Demons froze.
Humans froze.
They trembled.
Even the leading demon froze.
They all felt it.
An indescribable terror rushed through them.
"Shrrrrrk!"
The tentacles moved as the demon took a step back, fearful.
They all felt it.
Something was approaching.
Something far more terrifying than the demons.
"Kekekekeke..."
Only the commander laughed.
Blood sprouted from his mouth with each laugh.
The shattered ribs pierced his organs deeper.
'Kill! Kill! Kill! They must die! They will die!'
The mind screamed.
With his worsening injuries, his gaze only grew more ferocious.
A smile crept up his blood-covered face.
The teeth painted red and his lips black.
He looked ghoulish.
A ghoul overcame by madness.
Mad Ghoul.
'That's right! They will die! I will spill their blood!'
Crack!
His body moved.
Bone-cracking tore the silence.
"AghhhhhhhH!"
His eyes trembled. Excitement.
"Blood! I want blood..."
His voice rang.
Voice trembling with melancholy.
As if an addict deprived of his substance.
An addict for blood and war.
Berserker!
He walked.
THUD!
His punch landed on the demon.
Weak. No force behind it.
"Shrrrrkk!"
The demon broke out of its fear.
Slash!
A tentacle extended, slashing at the commander.
Blood sprouted.
Swosh! Swosh!
All the tentacles on the demon's mouth extended.
They wrapped around the commander's limbs.
It lifted him in the air.
'Why can't you stand still!'
Lucian broke from the fear.
He dashed forward.
But again, he was too late.
SHLUCK!
The tentacles pierced his chest.
Blood splashed!
The tentacles slightly parted from the mouth.
The demon formed a smile-like expression.
Disgusting.
"Kekeke..."
The smile on the commander's face widened.
Thud!
His chest muscles tightened.
The tentacles piercing his chest locked in place.
The demon couldn't pull them out.
The commander's blood fell.
But before it even touched the ground, it turned into red mist.
Evaporated.
"Huuuuuuuh!"
The commander took a deep, pained breath.
The red mist swirled around him.
He inhaled it through his nose.
"Ahhhh..."
A sigh of satisfaction escaped his lips.
The madness in his eyes intensified.
Thud!
He struggled.
The tentacles couldn't hold him back.
In his dying state, his strength increased.
In the moment of death, his ability showed its true strength.
"ATTTACK! FREE THE COMMANDER!"
Lucian roared.
SHLUCK!
"AGHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A cry tore the air.
A demon broke free from the fear and attacked a human.
The cries snapped the people out.
They engage once again.
Water, lightning, fire.
All abilities flashed in the night.
They battled the demons.
But they felt it.
A shadow looming over their heads.
Urgency filled their hearts.
Death was approaching.
Something far more terrifying than the demons.
CRACCKLE!
Lightning tore the air.
It struck the tentacles of the demon holding the commander.
A tentacle tore.
The tentacle binding the commander's right arm.
He instantly leaned forward.
And swung.
POM!
His punch landed.
On the demon's head.
The demon staggered back.
The tentacles retracted.
All except the ones in his chest.
The demon couldn't pull them out.
Thud!
The commander landed on his feet.
He gave it no chance.
He grabbed the tentacles stuck in his chest.
Swish!
And pulled.
The demon came forward.
POM!
Another punch landed.
The demon roared.
Unable to retreat, it lunged forward.
Thud!
The head slammed into the commander's chest.
Slush!
The tentacles tore out of his body.
He flew backward.
Blood continuously poured from his wound.
It turned into red mist, swirling around his body.
The madness grew.
Swoosh!
Tentacles tore the air, aimed at him.
They threatened to end him.
Bom!
The air trembled.
The tentacle crushed into the air.
Lucian arrived.
The exhaustion on his face deepened.
"Stay in place!"
The entire air around the commander trembled.
He couldn't move.
Barriers blocked him.
Red mist swirled within the barriers, blocking visibility from outside.
The demon quickly retreated.
It didn't insist on attacking.
It felt it.
Doom was approaching.
"SHRRRRKKKK!"
It screamed.
The demons froze.
The humans used the chance. Slaughtering.
But the next moment, all the demons started retreating.
The air trembled around the commander.
The barriers shook.
He struggled.
The power behind his punches only increased.
It equaled the tentacle demon.
Lucian walked to the shaking barrier that only he could see.
'Open,'
The commander walked out.
Thud!
Lucian struck his palm across his chest.
The commander's body flew back.
His back slammed into the barrier behind.
Lucian once again closed the box.
But the red mist within the box slowly dissipated.
The wound on the commander's chest stopped bleeding.
Lucian attached a barrier.
"UAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The inhuman roar rang.
Heart sank.
Terror overcame them.
It was closer than ever.
Swooosh!
A silhouette holding a spear flew out from a distant rubble hill.
Thump! Thump!
The ground trembled.
The demons froze.
Too late.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The hill exploded.
A huge chunk tore off.
Rubble flew.
A figure emerged.
A three-meter-tall.
Bulky, grey in color, with pure red eyes.
Torn mouth, bald head. Inhuman!
The silhouette flapped its wings.
It took the lead by far.
Its eyes locked on the group before.
The elder.
He raised the spear above his head.
Swung!
The air tore.
The spear flew forward.
The tentacle demon froze.
Tentacles swirled before it.
Forming a kind of shield.
SHLUCK!
Blood sprouted.
The spear pierced.
The tentacles tore.
CLING!
It stuck in the ground.
"SHRIIK-SRHIK!"
The demon trembled, backing away.
Blood sprouted from the side of its head.
Had the spear not altered trajectory upon impact with the tentacles, it would be dead.
'NO!'
The Elder's eyes trembled.
His heart sank.
'Why now! Why must there be people here!'
Corpses lay on the ground.
Human corpses.
Food for the Progenitor.
The elder glanced back.
Wound riddle the Progenitor's body.
They healed. But slowly.
Nowhere near the almost instant speed from before.
'I finally exhausted its healing. I must stop it.'
The elder stopped.
He flew back.
Directly at the chest of the Progenitor.
A suicide attempt.
But he had to keep the Progenitor away.
Swoosh!
The Progenitor swung his arm.
Thud!
It landed.
Boom!
The Elder flew, slamming into rubble.
He intentionally took the hit.
Intending to lure the Progenitor.
But too late.
The appetizing smell of blood already reached the Progenitor.
He set his sights on the humans in the distance.
His body flew forward.
Jumping.
'Damn!'
The elder gnashed his teeth.
He took the hit for nothing.
"NO!"
Lucian's eyes trembled.
He saw it.
He froze.
The monstrusity approached.
A speed he never witnessed before.
"Hexagonal Barrier."
He used his strongest barrier again.
"Aghh..."
He collapsed to the ground.
A splitting headache attacked him.
He used his everything.
But the Progenitor was upon him.
THUD!
The Progenitor slammed into the hexagonal barrier.
The entire barrier shook.
CRASH!
He punched.
The barrier shattered.
His strongest barrier fell effortlessly.
The Progenitor towered over him.
Life flashed before his eyes.
Swoosh!
But the Progenitor ignored him.
He rushed to the dead corpses nearby.
Shluck!
Flesh tore.
Munch! Munch!
He feasted.
Dozens of dead bodies lay around.
Truly a feast.
The wounds on the Progenitor's body healed rapidly.
The people around collapsed.
Their screams tore the air.
Screams of terror.
They stood no chance.
Lucian's eyes weighed heavily.
He had no more strength left.
As his consciousness faded, he saw a flying figure approach them.
Thud!
The elder collapsed.
He finally reached them.
'They are from the military,'
His eyes landed on the commander.
Still attacking the barriers, but his punches grew weaker.
'They are strong,'
Sadness flashed in his old, wrinkled face.
'But they are no match for this monster,'
The Progenitor feasted in the distance.
The demons escaped.
With their tails between their legs.
They dared not look back.
"Heavens, have you abandoned us?"
Crack!
The elder begged desperately.
Exhaustion caught up to him.
His body cracked.
The burden of overusing his ability caught up.
His lifespan neared its end.
Swoosh!
Lucian had lost consciousness.
The barriers holding the commander collapsed.
Blood sprouted from his wound on the chest.
'This child,'
The elder's eyes widened.
'Such injuries. He is still moving.'
Admiration filled his heart.
'He is moving by sheer will. No...'
He frowned.
The red mist started swirling around him again.
'His ability is strengthening him as he approaches death,'
Grief struck his heart.
'But he is bound to die,'
The elder fell into deep thought.
He calculated.
His body was collapsing.
No matter how he looked at it, he would die soon.
He had no more strength to battle the Progenitor.
"Child,"
He used all his strength.
"Let me give you a gift. And I hope you bear this gift to serve humanity."
The elder stood up.
His wings flapped for one last time.
He flew around.
He collected the spear, dead bodies, and monster corpses around.
Thud!
He brought the commander to the ground.
"This old man will do one last service to humanity,"
CLAP!
He clasped his palms together.
"FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY!"
The sky thundered.
Red electricity crackled underneath them.
An alchemy circle appeared.
The ritual began.
The night lit red.
The humans around watched the progenitor munch on the corpses of their fallen comrades.
But unnoticed to them all, tears streamed down the eyes of the Progenitor.