War

The vrock flew through the sky like a specter, its foul, broad wings beating incessantly. Yet the players' firepower was simply too dense, blanketing nearly the entire airspace. Even the vrock failed to evade in time. Dark feathers drifted downward as blossoms of blood burst across its twisted flesh. With a sizzling hiss, the demon's purple ichor ate pits into the ground, emitting a nauseating stench. Enraged beyond measure, the vrock opened its vulture-like beak and spewed foul, trailing spittle. "You goddamned humans! I will swallow your eyeballs, gnaw on your skulls, tear off your arms... Agh!" *Bang! Bang! Bang!* Yet the players could not care less about the demon's threats; instead, they reloaded and fired even faster. Who would bother listening to a boss monologue? "Shoot! Keep firing!" "This demon is mine!" "Drop some gold already, you bird-bastard!" Giving it everything they had, the players kept up an unrelenting barrage of gunfire, their eyes bloodshot with greed. That was fifteen hundred Faction Contribution and fifty gold dinars! More than enough to buy a set of decent rare equipment, snap up some property in the City of Isdalia, and blast right through the novice stage. "Damn you— I'll show you—what true terror feels like!" The vrock burned with uncontrollable rage. To be treated as mere prey by a pack of humans was a sheer humiliation! The demon opened its beak, baring jagged fangs, its bare throat convulsing violently. "Skreeeech—" An ear-piercing shriek tore through the air. Virtually every creature that heard it felt their brain shudder—a soul-deep dread born of primordial chaos. "Crap, mass CC!" "Cover your ears!" The players frantically clutched their ears, but the sound bored into them like venomous needles, forcing them to their knees in agony. Several low-Constitution players even blacked out on the spot. Even the veteran player leading them, Lonely as Snow, felt his spirit shudder, barely enduring it with clenched teeth. "Hahahahaha!" "That's it, cower! Tremble! Let your blood swell the rivers of the Abyss, and let your souls feed the primordial Chaos!" The vrock laughed maniacally. Beating its broad wings amid a flurry of pitch-black feathers, it plunged into the village like a shadowy specter. *Swoosh—* Talons nearly half a meter long swept past like scythes. In an instant, blood sprayed and severed limbs flew, turning the village into a brutal slaughterhouse. "Aaargh!" A shrill scream rang out. With the crisp crunch of tearing flesh and bone, the razor-sharp claws thrust straight through a player's chest. Crimson blood erupted, but it didn't end there. *Riiip—* With a slight heave of its talons, the vrock tore the player cleanly in two, snatching up the upper torso. It ripped the steaming, blood-dripping head from the mangled corpse and shoved it whole into its maw. *Crunch, crunch...* The gruesome crunch of chewing flesh and bone echoed across the battlefield, sending shivers down spines, while the rest of the ruined body was casually discarded onto the ground. *Now you ought to know fear.* A twisted, sinister sneer spread across the vrock's vulture-like face. When dealing with timid humanoids, this trick never failed. It took special delight in devouring living sacrifices—especially bloody, repulsive ones—and savored even more the terrified, disbelieving expressions on the victims' companions. "What a delicious morsel your friend was... I wonder... how will you lot taste?" The demon's raspy whisper echoed over the battlefield like murmurs straight from the Abyss. Ordinary mortals would have long since lost all will to fight, their knees turning to jelly—even the bravest soul would quail at the sight of someone dear being eaten alive. "Old Wang! Old Wang!— What a gruesome death! Waaaah, why'd you leave us like this..." A player suddenly dashed out from the crowd and threw himself over the headless corpse. Regardless of the gore coating him, he wailed dramatically, sniffling and weeping. "Yes, just like that... Feel the pain..." The vrock grinned viciously, eager to savor this delightful scene. Yet oddly enough, it failed to taste any trace of pain or fear. What the player did next completely defied the vrock's expectations. "Ah, whatever..." Wiping away his tears, the player casually tossed aside a raw onion and did a clean backflip right in front of the corpse. Squatting beside Old Wang's remains, he flashed a peace sign, snapped a screenshot, and crowed gleefully, "I did a whole bit for you, bro!" "What..." The vrock was thoroughly dumbfounded. Performing stunts and grinning in front of a fallen companion's mutilated remains—was this guy even human? Could he be a demon walking in human skin? Granted, some players were indeed revolted by the gore, nearly dry-heaving on the spot, while a few faint-hearted ones shivered. Yet most players, seasoned by countless horror games, had developed thick skin against such demonic theatrics. In fact, they were busy examining the carnage, discussing the details, and gloating over their friend's misfortune. "Holy shit! Somebody got eaten!" "Hahaha! Isn't that Old Wang? Damn, his head got pulverized! I took a screenshot, gonna DM it to him later..." "This boss is savage! His dialogue isn't just talk—he said he'd eat people and he actually did!" "The damage is insane..." Joyride wiped some still-warm blood from his cheek and gasped in awe. "The rendering is so realistic!" He even glanced down at an unrecognizable clump of minced flesh on the ground, clicking his tongue. "Are those intestines? The attention to detail is off the charts!" Watching the novice players get utterly distracted, Lonely as Snow couldn't help roaring, "Focus your DPS! A few more waves of this and we're getting wiped!" *A bunch of country bumpkins who haven't seen anything!* Forget about getting eaten by a demon—he had been swallowed whole by an underground bulette before. What did this even count as? "Alright, alright, big boss." "Right, almost forgot the main task—blast that bird-bastard!" "Avenging Old Wang is our bounden duty! This shot is for headless Ol' Wang!" "For Old Wang!" Gunfire erupted once more. Heavy gunsmoke billowed, and within moments, dense volleys of bullets saturated the vrock's airspace. At this point, the vrock was beginning to question its demonic existence. Over the past century, it had invaded the Material Plane multiple times, slaughtering tens of thousands of humanoid beings and orchestrating dozens of horrific massacres. Yet it had never encountered prey like this! They were utterly indifferent to their companions' deaths—and even their own—treating life like weeds and combat like child's play. Such an attitude was something the vrock had seen in only one type of creature: demons! Could they be demons disguised in human skin, dispatched by some rival abyssal lord? No, that couldn't be right. The flesh and bones were genuine; the vrock had eaten plenty of humanoids, and this definitely tasted like human. All it could conclude was that these humans were utter freaks who defied all common sense. "Damned humans!" The vrock snarled, beating its wings to shoot skyward as a twisted black shadow. Vrocks lived to inflict pain, fear, and slaughter. They loved soaring above to cast their prey in shadow, delivering the most agonizing, unforgettable torment imaginable. To facilitate flight, their bodies were exceptionally lean, and their hides were relatively frail compared to demons of similar stature. And right now, this vrock sensed a lethal danger from those incoming projectiles. These things could actually kill it! *Bang!* "Aaargh—" First came a crisp gunshot, followed by a shrill, furious screech. Black feathers flew as a bullet pierced cleanly through the vrock's wing, making it lurch in midair before it could regain its balance. "Aha, I hit it!" "Two more shots and this bird is mine!" A player on the ground pumped his left fist, cheering excitedly. Fury flooded the vrock's mind. An unprecedented sense of humiliation and indignity surged within its chest, making its pitch-black eyes quiver. Those were clearly just ordinary humans! How dared a bunch of mere mortals treat a great demon as game! They ought to be trembling beneath its wings, howling in despair, fleeing in panic, collapsing into pools of blood one after another as they met their ends in an absolute massacre! At the thought, the vrock spread its wings and let out a raspy roar. "Humans, you have provoked my wrath! Through death, I shall teach you your true place—playthings for a great demon, fuel for the Abyss, and lambs led to slaughter!" *Bang!* Another shot rang out, sending feathers scattering. It was the very same marksman player. Winking his left eye open, he cheered once more. "Yes!" Enraged beyond measure, the vrock shook with fury. "You court death—" Noticing the signs, Lonely as Snow shouted a warning, "Shut your damn mouth and cover your ears! It's casting mass CC again!" "Skreeeech—" A deafening screech tore through the air, stunning anyone who failed to brace in time. "Tremble! I shall bring the majesty of the Abyss down upon this world and slaughter every last one of you—" This time, the vrock spread its broad, foul-smelling wings wide, casting a massive, grotesque shadow across the ground. "—to the last man!" As the vrock continued screeching, a noxious cloud of toxic spores erupted from beneath its black wings, engulfing the surrounding area. At its beckoning, tens of thousands of corrupted vultures and crows surged out from the dense woods, forming a torrential black wave that blotted out half the sky and descended upon the village. Their rotting wings scraped together as their jagged, toothy beaks emitted equally harsh, cacophonous shrieks. "I can't see anything!" "Holy crap, my HP is dropping fast!" "Damn it! Something's clawing me! Crows? They're going for my eyes! Tearing off my flesh!" The entire village was swallowed by toxic fog. Many players' skin began to rot and decay, leaving them blinded in the haze. There was also the ear-splitting shriek; once it pierced their ears, they were immediately plunged into a frightened state. To make matters worse, corrupted crows and vultures swarmed everywhere. Once targeted by those greedy, emerald-glowing eyes, a player would be stripped down to a bloody skeleton in no time. "Good, just like that..." "Even if I cannot fill these humans with dread, I'll butcher them all like cattle!" The vrock cackled sinisterly, its eyes locking onto the player who had shot it twice, muddy pupils blazing with monstrous hatred. "I will devour you with my own jaws!" Spreading its wings, it went into a steep dive from high above, plunging straight toward the chaotic crowd. Several corrupted crows in its path were smashed into pulp by the vrock's impact, but it paid them no heed—they were merely cheap, expendable thralls converted on the fly. The vrock spread its massive talons, their glinting tips closing in on the player's skull. *Good, just like that.* Tear off his head, stuff it in its maw, and crunch it down brutally to vent the rage burning inside. The corners of the vrock's beak curled into a grotesque, sinister grin. Right at that moment, a furious roar exploded by its ear: "Your life is mine!" A thick chain of blazing fire shot through the air, wrapping tightly around the vrock while its talons were still outstretched, giving it no chance to dodge. The vrock craned its slender neck and whipped its head around to see who dared ambush it. Before it stood a hulking, heavily armored human, gripping the chain with his left hand while hefting an absurdly large firearm in his right. It was none other than Lonely as Snow! He had stealthily maneuvered beside the targeted player long ago, feigning being crowd-controlled while waiting for the perfect opening. Shock hit the vrock instantly. "How is this possible! Human! You were clearly paralyzed by my screech! And the toxic spores..." *Clank! Clank!* It struggled violently, yet could not break free from the dragon-blood chains; instead, the fiery links seared deep scorch marks across its flesh. A dragon's aura resonated from the chains! And from the "human" standing before it! *A minion of that red dragon!* Shock and fury seized the vrock's heart. Serving under the Demon of Vengeance, it knew all too well how terrifying that red dragon was. Lonely as Snow sneered, hauling the chains taut. "A backwater bird like you wouldn't understand the broken strength of a Dragon Oath Paladin! Trying to run? Keep dreaming!" Though the vrock could not comprehend his gamer jargon, it easily caught the dripping mockery in his tone. Fixing a venomous glare on Lonely as Snow, it shrieked, "Then I'll kill you first!" "Skreeeech—" Lashing out with its razor-sharp talons and screeching furiously, the vrock lunged straight for Lonely as Snow. Yet Lonely as Snow stood his ground, watching the incoming demon with cool composure, biding his time. *Clang—* A deafening clash of metal rang out. "Impossible!" Amid an infuriated roar, the vrock's massive talons were deflected violently, leaving nothing more than a faint white scratch on Lonely as Snow's adamantine armor. By now, the distance between Lonely as Snow and the demon was virtually nonexistent; he could even smell the foul stench wafting from its body. "This armor's defense is insane, but it's way too heavy. My Strength isn't high enough to swing a sword while wearing it. "So—the guildmaster found me the perfect weapon." A grin spread across Lonely as Snow's face beneath his heavy visor as he slowly raised the 40-millimeter shotgun in his right hand. The gaping black muzzle pointed dead-center at the vrock's chest, his finger resting lightly on the trigger. "No, no..." "You are merely a frail human! Even with a powerful weapon, you cannot kill me! I am a great demon of the Abyss! I am immortal!" The vrock struggled frantically, flapping its foul wings in an attempt to slip free, making the dragon-blood chains rattle loudly. Without hesitation, Lonely as Snow pulled the trigger. *Boom!* An unprecedented thunderclap of a gunshot echoed across the heavens. High-explosive rounds tore through the vrock's tough hide, burrowed into its caustic flesh, and detonated. "Skreeeech—" A harrowing shriek tore through the air as the vrock's entire chest was blasted open, spraying blackish-purple blood in all directions. The vrock collapsed to the ground, its remaining bone and muscle melting into smoking purple sludge that oozed from the cratered wound, while the leftover sacs of flesh bubbled quietly on the soil. In an instant, the toxic fog dissipated completely, and the corrupted crows and vultures tumbled from the sky one after another, their foul carcasses carpeting the ground. "Fifteen hundred Contribution, fifty gold dinars—secured." With some effort, Lonely as Snow raised his arm, struck a pose, and blew at the heavy smoke curling from the barrel. "Holy crap, the big boss one-shot the mob!" "Damn it!" "Ugh, missed the kill again!" "Be grateful! If the boss hadn't carried us, we'd have wiped!" "Waaaah, I just watched fifty gold dinars fly right away from me..." "It's fine. Even if we didn't get the finishing blow, we still dealt damage. We'll get a cut of the Contribution. A mosquito's leg is still meat!" Recovering from their fear, the novice players lamented, marveled, and beat their chests in frustration. As for the vrock that had terrorized countless victims across dozens of massacres, it was already completely forgotten by them—reduced to nothing more than a glittering pile of gold coins.