Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Chapter 730  Influence of Determination

In the darkness surrounding the crater of rubble that had become the center of the Royal Capital of Mibothen, Belial, the strongest demon alive, smiled when Bloody Lily finally appeared in his field of vision.

"There you are! Thought you were hiding? HAHAHA! I was smelling your fear the whole time!" He shouted, opening his arms as if it were a gift from heaven and at the perfect moment.

Zylok and Bloody Lily froze at the demon's laughter, because its aura was suffocating. This was one of those unique moments when everything went into slow motion, the result of the extreme oxygenation of their brains because their hearts were beating so frantically.

Zylok could even contain Belial, fight as an equal, but having to protect Bloody Lily, who seemed to be the main piece of Kaizen's plan because she was there and he wasn't, it was almost impossible for them to win. Unfortunately, Bloody Lily was a burden for Zylok now.

And at that moment, a movie played in her mind. She knew she was a burden and the fear of everything going wrong acted as a weight on her back, an immeasurable weight.

Belial's guttural laughter reverberated across the gloomy battlefield, his burning gaze fixed on Bloody Lily. The demon exuded an aura of confidence, as if he had already won, and at that moment she remembered a conversation she had had with Kaizen during one of their routine chats when they lived together.

*

In the living room of Emma's apartment, she and Klaus were sitting on the only sofa, a little apart, but sharing the same blanket, because winter was coming.

A movie about talking dogs was playing on the television, but neither of them were paying any attention to it.

"Klaus, I'm curious to ask you something... If you're a world champion, why haven't you tried to use your fame to get a job? I bet they'd try to hire you as an analyst or something." Emma asked, relaxing on the sofa.

Klaus leaned his mug of hot chocolate on the cup holder on the arm of the sofa and smiled slightly. "When someone does what I did, their image is destroyed. Abandoning your teammates in a major World Cup final doesn't seem ethical from almost any perspective, and the story about my family's accident wasn't something I wanted to tell anyone, otherwise the press and the team's fans would put all the blame on my mother."

At this point, Emma finally realized how much Chun Park must have suffered. She had an accident while pregnant, almost lost her son and her youngest abandoned everything to go and see how the family was doing. Looking at it from that perspective, it was a miracle that she didn't lose the baby with all the stress, anguish and sadness, and Klaus, even though he was so young, had the vision to take all that weight off his mother's back, although she must have felt guilty herself at first.

But Kaizen didn't stop there: "And frankly, I don't think it's my style to beg for a job. No one outside my team came looking for me after everything that happened. That's why, in order not to see my mother and father in trouble, I preferred to stand up and face everything head on, because why should I have been so afraid of everything going wrong that I didn't try at all?"

*

The words spoken by Klaus at that moment struck Bloody Lily more than she had expected and in the midst of all the tension of the battle against Belial, she finally lifted her chin.

Blood Lily, although aware of the threat she faced, raised her sword with determination. Her eyes, normally cold as ice, now showed a flame of courage.

Belial noticed the change in Blood Lily's expression, so his smile gradually wilted.

A subtle wind danced across the battlefield during an instant of silence and Belial, in one fluid movement, disappeared and reappeared in front of Bloody Lily, his demonic hand ready to grab her and make her his hostage. This was his guarantee of victory and he couldn't let it slip away.

Zylok, positioned next to Lily, felt not only the change in the air, but also realized that he couldn't see Belial's move. It had happened too quickly. "Damn..." He tried to anticipate.

However, when Zylok turned towards Bloody Lily, Belial already had his face glued to her, his eyes burning with rage.

Blood Lily's hands were still shaking slightly, but she held her sword firmly and tried to attack instinctively.

Belial dodged the crimson sword with ease, and the wave produced by the slash of air shook the battlefield. He was surprised by the force and speed of the blow.

"Oh! You're better than you look!" He complimented, but the player didn't have time to talk, so she quickly tried to attack again, now with a knee aimed at the demon's chin, as it ducked to dodge the first attack.

Belial saw the second attack coming out of the corner of his eye and replied:

"No, no! You won't be able to fool me with such a futile feint! Take that!"

Even though he was so chatty, he punched her in the stomach, and with his fist still in a rotating motion, twisting the skin of the Bloody Lily's stomach, she realized something.

'He's not only strong at long range, but also at short range?!'

The blow was strong enough to throw her back several meters, causing her to crash into what was left of the great capitol.

Zylok saw that Belial was dumb enough to throw his potential hostage away, so this opened up a space for him, so he used that moment to attack. Then, while Belial was still adjusting his stance, Zylok came up behind him, his vampire teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

The resounding impact of Blood Lily's collision with the wreckage reverberated across the battlefield, echoing off the rubble of the other buildings throughout the city.

Blood Lily, exhausted, struggled to catch her breath after the blow that had left her with a red life bar, while the heavy air seeped like electricity into her lungs, causing an acrid pain.

Zylok, the vampire, was ready to avenge Bloody Lily with the same blow, but the demon seemed to sense Zylok's presence and tried to take advantage of his opponent's momentary distraction to grab him from behind. Belial, however, was not easily fooled. With surprising agility, he instantly spun around to face Zylok, his demonic expression contorting into a sneering grin, as if to say:

"Yes! Come and attack me!"

The vampire, even though he was known for his cunning, saw his strategy crumble in the face of the demon's supernatural perception. A chain of shadows swirled around Belial, as if his own shadow were at his disposal for use, and he dodged Zylok's onslaught with a dexterity that defied reality itself, seeming to be able to teleport once again.

Zylok, frustrated, realized that he had underestimated Belial's skill in close combat. Not only did the demon master the magical arts, but his physical prowess rivaled that of any Evolved opponent.

While Zylok tried to understand the failed attack, Belial turned his attention to Blood Lily.

The player, despite the brutal impact against the wreckage, didn't seem surrendered to defeat. She slowly rose to her feet, her hands still firmly gripping the crimson sword. Her eyes were still full of courage as her wounds healed, thanks to the skill <Blood Healing>.

Belial, watching her with a penetrating gaze, realized that they had underestimated the resilience of Bloody Lily. His deprecating smile gave way to a more serious expression as he recognized her formidable willpower.

"Those annoying humans don't know when to stop." He said to himself.

Zylok, although disappointed in himself for not having been quick enough, at that moment raised his head and looked ahead, seeing the Blood Lily standing tall again.

"That girl..." he whispered, cracking a smile. "Now I know why Kaizen bet on you."

On the other hand, Bloody Lily's resilience was not as welcome to Belial as it was to Zylok, and he was unwilling to grant his opponents any hope. With a subtle gesture, he summoned a dark portal around him, from which a large creature began to emerge by his hands, and the creature was so large that with his hands he began to deliberately widen the portal in order to pass through it.

The creature emerging from the portal revealed itself to be a grotesque mixture of fire and twisted flesh. Its deep-set eyes, smoking like the flames of a bonfire, stared at Bloody Lily and Zylok with an inhuman and irrational malice. The mere presence of the abomination sent shivers down both their spines, a feeling of despair that enveloped them like a sinister cloak.

Bloody Lily felt anguish grow in her chest as she watched the creature leave the portal. Her heart raced, and she exchanged a quick glance with Zylok, sharing the uncertainty that hung in the air.

The normally confident vampire was now aware of the immense threat that Belial presented. He had no idea that demons were so powerful.

Belial watched the scene with sadistic pleasure. "My dear adversaries, allow me to present to you my faithful servant, Nihilus. A creation of mine, forged in the depths of hell to bring ruin to those who dare defy me. Now, I believe we will have a fair battle. Two against two, what do you think?"