Five-finned Demon

Countless bodies were hanging from the ceiling, their blank eyes staring into the void.

"Count, his subordinates, his soldiers, and even his family all consumed demonic energy, trying to gain strength quickly. Now they will fulfil their purpose of providing energy to summon the general from Master Malphas's family", Axian laughed, his demonic laugh filling the entire mansion.

Aldrich noticed the demonic energy seeping from the bodies towards the ceiling as he leapt in the air, holding his swords, aiming to cut down the source of this energy.

"Not so fast", Axian appeared in front of Aldrich at a lightning-fast speed, landing a kick and throwing him to the ground.

"Kugh", Aldrich stood up, wiping the blood off his face. He knew he was running out of time and options. The entire territory would be destroyed if the general descended.

"Need a hand?", suddenly an overpowering aura filled the entire mansion. Aldrich looked towards the gate to find out that Mark had come with his team to their aid.

"My team is battling against the demons outside; I thought you would need my help here"; Mark took out his sword and turned into a blur, appearing behind Axian,

"So, you are the one that harmed my people",

He enveloped his sword in flames as he slashed his sword.

"AAARGH", Axian screamed as the attack tore through his back, burning his demonic flesh.

Mark landed near Aldrich, providing him with support; he could sense that the battles were taking a toll on Aldrich, as his body was full of wounds.

"What's the plan?" he asked.

Aldrich pointed to the ceiling as Mark looked at the horrifying scene,

"He is trying to summon the General of Malphas's Army here. We have to stop the ritual",

Mark leapt in the air, reaching the ceiling. He slashed his sword, trying to stop the ritual, but his sword was parried away.

"What the hell happened to you," Mark said, as the once happy and lively Count was now standing before him, his body turned red and bones protruding from parts of his body.

"Power", the Count said in a ghastly voice. He swiped his hands as numerous bones flew towards Mark, who parried them.

Mark, working in the Count's territory, had personally known Count Ash for a long time.

He was devastated to see the Count in such a condition, but he knew he had no chance but to kill him off.

Flames enveloped Mark's blade as he leapt towards the Count, unleashing a barrage of strikes. The Count summoned a shield of bones, trying to defend against the Count's attacks, but Mark's relentless strikes slowly chipped away the shield.

"Flame Wall", Mark said as a wall suddenly surrounded the Count from all sides. Mark closed his fist as the wall started to close in on the Count.

"ARGHH AAARGH", he could hear the Count's screams, but he gritted his heart, knowing there was no chance to save him.

Suddenly, an explosion rang out as the spell disappeared, and the Count walked out with two giant swords made of bone.

Meanwhile, Aldrich faced off against Axian as they both tried to kill each other.

Aldrich's mana pool was nearly exhausted, but Noct's support allowed him to fight on equal grounds with Axian.

"You pest", Axian increased his speed, rushing towards Noct. Still, Noct disappeared into the shadows, only for Aldrich to appear behind Axian, slashing the sword imbued with Light mana deep into Axian's back, which was already torn by Mark's spells.

"AAAAAARGH", Axian revealed a frightening scream, as the Demon's bodies were highly vulnerable to Light mana.

Aldrich didn't stop, knowing he had to end it now. He summoned Lumi, who used all her remaining mana to launch an intense beam of Light mana towards Axian, obliterating the lower half of his body.

"How many.. of these bastards do you have", Axian groaned. He knew that his end was near.

"Enough to deal with you" Aldrich walked towards Axian, summoning all his remaining mana, as he slashed his throat, killing him.

[Host has defeated a five-finned Demon, gained 300 exp]

[Host has levelled up]

"Level 8, huh" Aldrich sat down on the ground, trying to recover mana while watching Mark fight against the Count, knowing the battle would soon end.

The fire rapidly enveloped Mark's sword, giving It the look of a Katana.

"Goodbye, my friend", he said as he slashed his sword, splitting the Count's body into two.

He looked towards Aldrich, knowing that the battle was also finished there.

"It's over", Mark said, but suddenly, the entire mansion started to shake. Aldrich and Count looked towards the ceiling to notice that Large amounts of mana suddenly started to flow towards it. Dead bodies of demons, humans, Axian, Count, everything started to get sucked into the ceiling, as a giant hand revealed himself.

"Shit, we have to stop the ritual" Aldrich launched a beam of Light mana, and Mark slashed his flame sword towards the ceiling, knowing they would die if the Demon General was summoned.

The hand blocked the attacks before launching a beam of energy, throwing Aldrich and Mark away.

Meanwhile, in the prison, Remi looked at the horrifying scene before her eyes.

The wall was coloured red in blood,

"KILL ME"

"KILL"

"ME",

Spelt out on every corner of the wall.

In the middle of the room lay a man whose arms and limbs were cut off, and his face was torn apart, revealing his flesh and bones.

"What the hell happened to you" Remi had seen several torture attempts, but none of them went as far as this one.

The man suddenly recognized her walking towards him as he squealed, trying to convey his emotions to Remi.

"You want me to kill you?" Remi took out her dagger.

The man nodded, desperation clear in his eyes.

Remi slashed the man's throat, finally ending his misery.

"Why do they want to keep him alive? What was the reason behind this gruesome torture", The scene in front of her had fueled her intense hatred for the Demons.

"You, what happened here" Suddenly, a calm voice resounded behind Remi as she leapt back, throwing her daggers towards the voice.

"Calm down, and tell me what happened" The daggers disappeared before they could reach the man as he walked out of the shadows.

It was Brent.