He was also surprised to notice that the third man , the unarmed one , had somehow resisted his skill . There was only a blur above his head . This made Zac even more wary of him . He had even managed to identify the herald Vul , who was far higher level compared to himself .
Zac furiously circulated cosmic energy in his body , and ran straight toward the weakest enemy , Metisis . When he was just over 50 meters away from them an arrow came whizzing down from the tree tops . This time Zac was prepared and slammed it away with the broad side of his axe head .
The force of this arrow was far higher than the hastily one she had shot before . When the axe and arrow collided he was actually pushed back a bit , his feet making a grove in the ground . Luckily the axe was apparently made from excellent materials , and wasn’t damaged one bit .
Zac pushed ahead once again , the last 50 meter distance gone in just a few seconds .
Just as he was a few meters away from his target , he pushed all the cosmic energy he could into his right leg . He instantly kicked off with all the power he could , and shot like a bullet straight at the other demon , Gormer . The force of the push created an explosion in the ground , even leaving a small crater .
They had not expected the speed that a 98 strength powered push could give , and Gormer barely managed to lift his hooked sword before Zac chopped horizontally with all the strength he could muster .
The axe moved like a lightning , but when it entered the weird gaseous substance it felt like he was trying to push through water . A good part of the momentum was somehow sapped out of the strike , and his force couldn’t properly come to bear .
Zac wouldn’t let this opportunity go though , and with a growl redoubled his efforts , and the axe continued on and slammed into the demon right under his left arm . The leather armor could afford almost no resistance against the sharp edge of Zac’s axe as it embedded itself firmly in his chest . He couldn’t push it clean through though , as the weird strength sapping effect seemed to be even stronger within the body of the demon .
Zac immediately ripped his axe out which produced a tremendous sprout of blood . He planned to turn around to meet the other two demons head on next . He didn’t believe he’d get a second chance for a surprise attack like this .
But before he could do anything , he suddenly felt something ensnare his feet and he completely lost his footing . Zac fell headfirst on top of the collapsed dying demon . Gormer seemed intent on revenge even with one foot in the grave , as he weakly held on to Zac to keep him from fleeing .
While Zac struggled to get free he took a quick glance down at his legs . They were ensnared by a handful of purplish wiggling roots , which somehow seemed alive . They seemed to be a skill or magic that came from the other demon underling .
Perhaps they had planned to ensnare him when he got closer , and then attack him from three directions , securing an easy kill . Unfortunately for them Zac had preceded them with his lightning fast blitz .
Zac had no time to analyze it any further , as the leader had moved to position close to him . Shockingly he no longer was unarmed , but hefted a monstrous great sword that was almost as long as he was , and over 20cm wide .
He had mocking eyes and a sneer as he lifted the sword above his head . Zac could once again feel the movement of cosmic energy , and knew that the leader was using a skill . Dark arcs of power spread from his arms into the large blade .
The dying demon’s strength was no match for Zac , and he frantically ripped himself free from his grip . But he only managed to get himself up to his knees when the large blade started falling down on him . It was poised to cleave him in two unless he did something .
Zac pushed his power to the limit and gripped his axe with both hands and swung upward with all his might , hoping to intercept the sword .
With a tremendous clangor that echoed through the vicinity the axe and the great sword connected . The force actually created a shockwave that blasted outwards .
Zac was slammed down into the ground again from the force creating a small crater . Even with his superhuman stats he couldn’t handle the power of the sword . Luckily for him he at least managed to get the leader demon off-kilt and change the trajectory of the strike . It actually slammed down in the gut of the dying Demon . The might was so strong that the torso of the underling veritably exploded , instantly killing him . That wiped the smirk of the leaders face and seemed to enrage him instead .
Meanwhile , the dark lightning from the demon’s skill passed into Zac’s axe when they collided , and burrowed into his arm . A blazing pain ran through his whole body , and his muscles spasmed uncontrollably .
That was actually the only reason Zac survived , as a great spasm jerked his head some distance away . Another arrow slammed down right where his head had been before .
This arrow was different than the other , with a jagged arrowhead and being pitch black . It whizzed down with a great force and actually completely embedded itself into the ground , right down to the feathers . The extreme penetrating power was evident from that shot , likely from a skill .
It was only thanks to being bombed with black fireballs by the imps that Zac was able to retain consciousness . He pushed the pain away with all the resilience he could garner , and with a quick swing cut through the roots that ensnared his feet . The roots were far sturdier than they looked , and it felt like he cut through steel wire rather than wood .
Still it was no match for his power and the sharpness of his axe , and he was free in no time . He rolled a way as quickly as possible , trying to gain some distance before the leader swung down again .
He got to his feet just as another batch of roots closed in on him . This time they came as a swarm from the ground under the other demon . Zac whirled his axe back and forth in a frenzied manner and cut them down as they came , stopping their advance after a while .
The battle reached a short lull as Zac stood panting , while facing the two Demons . He tried to survey the treetops but couldn’t locate the female archer . Her existence was like an annoying fly in the periphery that made him unable to fully concentrate . Even worse , this fly could kill him with one strike if he wasn’t careful .
Fighting one against many truly was a pain in the ass .
Chapter 28 - Melee
Zac was a bit unsure of how to proceed . He knew that one should maintain the initiative in a battle , but he didn’t want to just charge over like a stupid barghest .
His enemies made the choice for him . The leader started advancing on him , anger smoldering in his eyes . Both his hands gripped the great sword , which was angled down toward the ground .
The other man was stationary , but mumbling something in their own language .
Zac could only put his game face on . He was still hurting all over from the dark lightning , but he pretended he was fine . With his axe in his hand he got ready for round two .
Zac really didn’t want to meet the great sword straight on . The leader seemed to have roughly the same level of strength as he did , and even if he managed to parry the strike , he was afraid that he would be shocked again from the skill . He would have to fight around it somehow .
Luckily a weapon of that size was unwieldy , and the trajectories would hopefully be telegraphed .
Zac took out a second knife , leaving him with only one remaining . He launched it at the weaker enemy , and started to rush forward .
The demon deflected the knife with a couple of roots even though the force from Zac’s throw was immense . The demon obviously was some sort of earth- or tree-mage , and the roots were far sturdier than something coming from a normal tree .
The demon was interrupted in his chanting though , which was Zac’s main goal . If he actually had managed to hurt him , all the better .