Chapter 15 - Wiped Out

-Zero-

The Primordial Demon Curse.

It turns any being, may it be the feeble humans, the vigorous beastmen or even the native demons, into Demon Beasts with greatly amplified magical and physical power.

The effects are the same: You'll slowly lose yourself in power, negative emotions will take over your mind and eventually you turn into a raging Demon Beast, devoid of reason.

According to what I know from the original series, it's one of the many skills possessed by the Demon Lord.

Unlike the Primordial Demon Curse, a Depravation Spell won't "enhance" the physical or magical abilities of its victims, or any of the sort.

But what about those Lizardmen?

I thought that Demon Executive Belphegor was the cause...

But if that's the case, then why were the Elite Lizardmen stronger than they should be...?

Am I mixing things up?

Hmm...

Well, whatever.

That can wait.

I need to focus on our current predicament.

Alright, we need to be extra careful.

He's actually losing his rationality and ability to fight properly.

But, his strength, along with Jormungand is steadily getting higher.

One hit from him would be lethal for me, Iris is still recovering from Mana Exhaustion and there's still Dred for us to worry about.

Tch. His arrogant smirk is annoying me.

This middle-aged mustached man still doesn't realize that Lawrence is starting to become a monster.

Well, it's convenient that he's an idiot.

His attention was with the three of us this whole time.

If you look at it from another angle, he might be smart for watching and analyzing us.

But in this case, his lack of attention towards Lawrence will cause his demise.

[Ace. Listen.] (Zero)

[Yeah?] (Ace)

[We'll focus on Lawrence's arm to cut it off. But don't be too obvious about it. That way, Captain Dred would think that the General is losing naturally and make his way to help.] (Zero)

[Eh? But wouldn't that make our fight more difficult than it already is?] (Ace)

[I have a plan.] (Zero)

[I see... Then I'll believe you.] (Ace)

Little by little, Lawrence is losing himself.

He'll become one of those mindless Demonic Beasts in no time.

Since the curse's effect is based on one's innate Magical and Physical abilities, it can be a pretty good way to measure one's strength.

I guess Lawrence is not that strong.

The Executives working directly under the Demon Lord are way more powerful because they can draw out the curse's full potential without losing their sanity.

Well it only makes sense.

Those Demon Executives are far stronger than your average Adamantium-Ranked Heroes, after all.

[Gaaahhh... Haaahhh... Power...] (Lawrence)

Tch. I don't even pity him.

For all the crimes he's committed along with the atrocities he's done against the Kingdom and its people, there's no salvation for this guy.

At first, his victims were all fictional characters and I already felt bad...

And now that everything became real... it's really unfortunate...

I'm quite blessed to be given the chance to defeat such a character in the flesh.

I'll avenge the loved ones of all the people he's hurt.

[Let's continue our attack from all sides. But redistribute the strength of your strikes towards his right biceps. I'll go for the triceps.] (Zero)

[Got it.] (Ace)

After signaling each other, we instantly dashed towards him.

With Lawrence losing his mind, he can't adapt against our attack pattern.

We're gonna exploit that.

Ace and I created a series of attack patterns during our training.

It should be quite noticeable for our opponent, but it's much harder for spectators.

We need to remember that Dred is watching us, and we don't want him to see us repeat our attack pattern because he'll start doubting Lawrence's abilities.

Dred will, in turn, start to observe Lawrence as well, and then he will realize that Lawrence is losing his sanity...

If that happens, my plan to kill him will fail.

It would make our fight exponentially harder.

That's is why we need to cut off Lawrence's arm before or at least; as our attack pattern ends.

*Puchi!*

*Puchi!*

We continued slicing his right arm, but it's sturdy as hell.

Our plan might be noticed if we're careless so delicacy and patience was key.

But as expected, our energy is running out faster than him.

This monster just keeps getting stronger and stronger!

[*Pant* *Pant* Damn... This is harder than expected.] (Zero)

Ace just spat some blood on the ground and smiled.

[Heh, we're almost there. I just need one more strike to cut his arm off, and it would look natural, just as planned.] (Ace)

He whispered.

[I see. That's good. His mind is almost entirely gone, too.] (Zero)

[Yeah... Wait a minute- Was your plan-?!] (Ace)

[Hehe. Figured it out now? Let's do this, then!] (Zero)

[*Shakes Head* Zero... You're such an evil person... Haha.] (Ace)

Ace shrugged his shoulders.

[Hehe. In life and death battles, you gotta do what you gotta do! *Sprints*] (Zero)

Ace and I rushed Lawrence once more- he and I proceeded with the final phase of our attack pattern.

[Groaaaaa!] (Lawrence)

Stop roaring, you noisy bastard.

Just laugh or something.

Don't show your degrading intelligence!

I went in first, while Ace followed from behind.

*Swish*

I dodged the first horizontal slash, rolled between his legs and arrived behind him.

Ace tried to slice his chest while I tried to slash his arm.

I succeeded but it wasn't enough.

Ace's frontal attack gets blocked.

Without allowing a blade-lock, Lawrence swings his long sword and pushes Ace back.

Lawrence turns to me and strikes me down.

I blocked him with my sword, but the sheer power caused me to kneel and make the ground sink.

Each of his strikes are a hundred percent of his power.

He shows no sign of pain at all.

That's unfair, yo.

We still feel pain even with our Adrenaline Rush Skill.

But thanks to the aggro-change, Ace gets his opportunity to execute our plan.

[Oraaa!!!] (Ace)

*Puchi!*

[RAAAAA!!!] (Lawrence)

Nicely done, Protagonist-kun!

[General!] (Dred)

Hm. As we predicted, Dred suddenly went down after seeing Ace cut Lawrence's arm down.

He immediately unsheathed his sword and slashed towards Ace.

Ace managed blocked his strike, but a follow-up kick knocked him away.

[Heh. Not bad for some Rookie Heroes. I can't believe you managed to push the general this far. But after wholeheartedly observing you two, I'm certain of my victory. This ends now.] (Dred)

As expected. With that amount of damage, there's no way he won't make a move.

Also...

This idiot just fell into my trap.

[Hah... Hah...] (Lawrence)

[It's alright now, General. Why don't we finish this up and continue with our plans? The Royal Army and the King's forces must be finished killing each other, too. Let's just finish these peasants right here.] (Dred)

[Hah... Hah...] (Lawrence)

[General? Your skin looks very different. Did your Jormungand Skill evolve? Huh? Are those fangs-] (Dred)

*PUCHI*

Lowering his guard, Captain Dred's chest was suddenly pierced by a left hand.

[Ge... neral...?] (Dred)

With that amount of damage as well, there's no way Lawrence's mental psyche could keep itself together.

In other words, he was on the verge of completing his Demon Beast transformation!

By the time Dred came to aid him, his sanity hit rock-bottom.

I just made the raging Lawrence friendly-fire the clueless Dred for us.

[Twin Sonic Slash!] (Dred)

Woah!

Lawrence's left hand suddenly got severed by Dred.

Dude, it took us so long to cut an arm off of him, but this guy just did it one move.

Granted, we did it carefully with normal strikes, but still!

Lawrence's body twitched... and suddenly did a huge roar.

[ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAHHRRR!] (Lawrence)

More than three meters in height, bulging muscles, lustrous dark skin, red hair and eyes, and sharp fangs and nails...

This was Lawrence's current form...

...

A Demon Beast.

...

His upper clothing were ripped to shreds and his pants was barely holding on.

He kinda looked the Beast from 'Beauty and the Beast'... but absolutely more terrifying than magical.

His amputated arms regrew in an instant.

Was that like an insta-heal due to evolution?

Or was that the new extent of his regenerative ability...?

Because if it's the latter, then we're in big trouble.

He has drawn out the full power of the Demon Lord's Primordial Demon Curse, in exchange for his sanity.

We must get ready for his rampage...

...

[W-What the...?! G-General, w-what happened to you?! W-Why did you become a Demon Beast?!] (Dred)

Dred shouted in shock.

Then, he turned to us.

[You! What did you guys do?! Did that Sorcerer girl cast some sort of spell on him?! Is that why her mana was exhausted?! You bunch of Demonic Heretics!] (Dred)

That may seem plausible but it could't be farther from the truth.

Anyways, we shouldn't bother answering since we can't let the monster notice us.

I failed to get him killed, but he got a hole in his chest instead.

[Graaaaaah!!] (Lawrence)

Lawrence, noticing Dred near him, immediately charged for the kill.

Seeing this, Dred got ready and made a stance, but...

[P-] (Dred)

*Puchi*

Both of his arms were gone.

They were slashed away by Lawrence's big ass sword!

Isn't he too fast?!

I mean, I can probably keep up with his speed, but for his size, it's too unnatural!

The guy didn't even have the chance to say a single syllable for his move!

Before even having the chance to turn around, the armless Dred's got his stomach pierced by Lawrence's hand once more.

There are now two big, unhealthy holes on Dred's body.

With blood coming out of his mouth, nose and mortal wounds, Sir Dred, an Orichalcum-Ranked Captain of the Royal Knights, was officially murdered by General Lawrence- no... that thing right there...

That is a Demon Beast in its true form.

[Hah... More... Power... More... Power! Raaar-!] (Lawrence)

After shouting those words in a deeper, hoarser voice, he suddenly bit Dred's head off and munched on it.

Damn. Talk about messed up.

...

At that time, we decided to retreat.

Iris successfully recovered most of her Mana.

She's currently treating us near the underground prison's entrance.

[We need to hurry, Zero! What if that thing gets out and attacks the people of the Capital City?] (Ace)

[No, that wouldn't be the case... At least for a couple of hours.] (Zero)

[I've read about them... Those Demon Beasts... After fully transforming, they'd sustain themselves with food and Mana for the rest of their lives.] (Iris)

[In other words, like a Wild Magic Beast... but a lot more dangerous. However, Magic Beasts that become Demon Beasts also eat plants, right?] (Ace)

[Yes, exactly. But intelligent lifeforms becoming Demon Beasts are more terrifying. They do not necessarily become carnivorous... but their hunger for Mana are astronomically higher...] (Zero)

[A-And what other creatures contain the largest amount of Mana...?] (Iris)

[Exactly, it's humans and other intelligent lifeforms themselves. In simple words, they become cannibalistic.] (Zero)

[So that was why General Lawrence ate Sir Dred with such vigor...] (Ace)

[Like I said, we have a couple of hours to recover until that thing decides to rampage in the city. He'll most likely prey on the Royal Knights inside the Palace for now. If my estimation is right, it should take him a little over two hours to eat a couple of hundred people.] (Zero)

[We're just gonna let them all die like that?!] (Ace)

[Calm down, Ace. Do you remember all of the crimes they've committed? Inside this prison are the victims of their actions. Each and everyone of them are garbage human beings. I guarantee you that they are all scum, like General Lawrence. He wouldn't choose them to stay here as his trusted elite men unless they are guilty of something.] (Zero)

[Ace, Zero's right. Although it is regrettable to use them as bait since they are still humans like us, we will pointlessly die with them unless we recover all of our strength.] (Iris)

[... I... I understand... I know that this is the ideal course of action... but...] (Ace)

[It's alright... We feel the same way, but we must endure to save the city... everyone...] (Zero)

...

About an hour and a half passed...

...

[Alright, let's go.] (Ace)

[Yeah...] (Zero/Iris)

We're pretty much ready.

We've recovered about around ninety-nine percent of our original combat strength...

The only downside is our weapons.

This trusty sword which Garret-san gave me on our first mission is too worn out to be used in battle.

Ace was the same.

Alone, I went inside the prison and quickly stole two swords from some of the Royal Knights' corpses.

The battle between Dred's forces and our Calypso friends must've been pretty intense...

To the corpses and abused prisoners in here... I hope they find justice once this is all over.

But that's where we come in...

If we don't finish off that Lawrence right here and now, everyone, including the prisoners will be killed and eaten indiscriminately.

[Alright, let's go.] (Zero)

The two of them nodded in response.

We arrived at the front porch and witnessed a horrible sight.

Lawrence was eating bodies. Dead bodies.

Mountains of corpses were laid down.

Almost all of them were mutilated like animals eaten by their predators.

Fresh blood dyed the grass red, and bones and guts were everywhere.

Bite marks filled the Royal Knights' half eaten bodies.

We could only cringe in disgust, knowing that we and the people in the city are next in line.

Lawrence, who was chewing on an arm, stopped and slowly turned his towards us.

If we stayed somewhere on ground zero, he might've sensed us sooner.

It was a good call to retreat underground.

Powerful Demon Beasts like this one have exceptional Mana sensing abilities.

...

[Okay. Let's-] (Ace)

[GRAH-!] (Lawrence)

He charged at us the moment he confirmed our existence.

A bigger, faster and stronger version of the Adamantium-Ranked Royal General we fought earlier.

That's our opponent right now.

*Swish*

*Slash*

*Fwip*

He was angrily swinging his blade with right arm while slashing me his bloodied claws with his left arm.

Good, all according to plan.

Earlier...

[The plan is simple. We're against an opponent that instantly switches targets depending on who ever attacks it. We'll work our way around that.] (Zero)

They nod.

[We'll separate into two teams. The main attackers will be me and Iris. First I'll lure him away by constantly evading his attacks, while finding openings to deal damage. But, Iris' magic is the main damage dealer here. Once Iris makes an attack, that Demon Beast will immediately turn around and attack you. That's where Ace's role comes in. Your main task is to defend Iris. That thing's Speed and Agility is almost as strong as mine, it will be extremely hard for you to find openings to counter, so you can just play it safe and avoid getting hit by either blocking or dodging.] (Zero)

[Once that happens, I'll make a decisive strike while he's unaware of me. I'll lure him away again and our plan goes full circle.] (Zero)

[I see...] (Ace)

While Ace responded sharply, Iris did nothing but carefully listen.

She must be thinking of which spells to use.

[That's the main plan. We'll size him up to check how he does in long battles. He must have some kind of passive Regenerative Skill so we'll have to test how much effort it will take for us to deal a good amount of permanent damage.] (Zero)

[That's all. Let's not get eaten, okay?] (Zero)

[Yeah!] (Ace/Iris)

End of flashback...

[Grah! Raaa! Reeaaahh!] (Lawrence)

For now, he's just swinging wildly.

He's extremely fast but I can still see and predict his movements.

*Clank!*

There!

*Slash!*

[GROAAAAHHHH!!!] (Lawrence)

I managed to slice the side of his neck, but my strike was too shallow!

Tch. This sword is not suited for me...

Something like a katana would've cut his neck all the way... How unfortunate...

I should adapt faster...

After that sequence, Lawrence's back is completely wide open... to Iris' destructive spells, that is.

[Fireball!] (Iris)

*Kaboom!*

Her spell detonated on contact.

Man, that's a basic spell used on a high-level right there.

But...

I moved away towards Ace and Iris.

[Did that work?] (Iris)

[Not good.] (Zero)

[What?!] (Ace)

[This is extremely troublesome. His body does indeed have a very powerful Regenerative Skill. I saw it before Iris' spell connected. The wound I dealt on him healed in a flash. If we were to cut off an arm or leg, it'll be good as new in at least five seconds.] (Zero)

[Yikes... Good thing we realized it early...] (Ace)

[Yeah, we should adapt with this in mind. My Mana Pool may be massive, but I hope it can last.] (Iris)

[Yeah... You're constantly healing us, after all.] (Zero)

The smoke disappeared, an there we saw the Demon Beast completely unscathed.

Even the burns healed instantly.

Shit...

[RAAAAA!] (Lawrence)

Ace blocked the charging Lawrence with his sword.

Alright, I'll use that opportunity to slice off his neck!

*SWISSSH*

His head went flying!

The blood spurted upwards, but he didn't go down.

T-That thing is regenerating even though I decapitated him!

[I see... Zero, he'll regenerate no matter what as long as his body contains Mana!] (Iris)

Iris yelled.

[And from what I can see, it seems like his regeneration depends on the amount of body parts intact! Look, his head is turning into miasma while his body is gaining a new head!] (Ace)

Ace followed.

[Hm, seems like it!] (Zero)

They're right.

We should be celebrating upon realizing such a crucial information immediately, but we can't do that...

[So basically, THAT THING HAS NO WEAKNESS!] (Zero)

I shouted while dashing away once again.

They should already realize that this battle will be dragged out forever as long as we don't completely obliterate that tough, immortal body of his.

[Zero, there's no choice! We should all use our Legendary Skills! That should be enough to-] (Ace)

[They won't! We'll... We'll die if we use them right now! We can't kill that thing completely even if we use our Legendary Skills on him at the same time...] (Zero)

[You mean- You mean; there's not enough power?! We're not powerful enough?] (Ace)

[Ace, that's not what he's saying... Look at what you're holding.] (Iris)

[A Platinum-Grade Royal Knight Sword...] (Ace)

[That's right... It's not that we're too weak... It's our weapons that're holding us back. I've noticed that Zero isn't using any skill. That's because he'd be wasting Mana. Only my Magic is capable of doing some sort of significant damage. But that as well... became obsolete when we realized his Regenerative Ability... Even my city-wide Legendary Spells won't be able to defeat him because of my staff's capacity to channel magic.] (Iris)

[Yes... but don't worry, I still have a plan!] (Zero)

[GRAAAAH!] (Lawrence)

The Demon Beast started slashing at me.

*Swish*

*Slash*

[Urgh...!] (Zero)

Crap, I'm starting to get hit!

[Aqua Cutter!] (Iris)

*Puchi*

A clean cut on its left arm...

But in went back within seconds...

[ROOOOAAAA!] (Lawrence)

*Clank!*

[G-Grr... Z-Zero, what's the plan?!] (Ace)

[We have no other choice... We'll be putting our bets on reinforcements!] (Zero)

[We'll wait for the Royal Army to arrive?!] (Iris)

[Yes! They're our only hope if we want to win?] (Zero)

[H-How?! It's not like-] (Ace)

[GRAAAA-!] (Lawrence)

[You bastaaard!] (Ace)

*Clank!*

[I-It's not like the Royal C-Captains can beat this thing!] (Ace)

[Heh! I never said that "they" will be the ones to defeat this monster.] (Zero)

*Swish*

*Slash*~*Slash*

[ROOOOAR!!!] (Lawrence)

[You're not gonna use them as bait or sacrifice, right?] (Iris)

[H-Hey, of course not! Their role will be to buy us time... While "we" get our Weapons!] (Zero)

[But how?! Karen-san must've left them on Ilram! Javelin of Light and Darkness!] (Iris)

*Stab*~

*Stab*~

*Stab*~

*Stab*

[RAHHHHH!!] (Lawrence)

[That's the worst outcome... But we'll have to wait... It's not that I'm underestimating the Royal Captains or anything, but none of them possesses any Legendary Skill that can completely obliterate this thing! He's a goddamn Adamantium-Level Monster with enhanced physical and magical abilities!] (Zero)

[Come at me you bastard!] (Ace)

*Clank!*

[Agh-! S-So you mean, we're the only ones capable of beating him...?!] (Iris)

[Yes! That is... unless someone from the Adamantium Heroes comeback and help us...] (Zero)

There's the Royal Treasury, where we can get the weapons we need... but an absurdly powerful Barrier is cast on it.

The way we are now, forcefully opening it would be a pipe dream.

If only some sort of clue was given from the Novels when it was opened that one time...

We looked like we were toying with Lawrence at first glance, but our stamina and Mana are rapidly going down.

This guy ate hundreds of humans for Mana.

It'll take two days for us to completely drain him since only his passive Regenerative and Enhancement Abilities and are consuming it.

It'll only be a matter of time before our seemingly impregnable strategy collapses.

NARRATOR POV

The sky was dyed in deep orange and the sun was slowly descending into the horizon.

[*Pant... Pant...*] (Zero)

The three young heroes can do nothing but gasp for their breath.

[GREEEAAA!] (Lawrence)

*Clank!*

"A chance for a counter!" Zero thought.

*Puchi*

The Demon Beast's blade suddenly pierces the right part of his chest.

[Zero-!!! J-Javelin of Light!!!] (Iris)

The girl cast an attack spell in panic.

She managed to save the boy from being eaten, but the Demon Beast's attention was directed to her.

[RAAHH-!!] (Lawrence)

[You won't get past m-] (Ace)

He thought he blocked the Demon Beast's path, but alas, it was too fast.

It arrived at the girl's location and forcefully slashed her with its left claw.

The girl tried to defend her self by blocking the attack with her staff, but it was torn to pieces and the girl's left arm was heavily wounded.

[You bastaaard!] (Ace)

The remaining boy was enraged seeing his comrades get battered up mercilessly.

[Haaaa!] (Ace)

*Clank!*

Their swords collide, but the Demon Beast had the advantage.

[GRAAA!] (Lawrence)

Swinging his huge blade, the Demon Beast blew the boy away even though he managed to block the strike.

[Aghk-! Urgh...-] (Ace)

Before the boy could even stand up, the Demon Beast instantly arrived behind him.

*SLASH!*

[Aaaghh!] (Ace)

[OOOHHHH!!!] (Royal Knights)

[Th-They're here...] (Ace)

Two Royal Knights went in, and they were extremely mortified by the scene.

They immediately went for the drawbridge-gate and opened it.

The Demon Beast's next course of action was to eat the three young heroes, but it stopped when it sensed large numbers of presences.

[ROOOOOAAAAARRR!!!] (Lawrence)

*C-CREEEEEK*

The barricade and drawbridge slowly lowered for them to enter... But, when the Iron Gate opened...

[[Wha-!]] (Hans/Eliot)

[Ace-dono! Zero-dono! Iris-dono!!!] (Hans)

King Tyreon, Karmen Dixey, the Mercenary Corp. and the rest of the Royal Army saw the scene and were absolutely terrified.

[*Coughs Blood* Y-You're Majesty... Welcome back... A-As you can see... i-it seems like... we lost...] (Ace)

It was at this moment where everyone realized...

Ace William's party was wiped out by the Demon Beast.