Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger-Chapter 92: EX . Power of Humanity

Demon Stronghold – Epicenter

Harry, Natasha, and Snape pushed deeper into the demon-infested stronghold, their weapons dripping with black ichor from the countless creatures they’d slain on the way in. The deeper they went, the darker the stone halls became, walls jagged like fangs, the air thick with demonic energy. But even that couldn’t shake their practiced rhythm: Snape danced through shadows, Natasha carved with elemental precision, and Harry crushed through brute force.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity of narrow corridors and relentless ambushes, they reached a vast chamber, the epicenter.

"Let’s get this over with," Harry muttered, stepping forward.

The moment their boots crossed the threshold, the atmosphere shifted. It was like walking through a membrane. The stale air inside turned eerily still, heavy, and unnatural. Magic trembled in the space, humming like a suppressed storm. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

In the center of the room floated a black orb, suspended motionless in the air. It had an obsidian sheen so perfect and glassy it looked as though it didn’t belong to this world, too smooth, too still, too deliberate.

Harry’s gaze sharpened.

"That’s the core."

Every soldier knew what it was: a Demonic Core, the heart of a stronghold. Its presence warped the environment, making it habitable for low-tier demons. Once destroyed, the area would turn poisonous to them.

Natasha nodded, raising her staff.

"Since there’s nobody guarding it, let’s end this quickly."

"Wind Blade!"

A razor-thin arc of wind erupted from her staff and sliced through the air toward the core with vicious speed.

But in that split second, just before it connected, Harry’s instincts, forged through years of close brushes with death, screamed louder than logic.

"Take cover!!" he shouted, diving for the ground.

Without hesitation, Natasha and Snape hit the floor as well.

BOOM!

The wind blade never reached the core. Instead, the air around it pulsed, and the attack shattered mid-flight, completely dispersed by an unseen force. But the shockwave didn’t end there. The stone wall behind them, meters thick, was diced cleanly into thousands of perfect cubes, each chunk falling neatly in place, as if the entire structure had been sculpted by a divine scalpel.

And then, the temperature dropped.

A creature stepped forward from the darkness behind the core. Its mere presence engulfed the entire chamber with oppressive pressure.

It was grotesque yet symmetrical. Towering over three meters, the demon’s lower half resembled a bloated termite queen, with a large segmented abdomen that pulsed faintly like it held something alive. Its legs were multi-jointed, sharp and insectoid, clattering eerily with every step.

Its torso, however, was humanoid, but covered in a dense, pitch-black exoskeleton resembling polished obsidian. It had four arms, each ending in talon-like fingers, twitching as though eager to rip through flesh.

Its head was ant-like, with massive mandibles, soulless red compound eyes, and long antennae that vibrated with faint static. Its breathing rattled, and from its back protruded jagged spines, each one glowing faintly with purple demonic light.

The moment it appeared, the air became thicker, almost solid. Snape and Natasha felt their knees weaken under the pressure. Their hands trembled. The cockiness they’d worn moments ago was now gone, stripped away by the sheer presence of the thing before them.

Harry, teeth clenched, pushed himself to a crouch and growled,

"...That’s an A-rank demon... What the hell is it doing here?!"

The demon answered with a piercing screech, a sound that wasn’t just heard, it was felt. It drilled into their minds, vibrating their very bones. With it came an even greater pressure, the kind that made even seasoned warriors feel like insects before a giant.

And as that monster took one step forward, one terrible truth settled in their hearts:

This mission had just become a nightmare.

****

The pressure in the chamber was crushing, but Natasha, jaw clenched and heart pounding, snapped herself out of the paralyzing haze. Her eyes darted to Harry.

"What do we do?!" she shouted, desperation barely concealed.

Harry gritted his teeth, his massive sword still in hand, his eyes never leaving the monstrous demon in front of them.

"I’ll hold it off. You two escape and warn the base. Tell them there’s an A-rank demon in a D-rank stronghold."

Snape turned sharply.

"What the hell are you saying?! Trying to be a hero?! You’ll die here!"

"That’s an order!" Harry roared, voice shaking the room with force equal to the demon’s screech.

Snape stood frozen, fists trembling around his twin daggers, jaw clenched in rage. Then, with a sharp breath, he lifted his head and said,

"Looks like I’ll have to disobey that order today."

Natasha gave a firm nod beside him.

"We’re not leaving you behind, Captain."

Harry blinked at them, caught between pride and frustration.

"You guys..."

But before he could finish, the demonic creature vanished from its spot.

In the blink of an eye, it reappeared directly in front of Harry, claws raised to cleave him in half.

"Watch out!!" Natasha shouted, her staff glowing a brilliant green.

"Fast Wind!"

A blast of wind surged out, not at the creature, but at Harry, slamming into his side and hurling him away just as the demon’s claw sliced through empty space where he had been a heartbeat ago.

SHHHHHWOOOOM!

The air cracked with the force of the wind. As Harry tumbled safely across the floor, Snape merged into the shadows, vanishing into a dark flicker before appearing right behind the demon. His twin blades gleamed under the flickering torchlight.

With a savage yell, he lashed out:

CLANG!

Steel rang against the demon’s exoskeleton, sparks flying with each strike. The creature blocked every blow with two of its four arms, each movement precise and terrifyingly fast.

Snape’s eyes widened.

"You’re kidding me..."

He pressed harder.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

But it was no use. The demon broke through his barrage, one of its clawed arms shooting past his defense, aiming straight for his neck.

"Snape!" Natasha screamed.

She raised her staff high.

"Wind Blade!"

FOOOOM!

A howling crescent of wind streaked across the air, slicing at the demon’s arm and forcing it back just inches before it struck Snape. The beast staggered slightly, and Snape tumbled away in retreat, chest heaving.

Natasha clicked her tongue.

"There wasn’t even a scratch..." she muttered, furious.

"Looks like I’ll need everything."

Raising her staff again, mana surged from her core. The wind around her whipped into a vortex, pulling in the room’s energy like a storm preparing to break.

"Harry!" she shouted, "I’m leaving this to you!"

Harry was already on his feet, sword braced, stance low. His eyes were fierce.

"Don’t worry. I got this handled."

"Wind’s Grace!" Natasha incanted.

A green aura flared around Harry, rushing into his body. In an instant, his speed and strength doubled, his muscles surging with energy. He could feel the wind at his back, literally, and the power thrumming in his bones.

"This is the power of humanity!" he roared.

BOOOOOM!

He launched forward, now moving so fast that Snape and Natasha couldn’t even follow his figure with their eyes. He appeared in front of the demon like a blur, swinging his greatsword down in a blinding arc.

CRRRRAAASH!

The demon staggered backward, screeching in fury as it slid across the floor, gouging deep claw marks into the stone.

Harry grinned.

"Not so strong now, huh?!" he taunted, already winding up for the next blow.

"Try surviving this!" he shouted, rushing forward once more.

The real battle had only just begun.

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