MLII C1, P9- "Lysstak the Beast"

"Lysstak the Beast" is the ninth Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's first Chapter. It was released on 06.10.2020.
== Plot ==
Lysstak the Beast has finally been cornered by our three heroes and their three allies. He has got nowhere else to go!
However, he only accepts to fight in a fair way on a single condition. Jared has to face him all by himself and fight everything that he throws at him, no matter how dangerous it may be for him.
It seems like this battle will not be a fair one for our young hero. However, he does not back down. Instead, he calls forth the power that he has gained during his years of numerous battles to defeat this dangerous enemy and get rid of the threat that he causes towards the world...
... Or will he?
== Story ==
"Why, it is such an honor to fight alongside you once again, Lysstak."- One of the older Lysstaks says to a younger one- "But why have you called us? Is it a new threat that has to be eradicated?"
The younger Lysstak nods.
"This is Jared Kaos. He is one of our enemies, a sworn defender of Avernum and the Surface and enemy of the Darkside Loyalists. He must be destroyed."
A much older version of Lysstak steps forward.
"I see that you want him gone, but... I can see the determination in his eyes."- He warns the other three copies- "Even though he is just a kid, he has got formidable powers and we shouldn't underestimate him."
"Also, if he is from the Kaos family, he may be able to defeat all of us with ease! Remember when we were slain by Aleks Kaos many years ago?"- He adds.
A much younger version of Lysstak shakes his head.
"Nah, he ain't anything worth worryin' about!"- He says- "If our enemy is just a kid, then it means that he still isn't in his prime. Thus, he will be an easy enemy to defeat!"
The oldest one sighs.
"As you wish. But don't blame me if all of us die again because of our incompetence in understanding the situation at hand."
The youngest one nods and grins.
"It's killin' time, boys!"- He says and charges at Jared first, helped by the rest of the copies.
Amazingly, Jared manages to evade the attacks of all four of them and manages to land a few hits into the stomach of the youngest one.
As the copy steps back to rest, the other three copies try to kill Jared again.
However, he casts a powerful holy spell on one of them and soon, he falls to the ground, dying.
"Just as I had anticipated."- He says to himself- "Like the rest of the Darkside Loyalists, Lysstak has demon blood. This rule applies to his ghostly allies as well, since they are copies of the original self and are also weak to holy damage. And plus, adding the fact that they are undead enemies means that my spells can easily kill them with just one hit."
"However... "- He notes- "Those spells require a lot of time to recharge after they are casted. So, all I can do for now is defend myself with the rest of my abilities and see if I can kill one or two more of them before casting any of the holy spells again."
He looks at the enemy that he just killed and quickly realizes that he has killed the oldest verson of Lysstak.
The other three Lysstaks stare at each other for a few seconds.
"Is this how it ends?"- The second youngest says to the others- "There's no hope? We're going to end up... like him?"
The older Lysstak shakes his head.
"Nothing has been confirmed yet and it won't be confirmed until the last one of us is slain."- He says- "So, let us continue the fight for our lives."
The other two Lysstaks nod and attack Jared.
One of them manages to stab the boy in the leg. He stumbles back as the Lysstaks come closer towards him.
One of the sentinels, sensing that the one who he is helping is in danger, reflexively shoots a laser at the youngest Lysstak's chest and forces him to fall to the ground, bleeding to death.
Jared manages to stand up. He coughs blood and wipes it from his mouth with a handkerchief that he has in his pocket. He looks at the remaining Lysstaks.
There are three of them, although the youngest one is dying from the wound that one of Jared's sentinel allies has inflicted upon him.
"Our brother is dying! We are doomed!"- The younger Lysstak says as he watches the youngest one bleed out at an alarming rate."
The older Lysstak shakes his head again.
"Remember, we weren't chosen to fight enemies like this kid for our high reputation. We have gained our reputation by killing countless wanna-be heroes who wanted to kill us, as well as other people who have dared to oppose us."- He says- "And I am not going to let the dream that we have promised to achieve in the end crumble like a ruin!"
The two Lysstaks attack Jared, trying to catch him by surprise.
Unfortunately for our hero, he is too wounded to fight back properly against them. One of his enemies grabs him by the neck and slams him into the wall, hitting his head into it.
As Jared falls to the ground, his vision starts to blur. He starts to see... things that were not here before. Things that are in another time, in another dimension, far away from him.
One of those "things" is his mother. He immediately recognizes her face as she smiles at him.
"M-Mom? Is that you?"- Jared says half-consciously.
Seiko smiles again, but stands in the way of one of the Lysstaks as he tries to kill him.
"Watch out, sweetheart!"- She says and disappears.
Jared finally regains his senses after the blow, remembering where he is. He grabs a board from nearby and slams the older Lysstak in the head with it, killing him in the process.
Meanwhile, the youngest Lysstak has finally died from his wounds.
Now that all of the fake Lysstaks are dead, they all disappear, leaving the real Lysstak alone.
"You fool!"- He screams as he looks at Jared- "You think that you have actually defeated me?!"
He laughs.
"My brothers may be gone, but I am still here. And I am the real force that is not to be reckoned with. Remember that well, kid!"
Jared smiles and forces himself to stand up, coughing blood in the process.
"I may... be weak. I... may be wounded. I may look helpless."- He struggles to say- "But I assure you of this. No matter how much you may think that you have beaten me up and dragged me down, I will always stand up and fight you. I will keep being a threat for you... until my last breath. And you cannot do anything about it!"
Lysstak the Beast grins.
"Hah! I like your determination, kid!"- He responds- "But that won't save you from the humiliation that you're about to witness as you eventually die by my hands, by the mighty Lysstak the Beast, loyal right hand of Overlord Dorikas!"
He draws a knife from his left pocket and points it at our hero.
"And I won't let you do otherwise!"- He yells and charges at him.
Although he is wounded and weak, Jared does not want to give up. He surprises his enemy by showing a fighing resolve that is only seen in the greatest warriors.
He blocks Lysstak's attacks with a sword and strikes back with unusual savagery, not wishing to make a mistake and let his guard down.
While Lysstak stumbles back from the sheer force that Jared is applying to him, our hero manages to catch him by surprise and stabs him in the chest.
Thinking that he has finally defeated his enemy, he takes a step back and silently watches Lysstak realize what just happened to him.
The bandit leader looks at the wound in his chest and smiles. He places the palm of his left hand on it.
Moments later, he pulls it away and reveals that the wound is gone.
He laughs.
"See?"- He says to Jared, who is shocked by what he just witnessed- "I have demon blood flowing inside of me. I cannot be defeated that easily!"
Suddenly, he grabs Jared by the shoulders and pushes him towards a nearby open window.
"Long live the king!"- He says and pushes the hero out of the window.
John, seeing what Lysstak has just done to his friend, angrily approaches Lysstak and punches him, disorienting him in the process.
While he is dizzy, the villain does not notice that he is close to the edge of the window and falls through it.
Aleks wastes no time to save his son from a death by falling. He casts a spell that creates a huge web of pure, magical energy in the small area below, right under Jared.
Fortunately, the web saves Jared from a very bloody and grisly death, only spraining his right ankle during the impact. However, it also saves Lysstak from dying, breaking his wounded leg even further and making it bleed again.
As both of them regain their senses, they stare at each other for a few seconds, quickly regaining their energy and trying to gain the confidence to attack again.
Meanwhile, Aleks's head pokes out of the open window right above Jared.
"Son!"- He says- "Lysstak is too strong to be defeated by normal means, remember? You must use Demonslayer to defeat him once and for all!"