COI C61
“Lucky for you that I can understand and talk to you to this moment”
Dared to stare at the man who had a similar power he possessed, for how much memories compacted on this demonic being and still remained courteous. It is the price of annoyance, it thought it couldn’t sense of him, but it knew.
“Augh! It worth a try, I heard she wasn’t given an example of”
“You thought so . . .?”
The demon besides the one who grabs him shows to itself, a demon with a skull, this must be what Quail mentioned. Not knowing that this demon too will join the fight, clearly it was supposed to be a single boss fight. O2 never would have thought there is another one joined.
Quiet, yet intimidating before them where the actual selves busy talking to the rest of his teammates. Demons have so many capabilities and this moment he is in, it makes him a bit nervous.
“If you try this again to the other demons, I doubt it will find out about you when they kill you”
“What!?”
“Time is getting short, but I assure you this . . . That thing is dependent, be like that demon, then you and it are one and the same”
The two disappeared where the fight already starting, there is no time for him to think about it as the demons already showing much of their bolden approach.
O2 appeared as their surprised maneuver, with his magic conversion, all of their demonic magic will turn to wind. His weakness remained seen where he lacks, but it is better than a demonic spell scourging within them. Quail is happy to see him, while he himself never once tried on the demon before. Acurse looks at him held its patience, questioning only by the limits that man can do. Its pride kept its eyes to doubt him, secretly scheming hidden with its form. The moment O2 saves her, there is time where they are not completely safe.
The demonic wind blows them in mid-air trapping them inside. The demon lord quickly manipulates his power. Coral is attacking it with all her skillsets, from debuffs to stuns, the demon held firm letting its floating indestructible head. No magic can’t touch it, Coral removed the magic fused into her weapons. Its actual weight made her difficult to carry it, revealing her dependency through her own strength. Letting a slow swing vertically upward to the head only chipping it, the demon lord turns its head and look at Coral. Ceasing nothing for its magic control, made her shun of how she can’t use her blade properly.
The demon lord warned her. Its fatherly voice worried of her well-being, it charms her
“It’s alright, don’t try to force yourself. Always remember that your mana alone will protect you. Ironically, even my presence weakens you”
Coral heard its voice; she feared by the deceptive voice including how right it is to say to her. A demon up front had made her distracted, not realizing its magic already attacking her friends. The demon lord casts magic aura around her to silence the words who are reaching to her ears. Losing focus, tempted by words, and false judgements through the sphere’s logic.
Reya shouts at her as they are surrounded by the dark entities.
“That girl, she always getting charmed by hot voices”
“Reya, I can’t reach her with my spell. That demon is blocking my magic”
The demon lord turns to look at the two managed to shield themselves from the dark entities. It said to Coral once again,
“You need to focus. Your friends need your help”
Coral wakes up from the trance, and dashes back to her team. Without a word in response, it waits and learns what it did to her.
Reya easily breaks off the dark entity as soon as Coral appeared to them.
“Good, you’re back . . . Coral!”
Coral turns around, and the dark entities appeared once again. Trapping them all together, they were easily tricked by the demon lord. Letting them use all their powers around them, the demon patiently waits for their retaliation. The chipped off of its skull has already cracking up to where Coral cuts it. The patience will grow thin as its illusions hid its shattered real head.
Acurse, slowly in motion and waiting, for the right time it acts. The two men found out the weakness to the two of its form. The first form, the demonic, is the only thing that can attack them without using those obnoxious spells. The second form, the hybrid of undead devil and man, its weakness to O2’s conversion magic. Truly inspiring, it corrupts from the damnation to air. Finally, the third form, the imprisoned soul, Alche can fight it though his dexterity. Holding a light sword that looks like a rod, but it made a lot of weird sounds while he swings it.
Strangely though through its own eyes, it seems the one who wield it made the others feel broken. It wonders on in motion. O2 and Alche seems to be having an awkward interaction when fighting against Acurse, it must be luck or the two made it possible. Alche never had fighting experience but tried practicing during his days in the lockdown. O2 was surprised to have seen of his acrobatic abilities, rather than what he just said before, he can’t stop repeating the word.
“Je . . . d . . . i”
“Shush* I’m using the force (magic) here”
Iggy and Quail remained at the back where those two waiting for that demon to act. Quail is still recovering her familiars while Iggy waits.
“Those three just got caught, already? Are we have to attack that bone head now?”
“It must be the magic caster. I don’t think O2 will convert AOE magic”
“Sigh* we might be losing if we split”
“I’m just a summoner and Reya is the one who keeps the mana potions”
Iggy can’t take herself seriously to split up, and the dark atmosphere over there made her worried for them. For those two stop the other demon advancing, with no clue at all being planned because of the two bosses. She hopes they could win from this.
Acurse sees a slight movement coming from Iggy’s steps, suddenly moved in a whim. Alche’s force senses it as it quickly disables it, conversion took place where a vortex of wind as its magic changed. It raises its 2nd then 1st form simultaneously and alternating, where the two can’t keep up but the blast of its magic already converted to air. Iggy and Quail run out of its way as they are fighting. They rush themselves to attack the demon lord as it eyes focus on their trapped teammates and its surroundings lingers.
O2 and Alche trying to get close with Acurse, but it is closing into Iggy and Quail. It is going away then form a running curve where it drags itself around from O2’s conversion and Alche’s interference. The chase is on, throwing random magic from the demon at the back whereas the magic turns into the wind. Pulling up the magic from the ground turns a burst of fumes, hidden magic quickly pops out turned to air, and the trails itself leaving negative effects turned as well. Relentless as its magic changed, but the poison remains, letting Alche use the force to shield them through.
Sizzling the toxic fumes from his force shield, Alche casts his spell with haste. Closely in reaching where it casts, the partially formed air converted by O2’s magic. Unable to control it, as long as the effects aren’t severe yet, he gave it all. Damning of its effort to change into a different form, it persists the hunt to the two girls. Timed by the demon lord where the trap is unleashed, a meagerly trap sprung. They twitch a bit but nothing happened. The trap shows a glimpse of a nightmare, a nightmare that looks like Acurse in its 3rd form. Mark by sight, it is enough.
The chase continues, where it moves on to the two men. Alche took the front and O2 moves slower to the back. Quail sees the demon comes to them, preparing a spell that she is bolding her magic. Iggy turns her gaze as she hears the charge coming to them, a short twitch on the neck. The mental glimpse appeared where the demon occurred before. Both of them suddenly feel as it already here, Acurse surprised them. They got spoof and Iggy takes a drastic measure. A swift turn from her kick with her an impressive reaction, trailing the force along with her is the magic items that will exorcise demons.
Aiming at the head, it quickly switches to the second. The headless form emitting fumes of bluish flames from its neck, she kicks the flames then it bursts the flames out. O2’s wind made its way to her before the burns haunt her. A mishap to her kick, where she spins after, the wind magic coincides with Alche’s force. Exposing Iggy’s back where the demon raises its hand with its detrimental touch. Quail responded on that moment where she looks at her two targets, the demon and the boys at the back. Alche is catching up and O2 signals her to use it.
“Switch!”
On this moment, the demon and Alche are colliding to each other. It resisted for the moment as it reaches its hands on Iggy. His force resisted it then suddenly being absorbed, reaching to Iggy’s back. Closely touching by its fingertips, calmly followed up the magic surging. Iggy tries to spin around with a round house kick, it connects to the sides and momentarily flew away. Hastily driven by its demonic presence, that thing was flown off was other than Quail’s familiar. It went flying and disappeared.
Alche and O2 are facing Acurse where it got switch. Suddenly stop in motion, both of them unleashed their magic on the demon. The demon stood still including the magic they cast, the impairment in view breaks like glass to dust. Mixing around the demon, it starts to erratically fissure in their view. When motion returned, they were being pulled. Too fast for O2 to convert it all, the AOE is too much for him. Both of them were affected by its retaliation.
Demon lord is cooperating its magic, pulsing in with the tremendous force coming around them. These magics from the demon felt among the women, a sudden force coming through them. Coral sees Reya and Andui traumatized by this feeling, nearly instantly being rejected by the sphere. Reya grips Andui hands to calm her down, Coral followed the same as the three held each other to ease this traumatizing force. Acurse turns to its 1st form to take the two men dragging to it in instance. The wind keeps blasting away then quickly stops, the sudden pressure is nauseating, and the damned magic is sufferable to the touch.
Alche goes in by throwing his light sword at it. Acurse forces it back, the sword persists with every pulsing motion. Second by second, it stares at the sword coming at it at the sudden short time. Frame like motion for an entire second to move after that, it knows it will be going to get hit. Grabbing the sword through the force kept holding from Alche’s power, it accepts the damage. Alche felt pain out of nowhere, suddenly getting hit by the magic of the demon. No sounds nor solid figure coming at him, just getting hit by nothing.
Wind comes bursting through Alche, the intense hidden force became lighter with the wind. Using the force to cover his head where the strong wind covering him by pressure. Different by the strange magic that ultimately stops his body from harm, now with the wind it helps him to endure longer. Turning to see O2 losing his consciousness where the demon focuses on him, frame by frame, motionless or not made him to move instantly and trying to save O2. While he runs to him, the demon holds O2 with its demeaning grip in its 1st form. Each terrifying steps, the wind blows at it with such strength.
Falsely being randomly weaken by this turn of event, its intimidation shows no bound of how they are being tricked. Then suddenly, the unimaginable force ended, Acurse gets hit by the back from Iggy’s kicks. The magic circle mark on it and burst through its body, showing the hole of the demon. It finally ends their torture. It turns around and sees the orb appeared like an instant dream. Secretly being used to beat the team with it without using their true powers, realizing they don’t earn their humiliation and the demons’ pride grew ever so grim to the team.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The orb’s magic dispersed once it was interfered, all the demonic presence of magic disappeared without a trace. The demon lord and Acurse gathered to one place, easily breaks Quail’s familiars by their presence, pick up the orb and throw it to them.
“Trying to face demons, being bold of you people as say so as myself”
“Not even learning the ways of our domain is one thing, but didn’t know how to fight is another”
“Sigh* Keep trying to be charming, my collections already understand what we can do”
Slowly grinning and laughing using the human form, Acurse is immense of its abuse to the captive soul.
Iggy catches it, felt nothing from the orb. The magic remained under sealed by the two, knowing well it wasn’t that easy for touching the orb like this.
“There’s no need to talk, the agreement to choose to fight instead facing the dreams within that orb. Nothing is simple in our realm. Is it because of this demon right here?”
Showing the demon lord, it still ponders itself why Quail knows this demon? A strange way of thinking because of Thean’s introduction. That what cause something for it to come here, and now showing itself like a large monster. It made it into a challenge.
Reya didn’t like what this is getting at. They were trapped and having difficulty to fight back, then that familiar force coming from the sphere made her almost lose it. She remembers that this landmark held the memories of many unique lives is making her believe it was meant to fight against them. Deeply worried what else it can do.
“Are we going to continue like this? It feels like they are playing instead of fighting”
Coral didn’t have many things to say after that, she felt like a daddy’s girl a bit because of the charm with that fatherly voice.
“We can still try, this time if they are pleased by our efforts, they mind end us faster”
Quoted by O2 himself, he already been caught secretly and nothing much else happened but to play along with the demons’ schemes. Quail couldn’t agree more by his quotes.
“All honesty, I was the one who brought that second demon. They are well too prepared . . . I just want to see how far we could face them”
Others have nothing to say on this. They are not experienced against these bosses at the same time and the worthwhile is trying to survive their playgrounds.
The demon lord shows them a dream, it expanded further away from the horizon and plays its dim light at night. Quail remembers the same atmosphere when that demon shows itself to her. Its body blends in this nightly environment while the other shows its demonic marks of its forms. Switching itself through its three forms again, they are more dangerous and improved by the next. No magic appears torturous but immense sense of death already from its pride. The team had realized it was impossible, and they have to witness their demonstration.
O2 takes the first magic casts. Acurse half turning form between 2nd and 1st revealed itself co-existing. Already took his wind under its control.
“Look at that, your powers are already mine”
They see O2’s magic reconverts to its demonic magic and throws back at him. O2 negates it and burst into wind. The demon continues
“It doesn’t mean you’re more powerful than me. We are equal by your strength, and you just don’t know how to use it . . . through will anyway”
The demons back away from them, the moment of time they have to cherish their hunt.
The new environment had already turn daunting to them. The night made them difficult to see afar, even with their own magic, it will slowly diminish by the demons. Leaving the team time to talk,
“I guess we have to face them already”
“Yeah, that bone head had already show us where they are. It already changing the dream for the worse”
Iggy and Coral felt demoralized yet remained determined as they survived the first fight. The demon let them sense all the secrets hidden around them. The demon lord is the only one who guide them while giving Acurse’s location, it is the blank dot moving towards them.
They were surprised the UI updated out of blue, messaging that the demons interfere with it. Alche has felt being disturbed how it contacted them so directly through their UIs, made him feel something will happen back in the real world. The map shows Acurse is already coming to them. Quail sends her familiars to stall it, with the screen UIs showing the demon is moving in high speed. The improved UIs show the details of their locations and made Alche worried more than he should. On his head
“How did those demons managed to infiltrate our UIs?”
Acurse is coming at them where the lights shine. Andui raises her magic light around them, within the shadows where it appeared. Iggy and Coral attacks as it blocks them in its 1st form. Claws wounded by Coral’s sword and Iggy pushes it back, aching blood splattered to them as acid. Quickly turns to air with O2’s help. Acurse goes in faster than they have ever seen. Engraved by the blades and by physique is striking it down to a pulp.
The demon stands up showing the bruise and cuts, healing itself back up with no rooms of disadvantages. Regrown its limbs and change to the next form, quickly blasts its magic to O2. Turning to them as it is raising the grounds causing a quake, crushing through what lies beneath, then the eruption occurs as the ground sinks down. Reya raises the ground to make platforms. All of them going through to this chaos. Alche jumps to the demon raising its sword at it.
The force crushing it down, quickly pulled him closer to the demon. The demon counters by raking the ground up, a demonic hand grabs the aura of Alche’s force. Too much magic implementing on his shield, strengthening the demon’s magic and weakening his force at the same time, whereas nothing too slow for this demon to kept it pace advancing. Alche was switched to Coral where a blazing light appeared before it. Immensely cutting through the hand including Acurse’s body. It changes again to the 3rd form, grabbing the magic light with ease drenching in blood by its mortal grip.
The enslave soul breaks it easily where the buffs suddenly shattered. Acurse absorbs the buffs they tried to attack with, the wind disintegrates the buffs leaving it to have small bits of it. Iggy comes in where quickly assaulting him and Coral takes her blade and stab it at the back. The body continues to change forms, countering heavily and needlessly to reach its end. The magic they have is still impressive but to this demon kept itself fighting long with damages eventually being healed. The uproar within itself begins, the rise of its power engulf.
The ground churns beneath its feet, it finally been done. Its terrain is finally form. Explosion from beneath the ground oozing with immense demonic power. Strengthening them all including its enemies. The accursed demon had placed its merciful wisdom on their minds. Where the demon lord comes and joins the fight, once more. Their pride grew more demanding as those people must satisfy their glory. Temporary to give them the knowledge and faded back to the dream when it’s over. The team had separate themselves and go beyond the true power of the neutral mana.
The fast-flashing lights on their heads, soon put them to a stop. Finally, they could organize themselves. Hearing one another as their mind is filling their heads what they can learn. They were unprepared, their coordination is pitiful to the least. Envy by their scenic of Haw and the other Horsins. They have to say to themselves truthfully.
“We are not even trying to fight”
Doubted by Andui as she never did anything else but failed to protect them.
“Stagnation really belittle us, and I am starting to agree with Thean”
Alche remembers why Thean wasn’t part of the 2nd landmark expedition.
“Even I was part in their team, we are using actual weapons from Horsin. I admit it improves my skills greatly”
Coral will never forget that experience, even her short embarrassing moments. Her shadow was the most proactive of her mistakes.
“Don’t remind me, I’m not forgive you for not joining us”
Iggy had nothing to say but being reminded her jealousy on Coral’s equipment yesterday.
“I don’t want to be spoiled sports, but we need to talk . . .”
O2 didn’t give the others any opportunity to say their comments. Reya starts to mind up on this wasteful time, Alche can’t improve against sympathy from a demon, and Quail . . . she focused on what that demon gives them.
They were cursed with pride and envy. These demons released a frail of its power, and they are slowly building up the powers provided for them. Wasting time in order for their presence absorbed them, like what the soul have turned into. They grew merciful and gives them the knowledge they have now. The power to willingly control the neutral mana, where the term is said, in their reality it took time to obtain it fully and mastering it will never exist in their existential lives as they wish to leave.
They came back to their senses . . ., however. O2 already grips by the demons’ grasp. O2 faded and disappeared as the example they thought were mere words.
“We have given you what knowledge through our patience. Our lie is long enough to satisfy your time, it’s time to embrace our realm”
Andui unleashes her powers, a bright shining magic circle opened up to the field, negating what the demons are hiding. A link comes from the avatars what they are representing. They weren’t enough to witness such an illusion. The actual two demons’ bodies were concealed at the very beginning. The demons strip out their existence to harm them in person.
The fatherly voice comes again, becoming less lively with its different meaning.
“No matter what you do in this world, we will be there guiding you. As long as you stay here to the point of your descendants will fully reunite . . . in time or within our spirits”
There is no afterlife among these demons, crawling the team’s minds of fear and intentions from the demon’s schemes. Once the truth revealed, there is no getting away from it. Yet, one of them ask with little left of their curiosity
“Is there anyone who escaped from you?”
“Yes, and they left this world without leaving any of their bloodlines behind”
Acurse transform to the trapped soul, saying it on the matter.
“You can leave this place, only alive, but once died. Your soul is trapped here, only humans without gods will be trapped here. My world doesn’t have one . . .”
The talking is done, Andui uses her magic in maximum power. Alche will not use the elven blessing, lost his thoughts that requires connection to the elven gods, he step forth in recklessness. All six of them, one last time, they possessed the ultimate power. They are experiencing the madness of violence, no purpose or answers, let the fight be enternal.
Coral and Iggy launch their attack, summoning all the warriors in their mind to fight alongside them. Multiple of entities reference by all those fighting characters through fictions and historical. Gathered together and charge at the demons, Acurse gets inside their formation. Collided by unlimited power, burning through what it can do and what they can show. Depreciating the values of their existence in eternal struggle, it was never ending, and the demon fulfill the nightmare.
Iggy held the orb tightly where she can operate the orb, once she tried to sneakily open it. The memories overwhelmed her, within the battlefield, she stops and understand the blessings of their powers were coming from the demons themselves. Disappointed, but willing to try what they can truly be done. Tornado of attacks from all of them to one demon, Acurse had dealt it with ease. Reya’s overwhelming magic from above, nearly unimaginable disasters coming in its way. Never ending destruction to the point of themselves being lost.
Alche sees it all the fight they created, to the point he never used his powers. Andui sees it all, not in destructive mood persona, as she witnessed that is fitted to see in most anime and video games. They soon not be part of it to the point of realization. Possessed and controlled, they still have their free mind roaming through the mayhem.
“Is it telling us that someone within our kind can become like this?”
“Are you telling me that the people before us created the Fall era? That’s some nice thought you got there, Andui”
“It was a long time ago, but that man being enslave looks like he was from the 2000s or something”
“If it is true then, we have to get out from this world before we die”
Relentless, unending, and eternal war, it is already turned the landmark into hell. Those four loses their mind. Quail is battling out from summons she could think of godlike beings that the demon sees them were man made myths. It was not long where their minds reaching the maximum capacity of their mind being stressed out. It was a tragic time to waste such a complete power that no living man would possess. The fight was over, and there is no conclusion of that pointless fight.
Quill appeared before them seeing that, they have failed for the first time. She never predicted that those people possessed such unresolve powers. The demon lord left as it was meant to be summoned but it will be back to check on them.
“It surprises me that they used the violent option”
“They are curious little bunch. I feel worse than before now”
“Sigh* demons, getting overexcited in one thing and burned out to the next. You beings will never last your addictions”
“Heh, I probably wasting their time too”
“I knew you did. No living soul ever cross this realm of dreams, risking their lives on something they never existed in”
The team walks out disappointedly, but more so stress relief to the others. O2 starts to be more wary now that his power, no matter he can negate any magic into air, but his control is pointless as it needed to be close to him. He looks at them where only Alche and Andui is showing their faces thinking about something. On the other hand, between the others.
“Now that’s the worth of destruction”
“I don’t see us using it any time soon”
“I’m glad it is a simulation. We might destroy a whole world”
They are laughing including Quail of all people with them, there is nothing else but treat this lesson as it is for him.
Thean opens the room and sees them being busy.
“I don’t see any of you succeeded the 3rd landmark”
They talk to him about the detail, Thean couldn’t understand everything they have said. Except about those demons, it is known legends of those pride demons. Sadly, none of them reemerge since that era.
“. . . however, in the finale, we were receiving their powers”
“What?”
“Yes, and it was so destructive that there is no way we survived from those attacks”
Thean wasn’t thought about those demons offering their powers, but they explained they have a mind of their own.
Meaning someone else are controlling them, he explains to them the original demons they were once were.
“That is too a myth when the demon offered guidance, the real demon will interfere the other demons as well. Even I have to see that artificial demon myself, it won’t be that easy when the demon will lie or not”
“Yet, they said they are nearly identical to the real one”
“That part I don’t know, it must be the controls responded differently. I don’t how it protects itself now”
Thean wonders more about it, and they are planning to test their mind again. Which none of them don’t want to face their nightmares, they still have two more days. As for the time they are in is already sundown, they don’t know how long they were in. O2 was the first who gets out and it was few hours earlier. It must be when the demons giving them power, for that long made them thought and realize they were already possessed at that time.
All four of them didn’t remember a thing back then, while Andui and Alche were faintly remembered seeing the action. Thean thinks about the reason of it
“That reminds me, I heard stories about demons giving the living their powers. There is a chance that you no longer know who you were and become the demons themselves. On the contrary, other demons used them into their own gains. In the end, no one returned back to their old selves after they gain it”
When that is done, they all went home. Andui is the only person left, leaving behind from her friends. It is better to finish the sphere. That experience made her lose interest all together by that mindless overpowered scenery, even it was a dream. It isn’t even real to face it here in this world. She had to do it herself, the orb can work at least for one person. Remained embarrassed what she was thinking of, there is no way she had to tell them. Then she starts heading out where she opens her device and make a call.
“Hello? Andui”
“Haw, I want to talk”