Legions of eyes made over a thousand windows into the demon’s soul through the flesh it possessed. They glittered like blue stars shining in a sea of gray ash gazing through thorn thickets and from low hanging branches. All the eyes belonged to one being, and though it took the form of a lion, it acted more like a hydra as demons were apparently known for. Still, even with its number, It roared and rattled its saber but didn’t dare cross the boundary. Not that it needed to.

Time was on its side, and there was a limit to how much I could build and how long I could remain awake. My limit was approaching

The man lions had been busy. Three boys of various ages, an older fellow, a slip of a girl around Emily’s age, and an old man had been taken captive. Since reaching the coalescence realm, my eyes seemed to zoom in on objects when I wanted to see something far away. The captives were close enough to see from the guard tower but far enough away to make retrieving them deadly.

Lucio grabbed the collar of my shirt and stared beseechingly. “They have my family.”

A cry for my help echoed through his aura. “Denied,” Emily said. I turned to see Emily wearing her interrogator badge on her belt and surveying the scene. Outside of my territory, she would be the strongest.

“Why they’re my family? We own this land? The Prophet’s laws command you to follow the king's will and his vassals. We’ll reward you with lands, treasure, and any favor you could ask. I will give you my sister for marriage if you save them.” Lucio begged.

“They’re already dead; this is what demons do. So we were allowed to build up our defenses here to become a captive audience.” Emily said.

“So, we’re dealing with a prideful lion,” Washington said.

I turned to one of the men who made it. “Bring me a few bushels of throwing spears and put them on the pulley.” The boy moved down the latter quickly.

“What are you doing?” Lucio asked.

“Just because they want a captive audience doesn’t mean I have to let them put on a display. I didn’t build a 50ft tower just to finish off the demon hosts in the moat. Thinning out their numbers is more important than watching them crucify a few nobles. They think my range ends at the thicket. I’ve never attacked one outside my territory before. If they’re this close, do they think I can’t?” I asked.

The pulley rose with five bushels of throwing spears. Each was nearly 9ft long, living, and well balanced. In the last few weeks, I worked out most of the problems. There wasn’t a metal point to be found. So I grew them pointed and trusted the force of my throw to carry them through the demon hosts’ thick hide. I had 7 bushels counting the two already stored on each guard tower, and each bushel had 50 spears.

When I started throwing, I had a feeling it would be like striking a hornet’s nest.

While I focused on the problem at hand, the silent knight in plate mail with Lucio unloaded the pulley.

“Ser Brussel, what do you think about this. Do you think we could sneak out and save them while Red distracts them?” Lucio asked.

The knight raised the visor of his helmet, revealing a salt and peppered mustache. Ser Brussel stared at his captured liege lord for several seconds so hard I could see the gears in his head turned.

“I’ll die bravely in the attempt and take Washington with me. In that new armor of his, maybe he can save your sister. Our horses are currently smoking, three of our men are semi mortal, and our weapons can’t harm them. If you want to sacrifice my life and Washinton’s in an attempt to save your sister, we’ll make the trade gladly. But once we’re gone, there is no one to replace us when the battle starts in full.” Ser Brussel said.

“It won’t work; the demon’s focus is upon us in full. After it completes this ritual, it will rush our position.” Emily said.

“As long as the spears keep coming, you can do what you want,” I said. Of course, they would be more useful here, but I wanted to see how well my armor did in live combat.

I chose 5 targets. They weren’t the strongest or even the closest to the ritual. If anything, they were a range test to see how accurately I could hit these things. Once I struck, I would need to move until we ran out of spears. The second I struck it was on, the demon would either ram its forcing down our throat or pussy out like it had before.

“Do what you want. I’m about to start; just leave enough men to continue supplying me with spears.” So I said and began throwing.

Whistling filled the air as I threw shaft after shaft. Bolts of wood impaled the demon hosts in their soft areas. When I could, I put a bolt through an eye at 700yrds. In a moment, I had already cleared a bushel of 50 spears. My lungs were on fire, sweat poured down my face, and my joints ached, but the demon hadn’t reacted yet.

Some of the hosts began to scramble for cover on my second bushel.

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If I were anywhere else, this would have been impossible. Here, I could move like a perpetual machine for a price. Being connected to so much life and power put a heavy strain on me. Despite the power moving through and enhancing my body, my joints wouldn’t hold up forever. Power beyond my cultivation realm moved through me, and I chunked spear after spear even as the pulley struggled to bring another 5 bushels of spears. It reminded me of factory work with how dirty and exhausting it felt.

As I moved, I imagined my body might look like a blur, except for my legs they barely shifted at all. Time crawled as the hosts began to leap over my thorn thickets. One impaled itself ass to mouth. And those that only suffered long gouging wounds had to slog through a field of brambles. I caught them well within my view. Only my back was poorly defended.

Emily left with Lucio to take care of that. The drawbridge fell from a thought, and the rescue duo charged across it. Despite what I said, my focus moved to the Baron’s family. I had killed their captors, and still, I moved. Only a few minutes had passed, but it felt like I had already finished an 8-hour shift.

In those moments between throws when my mind wasn’t focused on distance, wind, target movements, viable weaknesses, and numerous other calculations, I thought about how little rest I had gotten. When was the last time I slept? It had been weeks; I think it was on a tree branch.

Two lions were steadily climbing up my tower as I threw. But there was no time. The man with me struggled to pull out my latest restock of ammunition just as an ambush greeted Ser Brussel and Washington. My spears flew after a glance, and new targets were chosen before more spears flew. The pulley no longer moved, so we were down one man. This was my last reload.

One of the lions reached out and tore my remaining helper off the tower. I twisted and struck my spear through the lion’s eye. Then I gripped my battle spear just as a set of hooked claws raked across my back. My battle form came suddenly, and I turned to the beast.

Black and red qi flowed from my body in a torrent of power. I had far more power at my disposal than ever before. My battle form had reached an all-new level of power. I grabbed the lion by its neck and squeezed with all my might. It’s slashed its claws and cut into my scales but couldn’t do more than superficial damage. Here in the center of my power, my strength was uncontested.

The lion’s neck snapped, and I tossed the broken corpse off my tower. I went back to work even faster than before. Throwing spears streaked with black and red aura as they impaled demons hosts one after another. In a moment, four had lined up perfectly; I threw my spear. In a flash, all four fell to one spear. My spears had no problem slicing through their hide now.

Explosions ripped through the land around my moat as I used my remaining ammunition to devastate the land. Red and black spears cratered the ground and exploded when they struck. Pieces of demon hosts splattered the ground as I used my last ammunition to devastate the demon hosts.

My aura rose and extended, and an irresistible need to kill filled me to restrain it was like trying to swim against a current. I pushed my palm forward and gathered my dragon fire. Black flames swirled into a spiritually heavy ball. For once, I didn’t fit the bill; it was the fort itself fueling my power; all I had to do was direct it. My drawbridge lifted as a limping Washington and Ser Brussel made it back across.

I waited until the demon hosts had regathered to form a mass for their charge. A laugh echoed across the fort, and after a moment, I realized I was the one laughing. My fireball fired with the boom of a cannon. The second it fired, I fell out of my battle form, and all my strength left me.

Boom!

An explosion of black flames spread through the gathered demon hosts overpowering their fiery nature and burning them alive. The flames spread to the thorn thicket and burned them up before spreading through to fill the moat and burn everything within.

I fell on one of the giant lion corpses. Relaxed from death, it made a comfortable seat. The beast was easily 5 or 6 times my size, but I had throttled it to death. I picked up one of its heavy paws and marveled at how small my hands were compared to it. Then there was the hide warm and flexible but tougher than steel, especially against human weapons. Finally, I hit a loophole by growing my spears, but they were only partially effective because I still grew them. If I could make armor from the lion’s pelt, I would be practically immune to human-made weapons and attacks.

My black flames continued to burn in the moat, fueled by hundreds of slow-burning lion corpses. Many of the demon’s hosts leaped into the flames. However, none made it across my moat before burning to death. Instead, they only fueled the dragon fire.

Soon the hosts fled, but they would be back when the flames died down. I climbed down from my tower. I raised the drawbridge just as Ser Brussel and Washington returned with most of the Baron’s family intact. Only their youngest son was lost. The baroness was distraught while the family clung to Lucio.

The world blurred, and I fell on my ass. Then, I saw the three moons and the violet light that blotted out the stars. My body was tired, and I couldn’t stay awake much longer. But, superhuman or not, everyone had their limit, and I had finally reached mine. Killing on an assembly line was hard work.

I stood up, and Emily helped me into our home while the nobles caught up.

Somehow Emily had teleported me down the hallway and to our bedroom. Shadbak had already pulled back the skins on our bedspread and stripped down naked to join me. Emily placed my spear in a corner and helped me out of my clothes. Before I knew it, I was in bed resting against Shadbak’s massive green titties.

Emily only gave Shadbak a slightly disapproving look. “You’ve been awake for too long. The book of law says that no cultivator should go more than 3 days without rest. So should I renown you with the parable of Saint George, the shipwright who contested the dominance of the sea against the vile demon Tyrantigon.” Emily said.

“Aren’t I a little too old for bedtime stories?” I asked.

Emily gave me a disapproving look. I was hearing it whether I wanted to or not. “Terrible Tyrantigon the vile held evil in its heart and hatred for all things human. Everyone lived in fear, from the humid coasts of White Gulf to the frigid, dry docks of Morrigan Harbor. They worked in fear, ate in fear, and slept in fear of the terrible water dragon. It attacked ships without warning, bombarded coastal towns, and consumed the rich and pauper in sight. Those who tried to stop it were slain Inquisitors, nobles, and heroes alike. The people prayed for three days and nights, and many died on the fourth day. Their prayers were answered. If a noble, an inquisitor, and a hero couldn’t slay this beast, then perhaps a saint might. The people rejoiced their prayers were answered, and the Prophet blessed a man with sainthood. Accompanied by seraphs, the saint battled the vile serpent Tyrantigon for three days and nights. They fought through seas unknown. On the fourth day, he slew the serpent and died to his wounds. From that day onward, the Prophet commanded that no man should work 3 days straight without rest to honor the fallen saint.” Emily said.

I didn’t die after three weeks, so something wasn’t right about the parable. But, of course, I only went all out today. Most of this battle was preparation. Not to mention, I still had shit to do. Sure, the demon retreated to lick its wounds, but that didn’t mean it would stay gone forever.

There was also the potential that the Prophet needed to recoup his losses after blessing someone. So sending some Seraphs seemed like a great way to keep an eye on his investment.

My mind went to light formations. However, the fact that light formations should only be used in the direst of situations didn’t sit right with me.

I didn’t like demons either. They seemed more like plagues than ordinary spirits. It was no wonder inquisitors wanted to keep them culled and didn’t trust warlocks. Who could say if the children of demons weren’t just asymptomatic? They could quickly spread the infection to other people.

Unlike myself, Emily was an actual witch. Somewhere in her ancestry, a demon decided to fuck a human to see what happened. Of course, I could be wrong, and a hive mind might have fallen in love with a human. That seemed unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

But those thoughts were for another time. I needed to sleep before, yet more shit happened. Getting some actual sleep might prevent me from losing my mind, and I could feel myself slipping away already. From what I could tell, my body was wrecked.

Every joint throbbed, my muscles felt worn down to the bone, and my legs felt like I had developed early arthritis. It could be worse, but not by much. I needed to chill and regain some strength. Once I woke up, the Baron would probably notice the orc in the room. After this disaster gets handled, the little things will become important. People in power liked to throw their dicks around, and he was probably feeling relatively small right now.