Bang!
Unlike other weapons, the Knell of Dead only held one bullet.
But this gun had a special function—as long as it scored a headshot, it became a rapid-fire weapon that didn't consume ammunition.
Marcus raised his hand and aimed at a stray demon that hadn't been caught by the restraints. The bullet burst from the muzzle, striking the devil's head with perfect precision.
A large mass of energy erupted from the fallen demon, part of it flowing into the weapon while the rest poured into Marcus and his allies.
Feeling the warm power washing over their bodies, Selina and Bruce understood what Marcus meant. This strange, comforting energy might actually change something within them.
Not just the two of them—even Gordon, who was hiding in the rubble clutching his shotgun, felt the sudden surge of warm power coursing through him.
"Don't just stand there gawking, Mr. Gordon! Help me take down these demons!"
Hearing Marcus's voice, Gordon froze for a moment, then it clicked.
These people were incredibly powerful and highly aware of their surroundings. His sudden appearance here would naturally catch Marcus's attention.
Walking forward with his shotgun ready, Gordon watched as a shrieking little devil burst out of the hell portal.
"What the—!"
Bang!
The moment he spotted the rushing demon, Gordon pulled the trigger. Buckshot exploded from the barrel, instantly shredding the little devil's body to pieces.
"Nice work! Looks like you could moonlight as an exorcist in the future. Physical exorcism, haha!"
With that joke, Marcus kept firing the Knell of Dead, sending bursts of energy bullets into more demons that had escaped the blockade.
"Stay behind me and pick off any runners. Leave the main army to me."
As he spoke, Marcus leaped high into the air, hurling the Incinerator down toward the hell portal's entrance. In mid-air, he instantly shifted his arm into Hydroid form and raised it high.
The Incinerator smashed into a demon's body while massive amounts of water vapor condensed around Marcus's raised arm.
Water from the nearby harbor began surging, shooting out in streams that converged toward Marcus's hands.
"Time for a bath!"
A massive water sphere formed in his palm. With a swing of his arm, it exploded into countless water projectiles raining down on the demons below.
Storm Barrage
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The water formed a devastating barrage, bombarding the demons relentlessly.
Some demons whose bodies burned with hellfire found their flames weakening under the assault of the water shells.
Weaker demons were blasted into fragments by the terrifying water cannons.
Thud
Marcus landed lightly next to the Incinerator, grabbed it casually, and began smashing it down on the stronger demons.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the Incinerator struck everywhere, demons were hit one by one, their breath completely snuffed out.
During the constant attacks, Marcus's body shifted again. In the blink of an eye, half his form transformed into Caliban.
Deadly Shadows
The moment he changed, Marcus summoned his Resonators. Three of them separated from his body, wielding their staffs as they cut down demons pouring from the hell portal.
After completing the summoning, his body changed once more. The half that had become Caliban instantly transformed into Hydroid.
Tentacle-like appendages swayed gently from his form.
Water vapor surged between his hands as he faced the cloud of steam billowing from the hell passage.
Splash! Crash!
Even from his distance from the harbor, Gordon could hear the sound of rolling waves.
Then he saw a massive sea creature emerge from the water pooled on the ground, countless tentacles reaching out to ensnare the demons.
Slam! Slam! Slam!
The tentacles wrapped tightly around the demons, using their bodies as clubs to beat the ground mercilessly.
Dozens of demons died under the tentacle assault. Whenever an entangled demon perished, the tentacle would toss the mangled body aside and quickly grab a fresh victim to continue the carnage.
With the help of the sea beast and Resonators, the number of escaping demons dropped rapidly. Marcus could finally focus on the obviously stronger demons with peace of mind.
The Incinerator traced bright arcs through the air. As soon as demons rushed out of the hell passage, their heads were crushed by Marcus's weapon.
Countless demons lay dead, turning the area into a sulfur-reeking swamp of corpses.
The chaos at the hell portal's exit was clearly visible to the demons still inside.
They knew that if they couldn't break through the passage, everything they'd done would be meaningless.
"I can solve this situation, but I need you to help me collect souls!"
A more powerful demon stepped forward. He had a way to break the blockade, but achieving this goal would require consuming massive amounts of souls.
This wasn't difficult for demons who lived in hell year-round. The low-level demons around him were the perfect source of souls.
Once they broke through this hell passage, they could harvest countless high-quality human souls.
The lesser demons had arrived early for the slaughter, and those bound by chains became their first targets.
As they killed, a large number of souls were collected and fed into a magic circle the powerful demon had opened.
With the continuous injection of souls, the magic circle gradually filled with power, revealing an ominous glow.
Under the demon's control, the circle grew stronger and stronger, transforming into a flame-like beam of light that blasted toward the hell passage's exit.
BOOM!!!
Where the beam passed, countless demons were instantly vaporized. Marcus, who had been slaughtering demons at the exit, sensed the danger immediately. The moment he saw the beam approaching at high speed, massive energy spread out from his body.
Covenant of Protection
The instant the energy diffused, the beam struck Marcus directly. The devastating attack completely engulfed his form.
The beam spread outward, threatening to hit Bruce and Selina. However, both had just been covered by the protective covenant's energy. Facing such an attack, neither felt any pain.
But the Grineer units and Beast-slayers suffered heavy casualties. The beam's attack power was overwhelming—most of the Grineer and Beast-slayers were obliterated in the scattered blast.
Gordon witnessed this scene, also blessed by the protective covenant. He watched as the beam shot through the gap where demons kept pouring out, splitting into countless fragments in front of Marcus.
If he hadn't been protected by the covenant, he might have been completely annihilated like those Grineer and Beast-slayers.
Gordon swallowed hard. This was his first time participating in such a battle. Looking down at the shotgun in his hands, Gordon felt his entire worldview being shattered and rebuilt.