Death on an unprecedented scale. Green chains zigzagged through horse and rider from the shadows while the hero struck with the strength of a warrior demon. He watched the human drive his boot into a rider's chest after jumping from the other side of the canyon. Wyatt heard the rider's spine snap and the horse panic.
A blow to the horse's head liquefied flesh and bone. Spasms shot through the beast and its back legs kicked out. The hell beast collapsed, and the hero stepped off the body as his chains corralled the remaining riders. They were pinned in like deer led to face the hero as the area where they could freely ride shrank.
Wyatt watched the chains demonstrate their supreme area control capabilities. The human struck fatal blows with his fists, killing the demon and horse. The spearing chains killed any who tried to flee as the riders pushed against each other to get away from the chains. What survivors remained quickly figured out where it was safe, and they fought their rivals tooth and claw for their spot.
All the while, the hero moved. He picked off victors, the neutral observers, and the lucky few who found safety. Then the human raised his hand, and Wyatt's blood chilled the demonic power within the fallen rose, and the hero added it to his reserves.
Ten of his riders raised their bows, and he stopped them. "Don't get the hero's attention."
How else could Wyatt describe the man who slaughtered so many demons? If this human wasn't the hero, then he didn't know who could be. Maybe this could still be salvaged.
Wyatt watched the mind flayers battle the hero. He cheered when they threw the enemy into the stone wall of the canyon. The fight was even until white collars appeared around their necks.
He withdrew with his warband intact, riding for the Abyss Trolls. Their CO wouldn't be lenient a second time his only option was to flee for a life of banditry or lead the hero into a proper ambush. Either way, their lives would be short, riddled with misery, until they were put out of their misery.
They road for the abyss trolls. They appeared as large shadows lumbering shorter than the trees surrounding them. He expected to find bored demons with antlered horns wearing the pelts of beasts terrorizing local abimals to pass time.
He stared as a troll clutching a stone club bigger around than his horse and crawled out of the woods, covered in wounds.
Wyatt didn't understand. Abyss trolls were resistant to fire and could regenerate from nearly any wound. This one bled and bled from several wounds covering its body.
A human black-haired man with a strange sword at his side smirked. The rider felt a chill creep down his spine.
"Oh, you've led me to more mobs. I permit you to die."
The abyss troll swung his club, and a patchwork of slashes cleaved through it, revealing the man unharmed. Chunks of stone littered the forest as the troll's wounds stopped bleeding.
Wyatt felt a sense of hope that the troll's regeneration had finally countered whatever curse had stopped it from healing.
But no, it collapsed, dooming them.
"They sure are strong. But I am more than strength. It doesn't matter how big or heavy a weapon is. If it's too slow, it never hits me." Wyatt fell off his horse. His hands still held his reins, and his horse's head was gone its neck hadn't spurted blood yet. "Parting is always so awkward I prefer to separate on my terms."
His last thoughts weren't of the young man but of the being he had fled from. "Hero," Wyatt said.
Yes, that's right; I'm the world's hero. I'll become the strongest, then return home and rule my world." The young man said.
He stared at the sword in the human's hand, at the blade that drew him in, and the yellow eyes of the hungry jackal within.
…
I gawked at the black-haired guy wearing a black overcoat, black blue jeans, and a black sword, he also wore black eyeliner.
"So, what job did you get? I bet it was edge lord. You know that's unhealthy, not that I'm one to talk."
"Do you ever shut up? What are you, a comic relief character?" Disgusting, I thought you were worth killing, but you aren't worth dirtying my sword with your blood."
The guy flicked his hair out of his eyes, then drew his blade and sheathed it. My belt snapped apart, and my pants fell around my ankles.
"There now you like as much a fool as you act."
"Is that the only weapon you have, or are there no others? Where is your party did they leave you behind because they were too insufferable? I bet they took one look at you and sent you on your way so they could try again."
The guy snorted. "Shows what you know I killed all the NPCs for xp before I fought my first mob."
"Was there an elf girl among them?"
He sneered. "Are you interested in breeding with filthy Xenos? You are such a clown. Oh, and if you must know, she was a beauty, with silver-white hair and breasts for days. She was so surprised when I stabbed her with my sword." The man gripped the pommel of his sword. "Don't worry I'll kill your NPCs as well and have all the XP to myself."
Chains snapped around his ankles, yanking him off his feet. The white flame of exorcism erupted around him, burning away my chains as they tried to spear him from every shadow.
How did he obtain a job that granted him power only available to Archons and their servants? His body shouldn't be able to handle the power.
"Garnet, Citrine, and Peridot take to the air and give long-range support." A black collar appeared around my neck, and gravity decreased until it barely had a hold on me. "Be careful. " He may have long-range abilities."
They flew in three different directions. My spiritual sense expanded to encompass the entire canyon. This time, I saw the slash coming. I ducked under a thin line of exorcism's flames. They were the perfect counter to demons everywhere.
"You can call me Hades. It's by my will that all demons will return to the underworld."
I dodged his attacks before he made them and threw every dirty assassination trick I could manage. Small chains, big chains, and long range chains with spikes of all kinds impacted his barrier of exorcism flame. The flames destroyed anything demonic. For anything that wasn't demonic, his sword sent out blades of wind that cut through them as well.
Cuts raised across the ground, digging deep trenches or tearing scars into the canyon wall behind me. Desperate demon survivors and hell beasts alike fell from contact with the deadly pressure blades carrying exorcism flames. All it took was a spark to become poison in the bodies of demons.
Hades was fast and aimed to kill with his every swing. When he figured out just swinging wouldn't work he set me up to trip over rocks or catch my foot in a ditch. All his swings became an effort to control the battlefield and put me in a place where I couldn't dodge his attacks.
It was unfortunate for him there were archons in hell that I was forced to deal with. I threw a punch, catching Hades in the chin.
He spat blood in the dirt. "Impossible, you aren't supposed to be able to hurt me. Nothing demonic can touch me."
He swung horizontally, and I walked up a series of chains as a beam of black psionic energy melted against his barrier of exorcism flames. Green demonic power tried to gather around him but failed to connect.
"My fists aren't demonic." I reached for his wrist he retreated as I stepped in and punched him a second time. He blurred to the side as I moved around his slash just as he committed to it. I struck again and he blurred to the side and threw his own punch. I let it hit me and caught his wrist. "Did you think I would hesitate to trade blows with you?"
I punched him hard enough to knock the breath out of his lungs and yanked his sword out of his sheath before tossing it on the ground. He punched me in the face, and I took it before delivering a blow in return.
We traded blows like that. I refused to let go of him, and he refused to give in. I took another teeth-rattling blow and smirked at him. My wounds would continue to heal slowly for the next 30 minutes.
"You have a healing factor I refuse to be your Sasuke." Exorcism flames gathered around his fist. "If you don't let go, my flames will burn you to ash."
I punched him hard in the face, clocking him. He screamed and punched back with a hand wreathed in flames. It burned and hurt like hell. I endured the worst torments, and my body was still healing while he looked worse off.
I spat bloody flam in his eye. "Is that the best you got?" I asked and punched him harder.
The collar around my neck, which had lowered my gravity, vanished after the punch. I felt the drop in speed as I took several blows to my face and chest. I couldn't react fast enough, and he saw it.
He leaped back and pulled, scratching at my fingers to force me to let go. I refused and took a knee to the face for my troubles. As it turned out, he was stronger, but that was okay for the lost elf and the other NPCs. I was going to teach this edgelord a lesson.
I waited for the perfect moment and caught his hand, then ran for the edge of the canyon. He threw his knees at my chest as I jumped off the edge.
Below, a sea of arrows was stabbed into the ground from missed shots. I smirked, and he looked back at the ground below with swollen eyes. He headbutted me.
My vision swam from the blow, and he wrenched a hand free. A solid blow to my face darkened my vision. He kicked me again, and I lost my hold on him. Hades smirked before green psionic energy caught me, arresting my fall.
He slammed hard on the ground. The shafts of demonic arrows pierced him all over his body, but he still lived.
"With HP as big as mine, this is nothing." I landed gently on the ground thanks to Peridot, my green mind flayer.
Health points didn't exist.
I watched his chest rise and fall. He wasn't dying, and if he didn't pull any of the arrows out, he would live longer. When Hades tried to remove them, he would bleed out.
"You're doomed now. If only you had an ally to make potions for you. Maybe you could have been saved."
I wanted to drive the knife home he was dying because he killed a hot dark elf.
He struggled to take a step every movement threatened to rip him apart.
"No! It can't be over I'm not done with this world yet. I've only just begun leveling my jobs. There is so much more to explore; this can't be when I die. I'm the lone hero. I don't need anyone's help."
"Hero," I shook my head and gave him a pitying look. "You're no hero. Heroes don't massacre innocent people. Even the sickest demon in hell knows that."
"Your moral grandstanding won't stop me. I will save this world and no one will get in my way."
White light gathered around him and I couldn't believe what he was trying to do. "Don't you'll only die in agony."
White flames gathered around Hades before splitting into long, white tendrils and targeting the spots where the arrows had struck.
The flames of exorcism burned away the arrow shafts, and he screamed as those flames cauterized his wounds as well. A black beam of psionic energy sliced through a section of rock above him, sending it tumbling down onto the edgelord's head.
The boulder rippled like water before dividing away from Hades as a dark-skinned elf covered in bandages landed beside him.
"You are Lirael's hero." She looked me up and down. Straps from her bandaged chest fluttered under the harsh northern wind. "It seems she was more fortunate than myself. See you at the war summit in the Emerald Kingdom.
The next nine chapters are on my patreon. Go ahead and check the collection out. Link