PHUCK!
I watched in real-time as Eve's spear drove clean through the majin's stomach. I knew the weight of that strike; she had activated her most lethal skills to ensure that blow did as much damage as physically possible.
I didn't waste a single second lingering on the sight—FWOOSH!
I immediately flew straight toward them to deliver a follow-up attack while the enemy was pinned.
"...!"
But as I closed the distance, the majin's head snapped toward me. She glared at me with a look of pure hatred, blood dripping steadily from the corners of her mouth.
She bit her lip hard enough to draw more blood, and then, she opened her mouth wide—
"GRAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
She unleashed a roar so violent it felt like the air itself was tearing apart, her demonic energy scattering in every direction like a physical explosion!
CRASH!
The already broken windows shattered into a million tiny shards, and deep cracks began to spiderweb across the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling. The entire room shook from the sheer force of the shockwave she generated!
"GAH...!"
BAM!
Eve was caught right in the center of the blast and was sent flying backward. She slammed hard into a wall, the impact forced her to leave her weapon behind, still stabbed in the enemy.
"Ugh...!"
I threw my arm up to shield my face, my momentum completely killed as I was forced to stop dead in my tracks just to keep from being blown away.
The others brace themselves against the tremors as well— all of us kept our eyes locked on the center of the chaos, waiting for the dust to settle.
And after a long, tense moment... FWIP-
The suffocating surge of demonic energy vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving a chilling silence in its wake.
But standing at the source was no longer the woman we had been fighting. The majin... she had transformed into a being that was entirely different from anything human!
Her eyes had turned completely black, devoid of any light or soul. Two sharp horns protruded from her head, while massive, bat-like wings unfurled from her back. To finish the horrific image, a long, thin tail flicked behind her with disgusting fluidity.
'Demonic transformation.'
My brows furrowed deeply as I took in her new form.
It was a transformation that multiplied a majin's physical power alongside their innate demonic abilities. The only reason they didn't rely on this form constantly was because it literally drained their life force the longer it stayed active.
But seeing that she had resorted to it now only meant one thing: Eve had dealt a wound so severe it threatened her life.
Though... as I watched, that gaping wound in her stomach began to knit itself back together, healing completely as the transformation finalized—
"That's cheating, ugh."
I grumbled to myself as I hovered in the air.
The majin was now holding Eve's spear in her left hand, a dark, suffocating aura swirling around her. Then, without any warning—
"..."
She shifted her cold gaze directly onto me!
'Fuck!'
I cursed in my head, and in the next heartbeat—FWOOSH!
The majin was suddenly right in my face, thrusting Eve's spear forward with a speed I could barely track, aiming straight for my stomach!
TANG!
I reacted on instinct, swinging [Emmeranne] in a sharp diagonal arc to deflect the tip of the spear just enough. Then, with a swift, desperate spin— SWISH— I narrowly avoided being skewered through the middle.
[Nyx] was already raised and leveled at the majin's head the moment I completed my turn, and without missing a single beat—
PSH- PSH- PSH- PSH-!
I emptied all of my remaining bullets at point-blank range!
I had hoped she would try to dodge again, giving me the window I needed to put some distance between us— SLASH!
But she didn't move. Using claws created from pure demonic energy, she swiped through the air and shredded every single one of my bullets into scrap metal!
BAM!
"GURGH...!"
Before I could even process the loss of my attack, she drove her foot straight into my stomach with the force of a battering ram!
BOOM!
My back slammed into the hard ground with a sickening thud. I bit my lip hard to keep from crying out in pain. With a pained frown, I looked up through blurred vision and saw the majin diving toward me at a terrifying speed.
THUD!
She landed heavily on top of me, pinning me down with her weight while a mischievous, cruel smile spread across her face.
-I will kill you first.
She declared her intent with chilling calm as she raised Eve's spear high into the air, ready to drive it through my chest.
FWIP-!
I realized I couldn't reach my sword in time, so I dropped [Nyx] and grabbed the shaft of the spear with both hands to hold it back, and immediately—
"AOI...!"
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
F W I S H—!!!
An arrow glowing with incredibly dense, compressed mana tore through the air like a streak of light. The majin sensed the incoming danger and clicked her tongue in annoyance as she glared down at me one last time.
BOOM!
She leaped away at the last second, leaving the arrow to strike the floor where my head had been moments before. It exploded upon impact.
"Ugh...!"
I scrambled to my feet, clutching my sword in one hand and Eve's spear in the other. I saw Eve already circling around the majin, trying to make her way back to my side.
WHOOSH~
I threw her spear back to her the moment she got close enough, and then I quickly reached down to retrieve [Nyx] from the floor.
"Thanks, I owe you again."
"It's nothing. You dealt a lot of damage to her; just losing your weapon in that blast is impressive enough."
I told her quickly, my eyes never leaving the majin.
I could feel the pressure radiating off her now; her overall rank had clearly jumped by an entire level.
If she was an [A-] Rank threat before, this transformation had pushed her into the [S-] Rank; she was now just a single level below Ruby!
We had originally planned to work together to take her down right here, but now that the stakes had changed so drastically—
"Change of plans; hold out and don't die until one of the professors arrives."
I said that to the rest of the group, a heavy frown etched onto my face.
It had only been about fifteen minutes since this fight started, but with the intensity of it all, it felt like we had been fighting for an eternity.
-Hah! Hold out, huh...
The majin said, scoffing.
SWISH—
-I'LL SEE YOU ALL STRUGGLE AND KILL EACH OF YOU!!!
Then she suddenly vanished from her spot and reappeared directly in front of me, screaming those words!
I raised my sword and braced my entire body for the impact, but before the majin's claws could reach me—
"[Burst]"
I heard a calm voice.
BAM— TIIIIING!
Then out of nowhere, Curtis appeared in front of me, his blade locked against the majin's claws as he blocked the strike!
"I'll buy you guys thirty seconds."
He said, his voice steady despite the pressure.
BAM!
He followed up with a powerful kick, forcing the majin back and dragging her into a direct confrontation with him!
TANG! TING! CLANG—!
Curtis began a high-speed exchange with the majin, and at first, it actually looked like he was keeping pace with her. But as the seconds ticked by...
SLASH!
"Urgh...!"
Dozens of small, bloody cuts began to appear all over his body as the majin's superior speed allowed her claws to graze him again and again.
"KAHAHAHAHAHA—!"
The majin didn't even seem to be trying anymore; she was just laughing as she toyed with him.
I didn't waste the seconds Curtis was giving us.
'Sariel, mana potion and health potion, high quality ones!'
I shouted that in my head.
[Here!]
Immediately after the thought left my mind, two high-grade bottles appeared out of thin air and fell into my hands. They're from the [System Shop].
FWIP— GULP!
I ripped the caps off and downed the contents as fast as possible. I felt a wave of nausea from the sheer speed of it... but I didn't care about the taste.
The moment I finished the last drop—BOOOM!
I saw a figure fly through the air and slam violently into a wall. It was Curtis.
It looked like his skill duration had finally reached its limit.
The majin didn't stop, landing on the ground and immediately charging toward the spot where Curtis had crashed.
"BLAKE!"
I shouted.
"[SHIELD BASH!!!]"
Blake roared as he activated his skill. He threw his massive frame forward with his heavy shield positioned in front of him, desperately trying to intercept her.
The majin skidded to a halt and looked at Blake, her lips curling into a wide grin—
TUUUNK!!!
She threw a single, monstrous punch directly into the center of his shield, leaving a massive dent in the thick metal.
"KEUK?!!"
Blake was sent sliding backward from the sheer force, but he had successfully stopped her from reaching the downed Curtis.
The majin then slowly turned her attention back to me, giving me a small, mocking nod.
-As I thought, you're the leader, huh.
Then she said that, her smile growing wider and more dangerous.
***********
Curtis' skill:
[Burst]
-Upon activation, all of your stats will be multiplied by 2 for the next 30 seconds.
