Broken dashed forward, spinning his spear with precision as he charged ahead at full speed, leading the assault. Behind him, Charmelyn and Marlene-now in her werewolf form- followed closely, ready to strike in unison.
Gremory watched their approach with a calm, almost mocking smile. As the trio rushed toward her, the massive camel demon beside her let out a deafening roar, unleashing a wave of pressure that halted their momentum, briefly throwing them back.
In a blur of motion, Gremory lunged forward, slashing at Broken with her claw. He raised his spear just in time to block the blow, sparks flying as the two clashed.
Charmelyn was next, darting in with a flurry of strikes from her twin daggers. But Gremory’s movements were impossibly fast, effortlessly deflecting each attack.
From behind, Marlene-now in her werewolf form-launched herself at Gremory, her claws flashing as she struck repeatedly. Gremory, however, swiftly levitated, dodging Marlene’s blows with ease before landing a devastating hit on her. The impact sent Marlene crashing into Charmelyn, knocking them both to the ground, tumbling across the floor.
Broken surged forward once more, while Dendros, one of his summons, flanked from the side, its massive knuckles swinging in a flurry of strikes. They attacked in unison, coming at Gremory from two directions. Yet, with effortless grace, Gremory blocked each hit, her swift, precise movements making it seem as though their combined assault was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
The rest of Broken’s summons engaged in their own attacks. The Bark Hound leapt repeatedly, trying to land a hit on Gremory, but she easily swatted it aside with a quick strike. The Chili Pepper Rooster unleashed a stream of fire at her, but she blocked it effortlessly with her hand. Without hesitation, Gremory darted forward and delivered a swift kick to the rooster, sending it crashing into the ground. The creature vanished on impact, reduced to nothing.
Broken dashed forward, thrusting his spear, but Gremory’s speed was overwhelming. She moved like an assassin, too fast for him to keep up. In an instant, her claws slashed across his chest, sending him flying backward.
Marlene and Charmelyn charged from opposite sides, hoping to corner Gremory, but instead, they collided with each other mid-attack.
“Damn it! Bitch!” Marlene growled, immediately leaping at Charmelyn in frustration.
Charmelyn blocked her strike with her daggers, and the two locked into a chaotic struggle, attacking and parrying each other.
“Damn it! You two! This isn’t the time for fighting each other!” Broken shouted in frustration.
Gremory smirked at the sight of their disarray, then sped toward them, ready to strike. Broken reacted quickly, dashing in with his spear to intercept her, but Gremory’s power was too great. She knocked him back hard, and he crashed into both Marlene and Charmelyn, sending all three of them sprawling across the floor, lying dazed and defeated for the moment.
“This bitch!” Charmelyn snarled, standing to attack Marlene again. “I’ll kill you!”
But Marlene vanished into the shadows beneath her feet, reappearing from the other side to strike. Her claws slashed across Charmelyn’s arm, leaving a deep cut. Charmelyn leapt back, clutching her wounded left arm.
Broken was furious, unable to believe what was happening.
“You two, stop it!” he shouted, his voice booming with frustration.
In the midst of their bickering, they had forgotten about Gremory. She moved with lightning speed, suddenly appearing behind Marlene. Before anyone could react, Gremory plunged her hand through Marlene’s chest, her arm emerging from where her heart had been. It was a fatal blow.
“Broken… wait for me. I’ll be back,” Marlene muttered weakly, her voice fading.
“Marlene!” Broken shouted, rushing toward her, but it was too late. Her body dissolved into pixels, vanishing before his eyes.
As Broken turned, his heart sank even further-another disaster had struck. Charmelyn lay mortally wounded, the camel demon standing beside her, its jaws stained with blood. It had torn into her stomach with a vicious bite, leaving a gaping hole where her abdomen once was. “Broken… sorry…” Charmelyn whispered weakly, her voice barely audible.
And then, just like Marlene, her body disintegrated into pixels, fading from his sight. Marlene was dead. It was a disaster. Even with the three of them, they struggled, and now it was just Broken. But the situation was worse-Charmelyn had fallen soon after, leaving him alone to face the Named Demon.
Broken spun his spear, bracing himself as he repositioned, casting every protective skill he had left. He scanned the battlefield for anything he could still use, but he knew-he had already burned through everything. Despite their efforts, they hadn’t even managed to deal meaningful damage to the demon.
Gremory floated backward, hovering for a moment before descending lightly to the ground. At the same time, all of Broken’s summons froze, ceasing their attacks. In less than a minute, two of his allies had perished.
“So, you’ve realized how powerful I am, haven’t you? Do you still wish to push your will any further?”
Broken had already given his best effort in previous attacks, but the demon’s speed-both in movement and attack-was overwhelming. She was nearly untouchable. It was clear they needed a better strategy to fight an opponent like this. A Named Demon wasn’t like a typical monster or raid boss; it had a variety of unpredictable abilities that made it far more dangerous.
And here they were, forced to face this demon without any preparation, without knowing anything about the full extent of her powers.
At the very least, he had to figure out as much as possible about the demon’s abilities and strengths while he still had time. Whether he could win or not was uncertain, but one thing was clear-he couldn’t give up so easily.
Broken darted forward, now alone but freer to fight on his own terms. He dashed and spun his spear, striking at the demon, but Gremory merely smirked, easily dodging his attack.
From the other side, Dendros rushed in, swinging with brutal force, but Gremory countered, slamming him back with such strength that Dendros was flung across the room. Broken pressed on, striking repeatedly with his spear. Suddenly, five thick vines erupted from the ground, wrapping tightly around the demon. But a deafening roar from the camel demon echoed through the room, and in an instant, Gremory broke free, flying back out of reach. Damn, she’s slippery. But now he had learned something crucial-the camel demon acted as a support for Gremory.
His remaining summons tried to attack the camel, but every hit was reflected by a powerful magic shield surrounding it, throwing back the attacks.
He needed a different strategy to take down the camel.
While Gremory’s speed was overwhelming, her control over blood magic made her even more dangerous, able to strike from both close and long range. She was the perfect blend of agility and intelligence-a rare and deadly combination.
The camel demon, on the other hand, was a major obstacle in its own right. It could only be hurt by raw physical damage. When the Moss Goat rammed into the camel, it finally knocked the creature back, but the camel’s ability to recover quickly and its powerful, fast attacks made it a constant threat.
Gremory launched herself at Broken with blinding speed, delivering a powerful strike. The battle played out like a relentless cycle-each of Broken’s attacks was parried with precision, while Gremory’s blows landed with devastating force. He struggled to keep up, every strike he received cutting deeper and hitting harder.
Then it happened.
In one swift moment, Broken’s health dropped to zero.
[You’ve received a fatal blow! Ethereal Form triggered! The skill has been activated.]
The world around him shifted as the life-saving skill kicked in, pulling him back from the brink of death. But could he finish this fight?