Chapter 25: Overwhelming Victory

The temporal space was a complicated hex circle floating in a space-like environment. The ground beneath their feet was translucent, as were the barriers of the wall and ceiling. In every direction, the temporal space contained planets, stars, and floating magic auras that sustained this world. It was one he’d created for a single purpose. The destruction of this demon away from prying eyes.

Like a switch of power had been flicked inside him, Encapsulation, Aggression, and Protection all activated at once. “Cognitive Enhancement Maxima. Reflex Enhancement Maxima.” Sen rolled his neck, and then he dashed forward.

The Greater Demon clapped its hands, and a beam of red light shot through the air where Sen stood. Another followed, and another, and another.

Sen dodged them, quickly closing the gap. He threw a punch at the demon’s core and felt ribs crack under his fist. The demon skidded back, and the damage repaired itself. Even without Mary’s physical body, it must have absorbed and conserved some of her magic.

It convulsed again, and two new arms popped out of its back. Another convulsion. Two more arms. Now, six arms as large as Girch’s were ready to fight. As the creature leapt at him and threw a barrage of punches, Sen crossed his arms and endured the assault.

His wards screamed. Mana Protection threatened to crack. But under it all, unflinching anger dominated his mind. As the barrage of punches swarmed him, and he held out, his body was pushed back slowly. Closer and closer to the barrier behind him. The demon pushed him back one inch at a time, undoubtedly planning to pummel him into the wall itself.

“I didn’t want anymore people to get hurt today,” Sen said.

The sound of demonic flesh on wards and magically protected skin filled the air.

“I wanted to protect them. I told myself I would.”

His back hit the wall, and the barrier threatened to crack behind him from the pressure the demon was inflicting.

“I’m a greedy person. I don’t like failing once I set a goal. You took something away from me. You softened the satisfaction of overwhelming victory. That’s going to cost you so much more than you’re prepared to pay.”

The demon reached back and prepared a strike with the three fists on the left side of its body. It intended to end the fight here.

Sen dropped Mana Protection and his wards all at once. The demon sensed it. Perhaps it thought he was giving up.

“I want you to remember this feeling. It’s what victory feels like. That’s how I felt,” Sen said as the demon’s swing came barreling through the air with a whistle.

“I’m going to take it away.”

Sen caught the demon’s attacks with a single hand infused with pure mana.

The demon shook its head in anger and reared back with its opposite three hands to strike.

And then Sen was gone.

“One Thousand Thunders Maxima!” Sen’s hands clapped on either side of the demon’s cat-like ears from behind, reducing them to bloody lumps.

The creature convulsed, slowly consuming the stored magic to heal. It had treated a human being like a source of fuel it could conserve and use as it wanted. It spun around to strike Sen. But he’d already moved.

“Flesh Sculpt Maxima.” He moved under the effects of Encapsulation, and like ripping clay from the demon’s body, all three hands on its left side fell away. It roared in pain.

It swatted again, but Sen jumped high into the air before it could reach him. He looked down, a sneer on his face. “Flay Fire Torturous-Maxima.”

Torturous was a modifier that increased the pain output of a spell significantly. He considered it inhumane. It was exactly what this creature deserved. The Flay Fire spell burned off a singular layer of skin, one by one until the creature was reduced to nothing. But the greater demon had the ability to heal itself.

The cycle repeated just like that, over and over. Skin burned and healed, burned, healed, over and over.

Its instincts urged it to resist, to fight back and survive. The pain it was feeling made that unbearable.

Sen slowly descended and landed in front of the creature. “Black Wolf Howl.”

Two black wolves materialized on either side of him and leapt toward the demon. The creature was in too much pain to fight back. They ripped into its flesh, unaffected by the fire. Consuming the creature as the fire overwhelmed it.

“Beg for death.”

This creature, a greater demon of the noble rank was over level 450. It barely spoke human. It might not even know the right words.

It would suffer until it learned.

And so Sen sat there with his legs crossed and meditated while the creature wailed in agony before him. He did so until he finally heard what he was waiting for.

“Please,” the demon begged.

He opened his eyes and drew the artifact he’d been waiting to use.

The Artifact of the Stone Tomb.

The wolves backed away, lowering their heads to their master before disappearing. The tomb encased the demon and sealed it within.

[Greater Demon consumed.]

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Sen felt the Greater Demon’s presence leave the room. It was hard to kill them permanently, but breaking them of their will to survive was effective. That, and utterly annihilating them.

He’d done both.

A status update appeared.

[Spell Enhancement. The Black Wolf Howl spell has been enhanced. The Black Wolf Pack Leader feeds on its foes, growing stronger and developing a spirit. As the spirit develops, so does the pack.]

Sen squinted. He’d thought each use of the tomb would yield unique benefits, but this benefit built upon a prior one. That was interesting. But even more interesting was the information about developing a spirit. “Tutor, does that mean what I suspect?” he asked.

[It does. The Black Wolf Pack Leader has become a full spirit. As it consumes the flesh of others, it will grow stronger. It will level up alongside you if you let it.]

Sen was no stranger to spirits, but he hadn’t brought any of those he contracted to this time with him. They’d remained behind and aged with the world, while others would have gone into hibernation. Some might be stronger than when he left them. Others might have perished. He was used to having them around, though, and if this black wolf spirit and its pack proved themselves useful, that would be a delight indeed.

He waited for the next notification, knowing it was coming.

[Status Update]

[Mana Aggression +3]

[Mana Encapsulation +5]