The Paladin in the Abyss

The Giant Bull Demon, freed from its restraints, immediately knew who its enemy was—the giant nearly as tall as itself. With a roar of fury, the Demon charged on all fours, its antlers aimed at the Barbarian like an enraged bull.

An enraged bull weighing over ten thousand pounds.

Guarado cursed aloud, but the proud Barbarian refused to dodge, instead raising his heavy hammer high and smashing it down with precise timing.

The heavy head of the hammer struck the Giant Bull Demon's spine, but the Demon's terrifying body withstood the attack and drove its spear-like horns into the Barbarian's ribs, lifting him off the ground.

"Eckmond," Lancelot called softly to the skeletal head, "do you think you can hold the Giant Bull Demon's attention?"

"Ah? Me?" Eckmond was surprised, but after thinking for a moment, he understood Lancelot's intention, "Seems not impossible, as long as I can hold it off, right? I'm so little, it won't be easy for that big guy to hit me."

"Then, leave the mightiest enemy to you in a moment."

Lancelot continued to survey the remaining enemies. One Serpent Demon was already dead, another was heavily wounded, so he said to Alamir:

"Elf, that Serpent Demon with only half a claw left is yours, no problem, right?"

"Right," the Elf Priest replied succinctly, eyes eagerly fixed on his target.

"Bruto, aren't you the toad slayer? Make sure no Berserk Demon distracts me when I fight that Serpent Demon."

"Don't worry, just hold on for one minute, and I'll be able to help you!"

"Very good," Lancelot finally turned to the Scholar and the Cook, "Kalalin, just stay put later, at most use some Illusion Techniques to help Eckmond, and do not reveal your position at all. Koula, if anything happens, drink your Mutagen and run with Kalalin."

The two nodded understandingly; they had no objections to Lancelot's arrangements.

With the tactics in place, Lancelot looked back at the battlefield, waiting for the moment to strike.

The situation on the field changed rapidly; the Barbarian's hammer hit the Giant Bull Demon again, but the Demon seemed like it could withstand several more blows of that magnitude, while its opponent likely couldn't deliver as many hits.
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Guarado's body was pierced by the Giant Bull Demon's antlers numerous times, blood spurting from his wounds and continuing to burn like grease after hitting the ground. The injuries didn't appear to affect Guarado, who was engulfed in flames, but Lancelot sharply noticed that the so-called potion provided no additional strength; the fire was fueled by the Mercenary Leader's own Life Force.

What would happen once his Life Force burned out?

Elsewhere, the Serpent Demon zestfully began a massacre among the mercenaries, leaving in its wake a whirlwind of severed limbs and body parts. Neither Humans, Gray Dwarves, nor Goblins stood a chance against the multiple Longswords of the Serpent Demon, and the larger Ogres only required the Demon to exert a little more effort before they, too, became larger chunks of flesh.

After being sent flying by the Giant Bull Demon's charge again, the flames on the Mercenary Leader's body dwindled and, in Lancelot's Spirit Perception, Guarado's presence rapidly weakened, like a piece of coal burning out.

"No! Power! I need more power!"

The Barbarian cried out in Fear, and at that moment, the Demon face on his chest twisted bizarrely, and a voice rose directly in his mind.

"I hear your plea. Want power? I have it!"

The voice, calm and reassuring, would have instilled great confidence in anyone who heard it, but if the barbarians paid attention, they might have recognized it from somewhere.

"Give it to me now! I need the strength to defeat this demon!"

"And what price are you willing to pay?"

"Anything! Just fucking give it to me!"

"...Remember, you said that."

The dialogue in his mind was over in an instant, and a new power materialized out of thin air and surged into Guarado's body. The mercenary leader was overjoyed to find that wonderful feeling returning as he lifted his hammer and slammed it down hard on the charging Giant Bull Demon.

The familiar scenario played out again; his hammer indeed struck the enemy, but the demon stubbornly refused to halt its charge.

The sharp horn pierced the barbarian's body once more, then sent him flying.

The mercenary leader staggered to his feet, only to feel the strength draining from his body again.

"No!" he cried in terror, calling out to the voice he had heard just moments ago, "Strength! Give me more strength!"

"But I already gave you strength, and you agreed to any price." The voice sounded quite pleased, "The payment I want is simple, just your soul. It's time to repay your debt, so would you be so kind as to die quickly? I've already prepared a very suitable collar for you, made out of Winter Wolf teeth. Just a little twist of the neck and it will poke multiple holes…"

In Lancelot's severity, the massive bulk of the barbarian began to shrink visibly, until he was not even as tall as he was originally. The flames that had covered his entire body were completely extinguished, and the once vigorous mercenary leader had become a decrepit old man, his withered skin clinging to his gaunt skeleton, like a corpse dug out from a grave.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the Giant Bull Demon was not interested in listening.

The demon lifted its hoof and crushed the detestable enemy underfoot, then twisted on the spot to ensure it ground the foe into a bloody pulp.

The mercenaries' morale collapsed, the demons quickly sniffed out the scent of fear, and death came swiftly upon the mercenaries.

Only a troll or two, or rather parts of a troll, managed to escape, but for such creatures that could regenerate any part of their bodies, they had already dodged the fate of death.

It was then that Lancelot turned back and gave everyone a signal for action.

The Scholar quickly unrolled the Haste Spell scroll he had prepared for a long time. The moment the spell took effect, Lancelot charged out like an arrow released from a bow, closely followed by Bruto and Alamir, each racing towards their targets without a moment's hesitation.

But it was Eckmond who first engaged the enemy, having pretended to be an ordinary skeleton head, rolled close to the Giant Bull Demon. Receiving the command sent by Lancelot through a mental connection, he immediately leaped from the ground and floated in front of the Giant Bull Demon, which was still joyfully twisting its hooves.

"Wow! What is this!" The skeleton head cried out in surprise, "A big, dumb bull! And so hideously ugly! What happened to your face, did you accidentally kiss a wolf spider?"

"ROAR!!!!"

The Giant Bull Demon was instantly enraged and responded to the derogatory remark about its appearance in a straightforward manner: it immediately charged its horns at the annoying skeleton head.