บท 37: Chapter 37: Fighting the demon(1)
My eyes scanned the battlefield, searching for any sign of hope. The faces of my the others were etched with fear, mirroring my own sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. We were outnumbered, and a powerful demon loomed over us all, looking at us with a detached sense of boredom . It was clear that if we didn't take decisive action soon, we would meet our end on this bloody field.
As I weighed our options, one thought kept creeping into my mind: if we could defeat the demon, it could fracture the enemy army and potentially turn the tide of this war. But I couldn't ignore the reality that he was one of the infamous twelve demons, nearly unbeatable in battle. Yet, doing nothing would surely lead to our demise alongside our fellow soldiers.
A difficult choice lay before me, both paths leading to death in their own way. But we had to act fast before it was too late.
"Hey, human, aren't you forgetting something?" A familiar voice resounded in my head. "Oh right, thanks for reminding me," I replied with a touch of sarcasm. I always had a third option - to call upon the entity and have it tie the rope around my neck itself ....
The suggestion to invoke this being crossed my mind, a tempting but dangerous idea. Even if I managed to escape death, I would still have to face the church's hunters wherever I went , who would certainly see me as the devil himself. But the voice persisted, offering an escape plan. "Why do you care? We can leave this kingdom and go wherever we want. I could even make you king if you bring me enough souls," it proposed.
Such proposal passed through my mind, more than once, however I recognized the fact that my place of survival needed to be here, after all I read the novel myself and I saw the direct consequences of Narai's falling ,and I certainly was not in a rush to let them happen again. No I needed this kingdom to be strong enough to fight the demon's on par, if I was to survive.
As the weight of our dire situation settled on Baalkaroth, its tone shifted. He probably feared death too, how strange .....no matter the creature , no matter how much he lived , ahead of death they all felt that sinking hole in their stomach.
The same one I was feeling right now...
"Call upon me, mortal, or we will both die..." he tempted, like the snake with Eve.
"Quiet, I'm thinking," I retorted, though the urgency in its voice signaled that time was running out. Considering our limited options, a bold idea crossed my mind - a fourth way out. It was undoubtedly a reckless notion, and even someone as daring as myself recognized the madness of it all. When did I start to have such tendency of protagonism?Yet maybe it could work, after all much more crazy shit was done by Lucas, if he could do it , why couldn't I?
As I pondered the risky alternative, I made my way towards Victor. His tense expression showed the weight of our situation. With a quick glance back at me, he turned with curiosity in his eyes before a glimmer of hope shone through...How can he have such hope in this dire circumstance? Does he think I am Hannibal?I certainly cannot pull a Cannae here....
The cavern rumbled with the sounds of battle, screams and roars mixing together. In the chaos, I urgently approached Victor, my face reflecting the gravity of our predicament.
"Sir Victor, our cannon squad is being currently overrun and the front lines are crumbling. To put it plainly, we're screwed beyond measure, not to take into account that demon. Our only chance is to take it down, and maybe the army will lose its cohesion, it's a longshot I know but the only one we have ..."
Victor's eyes widened in disbelief, mirroring my own fears as we stood facing the looming threat. He quickly recognized the impossibility of our situation: "Even if we attempt such suicide, there's no way of reaching him amidst this sea of enemies." A sense of helplessness crept into his voice, acknowledging the harsh reality of our odds.
"I know... but one of us has to get to him" I said with determination, unwilling to accept defeat without trying.
Victor looked at me skeptically, "And do what? Perish alone?"
"It's either that or we all sit here waiting for death," I replied, my tone carrying a glimmer of hope amongst the despair. "At least this way, we have a chance.Be quick time is running out !"
"How do you propose to even reach him?" After a bit Victor's gaze shifted towards the demon, fear evident in his eyes. And how to blame him ?In the last war each of the twelve high demons showed to the entire world their race's strenght.
"Take me and throw me towards him; I'll handle the rest," I said confidently. "If we're lucky, maybe I can catch him off guard and kill him. Right now, he underestimates us and treats us with disdain. Maybe, just maybe, I can use that to our advantage."
"Are you crazy?" Victor's incredulous words cut through the intensity of the moment.
"In this situation, would someone sane propose this?" I retorted defiantly, my desperation driving me to take a risk for a slim chance at survival.
Despite his initial disbelief, Victor walked towards me with determination. He grabbed onto my waist tightly, preparing for the perilous throw that could change our fate.
Victor's eyes widened with urgency as he turned towards the princess, desperation evident in his voice. "Evalie!We need an elevated position, NOW !" The princess, initially confused by his request, gave a questioning look to both of us. But as she took in our surroundings, her confusion turned to understanding and she realized our plan, she looked at me for a bit , before nodding. Without hesitation, she ran towards us and summoned a staircase made of shimmering ice.
Ice conjuring , that was her major ability, being able to easily conjure ice no matter the temperature. Honestly, with all the abilities and skills in this world, it was kind of boring, yet it was the perfect skill for this situation...
The structure rose up, reaching high above the heads of the monstrous creatures that surrounded us. It was a precarious pathway to the demon, but it was our only chance. With swiftness, Victor ascended the icy stairs, reaching its pinnacle and surveying the battlefield below.
After that he grabbed me by the waist and used all of his strength to launch me towards the demon.
As I soared through the air towards the demon, my hands deftly retrieved small glass vials from my pouch. These vials were filled with a red substance - my own blood.
It certianly was a risky maneuver, but if luck favored me, I might just pull off a surprise attack and, with some fortune, deliver a fatal blow to the demon. What I was holding in my hand were : arrows, daggers , bombs, hell even spikes I could hurl toward the enemy, I could probably even conjure a shield if I wanted to.
Anything I could think of, I could pull off.
The demon's eyes bore into mine, a small look of surprise appeared on his face, before giving war to a sinister smile . He locked gaze with me for an instant, before returning to his bored loo as he raised his clawed hand. With a look of perverse curiosity, he swiftly slashed his arm towards me, unleashing an unseen force that sent a searing agony through my hand.The realization slammed into me like a freight train as I watched in horror as my hand, detached and mangled, plummeted to the ground....
The air itself seemed to turn pink with the spray of blood and flesh, and I could feel droplets splattering against my face in sickening pattern. The pain hit me like a tidal wave, overwhelming and all-consuming as I stared at the grotesque remains of what was once my hand.Agony ripped through me like fire, each nerve ending screaming in protest as the pain enveloped my senses. It was a never-ending and merciless feeling, as waves of excruciating pained pulsed through my arm. The world around me blurred in a haze of torment, and for a moment, it felt like the very fabric of reality was being torn apart before my eyes...as I prayed to whatever entity in the skies for this not to be my end.
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