Duke Gremory had fully transformed. After absorbing the blood of her own mount, the demon camel was no more. In its place stood a far more fearsome version of the Named Demon. Her once human-like form had vanished, replaced by a monstrous creature with large wings and dark, blood-red skin.
“At least now we only have one opponent to focus on, right?” Marlene said.
“I think, for once, I have to agree with you,” Charmelyn replied.
Broken smirked. “Alright, let’s save the chit-chat for later. This summon of mine is running out of time.”
With their resolve stronger than ever, they prepared to face Gremory’s final, deadliest form. They knew this was their last chance.
Everyone nodded in agreement and launched another coordinated attack. Unfortunately, all of them were melee fighters, lacking a dedicated magic damage dealer. Despite this, they spread out, surrounding Gremory from every angle and attacking in quick succession.
The golem swung its massive greatsword, delivering a powerful dimensional slash that tore through the battlefield, creating a rift in its wake. But Gremory, now fully in control of her powers, manipulated the blood scattered across the ground, nullifying the devastating blow with ease.
Her magic had grown even more formidable in this final form. She commanded the blood like machine guns, sending it hurtling in all directions. Sharp tendrils of blood shot forth, locking some of the group in place, while others were assaulted by a barrage of razor-sharp blood spikes-thousands of blades stabbing at them from all sides. The damage was overwhelming, a clear indication that Gremory’s power had been significantly upgraded.
The battle had become even more dangerous, and the team was struggling to keep up with the demon’s relentless magic assault.
If not for Ivana’s protective skills, this battle would have been much more grueling. Her shields were nothing short of incredible, continuously enveloping the entire team and making it feel as though they never ran out of protection, even against Gremory’s devastating attacks.
Ivana was playing an absolutely critical role in the fight. She effortlessly absorbed the barrage of damage with her shields, keeping everyone alive. On top of that, she boosted the entire team’s health regeneration, allowing Broken and the others to maintain their health without worry, despite the relentless nature of the battle.
However, the real issue was their lack of damage output. While Ivana’s shields and regeneration kept them alive, they weren’t dealing enough significant blows to Gremory. The vast difference in levels and the sheer power of Gremory’s magic control made her a dominant force in the battle, and without a strong magic damage dealer, they were struggling to land a decisive hit that could turn the tide.
It was clear: staying alive wasn’t enough-they needed a way to break through Gremory’s defenses and elusive moves.
Dozens of magic circles formed behind Gremory, and from them, hundreds of blood magic projectiles fired in every direction like machine guns. Even with Ivana’s protective skills, the team felt the intense pain from the barrage as they scrambled to evade.
Gremory suddenly darted toward Broken with terrifying speed. Blood magic erupted from the ground, trapping him in place, immobilizing him.
“Broken!” Ivana cried, hurling her shield to break the spell, but Gremory’s wave of blood deflected it, sending the shield crashing to the ground.
With her right hand, Gremory grasped Broken by the throat, his Health plummeting dangerously fast. “Now you die!” she sneered, raising her left hand to deliver a devastating blow, one that would surely kill him.
But before the strike could land, a brilliant explosion of white and green energy erupted around Broken. A figure appeared in a blur, moving at incredible speed, and in an instant, six clones of a four-tailed fox materialized, slashing at Gremory from every direction.
“Master! I will protect you!” Polly shouted, her voice ringing with determination as she led the attack, her clones viciously clawing at Gremory, forcing the demon to retreat and releasing Broken from her grip.
Polly had arrived just in time, turning the tide once again.
Gremory struggled to land her finishing blow on Broken, but before she could strike, Ivana slammed her massive shield down from above, striking Gremory with immense force. The impact drove the demon into the ground, freeing Broken, who was thrown backward by the sheer force.
As Gremory hit the floor, hundreds of blood spikes erupted from the ground, scattering in every direction. Some of the spikes pierced Ivana’s abdomen, leaving her gravely injured. Others tore through Polly’s clones and eventually struck her real body, causing her to disappear once again, fading from the battlefield.
The situation grew dire as Ivana, severely wounded, struggled to maintain her position. Broken and the rest of the team were now without Polly’s support, and Gremory, though momentarily down, was still a formidable threat.
Everyone watching from the House of Slumdon felt the horror and tension as the intense battle unfolded.
“Polly died just like that! Polly!” Melliandra screamed hysterically, unable to believe what she had just seen.
“What happened to Polly? How was she defeated so easily?” others questioned, equally shocked.
“I’m pretty sure Polly can’t use her full power in Hell,” Maylock explained. “That’s why she only appears in crucial moments.”
“But this is getting worse! Way worse!” Toberry, the Alchemist, exclaimed. “Can’t we find a way to help Broken? Like, go there ourselves? Damn it!”
Jovina chimed in, turning toward Elincia. “Elincia, can’t we ask Paul to take us there? Or don’t they want to help? Marlene’s in serious trouble! And she is part of them.”
Everyone turned to Elincia, waiting for her response to the suggestion.
She sighed deeply. “I’ve already contacted him-Paul, the Guild Master of Shadow Wolves.” Maylock nodded. “You should know our Guild Master has done a lot to support Broken.”
“And what did they say?” Jovina pressed.
Elincia’s expression hardened. “That bastard laughed at me.”
“Damn!” Skywarden responded, frustrated. “You shouldn’t have done something so reckless
for Broken!”
“Are you dumb or what, Skywarden?” Jovina shot back angrily. “Charmelyn, your team partner, is there with him! This isn’t just about Broken! Do you even have a brain?”
Maylock responded thoughtfully. “From what I’ve observed, it seems Paul knows how to resolve this. Like, maybe his connection with higher-ranking demons could end this battle
easily.”
“So, they could stop the fight at any time? Why hasn’t he done it then?” Jovina asked, frustration evident in her voice.
“More likely,” Maylock continued, “he wants to sacrifice Marlene to weaken more of us- Charmelyn and Broken included.”
“Damn! Isn’t that hurting us even more?” Jovina exclaimed. “That bitch Marlene! She
must’ve deliberately trapped Broken in this mess!”
“No, I disagree,” Optimus interjected. “Marlene might be a victim here too.”
“But is it really worth sacrificing Marlene just to weaken Charmelyn?” Jovina retorted.
“Not just Charmelyn,” someone else chimed in. “Broken too. If they’ve gone this far, they must see Broken as a significant threat.”
“Damn it, sacrificing their own teammate for victory? Paul’s such a bastard!” Jovina cursed, expressing the growing outrage in the room.
In the heat of battle, Broken was giving everything he had, but the situation was growing more desperate. Everyone was fighting with all their strength, but the worst-case scenario
was closing in fast-Gaia’s duration only had 2 minutes left.
They needed to end the fight now. If not, disaster would strike.
What else can I do? Broken thought frantically, searching for any remaining options. Then he remembered—the Unique-grade All You Need Ticket.
This is it. I need to use everything at my disposal!
With no other options, Broken knew this was the moment to use the ticket and hoped it would grant him exactly what he needed to turn the tide of battle. It was their only shot, their last
hope.
As Broken pulled out the Unique-grade All You Need Ticket and scanned his inventory,
something unusual caught his eye-the Demon Egg was trembling violently.
[An anomaly has been detected in one of the items in your Inventory.]
“What’s going on?” Broken muttered, confused.
The egg-what could it want now, especially in the middle of this dire situation? Does it need
more blood? he wondered.
Broken quickly leapt back to a safer position and pulled the egg from his Inventory. The
moment it was released, it shot into the air, levitating ominously.
[The Fetus has successfully absorbed the blood it was fed. It now possesses control over blood
magic and craves more blood to devour.]
What? Broken thought in disbelief.
At that exact moment, the blood swirling across the battlefield slowed down, and Gremory’s attention snapped toward the egg, her eyes narrowing with recognition.
“Everyone! Protect the egg!” Broken shouted urgently.
***
(Author’s Note:)
Sorry to interrupt the excitement of this chapter. I just wanted to say that this is chapter 400,
and I know there’s still so much more I want to write. See you again at chapter 500, 600, and hopefully all the way to 1000 and beyond. Thanks for all your support! I truly love writing this
story!