Chapter 15 - The third eye awakens

Emrit dashed forward with a heavy fist that met the monster's face which then sent the demon flying back several meters across the devastated landscape. But the creature found its footing, forcing itself to a stop with as its feet anchored themselves to the ground.

The creature held its ground while its dark hands stretched forward to grow to the size of a tree's trunk. Those two massive hands then hammered themselves down at the Lord Stronghold who held them back with as much strength as he could muster from his single hand. And with sweat dripping down the man's face, he groaned as he struggled to push back those heavy colossal hands while the monster smiled wickedly.

"You gave me quite some trouble before but with my malice compressed to this degree, I'm stronger and tougher than even you." The creature spoke as he laughed horribly and his red eyes glowed through the night.

It was then that a mighty arm of water emerged from nothing and pummeled the creature to the ground as Riot Electura summoned his darkened lightning which ran along with the water to send electrical shocks throughout the creature's body. But his body was still just a mass of shadows and this did not do as much as it should.

Still though, Riot's lightning was heavier than most and getting hit by it felt like ten elephants were standing on top of you. So even with the creature's immunity to lightning, it still received some amount of damage.

The creature got up in a limp as water pour down from his skin. And then a beam of golden light accompanied by bright golden flames, both of which illuminated the early night, engulfed the shadow and continued to push it backwards where Lady Aerite appeared with a blade of wind that chopped the creature in half.

Then it was Emrit who leapt forward, having been relieved of the stress of bearing those heavy arms, to raise a mighty fist that landed on to the creature's face as the ground below broke in half and the skies above were once more divided in two.

The ashy smoke fumed from the creature's crushed head. But as it tried to heal, Emrit landed another punch. Then there was another. And another. This went on for a bit while the other Gifted saw to the creature's lower half.

Emrit continued to strike fist after fist to make sure the creature did not heal. Roy then approached him with his several bouncing balls beside him. The King then reached out his arm as the some of the balls converged into one that attached itself to the monster's arm and continued to grow.

"Stand back, Emrit." The King ordered. Emrit did as he was told and watched as the red ball consumed the creature until it was trapped within.

Emrit looked behind to see that the same had been done for its lower half.

And now, the creature had healed himself and his red eyes could once more be seen.

He rammed his hands against the barrier to no avail. Breaking through that would be nearly impossible. Emrit himself would struggle to do that. When he was younger, it would take him thirty hits to shatter a Regelia barrier. Though now he could probably do it in less, he knew that the creature wouldn't be able to do the same. Especially when he saw two arms grab the creature from behind and restrained it to the wall of the barrier.

He looked to the King who was in deep concentration as the arms from within spiraled around the creature to restrict all movement from it.

That was that, the man supposed, and he then turned to his side to see that Mohan was now emerging from her hiding spot behind a huge rock.

It would seem that the fight was over.

"No, no, no!" The creature yelled as the dark symbol in his eyes glowed golden. "I won't lose like this. No, I won't lose at all."

What was happening now?

Malice began to surge within the ball and soon enough, it became so black that nothing could be seen. Though that didn't happen to the ball with the lower half, as Emrit noted.

And then there was a spike that tried to pierce the ball from one angle. Then another emerged from somewhere else. Soon more dark spikes pushed at the barrier from within.

"Roy, what's happening?" Emrit asked as he saw the barrier being deformed by the multiple spikes that pushed dearly in hopes of breaking it.

"It's too strong." The King replied while his face became written with veins and lines. "I can't contain it! It's gotten stronger somehow."

And then from the burst of malice emerged the upper half of the creature which flew past the Lord Stronghold to make his way to where his lower half was captured.

Ratuna intercepted him with fist of flame as Riot sent a blade of lightning for his neck. But the creature's eyes continued to glow as a third eye emerged on its forehead. And then, the creature simply vanished into nothing.

Emrit heard a voice coming from all directions. It was the demon but where was it?

"Oh to think that my ability would finally reveal itself in my time of crisis." It muttered along with the wind. "I wonder what it can do." Then an arm appeared on Emrit's shoulder and then hammered into the man's skull as he was sent flying backwards.

The arm then stretched towards Ratuna who blocked it with his fist of fire but to his dismay, the creature's other hand came from behind to wrap around the man's throat. It tried to choke the life out of the man.

Lady Aerite emerged and chopped the arm off but still it continued to choke the man as the remainder of the hand vanished away.

Ratuna gritted his teeth and his flame begun to engulf his body to burn away the hand as he fell to the ground to catch his breath.

"What's happening?" Riot asked as he looked around desperately to see where the creature was coming from.

"Oh, can't you figure it out?" the creature mocked.

"Could he be invisible?" Arrone asked as he summoned a wave to wash along the surroundings. "No, my waves would have hit him it that were the case."

Lord Stronghold then returned with a fist that shattered the ground. "I am tired of being thrown around by you!" he shouted. "Reveal yourself!"

Then he felt a finger tapping on his back. Emrit swung around to see that nothing was there. Or rather, what was once there soon disappeared.

He felt another tap on his back and swung around again. Still nothing.

Then another tap was heard and as the lord swung around, he could hear joyous laughter coming from all directions.

~

The King sent his bouncing balls around the area and sharpened his eyes. "He's playing with us." Roy said as he looked around.

A hand then appeared behind his majesty, but the King was quick to react and sent a barrier ball to encapsulate the hand. But to his dismay, the hand had detached itself from the rest of the creature's body and only that remained dancing around within the King's barrier.

The King gritted his teeth. "Dammit!"

~

"Whatever shall we do?" Marie asked to herself as she hovered in the air above. She wasn't worried at all for herself since she knew that if things got really bad, she could always vanish away with the wind.

But as she was watching the arms of malice appear here and there to taunt the Gifted, she wondered if its ability was the same as hers.

The Lady Aerite was wind itself. And when she wanted, she could become just that.

That monster was made entirely of malice, just like the malice beasts from hell. But it also had eyes like demon lord. She wondered if it could separate its body in tiny fragments that would drift through the air.

She placed her hand in front of herself which then transformed into a gust of wind that blew along the area of now disheveled soil and broken rock.

Then she felt it. Around the area, floating in the air, were tiny particles of malice.

Then the woman sharpened her perfect white brows and smiled like the devious beauty that she was. Her wind then became faster and stronger as she made it twirl in a spiral to gather the malice in one spot.

And soon enough, she began to see the darkness forming in her own tornado.

The other Gifted didn't miss this chance and struck the creature with the might of all their attacks.

But no matter. The third eye glowed brighter that the others within the malice of the monster. And his arms stretched out towards where his lower half was trapped within a ball.

In mere moments, he crushed the barrier like shattered glass and his lower half returned to him as he flew himself out of the storm which Marie had thought would keep him contained.

"Not bad, Lady Aerite." The creature grinned. "But it matters not." He continued and then looked to the rift. He placed a hand towards it and then from the darkness of hell came several other creatures that were warped along at great speeds into the demon's third eye.

"Yes. That much should." He clenched his fists as his body became a bit more muscular and he laughed manically as he twisted his face in terrible joy. "Let's get to it now. I hope you don't disappoint me, great leaders of the Gifted."