The Thyrx didn’t take long to regain balance, but that was enough to draw the Greater Demon’s blood. Dragon Fang, infused with pure mana, severed the Greater Demon’s left blade arm. The arm flung through the air, and blood spurted in all directions. Some dripped on Percy’s face, but he ignored it as he advanced.
The Greater Demon roared at the top of its lungs and thrust its remaining blade at him, but a pillar of ice burst out of the ground, slowing the attack. The blade arm pierced through the pillar, but it granted Percy the time he needed to pull back. If he had planned to do so, that is.
The Warhammer arms smashed the pillar into smithereens before the Greater Demon used the remaining momentum to crush him. Percy, however, had predicted that movement. The circulation of Demonic Essence and the Thyrx’s movements weren’t easy to make out, but it was possible with [Hawk Eyes]. [Berserk] pushed his emotions to the brink of insanity, yet he didn’t lose all rationality. Nonetheless, Percy pushed forward, whipping the Syreblade to sever another arm.
Before the attack struck the Greater Demon, the Thyrx disappeared. The shadows rippled, and Percy spun around again,
“Be careful!” He shouted, his head flicking to Melissa. The Greater Demon appeared beside her, the Warhammer arms lifted to squash Melissa. Yet, instead of crushing Melissa, a white-plated monster smashed into the Thyrx. Its’ horns passed through the first layer of defense and dug into the Greater Demon’s flesh.
“Fiona!” Melissa exclaimed in relief as the Holy Triceratops pushed the Thyrx to the side. It wasn’t perfect, but the attack was enough to protect Melissa from the worst. The Thyrx screamed, bringing the Warhammer arms down to the Holy Triceratops’ head. [Circle of Protection] was active, but the Augmentation wasn’t enough to protect the Holy Triceratops. [Circle of Protection] was shattered instantly as the Warhammer descended. An ear-deafening crunch rang out, and the Holy Triceratops collapsed.
The summoned Monster wasn’t dead yet, but the Thyrx’s bladed arm shot forward to deal the finishing blow.
Fiona paled as the Holy Triceratops’ emotions flooded her. It felt like a punch in the gut, and a single tear trickled down her cheeks.
“No….” She squealed, her legs trembling as she realized what would happen. Fiona’s trusted summoned Monster was just about to be sacrificed instead of Melissa. One life for another.
The bladed arm thrust forth, Demonic Essence accelerating the rapid attack, and was just about to drill into the Holy Triceratops’ eye when a shield shrouded in pristine light appeared before the summoned Monster. The bladed arm impacted, yet it collided with the massive shield rather than ending the Holy Triceratops.
It was Imperial Mathis, his Ego coating and enhancing his Shield Artifact. The impacting force was too great for him to handle. He was pushed back, shoved aside, and tripped over the Holy Triceratops’ head. A moment later, he crashed to the ground beside the injured monster.
Yet, the pristine light of [Purge] didn’t follow Imperial Mathis. It detached from the Shield Artifact, which had been pierced despite its [Superior Guard], and [Perfect Resistance] runic enchantments, and attached to the Thyrx’s bladed arm.
The Thyrx screamed as the pristine light burst forth, coating its bladed arm. It was about to pull back when Percy arrived. His eyes were bloodshot, and uncontrollable anger fuelled him. The thought of losing Melissa and Fiona to the Thyrx affected him much more than expected. It was strong enough to cleanse his mind of all rationality.
Dragon Fang arced through the air beautifully, creating sounds akin to a bard’s song of an epic tale. It struck the Greater Demon a moment before it disappeared in the shadows. However, that moment was enough to cut through the remaining bladed arm halfway through the Greater Demon’s Warhammer arm.
The Greater Demon roared in rage and anger. It turned to the Beast Legion, ready to disappear and crush the weaker enemies, draining their power to grow and regenerate, but it froze in its tracks when its eyes fell upon Apex Dex. The Snakeman’s serpentine eyes glowed brightly. Their color had changed to a vibrant yellow, blood trickling out of the corners.
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The Thyrx trembled violently, but its rapid movements came to a halt. Not even the ability to travel through shadows seemed to work now.
“I took it by surprise. This won’t last long!” Apex Dex hissed loudly after coughing up blood. The Snakeman swayed left and right and threatened to collapse on the spot, but Percy was already on the move. He crossed the remaining distance to the Greater Demon in an eye blink, grasped Dragon Fang tightly with both hands and attacked.
The final attack was faster than normal. The Azure Dragon’s Essence within him unleashed a primal roar, filling Percy with uncontrollable power. It lasted only a quarter of a second, but that was enough for Percy. The Syreablade reached the Thyrx’s head and cleanly cleaved through it.
To Percy, it felt like time slowed down as the black blade dug deep into the Greater Demon’s neck, but it was too fast to perceive to everyone watching.
The Thyrx’s headless body moved in Apex Dex’s direction, but it walked only one step before the legs caved in. It collapsed to the ground, and a notification popped up before him.
[Thyrx (Greater Demon) – Demonic/Devil’s Touch – 6,623,192 Prosperity]
Percy’s eyes narrowed as his eyes fell upon the interface, but he forced his mind to shove the questions popping in his mind aside. His head flicked to the Beast Legion, where the Mutant Pleacis had been, but there was no sight of another threat. The Mutant Pleacis had been killed, though not without killing nearly a dozen Beastmen.
A sour taste filled his mouth when interfaces appeared above the Beastmen’s bodies, and he nearly vomited on the ground when the Abomination of his Ego emanated from his palm. It squeezed through his palm and urged Percy to consume all dead creatures. It was attracted by the Demons, but the Abomination was crazy for the Beastmen.
You obey me!!
Percy willed the Abomination to heed his command, but the Abomination listened as little as it had when he fought the Adventurers in the forest near Raewood. The Abomination was about to escape his control…again.
Either you listen to me now and for as long as I am alive, or I will starve you to death! I will never use you again, and we will both get killed together by the Devil!
A searing pain manifested in the back of his head all of a sudden. It expanded and spread as if trying to engulf his brain and corrupt it. Percy would have been afraid if he had no idea what was happening, but he understood the situation well enough. He had thought about the Abomination long enough to understand what it was and how it came to be.
It might be part of his Ego, but it was also much more than that. The Abomination was a fragment of the Devil. It was the Devil’s Touch!
I know you don’t want to go back to the Devil. My Ego bound you to me. It altered you and granted you something akin to sentience. You aren’t like the power the Thyrx and the Pleacis have gained. You are intelligent, to some extent, at least. And you know very well that I would rather die than allow you to take control of me.
Percy took a deep breath while his legs turned soft. They were about to give in when the Abomination shot out of his palm. Yet, instead of devouring the corpses spread across the cavern tunnel, it turned to Percy. It revealed a dozen rows of razor-sharp teeth and hinted at a lung. However, the Abomination didn’t go through. It didn’t attack him. All it did was to threaten him.
I know you cannot attack me. You are bound to the Ego – My Ego – and you cannot disobey it easily. You can only do what the Ego grants you the ability to. That’s why you can devour the Beastmen, but you couldn’t consume the demonified Beastman when they were merely unconscious. The restriction is also why you will never be able to hurt me directly. You can gather your power to disobey my command while still playing within the norms granted by the Coin of Prosperity, however, that is all you are capable of.
Percy stared intently at the Abomination.
Either you keep working with me, potentially to consume the Devil in the future, or I will never use you again. Go against my command and consume what you aren’t allowed to consume, and we will never meet again. You will return to the Devil, who will strip you of all your power. You will be weak and useless…once again!
The Abomination hissed, hinting at another attack, but realized it was useless.
A few seconds of silence passed until it submitted to Percy’s command. This time, wholeheartedly.