Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

With each Flame Burst, Rynn unleashed waves of fire that licked at the very fabric of reality, causing the air to shimmer and warp with the intense heat.

Mana storms formed around her, crackling with energy as her Inferno Fury unleashed a tempest of fire and fury upon the Bloodfangs.

"Aaaaaah! My children! Humans, you'd pay for this."

Despite the Eldric members' best efforts, the Bloodfangs proved to be formidable opponents. Bloodfang arranged his remaining familiars in battle formation with the wave of its hand and attacked with newfound determination.

A hive of the familiars closed in on the Eldric members. Their claws tore through the air with lethal precision, leaving gashes in the earth and sending showers of sparks flying with each swipe. Their fangs dripped with venom, their toxic saliva sizzling as it met the flames of Rynn's inferno.

The battle raged on, each side locked in a deadly dance of death and destruction. Injuries were inevitable, with cuts and bruises marring the flesh of the Eldric Force members. But they fought on, their resolve unbroken even as their mana reserves dwindled and exhaustion threatened to claim them.

Finally, with a final, coordinated assault, Lyra, Thane, and Rynn unleashed their ultimate techniques.

The forest trembled and shook as their powers converged, unleashing a cataclysmic barrage of shadow, steel, and fire upon the Bloodfangs.

And as the dust settled and the echoes of battle faded into silence, only the victorious cries of the Eldric Force remained, echoing through the charred remains of the Shadowed Grove.

"Was… was this a setup by the Demon Earl," Rynn couldn't help voicing his concern in a grave tone as he steadied himself and landed on the ground.

"Whatever it was, I hope that it's over. Otherwise, we'd be in deep shit," Lyra spoke as she landed beside Rynn.

"Why… Why did you have to speak about this? Now you've jinxed it," Thane spoke in a complaining tone. He was relatively better off than the other two. Yet. he still had dark expressions on his face because, according to him, Lyra had raised a flag.

***

Another battlefield.

The Shadowed Grove echoed with the eerie silence that preceded chaos as Alaric and Vaelen faced off against the ominous Voidspawn.

The air crackled with anticipation, tension thick enough to cut through as the two warriors prepared for battle.

"Vaelen, I'm going all out now."

Alaric, his eyes ablaze with determination, tightened his grip on his shattered sword. Vaelen, ever vigilant, raised his broken staff, his expression a mask of grim resolve. With a nod between them, they charged forward, their footsteps pounding against the forest floor like a war drum.

The Voidspawn and his familiars emerged from the darkness, their twisted forms pulsating with energy. With a guttural roar, they lunged at the duo, their claws slashing through the air with deadly precision.

Zoom. Swoosh. Cut.

Alaric met their onslaught head-on, his broken sword flashing in the dim light as he parried blow after blow. Despite the fractures marring its surface, his blade held firm, each strike sending sparks flying as it clashed against the Voidspawn's dark hide.

Vaelen, meanwhile, unleashed torrents of Skills, his broken staff crackling with power as he summoned bolts of lightning to strike down their foes. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed his first skill, Arcane Barrage, sending a barrage of magical projectiles hurtling towards the Voidspawn with deadly accuracy.

"Get out. Get the fuck out from our homes."

The Voidspawn demon beast spoke through the mouths of various familiars at the same time. As a result, his voice had a demonic echo attached to it.

The creatures were relentless, their attacks almost unstoppable as they closed in on their prey. The hive of demon beasts wasn't easy to handle no matter how tough the two Practitioners were.

"Why… Why did we take this mission instead of doing our usual thing again?"

Alaric gritted his teeth, his muscles straining against the weight of his shattered weapon as he fought to keep the Voidspawn at bay.

"That can be discussed later. Focus on the task first."

Vaelen's brow furrowed with concentration as he unleashed spell after spell, each one draining his mana reserves with alarming speed.

Despite their best efforts, the Voidspawn proved to be formidable opponents. With each blow, they seemed to grow stronger, their dark energy pulsating with intent-based demonic power. Alaric's sword splintered under the force of their onslaught, leaving him defenseless against their relentless assault. Vaelen's staff fared no better, its shattered remains unable to channel the arcane energies he needed to fight back.

But the two warriors refused to yield.

"Haaaaaaah!"

With a hoarse roar, Alaric unleashed his second [Skill: Last Stand], channeling the last vestiges of his strength into a devastating counterattack. With a mighty swing, he cleaved through the Voidspawn's ranks, his broken sword glowing with a faint, ethereal light as it struck true.

Vaelen, his mana reserves all but depleted, summoned the last reserves of his magical power, his voice ringing out in a thunderous incantation. With a surge of energy, he unleashed his final [Skill: Arcane Nova], creating a blinding explosion of arcane energy that engulfed the remaining Voidspawn in a storm of raw magic.

Boom!

The forest trembled and shook with the force of their combined assault, the air thick with the scent of ozone and charred earth. When the dust settled, only silence remained, broken only by the ragged breaths of Alaric and Vaelen as they surveyed the aftermath of the battle.

Their weapons lay shattered at their feet, their bodies battered and bruised from the fierce onslaught. But they had emerged victorious, their determination and courage shining bright even in the darkest of moments.

"Well… we lost our weapons in this mission. No matter how much we earn now, it's going to be a loss."

With a weary smile, Alaric spoke.

By this time, Kalen and the others had also wrapped up their respective battles. The Practitioners met at a place away from their respective battlefields.

Kalen observed that all of his team members were unable to explore the deeper parts of the Shadowed Grove due to injuries, almost depleted mana reserves, or damaged weapons and artifacts. He sighed before thinking to himself, 'I guess we can only retreat and try some other time. This forest is not as easy to explore as I thought it would be.'

Kalen was about to order his team members to retreat when his expression darkened. He looked around himself in the distance in dread as he sensed various powerful demonic presences approaching him and his teammates.

Before Kalen and his team members could do anything about it, they were surrounded. Kalen's face turned pale when he saw seven demon beasts emerge from the woods this time, each of them controlling their respective familiars.

The crowd-controlling ability was one of the most potent abilities of the demon beasts. The seven demon beasts wielded their powers to their fullest as they approached the intruders who were members of the Eldric Force.

"Humans, now that you have come here, kindly stay. Forever. Hehehe," one of the demon beasts, in a pretty and seductive young girl's form, stepped forward in the air as she spoke, looking at Kalen and the others tauntingly.

'To hell with my identity and integrity,' Kalen thought to himself. Gritting his teeth, he decisively closed his eyes and let Eren's Soul Imprint willingly take over him.

When Kalen opened his eyes, he was not Kalen anymore. Not really.

"Hmm? These many little demons have come here to welcome me?" Kalen spoke in a voice that didn't really sound like his.

"Kekeke. I'm certainly pleased. Now, which among you is the leader? Come forward before I exorcize your asses for good," Kalen, or rather Eren spoke in a casual tone before spreading his arms open and spreading his Individuality.

"What?"

"The fuck! This baleful aura!"

"Who… who are you?"

"This… this is not Kalen!"

"Demon! Kalen has been possessed!"

Kalen's team members spoke one after the other as they looked at Kalen with shocked expressions. There was also a mix of fear in their expressions.

They didn't know who had possessed Kalen, but they were sure that the demonic dominion that emanated from Kalen was certainly at a different stage than all the demonic entities surrounding them combined.