The Damned Demon

Chapter 774: Dead But Invincible



The tension in the chamber thickened as the undead stepped closer, its movements deliberate and eerily silent, save for the faint creak of its charred bones. Its hollow, green-glowing sockets seemed to pierce through Asher, stripping him of all his defenses with just its gaze.

Asher's grip on his ring blade tightened, the dark green flames around him flaring as he braced himself, beads of greenish mana-light shimmering along the edge of his blade. The oppressive aura emanating from the undead pressed against his soul, threatening to smother his resolve.

Without warning, the undead lunged forward, its form a blur of speed. Asher instinctively swung his ring blade, the weapon carving through the air with a sharp hiss. The undead twisted impossibly mid-air, evading the strike with precision, before delivering a devastating kick to Asher's ribs.

The impact was seismic. Asher was flung backward like a ragdoll, smashing through the sturdy walls of the chamber, which didn't even sustain a single crack.

But despite the sheer power behind the blow, he pulled himself up without feeling a thing, his skeletal form rattling as it reassembled itself. Several bones had fractured but mended within moments while his stats got a boost as well, thanks to absorbing the attack at the cost of higher consumption of his MP.

'Why can't I even see it's stats...does it have a higher INT than me?" he muttered in his mind.

But before he could fully rise, the undead was on him again, its bony hand reaching out with unnatural speed. Asher barely managed to twist away, summoning a burst of Shadow Roots to entangle it. The dark tendrils erupted from the ground, wrapping tightly around the undead's limbs. For a brief moment, Asher exhaled in relief.

But the undead didn't struggle. Its glowing sockets flared briefly, and the roots disintegrated into ash as if consumed by its aura. It closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, its charred fist smashing into Asher's skull with enough force to fracture his skull but the cracks weren't as deep as before as he only continued to become stronger from its attacks.

"You are going to regret it!" Asher snarled as he recovered, activating Rupture of the Damned. A wave of dark energy exploded from his body, temporarily pushing the undead back and forcing it to skid to a halt. Asher felt his strength surge, the stolen energy from the undead's attacks coursing through him, but even with the boost, it wasn't enough.

The undead tilted its head slightly, as if acknowledging Asher's efforts, before dashing forward once more. Its movements were precise and mechanical, like a predator playing with its prey. Asher swung his ring blade with all his might, unleashing Resentful Slash. A torrent of dark green flames shot forth, engulfing the undead.

For a moment, the chamber was bathed in a hellish glow, the flames licking every surface. But as the fire dissipated, the undead emerged unscathed, its aura snuffing out the lingering flames like a shadow extinguishing a flickering candle. Asher's hollow sockets widened.

'It's like nothing touches this thing...' he mumbled in his mind, frustration mounting as he gritted his teeth. This thing was purely invincible. No matter how much strength he poured in, he couldn't even touch it unless it allowed him to. Just how skilled and powerful was this thing when it was alive?

The undead lunged again, faster than before. Asher activated Never Look Behind, teleporting behind it to avoid a direct strike. He swung his blade at the back of its neck, aiming to decapitate it, but the undead spun around mid-strike and grabbed the ring blade with its skeletal hand. A shiver of dread coursed through Asher as the undead wrenched the weapon from his grasp and flung it across the chamber.

"Got you!" Asher roared as he summoned Rakshasa's Roar. A deafening bellow erupted from his body, shaking the walls of the chamber and sending shockwaves toward the undead. The roar rattled debris loose from the ceiling, yet the creature merely stood there, unaffected. The undead lashed out with a strike that Asher barely dodged. He activated Infernal Aura, hoping to weaken its relentless offense, but the undead moved through the oppressive miasma without faltering. Asher's flames sputtered, his MP reserves rapidly depleting as every ability he used barely slowed his foe.

'Why the hell isn't it stopping?' Asher's thoughts were frantic as the realization dawned on him. The undead wasn't merely powerful-it was unstoppable. Every move he made, every ability he used, was countered with cold, calculating precision. It was as if the creature existed solely to break him down.

The relentless attacks came faster, harder. Asher's skeletal frame endured blow after blow, his mana reserves burning away the stronger he was forced to be. But the stronger he became, the stronger the undead's attacks became whenever he counterattacked, making him realize the strength of the undead was increasing just like him! How could it really have the power of a Damned Slave? He had never felt so stumped yet he couldn't even have the luxury to think about it now.

He swung his blade, summoned flames, and unleashed Chains of Despair, yet nothing could land a meaningful hit. The undead was simply too fast, too efficient, its soulless gaze unwavering.

The chamber was a maelstrom of destruction. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls and floor, the air thick with the acrid scent of burning mana. Yet the undead pressed on, an unyielding force of nature.

Asher's movements slowed, his flames dimming as his MP dropped to zero, making him revert to his Night Elf form before he could even realize it. The undead strategically struck him so that he wouldn't even have enough mana left to jump to his Damned Dimension while keeping him distracted.

His breathing was labored, his body pushed to its limits, "Damn it..."

The undead closed in, its glowing sockets flaring ominously as it raised a skeletal fist, poised to deliver a final, devastating blow. Asher braced himself, his flames flickering weakly as he prepared for the inevitable.

But just as the fist came down, a blur of dark purple scales interposed itself between Asher and the undead.

"HSSSS!!!"

"Lori!" Asher shouted, his voice a mix of relief and alarm as he staggered to his feet.

Lori hissed ferociously, her massive serpentine body coiling tightly around the undead's arm. Her dark energy surged as she twisted her powerful tail, yanking the creature backward and away from Asher.

He watched as Lori wrestled with the undead, her serpentine form moving with desperate agility.

"Brat, you owe me for thissss!" Lori hissed, her scales glinting faintly as she managed to hold the undead at bay for a moment, "I can't believe you were thissss close to cheating your way out of your commitment to me by almost dying to this ugly skully!" Asher's eyes widened, "Don't fight it, Lori! It's too strong now!" His shout carried the urgency of a man who had stared into the abyss and realized it was staring back. He knew it was considerably stronger than when he came upon it because it also somehow absorbed his attacks and grew stronger. Not even the Moon Guardian would stand a chance against it.

"Sssstop babbling nonsense and get out of here, brat!" Lori hissed back, her serpentine body coiled tightly around the undead. Her massive size dwarfed the skeletal figure, pinning it against the wall with the force of a titan. For a fleeting moment, it seemed she had the upper

hand.

But then, the undead's glowing green sockets shifted upward, locking onto her with a soulless gaze. Lori's dark purple eyes widened, a rare flicker of unease darting across her face.

She felt an unnatural chill seep into her scales, as if death itself were brushing against her.

The creature's body barely moved, yet its strength became undeniable. Slowly, its feet slid forward, pushing back Lori's immense form as though her overwhelming size meant nothing. Lori hissed under her breath, sweat dripping down her scales despite the oppressive chill in the air, "Sssss, just stay down, skully!" she snapped, coiling tighter in desperation. Her strength, however, was no match for the inexorable force driving the undead.

Dark green mana erupted around the creature, wrapping around her serpentine body like chains forged in the depths of hell. With an almost casual motion, the undead slammed Lori against the wall, the impact reverberating through the chamber like a thunderclap. Blood spewed from her maw as she let out a piercing, pain-filled hiss.

"Lori!!" Asher's shout tore through the darkness, his skeletal frame blazing with dark green flames as he dashed toward her collapsing form. Her massive head fell toward him, and he caught it in his hands, though the sheer size of her body made it impossible to prevent her

crash fully.

But he knew what mattered was getting her to safety and so using whatever little mana he managed to regain by sacrificing his life force, he sped ahead through the dark hall while dragging her massive body with him by holding her head, trying to get away from the undead even if he knew it was futile.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He didn't even look back but its oppressive aura loomed, a harbinger of death waiting to

strike again.

He grunted as he pulled Lori's enormous body toward the far end of the hall. The air around him was thick with the curse, sapping at his dwindling energy. Yet he pressed on, the thought of leaving her behind never even crossing his mind.

At last, he reached the end of the hall-a solid, impenetrable wall. He cursed under his breath,

realizing there was no escape, no hidden door. It was a dead end, in every sense of the word. He glanced back, bracing for the undead's advance, but to his surprise, the creature remained motionless in the far distance, its glowing sockets watching from the shadows.

Was it guarding that rock?

He thought before he turned his attention to Lori immediately. Gently laying her down on the

cold floor, he crouched beside her massive head and tapped lightly on her scales. "Lori, are you okay?" he asked, his tone urgent but soft.

Suddenly, Lori's head shot up, her forked tongue flicking as she hissed angrily, "SSSS! Brat,

you are sssstill here? Didn't I tell you to run away while I bought you time? How can you be so sssstupid?" Her eyes burned with indignation, though the weariness in her voice betrayed her

true state.