504. Grand Battle

Scarlet’s eyes grew wide as she watched the [Chthonic Agaros] rip its way through the United Coalition army. She cursed, seeing its tendrils shoot down and rip through barriers and pierce hundreds of soldiers at once. The Red Rose gritted her teeth and moved forward.

“I’ve got to stop it—”

She sprinted ahead, producing her daggers as she watched the wild Primeval Demon continued shredding through hundreds at once. She was about to leap through the air when a figure moved ahead of her.

The Elite Ranked [Rogue] paused, staring as a familiar man strode forward with his ornate spear. Mori Gladius— or, rather, the fake Mori Gladius— walked ahead of the Red Rose, much to her surprise. Scarlet watched as he raised his spear, whispering under his breath.

What is he doing? She was suspicious for a moment, worried about what he might do. But then her eyes grew wide as a flash rippled throughout the nearby soldiers. The [Chthonic Agaros] struck down with a dozen tendrils, targeting a group of soldiers, but a bright light repelled its attacks.

Scarlet blinked. The soldiers glanced down at themselves with wide eyes, and Mori Gladius walked past them.

“I suggest you run.”

He spoke simply, raising his spear. The [Chthonic Agaros] let out a screech as he stared it down. It swooped down his way, but he threw his weapon. The Bloodforged Lance streaked up through the air and struck the wild Primeval Demon’s underbelly.

It recoiled as its entire body flashed with an iridescent glow. Scarlet looked on, seeing her leader hold back the [Chthonic Agaros] as the closest soldiers and adventurers fled. The wild Primeval Demon let out a shriek, only to be bombarded by spells from afar.

For a moment, the Red Rose forgot this was a faker. She ran to her leader’s side and nodded at him as the wild Primeval Demon flitted into the air.

“What shall we do, Mori?”

She asked, ready to heed his every word. But as the [Chthonic Agaros] let out its shrill screech, hundreds of [Savage Agarats] gathered overhead. The Archdemons circled around their Primeval evolution, protecting it from the onslaught of spells and projectiles flying its way.

The Champion of the Human Lands raised his head. And turned around.

“Let us leave it to the other Elites.”

Scarlet paused.

“What?”

She stared at him as he started away from the [Chthonic Agaros]. Then she heard a shout. Scarlet looked up just in time to see a man charging forward with a giant hammer. He leapt into the air, swinging down at the wild Primeval Demon as his weapon flashed.

The [Chthonic Agaros] recoiled, sent crashing into the earth. Scarlet blinked. A voice called out.

“That’s Hekhi the Blacksmith Warrior of Soros! He’s one of the Eastern Kingdoms Alliance’s Elites! ”

The Red Rose watched as he continued hammering away at the wild Primeval Demon’s chest. It struck back with an onslaught of tendrils, and he reeled. But just before its attack could reach him, a figure appeared from his shadows.

Orgaf the Thief of the Golden Scales sliced apart the protruding tendrils, spinning around with his two daggers raised. He unleashed a flurry of shadows strikes, and Scarlet gritted her teeth.

“Now’s our chance to take that Primeval Demon down now!”

She turned to the fake Mori Gladius. But he just faced the crimson pillar in the distance. The grand ritual itself. He strode forward, shaking his head.

“They will deal with it. Let us focus on putting a halt to what matters.”

Scarlet just stared at him as he quickly abandoned the [Chthonic Agaros], his attention past even the fighting [Archarachnes] ahead. He raised his spear as tens of thousands of adventurers rallied to him.

“Remembered Order Company! To me!”

Tyrian the Brightsbane Archer lowered his bow, looking away from the speeding [Hellabomination]. He nodded and bounded after his leader. The massive army of adventurers swarmed past the [Chthonic Agaros], heading straight for the army of Demons ahead. Those at the front glimmered with a golden aura, empowered as their footsteps moved faster and faster. A leadership Skill, of sorts. Probably one of Mori’s Title Skills.

They charged into battle. And they did it all because they followed one man— Mori Gladius. Even though he was a faker. Even though he wasn’t really the Champion of the Human Lands.

Scarlet clicked her tongue, watching this scene play out. She glanced back to see Orgaf, Hekhi, and a soldiers from the Helbir League and Eastern Kingdoms engage in combat with the [Chthonic Agaros]. She looked past that to see Salvos and Clayton Skyshredder battling the [Hellabomination] in the sky.

Finally, the Red Rose shook her head. She was the only one who could keep an eye on Mori. She was the only one who knew he was a fake. So she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. Scarlet made her decision, following after him into battle.

Orgaf tore his way through the swarm of tendrils that shot up towards him. He laughed, spinning around as he sliced apart the mass of protrusions. The [Chthonic Agaros] couldn’t do anything to harm him. It struggled, trying to fly up, only for Hekhi to hammer it back down.

The swarm of [Savage Agarats] zipped around the wild Primeval Demon, but they were kept at bay by the army of Humans surrounding them. They swooped down, crushing entire squads of soldiers. But a hail of shadow projectiles blasted them back. A black of flame and ice kept the flock in the air, reeling.

Alice the Shadow Consort, Edithe Dawnrise, and the Valiant Dreamers Company surrounded the [Chthonic Agaros]. They loosed spells and arrows at the [Savage Agarats] that heeded the wild Primeval Demon’s call, keeping them back.

Orgaf grinned, realizing the [Chthonic Agaros] was pinned. He sliced through another set of tendrils before vanishing into the shadows. He zipped around the forest of appendages, moving in a nigh untouchable form, before appearing by its massive maw. He swiped up with his two daggers as he whispered.

“[Killing Blow].”

The wild Primeval Demon shrieked as his tiny daggers dug through its neck. It bled a black blood, flying back as a giant cut appeared in its flesh. He would’ve followed up with another strike— with a [Dark Backstab] or the like, but it swatted him down with its wings.

The Thief of the Golden Scales caught himself as he landed lightly on his feet. He clutched at his shoulder. It was bleeding and bruised. But he took a quick swig from a healing potion as Hekhi continued pounding away at the wild Primeval Demon.

“If that bastard steals my—”

Orgaf started. But suddenly the [Chthonic Agaros] violently convulsed. It threw Hekhi off itself as its tendrils shot out in all directions. The Thief of the Golden Scales watched as the wild Primeval Demon’s body rippled. It was like its midsection was opening up, spilling out its innards. Black blood poured forth, but instead of organs, more tendrils exploded in a deluge.

Hekhi crashed into the ground, raising his hammer as the falling tendrils threatened to crush him. The nearby adventurers tried to burn or slice through the outpouring of tendrils, but it was endless. It wasn’t that the [Chthonic Agaros] was regenerating. It just kept producing more and more tendrils that moved like a wall of flesh.

The Thief of the Golden Scales frowned, seeing this growing mass threaten to consume everything around it.

“This is… a Grand Skill?”

It had to be. The wild Primeval Demon was growing by the second, and it didn’t seem to be stopping. If left unchecked, it would’ve only continued to grow like some kind of twisted tumor.

“Valiant Dreamers— retreat!”

Orgaf heard Hadrian bellowing in the distance. He saw Edithe raising her staff and conjuring a white aura.

“[Vindication of They]!”

The essence of the death adventurers and soldiers coalesced into what seemed like an ethereal giant winged bird. It shot out at the [Chthonic Agaros], exploding all at once. A powerful blast. A respectable Skill, considering her level.

But Orgaf knew it wasn’t nearly enough. After all, she was up against a Grand Skill. And he watched right as the explosion was overwhelmed by the growing Primeval Demon. Its scale-like skin continued to unfurl, turning into this mass of empurple appendages.

It had to be stopped. Edithe and the rest of the Valiant Dreamers fled as the Thief of the Golden Scales stepped forward. He watched as Hekhi was battered, overwhelmed by the wild Primeval Demon’s Grand Skills.

Orgaf shook his head and raised a dagger. There was only one way to slow down this proliferating monster. And that was to tear through it faster than it could grow.

So the Thief of the Golden Scales stepped forward.

“A Grand Skill to defeat a Grand Skill.”

He whispered, raising his dagger. And shadows moved around him. They shifted— spinning around him like a cyclone of blades. Orgaf spoke as he charged forward.

“[The World Shall Bleed By My Blade].”

And he dove straight into the proliferating mass of tendrils. The [Chthonic Agaros] reeled, letting out a terrible shriek as the Elite Ranked [Rogue] tore through its flesh. He laughed maniacally as he pressed on, uncaring about the growing Primeval Demon.

It reeled and screamed and tried to keep him back. But the world around him was nothing but moving shadows. He slashed around him at such incredibly fast speeds, his blade became a mere blur. Only the shadows that trailed behind the swings were left.

Orgaf shot forward with a cackle. He didn’t back down. And he couldn’t be touched by the [Chthonic Agaros]. Even as it called for its [Savage Agarat] minions to guard it. Even as its sea of appendages swarmed his way. Anything that came close to the Thief of the Golden Scales was shredded into bits and pieces.

He charged straight for the Primeval Demon’s maw. It opened its mouth, and even more tendrils shot out from its insides. But Orgaf leapt into the air. He tore his way straight into its open mandibles.

The [Chthonic Agaros] screeched as he ripped apart the appendages protruding from its mouth. He crashed into its inside, tearing everything he came into contact with into pieces. A storm of neverending blades that sliced apart this neverending deluge of tendrils.

He continued running through it, spilling its black blood everywhere, until eventually he shot out from the other side, through the [Chthonic Agaros]’s tail.

It wheezed behind him. The tsunami of tendrils rapidly receding as the Primeval Demon fell from the sky. Orgaf glanced back, seeing its lifeless body fall to the ground as the gathering of [Savage Agarats] regained their senses.

A flurry of notifications echoed in Orgaf’s head. The sound of victory— and of level-ups.

He grinned as his Grand Skill came to an end, and he landed atop the corpse of the wild [Chthonic Agaros].

I glanced back, seeing the first of the wild Primeval Demon falling dead. Orgaf had dove straight through the [Chthonic Agaros], shredding it from the inside out. He exploded from the other side, and it collapsed. I nodded approvingly before turning my focus back to the enemy before me.

The [Hellabomination]. It floated high above the clouds, an ethereal blue glow wreathed around its body. Clayton Skyshredder flew next to me, his sword raised as he eyed the wild Primeval Demon.

No matter what either of us did, we couldn’t touch it. But still, we had to take it down. I whispered as I twirled my Divine Nebular Scythe behind me, counting the wild Primeval Demons left on the field.

“One down. Three to go.”

“One down. Three to go.”

Levithus spoke as he saw the [Chthonic Agaros] collapse lifeless. He saw the defense of Inor failing— the Humans tearing through the army of Demons. Mori Gladius led the charge through the hordes of wild Demons as the [Archarachnes] continued their bout with each other.

And Levithus just smiled.

“Good.”