72 Pillar

I stood firm, trying not to let my legs wobble, facing a spreading lake of poison controlled by the demon grinning in the center.

Five minutes. That's all I had to stall. Five minutes. Doable, right? Well, I didn't think so. I was just one guy up against a whole lake of poison capable of swallowing a whole city.

I watched as Zoganoth raised his hand, commanding the poison to rise and form spikes aimed at me.

"Crud," I muttered, stepping back.

"Die," Zoganoth said, grinning.

The poison shot toward me with terrifying speed. I screamed, diving to the ground. It narrowly missed my head, causing a massive explosion behind me, filling the air with dust.

Turning slowly, I saw huge craters in the ground.

"Yeah... Five minutes my foot!" I yelled, fear gripping my soul.

"Five minutes?" Zoganoth stepped closer.

"Crud," I cursed to myself, realizing I'd blown the plan.

"So, you're here to buy time, huh?" Zoganoth's grin widened. "I guess the other one didn't just run off." He scanned the area. "You little bugs... scheming away." His voice grew angry. "Not gonna work." Raising his hand high, he summoned more poison, shaping it into humanoid figures armed and armored.

"Venofieldi Gundaee," Zoganoth declared, shrouded in darkness.

I stepped back, surrounded by beings made of pure poison.

"Is this really necessary?" I asked, watching the poison soldiers aim their weapons at me.

Expecting them to charge, I raised my fists, ready to fend them off, even though my hand was still swollen and red.

"What?" Confusion filled me as about ten of the poison soldiers split off, running in different directions. "Stop!" I shouted, realizing they were searching for Madelyn.

"I said stop!" I dashed forward. Normally, this would've been foolish, but I felt it—the dark energy coursing through me.

I felt stronger, faster, almost weightless as I closed in on one of the poison soldiers wielding a javelin. I raised my fist, prepared to strike.

"Out of my way!" I yelled, aiming to punch the javelin away, hoping I wouldn't lose my arm in the process.

Metal clashed as my fist met the poison weapon. Surprisingly solid, considering it was once liquid.

With a gust of wind, my fist gained the upper hand, sending the poison soldier flying.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, my fist throbbing slightly.

But celebrations had to wait. As I glanced up, I saw not just a few, but dozens—no, hundreds—of poison soldiers, each armed.

"Well, well. Seems you're a Pillar after all," the demon chuckled. "I was starting to wonder."

Good news: I had the demon's attention. Bad news: I had all of it.

"That aura," the demon growled, its dark eyes fixed on the darkness surrounding me. "I loathe that aura!" It bellowed.

The soldiers, following Zoganoth's orders, charged at me.

"Shit!" I muttered, feeling my legs wobble under the pressure.

With a slight bend of my knees, I leaped, reaching heights I didn't think possible for me. My form wasn't exactly perfect as I soared through the air, screaming in a mix of fear and exhilaration.

As I hurtled towards a looming brick wall, panic set in. "Ah!" I yelped, surprised more than hurt as my fingers found purchase in the wall, allowing me to cling on. "Wall crawling. Handy," I remarked with a smirk.

Lesson learned: no more celebrations mid-battle. As I glanced up, I saw five soldiers hurtling towards me like cannonballs of pure force. They crashed into me, sending a spray of saliva from my mouth as we careened through the wall and into a neighboring house.

Yep, definitely not good at this.

I quickly regained my balance amidst the furniture in the living room.

The soldiers did the same, showing no signs of discomfort or pain from their recent encounter with the wall.

I moved swiftly, throwing punches in every direction, sending soldiers flying through the walls and back outside. Thank goodness this was easy.

With a smile, I rushed out of the hole I made in the house. Hey, I was having fun.

"Who's next!?" I called out, fist raised as I charged forward. Racing through the poison-like soldiers, my punches created gusts of wind, sending them flying. But I soon realized I was getting nowhere.

Glancing upward, I saw one of the soldiers jump high into the air, katana in hand. A chill ran down my spine as I dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the slash of purple energy that split the ground and the house in two.

"I have to end this now," I muttered, surveying the destruction.

Moving in a zigzag formation past the soldiers, I closed in on Zoganoth, ready to strike. But I found myself immobilized, held in place by the poisonous soldiers.

"Dammit," I cursed, struggling against their grip.

Looking at Zoganoth, I smirked. "Do you think this can hold me?" I taunted. "I've been tearing your soldiers apart one by one."

Zoganoth chuckled, then laughed. "Shit," I thought, sensing trouble.

Suddenly, I felt something fill my mouth, a taste like... blood?

Spitting it out, I watched as the red liquid stained the ground. "What's happening?" I asked, noticing the black aura disappearing.

Zoganoth continued advancing, his words sinking into me like a weight.

I gritted my teeth, feeling weaker by the moment. Then, another sensation hit me: pain, searing through my arms and stomach.

"It seems you've finally realized," Zoganoth remarked, peering down at me. "Venofieldi Gundaee doesn't just attack physically; it fills the body with poison upon contact. Your dark aura protected you somewhat, but my poison was still seeping in."

"I was careless," I admitted, struggling to speak.

"Indeed," Zoganoth agreed, raising his hand as if to strike.

Just as I braced for impact, a rush of wind pushed against my back. With effort, I turned my head and saw a bright purple light in the distance.

"You," Zoganoth growled, his attention diverted.

A smile spread across my face as I spotted Madelyn standing amidst the purple light and raging winds. The five minutes were up, and Madelyn was ready.

"Finally."

***

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