Death was upon me. I could feel its cold fingers creeping closer as Marax’s grotesque hammer forned from his mutated right arm came crashing down.

  It felt inevitable, like the universe had already decided my fate to end at this moment, But I wasn’t ready. I refused to accept it.

  Not when I had a lot left to accomplish. I hadn't even started yet. All my dreams and desires, they had only just begun.

  So how can I be ready to give it all up just like that.

  Yet, my refusal meant nothing. In this battle, my will held no weight. The harsh truth remained? I stood no chance. No matter how desperately I allocated my stats, no matter how fiercely the Lesser Demons fought, nothing could alter the grim outcome awaiting me.

  Death… so terrifying, yet so cruelly inevitable.

  A blur of movement disrupted my descent into despair. Igon, the Ashborn, launched himself through the air, his small, imp-like form latching onto Marax’s face. His claws dug into flesh, momentarily blocking the Greater Demon’s vision.

  "You little—!" Marax growled, staggering under the unexpected assault.

  Before he could rip Igon away, Gulmeg, the Mirefiend, dashed forward. The frog-like demon opened its maw and spewed a viscous, sticky substance onto Marax’s body.

  I had no idea what the fluid was, but the moment it made contact, it sizzled against his skin, dissolving flesh like acid.

  "You damned—!" Marax roared in fury, grabbing Igon with one powerful hand and flinging him aside like a ragdoll.

  My heart sank as I watched Marax’s wounded flesh mend itself. The exposed, melting tissue regenerated in mere moments, the damage undone as if it had never happened.

  How?!

  How do you defeat something that heals as quickly as it is harmed?

  But it wasn't over, not yet for the Lesser Demons at least.

  While I was clinging toward the inevitable, foolish enough to accept this was the end, they held on to a silver lining drawn from their relentless assult on Marax.

  Togmoth, the Noxling, drifted toward Marax like a shadow, its hazy, indistinct form barely tangible. A single touch of its misty claws sent an eerie ripple through the air.

  For the first time, I felt something shift. Marax’s overwhelming presence wavered, only slightly, but it was enough to notice.

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  Then came the creeping tendrils of gas, slithering around the Greater Demon, seeping into his body.

  Marax wobbled, his stance faltering as his mind clouded. He clutched his head, struggling to keep focus.

  "A simple trick like this…!" he muttered, his voice weaker than before. His breathing grew heavier, the weight of the Noxling’s ability pressing down on him. "A trick like this won’t keep me down!"

  His roar of defiance shook the air, his strength surging back as he forced himself to stand.

  But Vangrur, the Gremlin, was already in motion. The nimble demon lunged, sinking its fangs deep into Marax’s neck, locking its jaw to keep him from rising further.

  For a fleeting moment, it felt as though we had a chance. The combined efforts of my Lesser Demons were working. We were overwhelming him. We could win!

  However...

  That foolish hope was crushed in an instant.

  Marax’s body trembled with suppressed rage. His fingers curled around Vangrur’s tiny frame, lifting him with terrifying ease.

  Then—

  SLAM!

  Once.

  SLAM!

  Twice.

  SLAM!

  A third time.

  Vangrur’s small, nimble body struck the ground with brutal force, his bones snapping under the sheer impact. His once lively form lay limp, twitching weakly.

  Igon, still shaken from being thrown, leaped back into the fray, desperate to distract Marax long enough for Gulmeg to retrieve Vangrur.

  But Marax wasn’t done.

  With a sudden expansion of his mass, his body grew even larger, muscles swelling as his power surged. A single, devastating kick sent Gulmeg flying.

  Igon suffered worse. Marax’s left arm twisted, reshaping into a long, jagged blade. With a quick, merciless thrust—

  CHUCK!

  The blade pierced straight through Igon’s chest.

  Togmoth, desperate to intervene, released another wave of hallucinogenic mist. The air thickened with its presence, distorting vision, warping the surrounding with it.

  But Marax was beyond such tricks.

  With a mere wave of his hand, the gas was dispersed. He shook his head, mildly irritated, but not hindered. The effects had done something. His mind had undoubtedly taken damage from it, but it wasn’t nearly enough to stop the Greater Demon.

  "Take the Oba and run!" Togmoth commanded, stepping between me and Marax, a final act of defiance.

  The one left standing, Lilura the Succubus didn’t hesitate to adhear. She rushed to my side, scooping up my fragile form before bolting in the opposite direction, carrying me as fast as her legs could manage.

  Lilura was the weakest of my demons in terms of offense. Her strength lay in persuasion, in seduction. But what use was charm against a monster like Marax?

  None.

  "You’d throw your lives away… for this?" Marax’s voice rumbled with something I couldn’t quite place. Amusement? Confusion?

  I felt the same.

  Why?

  Why weren’t they running? Why weren’t they saving themselves?

  If I were in their place, I would have left me behind. I should have been left behind.

  Yet, these fools were choosing to fight, to die for me.

  I wanted answers. And it seemed… so did Marax.

  He moved faster than I could comprehend. In mere moments, he was beside us, cutting off our escape.

  A single strike sent Lilura tumbling to the ground, her grip on me lost. I was flung from her arms, my body rolling violently across the jagged terrain.

  Pain flared through me, but I barely had time to register it.

  Marax ignored Lilura, his deadly eyes locked onto me instead.

  I could see it now, the curiosity burning behind his gaze.

  He reached for me. But just as he was about to grab me from the ground-

  A hole.

  A void opened beneath us both, appearing from nowhere, swallowing us whole.

  I had no time to react, no chance to resist.

  And so, I fell.

  ---

  You Have Entered A Summoning Portal!