Rearing Demons-Chapter 27: Antic Tower; Celis’ Training

Both of them quickly reached the base of the tower. It was a lofty tower, made from a grey stone. Yellow pus trickled from the crevices, as if it was the paste holding the bricks together.

"This tower likely has two Weeping Lords." As they stared at the orifice of the tower, Ris gave him a brief warning. "I will only guide. If you die, that is on you."

He nodded in reply, gripping the sword as gently as he could, not wanting to break the hilt.

Both of them stepped into the tower, Yur in the lead. The inside was very simple: a large lobby with a spiralling staircase leading upwards. There was nothing else.

"It's empty." He glanced at his surroundings. Zul, locate anything nearby.

[Scanning...]

[Complete!]

Without warning, the entrance was completely blocked. Solid pus seemed to cluster together, forming a lock of sorts.

[Zorath Demon Approaching!]

Just then, Zul began to display many notifications. Yur, sensing something appear from above, quickly dived away.

Rolling on the ground, he quickly used one of his hands and pushed himself off the ground. Turning his head, he saw Ris floating, unbothered by what was happening. Good thing I didn't fly away; she would have caught me!

He refocused on the Zorath demon that had suddenly appeared—an Antic, a large eyeball with a mouth in place of its pupil. Brownish-yellow pus fell from its base, forming some sort of legs.

[Zulmasharr Quest: Destroy the Antic Tower!]

[A tower filled with demonic abominations that are ruining the Zulmasharr landscape! As the heir to Zulmasharr, you mustn't let such creatures live!]

[Reward: 200 Demon Points!]

Zul, although I need to trap third-rank beings into my Sigils, what if I captured stronger ones? A Tharok was uncommon in the Eyes of Dripping Blood, with mostly Zorath scouring the area. Thorak could only be found in the safe zones as they were easier kills for the disciples.

Wasting time by going back and forth would be an annoying task, plus difficult with Ris around.

[Host must create stronger Sigils!]

[Processing...]

[Upgraded Blood Sigils Creation!]

In his mind, new information began to appear. Similar to the original Sigils, these required his blood, but they would also require something else—demonic essence.

Seems like I need to learn how to start using essence. Though he was rummaging through his thoughts, the battle was just starting.

Getting off the ground, he straightened his back, staring at the creature. "Come," he whispered silently.

Though the Antics were stronger than him, meaning he couldn't command them, they weren't so far off that it was impossible to fight.

With a howl, the Antic flashed toward him.

Yur lifted his hand, raising the sword. With a wind-breaking swing, he aimed it at the Antic, yet the demon dodged completely.

His eyes narrowed, following the path of the Antic as it moved to his right side, shooting a rancid acid. Dropping to the ground once again, he avoided it, but the Antic didn't stop. It continued firing, forcing Yur into a defensive posture.

Whenever he barely dodged the acid, he saw it corrode and break down the stone floor. A single hit would take me out.

What do I do? This was his first fight where he was neither dominating nor being dominated. It was one where his skills were truly being tested. Unfortunately, he could only dodge. The Antic was faster than him—or at least faster than he was now.

He frowned, using his eyes to track the demon. Sinking his feet into the ground, he launched himself forward at speeds beyond what he'd shown before.

The Antic couldn't react, but it had no reason to. Yur swung his sword, wanting to injure the demon, but barely missed. He landed on the tower's wall, his legs getting stuck in the rubble.

Taking advantage of this, the Antic began to shoot acid in a barrage. Yur watched as the sizzling liquid raced toward him.

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[Use Incineration on the wall!]

Obeying the urgent command, he placed his hands onto the wall and quickly blasted it. A loud explosion rumbled as the wall collapsed.

Jumping off rapidly, he fell to the ground, landing on top of his arm.

"That's not good." Since he couldn't feel pain, he only noticed his burned hand after hitting the floor.

His bones were visible, making the hand completely useless.

Of course, evading the attack wasn't the end. The Antic continued showering the area with acid, hitting walls, ground, and ceiling—apparently unconcerned about damaging its own home.

"Enough." With a dull growl, Yur pushed off against the ceiling, rocketing down toward the Antic. Now directly below him, the demon tried to move away, but Yur slashed his blade through the foul-smelling air, finally landing a blow.

Crack!

His eyes, about to gleam with victory, widened as the blade couldn't even pierce its hide. Grimacing, he tossed the hilt aside and placed his remaining hand forward. Incineration!

————————————————————————

"Come on, guys, stop wasting so much energy!" Celis stood atop a large boulder, watching as his teammates fought a giant demon.

It was a two-on-one situation, the demon being a rank six Kyrrath.

Though they'd only ventured to the outskirts of the Gravesong Wastes, it was still dangerous because Kyrrath and Gralith demons roamed the area.

"No, no!" Celis rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Use your unique abilities at the last moment, so you can catch it off guard! Don't just use it at the start!" Celis was the strongest and most talented for a reason. His battle sense was terrifying, letting him skip ranks to face far mightier foes.

He'd defeated demons or cultivators better than him in essence, realm, and experience—yet he always found a way. That was his natural edge.

"Celis, we can't just do what you say! We don't have the same skillset!" Among the pair fighting, one was his friend, Fyr.

"Look, when you swing your spear, focus your power on its tip, not the entire weapon! You don't need the handle for striking!" Celis snapped, exasperated. "He's charging you—don't dodge!"

"Are you crazy? We'll die if we don't dodge!" Fyr yelled, simultaneously trying to fight.

"Just trust me!" Even irritated, Celis persisted. "When he comes close, stay put and start twirling that spear. Don't activate any abilities yet!"

Cursing under his breath, Fyr reluctantly complied. He and his partner braced themselves while the massive demon rushed in. "What now?" he shouted, fear constricting his voice.

"When I say, throw your spear at its face and jump at its groin! You, Tourn, will leap for its mouth the instant he throws the spear! Your goal is to get inside—no attacking yet!"

Tourn's expression paled. "Are you kidding me?"

"Shut up!" Celis barked. "I'm guaranteeing you a kill!"

Fyr clenched his teeth but listened. As the demon, towering and musclebound, barrelled closer, Fyr's spear glowed faintly at the tip. Drawing his arm back, he hurled it at the demon's face.

Tourn sprang, hurling himself toward the demon's maw, while Fyr dived for the groin.

The demon, arms thick as pillars, swung to knock the spear away. It only managed partial contact. Tourn ended up landing inside its open mouth right as the beast tried to snap its jaws shut, but Fyr slammed a powerful kick into its groin, causing it to flinch. Meanwhile, the spear drilled into its face at the same time.

Collapsing to its knees, the demon bellowed in agony. Tourn, seizing the chance, rammed his sword upward from within the beast's mouth.

RAAAAAARRRRRRRR!

A thunderous roar rocked the battlefield, flinging Tourn out of its jaws with blood seeping from his ears.

"Bastard!" Fyr smirked as he caught Tourn. "We did it!" They watched the demon crash to the ground, mouth pouring blood.

"Told you!" Celis hopped off the boulder, clapping both on the shoulder. "Never doubt a genius like me," he bragged.

"There had to be an easier way," Tourn groaned, ears ringing painfully.

"Minor injury, don't sweat it." Celis laughed, patting them on the back. "A few more training runs, then we can proceed deeper, yeah?"

His teammates grumbled, but they grudgingly followed. Fuck this guy!