Chapter 26: Portal Fiend


    A droplet of saliva slithered down and touched against Howard''s head before a thousand explosions rippled in the air.


    An extremely massive creature with ten tails and six wings turned into a blur, arriving in front of Reece with a nefarious glint in its stardust filled amber eyes.


    Immediately, the shield Reece had erected got banished into shards of ss. Without anything to keep her bnce, Reece shot into the wall, coughing out blood as Keelin and Harley stared up frozen like statues of ice.


    A strange feeling seemed to be spreading through their bodies, keeping them from moving to target the foe. Feeling the vibrations in the air, Keelin nearly vomited in her pink lips, sensing the vibrations of a creature in the B rank!


    The B Rank meant that if the creature wanted to it could tear them to shreds!


    It seemed that the creature was suppressing their movements just by using its Ki. Picking up its hand, the creature walked over to Reece, as the world in front of her shifted between shades of ck and grey.


    Reece could still move because she''d gotten close to the C rank, but still felt a weight mming her into the ground from the furry creatures strange, ominous eyes.


    Holding out her hand, a giant wall of fire appeared instantly, splitting the room apart as hundreds of bats appeared nesting on the wall. In the center of them, a small, dark vortex spun counterclockwise and beat like a drum.


    Turning to her right, Reece screamed "Run," Before she held her hands together and created a giant, glowing fiery sword. Pressing off her foot, she shed towards the creature as a smile appeared on her face.


    "I-I''m such an idiot. Pretending I''m a real leader," Reece shed into the arm of the beast before a powerful burst of wind shot her back against the rock walls.


    Boom!


    Falling down onto the floor, Reece looked up at the Rank B creature, most likely a portal fiend, and sput out blood before smiling. "What-what the hell are you still doing here? I said run!"


    "It-it''s so lonely," Howard said, smiling while a white light surrounded his body. "I feel it. I feel its loneliness, its sadness, flowing inside of me. It wants to die. Something is forcing it to be here."


    "What? What are you doing Howard! Now is not the time to dawdle! Run!"


    "I''m going to help it. Since it hurt my friends, IT DESERVES TO DIE!" Howard''s horns pierced through his head as two white wings seemed to form behind his back. Looking like the cross between a bat and a human, Howardunched himself forward and shed.


    Arge wave of dark miasms spread out of Howard''s hands, forming into a gigantic w that shed into the surprised creature''s back.


    Boom!


    Therge creature moved several feet forward, turning around and tilting its head slowly before a powerful roar exploded from its lungs.


    ROOAAARRRR!


    Therge creature turned slowly around, staring at Howard with curious eyes. At the same time, Howard began to hear a strange voice, entering into its ears.


    "You-you can''t help me. None of you can help me!"


    "I can help you die!" Howard pressed down and shot forward, creating five more ws that spun around his body. shing forward, the ws extended like slithering, unending snakes before they hit into therge evil bats chest.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Therge beast stood there, taking hit after hit on its torso before arge wind de appeared spinning in front of it.


    "REEEEAAGGGGGG"


    The creature stepped off its back foot and gently kicked.


    Bang!


    Howard, seeing the light leave his eyes, felt like an entire world pushed him into a hard, piercing stone. Seeing blood flow out of his mouth, Howard grunted, before his horns grewrger andrger.


    "Howard, what are you doing?" Reece said, hugging herself as she watched in the darkness. "Why? Why are you trying to fight it. You-you should''ve run idiot. You-you could''ve been safe by now."


    "Are you okay?" Kellen said, wrapping her arm around Reece and pulling her off the floor. "Your leg isn''t healing. Isn''t it broken."


    "Howard-Howard can''t die! What are you doing! Protect him!"


    "Are you crazy?" Harley grabbed Reece''s other arm. "He''s strong right now. We''re not."


    "He''s a child," Reece wabbled towards the entrance, looking at Howard as hisrge shadow loomed over her. Forcing himself to float into the ari, Howard smiled and turned to Reece, nodding his head.


    "I''ll see you guys in a few minutes. I''m going to try and be its friend. NOW GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I KILL YOU MYSELF!"