Despite their victory over Azrakar, the group found themselves facing an even more formidable opponent—a colossal demon made entirely of crimson flames. Its roar echoed through the chamber, shaking the very foundations of the underground lair.
Aldred, Salamander, Cleome, and Shinari were all exhausted from the battle. They had fought against countless demons on their way here, and had eliminated many more demons in the underground lair.
After fighting Azrakar, they had expended most of their energy and resources already. They couldn't be put to fight against another monster.
"We have to run away," Salamander. "We cannot stop that thing in our current condition."
Aldred nodded in agreement. "I will distract that thing with my clones. Let us all run away!"
The fire demon roared once again before raising its hand and slamming down.
"RUN!" Salamander grabbed Cleome with one arm and dashed to the exit.
Aldred summoned his clones again and sent them towards the fire demon before running away as well.
Shinari followed behind them.
The group sprinted through the twisting tunnels of the underground lair, their footsteps echoing in the darkness. Behind them, the roar of the flaming demon reverberated, its colossal form hot on their trail. Despite their exhaustion, fear fueled their legs, propelling them forward.
Aldred continued to summon clones, sending them back to engage the fiery behemoth and slow its pursuit. Each clone fought valiantly, buying precious seconds for the group to put distance between themselves and the relentless demon.
However, every time the clones died, Aldred felt an uncomfortable tingling sensation in his head. He couldn't explain what it was.
Salamander's mechanical legs propelled him forward at an incredible speed, his eyes scanning their surroundings for the quickest route out.
Cleome who was still in Salamander's arms prepared her lightning just in case she needed to defend her team.
Salamander, his mind working quickly, shouted, "There's an old gate just ahead. If we can reach it, I might be able to rig it to collapse and block its path temporarily!"
As they neared the gate, Aldred sent his clones one final time, commanding them to hold off the fiery demon while the others enacted their plan.
Upon reaching the gate, Salamander swiftly set to work. Using his advanced knowledge of mechanics, he rigged the gate to collapse with a powerful explosion. Cleome infused the mechanism with her lightning, enhancing its destructive potential.
With a final glance back at the clones valiantly battling the fire demon, the group sprinted away, putting as much distance between themselves and the impending explosion as possible.
As they reached a safe distance, a deafening blast echoed through the tunnels. Rocks and debris rained down, sealing off the path behind them. The fiery roars of the demon were muffled by the rubble, indicating that, at least for the moment, they were safe.
"It worked," Shinari said, breathing profusely.
"That will keep the demon only for a minute or two," Salamander said before he took in a deep breath.
"We can't afford to rest for long," Aldred said. "We have to continue. Azrakar is destroyed and so does the steel crosses that produced the dark energy. We have achieved our objectives."
Salamander nodded in agreement. "Agreed. Let's move, but cautiously. We don't know what other dangers might lurk in these tunnels."
However, before they could move, the demon's massive fire claws burst out of the rubble. The demon roared before releasing a breath of fire towards them.
Cleome and Shinari widened their eyes as they couldn't do anything to block the fire. They were out of energy and stamina.
The powerful flame engulfed them whole.
But then, something shocking happened. The massive fire began smaller and smaller and revealed the group who was closing their eyes as if accepting their fate.
But when they opened their eyes, they saw Aldred standing in front of them, sucking in the fire with his mouth.
All of them watched in disbelief.
The demon was shocked as well. How could a puny human sucked in his flame of abyss.
When the demon stopped releasing the flame, Aldred smiled and said: "My turn."
He then released a breath of fire from his mouth, pushing the gigantic fire demon back.
The demon crashed onto the rubble. Aldred leaped high into the air, landed on top of the demon's head and began sucking in the air.
The demon was then terrified because he was also being sucked in.
As the fiery demon was drawn into Aldred's mouth, its colossal form diminished rapidly.
"NO! How is this possible! You're just a human! Even a super human wouldn't be able to do this!"
Aldred ignored the demon's remark and sucked him until he was no more.
Aldred gulped and barfed as he rubbed his stomach. "Ahh, that felt great."
The group watched in awe as the once-mighty demon was reduced to nothingness. Aldred's eyes glowed with an otherworldly light as he absorbed the demon's power, its essence becoming a part of him.
Salamander, Cleome, and Shinari approached him cautiously, their amazement mixed with concern. They had never witnessed such a display of power.
"H—how did you do that?" Shinari asked with wonder in her eyes. "You display an incredible show of physical strength, summon clones, and now you suck a fire demon with your mouth? What kind of super are you?"
"I am just a simple magician," Aldred said with a smile.
Aldred then raised his palm. A ball of fire burst forth. "Hehe. At least my fire magic has returned."
The group was yet surprised again. Aldred always manage to surprise them by revealing a new kind of power.
"Well, it's over now. That's all that matters," Salamander said. "Now we need to return to base to aid our allies.
Suddenly, the underground lair shook violently.
"Ughh, what is it this time?" Aldred was annoyed.
The vibration became more and more violent as time passed then suddenly, the walls of the lair crumbled, revealing dozens of heavy drilling machinery. After the drilling machinery moved to the side, they revealed heavy tanks, trucks, and hundreds of guardsmen moving into the underground lair.
There were some demons that tried to attack these guardsmen, but they were quickly obliterated with laser guns.
"The guardsmen are here!" Cleome's eyes lit up. "Does that mean we are winning?"
"There are three demon battleships invading our planet," Salamander said. "We cannot be said to win until we destroy them."
Suddenly, a group of tall human with thick, hulking armor appeared.
"Super soldiers!" Salamander's eyes widened. "If they are here, that means we truly are winning."
"Who are they?" Aldred asked.
"They are genetically enhanced super soldiers designed for war. You see the armor that they wear? Those armor are created with special materials that made them extremely hard to be killed. They possess immense strength and speed. Their helmet also provide advanced targeting system, and these guys wield devastating weapons that would blow powerful demons apart."
"Are they really that amazing?"
"You don't understand. They are not only physically powerful, but also extremely intelligent. Even though there were only 24 of them here, I believed they alone already enough to destroy the three battleships. In fact, sending 24 were already too much."
One of the super soldier approached them. His solid form towered over Salamander who was over two meter tall.
"We've detected a high trace of demonic energy in this underground lair."
"Yes, sir. We have defeated that demon," Salamander responded with enthusiasm.
"You've done well. The Imperium owes you."
The super soldier left immediately after saying those words, but Salamander was shock-stricken. Receiving a praise from a super-soldier was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
People rarely could meet a super soldiers. Even if they could ever meet one, they would almost die immediately, because super soldiers were only deployed in the harshest environment possible.
"Congrats, Salamander," Cleome said with a smile. "You deserved it."
"That praise is not only given to me, Cleome." Salamander looked at Aldred and Shinari.
"It's given to all of us."
