The corpse and the sword clashed , and the corpse exploded in a mangled shower of blood and viscera , drenching both Zac and the demon . But it did its job , and the sword was deflected once . That was all he needed , as he crashed into the demon with all the strength he could muster .
The warrior was flung away like a ragdoll , not being able to muster any resistance in the slightest . He fell down a few meters away , and whether he was alive or dead was unknown . The demons seemingly hadn’t expected that outcome of the collision , and he managed to immediately snatch up his axe before they could react .
Zac then made a beeline for the archer . At these close quarters , the archer had actually dropped his bow and instead held a short sword and a blade respectively . Zac would have expected him to make some distance like the last archer he fought . But perhaps he either actually focused on blades , or didn’t dare turn his back on Zac while fleeing . Both the blades were crackling with the same lightning as the arrows he had shot at Zac earlier .
Zac ignored an earthen spear stabbing into him and pushed on toward the Rogue-looking demon . He wanted to make short work of him and swung a horizontal swing intended to cleave him in two .
However the demon almost seemed to have no bones in his body , and curved his torso to avoid the swing , and then retaliated by trying to stab Zac’s heart and throat . Zac was out of position with the swing and could only desperately protect himself with his free arm , really wishing he had a buckler right about now .
The knife heading for his heart plunged into his bicep , and the short sword changed trajectory slightly to avoid hitting his arm as well . It at least managed to nick his throat , and a small gout of blood spurted out . But at least it hadn’t hit an artery . The electric shocks hurt as well , but with Zac’s Endurance he could grit his teeth and simply force his body not to spasm . These arcs of lightning couldn't compare to the black lightning he had tasted earlier as well .
He turned his hand to readjust his edge and tried to swipe the demon on the way back . The demon once again deftly repositioned his body so that he would be able to avoid it , but this time Zac wouldn't be denied . Just as the axe blade was about to miss the demon’s throat a translucent edge grew out a meter and cleanly decapitated the ranger .
Zac didn’t really want to show his ace while there still were 3 demons alive , but he had to kill the ranger . The ranger was the only one he wasn’t sure he would be able to catch if they started to flee . And if they were sane they should . He had decimated half their force in almost no time . His wounds looked grisly but nothing that would stop him from continuing his onslaught .
With his new skills and power-ups he truly felt like the apex predator of his island .
Chapter 42 - Exodus
With only two demons left , not including the knocked out warrior , Zac charged toward his next targets . The two demons briefly looked at each other in the eye , and both launched an attack before fleeing .
The tome-wielding demon’s attack was an almost invisible ripple in the air , whereas the earth mage erected a large wall . Zac once again threw his axe just before the wall completely obscured the two fleeing combatants , and then he crashed straight into the wall .
The wall was hastily erected and couldn’t withstand Zac’s momentum , and he blasted through it like a wrecking ball . Just as he did the ripple hit him , making him nauseous and disoriented . But the attack wasn’t as strong as the earlier one , and he soon managed to dispell the effects .
A quick glance at the demon who used the ripple attacks showed her dead with an exploded chest , with his axe stuck in the ground some distance away from her corpse . But before he could continue on to kill the earth mage he felt an intense amount of danger as he heard a whistling sound . It was the sword-wielding warrior who Zac had punted earlier .
Somehow he had gotten up and snuck right behind Zac without him noticing , and his two-handed sword was bearing down on his throat . Zac had no time to dodge and could only put his hopes on the spell on his chest . The familiar golden sheen of the armor’s skill immediately enveloped him , just in time to intercept the large sword .
With a crash , the warrior was flung backward once again , and this time Zac could hear the sound of bone breaking .
The earth demon was still running and Zac couldn’t let him get away . He barreled after him and threw a knife at the back of the mage . A block of rock rose up behind him intercepting the dagger , but the scare made the mage stumble .
Zac immediately rushed to the fallen demon , and ferociously stabbed down at his throat . However , a layer of rock appeared on the mage's skin , creating another layer of defense . The knife simply couldn’t cut through it .
Terror was still evident in the demon’s eyes , and it stuttered some words in its own language . Zac ignored it and brought out the huge greatsword from his pouch . He increased the weight to the max through the inscription on the blade , and slammed it down on the body . It was cruel , but he wouldn't risk letting the mage somehow alerting the army of what was going on .
Over 130 Strength and a heavy greatsword resulted in a ruptured lump of flesh on the ground , and even a crater was created .
Zac didn’t waste any time , and immediately ran back toward the last demon . He found him limping away from the scene of the battle , his sword discarded where he fell . He soon noticed Zac approaching with fear and hatred evident on his face . Suddenly he completely disappeared , shocking Zac .
He wondered if the demon used some sort of teleportation skill which would allow it to escape . He furiously ran toward where the demon disappeared and looked around for any clues .
Zac saw a glimmer in the distance and immediately threw a dagger at it . Suddenly the background looked like it was distorting , and the warrior reappeared , the dagger lodged in his arm . Zac ran over , and with a swing of the great sword ended the fight .
The last demon had used an illusion skill like his array , or something similar . That was also how he snuck up and almost decapitated him earlier . Zac was a bit surprised a meat head-looking warrior knew such a skill , as that felt like something that usually belonged to rogue-like classes .
It made him realize he couldn’t rely on his gaming experiences for everything . The system was quite omnipotent , and anything was possible .
With the demons killed there was no hurry anymore , so Zac quickly treated most of his wounds and then gathered up all the corpses and their gear in his pouch . This also made sure none of the demons pulled a ruse on him and played dead , as nothing living could enter the pouch . He also retrieved his daggers and axe , and while doing so he was attacked by the last barghest and gwyllgi from the roving party .
With their masters dead they went back to their ordinary hyper-aggressive behavior . Without any demons shooting various things at him he finished them off easily , officially eradicating the war party .
The fight had gone above his expectation , and he was almost like a fox let loose in a hen house . His stats were getting increasingly scary for his level . Furthermore , the fight had also made him realize something . Not one of the demons he had fought thus far used any Dao while fighting . They had used battle tactics and skills , but the indefinable quality of Dao , such as Zac’s heaviness and force he could imbue into his strikes , were missing . Perhaps gaining a Dao seed was something uncommon , or at least hard , making it a rare boost reserved for the elite .
He was also very satisfied with his new skill Chop] . It worked just as he hoped , providing a great method of sneak attacking . He wasn’t sure if it was designed to be used this way , but he felt it was the most effective method in this type of combat .