Chapter 36

  That was fucking insane. I’m still freaking out that I pulled it off. Creating an escape route without anyone spotting me… Shit, that’s damn near impossible. But… I did it. I hit some mystical level of concentration, modeling the behavior of every demon around me down to hundredths of a second. Even the ones behind me, from memory. Using my techniques, I nudged their movements to suit my needs. Fucking Laplace’s demon…

  Sadly, the madness isn’t over. If I sit on my ass, they’ll find me quick. Come on, wipe the snot and get your brain in gear! Nowhere to hide. Not even a decent corpse for camouflage. The search is already on outside. These demons are like kids in an escape room. Sneaking out the same way I got in won’t work. In open space, my tactics are useless. And I doubt I could pull it off again. If Kserox spots me even once, I’m a dead man. That bastard’s so fucking fast… Damn… Why’d this happen now? No way he was actually the thousandth. This is some kind of setup! Coincidences like that don’t exist.

  Another thing bugs me. The system directly messed with the demons’ behavior, so either they’re NPCs, or the system can fuck with minds. I’ve talked to plenty of humans and demons, and I can’t believe this is just AI. A computer would crash trying to mimic Vayer’s stupidity. But how could it manipulate consciousness? Was my mind altered? Doubt it. Though… the more I think, the more I wonder. I practically egged demons on to torture me harder. Clear influence! … Yeah… No doubt.

  Maybe it’s about instincts. That would make sense. Like, if you find easy mobs to grind, ones that chill while you slaughter their kin, after the thousandth kill, they either attack or bolt if they’re weaker. They sense danger instinctively. I can buy that kind of mind meddling. Especially since lately I’ve been wondering what a human steak would taste like.

  Alright, enough of that—time for a plan. A real plan. A solid one. Planning’s my thing. I gotta use every ability, every resource. Every detail, every scrap that could help. I’ve got a few minutes, maybe. Plus, I can ambush lone demons who wander in here. That’ll buy me more time to think.

  - I found him! He’s in the forge!

  FuuUUUUuck… Give me one damn minute! Who? Where? How? Who found me? There’s nobody here. NOBODY, fuck! Do they have CCTV or what? Alright, here’s my plan: close my eyes and get the hell out!

  I bolted from the building, and a gust of wind slammed me back inside. The impact against the wall made my bones creak. Don’t break, please. A second later, two demons barged in uninvited and lunged. I met the first’s claw swipe by driving my dagger into his palm. Then I made him swing his free hand at his buddy, aiming for the eyes. Bright blood sprays marked my success. The first tried shaking off my control, but I slipped behind and sank my second dagger into his back. Grabbing hold, I hijacked his legs and sprinted us toward the exit. Outside, a demon with hurricane-wreathed hands waited. Air mage. He didn’t spot me behind my meat shield and paid with his life. Lightning’s faster than air. I zapped his eyes and dodged as a gust sent my ride into the stratosphere. The mage hadn’t regained his sight when more enemies appeared. I closed the gap fast, tweaking his next magic attack with a bio-hack. Dagger to the side, and his air cannon launched eight new demons after the first. No time to stick around—I stabbed the mage’s nape with my second dagger and ran.

  Rounding a corner, I ran into two dozen demons. Nope, definitely not that way. I turned to bolt, but a three-meter wall shot up from the ground. While I gawked, two spears flew at my back. Ranged attacks? What, are they competing to kill me first? Scared of my jiu-jitsu? One spear hit the wall by my ear; the other nearly took my balls off. Lucky for me, the spears stuck in the wall, making perfect handholds. I climbed over easy and fast. See ya, losers. But as I dropped, the wall exploded into chunks, and a new five-meter one rose ahead. Fuck, where’s this earth mage? Gotta hire him to build my house. No choice—head-on it is. Flash! Two meters from impact, I blinded the front line, slid between their legs, and stabbed daggers into the ones charging behind. They unexpectedly struck two more demons trailing them, then each other. One second, and I’d carved a corridor through their ranks. No dawdling—I left the rest and broke through. Nice, there’s the earth mage, hanging back. Another wall started rising, but I flung a dagger into his eye, turning his head into a small firework. Escape route open… For a second…

  From the right, tree roots snaked across the ground, conjured by another demon. Too fast to outrun. Turn my back, and I’m done. Attack! He’s too far for a precise zap. Time for some acrobatic shit. The roots writhed, trying to snag my legs. Moving against their flow, calculating each step faster, I vaulted over the mess like Brazil’s team over their home World Cup final. The stunned demon only managed to gape before dying. Meanwhile, enemies closed in from all sides.

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  - Left! Behind that building! – Someone shouted nearby. How the fuck does he know?

  My muscles are at their limit. No clue how long they’ll hold. Keeping up this speed is brutal, but if I’m slower than the demons, I’m screwed. I plowed through another group with my patented tactic. They wouldn’t let up, chasing right after. Ahead, another mage I swear I’ve seen before unleashed a dozen ice spikes at us. My reflexes dodged every one—not so for my pursuers. Most died. The mage got pissed and started another spell. I wanted to interrupt, but a blast of air slammed me against a wall so hard I couldn’t move. How many fucking mages are there? You’re pissing me off! While I fumed, Elsa finished her chant. The air around her shimmered silver. Thick fog blanketed the ground, cold as my ex. First time I’ve felt cold in hell. As she raised her hand to make me a human popsicle, I dumped fifteen percent of my mana into the air mage’s chest muscles. They twitched, shifting his magic arm, redirecting the wind. The gust swept Elsa away, and I pulled my favorite combo: throw, eye, zap. When I ran to grab my dagger, I saw ten demons frozen dead around the corner, clearly rushing to help. Cold plus wind equals that. Hope I get experience for them.

  I sprinted for the exit. Open terrain? I’m fucked. So what do I do? Keep playing tag here? Either way, I gotta get out of the city. Demons are everywhere. Barely a spot without them. They keep popping up like someone’s directing them. I tried weaving between buildings, but I couldn’t shake them. Slip past one group, another appears. I need to act fast, not giving them time to think. Reaction’s my only edge.

  Ran into Aiden.

  - Elon!

  - Hey, Aiden. Die, Aiden. Bye, Aiden.

  Nice chat.

  Since they found me, about forty seconds have passed. Fatigue’s hitting hard. Another mage ahead’s chanting something loud. Probably dangerous. Five percent to the cheeks! Riding a horse with teeth that sharp is risky. A bitten-off tongue hit the ground, and I ran past. Gotta get out before every monster swarms this area. That voice pointing out my location again—it’s pissing me off. Time to deal with it!

  Rounding a corner, I finally saw the spy. He was swarmed by flies, eyes blindfolded. Shit… Fighting a blind guy’s tricky. Paradoxically… Bet he sees through the flies’ eyes. Two massive demons with two-handed axes guarded him. My kind of guys. I charged head-on, zapping them first. You’d think they’d adapt to my tactics by now. But what countermeasures could they have? Before I struck, a swarm of flies hit my face. Disgusting. Some got in my mouth. From the swarm’s dark cover, like a curtain, two axes swung. One nearly shaved my head; the other landed by my foot. There’s the countermeasure.

  More demons closed in from behind. Two unarmed ones lunged at my back; another prepped a spell. Too many fucking mages! My country’s got a measly one percent magic population—poor bastards. I dodged the claws, sidestepping fast. These two are quick but no match for Kalh. I’ll manage somehow.

  Six total. Fly-tamer and his goons work well together. Their heavy axes give me no rest, and the damn flies keep buzzing into my eyes and other vital holes. What do I do with this shit? I have to kill that spy, or he’ll track me everywhere. Need magic bug spray, stat! From now on, I only opened my eyes briefly—a stroboscope effect. Enough to track their attacks. Only one way out: hope the mage casting in the back has some killer skills.

  As he finished prepping, I rushed him. He didn’t expect it, thinking he was safe. Panicked, he used more mana than planned. A wave of molten tar formed in the air, covering the plaza behind me. Being closest, I slid under it. Then it was routine. I finished him quick, then took out my stalker, who was struggling to stand, covered in black goo. One less anchor up my ass. Time to hide.

  The city’s edge is still far, and my mana’s nearly gone. No matter how bad I want to, I can’t escape. Gotta hide before someone else spots me. I ducked into a house, pressing my back to the wall by the door. I’ll kill anyone who comes in. I need rest—mentally and physically drained. Like a herd of bison fucked me raw. But I can’t stay long. Gotta move away from the fight zones. That’s where most demons are heading. Timing my moves carefully, I darted between houses, hoping to stay unseen.

  - He’s around here! Find him! – Ksafraks was pissed as hell. He kept finding his minions’ corpses, and each one cranked his temper higher. That he minced most of them into meat rolls himself? Didn’t seem to bother him. Or did it? Who gives a shit. Their soap opera’s none of my business.

  While the demons gathered in one area, I moved the opposite way. Sometimes I had to neutralize lone stragglers and hide their bodies quick. Stealth mode’s not fun when your life’s on the line. My heart’s pounding broke a few ribs, I swear. Kept worrying it was too loud. But luck held. Somehow, I reached the city’s edge.

  Ahead’s just a scorched plain. Out there, I’m a fish in a barrel, so I gotta run like the wind. If they spot me, I’m done, no matter how far I get. No clue if anyone’s watching the horizon like I am. Visibility’s shit, but no choice. Running now’s the smartest move. Alright… One… Two… Three!

  I burst from my hideout and sprinted like hell. Ran like an antelope on coke. Until my body froze midair, encased in a crystal shell, then crashed to the ground in the same pose. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Like a prehistoric bug in amber. From the corner of my eye, I saw riders approach. They dismounted slowly from their demonic stallions, eyeing me like I’m sausage in a shop window. All but one. One just stared, eyes heavy with boredom. That look’s familiar. But… fuck… Where’d you bastards come from? All that effort—for what? To be a museum exhibit? At least it’s better than becoming food scraps. Hope my story’s end isn’t too humiliating. God, I hope…