Chapter 111 - Demon on Demon on Demon

The reason I needed all this extra Mana was not only because this body's magical limits were marginally better than Reniel's, but also so that I may incorporate my style more aptly. How could I be the Sword Demon if my slashes and thrusts didn't tremble the very earth?

I pool all the magic I could muster into the tip of the now-rapier, drawing back my elbow as I took my stance, preparing to thrust the Low trash in front of me into oblivion. If the Dragonling died too, then oh well. I keep a close eye on the remaining Mana as it surges over the sword. 'Almost… Almost…'

[Mana: 72/136]

[Mana: 61/136]

[Mana: 50/136]

Finally, right as it was about to hit the tens, I prepare to thrust forward, the weapon feeling understandably heavier. "Rrrraaagh!"

[Cooldown complete!]

"…Huh?"

[Activating Klum's Reincarnation…]

[DEX was reduced to 1.]

"What the fuck?!" I yell, spotting some of the veins tracing along my arm shining bright white instead of black.

'Yes!'

"Noo! You will not—"

My free hand claps over my mouth, and I collect my Mana in my center — right where the Demon Seed is located. 'I hate this plan too, by the way.'

"YU WWUH STUPP MM!!"

{A/N: Can't everyone just speak normally?? "You won't stop me!"}

The remaining Mana collecting in my chest flies to my right hand, pouring into the handle, and the context of what I'm doing dawns on me. "WAHH! WAHH!"

{A/N: Sigh… "Wait! Wait!"}

The rest of my Mana flows into the handle of Beholder's Eye, taking the demonic energy with it.

It felt like my consciousness was splitting, but I felt much more in control now. Good.

There were still a few more things I had to take care of, though. Namely, an explosive ball of magic and the fact I was about to fall on my face. Oh, and a demon possessing my friend.

With my Dexterity (and thus, Accuracy), being heavily nerfed, I just had to pray. 'Please let this just hit her shoulder or something,' I think, thrusting the sword forward.

[7% chance achieved.]

<Woow, so lucky. Totally not affected by anyone's grace or anything.>

I crash to the floor, condensing the burst into as tight a beam as I can manage. It curves, so slight that I can only see it because I'm laying on the ground. It's aiming right for…

'Her shoulder.'

Ro decides that now is the best time to turn into an alligator. Or maybe his Instincts are telling him to move? Because he decides to twist his head and roll, resulting in a gorey crunching sound as he finally tears her foot free. Of course, this causes her to begin to fall. I've accepted that the magic is going to miss, but it has other plans.

It still blasts right where I had been hoping, a pinpoint spot right above her arm. I watch in panicked shock as the entire shot of magic curves irregularly in order to hit the spot I had been staring at; and I was only able to compress the blast into a large beam. One that is large enough to completely separate her limb from her body, which thuds to the ground next to Ro's head as the beam continues onwards so violently, it passes through the wall, a corner of another building, and through the mountain until it breaks completely through, allowing weak sunlight to somewhat pass inside.

The following silence has each of us in a chokehold, as the others look between me and a paling Freyal.

The crow's head deforms, changing back into a human face surrounded by black feathers. Her legs finally give out, and I sprint full-speed to catch her. My own body is starting to lash out at me too, but I ignore it. The Mana Rejection and nausea could wait.

… Maybe.

"Hurk… You turned into a hypocrite there, you know," Yauln says with a soft smile. "Hush," I respond quietly. "We can salvage this. I mean, you're in control now, right?"

She coughs. "Yeah, no. You got a pretty powerful blow, and the demon's Mana is rejecting my own. I just— can you just— Panth…"

A thick paw slams around the back of my neck, and I barely have a split second to think, 'is this the moment I realized… I fucked up?' before I'm thrown through a wall for the second time today. I'm on track to break my all-time record,at this rate.

As I stumble to my feet, the nausea wins and I vomit on some rubble to my right. Termi takes a few steps away cautiously, looking at me in slight disgust. 'It's not my fault, jeez.'

In Eni's bedroom, a half-lion monster cradles his wife helplessly, tears streaming down his face. "Nononononono. It's okay, you're okay."

"Babe, it's okay. Just… breathe. I need you to promise… take care of Leuve… okay?"

She doesn't give him a chance to reply, her black skin rippling as she begins to convulse severely. I watch grimly as the dark Mana rampages through her body, unable to do anything to stop it. Choking on my swollen throat, I yell, "Pantholeo!"

He swings his eyes around to stare me down, and I meet his gaze evenly. Slowly, I shake my head. 'I'm sorry.'

He seems to understand the gesture, as he turns to look at the woman he grew up with. Beginning to sob, he draws her in, hugging her tightly. As he steadily tenses his muscles more and more, his cries grow louder, until with a sharp movement, he snaps her neck. I flinch at the sound, turning away. I notice Eniyala, Termi, and even Ro, doing the same out of respect for the man.

On the other hand, Lynsel has finally pulled off the rag, his eyes locking onto the motionless body as he freezes in place.

I look up to the ceiling, contemplating if the Gods are watching, and if so, how many.

Mid-thought, a shadow passes over me. I look over shakily to see a beast glaring down at me, fur on his cheeks glistening. "Uh," I start to say, but I'm immediately cut off by his brutish arms wrapping around me. It's immediately hard to breathe, and I panic slightly, thinking that I'm next. "Wait, I'm not— wait!!"

At first, I try to free myself from the bear… no, lion hug, but I freeze when I hear the quiet sounds of grief coming from the man. I reach up and pat his mountain of a back. "I'm sorry… I wish I could have done something different… Anything."

"I know," he eventually replies, sniffling. "She seemed so much happier after what you guys did. I'm sure… she's at peace."

I nod. "I know she is."

My back patting increases suddenly, and I tug at the man's arms. He releases me, and I lean to my left and vomit again. Pantholeo is stuck watching in horror as I go for roughly ten seconds. "Ugh, this isn't a great combo… Anyways. What do you want to do with her? It's up to you."

Shaking off his disgust (and probably a bit of stray bile), he looks towards the busted window. "Herr, if I know my wife, she wants to fly one last time. I'll take care of it. And, Sword?"

"Klum."

"… Klum. Thank you. I'll write down the information you need. Just give me five—"

Like a ragdoll remembering it's just a toy, his knees buckle, and he drops to his hands and knees. Eniyala, who is currently healing Panko as best as she can with mangled hands, and Termi, who is holding him, rush over. Ro drags himself to his feet, rubbing deep cuts on his forearms with a small wince.

"Klum… don't let him…" Pantholeo groans, and I stare at something above his head. It's faint, but it's definitely visible. A small string, pulled taut, connects to the back of his neck. I look at the handle, which is literally smoking. 'Ah, shit,' I think to myself, reaching into my Inventory. My body, though exhausted, remembers how the demon moved, when he adopted his own style. If I can reverse-engineer some of his own moves, and filter in the flowing, sharp motions of Vao's Meditative Style…

Pulling my Crude Dagger from a screen, I lean forward, focusing all of my strength into every minute muscle, moving in a controlled, focused manner.

"Thundering Sword, Meditative Style… and Storming Moon." I let my breath out slowly, a small whistle escaping. "Thundering Meditation? We'll work on the name. Blood Moon's Grin!"

A purple trail emits from my blade, sloppy in shape. If it wasn't for the color, it would look like a curved blood splatter over the big man's head. And, to my surprise, the move worked. The line splits gently, phasing back out of existence. Thankfully, Pantholeo immediately calms. 'Seems like he's unconscious.'

The moment my body stops moving, I gasp as my lungs, heart, and limbs combust into horrible pain, gripping my chest as I drop to my knees.

"Guess I wasn't ready for that," I moan, slamming my head into the floor.