B2 Ch 96 - Welcome to the Demon Ranks [Bonus]

Jester was on a completely different level from the average demons surrounding him. But he was not fighting alone. Shade had enhanced him, wrapping itself around his body like a second layer of protection, while Michel had become armor around him. And then there was the Epic-grade Warhammer in his hands, a weapon that boosted his stats by at least eleven levels.

He had enough power to strike at least one of them hard enough to deal real damage. He only needed to prove that he was dangerous, to plant enough fear in their minds and make them hesitate.

"All of you, stop under my command!" he threatened again, growling loudly as he raised his Warhammer and prepared to strike back. "Take one more step, and I'll tear your bodies apart!"

And strangely enough, the threat actually worked on these idiot demons. They really hesitated. Several exchanged uncertain looks, while others tightened their grips on their weapons without daring to move forward.

"Do not listen to that bastard's empty threats!" the crown-horned demon shouted. "Attack him now!"

But Jester moved even faster. His enormous body lunged forward, and the Warhammer swept through the air with terrifying force. The weapon smashed into one of the demons before he could properly defend himself, sending him spinning violently through the air.

Jester immediately rushed after the others. He leaped forward, brought the Warhammer high above his head, and unleashed another crushing swing at the next demon.

The Warhammer caught the demon who had spoken first, sending him flying backward through the air before he crashed down hard, a deep wound tearing across his side. He did not get back up.

The remaining demons roared, their weapons rising almost in unison as they closed ranks around their fallen comrade.

"You're dead! All of you, together! Now!"

They surged forward as one. There was no stopping them anymore. Rage had completely taken over, and every demon charged at Jester at the same time. But then, just as they were about to reach him, it felt as though time itself had stopped.

[Epic - Shadow Domain Activated!]

A violent explosion erupted around Jester. The shadow covering his body suddenly expanded, bursting outward in every direction like a black wave. It spread across the ground and through the air, swallowing everything around them until the entire area disappeared beneath absolute darkness.

Heat rolled outward in a single violent wave, and for a handful of seconds, there was nothing but noise, pressure, and the ground shaking beneath their feet.

When the worst of it faded, the darkness that followed was almost complete, thick enough that even the demons' faintly glowing eyes struggled to cut through it.

"What was that?!" one of them shouted. "Report! Someone tell me what happened!"

"I can't see anything! Where is he?! Where the hell did he go?!"

"Stay together, you idiots!" the crown-horned demon roared. "Do not break formation!"

"Something touched me!"

"What?! Where?!"

"Behind me! Something moved behind me!"

"Stop shouting and attack it!"

"Attack what?! I can't see a damn thing!"

“You stupid coward!” the crown-horned demon roared into the darkness. “Come out and face us, you coward!”

The demons turned in every direction, their weapons sweeping across the empty ground that offered no answers. A few pressed closer together instinctively, their backs nearly touching.

Then, little by little, the darkness surrounding them began to thin. The heavy shadows slowly pulled away from the ground, allowing vague shapes to appear around them before their vision finally returned. Soon, they could see one another again.

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Yet none of them lowered their weapons. They remained tense, breathing heavily as their eyes searched every corner of the area.

"Where did that idiot go?!" one of them shouted, spinning around. "He was right here!"

"Find him!" the crown-horned demon roared. "Do not just stand there staring! Search the entire area!"

The demons spread out, though none of them dared to wander too far from the others.

"He's gone! I don't see him anywhere!"

"Then look harder, you useless fool!"

"Check behind the rocks! Check the trees! Check everything!" the crown-horned demon shouted. "He could not have simply disappeared!"

Another demon rushed toward the edge of the clearing before stopping abruptly. "No tracks! I can't find any tracks leading away!"

"What do you mean there are no tracks?!"

"I mean exactly that! There's nothing!"

"Impossible!" the crown-horned demon snarled. "Search again! That bastard used the darkness to escape. He has to be somewhere nearby!"

It took several long moments before anyone remembered their fallen companion.

"Zarvok! Zarvok's still down!"

Two of them broke away from the huddle and rushed toward the crumpled shape lying on the earth, the demon who had taken that first brutal hit and never gotten back up. Blood pooled beneath him, dark against the dead ground, his chest rising in shallow, uneven breaths.

"He's still breathing! Get him up, get him up!"

"Zarvok, can you hear me? Say something."

The crown-horned demon approached Zarvok, who was still lying motionless on the ground, then stopped beside him with an irritated look on his face.

"Zarvok, get up right now, or you can stay there like a worthless corpse and die with the rest of the trash," he growled.

Zarvok's eyes suddenly opened. One of the other demons reached down to help him, but Zarvok immediately slapped his hand away and forced himself upright.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" Zarvok said. "Do I look so weak that all of you think I need help just to stand?! Do not look down on me like I'm some pathetic low-level demon!"

He remained on one knee for a moment, checking the wound across his chest. The injury was deep enough to leave blood running down his body, but after making sure nothing vital had been damaged, Zarvok slowly pushed himself back onto his feet.

"I'm still standing, aren't I?" Zarvok growled, pressing one hand against the wound. "That bastard caught me off guard. That's all. And I'm certain the humans sent him. He must be one of their summoned creatures. I could tell from that pathetic attack. If he had actually been strong, one clean hit would have done far more than this."

Zarvok straightened his back as if trying to prove his own words, though his unsteady breathing and the wound across his chest made it obvious that the attack had hurt him more than he wanted to admit.

A moment later, several demons who had gone searching returned with frustrated expressions.

"We couldn't find that idiot demon anywhere."

"What do you mean you couldn't find him?"

"He's gone. No tracks, no scent, nothing that tells us which direction he went."

"How can something that huge disappear so easily?!" another demon shouted. "That thing was bigger than most of us! It couldn't have simply vanished into thin air!"

"Then he used some kind of skill," the crown-horned demon said coldly. "That darkness was never meant to fight us. It was meant to cover his escape."

"Damn coward," Zarvok said, tightening his fist. "He attacked me once and ran away the moment we came after him. The next time I see that bastard, I'll crush his skull myself."

The demons gradually gathered together again, forming a tighter group as they continued watching their surroundings. Despite Zarvok's angry words, none of them seemed willing to lower their guard.

Their voices remained low and tense as they discussed what they should do next. After what had just happened, none of them seemed eager to continue the patrol as if everything were normal.

"The humans will attack tonight. This is a bad sign."

"We should patrol farther ahead first and report anything else we find."

"Are you an idiot? What we have already seen is more than enough to report," another demon snapped. "We need to return and warn them that the enemy has someone capable of summoning a powerful demon like that. Who knows what else they might be hiding?"

"He's right. We report this to the Commander immediately. Let them decide what we do next."

After a brief argument, the demons finally came to an agreement. They turned around and began marching back the way they had come, although their formation was slightly different this time. They walked closer together, with the more heavily wounded among them positioned near the center while the others kept watch around them.

At the very back of the group walked Zarvok.

His horns were noticeably different from those of the other demons. Instead of a simple pair, he appeared to have two pairs of horns with another horn rising from the center. Their bases seemed almost connected, spreading along the sides of his face like the upper frame of a natural horned mask before curving outward. It gave Zarvok a far more striking appearance than the others.

Walking at the rear, Zarvok dragged his enormous axe behind him, the blade scraping lightly against the ground. Then a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Not bad," Zarvok whispered. "Out of all these demons, at least this one has the coolest appearance."

Sorry, Zarvok. Wrong place, wrong time.

The Sixty-Ninth Ranked Demon. Queen Belial. And now Jester was walking straight into the heart of her territory while wearing the face of one of her own scouts.

Perfect. Now let’s see exactly what I’m dealing with here.