Once Ace and his group entered the house, Riese leaped back in order to put some distance between her and the elder demon. Of course, that doesn't mean they were pausing all attacks.
As soon as Riese retreated out of the way, King summoned a whole squadron of archers to fire wave after wave of arrows at the elder demon. Although the arrows don't do much damage to Kyros, they at least served the purpose of distraction while the others regrouped.
"Activate! <<Dragonification>>!" FriendlyDragon roared as she visibly transformed into a seven foot tall dragon humanoid.
FriendlyDragon had fiery crimson scales and blackish brown horns that pointed back like hair. She essentially looked like a red lizardman but with a pair of leathery wings.
With another powerful roar, FriendlyDragon rushed towards the elder demon from the right while Riese charged in from the left. The two large Scribblers pincered Kyros and started unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks.
As if that wasn't enough, another roar soon echoed the night as Dem activated his Creative Skill and transformed into a berserk via demonic possession. The nearly six-foot tall berserker dashed across the front yard and smashed straight into Kyros, knocking him back a couple of steps.
The three continued attacking, not even letting the elder demon have a chance of retaliation. As the attacks kept coming, Kyros was pushed back so much from the weight of the blows that he fell on one knee.
Not to mention, through that whole ordeal, there was actually someone going to and forth from the frontlines of the battle to deliver much needed consumables to the damage-dealing trio. That person was Clone3. He and his clones transported boost berries from Bluebery to Riese, Dem, and FriendlyDragon.
In order for the three Scribblers' attacks to be near nonstop, Bluebery and Clone3 made sure that the trio would get the necessary boost berries to replenish, repair, and reinforce. In addition, Gem would give blessings to everyone so that their efficiency would improve 100%.
Meanwhile, both King and Graspier would provide timely distractions that helped turn the tide of the battle. Everyone was doing their role with pristine teamwork.
But, teamwork does not make the dream work in this case as a nightmare known as Kyros broke free of the attacks, taking advantage of a momentary pause when one of Clone3's clones came up to Dem to deliver a stamina-recovering berry. Having witnessed firsthand what effect each type of berry had on the Scribblers, the elder demon knew exactly what the clone was about to give Dem.
With a sudden burst of speed and power, Kyros arrived before the two and delivered a bone-crushing blow each to the clone and Dem, killing the clone and shattering most of Dem's ribs. Dem flew back with a spray of crimson and collided heavily with a sturdy tree. The young man coughed another mouthful of blood as his eyes blurred. The attack had basically destroyed his ribcage, the bones puncturing his internal organs.
Dem knew death would soon be upon him if he couldn't receive any healing on time. With much effort, he slowly raised his chin and made eye contact with Bluebery. The young Scribbler immediately knew what to do as she started activating her Creativity to make a healing berry.
Meanwhile, when Dem was injured, Gem felt her chest hurt as if it was about to burst open. Gem and Dem were twins who shared a special bond between one another that granted them something along the lines of telepathic power.
The young woman clutched her chest in pain and slowly collapsed onto the floor in a daze. As for Clone3, when his clone died, the young Scribbler spat out some black blood and grimaced from the backlash - his other clones also stumbled but they managed to catch themselves.
Kyros bent down and picked up the berry in Dem's hand. Without even examining it, the elder demon popped it into his mouth and swallowed. The berry melted like ice as it slit down the demon's throat, its beneficial properties activating immediately upon absorption. The elder demon flexed his muscles as his stamina gradually recovered.
With a crack of his neck, the elder demon sneered at the remaining Scribblers. "Time for round two!"
FriendlyDragon rushed to support Gem while Riese hurried to Dem's side to check on his condition. The giantess turned to look for their healer, but was soon met with despair as she realized that no one was protecting Bluebery.
Before anyone could react, Kyros appeared behind Bluebery. When the young Scribbler saw a huge shadow loom over her, she stiffened with fright. Her legs shook as she wanted to turn her head, but just as she was about to do so, Clone3 shouted for her to roll forward.
Trusting her friend, Bluebery fell forward while Clone3 and his remaining clones rushed forward to block the elder demon. However, Clone3 had expected a powerful punch or a sharp claw attack. Instead, he was met with a fiery spray of fire and acid.
The force of the breath attack not only annihilated Clone3 and his clones, but also fatally damaging Bluebery. Ignoring the dying Scribbler's core for now, the elder demon fired another breath attack at Gem.
Based on experience, Kyros knew the importance of supporters who were capable of healing and buffing. During the fight, the elder demon took the time to take note of who the supporters were...in this case, Gem and Bluebery. Thus, as what any battle-hardened veteran would do, he went after Bluebery and Gem first.
The intense fire breath shot towards Gem who struggled to get up. Fortunately, right before the attack hit, FriendlyDragon puffed up her chest and opened her mouth. A similar spray of fire shot from her mouth and collided with Kyros's attack. The two fire breaths countered each other for a while but it seemed that Kyros's attack was stronger as the breath pushed FriendlyDragon's breath back.
Realizing that she was on the losing ground, FriendlyDragon could only continue breathing. If she stopped, not only she would die, but Gem would die as well. If she stood her ground, at the very least, only she would perish.
But someone else was thinking differently. Gem, realizing that FriendlyDragon might be sacrificing herself to save her, decided firmly that it was in everyone else's best interest that FriendlyDragon would survive. After steeling her nerves, Gem acted.
Right before the elder demon's breath attack enveloped FriendlyDragon, Gem rushed out and pushed the Scribbler out of the way, taking the brunt of the attack. FriendlyDragon looked at her with astonishment and grief.
Gem turned towards her with a knowing smile as she grimaced from the pain of being burned alive. "L-Live...and win!"
