Ultimate Level 1 - 156 - The Demon Champion (Patreon)

The four drew closer together, shuffling further along the tile floor to see what surrounded them.

Seats were filling up with demons of every kind, some like the ones they had already fought, many like those Max had butchered, and even more they had never seen or imagined poured through portals.

“What is this?” Batrire whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

“I have no idea,” Tanila replied. “Nothing in the history of our people tells of anything like this. Surely we could not have been lied to…”

“Greetings mortals!” a voice boomed all around them. It sounded raspy and sent shudders down their spine. “You have made it to where none have entered in so long. Welcome to your death!”

Noises came from the demons surrounding them, and the tone suggested they were laughing and cheering at what they had just heard.

A bell sounded and the crowd of demons went silent. A massive twenty-foot portal opened up across the arena in the seats nobility would usually watch from.

Out of it walked a demon that looked like a man. A single massive eyeball, red in nature, covered the top half of its face. It had a single mouth with teeth so large they could make out the details despite the distance.

Its body looked armored, like some of the demons Max had fought outside the last portal. Purple and black meshed together with the occasional line of red around the armored sections of its skin.

Two large wings were folded up along its back, and the same swirling black and purple pattern appeared on the parts they could see.

“It has to be at least twenty feet tall,” Fowl said quietly.  “Is that what we are going to fight?”

The demon that had exited the portal started to laugh, its voice filling their ears and the colosseum.  It sounded like someone dragging nails along a chalkboard, making them all wince as the sound vibrated through their bodies.

“You are not worthy to face me,” the demon said, its mouth never moved, but its words still rang out across the colosseum.  “No, the rules do not allow that… instead, you must fight one of mine who seeks to prove their worth… I am saddened by how you cheated my children.”

Max saw Fowl look at him and make a rope-climbing motion.

“Yes! You used brains when most would use brawn… very rare… rare indeed.  And when you were surrounded, and your friends fled, you alone stood to fight.”

Suddenly, the demon was gone from its previous spot and in the arena twenty yards away, now peering down at them.

Max immediately leveled his weapon at the demon.

“Put that toy away or you will find I am not like my children at all. The rules say I cannot fight you, but if you were foolish enough to attack after I have warned you, it would be within my right to strike you down.”

“What rules?” Max shouted.

Rules established longer ago than you could imagine…

The demon peered at Max, its head shifting side to side.

“You are different… strong… much stronger than you should be to enter here, and yet,” it turned its eye upon the other three for a moment, “they, too, are stronger than any I have seen in so long. Are the adventurers of this world getting stronger?”

“Tell us, demon, what is your name.”

The demon laughed, pointing its finger at Tanila. A long, curved fingernail that looked sharper than any weapon the four of them had ever seen flicked around in the air as it drew a rune in the air.

Suddenly, Tanila’s hair changed color to its glowing golden form, and her eyes shone with the light that only came from one of her bloodline.

“A princess!” the demon hissed in delight, the crowd of demons echoing their leader. “It has been eons since one risked their life here! Tell me, why have you come?!”

Max watched as Tanila took a few steps toward the demon. Her posture had changed.  Her shoulders were back, and her head held high.  It seemed like minor differences until he felt the aura she gave off.  An aura of authority.

“We have come to challenge the boss of this floor. To claim the prize for those who defeat it so we can climb the tower with its boon.  Do you deny us this chance?”

A hiss came from the lord of the arena, as it made a fist and dug its nails into the palms of its hand.  Blood seeped down onto the floor, black droplets that hissed and bubbled as the tile where they fell began to melt away.

“You are brave and foolish,” it growled.  “If I was not bound–”

“But you are!” Tanila shouted, cutting off the demon as it spoke. “Bound by rules that cannot be changed. Now, where is the demon we must face and defeat to claim our boon?”

Like an animal held back by a chain, the demon leaned forward, its throat vibrating as it growled.  Every ounce of its attention was on Tanila.  Slowly, it extended a finger toward her once more. 

“I have selected one for you to fight. If you defeat it you shall gain the promised boon. If you die, however, your soul will be mine to torment for eternity.”

Tanila rolled her eyes, turning her back and moving to rejoin her party.

Max watched as the demon reached out, angered by how she ignored him. Its hand seemed to run into a wall a few yards short of Tanila.

It hissed and howled, snarling as it yanked its hand back.

“Prepare yourselves.  When the timer reaches zero the fight will begin.”

It vanished, back returning to the location where its portal had appeared, and reclined on a stone seat that fit its massive size.

A timer appeared above them, thirty seconds on the clock.

“Buffing,” Batrire said as she cast her spell.

“Tell me what we’re doing?  I can’t see what we’re fighting yet!”

“Just get ready,” Max said, nervously checking the room. “Whatever we fight, I doubt it will show itself until the timer is gone.”

Max shifted slightly, checking on Tanila and Batrire, motioning for them to get in the middle.

“Have that taunt ready.”

Fowl grunted, and when ten seconds remained, the crowd of demons started counting.

The colosseum vibrated as the demons counted down the last three seconds, and when the timer hit zero, a standard-size portal appeared on the far side, close to the demon in charge of the dungeon.

From the portal came a demon that looked more human than the others.  Its body was built like a muscular woman. Its skin was red and seemingly on fire, yet every muscle could be seen as it moved.  A tail extended from its backside, running to the ground with something on the end, but they couldn’t tell what from the distance.

Horns manifested, growing about one foot long each, on the demon’s head, and it carried a flaming sword and shield.

You are outclassed.  The power I sense from this demon is beyond what you should face.  I cannot prove that the lord of this dungeon has broken a rule, and I cannot fight for you now… had I only known what lay beyond that portal, I would have made you fight on your own.

What do you mean you cannot fight? What changed?!

After you take control back, there is a period of time before I can be given the reins again… not enough time has passed for that to happen, so… I will expend the power I stored to help as much as possible.

[ Consume has Reset All Abilities ]

[ Stored Power has Decreased ]

Max blinked twice, seeing the notification and knowing what it meant.

Focus, she is coming.

Like an arrow, the demon came at them, blazing across the tiles like a projectile.

Max had missed it bowing to the demon lord as he conversed with his skill.  Pulling his shield from storage, Max calculated the time before the demon arrived.

“Seven seconds!”

He began to prepare his ice spell when, suddenly, the demon vanished.

“Where the–”

Fowl’s cursing was cut off as Max sensed the demon coming from a portal that appeared in the air behind Tanila.

Lunging forward, he felt his new speed and strength in his legs as he covered the few steps in a moment, shield out in front.

Instead of striking through Tanila’s heart, the fire blade scraped against the shield, diverting it. Flames appeared as the sword pierced her left shoulder, coming out the front of her chest below her collarbone.

Max drove his weapon at the demon as she began to exit the portal, forcing her to jump back and pull its sword from where it had almost killed the woman he loved.

Applause rang out as the demons saw their champion score the first hit, almost killing one in the process.

Tanila fell to the ground screaming in agony, and Batrire didn’t hesitate, healing as her friend's health bar plummeted to half.

The demon grinned at Max, using her shield to push away his weapon while swinging her sword at Max’s head.

She was slightly faster than him, but Max knew his weapon mastery was equal to her sword skill.  He could read its movements and see the attack coming. He kicked with his leg as she came close.

Max saw the demon blink in surprise as his foot caught her knee, causing it to buckle for a second. Then she snapped back to attention and the flaming sword swung down, trying to cut his leg off.

His mind raced as they traded jabs and strikes, each parrying or blocking the other with no attack successfully landing. 

She began to back up and, as Max started to give chase, he heard a warning.

Don’t! Don’t follow. Stay close to your allies.  It’s a trap!

Max froze for a heartbeat before backing up as the demon took two more steps, frowning when he didn’t pursue.

“Afraid?” she taunted, waving her shield and sword.

Fowl started to rush past him, and Max held out his weapon, stopping the dwarf.

“Stay back, protect Batrire!”

Coughing once from the impact, Fowl turned and moved to Batrire’s back, almost backing up against her.

The demon's eyes seemed to burn with anger and fury.  

“How?! How did you know?!”

Max’s figured out her plan in a moment. 

“Your portal trick won’t work against us,” he replied, smiling when he saw the demon glare and snarl even more.

“Drink it!”

Max heard Batrire’s voice but didn’t need to look back.  He could sense her giving Tanila a potion.  

“Cursed?” Max asked, not taking his eyes off the demon that seemed to be getting frustrated at its prey not playing the game it wanted.  

“Yes,” Tanila moaned.  Her voice was weak, and Max could feel her heartbeat was weak too.  

As the potion was consumed, Max sensed Tanila’s body beginning to recover, and when she finally stood up, Max could sense her anger.  

“She’s mine,” their mage growled.

Max saw the demon look concerned for the first time since the fight started.  It took another step back, and as Tanila’s Ice Nova went off, the demon quickly vanished backward through a portal.

“Be ready!”

Max scanned the room with his eyes, while etting his sonar guide him.

The demon’s sword appeared again, and Max began casting his Ice Nova.

“Up!”

The demon appeared a few yards above them, plummeting toward Batrire.

Fowl didn’t hesitate.

He cast taunt and watched as the sword that had been aiming for his greatest treasure in all the world turned towards him. Rage and anger filled the eyes of the demon, as she was forced to attack even though she didn’t want to.

Her sword struck his shield, and the blade glanced off.

A few drops of black blood flowed down her arm as Fowl’s new skill took effect.  

The power she hit with must have been massive to cause that much damage…

Max’s spell went off as the demon landed, sword swinging at the dwarven tank again.

Max dashed toward it, swinging his blade while the demon was forced to focus on Fowl.

The blade slashed across its back, hitting a hard outer shell and cracking it slightly. A little blood seeped from the wound, but no vital damage was done.

It turned and was enveloped by Max’s spell. Already injured from the three attacks Fowl had parried and having suffered a blow to her back, it turned.

“Down!”

Ice began to form at the demon’s feet, and Max smiled as he swung again.

[ Power Strike ]

The demon flashed red. Its eyes tracked his blade and its shield somehow moved into the path of Max’s weapon, even though the demon shouldn’t have been able to turn like it did.

His weapon collided with the shield.

A loud noise reverberated through his head, and Max felt himself flying backward.

[ Regeneration ]

His mind swirled, trying to figure out what had happened.

Warm liquid ran down his whole body. Max tried to sit up but couldn’t.

Lifting his head up slightly from the ground, Max saw that his arms and legs were shattered, his whole body crushed.

Laughter echoed through the Colosseum as he lay there, unable to move.

“Healing!”

The world spun, and blackness fought to take over.

Am I going to die?