Chapter 68: Battles in the middle
It took them exactly four hours to pass through the long path after saving Felix who was just about to fall into a hidden pit.
She barely managed to cling to a rock with her sharp claws, however, things could have been difficult if she was gone.
Sam would have thrown Nyx into the pit to look for her against his will, but thankfully they did not have to do that.
They saved the kitten, and right after that, they were attacked by a big demonic beast that, to Prism, seemed like the demonification of an assassin.
-Swish! Swish! Swish!
The way the creature covered in blades on all limbs of its body moved seemed almost like winds blowing.
It targeted their bodies’ vital points.
Nyx barely managed to survive against the creature while Sam was taking a breath. But, the moment he may have let his guard down, the blades as sharp as the edge of a paper would have found their necks.
"Haaa... Haaa..."
They survived by trapping the creature in an illusion, and after taking care of the demonic being, they moved forward... or ran forward would be a better wording.
"Meowwwwww!"
"Chirp! Chirp chirpppp!"
The three of them had to start running the moment a tiger-like beast with a bull’s body and six human arms started chasing after them.
Much like any other demonic beast, Sam had little knowledge of these creatures. Yet, just from the features alone, he knew this wasn’t something that he could stop even with his mystique skill.
The creature would be powerful enough to notice the illusion and once it breaks it forcefully, Felix would get hurt along with her master.
He did not want that... and so, he grabbed his little white bird and put the kitten on his head before dashing at a speed that surprised even the creature.
"Arghhhhhhh!"
While still running, he squeezed Nyx’s body, urging him to focus on the path forward.
"Just do your thing!"
The traps were still there, they were still walking on knives. There was an (SSR-rank) demonic beast running behind them, and those traps meant nothing to a beast that naturally existed in a forest of demons.
The demonic energy that oozed out of its body corroded the trap spells while the mere strength of its six arms destroyed anything that got in their way.
This wasn’t the kind of enemy they were ready for yet.
But, there came a time when the creature could not follow after them.
"Haaa... haaa... huh?" Sam was shocked when he saw the creature just stopping in its path.
He thought it was strange, the creature did not take any step forward. Even after he tried going near it, the demonic beast remained in its place.
"Is it because of that?" Then, Sam noticed the ’runes’ that were drawn on the trees right before the demon beast.
These strange runes seemed to contain some power, and they acted like a ward that kept these creatures outside.
"But, does that also mean..." He was certain that there was something more to this than just the protection of the Guardians.
Going forward, things may get more difficult.
"Meow..."
{ "Master, are you alright?" }
"Yes, little kitty."
He petted Felix and moved forward with a big sigh.
"Chiiiiiiiiiiirp!"
And just as he had thought, the path forward was worse than the previous one.
-Swish! Swish! Swish!
"What the hell...!?"
From any direction one could think, arrows of magic started pouring at them in uneven frequency.
It was strange seeing these arrows since they could not find any magic circles. Nyx was confused, but the little bird could not do anything about what they could see.
"Haaa! Haaa!"
He could only run while carrying the two of them, doing his best to avoid anything that was coming at them.
-Swiiiish!
"Argh!"
Some of the attacks also met his body, piercing through his non-vital parts, or just missing out at critical movements.
He did his best to be as careful as possible, but he could not use any magic to defy these magical attacks.
Things would have been different if he had any magic skills of his own, but there he did not have anything like that. He could only use Felix’s mystique arts. Nyx was very helpful, but for whatever reason, he had never been able to use his beast skill.
"Haaa!"
Still, skills were of no use on a path filled with these dangerous traps.
’Whoever made them, had definitely made them for the tamers.’
What would tamers do when faced with a path riddled with traps? What would a creature that runs on its feet do when there is no ground to step?
What would a flying beast do when there are arrows coming at them from all sides?
Is there any way to survive when the entire nature in your surrounding does its best to take your life?
"Haaa... haaa..."
"GHAAAAA!"
And if that wasn’t enough, there were creatures of non-demonic origin on these paths. Creatures of fire elements that somehow made it this deep inside the demon forest.
"What the fuck?!"
A few moments ago, it was a demonic creature that seemed like a mix of different creatures and now running behind them was an actual tire that was burning on all the white straps present on its body.
"GHAAAAA!"
Flames covered its body, flames so hot that they could feel it right on their skin even though they were running some distance ahead of it.
"Argh!"
Even as the creature lunged forward and clawed at them, the fire that was shot forward only met the boy’s body.
"Haaa... haaa..."
His clothes and the enchanted light armor that he was wearing underneath it were burnt. The attack also reached the boy’s body, but, even though it left a shallow scar, the fire did not hurt him.
"Haaaa!"
He had a bond with a phoenix. Even if he could not use the creature’s skill, the passive abilities of their bond protected him from all kinds of fires.
Even when his father was burning the demonic lord a few months ago, those powerful flames did not hurt him.
Fire could not hurt him anymore...