Gradually, the battlefield becomes bloodier and more gory as time goes on.
It was starting to become clearer that the Rastrikan Demons had the upper hand against the army of Dwarves despite the help of the War Maul of Glacia, depicting their superiority as a high-rank Supernatural race.
About four or five Dwarves were needed to possibly take down a Rastrikan Demon.
More impressive knowing that Rex has been casting the Alpha Bearing ever since the battle started, suppressing the Rastrikan Demons around him. But the gap between their strengths is too much to close with that much.
Little by little, an iron scent started to permeate in the air.
Explosions of all kinds and the sound of weapons clashing against thick armor are the norm.
Just like Demon Lord Ranath himself, the demons in his legion possessed the same extraordinary ability to transform their arms into various weapons of their choice, granting them a vast array of options to deal with the Dwarven army.
One was even capable of creating a cannon, firing a demonic cannonball.
It exploded similarly to an artillery shell but also caused a mind corruption effect on the area.
Several Dwarves who were directly hit or positioned too close to the explosions had their mental barrier, amplified by the Mental Awakened broken, resulting in their minds being twisted into insanity which led them to attack their own comrades, further adding to the chaos on the battlefield.
Not only does this cause more chaos, but it also disorientates the army's formation.
Killing a previous comrade also induced them with a mental dilemma.
More so to the veteran who has a deep connection to their comrades, this is the spot that is taken advantage of by Demon Lord Ranath's legion which made them generally the most avoided to fight by the other races.
Attacking the mind is quite lethal to most races, causing a disturbing effect.
Being able to turn enemies against each other, forcing them to fight a friend is their specialty.
Under such a chaotic battlefield, the enemy becomes easy pickings for them.
"It's not looking good at all..."
"We already expected this, the Rastrikan Demons are too strong"
Peeking from the desolated slopes on the sides, two figures silently observed the ongoing bloody battle between the Rastrikan Demons and the Dwarven army. One of them was unmistakably Hastios, Queen Shanaela's right hand while the other appeared to hold the rank of captain within the Elves military.
Both alongside an army of Elves already did their tasks.
Rex has instructed them to follow the Dwarven army's route from the far flank and quickly moved into action, creating a formation barrier that would suppress the rampant energy if ever they got an unexpected surprise from the Rastrikan Demons.
Time has proven him wise once again.
Due to his meticulous nature, he managed to foresee this incident happening.
"I've heard of their reputation and rumor, yet I've never directly fought against a Rastrikan Demon. Now, seeing this, I know that the story I heard about their strength and barbarity has been watered down. In my view, they are completely unhinged" the Elven Captain mused whisperingly.
Rastrian Demons were a complete fighting maniac.
None of them even paused or flinched when they suffered damage that should be lethal.
It seems their pain receptors were non-existent.
Just the mere thought of facing a formidable group of demons devoid of pain and fear sent a chilling shiver down his spine. A potentially detrimental strike could be met with casual indifference, and a single misstep could lead to death.
No wonder the Dwarves deal a second finishing blow for each fallen Rastrikan Demon.
Hastios then nodded his head, "Even the Demon princes found them a headache"
"What should we do?" Frowning for a second, the Elven captain looked over to Hastios with a questioning look. "Should we follow orders and wait until the signal or should we go and flank the Rastrikan Demons right now?"
"Guess we'll have to see, if it's going too bad, we'll step in" Hastios replied.
But after he said that, a huge shockwave exploded and forced them to close their eyes.
Opening their eyes once again, the shockwave subsided, revealing two swirling hurricanes of energy that were destructive, emerging from different points on the battlefield, each originating from a separate battle.
Shifting their attention to the side of the battlefield, a white-furred figure can be seen.
"Is that a Werewolf...?" the Elven captain mused.
Upon hearing this Hastios nodded, yet he seemed to be shocked, "It's the Female Alpha"
Adhara is fighting against the Demon Captain, she has already turned into her Werewolf form of pure white realizing that the Elves have already finished the formation. It was obvious that she was going all out as her form was also adorned in purple fire.
But the power she emitted, increasing her strength exponentially proves to be working.
The Demon Captain was having a hard time against her.
'I wanted to infuse my Gladiator Form with my Werewolf form, but it seems I need to train to do that' Adhara thought amidst the battle. She tried to activate both powers simultaneously but found that she wasn't able to maintain it even for five seconds.
However, it seems there was no need for her to do that.
Clearly, the Demon Captain was having a difficult time fighting her, the speed and the explosions that were produced every time she attacked were taking a toll on him, able to even scorch his body that was naturally resistant to fire.
On top of that, their battles know no bounds.
Exchanging attacks on the ground, traversing vast distances, and even reaching the sky.
'I'll finish this one off and move on to the Demon Captains on the other side, the Dwarf generals are going to be in trouble if I'm late' Adhara pondered, deciding that she would need to take care of this one first.
Just then, pulsating shockwaves came from the center of the battlefield.
Hastios and the Dwarven Captain then viewed the center to observe the situation.
As the two of them expected, the most ferocious clash of the battle unfolded at the center, where Lord Rex and Demon Lord Ranath were locked in combat. Each of their collisions produced thunderous shockwaves that shook the entire battlefield.
Rex has his Banished Dark Moon King Mark glowing on his forehead already.
Clang!
Parrying Demon Lord Ranath's attack with his sword, he rolled to the side to avoid another powerful swing of the other hand. Recovering quickly, Rex's eyes flashed red, sending a mental attack as he focused the Alpha Bearing skill towards Demon Lord Ranath.
However, it failed miserably with a notification from the System.
<Failed to influence the target's mind!>
<Demon Lord Ranath, empowered by the Sin of Wrath and Envy is immune to mental attacks!>
What?! His mental stat is way lower than mine, I expected this to work.
Upon finding that the Alpha Bearing skill doesn't work on Demon Lord Ranath, Rex cursed inside his mind. Fatigue starting to catch up to him, the suppression from the First Breath made it so that his stamina was not bottomless anymore.
If he exerts himself too much and suffers much damage, he can become exhausted.
Rex also already forgot the number of times his limbs were severed, and that also applies to Demon Lord Ranath who also suffered the same. No matter if it's a slash from their weapons, biting, or clawing, their battles have no bounds.
A vicious fight that was intensified as their wounds rapidly healed to be torn once again.
Similarly, Demon Lord Ranath was also breathing heavily.
Just when he was about to make a move again, Demon Lord Ranath already disappeared and reappeared behind him. Raising his blade arm, he swung down, and struck Rex right on his shoulder, cutting it deeply.
Splash!
"Gargghk!" Rex grunted but he wasn't going to let this attack go free.
Moving his body expertly, he swept Demon Lord Ranath's legs cleanly. In addition, he then turned his torso and stabbed his claws right into Demon Lord Ranath's chest, all the way until he reached elbow deep.
The Silver Eye was knocked off earlier, and he now could only use his claws.
However, Demon Lord Ranath regained his standing and did an uppercut with his blade arm.
Rex felt the impending danger from below.
But he was a tad bit too late and got stabbed through his chin and into his mouth. It was only due to the fact he managed to grab Demon Lord Ranath's arm that the blade arm didn't penetrate through until it hit his brain.
Psshh!!
Stuck in this position, their wounds started steaming, starting the healing process.
"Are you still confident now? I'll bring death near for you"
Upon hearing this, Rex's eyes flashed with determination as he yanked Demon Lord Ranath's arm, freeing his chin and mouth. In an instant, Rex's body exploded with black thorns that gruesomely punctured multiple parts of Demon Lord Ranath's body.
It was his Thousand Lightning Thorns skill, perfect for this situation.
Slowly Rex exposes his grin despite the blood drenching his entire body and also drizzling out of his mouth. Due to the exhaustion, his regenerative ability has slowed down, and it was not instantaneous like before.
Eventually, his mouth and tongue were healed before he opened his mouth.
"Are you sure you're asking that to me? From the way I'm looking at this..." Rex paused, smiling even more maniacal as he leaned closer. "I'll be the one winning. Can you feel it...? I got your heart already"
Rex already asked the System earlier the way to kill Demon Lord Ranath.
Earlier, he managed to halfway sever his head but Demon Lord Ranath doesn't seem to be fazed by that attack. From the System, he learned that killing a Demon Lord is not as easy as the other entities he has fought.
A series of events must happen to kill Demon Lord Ranath.
First and foremost, his heart must be shattered. Then, the Sinful Epicenter, containing the power of the sins a Demon Lord possesses must be destroyed. Lastly, his head would need to be severed by a holy weapon for a permanent death.
Now that Rex has gotten his heart, he only needs two more steps to kill him.
Upon hearing this, Demon Lord Ranath's expression darkens, as those words strike a nerve.
Giving not a single damn about what Demon Lord Ranath was feeling right now, Rex punched him in the face, amplified with Sharp Lightning spell and also his red force, hurtling him away like a freshly fired bullet.
Crash!
That's a good fight, my body is aching from all the damage I suffered.
Rex was satisfied with this fight against Demon Lord Ranath.
I can finally breathe again...
The fight provided the right amount of pain and exhilaration to make all of his frustrations go away, a phenomenal sensation, and he could not breathe easily again, almost as if the weight inside his chest had been lifted.
But as he was about to finish Demon Lord Ranath, the ground suddenly started to shake.
Kaboom!
A fiery blast erupted from the point where Demon Lord Ranath had crashed earlier.
Despite numerous wounds that marred his body and drained his life force to the brink of exhaustion, breathing heavily as he fixed his gaze onward, he stood imposingly. Taking one powerful step forward, he glared at Rex with immense bloodlust.
"You think all of this is the first time for me?" He said frustratingly. "Fighting someone who wanted to teach me fear? Someone who is arrogant enough to stand against me? Someone who wanted to kill me? No... Don't flatter yourself with that delusion"
Kaboom!
Demon Lord Ranath's energy turned into an imposing mountain, cracking the ground around.
It seemed the sins empowering him were activated to the fullest.
"Do you have any idea... How many prideful entities like you I've slain? How many battles I've engaged in? How many wars I've emerged victorious from? How many Werewolves, Ancient Humans, and even Anomalies like you I've killed with my hands?!"
Like a cornered beast, he roared overbearingly, his aura spiking by the second.
"And you think this time will be different...?"
"You think you will be different...?" He said whisperingly. But in the next second, his eyes flared with hellfire, depicting his pride as a fearsome demon of ancient times. "I AM DEMON LORD RANATH!"
KABOOM!
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