The sun blazed mercilessly over the Desolate Desert, its heat pounding relentlessly on the duo walking through the endless expanse.
Kent, his expression stoic but his body alert, followed the old man, Grizzak, who moved with a peculiar rhythm that defied logic.
Grizzak’s pace was unpredictable. One moment, he would walk in a straight line, his steps firm and resolute. The next, he would turn abruptly, walking sideways or even backward, stopping to scribble symbols into the sand. Occasionally, he would mutter calculations under his breath, his fingers twitching as if performing intricate tantrics.
“Left… no, no, backward three dunes… then right,” Grizzak murmured, his eyes scanning the horizon. “Ah, yes. That’s it. Forward.”
Kent, watching silently, couldn’t help but frown. “Is there a method to this madness, or are we just wandering aimlessly?”
Grizzak stopped mid-step and looked over his shoulder, his crooked grin splitting his face. “Madness? You mortals call it madness, but it’s intuition! The shrine of Eternal Sands doesn’t sit still, boy. It dances with the winds. If you can’t hear its rhythm, you’ll never find it.”
Kent raised an eyebrow. “I see no rhythm, only a madman drawing circles in the sand.”
Grizzak let out a laugh that echoed across the empty desert. “Then stay blind, boy, and follow the madman. At least I’ll get you there.”
Despite his skepticism, Kent continued to follow Grizzak. Along the way, they encountered the dangers of the desert—ambushes by sand serpents with jaws like steel traps, sudden sinkholes that swallowed entire dunes, and haunting whispers that danced on the wind, threatening to break the mind of the unprepared.
Grizzak handled most of these threats with surprising ease. With a wave of his rotten wooden staff, he conjured protective circles that kept the serpents at bay. He used his mysterious powders to stabilize the sand beneath their feet, and when the whispers grew too loud, he chanted old, guttural verses that drowned them out.
Kent, however, was not idle. He fed and cared for his pets, releasing them briefly to stretch before storing them again in his spirit ring. The desert was no place for lazy activity, and Kent’s senses were always on high alert.
At night, when the temperature plummeted, the two rested in small, curved dunes. Grizzak would draw symbols around their camp and light a small fire with herbs that burned green.
Kent would sit silently, his eyes scanning the dark horizon, his hands never far from his weapons.
Three days passed like this, and as dawn broke on the fourth day, Kent and Grizzak prepared to resume their journey. The old man was humming a strange tune as he sprinkled powder into the wind, watching how it danced before giving a satisfied nod.
Just as Kent adjusted his spirit ring, the sands around them began to shift unnaturally. A massive dune rose around them, encircling them in a swirling wall of sand. The air grew heavy, thick with malice. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire
From the sand emerged seven towering figures, each exuding a suffocating aura of demonic intent. Their victorious laughter echoed across the desert.
“Finally, we found the little ant,” one of them sneered, his crimson eyes fixed on Kent.
Another, taller and broader, laughed mockingly. “And look! He’s traveling with a dwarf demon. Smells like a pig that’s been roasting in the sun.”
The others joined in, their cruel laughter filling the air.
Kent clenched his fists, his sharp eyes darting between the generals. He could feel their power—each of them carried two drops of demon intent, a force far superior to his half-drop of godly intent. The sheer disparity was suffocating.
One of the generals stepped forward, a wicked grin on his face. “Boy, did you really think you could escape the Demon Emperor’s wrath? You’re nothing but a plaything to us.”
Grizzak, who had been silent until now, chuckled darkly. “Plaything, you say? A bold claim from fools who don’t know what they’re dealing with.”
The generals turned their attention to him. “And what are you going to do, pig? Squeal for us?” one of them taunted.
Grizzak’s grin widened, but he said nothing.
Without warning, the demons attacked. Their combined demonic intent lashed out at Kent, surrounding him in an oppressive force that crushed his defenses. The first blow sent him hurtling backward, crashing into the sand with a loud thud.
Kent gritted his teeth and stood, but another demon appeared before him, his fist glowing with dark energy. The punch connected, and Kent was thrown again, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
“Is this all the ‘godly intent’ you have?” one demon mocked, his voice dripping with disdain.
Another laughed. “Pathetic. He’s not even worth killing yet. Let’s have some fun first.”
The generals began to toy with Kent, attacking him in turns, each blow more devastating than the last. They would knock him down, wait for him to rise, and then strike again. Occasionally, they would hurl insults at Grizzak, calling him a coward for not intervening.
Kent’s vision blurred as he struggled to stand. His half-drop of godly intent flared weakly, but it was no match for the overwhelming force of the demons.
One of the generals grabbed him by the collar, lifting him off the ground. “Look at you, squirming like a worm. Did you really think you could stand against us?”
Kent prepared to unleash the broken god slayer relic which the baby dragon found during his visit to the ancient war ground of gods.
“You’ll… regret this.” Kent’s voice was weak but defiant.
“Oh, I doubt that.” The demon sneered.
Grizzak, meanwhile, stood still, his eyes flicking between the generals. His demeanor was calm, almost amused.
“What are you waiting for, pig?” one of the demons jeered. “Beg for mercy, and we might let you live.”
Grizzak finally spoke, his voice low and measured. “Mercy… is a word I don’t deal in. But patience? Patience is a virtue, my friends. And I’ve been patient long enough.”
The demons laughed, but their laughter was cut short when Grizzak rose into the air, his crooked wooden staff glowing with an intense light. With a single, fluid motion, he traced a perfect circle in the air. The circle shimmered with dark and green energy, and the oppressive aura of the demons seemed to waver.
“What—?!” one of the generals began, but his words were drowned out as the circle expanded, releasing a wave of force that knocked all seven demons back.
Grizzak’s voice boomed, no longer frail but filled with demon intent. “You fools dare to mock me? You dare to lay hands on my companion? Let me teach you the price of arrogance!”
The sand beneath the generals began to shift violently, as if alive. Grizzak’s staff glowed brighter, and the air filled with an unearthly hum.
Kent, still on the ground, stared in shock. For the first time, he saw the old man not as a wandering guide but as something far more dangerous.
“Boy,” Grizzak said, glancing at Kent with a sly smile. “Stay down and watch. This is how you deal with true demons.”
The desert erupted into chaos as Grizzak unleashed his power, and the tide of battle turned in an instant. With his 3 drops of demon Internet, Grizzak wiped all 7 demon generals.