The Prince of Demons

Just how many Rykers did I need to kill? I'd call this tedious if it wasn't for just how determined to murder me Ryker was. The ceaseless wrath emanating from all of them as they continuously attacked me was beginning to weigh me down. My <Mana> would have run out multiple times over from the sheer number of times I had activated my <Arcane Eye>; the plaza ground was coated in a thin river of <Ichor> at this point as the inky smell was all I could register. So many corpses of <Homunculi> were all over the ground, but more just kept coming to attack as Ryker kept adapting his strategy. He was sprinkling in melee, ranged weapons, <Techniques>, and <Spells> to bombard Krahinn and me so there was no time for us to recover. Wave after wave, copy after copy, and attack after attack just wouldn't stop coming. Was this seriously how many times I failed? Krahinn's words also kept echoing in the back of my mind, just adding to the mental strain of it all. What would Ryker do once he realized this was unwinnable? What Nyx had in as a surprise or final punchline was weighing down on my mind as well. Thirty-two minutes and twenty-one seconds of this quagmire passed so far.

Seriously, how many more copies are there? I asked Krahinn as there were seemingly endless <Homunculi> still to go.

Let's see, we have currently dealt with maybe twenty-five thousand copies of him. Assuming everyone is doing fine, you all would be about a tenth of the way through them all. Krahinn answered. That was such a depressing figure: a quarter of a million failures.

That's so many. I grumbled while trying to keep smiling.

You did fail a lot. Krahinn pointed out with no hesitation.

Would it kill you to be supportive? I snapped at him. The visual representation and monotony of having to go through so many <Homunculi>.

I am being supportive; you need to see the reality of what has happened. Right now might be exhausting and difficult to you, but do not underestimate just how far you have to climb. I am supplying you with the <Mana> and control you would need to be able to do on your own. Granted you're ten right now so it is expected you don't have it yet. Krahinn lectured while he used some <Spell> to shred the next batch of Rykers.

Can we have this conversation at a different time? I requested as Krahinn didn't seem bothered by the angry Rykers trying to kill me. How could he so calmly talk and use so much <Magic> at the same time?

I mean, we have time at the moment. Krahinn chuckled, his laughter projecting effortlessly in the plaza.

We are fighting for our lives! I spat at him. How was he so calm about this?

Relax, we're doing well. Just keep your eyes forward and stop slacking on using that <Arcane Eye>. Krahinn assured me as he used my sword to skewer several Rykers at once.

Ryker obviously did not care that Krahinn and I were having a small side conversation as the army still had plenty more to throw themselves at us. This was starting to feel exhausting as I stared at the next group of Rykers. Seeing through the eyes of Krahinn was mentally taxing as seeing from the varying perspectives I did not sufficiently practice. There were several things I needed to practice and work on once I somehow recovered from all of this; Nyx's attack was a bucket of cold water to the face on how far I still had to go. I wondered how other sections of this conflict were going. Conflict? That was a bit disingenuous, this was more of a battle at minimum. Was I really debating semantics right now with myself? Just nonstop activations of my <Lord's Eye> to unleash events at the copies of Ryker to butcher through them. This was so tedious, so mind-numbingly monotonous.

What was the other term again? That fancy Latin word for this? I couldn't remember it. My brain felt like it was full of fog as this dragged out. It was a loop of seeing as many Rykers as I could lock onto, envision an event, and make it reality, over and over again. Could I shortcut this somehow? Automate the process? Like <Magic> could be automated. Wait. Wait. It could be automated to an extent as I remembered my <Nail Gatling>. I kept using my <Arcane Eye> as I debated how many steps were actually needed to make this work. Target, event, and manifest? Would it be faster than the batch method? Something in my mind kind of clicked as I mulled over the onslaught.

Krahinn, do I have to target with my <Arcane Eye>? I inquired as we kept repelling the Rykers.

What are you asking? You need something to base the event you are using to kill the <Homunculi>. Krahinn checked as he formed a dome of <Dark Nebula> to protect me from the newest blast.

Could I zero out like an area rather than an individual? I clarified for him. Krahinn mulled it over as the dome unfolded into blades, eviscerating the nearby Rykers.

That might work. Not sure. What are you thinking? Krahinn probed as we cleared the plaza for a blissful half second of living copies.

Can I speed up or reduce the amount I am activating my <Arcane Eye> or somehow automate this process. I explained to Krahinn. It might work on reducing how much I was spamming my <Lord's Eye>.

Let me think this over for a second before trying it because I need to debate how much <Backlash> that might cause. Krahinn told me as we prepared for the next set of Rykers.

We kept slaughtering Rykers as we each thought of our pieces. If I just made an event in an area, that would simplify the process to event and manifest, but the main trade off would be there would be more splash damage. There were no civilians nearby that I could tell, so that might not be a major issue if the buildings were not obliterated by it; I mean they were already on fire. Event in the area I could see and manifest it? That would reduce the strain on the <Arcane Eye> as well because I wouldn't need to use it to make all of them real at once, just more of a blanket. Honestly, this idea should've been thought of sooner, but I think we were being cautious of how much collateral damage we would inflict; Ryker willing to burn buildings to obscure my vision made the concern about damaging Umbra less relevant. The downsides were definitely mitigated thanks to the actions Ryker already took. Part of me was curious just how hot it currently was in the plaza with the raging fires. Most of the buildings were stone and glass at least on the exterior, so the flames growing like they were was a bit odd. Was it odd? Ryker was using a lot of <Fire Magic> and <Wind Magic> which would continually fuel the inferno.

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I think you should try it. Attempt a small area first. Krahinn informed me after two minutes seventeen seconds.

Well, here we go. I replied as focused in a bit.

I envisioned the area and just manifesting the event with mixed results. Well, it was a good thing the buildings were already on fire as the idea was vastly more destructive than the more pinpointed variant, causing massive cracks across the bricks and stone as it shattered all the windows in an instant. It created some sort of vacuum in the area accompanied with some percussive wave that shook the area. Even the stone walkway caved in and crumpled from my <Lord's Eye> manifesting an area variant of the ability. On the bright side, it disintegrated and removed the fact a massive clump of <Homunculi> ever existed. I realized the <Ichor> was relatively unaffected by the <Magic> which was unpleasant.

Holy shiza. I quipped as I saw the hole it created.

That was destructive. Krahinn chimed as he projected his amused laughter.

I can't judge how much <Backlash> that caused because of False Immortal's Serum. How bad was that? I checked as the Rykers looked cautiously at the destruction that caused.

That was about the same actually, just clearly it is going to damage the surroundings more. Krahinn answered. That was good news, as I was going to use that a few more times because of the small break it created.

With a small burst of renewed vigor, I activated my <Lord's Eye> destructively inside the plaza. It created some much needed breathing room as now that it was deleting larger zones the Rykers realized I had adjusted my strategy on dealing with them. Krahinn unleashed a few more tactical <Spells> to hit the few Rykers that poked their heads out as they paused the relentless assault. I took a massive breath of relief as for the first time in thirty-six minutes and thirty-three seconds of endless attacks I had the tiniest reprieve. The plaza took noticeable damage from the attacks, as all the buildings were now missing glass and had massive cracks spidering across their exterior walls. Several shallow craters were all around the plaza, but the ground at least was no longer littered with the bodies of Ryker. <Ichor> splashed everywhere from the voids I created which made the stench of it more pungent.

That finally created a break! I cheered because I knew Ryker was going to resume his assault in mere moments.

We are nowhere near done, Nil. Krahinn pointed out as he kept his defensive and offensive <Magic> around me.

I know, I am simply enjoying the break in the onslaught of endless Ryker attacks. I retorted. Krahinn really took the joy out things.

Do not think that; I am being realistic. Krahinn told me pointedly.

I know you are; you are keeping your focus on the finale of this mess. I sighed as I surveyed the carnage around me.

You finally gave them pause, which is unfortunate. Krahinn stated in an off tone.

What do you mean by unfortunate? I pressed not getting his point.

He is now taking a moment to think rather than try and brute force his way through the grinder of our <Magic>. Krahinn explained with an irritated tone.

Do you think he's going to have some grand revelation on how to deal with this? I probed, but I could feel Krahinn's dread. What could he possibly dread?

No, I think he's going to start realizing this is not going his way. Your family is putting up way more of a fight than he expected. This is why building your strength is important, because all the experience in the world can't overcome this gap. Krahinn clarified. Krahinn had an unfortunate point.

He should have known what he was up against. I pointed out, trying to minimize the awful sensation boiling up.

I highly doubt he was ready for me, nor the sheer forces of Speranza in a Tenebrae free from the influence of Scius. He may not have fully appreciated how much the copy being a <Homunculus> limits it versus the original. Krahinn theorized to me as the Rykers began using long range attacks to stop me from resting.

How would he not notice? Did the <Homunculi> not practice or realize they possess less <Mana>? I challenged him.

It may not be obvious when training in isolation, nor the level of power he was up against. <Homunculi> are distinctly weaker than the original, and Ryker was at a level to barely challenge past twentyish-years old you so they will be weaker than you probably think. If these were full, proper copies of him this would be an entirely different problem. Granted, there are still a lot of them, and we are nowhere near the end. Do not mistake them struggling and being able to be dealt with being weak when I am supplying a lot of <Mana> and help for this one subsection. Krahinn lectured me.

I know you are helping out substantially and this is just one small group versus you. I guess I thought this would be more obvious would phrase what I was thinking better, but your phrasing raises a different question for me that's been kind of been at the edge of my mind. What other methods of making a copy are there? I shot back as I switched to a long range approach which was definitely killing the Rykers at a slower rate.

As I also was not as clear as I should have been, I meant that this cluster of Rykers might be realizing I am something they cannot overcome within the limitations they have. As for your question, there are several alternative methods, but in the middle of a battle when you are struggling to hold a small conversation with me is not the place, there are copies Nyx could have made that retained the full power of Ryker with other tradeoffs but repeatedly copying that would decimate her <Veil> to abuse. The part to focus on here is these are perfect <Homunculi> that are as strong as they can be given what they are copies of. Krahinn stated while blocking some <Magic> missile <Spell> for me.

You're right. I admitted as I kept picking off a handful of Rykers as I could see them. The more area of effect was nice while it lasted because I was likely going to be targeting them precisely until the end.

Of course I am, now let's keep going because there's still a long way to go. Krahinn taunted as the battle continued.