Time seemed to slow for a heartbeat as the mysterious figure cut through the air with incredulous speed, and for a moment, the clash of steel and magic halted as the figure descended, even though only to him.
In that charged moment, the demon marshals’ attention snapped away from the three leaders. They exchanged wary glances, their eyes narrowing as they tried to decipher the new threat. Even though it was a distance away, they could feel it clearly.
Lance, Ruzak, and Gorvak fought on despite the distraction, almost as though they hadn’t felt the new arrival.
Their battle with the demon marshals was not yet over, each blow exchanged was a testament to their strength and resilience. Yet even as they parried and countered, it was clear that the enemy was as formidable as ever. The demon marshals’ power had already proven to be nearly insurmountable, and their onslaught was now marked by devastating precision.
The mysterious figure began to weave through the chaos of battle all over like a thread to those who were the on lookers. The demon marshals momentarily faltered, and for one brief second, the tide of battle seemed to hang in balance.
Lance, feeling the shift, gripped his sword tighter, his eyes never leaving the formidable opponents before him. Ruzak’s and Gorvak’s expressions mirrored his determination as they attacked harder.
The demon marshals, reeling from the sudden interruption, regained their composure and renewed their assault with unrelenting brutality. One of them lashed out, and Gorvak barely managed to deflect the attack with his axe. The clash produced a shock-wave that rocked the ground beneath them, leaving a small crater in its wake.
Time and again, the monster coalition leaders surged forward, only to be driven back by the raw, unyielding power of the demon marshals. The leaders’ injuries mounted; gashes, bruises, and broken bones, but with each painful setback, Lance’s healing magic pulsed, restoring them. It was as if his magic was the only thing keeping them in the fight at this point.
The demon marshals paused, their cold eyes widening in disbelief as they witnessed the swift, almost illogical recovery. It was clear that the healing magic Lance wielded was no mere last resort, it was a potent force that could keep even the most grievously injured warriors in the fight.
However, that alone was enough to bring the demon marshals to their final decision.
"We’ve had enough fun with these three, its time we finished it." The leaner demon said. The larger one nodded, his gaze shifting beyond the three before him for a brief moment. Their expressions hardened, and their stance shifted, signaling that they would no longer take things easy.
In that very moment, however, everyone came to an unexpected halt as if the very air had been commanded to still, a heavy, palpable silence descending upon them.
From above, a figure descended with a graceful but chaotic force as if born from the shadows themselves. Standing at an imposing 6’5", the mysterious warrior was clad in armor as black as obsidian, from which a continuous fog of darkness and shimmering light flowed, a living tapestry of ethereal power that both mystified and terrified those who beheld him. His presence was mythical, an apparition of both fear and awe, and his very form seemed to command the natural order to pause.
He landed with a grace that belied his size, the impact of his arrival almost seeming to have been muffled by the swirling mist that clung to him. All eyes focused on this enigmatic figure immediately, unsure if it were a friend or foe.
Then, in a voice that resonated with the deep maturity of the wise and the authority of a ruler, the armoured figure spoke.
"Enough."
His tone was calm yet unyielding.
"Cease this futile conflict. You will not prevail by tearing yourselves apart." He said, referring to the three leaders.
His words cut through the tension like a blade. Lance, Ruzak, Gorvak and even the demon marshals exchanged uneasy glances.
His words for one stung the leaders’ pride as warriors in the silence that followed, and though each knew the truth in his declaration, the bitter taste of defeat and subjugation nibbled at their resolve.
Breaking the quiet, one of the demon marshals, the larger one with a scarred, ashen face and eyes burning with defiant malice, stepped forward. "Who are you to command us?" he demanded, his voice laced with anger. "We are the marshals of the demon lord! We serve no one else, and we answer only to him!" She said,
The mysterious figure in black armour lifted his head a little as he replied, his voice deep and resonant. "You would do well to listen, demon."
Before any further words could be exchanged, the demon, fueled by fury, launched a powerful strike with his thick, muscular arm straight at the man in dark armor. The attack was swift, a blur of motion, but the mysterious figure responded with uncanny speed. In one fluid, imperceptible motion, he raised his hand. The movement was so fast and precise that no one present saw it, not even the demon marshals.
When the flurry of motion subsided and the onlookers strained to follow, it was already done, the demon’s arm had been severed cleanly, the fresh wound exposing raw flesh and bone, and the very act of the counterattack had left a gash across his hand, evidence that he had sliced it on the edge of the mysterious figure’s sword, a sword that appeared out of nowhere. In that moment, the mysterious figure now held a massive sword nearly as tall as himself, with a blade that shimmered with an almost otherworldly dark, just like his armour.
The huge demon grunted in pain, stumbling backward as if trying to regain his balance. He took a step, only to be met by the mysterious figure once more. In a blink, the dark-armored man reappeared mere inches from the demon’s throat, his sword inches away from beheading the demon, and the huge sword held effortlessly as if it were no heavier than a practice sword. The demon’s eyes widened in disbelief at the man’s movement and speed; even the leaner demon, who had contemplated fleeing moments before, remained still, unable to tear his gaze away from the display of speed and strength. It was far more than they could accomplish.
For those few moments, the clearing was filled with an almost palpable dread. The leaders from the coalition, Lance, Ruzak, and Gorvak, watched in stunned silence as the demon marshals reeled from the sudden and ruthless intervention. It became unmistakably clear to them that this man in dark armor was far beyond the limits they had dared imagine… more so for Lance than anyone else.
Almost without a care, the armoured man turned to survey the battlefield briefly before, he said to Lance and the other two with him, "I have taken care of the remnants of their inferior forces." He said, his voice carrying not a hint of pride, only the detached certainty of one who has fulfilled a necessary duty. "The time for petty skirmishes is over. Now, I commend you, leaders, for your tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds. You have proven that even the smallest, most unassuming of your kind can rise when the moment demands it."
The words fell heavily upon them, stirring a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. The demon marshals however, hearing of the fate that the rest of the army had met, exchanged wary glances, unsure of what to do next.
It was then they all noticed that the cries from the battlefield had quieted down significantly and the forest had fallen quiet once more.
Then, out of nowhere, a new presence made itself known, descending gracefully from the sky. Clad in green and gold armor, his features were elegant and refined, a striking contrast to the imposing, shadow-wreathed figure who had just disrupted and ended the battle moments ago. He was unmistakably an elf, and his bearing suggested that he held a high rank among his people. The elf landed lightly on the mossy ground, his eyes surveying the scene.
The man in dark armor inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment of the elf’s arrival, receiving a similar curt nod back from the elf. "Good, we were worried you’d kill them." he said, his voice deep but mellow.
"I know how to control my own strength, you need not worry. If you may, heal this one so he stops bleeding. He may die otherwise." The man in armour said, lowering his arm as his sword disappeared into the darkness.
Everyone watched the weapon disappear with amused gazes, even the demons.
"Of course. The others will be here soon also. Since you’ve taken care of most things here, we just have to wait." The elf said, moving towards the demon marshals to stop the bleeding from the demon’s severed hand.
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Once he was done, he turned to Lance, Ruzak and Gorvak. "Sorry for the late introduction. I am the elven king, Cauldrus."