The head of a slime demon fell to the ground, turning to ash. Liang, reacting fast, sliced another in half!
He wretched, scanning around in the brief moment of peace he found himself in, looking for any possible escapes. But everywhere he looked, there was nothing but slime entrenched walls that were enclosing, and more of those slimy demons that came by the dozens.
"Where did Dragerd get all these demons!?" Liang questioned.
The Cartoon dog, conjured by Arnold, slammed its newly acquired cartoon hammer straight into the wall. Slime splattered everywhere with the reapers avoiding the slime with purpose. As the hammer reeled back, the dent made in the wall refilled itself.
"Liang!" Arnold called. "There's nothing we can do. No matter what I do, the darn thing just keeps healing!"
"I can't get through either." Another taller grimm said. "It's like we're inside of some gut."
"Step back!" A Reaper with a cowboy hat stepped up shooting his largest gun. The wall took the brunt leaving no scratches. He scoffed. "Yeah. Seeing that we're inside a demon, it looks like the only way we can get out now is if someone busts this wall down from the other side… That or kill the demon."
The cowboy shot the head of an encroaching demon as he took a smoke from his blunt.
Liang narrowed his eyes. Forced with no other option he made contact with Dino again.
"Hey Dino!"
********
Dino and Megumi stood in the center of an area afflicted with crystal spikes. They both stared straight at Dragerd. It was like a duel to see who would flinch first.
Dino's ears perked as he heard Liang. "What happened?" Dino responded.
"We're in a bit of a bind here. In fact, you can say we're completely trapped. There's nothing we can do on our side." Liang echoed.
"Tch! I can say the same here. Right now, me and Megumi are trapped with Dragerd. And this demon's no slouch. He almost bit my head off! But at least that advice you gave worked."
"You can't be serious. This is bad. He's likely ready to crush us and eat whoever's not a reaper or demon. As much as I hate to say this, you and Megumi might be the only ones that can kill him. I don't foresee anyone coming to our rescue any time soon."
Dino darted his eyes to the side, not sure if he heard Liang right. "You can't be serious! How do you expect us to deal with a demon general of all things!?"
Megumi turned to Dino, noticing his concerned expression. "What happened?"
Dino glanced back at Megumi. He growled as he relayed the information. "Liang's telling me he's trapped along with the other people from the caravan."
"Liang's back!? But how!?"
"That's not important right now. Right now, he needs us to kill Dragerd. A demon general of all things." Dino clenched his teeth.
"How do we even kill this guy, in the first place!?" Dino echoed back to Liang.
"You should know the answer to that already, Dino. He's just liked any demon. But your best shot is if you find his core… And destroy it. It's a tall order I know, but if Dragerd's in front of you two, then the core shouldn't be far behind." Liang stated.
"What did he say this time?" Megumi asked.
"To kill him we have to find his core." Dino readied his Knife. "If we find and destroy it. We kill him." Dino glanced back at Megumi, catching a glimpse of her hands seeing that they were shaking.
He stepped up in front of her. "You can set this out. You've already done more than-"
"No!"
Surprised by the abrupt answer Dino turned slowly, seeing that she was more determined than before.
"I… I want to fight him too. I can't stand back and watch. Not now!" Megumi, with her crimson misty scythe, posed, ready to fight. "Besides… I don't think I have a choice…"
Megumi directed her gaze to the edge of the crystal terrain. It was slowly being taken over by Dragerd's stone wall and ground.
Dragerd smirked, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he could reach the two again. "The two of you didn't think you could escape me, did you? Or did you both forget where you are?"
Dragerd lick his lips in anticipation.
Megumi spoke back up. "It's okay… I can't run away forever. So, whatever I can do to help, I'll do it!"
Dino Immediately got ready, knowing that Dragerd would soon be on them. "Okay Fine. But Megumi, whatever you do, don't let your guard down for a second!"
"I know."
The recrystallisation of Dino's terrain sped much more fast turning a minute of reprieve into mere seconds. Now seemingly freed Dragerd chuckled and went on the offensive. Spikes of stone shot from the ground, separating both Megumi and Dino.
The whole arena erupted back into chaos as stone hands and spikes shot from walls and floors alike all concentrated on Megumi and Dino.
Dino Swerved and dodged, looking for an opening on Dragerd, his eyes practically interlocked on Dragerd. "The Core must be in that body he's showing."
Dino posed with his combat knife and dashed through the opened gaps of the attacks that were sent their way. He sliced spikes and stone hands coming from his blind spot. But as he got closer to Dragerd, A larger version of his head erupted from the ground, attempting to swallow him whole!
Dino sped to a stop placing his hands on the ground, "Crystal Wonderland!"
Without wasting a second he teleported his body inside and through the crystals, sliding back. Not long after he saw as his crystals dissolved away in seconds.
"He can dissolve my crystals faster now!?"
Several more spikes erupted from the wall, forcing him to block. Then a stone hand came from above leaving no room to react. "Crap!"
The hands suddenly turned to Megumi landing to his far side. She turned quickly to check on him. " That was close, are you okay!?"
Reacting quickly, she blocked another attack with expert precision.
"I'm just fine. Worry about yourself!" Dino exclaimed.
A stone hand then came from behind Megumi, attempting to grab her as several more spikes launched at her.
"Watch out!" Dino warned.
Megumi glanced, behind. Acting fast, she swerved her scythe, slicing the hand in two!
Dion was taken aback seeing how easily Megumi sliced through the hand itself.
"You can't escape from me!" Dragerd's voice boomed. Slowly a giant version of himself rose from the ground before the two.
Megumi instinctively stepped back but realized she couldn't be distracted in the midst of the chaos of battle. She forced herself into a clumsy dash, brunting the aftereffects of the rubble from attacks set on her by the stone hands and the spikes.
Dino however charged forth at the large demon, shooting several of his crystal spikes at him before stabbing through Dragerd.
Dragerd laughed at his meager attempt and smacked Dino away with an extended stone pillar from the side. A slid back and wiped his check. He watched as a plethora of stone pillars were created and scurried around the arena like a protective barrier.
"Damn it! When does it end!" Dino hissed.
A pillar went on the attack and Dino dodged. Sensing another attack from below, He jumped, avoiding a stone hand that emerged from the ground.
But looking at it from below he noticed that it was just a fist. It instantly clicked for him
"A feint!"
He glanced up and noticed a new plethora of stone hands raining from above. From the corner of his eye a stone pillar zipped towards him and several stone spikes launched at him.
Dion growled, Moving fast he plunged his hands down to the stone fist below. "Crystal wonderland!"
In an instant he entered the crystals zipping from one to the next as they shattered and dissolved away. Soon he was left with more, forcing him out into the open.
Each attack that came close was an overwhelming reminder of how far distant they're power was from the demon before them. They were clearly outmatched, and all they could do was survive through the onslaught of attacks.
Megumi in particular stumbled and dodged through several of the attacks clumsily. Each time she tripped, she was forced to block a new attack or attempt to counter them. It didn't help having to lug around the large scythe in her and, but it served as her only mode of offense.
She glanced back at Dragerd that stood in the center of the chaos like a meister playing an orchestra. One gesture of his hands and an attack would come whether it was a stone spike or a hand attempting to capture them.
His ugly mug grew ever so cocky witnessing the one-sided battle being made. To him, it was only a matter of time before they were crushed beneath him.
Megumi sharpened her gaze. "I… I have to do something!" Knowing that there was only one way to put a stop to the madness, she mustered what little courage she could and charged in.
She dodged and sliced the attack sent her way. It felt like a complicated dance between focusing on her target while also dealing with all the chaos of attacks.
She was mere feet from him but the pillars that surrounded him were moving at a blinding speed. Thinking of one way to enter she wrenched her scythe, ready to use it. But suddenly she was struck in the gut by a sideways pillar.
She's sent hurtling straight into the wall behind and grabbed by a stone hand! "Gah! Dang it!"
Spikes of stone are launched straight at her.
"Heh." Dragerd Glance at her with a smirk.
Just before reaching her, Spikes of crystal erupted from the ground, and she was suddenly slung out from the stone hand to somewhere else.
She watched as the stone hand was Pelt and Dino was holding her wrist. He glanced back at her. "Don't be reckless!" He quickly pushed her aside, avoiding another pillar that ran straight at them.
Megumi stumbled but quickly found her footing again, dodging another of Dragerd's spikes.
"Jerk!" Megumi directed Dino.
"Don't go charging in like that your dumbass!" Dino Echoed.
"Hey! I just wanted-" Megumi saw as Dino gestured her to shush as he pointed to his head.
"The angel." Dino hinted.
Understanding she sent her thoughts straight at him, while slicing and dodging through the attacks. "Do you have a plan or something?"
"Yeah, but it's a longshot. I noticed that you're able to cut everything with that scythe of yours. Do you know if you could cut through the walls too?"
"I- I don't know, this is my first time- yes."
Dino glanced back a little confused "Huh?"
"I have a good feeling this could cut anything… But I don't know."
"Well you do know, or you don't know! We're in a tight bind you know!" Dino complained.
Megumi Seeing that she was steadily getting closer that the floor was below them, plunged her scythe in and with ease, kept running as if she was cutting butter. "Does that work?"
"Yeah! I need you to cut a chunk of the walls and we're gonna chuck it at him!"
Megumi couldn't help but see the pointlessness of the plan in an instant. "But why?"
"Just trust me, if you can cut a large chunk out, I'll handle the rest!"
"Tsk. Fine!" Megumi shouted.
The two continued to dodge and counter through the attacks set on them. Eventually Dino converged with Megumi. "Now!"
Although surprised by the abruptness, Megumi moved to stab the bottom of the wall before arcing it around as if to make a big door. All the while Dino countered the attacks launched at them.
Megumi kicked it, finding it easier to move than expected.
Dino, using a brief opening, quickly placed his hands on the far side of the large chunk. "Get out of the way!" He warned.
A second later the chunk exploded from its crevice with a black crystal attached to the chunk of the wall. It sped at Dragerd like a bullet, striking him directly.
Despite this attack, Dragerd didn't move an inch. He wiped himself from the remaining rubble.
He smirked. "You two will have to be smarter than-"
Megumi was now in the air with her scythe posed and ready to attack.
"How did she-!" Dragerd caught a glimpse of the black crystal that now had a large cut on it. "Tch. She hitched a ride?"
Dragerd gestured with his hands. "Nice try, but this is where you die!"
To Dragerd surprise, his hand was suddenly pierced by Dino's knife.
Dino raced towards Dragerd, as if preparing for the worst. "This'll probably be the only chance we get, don't screw this up!" He echoed.
As if a hand was guiding the very motions of her scythe, Megumi arced the scythe cutting Dragerd in two!
She landed right behind Dragerd, with the top half of him falling to the ground. The attacks all ceased at once and everything became quiet as Dino arrived.
Megumi fell to her knees. "I got him." She said, exasperatedly.
"Yeah. Looks like you did." Dino patted Megumi on her shoulder. But before they could celebrate, a laughter echoed in the air.
Alerted, they both went on guard.
Megumi quickly glanced back at the two halves. "But I got him!"
Dragerd laughter continued before he was able to cease. "That was a very close call. You were close I admit, but in the end… you couldn't make it."
The body sunk back into the ground. Not long after an earthquake erupted. Everything shook violently and felt as if everything was being raised.
"What's happening!?" Megumi exclaimed.
Suddenly the entire floor slanted forcing both Megumi and Dino to the wall. It was as though the entire world was turning over.
********
The very same event was occurring where Cider was fighting off demons and Liang's group as they were fending off the slime demons.
Arnold, reacting fast, conjured a cartoon floor onto the slime wall, avoiding the worst case scenario. Everyone understood that something bad was about to occur.
Dragerd's laughter turned more hardy and deeper as it echoed throughout the entire maze.
The walls everywhere started to move together even faster than before. Not long after Dragerd's voice boomed throughout the entirety of the maze. "The games were fun. But now it's time for everyone to die!!"