, which had partially regrown. I leapt back to regain my bearing and figure out what the demon is gonna do next. Rose had to block the attack earlier, which prevented her from stabbing the brain. We can do this, we can defeat this demon.
The demon roared even louder this time, seemingly enraged after what we did to him. Oh no, he's healing all of his wounds. Even the wing and arm that were dismembered are regrowing. Not good, all of our hard work will be for naught if he heals fully. And it seemed that our wax coating is running less with each of our strikes. If it attacks us without the katana slowing him down, we aren't gonna make it out alive.
Rose understood the situation and drank one of the potions I gave her. The demon rushed to attack her, and she barely dodged the claws. Good thing she had taken the agility potion earlier, as her Accelerate spell had worn off.
It would appear that the demon hates Rose, as she did many things that angered him. I rushed over to help her, collecting my dagger midway from the ground. The demon is extremely fast, and his movements were nimble now. Damn it, Rose is getting cornered by its flurry of attacks. I might not make it in time to help her.
W—What? Why did Rose stop moving? Is that—her foot is stuck on a giant sundew?? Shit! That demon is going in for the kill with his claws.
"ROSE!!" I shouted as I ran faster towards her.
A small axe and spear pierced through the demon's torso and face before his claws reached Rose. The demon retreated as he removed the weapons that had pierced him. Rose quickly sliced the sundew's sticky tentacle coils away before it grabbed her in.
Oh, thank the above. Just the thought of seeing Rose die in front of me made me realise that this isn't all fun and games. This is a life-or-death situation. Anyone can lose their lives here.
John and Pietro emerged from among the trees to join us in battle. About fucking time you two showed up. Strangely, Kronk was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had gone back to town to protect it. It's fine, I understand his concern for his people, and I hope he makes it in time.
I quickly took out my wax-coated cloth and spread it across Inazuma, replenishing its effect. You want a fight, then I'll give you one. Time for round two with the four of us, you bastard.