The axe would have reached Enochia... If not for the five badass knights of hers, that is. Two intercepted the attack, blocking the axe swing with their shields, the impact ringing out like a church bell getting drop-kicked. Sparks flew, metal groaned, and the sheer force sent tremors up their arms, but they held. Meanwhile, another knight circled around the demon's flank, sword whipping out in a clean slash across its back.
[220 DMG dealt]
Before that knight could follow up with another swing, the poor tin can got booted by one of those massive cloven hooves. The kick landed square in the chest, crumpling armor like tinfoil and sending him tumbling into the ash. And the demon? Oh, he didn't stop there. He powered right through the block, the axe cleaving down with enough oomph to send the two shield-bearers stumbling over each other in a heap of clanking metal.
‘I mean... yeah. The level disparity is just too damn big between these guys and the demon. The only reason those two aren’t paste is that their shields soaking most of the hit, but even now, they look rough.’
The demon raised his axe high, ready to finish the job on the downed knights. As if Enochia was gonna let that slide.
[Iron Grip]
She flung that special chain out from her arm, the links materializing in a burst of energy and whipping around the demon like a lasso. It locked him in place mid-swing, muscles bulging uselessly against the bind before exploding in a ball of holy fire.
[204 DMG dealt]
‘Hohoho, nice!’ Enochia thought, a grin cracking her face despite the chaos. That must have dealt bonus damage.
Just as she finished that thought, two more of her black knights piled on, lunging in with their swords and stabbing deep into the demon's exposed sides.
[220 DMG dealt X 2]
The beast roared, black ichor spraying like oil from a busted pipe, but Enochia wasn't exactly thrilled. "Fall back, you idiots!" she screamed, waving them off like they were overeager puppies. Her root only lasted a second and a half tops, which was already up.
[Blood Howl]
The demon shattered the chains with a flex that sent shards flying like shrapnel, and a screech erupted from its maw. But this one... it sounded way more human than the screeches from imps or those whiny spirits. Like, buried under all that infernal static, there was a guy's voice in there.
“Damn bastard.” Enochia said, her gut twisting. She was pissed at the idea of hurting the regular dude trapped inside that meat suit. Her knights got blasted back by the roar, which was definitely some kind of skill, but she couldn't make out the name over the noise. But one thing she did clock: all her knights except Cervain started bolting like their asses were on fire, shields clattering as they hauled tail away from the fight.
"Ohhh, so it must be some kind of fear skill." Enochia muttered to herself, piecing it together. "And looking at it, the trigger's probably how big your balls are, since me and Cervain are unaffected." She shot Cervain a quick glance, who was still planted like a tree, sword drawn, no sign of running. 'Good boy. At least one of you's got some spine.'
The demon didn't give her time to pat herself on the back.
[Blackstep]
Enochia cursed under her breath as the demon blurred forward. She tensed, ready to dash again, but before she could even twitch, Cervain's gauntlet clamped onto her collar like a vice. "Whoa—hey!" she yelped, feet leaving the ground as he hurled her backward with all the gentleness of a pissed-off bouncer tossing out a drunk. She sailed through the air and hit the floor in a roll.
Meanwhile, Cervain planted his feet like roots swung into action.
[Goring Crescent]
He swung his sword in a brutal crescent slash that met the demon's axe head-on. The clash was apocalyptic: metal screamed against metal, sparks erupted like fireworks, and the shockwave blasted hot wind across the battlefield, ruffling Enochia's hair even from her spot on the ground.
The raw power almost canceled each other out, the axe halting mid-descent with a shudder that vibrated the air. But here's where it got fun—Cervain was still affected by his signature skill. It had barely been a minute since he popped it, and the buff lasted a solid ten. Meaning, yeah, they had to wrap this shit up quick.
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And Goring Crescent wasn't just some fancy slice 'n' dice skill. With the horn’s effects active, it packed a secondary punch: straight-up terror. To the demon, Cervain suddenly morphed into something out of its worst nightmares.
[Blackstep]
The beast's eyes widened, those flaming horns flickering like faulty bulbs, and it used his annoying skill to fall back, trembling like a leaf in a hurricane. The fear effect hit hard, locking it up for a precious few seconds before it shook it off with a guttural snarl.
'Damn, big guy's pulling his weight.' But as Enochia got her bearings, reality slapped her: she was slow. Even with her recent upgrades, keeping up with this level two-hundred freight train felt like running through honey. The demon was already recovering, axe raised for round two.
'Fuck that.' She pulled up her stats in a flash and she dumped all of her free twelve stat points straight into Speed. Boom. The world... changed. Not like some bullet-time slow bullshit, but subtle, like watching a video at ninety percent speed. Everything slowed just a hair: the demon's movements, the flickering flames, even the ash settling in the air. It cranked her reaction time, info processing, all that good stuff.
Now, back to the fight. No way that horned asshole had much MANA left sloshing around. Earlier scan pegged him at 660 total, and he'd been spamming skills like a mage. Whatever those cost, he had to be scraping the barrel.
'Long game's ours.' Enochia thought, that buzz kicking in again. Plus, her black knights were hustling back now, looking sheepish under their helms. But some were wrecked: crumpled armor, limping steps, one dude clutching a dented side. She didn't want to lose any of them; they were hers, after all. And honestly? She figured she and Cervain could handle this solo now.
[Dispel]
The spell rippled out over the injured knights. One by one, they shimmered and poofed out of existence, sent back to whatever summon void they came from, safe and sound until she called them again.
[Iron Grip]
Extending her arm, she cast skill once again. That chain erupted toward the demon like a whip, but miraculously the bastard dodged it, twisting his massive frame with surprising grace. Cervain bolted forward to intercept, boots kicking up ash, and Enochia followed up quickly.
[Chains of Nebuchadnezzar]
Four chains shot out right behind Cervain, aiming to wrap the demon up like a present.
The demon spun in a blur, slashing all the chains away in one savage whirl.
[597 DMG Taken — Chain #1]
[567 DMG Taken — Chain #2]
[521 DMG Taken — Chain #3]
[501 DMG Taken — Chain #4]
Before slamming his axe down into Cervain, or at least where he should've been. Cervain, by some elegant miracle, lowered himself so damn low he practically slid under the axe, then stabbed the demon right in the gut.
[365 DMG dealt]
Then, before the demon could even react, and with his weapon stuck in the dirt, Cervain did something kinda badass. Okay, really, really badass!
[Goring Crescent]
He unleashed his skill, making a huge slashing arc that freed his sword in a spray of ichor.
CRITICAL HIT — [274 DMG dealt]
The freed sword carved a direct cut across the demon, leaving a giant red scar slashed over his stomach.
[310 DMG dealt]
The demon tried to kick Cervain away, but the knight just dodged back like a dancer, spinning in the air and landing smoothly. Because of the skill's effect, the demon was feared once again, freezing up as he tried to get into position for another Blackstep. But Cervain wasn't gonna let him breathe, not even for a second.
[Black Thread]
He cast the skill, slamming his sword into the ground, summoning two large black horns that impaled the demon as soon as they appeared.
The poor guy thrashed against those impaling black horns like a bull in a trap, its massive frame twisting futilely, hooves scraping furrows into the ash-covered ground. Black ichor dripped from the wounds, sizzling on the horns like acid on metal, but the bastard couldn't budge an inch.
Cervain raised his sword like he was about to carve up a cake, and Enochia's mind raced ahead; because she knew exactly what to do to crank this beatdown up a notch.
[Mark of Cain]
She flung her hand out, channeling the energy in a quick pulse. Just like that, a glowing red mark bloomed on the demon's forehead. It didn't seem to do much on its own right then, hell, the demon probably didn't even notice amid all the skewering, but Enochia smirked inwardly. ‘This is gonna hurt like a bitch, but you will thank me after taking the demon out of you, trust me.'
But Cervain wasn't waiting for her cue. He activated his own flair with a grunt.
[Velvet Dread]
Those little antlers sprouted from his arms. Oh boy, the boost to his attack speed was visible as soon as he started slashing, which was instantly. Cervain blurred into a whirlwind, unleashing more than three slashes in a single second, each one biting deep into the demon with precision that'd make a surgeon jealous.
[489 DMG dealt]
[457 DMG dealt]
[464 DMG dealt]
The demon let out a roar that shook the charred village from all the way out here, black blood spraying in arcs that painted the air like some fucked-up abstract art. It was extremely hurt from that barrage, DUH, with all the buffs and debuffs stacked on the poor fucker. Enochia didn't blame him for screaming; that amount of damage would have turned her into red mist, literally! She almost felt a twinge of pity watching the beast writhe.
'Poor guy... or whatever's left of him inside there.' she thought, her gut twisting just a hair. But just as that soft spot flickered, she caught a guttural sound of a skill activation coming from the demon. Somehow, through those screams, he was still able to cast, and for some reason, this one made her sweat a bit, prickling the back of her neck.
[Blood Furnace]
