Chương 12: Chapter 11 - Demon Slayer

Sounds of desperate fighting mixed with screeches and yelps echoed throughout the large field as more and more demons flooded in under the orange glow of the setting sun. The bull demon roared and swung again. One of the Varrins raised their sword, blocking the punch with the flat of the blade. The weight of the punch sent the silver-haired boy skidding backwards, boots carving small trenches through the dirt before he crashed to the ground.

Ren's entire body ached and his head swam painfully as he watched the monster bellow furiously. It hunched forward and brought its massive fist down in a brutal follow-up, smashing straight towards the fallen Varrin's face...

"No!" Ren screamed, trying to run to his companion but stumbling in the process because his vision had not yet stopped swirling,' Dammit!' Suddenly, the copy of Varrin appeared and threw himself between the deadly fist and his lookalike on the grass. Pink butterflies exploded outward in a blinding swarm as soon as the attack connected with the copy. Wings glittered and reflected the sunset as they once again filled the air around a demon's head.

It yelled in confusion, swatting wildly as the illusion began to dissolve. Ren blinked hard and forced his head to stop swimming, even just for a moment, before taking this opportunity to sprint forward and leap, landing hard against the bull-like demon's hairy back. Using his free hand to latch on, he plunged his dagger into the side of its beefy neck, but stopped short. Muscles like iron resisted the blade, the weapon sinking only partway in.

The monster roared and reared up violently, causing Ren to have to cling on for dear life.' Too thick—!' he thought, racking his brain on how to change his strategy as he desperately held onto the fistful of hair anchoring him to the demon. Varrin had gotten back to his feet, only to immediately throw himself into a roll, narrowly dodging a heavy punch.

"Use your body weight, Ren!" he yelled, pulling up his sword to block another blow with a grunt.

"Don't just hang up there doing nothing!"' Body weight...' Ren repeated inwardly. Thinking fast, he twisted his grip on his dagger then let go of his anchor. Using the downward momentum, he let himself fall, dragging the small blade down with him as he fell. The dagger carved a long, deep line along the back of the creature's neck all the way down to the base of its muscly back. Black, fetid blood sprayed all over Ren as he landed safely in a squat before rolling out of the way.

The bull demon staggered, blood pouring freely now, its roar turning wet and broken as it tried to recover. But Varrin didn't let it. He pulled his sword back before driving it straight through the demon's throat. The blade punched out the back of its neck in a spray of dark blood, then, with a sharp yank, he ripped it free and stepped aside as the massive body toppled over, hitting the ground with a thunderous crash. Ren stayed crouched low for a moment, chest heaving.

His clothes stuck to his skin thanks to a mixture of sweat and the demon's blood, and his dagger was slick in his hand. After wiping black blood off his face, he stood and surveyed the chaos on the battlefield now that he had time to breathe. Many more demons were pouring from the treeline in relentless waves, far too many for this to be a mere "small" incursion. Their eyes burned red beneath setting sun, their bodies moving with single-minded bloodlust in the winter breeze.

It seemed the small church wasn't what the horde was interested in—it was the village. Their silhouettes surged through the fields of wheat, stalks bending and parting for them as they pressed towards it, the first of the demons already reaching the outermost buildings. From within, Ren could hear screams beginning to rise.' The villagers...' he thought, his stomach dropping like a stone.

A wave of crystalline crimson shot up not far from him and Varrin, quickly followed by another sharp crack of Vincent's curious weapon. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. A loud crash sounded from the direction of the church, causing Ren's head to snap towards it just in time to see a flying demon that had tumbled out of the sky smash into the steeple.

The sheer size of the monster cracked the stone and sent it toppling to the ground in a cloud of dust. And there, near the entrance of the church, Ren spotted Elowen. The ground around her was webbed with frost, jagged lines of ice radiating outward like shattered glass. Several demons lay frozen solid nearby, their bodies locked mid-scream, expressions twisted in terror. Elowen herself, however, looked worse for wear. Her shoulders rose and fell wearily, each breath shallow and ragged.

Sweat clung to her skin despite the cold she radiated, and strands of her soft blue hair stuck to her trembling cheeks. She was locked in combat with a demon that closely resembled a dog, more beast than humanoid. It was hunched low and running on all fours, its muscles coiled tight beneath mangy, rotten hide. The demon's jaws snapped centimetres from her flesh with every lunge.

"Elowen!" Ren yelled as he sprinted towards her. He wasn't going to just turn a blind eye and watch her die, it went against everything he knew and everything had been taught. But most of all he knew that Yumè wouldn't be impressed if he ran from Elowen here. He reached her just as the demon lunged again. Elowen barely managed to parry, her beautiful jade blade scraping against its fangs as she staggered back a step.

"Ren…" the regal elf breathed, as she spotted him arrive, with Varrin closely in tow. Relief flickered through her eyes at their presence, even as her knees threatened to buckle. At that moment, the night's pressure seemed to shift once again as the same bloodcurdling roar from before erupted from seemingly everywhere at once. It wasn't just sound, a vast and crushing pressure slammed down on the world, rattling Ren's bones and turning his blood cold.

Elowen, unfortunately, fared much worse as her legs gave out, and she dropped to her knees.

"Damn it—!" Ren snapped. The dog-demon didn't waste this opportunity and sprang at her, not leaving him time to think before he shoved himself between them. Powerful jaws clamped down on his arm, causing pain to detonate up all the way up his shoulder as rows of teeth pierced flesh and bone. The demon thrashed, shaking him violently, his blood spraying as it tried to tear his arm free.

"Argh!" Ren couldn't help but let a scream of agony escape his lips. Varrin reacted quickly and stabbed his sword into the dog-like demon before viscously yanking the blade up and severing the monster head from its body. The jaws remained tightly clamped on Ren's arm for a few long seconds due to the muscles tension still left. Worried the fetid blood leaking from the mouth would cause an infection, Ren quickly tore the suspended head away before kicking it away.

He staggered back, blood pouring freely down his arm as [Accelerated Regeneration] struggled desperately to keep his many wounds from leaking any more of the precious stuff.

"Elowen," he said quickly, ignoring the pain and grabbing her chin to force the regal elf to look at him.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Her icy eyes were unfocused and her body trembled, but before either of them could say more the door to the church suddenly burst open.

"Ren!" Lorelle called out as she ran towards them, her lantern blazing brightly. Lady Agatha was not far behind, though she paused and turned towards the village, were large plumes of smoke rose, and even more screams echoed from.

"The village..." she said in a shaky voice, raising her hands to cover her mouth. Lorelle knelt beside Ren and hovered her hands right above his wounds. Her lantern flared slightly as warm flames began to flicker from her palms, sending a soothing sensation throughout his entire arm.

"We need to get out of here right now," Varrin said sternly, turning to Agatha.

"Which way is the best direction for us to run?"

"We can't just leave them!" Lorelle snapped, pausing her healing thus causing Ren to wince in pain.

"W-we have to help them somehow!"

"No Lorelle," Agatha said slowly.

"This… this is far worse than I anticipated,""The village is already lost." Ren clenched his jaw and wrapped his uninjured arm around Elowen, hauling her upright as gently as he could. She leant into him heavily, barely conscious.

"I will not allow young souls who sought my protection to die defending ruins," the older Firekeeper continued urgently as another wave of crimson shot up in the distance.

"Please, take Lorelle and run away with your friends. Run as far as possible from here."

"Lady Agatha—!" Lorelle yelled in disbelief.

"I will aid your escape," Agatha said, her voice on the verge of breaking as she ignored her apprentice.

"You all do not deserve to die like this." Ren hesitated only a fraction of a second before nodding in agreement.

"There's a path behind the church, it will lead us to a river and a cliff," Lady Agatha explained, "so if the Eternal Flame wills it, the land will buy us time and aid your escape." A group of demons suddenly appeared, clambering over the rubble that once was the steeple with snarling hatred and deadly intent.

"Run!" Varrin yelled, taking the lead and sprinting away. The remaining four of them turned and ran too, feet pounding against the dirt as they fled from the ruined church and the horde spilling into the village behind it. Ren pushed himself as hard as his legs would allow, the chaos and screams fading only slightly with every step. Ren heaved as he ran, one arm wrapped around Elowen to keep her upright. Her head lolled against him, barely conscious, her weight dragging at his side.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked, breath ragged, concern sharpening his voice.

"It's Soul Essence over-expenditure," Varrin shouted back as they crossed into the forest behind the church, the last of the sunset bleeding red-gold through the trees ahead of them.

"The princess pushed herself too far."

"It doesn't matter now," Lady Agatha said.

"Stay strong and move!" Behind them, the demons pursuing them crashed through the undergrowth, branches snapping and splintering beneath their bulk. Then came a roar, the same bloodcurdling screech that had sounded this evening twice before, sending a shiver crawling down Ren's spine. It was closer than last time.