Chapter 83

Erkag viewed the new demon with wonder. *Just who could this demon be?* He took in every single detail of the newcomer—his partially scaly skin, his simple clothes, his horns, his eyes, his Demonic Hatred, his everything. *An unknown demon who can fight Kazon on equal or possibly superior footing—how truly fasana—*

Erkag didn't get to finish his thoughts as he got punched in the head, nearly knocking his cloak off. The force of the blow sent his hood askew, revealing a glimpse of his dark, metallic features beneath. Marcus didn't pay any attention to the new demon and instead kept his focus on Erkag. After the punch to the head, Marcus swiftly followed up by grabbing Erkag's left arm, pulling it upwards, before driving his knee forcefully into Erkag's sternum area. At the same time, Marcus's right fist shot up in an uppercut, connecting solidly with Erkag's jaw. Marcus made sure to enhance his knuckles and knee while delivering the strikes, not only to protect himself but also to deal maximum damage.

"If you need help, Erkag, you won't be getting it from me," said Kazon matter-of-factly, his tone devoid of hostility, as he braced himself for the incoming attack from the demon of hatred, his armor screaming at him in fear. As the demon dashed towards him, Kazon raised his arms to block, but the demon effortlessly slipped through his guard and seized him by the armored throat with his clawed right hand. With a swift motion, the demon lifted Kazon into the air before delivering a powerful punch to his helmet, sending him hurtling down the hallway. Erkag watched as Kazon flew past him and Marcus before the demon of hatred pursued him.

"By our lord, it looks like we might be losing this battle," Erkag remarked before Marcus swiftly low-kicked him on his right knee. Upon impact, Erkag's knee emitted more orange liquid, staining the greave on Marcus's left leg. The whirling noise filled the air once more as Erkag's right arm shot up. Marcus braced himself to block with his left, but instead of striking him, Erkag brought his right arm in front of Marcus's face. Suddenly, Erkag's right hand went limp, and from the top of his wrist emerged a cylinder that bore a striking resemblance to the barrel of a cannon. Something inside the cylinder glowed a bright orange color, and out of pure instinct, Marcus sidestepped to the right. In that moment, an orange beam, emanating intense heat, shot out of the cylinder, traversing the entire length of the hallway and blasting open the far end with explosive force.

"Watch it, you piece of shit! You nearly hit me!" the demon of hatred yelled as he turned around to face Erkag, giving Kazon the opportunity to slash at his back with his dagger. The demon hissed in pain as he turned back to confront Kazon, who attempted to drive his dagger into his heart. However, the demon raised his scaly left forearm to block the attack, the dagger only piercing skin deep.

"Where the hell did your honor go, you bastard!" The demon of hatred yelled in fury.

"Down the drain when I used magic against a child," Kazon replied coldly. With that, he pulled out another dagger from behind his back with his left hand and slashed the demon across his chest, drawing blood and eliciting a snarl of pain. In retaliation, the demon wildly punched Kazon in the chest plate, sending him flying once more. He then ripped out the dagger, still embedded in his left forearm, and hurled it at Kazon. The blade struck his helmet but caused no damage, merely bouncing off.

Suddenly, the blue horn of the demon of hatred began to glow, and he swung his hand downwards in an arc. A thin blue slash shot out towards Kazon, who, while still airborne, clasped his hands together. A wall of hellfire materialized in front of him, blocking the slash as he landed on his feet.

"That was meant to end you, you know?" said Erkag as he swung his left hand down at Marcus in a hammering motion. Marcus dodged it skillfully, then caught Erkag's arm and pulled him as he chambered his leg. With a swift kick, Marcus aimed for Erkag's right side, hitting his rib area. Erkag showed no reaction.

Ignoring the blow, Erkag swung his right hand in a clawing motion at Marcus's head. Marcus leaned to the side to dodge, but still got grazed by the hit, feeling blood drip from his cheek. He noticed thin claws on Erkag's right hand, which weren't there before.

Before Erkag could swing again, Marcus used Erkag's left arm, which he was still holding onto, to pull him and shift so that they changed places. He then backed away from Erkag, panting and feeling drained. Erkag stared at him from under his cloak, showing no signs of fatigue from the fighting.

*It seems like he has endless stamina,* Marcus noted as he stabilized his breathing. *Not only that,* every hit Marcus had landed on him, whether with his sword or fists and legs, felt like he was striking metal. *Is there even a living being under that cloak?* Marcus wondered as he wiped away a bit of sweat.

*I also have to worry about that cannon in his wrist,* Marcus thought, glancing down at the orange liquid that stained his left greave. *I have to test something.*

Marcus stepped back quickly, grabbing his curved saber off the ground. Right then, he heard the whirling sound again and watched as Erkag aimed the cannon in his wrist at him once more. Marcus glared at him, holding his saber in front of him with both hands.

"What are you doing?" Erkag asked as the cannon charged up. Marcus didn't reply, only tightening the grip of his blade. As the cannon fired, the orange beam surged towards him. The gems on Marcus's blade glowed, and upon impact, the beam split into two. One beam blasted apart one of the windows; the other tore through some of the doors.

"Oh, that blade negates magic, does it?" Erkag remarked. Marcus still didn't reply, gritting his teeth in pain. The beam didn't get completely negated due to one of the gems on the blade being damaged from the fight with the angel, so he was still slightly burned from the immense heat.

*I can't block too many of those,* Marcus thought to himself, focusing on Erkag once more. *I have to finish this quickly, or this will be my death.* Just as Marcus prepared to fight again, (Déjà vu?), he and everyone else felt something powerful coming from outside the mansion. Not only that, but they knew that this wasn't just the arrival of someone or something powerful. No, they all sensed that this was something powerful occurring.