The entire forest grew dimmer as the black aura coming from the man filled it like paint spilling into the world. Screams of rage and cries of injustice filled with ears, making their blood boil with anger and fear of its source. The man with black robes stood there, gazing into them with unmoving eyes. It sent chills down their spines.
Every instinct these men had kicked in, killing all illusions of emerging as heroes for killing the demon. Vesper promised those with merits its blood, which would grant them unimaginable wealth, even if it was shared.
"We are not their match," said one man with a face covered in white hair, clearly not a human. He had multiple joints in his arms, which cowered in fear as he stepped back. "My clan will be abandoning this battle."
"Cowards should die!" roared Vesper with rage, his giant beard flaring as he stomped his foot on the ground. The entire forest shook before the man turned toward the humanoid creature that spoke earlier. Then, the half-giant grabbed into empty air, which caused a giant hand to materialize out of ether, heading toward the clan.
The entire platoon of tall, white-haired creatures grew alarmed at the sudden attack by their ally and rushed to form a barricade around their leader. Before the giant arm could slam into them, black lightning shot from the sky and struck it, shattering it like glass.
A rumble echoed as if thunder followed its lightning. The ethereal hand fell like scattered glass, disintegrating as they did. The entire army was mesmerized by the scene and turned their heads to the black-robed man who had his hand raised to the sky.
"What have you done to my ethereal hand?" asked Vesper, clearly shaken. His eyes were looking at the man with confusion and fear of the unknown that instantly defused his attack.
"I exerted my unwavering authority, denying its very existence," replied Arthur as he lowered his hand, black lightning still crackling. "You came here for blood, which you will get. I denied the gods their influence over your minds; your choices will determine your fate."
"What are you blathering about?" asked Vesper with a frown as he realized that his army was starting to lose formation. "No one leaves this place! He is just bluffing!"
"Do I need lies when their own eyes saw the truth?" asked the man covered in black lightning. "Your oppression has now powers here, brute. This forest will be a grave for you and those who follow."
"Are you protecting a demon?" asked a man covered in armor from head to toe, standing close to Vesper. Arthur could not see his face, but his voice was crisp and clear, radiating confidence. He realized it was the last commander of the three. "Are you protecting the enemy of mankind while acting like its savior?"
"I am not protecting her, but you," said Arthur as he stared at the armored man. "I know that you will die here if this battle commences. A thousand men tried before you and failed just as you will."
"Even if we die, demons are the bane of humankind. Nay, they are the bane of every race there is. No one is safe inside this tower if we allow a demon to roam free. If we let her take us down individually, we would never survive."
Arthur stared at the man, seeing that he was not being influenced by the gods but out of his moral conscience. He was here to do what he thought was right.
"I made a deal with the demon earlier," said Arthur, surprising the crowd. "I asked her to spare the lives she has taken and allow them to revive in their rooms. I managed to convince her, but I cannot say I can do it again."
"They must possess a man who allies himself with demons," said Vesper, taking this as a chance. "He wants to save this demon by these empty threats. If he has what it takes to defeat us, why wouldn't he take the demonic blood for himself?"
Arthur sighed once he saw that this logic managed to sway some of the crowd, who started to look at him with eyes of doubt. He managed to dispel the curse that affected their minds but could not make them smarter.
"I will take it from here," said Seraphine as she stepped forward, her red mist rising from the ground. "As I expected, fools deserve no saving. You did well, but these ungrateful dogs don't know what is good for them."
"This is the first time that I hear a demon talk this much," said the man in armor as he cupped his hands together. Then, a giant sword materialized in it, which made Seraphine halt her steps. "You should be able to tell what this is."
"…a holy sword," muttered Seraphine with a growl. Arthur did not know what this sword was, but using his knowledge about demons and their relationship with gods, he expected this sword could harm her.
"This is one of the few weapons that could kill a demon," said the man in armor, staring at them from behind his helmet. "I have dedicated my life for this sole purpose: to kill demons."
"I never expected I would encounter a foul-ass-kissing hero inside this tower," said Seraphine with a grin. "It might be fun to show a god the corpse of a hero."
"There will be no corpses today except for yours," said the armored man, raising his sword toward the sky. "I bless this domain with the protection of gods!"
A shining light erupted from the man and his sword before launching toward the sky. Arthur watched it with fascination as it tore through his black lightning and scattered in all directions to cover the crowd.
Then, he watched as the red mist shrunk in response. It was a sign that Seraphine had been weakened, but she did not seem concerned. However, for unrelated reasons, Arthur proposed something.
"I will give you the half-giant if you let me fight the holy warrior," said Arthur to Seraphine, making her turn toward him with confusion and a face that said she needed no help. "I'm not doing this to help you, but I'm interested in this holy sword."
"You want to see how you fare against the power of gods?" asked the demon with a grin as she saw through his intentions. "Go ahead, then. It could be beneficial to our anticipated fight."
"As I expected, you have allied yourself with demons," said the man with the giant sword as he lowered it. "I don't understand why a man of your caliber betrays humankind."
"And why would you assume what my caliber is?" asked Arthur with a smile as he walked toward the man. The army shifted in response as if fearing him more than the demon itself. "Your judgment of my actions means nothing to me. I will do what I want."
"Then, it will be my duty to crush this arrogance," said the man as he took his stance. Arthur could feel a strange pressure coming from his body. It worked to make the rest of the army make room for them. "And then, I will kill the demon."
"You might need to hurry," said Arthur as he turned back and looked at the rising mist. "She might kill everyone before we are done."
"Attack the demon!" roared Vesper, not caring for Arthur and his commander. His eyes were full of greed as he commanded his army, pushing them to rush forward. The army ran past the two combatants as they eyed each other.
"You seem careless about the lives of those you wanted to save," said the armored man as a holy aura leaked from his body. Arthur could feel his wrath being drawn out from him, and he allowed his black armor to form. "Has your true colors come to the surface?"
"I cannot save those who throw themselves to death," replied Arthur as he raised his hand, and Nightmare appeared in his hand. Its appearance made the holy warrior pause and stare at it in silence.
"Where did you obtain that weapon?" asked the holy warrior with apprehension rather than initiating the fight. "Is it the price the demon paid for your humanity?"
"I obtained it from this tower," said Arthur with confusion as he stared at his dagger. "It suits me quite well, I think."
"…it does indeed," said the warrior in a mysterious tone as he stepped forward, bolting toward Arthur at incredible speed. "Another reason to crush your existence."
"How can he who exists crush existence itself?" asked before shifting his face toward the incoming warrior with a grin. "You managed to incur my wrath, which is fatal."
The black lightning exploded from his body, completing the formation of his armor. Arthur gripped the dagger before swinging to meet the incoming giant sword. Bright light burst from the greatsword as it struck the blade, blinding the world.
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