If a demon is the vanguard of humanity’s destruction, then should I—no, we—not simply defeat it?
✦ ✦ ✦
No way. It took damage? That means it’s a real demon, and not an illusion. But why? Why a demon?
(Attacks from this range are non-standard. Consistently strange.)
Demons are the Demon God’s trump card. They’re above even Apostles in terms of power and standing, and are mostly used to engage with dragons. Which is why this one should be off fighting in the central plains. That’s the main battlefield, right?
(So many alterations that overcome the system. In a progressive manner.)
So why here? The Apostle in the palace is Crumbling Mountain, isn’t it? He can’t summon a demon like Golden could or Thunderstorm can. I don’t get it.
(How can someone so insignificant as yourself be capable of all this?)
Oh, man. It’s coming. That giant thing, like a forced-death event, crushes a palace wall and starts its advance. It’s totally targeting me. Well, I guess I did earn its ire. But, like, it pissed me off! How dare it destroy the palace?
(No, could it be...?)
I’ll show you. Oh, I’ll freaking show you! A sudden battle against a demon is just cruel, even for DDR. I mean, I should be emailing support right now. Even so...
(Are you really only playing a game?)
The landscape’s not so bad. The open plains are good for galloping on, and there are no boulders for it to throw. The sun’s height means it’s just before lunchtime, too. Wait, this is smack dab in the center of human territory; obviously we’re going to have a terrain advantage.
(But is it true it’s only you?)
But most of all... This mana. My max mana, current mana, and recovery rate are all increased to shocking levels. Heh heh heh! The Devil God’s overall faith levels are skyrocketing. My battlefield display must have really worked. Bwa ha ha ha!
(In other words, someone is...)
In other words, victory is assured! Haaa ha ha ha hah!
(...using you as a counterattack against my strategies?)
Let’s go, Kuroi! First, cast Call Einherjar! Let the mana flow and summon as many as you can! Foot soldiers? Cavalry? A hundred? A thousand? Who cares! Just fight for me, please! Then I quickly put them on auto-battle. Oh! The militant rabbits have started their attack as well. Wonderful! Go, go, go! Don’t think, just charge! Swarm, swarm! Draw the demon’s attention! Whoa, the demon’s punch shakes the earth. One hit turned a dozen of them into pancakes. Rest in peace, my fluffy friends. Only Sakiel could have blocked that attack, and that’s the Honest Abe truth.
That’s why aggro management is important! Have you already lost sight of Kuroi, you demon?
(Is this an example of “if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you”?)
Good, now I can use my summoned warriors as cover to get closer. It may be big and strong, but it’s also slow, which means my soldiers can get onto its chest like—and I kinda hate to say this—fleas... Whoa! It’s trying to brush them off like eraser shavings! Eek!
Oh my! A huge Fire Ray is coming this way! The Mage Company must have worked together to produce this... Aw, it got blocked! The damn demon turned its arm to stone! But it’s fine. This is fine! I’m close enough. Chaaarge, Chocolate Pudding! Use Kuroi’s magic to turbo-overdrive-boost! Man, this thing is big up-close; it’s like a real-life giant robot!
(Or is this simply action and reaction? What a simple phenomenon that would be.)
My goal is the ankle! Running up the thigh, I imbue my swords with the power of fire, and... HAH! Did ya like that, punk? The screaming and feel of iron sinking into flesh tells me I did some real damage. Good, good! Fire magic is awesome, look how effective it is against a demon!
(This magic... and this performance... It’s as if you’re after my power.)
Whoa! Stop struggling! I didn’t have to worry about this in my elven playthrough because I could fly—augh! It’s stomping the ground and kicking up dust clouds! But don’t underestimate Kuroi’s lateral jump abilities! I eject from Chocolate Pudding and hop, hop, hop! Dodging circularly, I zig-zag like lightning towards the demon! I can practically feel the afterimages coming off of me! Taking down massive opponents is the best part of an action game!
(This KartofStarch’s playstyle is optimized as far as DDR’s combat rules will allow.)
I think that weirdo just messed up my name again! Whatever, I don’t have time to look at the chat. It’s really flying by, but I gotta ignore, ignore, ignore!
Yes, I got on! I summon daggers into my hands and stab, then pull myself onto them. Using those daggers as footholds, I summon more daggers. Climb, Kuroi! I’ve climbed many dragons in my vampire playthroughs, but never a demon.
(A clever choice. Very effective.)
Th-The shaking! Agh, it feels like an earthquake! This isn’t good, I can’t reach the head. Fine, I’ll settle for here—the ‘base’ of the leg. Thrust that blade in! And why stop at one? Ten! Twenty! I can keep this up all day! And they’re all on fire, of course!
(This is really stoking my curiosity. How strange.)
Nice! It’s retreating! Now to dive off and prepare for the landing damage... Wow, nice timing, hot knight! You’re the true knight in shining armor!
(Who invited you to the parallel world?)
Dive! Whew, good catch. But don’t stop! Go, go! Runnn!
“That was crazy! But impressive!”
The knights’ movements are amazing, like a school of fish. They even glitter like one.
“The Bomber Knights and mages will provide cover.”
We distance ourselves, watching the thrashing demon’s back... Ep! Explosions! Another platoon of cavalry is ripping it apart with grenade-like things. Yes! And it’s followed up by another combo Fire Shot! Is there a group of mages on that hill?
“Lady Kuroi, you do as you will.”
Nice! Excellent movements! Maneuver warfare combined with covering fire on a flat plain with no vampires might be a new strategy for success! However, considering the demon’s phases, that might be coming next.
I jump off the knight’s horse and summon Chocolate Pudding under me. I gallop off at top speed, using the momentum to adjust my balance. See? The demon’s emitting smoke. The stone armor covering its body crashes to the earth, and its eyes flash. I knew it. Its muscled body bulges as electricity runs along it... an extra-massive Lightning Bolt is coming! That’s usually a spell reserved for named vampires, and is more like a bit of flashiness, but in the hands of a demon, it’s a map-wide weapon; a weapon of mass destruction.
Not that I’m going to let that happen, though.
If you think you can just stand there without moving and charge up your thunder magic without being attacked, you must be crazy. It’s careless and conceited. I’ve got no, no, no reason to wait around for you to finish.
So, facing the demon head-on, Kuroi aims her spear from atop her horse. Get back, my summoned soldiers. Get back! You too, cavalry. Distance yourselves. You’re about to witness an attack even more powerful than the one at the beginning of this grisly battle.
Charge that fire magic... Even this sturdy spear can’t handle it all and is starting to spark, but I continue to charge. It burns red-hot, but I push it further. Ten more seconds. It’ll be fine; the demon still has thirty seconds left to go.
(Dragon Demon RPG, DX mode. A mysterious program that no one has access to.)
The demon’s weak spot is its throat. I learned that in my elven playthrough, when Absolute skillfully pierced that spot. Now, to steady my aim...
(I made this game.)
Eaaaaaat this!
(And now you interfere with my plans.)
The spear lands dead center, then bursts into a huge ball of flame. That, combined with the failure of its own spell, makes for massive damage. How do you like that? Haaa ha ha hah! Look, the demon’s like a fireworks show!
(I want to consume you.)
Brrr! A shiver just went up my back, but I gotta stay strong; I’m in the middle of a battle. If things get really desperate, I always have my empty plastic bottle.