Chapter 79: Elite of the Flame Demon! Third Update
Soren was heavily injured.
Even after advancing to the elite form of the Flame Demon, his injuries had only partially healed. Challenging even stronger enemies was extremely dangerous; Soren’s true form could manage it because he had enough specialized abilities to support it, as well as good equipment and other turnaround means. But now, the newly born Demon Avatar did not have many trump cards, and his specialized abilities were basically untrained. The equipment, needless to say, was lacking as well, with his only advantage being the inherited combat skills.
At the most critical moment, Soren almost fell into a near-d*ath state from the Bone Demon’s attack, but fortunately, he managed to hold on.
After defeating a Bone Demon of officer rank, Soren saw a significant improvement in his abilities. The Flame Demon’s ‘Bind’ ability was a very useful combat skill, capable of directly trapping enemies who lacked sufficient strength. In his earlier battles, he utilized the Flame Whip to bind foes; in the future, if he advanced to become a Balroth Fire Demon, he could even strangle weaker enemies directly.
As it stands now,
Soren still lacked important abilities to advance to Balroth Fire Demon, such as mastering Dual Wielding, Mind Control (instantaneous ability), Powerful Cleave, Strong Attack, and mastering Initiative.
These specialized abilities would likely have to wait until he advanced to the Flame Demon form to attempt to master them.
“Bind [Special Ability]: The Flame Demon’s +1 Flame Whip can bind opponents like a net attack. The Flame Whip has 20 hit points and does not need to be folded. Once the whip hits its target, the target must make a strength check against itself. If it wins, you can pull the target towards your fiery body. The bound target will temporarily suffer binding effects, and enemies whose Constitution and Strength are crushed will trigger an additional forced d*ath save.”
The elite form of the Flame Demon unintentionally possessed a portion of Flame Demon’s power.
Although the Bind ability was very useful, what Soren really wanted was the ‘High-level Teleportation Spell,’ which could only be mastered by mid to high-level demons.
This was the true core ability.
If he could comprehend ‘High-level Teleportation Spell’, Soren could enter and leave the battlefield at will, making healing, finishing off enemies, or retreating incredibly convenient.
From the current perspective, it seemed he was still lacking some accumulation. (Note: High-level demons and devils mostly have teleportation abilities.)
Advancing to the elite form had strengthened Soren’s base attributes and vitality; his height was now nearly 2.5 meters, making him look like a small giant. When he eventually advanced to Flame Demon form, his height would exceed 3 meters. Simultaneously, his physique would exert pressure on medium-sized enemies.
This physique was not suitable for delicate combat, but techniques like Sword Intent [Decapitation] would become significantly powerful!
Soren needed to readjust to his combat abilities; every change in size involved an adaptation period.
Thus, he quickly retreated toward the back.
Once Soren left the battlefield, he found that the center had turned into a chaotic melee, with the two most notable areas being the rarely seen Eye Demon army in the bl**d War and a Balroth Fire Demon wielding a scythe of d*ath.
Such a powerful weapon!
An extremely powerful weapon!
Soren could even feel the immense power contained within the scythe of d*ath burning with black flames, without needing to open his senses!
He couldn’t confirm whether it was an artifact.
But he could be sure that its actual power would not be inferior to that of an artifact; such underworld weapons rarely fell into the Bottomless Abyss, and it appeared to be a weapon specially modified for the Balroth Fire Demon.
The demon overseer did not stop Soren’s retreat.
In fact, there were not many surviving demons left on this flank of the battlefield.
At this time,
He finally had a little time to heal himself while retreating to the back of the formation, checking his post-advancement attributes:
“Name: Soren.
Race: Demon.
Form: Flame Demon [Fourth Rank] [Elite] [Large Creature]
Level: Biological Level 15.
Attributes: Strength 25, Agility 20, Constitution 22, Intelligence 16, Perception 18, Charisma 20.
Faction: Lawful Evil. (Note: Other demons will have mild hostility toward your actions.)
Life: 31/235.
Demon Power: 0/3000.
Skills: Stealth 125, Deceit 75, Negotiation 85, Knowledge 100, Intimidation 210, Spell Identification 90, Use Magical Device 90, Listen 85, Scout 85, Search 70.
Abilities: Flame Body, Flame Whip, Bind, Demon Claw (+1 Natural Magic Weapon), Demon Skin (Damage Reduction +10), Demon Resistance (Various Resistance +10).
Specialties: Multiple Attacks, Weapon Proficiency: Longsword, Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Whip.
Spell-like Abilities: Fear, Fireball (three times per day), Dominate Demon (once per day), Burning Hands, Summon Demon, Mind Link.”
…………
Due to the transformation, Soren’s attributes had further increased; he had now changed from a [Medium Creature] to a [Large Creature].
The most obvious change was not the increase in various basic attributes but rather one specific ability he possessed. His [Intimidation] had unexpectedly surged to 210 points, nearly rivaling his true form’s intimidation ability!
Incredible.
Soren himself didn’t understand why his [Intimidation] had suddenly risen so much.
Is it because I look intimidating now?!
Without a mirror nearby, Soren had no way to see his current appearance, but he reached out to feel himself. It seemed there wasn’t much of a change; he still looked like a creature caught between a half-elf and a demon, resembling a Hell Demon hybrid, with only very pointed ears and still dark red skin without any conspicuous changes in appearance. The contours of his face still felt relatively humanoid, unlike other demons that looked monstrous and ferocious.
Only his size had gone from the original 1 to around 1.5, his entire muscle mass radiating explosive pressure!
“It seems leading demons will be much easier from now on.”
In the chaotic environment of the Bottomless Abyss, [Negotiation] was definitely not as useful as [Intimidation] and [Deceit]; as long as his [Intimidation] was sufficiently high, controlling other demons would be much simpler.
This might be the benefit of the elite template, as elite-form monsters were originally mini-bosses.
As Soren retreated to the rear, nearby demons made way for him. Even the flustered Frenzied Combat Demons who had previously been hostile towards him no longer dared to meet Soren’s gaze, and even those who drew close bore expressions of awe. As for other low-level demons, if they were accidentally caught in Soren’s gaze, they trembled in fear. Even low-level demons not under Soren’s command seemed to be under his influence now. The exact changes would need to be explored slowly later.
…………
The casualties within the Demon Legion were increasing.
The scales of victory seemed to tilt towards the Demon Legion; the Six-armed Serpent Demons had torn through the Devil Legion’s formation, and some had even charged into the rear. The figure of the Balroth Fire Demon continuously appeared and vanished, each reappearance taking the life of a devil. The Eye Demon army was the scariest ranged force, inundating the battlefield with beams of energy that made it impossible for the devils to approach. Most of the rear forces were advancing, with a huge number of mid-level demons at the core pressing onward toward the Devil Legion.
As soon as there was a gap in the devil’s line, the vast numbers of demons would be able to overwhelm them.
But!
Soren’s sense of unease grew stronger.
For nearly a thousand years, the conflict between demons and devils had resulted in far more losses than victories, and this situation made him feel a sense of foreboding. There were too few horned demons, and he had yet to see the core troops of Bartok’s devils; although there were many mid to high-level devils present, the true elite forces seemed to be absent, and he hadn’t spotted any Hell Demon Generals or the top-tier bl**d War troops they commanded.
There must be other battlefields erupting!
Either the devils were hiding some conspiracy, or their true goals lay elsewhere.
Roar.
A deep, muffled growl emanated from the horizon.
Roar! Roar! Roar!
The sound of low growls grew closer, spreading across the battlefield in an instant, a sound that was all too familiar to Soren. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of dread, almost instantly turning to retreat without looking back.
Dragons!
Giant Dragons!
So many Giant Dragons!
In the distant sky, silhouettes of swiftly approaching giant dragons appeared—Red Dragons, White Dragons, Green Dragons, Blue Dragons, Black Dragons; the evil faction’s five-colored dragon kin seemed to have all come forth at this moment.
Adult giant dragons appeared at the edge of the battlefield, flying in from the back of the bl**d War Fortress, then diving down towards the Demon Army. A terrifying wave of dragon breath enveloped the battlefield, mercilessly decimating the demon legion’s offensive. The Balroth Fire Demons, who had initially advanced with great momentum, nearly turned to flee as soon as they sensed the trouble, while the Six-armed Serpent Demons found themselves heavily surrounded; the Soul Reaping Demons and Tempt Demons also retreated rapidly.
The devils’ scheme!
They actually summoned the five-colored dragons as allies; at least over twenty adult dragons appeared before them, and this terrifying combat power could completely sway the outcome of a bl**d War.
—”Mother of Evil Dragons – Tiamat!”
The deity served by the five-colored evil dragons, possessing [Weak Divine Power], the five-headed dragon with a terrifying strength of 49 points, resided in Bartok’s Hell as a powerful evil god.
The [Mother of Evil Dragons] herself was a fearsome five-headed dragon and had the enhancement of divine power!
For a long time,
The occasions on which she had been persuaded to join a bl**d War were few and far between; the current situation was clearly orchestrated by her, for aside from this Mother of Evil Dragons, Soren simply couldn’t think of anyone else capable of simultaneously commanding Red Dragons, Green Dragons, Blue Dragons, Black Dragons, and White Dragons. The five-colored evil dragons were not united internally; only one being could make them work together, and that was the [Mother of Evil Dragons] – Tiamat, whom they served.
The outcome of the battlefield was already predetermined.
Unless a Demon Lord appeared or a deity’s avatar manifested, the demons could not defeat so many adult dragons.
Soren was retreating rapidly.
However, upon seeing so many five-colored dragons, he felt little fear in his mind; instead, he felt a deep sense of regret, murmuring, “All the five-colored dragons have gathered! If my true form were on the battlefield, I could probably unleash a burst of divine power and complete the [Dragon Slayer]!”
“What a pity.”
……(To be continued ~^~)
