CHAPTER 63: GUNGNIR (2).

Nero felt something heavy slam into his back.

Then came the pain.

A while world of it.

With a cry, he shot and slammed into the ground.

His back had been completely torn open. Itw as bloodied and mangled with only his ribs stopping his organs from pouring out of them.

Blood pouring out of his mouth, Nero was only barely able to dodge the spike hand of the slender Demon.

Then he rolled away in hopes of creating some distance.

The fallen branches and roots did impede the movement of the larger Demons, buying him some precious, valuable time.

Slipping into a crack, he pulled out a Divine Elixir from his satchel and downed it in one go.

Breathing heavily, he let the elixir work its magic.

’That... did not work at all.’

Even though they were much weaker compared to their prime, the Demons were still incredibly powerful. More powerful than he had anticipated for sure.

Despite being so large, they were also very fast. And then, there was their incredible, near indomitable defenses.

Even with a full powered swing of the Silver Blade, he had been unable to do harm greater than leaving a scratch.

Even worse, since they didn’t bleed, he had no idea if their anatomy was the same as actual living creatures. If he lopped off their heads, would they even die?!

He gritted his teeth.

It was no wonder Demons were seen as truly vile beings.

He let out a shaky sigh.

Falling silent for a moment, he called out to the Oracle with his mind,

’What’s up with these guys? Why can’t I cut through them?’

The stone that made them up was obviously not regular stone. The feedback he got from it was closer to striking a thick block of metal that sucked all the powered right out of his strikes.

{The bodies of the Gargoyles was carved from a material called The Clay of the Gods. In the stone bodies lies the souls of four Demons appointed by Baal as the generals of his army here on earth. They all represent a facet of the Demon King’s power— Wind, Water, Lightning and Thunder}.

Nero’s brows trembled as he struggled to attribute each Demon to the respective element.

He suddenly wasn’t feeling very good about his decision to fight these things.

Either way, he didn’t have much of a choice anymore.

He sucked in a deep breath.

He could feel it.

He had enough Ein Sof for maybe just a few more uses of Shadow Shift. He had a decent stash of Divine Elixirs, but they were not infinite. Plus, if the damage was too serious, he wouldn’t be able to drink the elixir to heal.

’This Clay of the Gods... The Silver Blade cannot do it any harm?’

{It is because the Heretic’s relic, Silver Blade, does not contain a lot of Divine Essence. Relics can be graded based on the quality of the Divinity used to create them. In comparison to other Relics, the Silver Blade can be classified as a grade E Relic}.

Nero’s expression was dark,

’So you mean with the Silver Blade, I will only be able to deal so much damage?!’

{Yes. While the Heretic’s physical stats does play a part, the overwhelming effect is determined by the strength and grade of his Relic}.

’Crap!’

Shooting out of his hiding place, his eyes widened as a deluge of scalding pain washed over him, forcing a deep yelp from the depths of his throat.

From the corner of his eyes, Nero could see the horn of the beast hybrid Demon glowing with bright radiance, countless arcs of white lightning bolts swarming around it.

’That’s the lightning bastard for sure!’

His flesh was burned blacker than it already, burnt to a crisp by the charge of lightning shot from the horn of the Gargoyle.

Fallon to the ground, Nero felt his entire body become numb.

Straining against the pain and numbness, he brought another Divine Elixir to his lips and drank.

Groaning through the pain, he rose up and began limping through the network of roots and fallen branches.

If the Oracle was right, then that meant he couldn’t do anything against these things. Not until he got a more powerful Relic.

Nero gritted his teeth,

’But where do I find a more powerful Relic?’

{There is a Relic much more powerful than the Silver Blade within the Temple of Orion}.

Nero froze as his eyes went wide.

His mind flashed with a thousand thoughts in just a split second.

’Another Relic?’

{Yes. A spear gifted to the Elkerling people by the Wandering God, Orion}.

Before the Oracle was done talking, Nero had already begun sprinting towards the temple ruins. From behind him, the robust Demon opened its mouth.

From the depths of its throat rumbled words. Words in the profane, Abyssal tongue of the Demons.

It was fragmented, and as they wormed into Nero’s ears, carried by the chilling wind, Nero felt the life draining from his body.

’Crap!’

He gritted his teeth as he fell to his knees. He smashed his forehead into the ground as he cried out tears of hot blood,

"Make it stop! Make it stop, damn it!"

Biting his teeth, he grasped dearly onto his true name so he would not lose himself to the madness.

His mind cleared up a bit and he began walking forward again. The roots and falling branches created a complex network that severely slowed the larger Demons significantly, giving him more time.

Limping forward, he pulled out another vial of Divine Elixir and drank it all down.

His face was covered in blood and his body still spasmed due to the bolt of lightning that has struck him.

However, he didn’t stop walking.

Placing one foot in front of the other, he continued forward, leaving a trail of blood behind from his unhealed wounds as he trudged closer and closer towards the ruined temple.

In a few minutes, he had arrived right at the steps of the Temple.

The roof of the building had completely caved in. A large branch sticking out of it, was the culprit.

Without hesitation, he rushed up the stairs as fast as he could and into the darkness of the once holy place.