From Rock Bottom To Hero

Varkul raises both arms.

More blood spears? No, that's something else.

Two masses of blood form above his shoulders. Then he makes a sweeping motion with his hand, as if commanding the blood.

One of the masses suddenly shoots forward, transforming midair into a sharp spike.

I react instinctively, raising my dagger. The blood spear crashes against the blade and I'm pushed back. I barely regain my balance when the next attack comes.

He fires them like projectiles, reshaping them mid-flight and then pulls them back to fire again.

I dodge as best I can, but some of the attacks are too fast. I have to block them, but that's not my strength. Every hit forces me back. Then Varkul raises his left hand. He sweeps it from left to right. A wide, flat wave of blood rushes toward me, aimed right at head level.

I throw myself to the ground at the last moment. The blade hisses past my head, slicing off a bit of my hair. I try to get up, but I'm too slow.

Varkul stands right in front of me. In his hand, a massive blood spike forms. He slowly raises it.

This is it. He's going to impale me.

But then, Baldric appears behind him.

He smashes Varkul over the head. The spike shatters midair. Varkul spins around in rage, glaring at Baldric.

"You... dare!" Varkul hisses, his voice trembling with fury.

In the moment he's distracted, I force my body to move. I push myself halfway up and drive my dagger into his back with all my strength.

A gurgling noise escapes him. He falls to his knees.

"Thanks, Baldric." I gasp.

But it's not over.

Blood pours from Varkul and wraps around him.

"What is happening?" Baldric whispers, stepping back.

Varkul's entire body is enveloped in blood.

What stands before us is no longer a demon. It's a monster. A blood armor so thick, you can't even see his silhouette.

I attack. First, I go for a reinforced strike straight to his chest. The timing is perfect, but all I manage is a small hole that doesn't even pierce all the way through the armor.

The hole immediately closes, and a blood spike shoots out. I dodge just in time.

I can't get through.

This time, Varkul attacks. He charges at me wildly.

Has he lost his mind? He'll never hit me like this.

I dodge effortlessly and counter with a reinforced strike to his side.

Again, the damage closes up, and a spike shoots out. I saw it coming and dodge with ease. I back off.

Panting, I focus.

How do I get through his armor?! Maybe this will work!

I aim the dagger forward with both hands and gather mana.

Now.

A massive gust of wind blasts from my palm, propelling the blade at insane speed. The dagger pierces into Varkul's armor. The force knocks him back, but it doesn't go all the way through.

I seize the moment and hurl myself forward. I channel mana into my feet and launch myself with a powerful wind burst toward Varkul.

Midair, I clench my fist, reinforcing it with earth magic.

With all my strength, I punch the dagger embedded in his body. Cracks form in the blood armor until it finally shatters, and the dagger drives deep into the demon warlord's heart. He crashes to the ground.

I stand, panting. Varkul lies motionless.

"Victory!" I shout with joy.

But while Varkul lies motionless, the battle on the other side of the battlefield rages on.

The second demon warlord blocks Rowan's strikes with a sword wrapped in dark magic. Even Selmira's surprise light attacks are deflected with ease. The only reason no one's seriously injured yet is because Faris keeps teleporting them out of danger just in time and Mira constantly heals their wounds.

"Damn..." I mutter. "They don't stand a chance."

Just as I'm about to rush over to help, I see it.

Father and Gareth. They're facing the archdemon, a massive monstrosity.

Father attacks first, blocking the claws that come slashing toward him. Gareth leaps in from a blind spot, his spear charged with lighting magic, aiming for the archdemon.

But nothing gets through. The spear bounces off the archdemon's thick hide.

Then the archdemon strikes. One blow and Gareth is flung through the air, crashing into the forest. Father goes for a counter, but the archdemon reacts, slamming him brutally into the ground. The impact shakes the earth.

Father is pinned under debris, his weapon out of reach.

The archdemon raises a hand, dark magic gathering in increasing intensity.

My eyes widen. "No! Father!"

Then Baldric grabs my arm. His expression is serious.

"Listen! My defensive magic creates a barrier. If you jump into it, it'll launch you back with double the speed, exactly in the direction you came from."

I understand immediately. "You want to... catapult me?"

"Exactly! Combine it with the strike you used on Varkul."

I nod. "Got it."

Maybe I can increase my speed even further with a wind burst.

Baldric sets up the barrier. Without his shield, it's much smaller, but it's enough. "Now!"

I activate my wind cloak and run like never before.

Faster!

I pick up even more speed. Then I leap into the barrier and my feet hit it.

Suddenly, I'm launched like a projectile. At the same moment, I fire a wind blast from my feet.

A deafening sound and I shoot forward. I'm just a blur. Everything rushes past me. I close in on the archdemon's back at insane speed.

Earth magic floods my arm, focusing into my fist.

I have to release it at the perfect moment. Too early, and I'll lose the arm.

I see the archdemon readying his spell, aimed right at Father.

I scream and my fist crashes into his back with unimaginable force.

A shockwave ripples through the air, like an earthquake.

The archdemon is launched at absurd speed. In the distance, there's only a huge cloud of dust, but no sign of the archdemon.

I land hard and roll. "I'm alive!"

Gareth slowly rises. Father stares at me in disbelief, still half-buried.

I run past them without stopping.

"I'll take it from here! Support the others!"

"Sota, wait!" Father yells. "He's too strong. It's suicide!"

But then he stops. I just did something neither he nor Gareth could come close to.

Faris, who witnessed everything, steps out of the dust. He watches me, then starts running too.

"I'm supporting him! The others need your help now!" He shouts to Father.

Father slowly nods. He still hasn't processed what just happened, but he accepts it.

Because he now realizes something.

I've already surpassed them all.