Chapter 284 Erina's Crisis-Second Half
Erina, weakened and in agony, could not evade the relentless pursuit of the lower-ranked demon. With her right leg impaled by the demonic creature's iron spine, she stumbled and fell to the ground. The demon, sensing victory, closed in swiftly.
As Erina attempted to crawl away, the demon seized her by the shoulders with its clawed hands. Its grip was firm, and she winced in pain. The creature, growling with satisfaction, hoisted her off the ground, dragging her back toward the waiting Homer.
Erina resisted as much as she could, her struggle evident in the dirt-streaked and bloodied path she left behind. Despite her defiance, the demon's strength prevailed, and she was brought back to face the demonized figure of her former colleague.
Homer, a twisted semblance of his former self, grinned maliciously as Erina was brought before him, a captive in the infernal grasp of the demonic creature.
"Bitch, never thought that you would fall into my hands like this, did you?" Homer said with a sadistic smile, while its small, hand-like organs gripped hard on Erina's long, dyed golden hair.
Homer raised Erina's head to take a good look at her beautiful face, now marked with traces of blood due to her injury. Homer's lone bloodshot eye scrutinized Erina's features, scanning her model-like body clad in the protective suit, a skin-tight garment with moderate atlantean steel plate protection here and there.
"Pity that your beauty won't be of use to anyone other than my subordinates," Homer remarked with a mocking smile and a sinister cackle, before tossing Erina toward his lustful demon subordinates.
The demons immediately pounced on Erina, attempting to tear her armor apart. Though the protective suit held on, the synthetic cloth parts began to tear under the demonic strength.
Panicking, Erina glanced at the small reactor on the chest area of her suit. She struggled and tried to use her wrist console to overload the reactor. She'd rather be blown up along with these demons than endure the humiliation.
However, one of the demons forcibly clenched her arm away from the console, preventing her from carrying out her desperate plan. She remembered the enhancement implant in the base, still in the experimental phase. In hindsight, she wished she had volunteered for phase two, realizing it could have given her a better chance at surviving.
Bang!
Before the demon could react, a gunshot echoed, blowing off the demon's head that was attempting to tear Erina's protective suit. She then heard the distinct sound of VTOL engines from afar. Had the detachment force searching for her finally arrived?
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In a sudden burst of gunfire, demon heads were blown off one by one, the saviors were not soldiers but Daniel, who had just returned from the Indian Ocean. His mastery of the Grand Hunter, specializing in hunting myriad abominations and monsters, enabled him to swiftly dispatch all the demons.
With a swift and calculated precision, Daniel used his blessed blade to decapitate their heads or his large-caliber pistol that could kill a vampire in a single shot of large-caliber blessed bullets with holy explosive bullet heads.
His physical capabilities, enhanced by powerful magical energy and various enchantments, surpassed those of a human, making the eradication of the demonic threat appear almost effortless under his skilled hands.
Witnessing Erina's condition, Daniel let out a sigh of relief. If anything happened to her, he wouldn't know how to face Mr. Sun, who was not just an employee but also a friend of his family, with Erina having played with his daughter in the past when he was busy with work.
Observing the damage to Erina's protective suit and her leg injury, Daniel became perplexed. Her suit was considered an artifact and should fall within the protective range of the 'Hourglass of Eternity,' especially since it was crafted by his employees using the metal scarab and based on the blueprints and technology he provided.
Could it be that artifacts not created or actualized by himself wouldn't fall under the 'rule,' and the 'Hourglass of Eternity' wouldn't take effect on these artifacts?
Daniel realized he needed more information and planned to conduct experiments after the current situation was resolved, specifically to determine if items created through automated tools like the metal scarab would still be considered under the protection of the 'Hourglass of Eternity.'
Turning his attention back to the immediate danger, Daniel questioned Erina about how she ended up in her current situation.
"Erina, how did you end up here?" he asked.
"My plane got shot down, of course. That's why I'm here," Erina replied.
Daniel was alarmed by her response. It meant that any artifact he didn't personally create or actualize wouldn't fall under the protection of the 'Hourglass of Eternity.' Determined to address this after the ordeal, he wondered if artifacts made using automated tools, such as the metal scarab, would still be considered under the 'Hourglass of Eternity's' protection.
As Homer roared in anger and fired various guns from the turret-like organs on his back, Daniel calmly activated a magic shield he had enchanted himself, deflecting the bullets with ease.
"That demon seems to know you. Were you acquainted before his transformation?" Daniel asked calmly, seemingly unfazed by Homer's demonic presence.
Observing Daniel's composed demeanor, Erina wasn't surprised. Ever since she and her father learned about the existence of the Curtained World and the true extent of Daniel's power, she didn't consider demons like Homer to pose a significant threat to him.
"He's the one who piloted the plane that dropped the bomb on your condominium," Erina truthfully informed Daniel.
"That piece of shit?" Daniel glared at Homer, anger evident in his eyes. The incident had resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Reacting swiftly to his fury, Daniel fired shots at Homer. Witnessing the attack, Homer hastily retreated, retracting his head inside the tank armor plate like a turtle, though not before a few of Daniel's bullets pierced through.
"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgghghhhh," Homer's scream echoed from within his impromptu shell, refusing to expose his head. Instead, he initiated a counterattack, controlling the turret-like organs on his back to unleash a barrage of various weapons at Daniel.
Daniel didn't even bother to dodge, as the magic shield held firm, protecting both him and Erina from Homer's barrage.
Relentlessly, Daniel fired his weapons at Homer's tank-like armor plate, aiming to breach its defenses. Each shot left a visible impact, causing sparks to fly and leaving noticeable dents on the armored surface. However, the armor held firm, only allowing the bullets to penetrate to a limited degree.
Sheltered within his protective shell, Homer laughed and taunted Daniel. "Is that the best you've got, mortal? Your feeble attempts won't break through this armor! You can't touch me!"
Undeterred, Daniel switched to a more powerful weapon, unleashing energy blasts that struck the armor with greater force. The resulting explosions rattled Homer's makeshift shell, but it still remained intact.
"Hahahahaha, Mortal! Give it your all! Maybe then you'll make a scratch!" Homer jeered from inside his armored refuge, reveling in the perceived safety of his defensive posture.
Recognizing the need for a more potent weapon, Daniel calculated his options. As Homer continued his taunts, Daniel focused his energy, preparing to deploy a more formidable attack that could breach the tank-like armor and expose the vulnerable demon within.
"As you wish… I'll give it my all," Daniel responded coldly, a surge of murderous intensity gripping him as he recalled the scene of the bomb falling in the middle of the city—the flashing light and the heat he felt from the explosion. If it weren't for Michaela protecting him, he might have already perished.
Gathering his power, Daniel reactivated his avatar form—the power of Hecatonchires, the hundred-armed titan from the Era of Gods. His body floated high as pure red magical energy formed into a 30-meter-tall giant with a hundred arms floating behind.
In a torrent of magical power, Daniel's avatar, the mighty Hecatonchires, emerged, its towering form casting a dark shadow over the battlefield. Homer, still hidden within his makeshift armor, continued his taunts, unaware of the impending doom that loomed above.
With swift and deliberate movements, the avatar's hundred arms surged forward, each one endowed with supernatural strength. The air crackled with energy as the arms mercilessly tore into the tank-like armor that adorned Homer's demonized form. The once-impenetrable plates began to yield, piece by piece, under the overwhelming force of Hecatonchires.
Sparks flew, and the sound of rending metal filled the air as the magical arms tore through the armored exterior. Homer's protective shell, which had provided him with a false sense of invincibility, was being dismantled with ruthless efficiency.
"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhh!!" The sound of Homer's screams in agony reverberated within the ruins as each blood armor piece was ripped apart from his demonic shell.
Piece by piece, the armor was torn away, revealing the grotesque visage of Homer's demon form. The once defiant demon now trembled in agony, the pain of the avatar's relentless assault echoing through every fiber of his being. With a final, calculated maneuver, Hecatonchires ripped away the last remnants of the armor, laying bare Homer's demonic essence.
The demon, now defenseless and exposed, stared into the eyes of the vengeful avatar. The same terror that he had instilled in others now consumed him as he faced the consequences of his actions. Daniel, embodying the wrath of Hecatonchires, prepared to deliver the final blow that Homer so richly deserved.
"Wait!" Erina shouted, stopping Daniel who was about to use his avatar to punch down on Homer's head to end it once and for all.
Like a song of heaven, Erina's voice had halted his inevitable end. Homer smiled happily as Erina moved toward him. As expected, Erina, whom he knew wouldn't have the heart to let other people kill each other in front of her.
"Thank you, Erina. Thank you, thank you! Thank you for helping me." Homer, now lying on the ground without any hard shell and armor left, tirelessly thanked Erina for saving his life.
Erina didn't stop; she punched in a lot of commands on her console. She stopped in front of Homer's head. "Don't thank me; I didn't stop him because I wanted to help you," Erina said before ripping the small reactor out of her suit and shoving it into Homer's mouth. She quickly retreated behind Daniel's avatar.
"Ufff" Confused and surprised, Homer wanted to spit the small reactor out, but it was too late. The reactor underwent overload and exploded.
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