Chapter 514: War
The Floro Demon flew through the sky like a phantom, its broad, foul-smelling wings flapping continuously.
But the players' firepower was too dense, covering nearly the entire area. Even the Floro Demon couldn't evade completely, and its twisted body burst open with blood as its dark wings slowly fell.
With a sizzling sound, the demon's purple ichor corroded the ground, emitting a nauseating stench.
The Floro Demon was furious. It opened its vulture-like beak and spewed out a foul-smelling miasma.
"You damned humans!
I will swallow your eyes, gnaw your skulls, and tear off your arms... ah!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Yet the players completely ignored the demon's threats. Instead, they loaded their guns faster and fired relentlessly.
Who would bother listening to a boss's monologue?
"Keep shooting!"
"This demon is mine!"
"You damned birdman, hurry up and drop some gold!"
The players fired like mad, their eyes glowing red.
After all, this was 1,500 faction contribution and 50 gold Nars!
Enough to buy a set of rare-quality equipment and purchase some property in Istaria City, fast-tracking their early game progress.
"Damn you— I will make you experience... true terror!"
The Floro Demon was enraged. It was being hunted like prey by mere humans—an unbearable humiliation!
The demon opened its beak, revealing jagged fangs. Its exposed throat convulsed violently.
"Screeech!"
A piercing shriek erupted.
Every creature that heard it felt their brains tremble—it was a soul-deep terror of chaos.
"Not good, it's an area control attack!"
"Block your ears!"
The players hastily covered their ears, but the sound drilled into their skulls like poison needles, forcing many to their knees in agony. Some players with weaker constitutions even fainted on the spot.
Even the veteran player Lonely as Snow felt his mind shake. He gritted his teeth to endure.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Yes, that's it, tremble in fear! Let your blood flow into the rivers of the Abyss! Let your souls become fuel for chaos!"
The Floro Demon cackled wildly, flapping its vast wings. As black feathers scattered, it swooped into the village like a shadowy specter.
"Slash—"
Its half-meter-long talons swung like scythes, instantly spraying blood and sending severed limbs flying, turning the village into a gruesome slaughterhouse.
"Ahhh!"
A scream echoed.
With a crisp, wet sound, the razor-sharp claws pierced straight through a player's chest.
Crimson blood sprayed violently—but that was only the beginning.
"Rip—"
The Floro Demon exerted force with its talons, tearing the player clean in half. It then lifted the upper body.
It ripped off the still-warm, blood-dripping head and stuffed it whole into its mouth.
"Crunch, crunch."
The sound of flesh and bone being chewed echoed chillingly across the battlefield, while the discarded torso was casually tossed aside.
This should make them afraid, right?
The Floro Demon's vulture-like face twisted into a sinister, gloating smile. This trick never failed when dealing with humanoids.
It always relished consuming fresh sacrifices, especially when it was messy and grotesque. But its favorite part? Watching the horrified, disbelieving faces of the victim's companions.
"Your friend was delicious. I wonder... what do you all taste like?"
The demon's hoarse whispers slithered through the battlefield, like whispers from the Abyss.
If it had been anyone else, they would have collapsed from fear by now. Even the bravest warriors would flinch after watching their friend get eaten alive.
"Old Wang! Old Wang, nooo— You died such a horrible death! Boohoo, how could you leave us like this..."
A player rushed forward and threw himself onto the headless corpse, wailing with tears streaming down his face.
"Yes, that's it. Feel the pain."
The Floro Demon grinned viciously, savoring the moment. But something felt... off. He didn't sense the familiar "despair and fear."
What happened next stunned the Floro Demon.
"But it's fine."
The player wiped his tears, tossed aside the onion he had been holding, then did a somersault in front of the corpse.
He made a peace sign, snapped a selfie, and grinned:
"I just had to immortalize the moment!"
"..."
The Floro Demon was utterly bewildered.
Acting like this in front of a fallen comrade's body? Even grinning? Was this creature really human?
Was this a demon in disguise?
Some players did gag at the sight. Some even trembled in fear.
But most of them, hardened by horror games, had already built up resistance.
Instead, they analyzed the spectacle in detail, even laughing at it.
"Holy shit? Someone just got eaten!"
"Lmao! Wasn't that Old Wang? Damn, his head's completely gone! I took a picture, I'll send it to him later."
"This boss is legit. It really meant it when it said it would eat people."
"That damage is insane."
Ride the Wind wiped some still-warm blood off his face and marveled, "The realism is insane!"
He even looked down at a mangled heap of flesh on the ground and muttered, "Is that his intestines? Damn, the detail is crazy!"
Lonely as Snow, frustrated, shouted at the distracted newbies, "Focus on attacking! Another wave like this and we'll get wiped out!"
"What a bunch of rookies."
He had seen worse—he himself had been swallowed whole by an underground shark-lizard before. This was nothing.
"Alright, alright, big bro."
"Yeah, forgot we were supposed to be fighting! Kill that bird!"
"For Old Wang! This shot is dedicated to our headless friend!"
"For Old Wang!"
Gunfire erupted again, thick smoke filled the air, and the Floro Demon's position was bombarded by bullets.
The Floro Demon was now having an existential crisis.
For centuries, it had slaughtered countless mortals and spread terror across entire civilizations.
But it had never encountered prey like this!
They didn't care about death—their own or their comrades'. They treated battle as a game.
This behavior... the Floro Demon had only ever seen it in demons!
Were they Abyssal rivals disguised as humans?
No... their flesh and bones were real. The Floro Demon had eaten enough humanoids to know their taste.
These were simply humans—ones that defied all logic.
"Damn humans!"
The Floro Demon screeched, flapping its wings and twisting into a black blur as it soared skyward.
The Floro Demon thrived on causing pain, fear, and slaughter. It would often cast its shadow over prey from above, ensuring they experienced the most unforgettable and agonizing deaths.
To facilitate its flight, its body was lean, and its fur was much thinner compared to other demons of similar rank.
But now, this Floro Demon sensed danger from those bullets.
These things could actually kill it!
"Bang!"
"Aaargh—"
A loud gunshot rang out, followed by a shrill, enraged scream.
Black feathers scattered as a bullet pierced straight through the Floro Demon's wing, making it stagger in midair before barely regaining balance.
"Damn, I hit it!"
"A couple more shots and this bird is mine!"
A player on the ground raised his left hand, cheering in excitement.
The Floro Demon's mind was filled with fury, an unprecedented humiliation surging through its being, making its pitch-black eyes tremble.
These were just ordinary humans!
How dare they treat a great demon like mere prey!
They should be trembling, wailing beneath its wings, fleeing in terror, and falling lifeless into pools of blood—this should be a one-sided massacre!
The thought enraged the Floro Demon. It spread its wings wide and let out a hoarse roar.
"Humans, you have angered me!
I will show you your rightful place—mere playthings of demons, fodder for the Abyss, lambs for slaughter!"
"Bang!"
Another gunshot, more feathers flying.
The same sharpshooter player opened his left eye and cheered again.
"Yes!"
The Floro Demon was livid, its body shaking. "You dare—"
Lonely as Snow recognized the pattern and quickly warned, "Shut up and cover your ears! It's about to use a crowd control attack!"
"Screeeech!"
A soul-piercing shriek rang out, shaking the eardrums of those who hadn't reacted in time.
"Tremble! I will bring the Abyss upon this world, and you shall all be—"
The Floro Demon spread its massive, putrid wings, casting a grotesque shadow over the ground.
"Annihilated!"
It continued shrieking, and toxic spores spewed from its wings, shrouding the area in a poisonous cloud.
At the same time, thousands of corrupted vultures and ravens burst from the forest, forming a tidal wave of darkness, nearly blotting out half the sky as they surged toward the village.
Their rotting wings brushed against each other, their fanged beaks letting out the same ear-piercing cacophony.
"I can't see anything!"
"Damn, my HP is dropping fast!"
"Shit! Something's grabbing me! Are these ravens? They're clawing at my eyes! They're ripping my flesh!"
The entire village was enveloped in toxic fog. Many players' skin began festering and rotting, their vision blurring.
The shrill screams continued—anyone who heard them would be thrown into a state of fear.
Not to mention the relentless ravens and vultures.
Once their glowing green eyes locked onto a target, it was only a matter of time before nothing remained but a blood-stained skeleton.
"Yes, just like this..."
"Even if they won't fear me, I will slaughter them like cattle!"
The Floro Demon cackled, eyes locked onto the player who had shot it, hatred burning in its murky pupils.
"I'll devour you myself!"
It flapped its wings and dove at breakneck speed toward the chaotic crowd.
Several corrupted ravens in its path were crushed into bloody pulps, but the Floro Demon didn't care—those were just disposable pawns.
It extended its massive claws, now inches from the player's head.
Perfect.
Rip off his head, swallow it whole, grind it to pulp, and vent its fury.
The Floro Demon's vulture-like face twisted into a savage grin.
Just then, a thunderous voice roared from the side.
"Die!"
A thick flaming chain shot out of nowhere, coiling around the Floro Demon's outstretched form before it could react.
The demon twisted its wiry neck, turning to see who dared to attack it.
It was a towering human clad in heavy armor, muscles rippling beneath the plates. His left hand gripped the chain tightly, while his right held a gargantuan firearm.
Lonely as Snow!
He had been waiting, playing dead, and when the time was right, he struck.
The Floro Demon was in disbelief. "Impossible! Human! You were affected by my shriek! The poison spores—"
"Clank, clank!"
It struggled wildly, but the Dragon Oath Paladin's enchanted chains burned deep into its flesh, leaving scorched marks across its body.
The chains carried the might of a dragon! And the human—
He was a servant of that red dragon!
Fear and rage clashed within the Floro Demon. As an underling of the Abyss, it knew all too well the terror of that dragon.
Lonely as Snow sneered, tightening the chains. "You ignorant bird, you have no idea how strong a Dragon Oath Paladin is!
Trying to run? Keep dreaming!"
The Floro Demon didn't understand his words, but it knew it was being mocked.
It glared at Lonely as Snow and shrieked, "Then I'll kill you first!"
"Screeech!"
It lunged with its razor-sharp talons, shrieking in fury.
But Lonely as Snow stood his ground, waiting.
"Clang—"
The demon's claws scraped against metal, only leaving a faint scratch on his adamantine armor.
"Impossible!"
The Floro Demon bellowed in rage, unable to accept reality.
They were now within arm's reach. The stench of the Floro Demon's breath filled Lonely as Snow's nostrils.
"This armor is too heavy for swordplay."
"So my guild leader found me a more fitting weapon."
A grin spread beneath his helmet as he raised his 40mm shotgun.
The dark barrel was aimed right at the Floro Demon's chest.
"No..."
"You're just a mere human, even with that weapon, you can't kill me!"
"I am a great demon of the Abyss! I am immortal!"
It thrashed desperately, the chains rattling as it fought to break free.
But Lonely as Snow simply pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
A thunderous explosion echoed, marking the Floro Demon's demise.
The high-explosive rounds tore through the Floro Demon's resilient skin, burrowing into its highly corrosive flesh before detonating inside.
"Screeeech—"
A piercing wail echoed as the Floro Demon's chest was completely blown apart, spraying dark purple blood in all directions.
The demon collapsed to the ground. Its remaining bones and muscle fibers melted into smoking pools of purple ichor, while the remaining flesh sacs quietly bubbled on the ground.
In an instant, the toxic miasma in the air dispersed, and the corrupted vultures and crows plummeted from the sky, their foul carcasses blanketing the ground.
"1,500 faction contribution, 50 gold Nars—secured."
Lonely as Snow laboriously lifted his hand, striking a pose before blowing the thick gunsmoke away from the barrel of his weapon.
"Damn, the boss got nuked by a pro!"
"Ugh, so unfair!"
"Sigh, missed out again!"
"Be grateful. If not for the veteran carrying us, we'd all be wiped out."
"Ughhh, I just saw 50 gold Nars slip away from me..."
"Eh, it's fine. Even if we didn't land the final blow, we still participated. We get a share of the contribution, and even scraps count as meat."
The newbie players snapped out of their fear-induced state, expressing disappointment, admiration, or frustration.
And as for the Floro Demon—the demon responsible for countless massacres—it had already been completely forgotten, reduced to a pile of gleaming gold coins.