Chapter 744 Desperation
Vale's eyes narrowed as he believed that the Beast Arts Practitioners could only borrow the power of some animals, magical creatures, or mystical beings from another realm.
However, after secretly listening to their conversations, it appears that he had underestimated this Arcane Path a lot!
They were actually capable of turning the Demon Saints into their Beast Mark and becoming part of their bodies or tattoos!
Of course, there must be a high requirement in order to accomplish that, but the fact that it was possible made him realize that perhaps Immortals or other Arcanists could also become their Beast Marks!
'Interesting… Maybe it's also better if this Demon Saint becomes their Beast Marks… That way, they will have a strong Beastmaster, and I'll worry less…' Vale mused as he considered that having another strong Arcanist in this place would allow him to send his Avatar to farther places that had weaker strength to fight against the Demons.
Anyway, Vale continued listening to their conversation as he learned the identities of each of them… Well, some of them were also people he recognized from the files that he had read from the Arcane Bureau.
It wasn't surprising that he recognized some of them, considering they were considered as the most active members of the Order of the Valiant Scourge.
Their leader, a formidable woman known as?Sylvana the Mauler, stood at the forefront.
Her hair was a mane of fiery red, her eyes like embers, and her body was adorned with tattoos of mythical creatures that seemed to move with a life of their own.
Beside her was?Korvax the Whisperer, a giant of a man whose quiet demeanor belied his ferocious power. His skin was etched with the patterns of the great predators of the wild, mostly land creatures, and his hands were calloused from the countless battles he had fought.
Flanking them were twins,?Lyra and Tyro, known as the?Fangs of the Scourge.
"That Demon Saint is Rank 2! He will be mine! I will put him in my back! Is that alright, Sylvana?" Korvax said.
"I made the call first, Korvax! I will share the Demon Saint's body with my sister!" Tyro said. Without context, anyone would probably misunderstand what he just said.
Anyway, it was certainly possible to split the power of the Demon Saint. That way, the burden on their bodies wouldn't be that great once they became part of their bodies.
Sylvana listened to them but didn't give her opinion. As for taking the power of the Demon Saint for herself, she wasn't interested in that at all. It wouldn't be compatible with her set of Beast Marks and might create an unbalanced synergy.
As she felt the traces of the Demon Saints nearby, she finally spoke.
"We'll decide this later. We'll see which one of you can contribute the most in this hunt. Although the Demon Saint was already injured by the Untainted Sentinels, we can't underestimate him. He's still second rank in the Demon Saint rankings."
"Control your Magic Zones…" Sylvana ordered as they got closer.
Soon, the practitioners encircled Malrath, who was leaning on a tree and recuperating his wounds.
Then, the Beast Arts Practitioners had their energies harmonizing with the natural world, calling forth the spirits of their totemic beasts.
Sylvana raised her arms, and the air around her crackled with the power of the storm. It seemed as if an image of a white tiger appeared behind her.
On the other hand, Korvax's whisper turned into a mysterious roar that shook the leaves from the trees. There was an image of a huge Ogre-like creature appearing behind him!
Lyra and Tyro could not be underestimated either, an image a huge black spider appeared behind them as they held their daggers tightly.
The other seven other Beast Arts Practitioners had also summoned the beasts they felt necessary to face the Demon Saint. Nonetheless, Vale noticed that all of them was only borrowing the power of a single beast. None of them seemed to be capable of activating multiple Beast Marks on their bodies…
Or, at the very least, none of them are using such techniques yet.
'This is interesting…' Vale thought as he closed his eyes, calmed his breathing, and used various stealth spells to ensure that he wouldn't be noticed.
As he opened his eyes and watched from the shadows, his presence became completely undetected…
Soon, the Order of the Valiant Scourge engaged Malrath.
"Rats! Attacking me while I'm injured… Cowards! You're worse than the Demons!"
His voice was a guttural snarl, echoing with the pain of his wounds and the fury of his pride.
The Order of the Valiant Scourge encircled him, their eyes alight with the thrill of the hunt.
Indeed! They were excited in this hunt and none of them are showing any signs of being nervous or afraid at all!
It was as if they already knew the result of his battle!
Sylvana, the Mauler, her stance poised and ready, was the first to strike. She moved with the ferocity of a tempest, her fists crackling with the energy of a storm unleashed.
What was even more terrifying was the hint of Divinity being emitted by her gloves!
"They've come prepared… No wonder they're not afraid." Vale commented after sensing the small amount of Divinity in their weapons!
It was as if they got their weapons blessed by their gods!
The Divinity wasn't a lot but it was certainly enough to slowly take away the life force of the Demon Saint!
Each blow she delivered was precise and devastating, like bolts of lightning rending the sky!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Demon Saint had no choice but to be in the defensive as the Beastmasters had surrounded him.
Korvax, the Whisperer, followed her lead, his presence like the rolling rumble of thunder. His fists may not be faster than Sylvana but it seemed to be stronger! Each punch was like a sonic boom that resonated through the grove, shaking the earth beneath their feet!
The twins, Lyra and Tyro, the Fangs of the Scourge, didn't want to lose in terms of participation. They were a synchronized force of nature!
They darted in and out of Malrath's reach, and their poison blades would hit the Demon Saint from time to time! They were the embodiment of the silent predators of the night!
If Malrath doesn't have Corrupted Divinity, it wouldn't be surprising if he already collapsed from these multiple attacks!
"Enough! You're all foolish rats! You're going to die!" Malrath shouted in anger… Despite his formidable might, he found himself overwhelmed. The injuries inflicted by Clare and her Sentinels had taken their toll, and the fresh assault by the Beast Arts Practitioners left him reeling.
He swung his massive sword in wide arcs, attempting to fend off the relentless attackers, but for every strike he made, two more found their mark upon him.
As the battle reached its peak, the Beast Arts Practitioner's Divinity had already disappeared.
Nonetheless, Malrath was already weakened…Malrath's roars of defiance turned into grunts of exertion. His movements became sluggish, his counters less certain. The Demon Saint, once a harbinger of doom, now stood on the brink of defeat!
However, it wouldn't be that easy to kill such a Demon Saint that was close to being the top of the Demon Saint Ranking.
Amidst the chaos, a sinister laugh echoed through the grove, a sound that was both chilling and defiant.
"I will not die!" Malrath proclaimed, his voice laced with both mirth and madness.
His eyes, burning with the fires of desperation, scanned the horizon for salvation—or damnation.
In a moment fraught with peril, Malrath's voice rose again, this time in a plea to the heavens—or rather, to the depths of the Abyss.
"Greed! Hurry and take my body! You want to cause chaos in this realm, right? Use me!" The words were a clarion call to one of the most feared entities in existence.
"Greed? This is dangerous..."
Vale's Avatar, hidden within the veil of shadows, felt a surge of urgency. His heart raced with the realization of what was about to unfold.
Greed, one of the Seven Sins, a being of pure malevolence and avarice, was being invoked.
Vale had already clashed with Gluttony's avatar, and the memory of that harrowing encounter was etched into his very essence. He knew all too well the catastrophic power these embodiments of sin possessed.
He was lucky at that time that Gluttony had just awakened and was extremely weak… If not, it would have caused huge chaos in the city.
As Malrath's plea hung in the air, a mystical shift of atmosphere occurred. It made the Beast Arts Practitioners step back as they felt a strong killing intent aimed at them.
The atmosphere grew heavy, the earth beneath them seemed to groan, and a darkness deeper than the night began to seep into the grove!
Greed, the insatiable specter of the Seven Sins, answered the call.
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