Antvance into the Unknown

140. Confronting our Demons, Part 5

Invidia and Allocrix hovered above the fray. In the midst of the billowing clouds of dust and smoke stood Mongu’nin, the massive demon’s frame covered in wounds that already showed signs of healing.

“AHHHHHHHH!” the mighty demon roared to the heavens with a feral grin plastered across his face. “I KNEW YOU WOULD BE WORTHY, ALLOCRIX!”

A flicker of emotion ran through Invidia, a faint whisper which so rarely occurred that he looked at it, paid it attention. There was more than just a burning desire to possess the kind of regeneration that the war demon displayed, along with a background need to have everything he could see. That was a constant for him. Instead, this new feeling that welled up expressed a different sort of need, the need for greater strength.

He drew on the vast powers of his mind and called forth the Mana that rested within his core, weaving and shaping it into a series of detonations that ignited mere centimetres from their opponent’s body. The concussive force of the explosions was enough to rock the massive demon from side to side, but not enough to cause any major damage. His Toughness, regenerative speed, and strength were simply more than the envy demon could surpass.

Allocrix was less limited in his offence.

The burning eye pulsed with Mana, the sheer volume of energy radiating from him enough to force the air around his form into an indistinct haze. There was a surge as Allocrix compressed and shaped the Mana in an instant, causing a concentrated beam of pure fire to lance onto their foe. The moment it touched the war demon, an enormous ball of fire erupted, the burst of heat rolling through the air and forcing Invidia to blink lest his eye dry out.

Even the ants were forced to draw back another ten metres. In a few seconds, they’d reformed their lines almost a hundred metres away and resumed the long-range acid barrage that had rained down on Mongu’nin almost constantly from the moment the battle had begun.

It still wasn’t enough. Though the force sent the giant form of the war demon sprawling back, he recovered with ease.

Invidia watched the claws of his opponent closely as they began to glow bright, a sure sign of a Skill activation. He went to work forming barriers around Allocrix and himself as fast as he could.

With a vast roar that shook the air, Mongu’nin slashed with both hands, his claws rending the air itself and sending crimson waves of energy toward them that screamed of wrath and ruin.

[Hold firm,] the calm voice of Allocrix rang within Invidia’s mind.

[Of coursssse,] he hissed back.

He wove defences even as the first layer was cut like it wasn’t there. The deadly attack sliced through the shields he erected the moment it touched them, but still he continued to put more layers into place as those dreaded claws grew larger in his eye.

Had he been here by himself, he wouldn’t be able to stop this strike. It would cut through everything he could muster, and he certainly wasn’t fast enough to be able to dodge. Though he remained calm, Invidia couldn’t help but feel irritation rise within himself. Not being strong enough wasn’t something he’d ever known. The master had defeated him, a previous him, he was aware of that, but thus far, nothing had challenged him like this. He felt… inadequate.

[Hmmm,] Allocrix rumbled.

The eye of flame rippled, and a sphere of force expanded from within. As it grew, it crushed the shields Invidia had prepared before it impacted against the claw strikes. There was a calamitous boom that forced Invidia back. Flaring his wings, he halted his momentum and cast his senses wide to see what happened. He identified his ally, still hovering in the same position, but realised the war demon had vanished from his previous position.

Mind Constructs spun in a dozen different directions, preparing for a number of scenarios. Energy focused in his eye even as he wove shields and detonations that he held at the ready to deploy the moment he needed them.

[Where?] he grated to Allocrix.

[Above,] came the flat reply.

Far above them, the war demon hung in the air like a horrific idol of destruction, claws aglow. He must have leapt to that height after using the claw strike and Allocrix’s response as cover.

[He has sensed that he has reached the peak of his strength and seeks to end the battle in one decisive strike,] Allocrix advised.

[How isss thiss posssible? Hiss strength hasss peaked now?]

[A war demon grows stronger the more they are wounded and the longer the fight draws on. They hunger for conflict and draw power from it. We have pushed Mongu’nin to the brink, though it is more accurate to say he has allowed himself to be pushed to the brink. Now that he believes he has reached the apex of his strength, he seeks to end our battle with this move.]

[Thisss isss our chance!]

[Just so. We must draw out all our destructive capabilities and finish him before he can unleash his blow. Hold nothing back, little one. Any amount of power could tip the balance.]

They communicated at the speed of thought and coordinated their plans in an instant. No defence. Invidia cast away his prepared shields and put all of his brain into charging his eye. The dozens of Mind Constructs he supported drew on each other to reach out and seize as much Mana as possible from within his core and the surroundings, converting it all to the pure energy he required to power the Eye of Envy. Green light erupted from within. More. He needed more!

His vision blurred, washed out with green as his eye absorbed every ounce of power he could give it, but still he needed more. The titanic form of their foe reached the peak of his leap and began to fall, hands ablaze with an unfathomable light. It was as if Invidia were staring into the face of death itself, but still he was unmoved.

Your life. I will takessss it!

When he felt as if his eye would burst, as if his brain would melt within its pocket dimension, he unleashed it. His eye flared like a green sun as a beam of pure energy burst forth, piercing through reality itself as it lanced into the sky. It was impossible to miss the demon, and he struck right in the chest.

Mongu’nin laughed while his flesh was burned away and his body energised even further as he drew yet closer to the brink of death. The power in his claws leapt higher still, and his body fought to regenerate the damage even as it was done.

“COME!” he roared, heart soaring with joy and rage. “COME, ALLOCRIX! GIVE ME YOUR ALL!”

Far below the falling war demon, the eye of fire pulsed once before a catastrophic wave of Mana was unleashed. Half of Invidia’s body seared with pain as the world turned to flame.