Chapter 25: Invasion
With Mita securely held in his arms, Nelius lifted off, heading straight for the Demon Lord's Castle Town. Having arrived at the gates to the town within twenty seconds or so, he opted to go straight to the Castle itself, flying right over the gate.
Of course, taking the direct route had a consequence: several flying monsterwomen came to intercept him.
"Hm? You look familiar..." One of them, a Harpy, squinted ever so slightly, before the proverbial lightbulb clicked on. "Hey, weren't the two of you-."
"No time for talk. Get together what passes for an army!"
"Wha-"
"Kurosugi and her friend- the two that attacked Poseidon's domain- are coming this way. Get everything in gear, unless you like the idea of dying!" With that, he quickly dived, making a beeline for the Castle's front door. Setting Mita down, the two Netherworldians waited for the gate to open.
Awaiting them was one rather familiar Vampire.
"-you again!" Akasha fixed a nasty glare onto him, one that he returned.
"Yes, me again, and I brought company." He gestured to Mita. "If you don't mind, we got news for your boss. You can step aside anytime."
"It isn't enough that you worked with that woman to drive me from my estate, and now you've taken to talking down to me? Who do you think you are?"
"I know that I'm the demon who's come to give you a chance to keep your pasty ass alive. Unless you've a fondness for being worm-food, pull your head out of your ass and stand aside."
The Vampire was somewhere between livid and mortified, moreso the former. Not once before had she encountered someone, a male no less, who'd taken this kind of tone with her.
Finally, after a tense standoff, she grudgingly stood aside, allowing the two demons passage.
"Bad blood?" Mita asked once they were out of earshot.
"That's one way to put it." At the doors to the Throne Room, Nelius raised his hand to knock, but the doors slowly opened on their own. Shrugging, they entered.
"I do hope you won't make it a habit of arguing with whom answers." The Demon Lord told him as they walked in.
"Unfortunately, both time and patience are running a bit short." Mita took over. "Remember our agreement?"
"That time already?"
"Indeed. Kurosugi and her accomplice are headed this way, right now."
"Where'd you get that kind of information?" The Demon Lord's Husband asked, a sneaking suspicion growing in the back of his mind.
"I got friends in other locations." Nelius replied. "More specifically, four of them just got out of an encounter with Kurosugi, who was sacking a town. They overheard Kurosugi's plans."
"Ah, the status report that was sent your way." Nelius nodded in confirmation. "And the plan?"
"The two of them are after one of her old projects- and it's right here, in your kingdom."
"Explain, if you'd be so kind."
"You've heard of the cave where we've set up shop? Did a little exploring around, and we found something named AKP-104."
"...what kind of name is that?"
"Nobody ever said Kurosugi was a bastion of imagination, but that's beside the point. The point I'm making is, Kurosugi could be here any minute. If you've anyone willing to fight for your cause, make damn well certain they're ready to go."
"You're making quite the stir over one person."
"And that person is in league with someone who's threatening to undo everything you've worked towards, and has the power to back up such claims. I'll put it as nicely as I can: don't entertain any thought of holding back against them. Let your troops know not to pull any punches."
"Is such violence necessary?" The Demon Lord actually looked a bit ill to be talking about killing.
"I mean each and every word that I speak. Any amount of underestimation or hesitation on your part will mean your death. While I've no real estimation of her accomplice's powers, Kurosugi isn't one to walk into a situation without a backup plan."
"Hmm, very well, we'll humor you, then." The Demon Lord's Husband answered. "Anything else you want to share with us?"
"I'll take that offer." Mita piped up. "More specifically, I'd like to chat with her." She motioned towards the Demon Lord. "As for the subject matter, let's just say it concerns your cohabitation plans." Now that caught the Demon Lord's interest.
"Oh, this ought to be good." The Demon Lord regarded Mita. "Where do you plan on starting?"
"I figure the best place is the beginning: how you came into this position, the method through which you affected the monsters." 'I'll reserve any kind of judgment on her methods until I get the whole story.'
"It was about thirty or so years ago, with the death of the previous Demon Lord..."
The Order ship set sail, cutting through oddly calm waters. Normally they met some kind of resistance, usually a few aquatic monsterwomen attempting to entice them, but there was nothing. While a few soldiers were thankful for the silence, many others were highly wary, and considering the recent events, they had every right to be on guard.
Their sneaking suspicion that something wrong was about to happen would be proven right as the ship lost sight of the harbor, and was partway towards the Demon Lord's country.
The lookout at the ship's stern didn't get a chance to report his sighting as a bullet ripped through his right eye, piercing through the back of his skull and splattering his brain and several ounces of blood over a small area. The sound of his corpse hitting the deck did end up alerting several soldiers, who looked up in time to be gutted and ripped apart by Revenant's claws.
"Oh hell.. that's the creature Commander told us about!" One of the soldiers looked rather pale. 'Never thought this would be how I'd bite it...'
"Hang on. Where's the girl that was seen accompanying it?" Another soldier, one slightly more astute to his surroundings, scanned the deck for Kurosugi's presence.
"Oh, she's preoccupied at the moment, but you need not worry." Revenant spoke up. "I'll play with you until time's up."
"And what's to stop you from simply killing us this time?"
"All in due time, pawns. All in due time."
Below deck, Kurosugi had ducked into an empty room, releasing the six larvae. While Revenant kept everyone's attention on himself, she'd ensure that her pets were fully grown before treating them to a four-course meal of blessed humans.
All she needed was three minutes. Three minutes and then the next part of the plan would begin.
"That was weird." Cordelia regarded the now sleeping child.
"That's putting it lightly." Shizuka took to looking out the window. "Makes you wonder what he was talking about."
"Ohh man, I hate riddles." Sif pouted.
"They gather, finding themselves far above what they've known..." Rapheal had his eyes closed, pondering the cryptic message. "Yet he neglected to mention who 'they' are."
"That whole 'vessel on the waves' could only mean a boat." Cordelia reiterated. "Yet what, aside from a freak ocean storm, would count as an encroaching death?"
"Honestly, I think it a waste of time to sit here and deliberate on such riddles." Uutyk had already gotten up, and was headed downstairs. "If there is a battle to be fought, then let's not wait for it to find us."
"Is he always like that?" Aliya had leaned over to Tomoe to discreetly ask, getting a nod from the Lady Samurai in return. "Not a pleasant fellow, to say the least."
"Comes with the Sanvino territory." Tomoe responded. "Their lifestyle is to fight until they can't move anymore."
"Getting back on track," Atreya suddenly piped up, having slipped back into the room, "Nelius mentioned that Kurosugi and her friend are headed for the Demon Lord's Castle Town, given that's where something called Epsilon is."
"Say, what is this Epsilon thing anyway?" Vash questioned.
"A Mass-Produced Desco Unit they found. From what it sounds like, Kurosugi might've been using it before getting seperated."
"A Mass-Produced... Uh oh..." Carl then looked worried.
"Something up, Carl?"
"That'd be putting it nicely. Mass-Produced Descos have a special unit within their tentacled mass on their backs, the Usatako."
"Gesundheit."
"..." Carl just gave her a look. "Anyway, the Usatako absorbs the life and mana energy of whatever it kills. While it lacks the potency of a Wood Golem's regeneration or a Ghost's spiritual charging, if it can kill enough enemies in one attack, it could restore itself to perfect health."
"So why the Uh-oh?" Vash hadn't quite caught on yet.
"It's only a big guess here, but what if Kurosugi magichanges this Epsilon to that Revenant character?" It didn't take a genius for them to put two and two together.
"Given how easily this Revenant steamrolled the monsters at that village..." Virgil voiced his thoughts. "Unless the Demon Lord has something equivalent in power, this might be the day she finally bites the big one. The humans would follow in very short order."
"While I know basically next to nothing about the Demon Lord's full agenda, or if she has something else waiting in the wings, I do know that Kurosugi needs to be put back down." Raphael got up from his chair.
"You're suggesting going to the Demon Realm, then?"
"Much as I'm likely going to kick myself for saying this, Uutyk has a point. Sitting here won't help bring Kurosugi down. Of course, gating there might not be easy, given how we were scattered upon arrival."
As the conversation was going on, Carl got a look over his face, one that suggested that he was onto an idea. Without warning, he got up and headed over to his bag, extracting the tome containing several spells he had been toying with while waiting for everyone to pack up.
"Carl?" Ada had noticed her younger brother's behavior.
"And done." Kurosugi stepped back as the six larvae had grown to their full size. Her face then took on a hardened expression as she commanded the six of them to hunt down the humans. "Devour the blessed ones, slaughter the rest. Revenant is up on the deck, playing with several of them."
Their orders received, the holy-absorbing creatures slammed the door down, filing out and spreading across the ship. The cries of alarm that multiple soldiers gave upon seeing the creatures were like fine music to her, but it was the screams of utter terror that she sought the greatest joy from.
Back on the deck, Revenant's hearing, though it was a mystery as to how he could hear, see or speak at all, picked up the slaughter and consumption of several soldiers. Had he a visible mouth, at his point he'd be smirking.
"Seems playtime has come to an end." For the multiple Order troops left gasping for breath, while he seemed completely unharmed, this phrase meant little, as many already had an inkling of what was to come. "Now comes the part I've been waiting for." Without warning the deck itself seemed to liquify, the wood turning to mush and actively trapping the Order soldiers. The few that had been blessed were immediately dragged downward into the ship. Those whom lacked the blessing were speared through the groin and up through their skulls by solidified pulp.
No less than three minutes later, the ship went silent. Kurosugi walked up the steps that lead towards the lower areas of the ship.
"It's done. All six of them have reached their final forms. This oversized toothpick has served its purpose."
"Hm... I'd have to disagree. It's got one last use."
"Oh?"
"Think.. when we land, there'll likely be a gathering of monsterwomen, eager to get their hands on a human male, but when they approach the ship, thinking it to be filled with hundreds of men, they'll be in for another surprise entirely. Those lust-minded wastes of oxygen will be the first test subjects for them." Kurosugi had long since caught on to Revenant's plan.
"I can already imagine the looks of horror upon their faces when they see what's in store for them..."
"Aside from the occasional Order ship making landfall, things have been going swimmingly." The Demon Lord finished her history lesson. "Where is it you wanted to begin?"
"Wow, this plan has so many holes in it swiss cheese looks utterly solid in comparison." Mita muttered.
"...come again?" Mita heaved a sigh at this, knowing the oncoming headache was a lot closer than expected.
"Look, your co-existence plan for the humans, it's got a LOT of flaws in it." Upon saying this, both the Demon Lord and her husband had a look upon their faces, one that seemed to be a mixture of shock, anger, and disbelief that someone was outright telling them this. "From the look on your faces, it seems the message has gotten through. Now we can get to business. First off, you mentioned that when you took the throne, you enacted this plan almost immediately."
"That I did. You've already seen my handiwork. However, the mandate that keeps monsters superior to humans is a barrier that needs circumvented."
"All right... first, in the case of the monsters turning from nightmarish abominations to distinctly female, imagine things from the other end." At the look of confusion on the Demon Lord's face, Mita elaborated. "For decades, all you've known is that the next monster you come across wants to turn you into food, and they've multiple methods through which they can kill and eat you: tearing you apart with their claws, dissolving you, burning you alive, deep-freezing... I could go on, but you've likely gotten the point. Now imagine they've taken female form- at this point, even if they look alluring, as far as you know, it's a potential trap so they can lure you in and kill you."
"But that- it..."
"As far as the humans know, all this- the changing of the monsters to females, your planned unification- is just another attempt to kill off most of the human population. When you also consider how only more monsters are born from the unification of a human male and a monster female, and how your culture is primarily based around sex, they have a point."
"..how? Under the changes I've implemented, no humans or monsters have needed to die in pointless wars."
"Physical death, perhaps not, but you're forcing a change upon them which frankly they're nowhere near ready to accept. You might see yourself as a liberator for the humans, but again, consider their view - they're likely terrified out of their minds. The beings they've been battling for potential decades, maybe centuries, are now switching tactics, using the allure of a female form to stay their hand. If you're honestly looking to understand them, you need to think like them."
"Yet you seem oblivious to my presence." The Demon Lord's husband spoke up.
"Do consider the following: you were given a first-hand testimonial of her plan. The average human outside these walls knows basically jack-all of what your plan is. After all, how many humans return to their old life after one of your monsters has her way with him? While we're on the subject, tell me something, before you implemented your changes, were you able to birth male children?"
"What?!"
"One of your largest problems is right there. You stated that you remade the monsters in your image- therein lies the problem, in your image. Effectively, the monsters are only capable of performing acts that you are capable of. If you couldn't birth males, how could you expect any other monster to?"
The Throne Room went silent for a few minutes as the Demon Lord processed this. At one point she seemed to want to say something, but silenced herself as another thought sprouted up. She made to answer, but they were soon interrupted by the sounds of chatter outside the Throne Room.
"Hm?" Nelius turned his head towards the doors, and they opened, showing a large group of monsterwomen there.
"Apologies for the intrusion." One of the leading monsterwomen, a Dullahan, stated before stepping forward. "Recent news is that an Order ship has touched shore, but there have been no signs of activity. The humans on board are being rather quiet."
"If there's no activity within the hour, investigate the ship thoroughly. From there on, act according to your own discretion." With this, the Dullahan bowed before leading the troops towards the ship. "Sorry you had to sit through that... though your words have given me much to reflect on."
"Well, we've our own to look after as well, considering what's about to happen. Do consider what we've talked about." Giving a courteous nod, Mita and Nelius left the Throne Room. Once outside the castle, Nelius picked Mita up and flew back towards the cavern.
"You think your idea got through?" He waited until they were long out of earshot to ask.
"At this point, it's up to her if what I said will stick." Landing at the cavern, they went to enter, only to see Farris walk out.
"Hey, have you two seen Epsilon?"
"No, we just got back. Did she run off?"
"I don't know. I was helping Brutus pass out supplies for when Kurosugi and her acquaintance arrive, but Epsilon's nowhere to be found. I've got both York and Stonewall combing the ship, and B's checking the back areas of the cavern."
"Hm, that doesn't sound like Epsilon at all... then again, we know so little about her other than her possibly being one of Kurosugi's projects."
"I'll check out around here." Nelius extended his wings again and took towards the sky. He could see the monsterwomen gathering around a ship anchored just off a beach. "Hey, looks like the Order's making another run..."
Some time before the report of the ship being anchored came in, Kurosugi was making some fine-tuned adjustments to the remote. A large blip blinking about a kilometer away confirmed what she'd suspected.
"I was right on the mark. Epsilon is here." Kurosugi smirked as her remote was picking up Epsilon's signal. "Now to activate the remote function..." She flipped a switch, made a few adjustments, and soon she was peering through the eye on Epsilon's hair, just above her forehead. "Well..."
"Well what?" Revenant found himself curious about what had Kurosugi so intrigued.
"Look." She directed her acquaintance to the screen. "These halls, that room... the Yoshitsuna Warship did make it here... which also means the other pets I was culturing are here as well."
"You had more?"
"I did, but when I got caught in the warp, I got seperated from the ship, with only that pittance of supplies you saw back at the cave. Here, though..." She made another adjustment to the remote, soon gaining a quick override of Epsilon, and controlling the Mass-Produced Desco Unit. However, a look of disgust overtook her face. "Seems as through the rest of the cultures haven't been given proper treatment."
"And this is a problem...why?"
"Not really a problem, just disgusted with how the interlopers-" The video feed showed Brutus, B and Zio discussing something. "-have basically taken over my ship. But that won't be much problem once we get the battle underway." Using the remote, she directed Epsilon to leave the Yoshitsuna, taking pains to ensure that the Desco Unit wouldn't be sighted by anyone else. Upon exiting, she directed Epsilon out of the cavern, having her take a left.
Several minutes later, Epsilon arrived at the boat, which was now anchored just off the shore of the Demon Realm. Using the remote, Kurosugi made the Desco Unit climb aboard, and once situated in one of the open rooms, forced a standby.
"With that, Epsilon is secure." From here, Kurosugi put the remote into standby as well. "As you happen to have more knowledge on how this continent is supposed to look, I'll defer the attack plans to you."
"Considering the recently grown forms were capable of burrowing underground, that's how it'll begin." They were interrupted by the sounds of something knocking at the ship's hull.
Kurosugi got up to take a look, using the cover of the door that lead to the deck. Outside were dozens of the Demon Lord's current troops, each one eager to claim a husband for their own.
'A little ahead of schedule, but nothing that can't be handled.' Silently dropping back into the ship, she went back to the room where Revenant was awaiting. "It's showtime."
"That didn't take long. Guess it's time to make ourselves known." He raised his right hand, directing each one of the holy-devouring creatures to where it would be stationed.
This time, there would be no mistakes.
"Say, before I take Epsilon's unit, anything else she'll be needed for?"
"Nope, at this point we're pretty much set."
"Very well." Revenant exited the room, heading for where Epsilon was on standby. His excitement on killing the Demon Lord and her traitorous husband was growing with each passing second.
Flipping through the tomes, Carl was busy cherry-picking certain spells, getting them copied down. Ada watched her younger sibling work.
"Carl, what are you-"
"Let's see... some of this, that as well..." If he'd heard Ada try to ask what he was doing, he didn't respond as he pieced things together.
"What's he up to?" Atreya found herself curious, and so crossed the room to see what Carl was doing.
"There he goes again." Muttered Vash, getting a few stares. "Whenever he gets an idea, he'll keep working at it until something goes right. Just give him a while to unveil whatever it is he's up to."
"Be right back!" Suddenly the Green Skull jumped up, taking his tome and papers with him as he rushed outside. Curious, Ada and Atreya followed him, with Aliya looking out the window to see what it was that Carl had planned.
Outside, Carl took his book and held open the page that he'd copied down the spell he wanted to experiment with. Double-checking to make certain that everything was in order, it was time to begin.
Using the parts of spells he'd cobbled together, the Green Skull went to work. It was about a minute later that he opened up a window similar to the one he used for communication, but this time he altered it.
"All right, short-range test in three, two..."
Nelius watched from his vantage point as the Demon Lord's army surrounded the Order Ship as best they could. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as the monsterwomen searched the outside of the ship for a way in- everything seemed barred. Were the humans giving up?
Finally, one of the monsterwomen leading the group decided enough time had passed, and instructed a Harpy to fly onto the deck and search the ship. For backup, two Lizardwomen were to accompany her.
Upon landing, the Harpy went for the door that lead below deck, thinking the humans to be holding up down there. She raised a talon, managed to grasp the handle, turned it slowly- and was immediately snatched up by a pair of jaws as large as she was, which proceeded to chomp down on her messily. The Lizardwomen were next to follow, as two other sets of jaws formed out of the deck itself, wood forming into teeth and sharply impaling the two of them, before making them suffer the Harpy's fate.
This prompted the rest of the fully-powered holy-absorbing abominations to come bursting out of the ship- two coming from the lower hull, and the other two having burrowed underground, only to come up in the midst of the group.
Supported by ten sharply armored legs, their main bodies appeared to be made out of a chaotic mixture of indescribable elements given physical form. Their skin rippled and stretched, adopting hundreds of alternating colors, but always settling back on a bleached white before taking a new color. If one were to strain their ears, they'd swear that voices could be heard, screaming in terror and pain.
Nelius, however, thanks to the two holy-eaters that had burst out from the ship's hull, caught a brief flash of something purple and green moving through the deck. It dawned on him- Epsilon was aboard the ship. Immediately, he dived downward for the ship, intent on grabbing Epsilon and getting out, but the holy-eaters had other ideas. The one closest to the ship shifted its body, forming nine bladed appendages from its back and extending them at the Netherworldian, attempting to slice, dice and impale.
Drawing his axe, Nelius brought it up to block and do some slicing of his own.
Around that time, inside the ship, Epsilon found herself blinking as she snapped out of what felt like sleep.
'Unusual. Somehow, I have been transported from-' At once, something within her biomechanical mind clicked, and realization dawned upon her.
She needed to find a way off the ship, and quickly. Heavy footsteps echoed outside the room she was in, rapidly approaching her location. She charged up a Star Spell, focusing it into a small, yet bright ball of energy in her hand.
The very moment Revenant opened the door, she launched the energy right into his face, willing it to become a bright flash and blind him. However, even the best of plans can hit snags- in this case, it was Revenant's lack of physical eyes that prevented him from being blinded.
"Hm, a fiesty one, yet Kurosugi said you were supposed to be unconscious. Let me fix that." With speed that evaded her current sensors, Revenant shot forward, burying his large fist into Epsilon's stomach.
The Desco Unit's torso exploded with pain as she reeled from the fist in her gut knocking the wind right out of her. Before she had a chance to recover the other fist lashed out, catching her on the side of her head and sending her flying through the walls inbetween the rooms.
Epsilon crashed through another wall, only righting herself in time to see Revenant bearing down on her. Taking a chance, she tossed a Star spell upward, blasting through the wood to create an exit. Though her Usatako Unit was stressed enough in trying to repair the damage dealt, it had enough power to help lift her off the ground in a defiance of gravity.
'I don't care how fast, just go up!' The unit complied, shooting her straight upwards and through the holes in the ship she created. Below, Revenant had just missed another blow, this one intended for her head once more. Undaunted, the twin-toned harbinger of destruction leapt up after her, intent on obtaining the Usatako Unit from her body, even if he had to rip right out of her.
"Success!" Carl was elated. The notes he'd compiled and rearranged from Atreya's books came through. Before him a gate back to the old estate shimmered in the air.
"So this is your big project." Ada looked on at her younger brother.
"More than that- I figured that if our regular method of Gate usage is scrambled here, we scramble the regular usage right back."
"Hm?" The laconic description had gone over her head.
"I rearranged how we normally open up a gate to travel. I went through a number of combinations, and I discovered the one that works here with the least amount of interference. I found another that would work faster, but it has a higher chance of problems arising."
"Gotta admit, I'm impressed." Atreya told the Green Skull.
"But we're not done yet." He warned. "If we're going to be going into the heart of the Demon Realm, we need a proxy point."
"Huh?"
"While I have picked up on this fairly quickly, I don't possess the range of sight you've developed, Atreya. If we're crossing over to that area, we need a relatively clear point to enter from- don't want to accidentally enter the wrong place, after all."
"I gotcha. Let's do this."
Upstairs, Aliya overheard the exchange from her vantage point at the window.
"It would appear that Atreya and Carl have devised a way to let us cross over to the Demon Realm, where Kurosugi is."
"Which now turns us to a new question," Raphael spoke up. "Who will cross over to do battle against Kurosugi and her ally?"
Chapter 25: Complete