Whatever the Demon Egg was doing, it was clearly troubling Duke Gremory. As soon as the egg began floating, absorbing the magic-infused blood that was scattered across the room, Gremory’s composure crumbled. Fear overtook her expression, and in a frantic panic, she launched attack after attack at the egg, her previous calm demeanor completely gone.
“Everyone, protect the egg!” Broken shouted instinctively.
Ivana quickly threw her shield, which spun rapidly around the egg. In a swift motion, she appeared beside it, catching the shield mid-air and slamming it into the ground. Immediately, a magical barrier formed, with Ivana standing firmly, gripping the shield with all her strength.
The blood scattered around the room was rapidly being absorbed by the egg, and now the barrage of blood spikes and magic missile attacks had lessened in intensity. This gave Broken and Marlene a crucial opening to strike at Gremory once more.
They exchanged a quick nod before dashing forward, with Dendros also charging at Gremory. Time was running out-Gaia’s summon duration was nearly over.
Broken spun his spear and slammed it toward Gremory.
“You cursed fools! Don’t underestimate me! You will never defeat me!” she screamed in fury.
Marlene appeared from behind, slashing and grabbing at Gremory with lightning speed. But Gremory shot forward, beating her wings, though it was clear her speed had significantly dropped.
Dozens of magic circles appeared behind Gremory, unleashing a barrage of hundreds of blood magic missiles aimed straight at Ivana.
“Ivana!!” Charmelyn screamed in panic.
“I’m fine!” Ivana shouted back. “Focus on the fight!”
Broken’s summons tried to block the missiles, but they were destroyed by the relentless
blood magic. The missiles crashed into Ivana, one after another, hitting her body with
powerful explosions.
“Ivana!” Broken activated his dash, trying to rush to her aid, but the blood on the floor made it impossible for him to move. “Damn it!”
Ivana still stood, gripping her shield tightly, but blood dripped from her mouth, and cracks were visible on parts of her armor. The attack had clearly taken a heavy toll on her.
Despite being weakened, the demon continued to fight fiercely, still managing to put up a strong resistance. As the battle dragged on, it became painfully clear that everyone was running out of resources-Mana, Stamina-all reaching critical levels.
Gaia’s summon duration was down to just 42 seconds!
“Please, little demon egg, suck up all the blood and send this demon bitch to her death already!” Broken shouted desperately.
Everyone in the House of Slumdon wore expressions of panic and tension as they watched the battle unfold on the screen. The fear of how this fight might end was palpable.
“Damn, this is painful to watch!” Toberry muttered.
Starfall nodded. “If only we could do more than just sit here and watch.”
“What do you think, Maylock?” Elincia asked.
Maylock could only shake his head. “I don’t know. All we can do is hope this ends well.”
Jovina slammed her hand down in frustration. “Damn, if this keeps up, Ivana could be in real danger!” she shouted, standing up angrily.
“That’s just a Named Demon ranked 56th,” Kingsley remarked, his tone serious. “And yet, even three individuals as powerful as Divine Champions are struggling against it.”
“And what about that egg?” Optimus chimed in. “Shouldn’t it help turn the tide of the fight?”
“Yes, but they’re all running low on resources,” someone replied.
Freya’s voice wavered slightly. “Gaia’s summon is almost out of time, too.”
Everyone was on edge, anxiously waiting for the outcome of this desperate battle.
***
Meanwhile, in the Golden Age Company control room, their conversation had veered onto a different topic altogether.
“What do you think about the final outcome, Mr. Marco?” someone asked.
Marco sighed at the question. “It seems everything has been building up to this final moment,” he replied with a slight smile. “Gremory made a critical mistake by sharing her blood, allowing the egg to absorb its abilities and take control. Who could’ve predicted such a scenario?”
“Will this have a positive impact on the demon egg?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I’m concerned about what might emerge from the demon egg, but we can’t focus on that right now. The real question is whether this will end in victory for the players.”
Everyone kept their eyes glued to the screen, watching the unfolding final moments with tense anticipation.
“But I’m certain this isn’t over yet,” Marco added. “Has the final piece of the puzzle arrived?” “Any moment now, Mr. Marco… but will their arrival guarantee victory? Or not?”
Marco nodded slowly. “Let’s see where she chooses to make her move.”
Only those in the control room knew who she referred to.
***
The progress of the egg hatching had reached 93%, a drastic increase as it continued to absorb all the blood in the room. With each passing moment, Gremory appeared weaker-her movements slowing, and her magic losing its strength.
It wasn’t just Broken and his team who were drained; their enemy was weakening too. This should have been good news. However, another factor kept the situation from fully turning in their favor. Gaia’s summon duration had finally run out.
In an instant, Gaia vanished from the battlefield, and with her disappearance, all the summoned creatures vanished as well-except for Dendros, who remained, doing his best to help with the attack.
This left a massive gap in their support. Gaia’s summons had not only provided healing but also crucial boosts to defense, attack, and other stats. Now, without those reinforcements, the battle had grown far more perilous.
Gremory laughed, sensing the tides of battle turning in her favor once more. In a blur of movement, she shot forward and closed the distance between herself and Marlene, who was in her werewolf form.
With a series of vicious stabs, Gremory struck repeatedly. Marlene raised her arms to block the attacks, but the blows were brutal, and the damage was severe. Her left arm snapped under the force, and she was violently thrown backward.
Before Gremory could land a fatal blow, Charmelyn appeared, intercepting the demon’s next strike with her daggers. However, Gremory’s speed was overwhelming, and despite Charmelyn’s efforts, the demon managed to slice across her chest, leaving a deep, bloody
gash.
Seeing the situation spiral, Broken dashed forward in a desperate attempt to intervene. He swiftly switched to his Gravestone Greatsword, activating its powerful abilities.
[Sacrificial Edge (Conditional Active Skill)]
[Elemental Rune Cataclysm (Conditional Active Skill)]
The runes etched into the greatsword flared with intense energy before quickly vanishing, one after another, as the sword charged up. A moment later, a massive explosion erupted from the blade, sending shockwaves in all directions. The force of the blast hurled Gremory across the room, slamming her into the far wall with devastating impact.
The explosion gave Broken just enough time to rescue Marlene and Charmelyn. But as he looked at them, it was clear their condition was critical. Both fighters were gravely wounded, their combat potential drastically reduced.
Broken’s gaze dropped to his own stamina meter-it was now flashing red. His energy reserves were nearly depleted. If they didn’t end this battle soon, it would be the end for all of them. The clock was ticking, and with Gremory still alive, they were running out of time.
“Ha! ha! ha!… in the end, I’ll be the one standing victorious! There’s no hope left for any of you!” Gremory cackled, her voice echoing through the room. Despite her shattered wings and her body falling apart, she laughed with twisted satisfaction.
She shot towards Ivana, who was barely holding on after enduring relentless attacks from the blood magic. Ivana, already struggling, was moments away from collapsing. Gremory prepared to strike her final blow, but then-someone appeared at the edge of the room. A figure no one had expected.
It was an elf, with short blonde hair, holding a glowing orb of white energy in her hand. “Elowen?” Broken’s voice was filled with surprise. “What is she doing here?”
“The mother of all life, great World Tree, grant me your blessing. Shatter the darkness that has cursed this world. By my soul, I sacrifice all for the greater good. Protect the just, and
bring forth your righteous judgment-
“Heaven’s Verdant Wrath!”
Elowen’s body began to glow with an intense, radiant light, bursting from within her. Beams of light shot out from various parts of her body, illuminating the room with an otherworldly brilliance. At the same moment, Gremory screamed in agony, her voice piercing through the
air.
But it wasn’t just Gremory-Elowen cried out in pain as well. The two of them, both screamed, their voices merging into a chilling symphony of suffering as the powerful magic
unfolded.