The Encirclement

The beast-like fiend parted its bloody maw, foul-smelling mucus mingling with blood as it dripped from the corners of its mouth. Gazing at the Dragonscale Marines charging from all directions, the carnivex unleashed a roar, its throat convulsing with a grating noise like grinding metal. "Ignorant mortals! You will soon realize what manner of existence you have made your enemy!" Dense Abyssal mist swirled around the carnivex. From the spiracles along its massive neck drifted chaotic, disjointed babbling. The sounds burrowed into minds like an all-permeating swarm of insects, gnawing away at souls. It was Blasphemy! "No—!" "Cover your ears, quick! That sound again!" "By Cassius, this is utter profanity! What... what is it doing inside my head?!" Instantly, chaos broke out across the battlefield. Imperial soldiers clamped their hands over their ears in agony, squeezing their eyes shut, some thrashing desperately on the ground. The demons seized the opportunity to launch a frenzied assault. Shrieking in delight, the creatures bit and clawed into the bodies of the imperial soldiers, tearing their flesh to ribbons. For mortal men, demonic Blasphemy could evoke dread buried deep in the spirit or even corrupt the soul itself. Yet the Vitagis were no ordinary mortals. The Lyman's Ear—replicated by the Machine Cult's Genetors using draconic genes—amplified their hearing while allowing the Dragonscale Marines to consciously heighten or filter out specific background noise. At the same time, the bond they shared with the Cinder Emperor endowed them with souls as robust and indomitable as true dragons, more than resilient enough to resist Blasphemy's corruption. Facing down the demon's shrieks, Gangtie Kuangchao showed no trace of fear. He laughed boisterously as always, even audaciously taunting back: "Hey, giant bug, do you even know who you're dealing with?! Standing before you is a whole pack of Vitagis Dragonscale Marines!" *Whirrr—!* Chainswords revved at high speed with droning buzzes as several Dragonscale Marines closed in behind the carnivex, aiming for an ambush. "Laughable!" The carnivex whipped around, sweeping its blade-like, razor-sharp appendages in a vicious arc. *Clang—!* The ring of metal on metal rang out. But this time, no disembowelment followed. The blades failed to pierce the dark-red external armor, merely sending the Dragonscale Marines flying. "What?!" "Dragonscale Marines, attack!" Gangtie Kuangchao hoisted his bolter, sighting the massive, grotesque head. Pulling the trigger with force, he roared, "Offer its head to His Majesty!" *Boom!* A thunderous blast erupted in the air. A miniature plume of scorching smoke belched from the barrel, followed by a slug etched with magic runes streaking straight toward the carnivex. "What is that?" Its bestial instincts warning it of imminent danger, the carnivex tilted its head slightly and raised the hard carapace of its arm to shield itself. *Bang!* It was an armor-piercing round! The spiral tip bored into the carapace before its sabot peeled away, allowing the high-velocity core to drive forward. A secondary, violent explosion hurled ultra-hard metal shrapnel deep into the breach, detonating blood and fire across the carnivex's hide. "Roaaar—!" Howling in pain, the carnivex threw back its head in an agonizing shriek, flailing its severely mangled arm wildly in the air. "You are nothing but frail mortals! How could you harm me?!" Outraged, the self-proclaimed hunter lunged like a phantom, giant claws raking down from midair. *Crash!* Deep gouges tore through the earth. Gangtie Kuangchao rolled several times, ending up meters away—the Dragonscale Marines possessed neural reflexes far beyond those of mere mortals. Gangtie Kuangchao even seized the opening to raise his bolter again, realigning his sights on the carnivex's skull to deliver a killing blow. *Thud!* A thick tail plunged down like a spear, embedding deeply into the ground and sending shattered stone flying, nearly skewering Gangtie Kuangchao through the neck. Gangtie Kuangchao dodged once more, but as the tail wrenched violently free from the earth, its barb caught the bolter in his hands and sent it spinning away. In the next instant, a demonic claw stomped heavily onto the weapon, grinding it into scrap. Gangtie Kuangchao reached out, pure heartbreak written all over his face. "No—!" "That was a prototype specially issued by the Department of Technology! The only one in the entire Empire!" Gangtie Kuangchao wailed piteously. Then, the agony on his face morphed into burning fury at the demon. He yanked the pull-cord of his chainsword, eyes bloodshot. "Motherfucker! Giant bug, you're paying for my new gun! I only got to fire three goddamn rounds—!" He leaped into the air with the chainsword raised, veins bulging on his augmented, muscular arms. Throwing his entire body weight behind the blow, he brought it crashing down onto the massive tail with all his might. *Clang—!* Another crisp sound of metal clashing rang out. The whirling teeth of the chainsword tore through the tail's outer carapace, chewing through dense bone beneath until it severed it clean through. The barbed tip of the tail dropped from midair and flopped onto the ground. "Taste my greatsword!" Right on cue, two Dragonscale Marines seized the opening, swinging their chainswords to hack viciously into the carnivex's rear. "Awooo—!" "I will kill you all!" Agony tipped the carnivex over the edge into total, frenzied Rage. A blood-red aura washed over its colossal frame. Veins bulged and muscles swelled across the demon's body, while its dozens of compound eyes radiated an eerie, abyssal glow. Paralyzing Gaze! Another of the carnivex's spell-like abilities. As an apex predator of the Abyss, merely locking eyes with its prey was enough to render them utterly paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. Yet Gangtie Kuangchao calmly called out, "The boss is casting crowd control! Get ready to defend!" "Look at its windup—it's an eye technique!" "Don't panic! Surround the bug! We'll split the loot evenly afterward, everyone gets a share!" Protective visors inscribed with warding runes slid down over the Dragonscale Marines' helmets, filtering and blocking the Paralyzing Gaze. Steeled and ready, they closed in from every direction, boxing the terrifying carnivex into an encirclement. "Attack!" "For the Cinder Empire!" Gangtie Kuangchao raised his chainsword and roared, pointing its tip toward the carnivex's skull. "For the Empire!" "Screw pretending! For the Emperor!" "Repent, demon, for today is the hour of thy doom!" Bellowing war cries, the Dragonscale Marines converged on the carnivex from all sides like a wolf pack hunting down massive prey. The Machine Cult's Genetors had implanted organs analogous to draconic fundus vessels into the Dragonscale Marines, making their blood far more efficient than an ordinary human's and multiplying their muscular density many times over. *Boom!* Roaring, the carnivex swept its vicious claws toward the enemies in front of it. A Dragonscale Marine braced behind a dark-red tower shield, groaning under the impact, yet he did not yield an inch. Meanwhile, Dragonscale Marines on both flanks brandished their chainswords and slipped into the carnivex's blind spots. "Die, big bug!" The screaming chainswords chewed through chitin and scales, tearing open hideous wounds that leaked foul, purplish-black ichor. "No—!" The carnivex wheeled around, slashing its scythe-like appendages. The blow merely scored a white scratch across the Dragonscale Marine's armor. "Damn, that hit hard!" "Holy crap, my outer armor durability dropped!" Even so, it did nothing to turn the tide. The Dragonscale Marines operated in three-man fireteams, holding positions around the carnivex from varying angles. Whenever the demon turned to attack one marine, the other players lingering in its blind spots took the chance to carve a few more bloody gashes into its hide. *Bang! Bang! Bang!* Armed with specialized firearms loaded with armor-piercing rounds, they maintained steady fire on the carnivex, providing supporting firepower for their frontline teammates. Gangtie Kuangchao roared, "That's it! Keep the rhythm! Bleed the bastard dry!" Hemmed in by the Dragonscale Marines, the carnivex was rendered virtually helpless. The carapaces of these "mortals" rivaled true dragons, and the weapons in their hands were far deadlier than any fang or claw. Standing nearly four meters tall, these Dragonscale Marines leveraged their numbers to trap the terrifying, ten-plus-meter-tall carnivex right where it stood. By now, the carnivex was battered from head to toe. Its hulking frame hunched low like a small mound, appearing on the verge of collapse. A cornered beast in its death throes. That was what almost everyone watching thought. Gangtie Kuangchao was brimming with confidence, determined to avenge his lost bolter. Right then, a low chuckle rumbled out, echoing in everyone's ears like murmurs from the Abyss. Crouched against the ground, the carnivex shuddered violently as chaotic fog churned around it. "Hahahaha—" "To think... the Material Plane would harbor such interesting toys. You are worthy prey—worthy to witness the true form of I, the great carnivex!" Gangtie Kuangchao rapidly backpedaled, shouting at once, "The boss is entering Phase Two! Pull back!" "Holy crap, a phase two?! These damn devs are sadistic!" Grumble as they might, the players followed Gangtie Kuangchao's command without hesitation, breaking away without looking back to put distance between them. Sure enough, the chaotic mist billowed outward across tens of meters, engulfing every living creature in its radius. Within the swirling fog, a towering, horrific silhouette loomed over the earth. As the smoke rolled away, the carnivex threw its head back and roared once more. Its compound eyes were now consumed by murderous frenzy, devoid of any sanity. From the demon's back unfurled four dark, leathery, feather-shedding wings. With a flap of those wings, Abyssal portals tore open one after another. Swarms of vrocks surged through the rifts, beating their wings as they dove toward the Dragonscale Marines. "Roaaar—!" Beating its wings, the carnivex charged the Dragonscale Marines. Everywhere it passed, the earth was stained by a dim, bloody glow, and the sky choked with billowing chaotic smoke as the massive fiend rampaged forward. "Hold the line!" "We're almost done here!" The Dragonscale Marines hoisted their shields, tensely watching the incoming fiend and the scythe-like appendages flailing through the air. *Boom!* The carnivex's massive claws slammed down, sending three Dragonscale Marines flying and shattering the earth into a mangled crater. Gangtie Kuangchao shouted, "Now!" At once, four Dragonscale Marines unslung chain-net launchers from their backs, aimed above the carnivex, and pulled the triggers. *Bang!* Chains intertwined in midair to form a flaming net that descended from above, binding the carnivex and pinning it to the ground. "Roaaar—!" "Mortals, how dare you ensnare a hunter of the Abyss?! I will slaughter you all and devour your flesh!" Thrashing against the iron net, the carnivex let out furious roars. It swung a massive claw in a savage smash, flattening a Dragonscale Marine who couldn't dodge in time into meat paste. Though their muscle density and exoskeleton plating far exceeded ordinary mortals, even they could not withstand a direct hit of that magnitude. "A casualty like this is nothing!" "Hold the chains tight! Don't let it escape!" "Right! Hold fast!" Gangtie Kuangchao bellowed, rallying them. He and several Dragonscale Marines raised their chainswords and charged the carnivex together. The carnivex struggled frantically, thrashing its hideous head and nearly sending the chains—and the players holding them—flying into the air. Yet Gangtie Kuangchao and the Marines felt no fear. Facing an overwhelming disparity in size, they charged straight into danger, bent on making a miracle happen. Multiple chainswords came crashing down on the carnivex's skull in unison. *Crunch—!* First came the splintering of carapace, followed by the wet shredding of flesh. The specially crafted chainswords sliced through the fiend's armored hide with shocking ease. Blades plunged deep into the carnivex's skull, spraying purplish-black gore from the gashes. Meanwhile, the surrounding players threw everything they had into the fray—bullets, arrows, spells, even grenades raining down upon the demon's body. Explosions rippled across the carnivex's massive frame one after another. "Roaaar—!" "No, no—!" "I will return! I shall be reborn in the blood pools to grant you a taste of death!" The carnivex unleashed its full arsenal of spell-like abilities at once. Tremendous psionic force surged forth, a sheer thought sending several Dragonscale Marines hurtling dozens of meters away before crashing heavily onto the earth. It was Telekinesis! "You can never kill me—!" A chaotic gale howled as the demon's screams echoed over the barren earth. Entangled in the chains, the carnivex writhed wildly, rolling its massive frame across the ground. Every swing of its limbs inflicted heavy casualties upon the imperial ranks. Whether a dying burst of vitality or a final surge of power, the fiend placed immense pressure on everyone present. *This can't go on! We can't let this bastard break free!* With that thought, Gangtie Kuangchao sprinted forward with everything he had. The thrusters at his back flared with radiant fire, and the chainsword in his grip revved at high speed, buzzing furiously. The Dragonscale Marines' monstrous physical capabilities were on full display. Braving the gale single-handedly, he closed the distance to the frenzied carnivex and hoisted his chainsword without a second thought. *Shhk—!* Gangtie Kuangchao plunged the blade straight between the demon's brows, its spinning teeth instantly churning the brain matter within to mush. *Boom!* The death of this greater demon immediately triggered an ominous phenomenon. Its colossal corpse lay like a dark hill as churning chaos mist surged around it, slowly coalescing into a massive Abyssal vortex. Sky and earth were swallowed by the mottled fog. High above, the vrocks threw their necks back and shrieked in mourning for the fallen predator of the Abyss. The will of the Abyss reached across into the Material Plane, seeking to drag the carnivex's filthy soul back into the depths to be reshaped in the blood pools. Yet after a long silence, the Abyssal will receded. The carnivex's soul had vanished entirely—wiped clean from existence without leaving a trace! Meanwhile, Gangtie Kuangchao stared at his notification panel: [You have slain a Carnivex (Challenge Rating: 16), receiving 76,800 XP] [You have completed the quest: Slay Demons...] "Got him!" A wide grin broke across Gangtie Kuangchao's face, washing away all heartbreak over his destroyed weapon. He couldn't help muttering, "Holy shit, I'm rich!" Before he could savor it, however, the other Dragonscale Marines eagerly crowded around, making his expression instantly darken. "Awoooo—!" "Boss, split the loot!" "Over a hundred thousand gold dinars! Pay up our share!" "Don't forget my Faction Contribution!"