It had been less than a minute since the barrier was erected, but the entire view before us was already covered in blood and gore. Just thinking about how many people died to paint a canvas like this sent chills down my spine.
Amidst the chaos, a single figure clothed in a black hooded robe stood still, as if watching closely as the few 9th-stage demons swept the surrounding civilians. As we approached, our gazes met.
“…!”
Without thinking, I quickly activated Lifeblood at half potency, rushing to the enemy in a flash. The other party wasn’t a pushover, however, and quickly called back the few 9th-stage demons nearby, creating a wall to protect himself with.
“Yo! You’re Will, right?!”
The hooded figure jumped back, moving away from me as he spoke.
“We’ve got orders to take you back, dead or alive! I’m lucky you went for my area immediately!”
As the man spoke, he took out a black pill from his pocket and swallowed it without hesitation. As soon as he did, a powerful wave blasted around with himself as the center. The energy blast was enough to send me a few meters back, but fortunately, it wasn’t able to cause us injuries.
As I was standing still, I saw the two 9th-stage demons, both looking like death gods with their skull faces, black tattered robes, and a large scythe covered in their victim’s blood.
Despite having only red orbs as their eyes, I could feel their intense gazes filled with killing intent, focusing on my neck and heart. I pulled the sword from my waist and waved it before me.
*CLANG!*
The force of the attack was something else, but unfortunately for it, I had the upper hand in terms of strength. The two scythes flew back together, creating a large opening for the two demons. As soon as I saw it, my body moved automatically, sending one stab at each of their essence crystals, destroying them immediately.
*WOOOOOOOOO!*
With an eerie cry, the two demons faded to nothing. Now that the two distractions are gone, I can focus on the guy before me… Wait, when did he get so close?
“…!”
A claw extended from under his robe, surprising me to no end. In panic, I moved three steps back, but even then, the claw still managed to scratch my side.
‘His speed isn’t something a 9th-stage tamer should be able to have!’
As I was moving back a bit more, trying to gain some space, I surveyed his current state. His hood covered most of his body, but the exposed parts changed from normal skin to something like black, squirming scales. Furthermore, his energy level rose, reaching the demigod level!
“Sir Will!” 𝓁𝘪𝑟𝒶.𝑐ℴ𝘮
Minerva and Hekate finally reached our position, but with them only at the 7th stage, they would only be a hindrance here. Having no choice, I shouted orders to them without letting the enemy out of my sight.
“Hekate, buff me up! Minerva, go and hamper the demons around. Stop them from harming the refugees!”
I could feel the three powerful energy sources from the other points rushing to our position. If the three of them gathered here, then the fight would turn into a four-on-one, a complete disadvantage for me.
“No!”
However, unlike my expectations, Hekate expressed her disapproval of my arrangements. To make matters worse, the hooded guy rushed forward at that time, making me unable to answer immediately.
I raised my sword, blocking the claw that was aiming to gouge out my stomach. As soon as I did, another claw came out from under the hood and moved, aiming for my neck. This one I can’t block, so I tried to dodge.
Before I moved, however, I noticed a lump of psychic energy appearing before me, blocking the incoming claw and diverting it to the side. Without even the need to think, it was definitely Minerva’s support.
“Chance!”
With the opening given by Minerva’s support, I managed to slip into melee range and ram my fist against the man’s face. It wasn’t my dominant hand, however, so the power was a little off. Still, it was enough to send him flying for a few meters.
Right as I managed to recover my stance, Hekate’s buffs finally came one after another, boosting my power even further.
With the boost, I wanted to finish up the man before me first, but we were still a step too late.
“Minerva, Hekate, come closer!”
The three powerful presences were already nearby, approaching at the speed of sound. The two of them were too weak to even resist one of the enemies, much less three at once. In a split second, the three of us regrouped, keeping our backs to the area where no enemy was coming from.
Just when the one I was fighting managed to recover from the hit he took, the other three finally came within range. Seeing that they also had demigod-level energy, and with the obvious black things covering their skin, they must’ve taken that pill too. Honestly, this situation is dangerous for us now.
The other three, floating a few meters up in the air, glanced at the other man and snickered.
“Hey, Gemini. What’s happening? Why are you getting thrashed by an 8th-stage kid?”
One of the three, the small man with a vicious-looking gauntlet on both arms, asked with words laced in mockery.
“Shut up, Aries! Don’t you dare try and snatch my prey!”
“What do you mean [your prey]? The kid’s up for grabs, not only by you!”
Another one of the three, holding a big, cursed-looking hammer, shouted angrily in return. The one I fought before, whom they called Gemini, seemed greatly intimidated. From their interaction, I can guess that this Gemini guy has a lower position than the others.
*FWOOOOOOO!*
As we were watching their group bickering, the serene sound of a woodwind instrument resounded. I could tell that the sound carried trace amounts of energy, so I quickly set up a barrier around us, neutralizing whatever attack the sound was carrying.
The sound attack came from the last person in their group, the only woman, carrying a flute in her hands. Her lips curled into a thin smile as she realized what I had just done.
“Ara, to think my attack got blocked that easily. And here I thought it’d be fine to add you to my collections. Too bad.”
Even her voice carried the same weird and thin energy pattern. Is this some form of hypnosis attack? Then we should be wary of that woman at all times.
“Hey, Virgo! What are you doing without asking for my permission?!”
The man with the hammer shouted, a vein popping around his neck. The woman he called Virgo simply shrugged, her smile unchanging.
“You guys play around too much, and I’m getting bored. The faster the job ends, the sooner we can return, right?”
As soon as the woman’s words were heard, their expressions changed. All of them looked toward me simultaneously, as if looking at helpless prey.
“I told you b*stards that he’s mine!!!”
But before the other three could move, Gemini rushed forward at a swift pace. The wind sent his cloak flying around, exposing what was underneath. He actually had six tentacle-like claws hidden beneath!
“I will kill this brat and earn that promotion from God Agor!”
As soon as we came within his range, all six claws flew off, scratching against the barrier I had just set up. The attack was so powerful that my barrier quickly crumbled. Of course, I wasn’t doing nothing while he was attacking.
Sparks flew, running across my entire body like arcs of electricity and elevating the temperature around us by a few degrees. I haven’t completed the charging, but we don’t have the luxury of time. I pulled the sword from its sheath as I leaned forward.
“[Echoing Thunderclap]!”
A flash appeared, and in a world where almost nothing could move… All four of them completely blocked my attacks. Not only that, they were even able to counterattack, sending a few hits coming toward me. It was my first time experiencing this, so I quickly stopped the automatic pathing and moved to dodge the attacks.
Out of pure luck, none of their attacks reached me, but each one was scary enough to send shivers down my spine. Especially the hammer, as when it went past my face, I could feel the same pressure I did when handling Cursed Ore.
That hammer was definitely a cursed weapon!
As I returned to my previous spot, cold sweat covered my forehead. My “ultimate” skill, [Echoing Thunderclap], had absolutely no effect against them. Rather than reacting to my speed, it felt more like they predicted my path and waited in advance.
‘One of them has a skill similar to Alpha’s foresight.’
That was the only logical explanation that I could think of. However, that means I can’t use moves that have too much charging time. In this situation, there are only a few moves I could use.