Capítulo 16: Chapter 16: Moonlit Carnage
The moon hung high in the night sky, casting a pale glow across the desolate battlefield. The distant clash of steel, the war cries of men, and the dying screams of the unfortunate filled the air. Yet, here in this corner of the battlefield, the only sound was the unsettling crackle of burning wood and the low, ominous growl of demons lurking in the shadows. Julian stood at the center of it all, his expression one of utter boredom.
Around him, the corpses of fallen soldiers lay strewn across the ground, their blood soaking into the earth. The stench of death was thick in the air, but it did nothing to faze Julian. His eyes scanned the area, taking in the scene with cold detachment.
A towering demon captain stood a short distance away, spinning a massive war axe in his hands. The creature was a monstrous figure, easily three times the size of a man, with bulging muscles and skin as black as night. Its eyes burned with malice, and its fanged mouth twisted into a cruel grin as it regarded Julian.
"So, you're the one everyone's been whispering about?" The demon captain's voice was a deep rumble, dripping with contempt. "The summoned hero, is it?"
Julian let out a long, exaggerated yawn, as if the very idea of responding was too tiresome to bother with. He looked up at the demon captain with a half-lidded gaze, his expression flat. "And here I thought you'd be worth talking to. But no, just another lowly demon with an inflated sense of self. Why don't we skip the formalities and get to the part where I crush your ugly head with my bare hands?"
The demon captain's grin faltered, surprise flickering across its brutish face. This was not the righteous hero it had expected. It was clear from the demon's narrowed eyes that it was reevaluating the threat before it.
Julian didn't wait for the demon to make up its mind. He was done waiting.
[Extreme Speed acquired.]
[Body Strengthening acquired.]
[Corrosion Immunity acquired.]
The System's cold, mechanical voice echoed in Julian's mind. The moment the notification appeared, Julian moved, his form blurring with impossible speed. The demons surrounding him barely had time to react before he was upon them.
The first demon didn't even have a chance to scream. Julian's fist collided with its head, shattering bone and flesh in an instant. He grabbed the twitching body by the neck, yanking hard until the spine tore free with a sickening crack.
Julian chuckled as he swung the severed spine like a whip, using it to bash in the skulls of the demons that dared to approach him. It was a brutal display, one that painted the ground in a mixture of red and black blood.
A maniacal laughter echoed across the battlefield, a twisted, chilling sound that sent shivers down the spines of any who heard it. The demons, however, were too blinded by rage and bloodlust to notice that the laughter wasn't coming from them—it was coming from Julian.
One of the demons, a grotesque creature with acid oozing from its pores, vomited a stream of corrosive bile in Julian's direction. The acidic liquid splashed across Julian's chest, hissing and bubbling as it tried to eat away at his flesh. But to the demon's horror, Julian remained completely unharmed. The acid only managed to dissolve his shirt, revealing the chiseled muscles beneath.
Julian's eyes flashed with excitement as he closed the distance between them in an instant. He grabbed the creature by the throat, shoving the severed spine he still held straight through its mouth and down into its stomach. The demon's body convulsed violently before going limp, its eyes rolling back in its head.
More demons surged forward, drawn by the sounds of battle. But rather than deter Julian, their numbers only served to fuel his excitement. His smile twisted into something wicked, something monstrous.
[Holy Flame acquired.]
The System's announcement came just as a new wave of demons descended upon him. Julian's eyes gleamed as he unleashed his newly acquired power. A brilliant yellow flame erupted from his hands, spreading rapidly across the battlefield. The fire was no ordinary flame—it was a purifying blaze that consumed only the demonic, leaving everything else untouched.
The demons howled in agony as the Holy Flame engulfed them, their bodies disintegrating into ash within seconds. The air filled with the stench of burning flesh, the once-ferocious horde reduced to nothing in moments.
The demon captain watched in disbelief as his subordinates were annihilated by the golden inferno. The sight filled him with a mix of rage and fear, but he was not one to retreat. With a roar, he charged at Julian, swinging his massive war axe with enough force to cleave a man in two.
Julian didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. With casual ease, he caught the axe mid-swing, pinching the blade between his thumb and index finger. The demon captain's eyes widened in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Julian's lips curled into a smug, arrogant smile. "You demons really are slow learners, aren't you?"
The demon captain snarled in frustration, trying to pull his weapon free, but Julian's grip was unyielding. Desperation crept into the demon's voice as it spat out the words, "You're no hero. You're wicked—pure evil!"
Julian's smile widened, a glint of dark amusement in his eyes. "I'm the hero as long as they believe I am. That's all that matters."
With a flick of his wrist, Julian shattered the war axe into pieces. The demon captain barely had time to react before Julian's hand shot out, clamping around its throat. With a surge of strength, Julian lifted the towering creature off the ground and slammed it into the dirt with enough force to create a crater.
The demon captain thrashed and roared, but Julian was relentless. He rained down blow after blow, his fists pounding the demon's face into the ground until there was nothing left but a gory mess. By the time he finished, his hands were coated in black blood, his chest rising and falling with exhilaration.
Julian stood over the broken body of the demon captain, surveying his handiwork with satisfaction. The battlefield was silent now, the flames dying down, leaving only the charred remains of his enemies.
Without a word, Julian turned away from the carnage, casually wiping the blood from his face with the back of his hand. He didn't bother looking back as he walked away, the wicked smile still playing on his lips.
"It's time to save the commander of the southern front," Julian mused aloud, his voice once again taking on the noble, heroic tone that he knew everyone wanted to hear. His true face slipped away, replaced by the mask of the virtuous hero that the people of Eteria believed in so fervently.
And so, with the echoes of battle fading into the distance, Julian moved forward—toward the next act in his grand deception.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder