Chapter 15:The Rebirth of Chaos, Alp Crisis, and Disparity.
Eastern Demon Realm, the city of Everlston.
In a peculiar region in the east of the Royal Makai stood a flourishing city, the Regional Capital of Pimor, Everlston. The land is lush with a vibrant purple-hue atmosphere and was previously an ancient human kingdom.
Nowadays, it is a land where diverse species of monster girls and incubi roam and the city itself is a massive metropolis, unlike any other demon realm's major cities.
However, this place is not just for ordinary means such as trade and tourism, but it also housed a research facility of the Sabbath which belonged to the White Goat Branch, a department of witches that operates experiments and pursues new inventive ways of magical pieces of knowledge. Including some witches belonging to the Black Goat Branch, a sister department of the Sabbath that specialises in the monsterization of humans also took part in the experimentation process. In the research lab within the facility, Shirokuto took the overview to see a group of witches conducting several experiments on a peculiar demon.
A Capra Demon was held by the enormous chains in the middle of a ritual site, while the beast snarled to the witches with fury and hate in its eyes. The Demons of Izalith arrived at the Demon Realm in increasing numbers, the Demon Lord Lilith held an emergency meeting with various regional leaders from the entire Monster Realm to discuss the sudden emergence of out-worldly enemies.
But at the same time, numerous towns and settlements have been overrun by the Izalith Demons at a rapid pace and soldiers of the Demon Lord's Army soon discovered that their weapons were nearly useless and, to their horror, their magic was incapable of corrupting these invaders. The only beneficial way to fight back is to kill them. And so the mamono built with physical strength within the ranks of their army equipped themselves with blunt and heavy steel weapons to crush them apart, while magic-users train themselves to utilize spells that deal with physical damage.
Up to this day, many refugees flocked their way into fortified castle towns for protection. Fortunately, after several days of the invasion, the Monster Girl Army captured an isolated Izalith Demon and brought it over to the city of Everlston to conduct experiments on these out-worldly beasts to see if it would be possible to monsterize them into a Mamono.
"Everything is set!" Called out one witch as they brought in a magical device, an oversized syringe filled with an excess of demonic mana. "We're ready for the experimentation procedures!"
Shirokuto raised her hand and made a gesture to proceed with their experiment. As the witches that surrounded the test subject moved away, a witch researcher injected the needle and pressed the lever to release the substance.
Once the essence of Demonic Energy flowed within the Izalith Demon, the monster itself couldn't feel anything for mere seconds until its body suddenly convulsed wildly. The witches stared at the test subject with anxiety; they knew the energy that powered these beasts were malevolent and out-worldly. It is something they should need to be careful about during the testing procedures. Some were against this experimentation, worried that no one knew anything about the unknown energy or if it could bring forth a disastrous result, but Shirokuto decided that their assessment must proceed.
The Capra Demon roared and thrashed around while attempting to free itself from captivity until flames blazed around its body. The witches stood bewildered as they witnessed the unexpected. They've never seen anything like that, unlike any other local animals and magical beasts that have gone through their experimentations that went without failure, their experimentation on their out-worldly test subject could bring out something then they realise.
That is until Shirokuto felt an ominous vibe of animosity which emitted from the Demon to abnormal levels. Then the Capra Demon stopped and lowered its head down. While Shirokuto raised her eyebrow in concern and confusion, the Demon of Izalith felt a surge of energy entering its soul, the soul and the life force of Chaos itself that empowered the Demon. It felt the foreign energy attempts to intrude and alter its vassal into a distinct entity.
The Chaos Flames itself remembered from the time when the Witch of Izalith tried to play God to recreate the First Flames by using the Flame of Life. The result led to consume her in return and incinerate the civilization of Izalith whole before transforming the practitioners of Flame Sorceries into twisted demons. Now, this time that a foreign entity is tempting the Abyssal energy to succumb to lust and pleasurable desires. But the Chaos Flames felt the energy itself is rich, but its attempts to corrupt the Chaos was weaker than it realised. The ideals of the Demon Lord meant nothing to this entity.
Like Gwyn… And the Witch of Izalith. Greedy for their own desires of power.
The Chaos Flame soon emits its distorted powers of disparity.
In opposition to those happy and lustful desires that came from the ideals of the demon lord and tries to establish dominance in its core. There came detestation, indifference, and hatred.
Instead of tempting the distorted flames into the side of the Demon Lord, the Flames of Chaos savagely devoured the Demonic Mana and burned it as the new source of fuel for the Chaos to gain immense power.
The twisted version of the First Flames have only one ambition since its creation. It wanted the eradication of anything that stood in its way and any who sought to control and abuse the Powers of Chaos will be reduced to cremated cinders of bones and ashes.
"Tell them to get back!" Shirokuto ordered frantically to the witches, realising that she felt an ominous force had emerged from the giant demon. It is unlike anything she had ever experienced in her entire lifetime. "Cancel the test procedures!"
The witches standing near their test subject backed off in fear once they released the syringe, yet alas, it was too late. The temperature of the testing chamber suddenly rose to the boiling point, and the witches screamed in agony once they felt the heat itself boiled their skin apart.
Shirokuto and the other witches who stood beside her witnessed the horrifying scenario before the flames from the test subject exploded with a blazing radiance that burned the witches who stood too near into charred, scorching heaps.
"By the Gods! What is this?!" Shirokuto trembled with terror before the earth began shaking. "Wh-What's going on?!"
As the earth rocked violently, a massive pillar of flames erupted from the test subject and pierced the stony ceilings. It even went through the magic barrier that protected the facility with its abyssal might and pierced the purple heavens. In the meantime, the citizens of Everslton were doing their normal activities and public sexual intercourse before the earth trembled and saw a massive flaming pillar erupted from the White Goat Sabbath facility.
The citizens went from curiosity and surprise to sheer terror. Shirokuto watched as the flames shone brightly with heat so hot it felt like she could feel the sun coming closer to burn her alive. She immediately used her magic to summon a portal to escape before the flames exploded throughout the entire facility and burned everything that stood in its way into ashes and molten rubble.
The city's residents watched as the incident unravelled. The entire facility blazed itself apart and incinerated nearby areas before the lava of chaos poured out. Then the earth quaked once more at unprecedented levels that some of the tallest buildings of the Metropolis slowly crumbled.
Thus, the fall of the city was about to commence. From the pillar of fire, lava oozed out, and a colossal tree emerged from underground. The massive roots sprawled across subterranean grounds and tore down some parts of the borough areas once they submerged from the surface. Many residents were unlucky to be crushed underneath the falling debris while death claimed their souls. Hel's vision can no longer protect them from their inevitable deaths.
The citizens and people who lived in the city outskirts saw the massive tree kept ascending into the skies until its peak reached beyond the clouds as high as the tallest mountain and spread its massive branches, overshadowing the city of Everlston.
Out from the smouldering lava of hellfire, it gave birth to an Archtree… an Archtree of Chaos.
Once the earthquake had settled, the citizens looked up to the colossal Archtree in awe, but little did they know, the disaster wasn't over just yet.
The colossal tree blew a massive gust of shock waves across the lands before a loud inhuman screech echoed throughout the region from near and far, death comes forth to separate their eternal life of desired love. Then from the roots, countless Chaos Demons emerged from the bowels of the Chaos Archtree to slaughter the citizens of Everlston without warning.
Some Izalith Demons have the appearance of a typical mamono, but they too, like their male brethren, have an intent to indiscriminately slaughter the citizens in their way without hesitation, regardless of who they are that isn't one of their kind.
The people of Everlston then fled in terror to whatever shelter they could find. Soldiers of the Demon Lord's Army came to hold the Izalith Demons back to stop their rampage, but they were outnumbered and some witches used their magic to create portals for emergencies to enact an immediate evacuation. But to their horror, some unknown paranormal force suppressed their powers.
"Huh?! Our magic isn't working!"
"What are we gonna do?!"
"Watch out! Something is coming from below!"
The witches from the Shirokuto Sabbath fell on their feet as the earth trembled before a gigantic worm-like monster emerged from the ground.
The creature caught one witch with its appendages and retreated to the ground with a victim in its jaws. The entire city fell into panic as the Demons of Izalith continued their slaughter. It is a massacre.
From the outskirts of Everlston, Shirokuto successfully escaped the disaster while using a transportation spell. However, she observed the city from a distant hillside. She couldn't fathom the horror she is witnessing while hearing roars of demonic monsters and screams of dying citizens. She can see the colossal roots from the Archtree sprawled further into the outskirts, destroying the walls, wreaking nearby farms, and tore the trading areas apart.
But what made her shocked is that the presence of the thick demonic energy that used to be around had disappeared in a matter of minutes after the initial attack and the purple-hue clouds that have stood for centuries turned to ordinary white and grey like those are typically seen in the human realms. The atmosphere of Everlston has returned to its original pre-Demon Realm state, now a place where horrible monsters roamed.
"This is horrifying... The result of the experimentation of that beast led to... this."
Shirokuto trembled while observing the city from afar. She couldn't comprehend how their experimentation on a foreign entity could cause a disastrous result. She gulped before taking a step back.
"I need to warn the Demon Lord and the others!"
Shirokuto waved her hand to summon a portal to the Royal Makai. But in her dismay, the portal couldn't open.
After several tries to no avail, the White Goat researcher panicked when she realized something was wrong, her teleportation magic wasn't responding.
"This can't be... Why it isn't working?!"
While trying to activate other alternative teleportation spells, all of them didn't respond to her casts. Shirokuto was horrified that her way back to the Royal Makai was blocked until her thoughts were interrupted once she heard demonic roars from a distance. She spun around and saw countless demons of all shapes and sizes roamed out from the city gates.
"I must get out of here." Shirokuto backed away and ran on her heels, going far away from the city as she could. 'I need some alternative ways to communicate with other branches! The results of this experimentation... will be apocalyptic!'
…
Demon Realm, the Royal Makai.
"What? The Demon Realm of Pimor went silent?" Lilith frowned while raising her eyebrow in suspicion. "How? Since when?"
"While I was trying to communicate with Shirokuto through the Magic Mirror, it didn't seem to pick up any magic signal." Kuroferuru cupped her chin in distress. "Even I used my teleportation magic to get there to see the results, but the pathway to the region is obstructed by some unknown force."
Lilith felt something worse had transpired from the neighbouring region in the eastern demon realm as if she felt their magic vanish all of a sudden. Something like that shouldn't be possible.
"Your highness!" Lilith and Kuroferuru perked up to see a Dullahan march into the throne room and bowed towards the Demon Lord. "I've brought grave news."
"Grave news?"
Lilith felt her heart fall, bad news was extremely rare to be heard in their current millennium ever since she ascended to the throne until the appearance of these otherworldly beasts and the regional leaders across the Demon Realms were already underway to develop an effective way to counter them.
Lilith wrinkled her eyes in concern. "What is this grave news you speak about?"
"Just an hour ago, we received news about the situation in the Demon Realm of Pimor." The Dullahan gulped as her face expressed fear. "The eastern demon realm was reverted into its pre-transformation state, and the presence of Demonic Energy that usually flows out from there has ceased!"
"Huh?! That's Impossible!" Kuroferuru speaks up, mortified. "What happened?"
"Dinella, tell us what exactly happened." Lilith stood up from her demonic throne and glowered down at the Dullahan before crossing her arms. "It is impossible. No foreign adversaries other than the Order of the Chief God is capable of reverting Pimor to its original state."
"The-... The scouts spoke of a colossal tree from a distance." Dinella replied with a nervous gulp. "They said it is as high as a mountain itself and some say it's even higher. That tree, however, stood on a specific place where Everlston is located."
"A colossal tree?" Lilith raised her eyes in suspicion. "But what about the disappearance of the Demonic Energy in that region?
"Unknown, your highness," Dinella responds. "Our magical communications that connect Pimor were... erratic to say at least."
"Oh, dear... I'm getting worried about Shiro-san!" Kuroferuru trembled anxiously. "She's in Pimor to conduct examinations on that live test subject. It couldn't be a bad coincident that an accident had happened there, right? I mean, this just came recently!"
"Something was off... Not too long ago, I felt a massive surge of unknown energy coming from the east." Lilith said. Feeling a shiver on her skin while expressing a troubling look. "I can tell the energy is primordial, even older before the creation of the world under the first Chief God. However, its energy is... distorted. Dangerous at unimaginable levels."
Kuroferuru and Dinella looked up at Lilith in worry to see her being troubled. Never in their lives had they seen the Demon Lord experiencing such serious troubles across the realms of monsters.
Her expression alone tells very well that the Demon Realm is currently dealing with a much more potent entity than they realised.
"I hope Shiro-san is alright," Kuroferuru sighed deeply while looking down with unease. "This worries me a lot."
…
The Kingdom of Gaul, Northern Corse Region.
…
Two days have passed since they departed from Gerth, and they have finally reached the Northern Corse. The region itself is filled with thick snow that covers the higher landscapes, and the temperatures around the atmosphere have reached freezing levels.
Travellers who went into this frigid region were advised to wear warm clothing, and the air itself is dense and hard to breathe.
Sasha is breathing heavily under her blanket while warming up inside the wagon, shivering as the icy winds brushed her soft skin. She can still feel the coldness despite having a thick fur coat and a pair of fur boots. She rubbed her hands to keep warm while on the other hand, Ash and the rest of the group seemed fine despite the harsh nature of coldness.
"Brrrr, It's cold!" Sasha shivered while fumbling in her fur coat. "H-How close are we?"
"It looks like we're probably close." Elaine guessed while shrugging off her shoulders. "There are a lot of adventurers coming up the alps."
"Yeah, even an entire brigand of mercenaries is coming through," Arcturus added while staring at a column of marching men-at-arms. "A big reward is surely something for someone who can afford to own land."
"Even enough to raise an army or a fleet," Elen added before peeking out to see Ash and Sif. "Looks like those two get along, and a lot of people were staring at him."
Sasha peeks out for a small glimpse to see Ash and Sif were being stared at by many adventurers and mercenaries alike. Even the riders who owned Giant Horses are bewildered to witness a giant wolf, much to their shock and disbelief that such a beast could exist.
"Hey, check that out!"
"Is that guy riding on a giant wolf?!"
"That creature has a massive sword on its side?"
"Does it know how to swing a sword?"
"I never knew such a creature existed, aside from Giant Horses and Demon Realm Pigs."
Ash and Sif ignored the gossip and silent talks from other adventurers as they moved on. The Greatwolf of Anor Londo grew uneasy.
'Hmph... Despite the fact they've brought larger beasts with them, I'm truly bothered that my appearance alone has fazed them.' Sif shakes his head in disappointment. 'Humans are truly the most complicated beings.'
"Not that I can argue." Ash sighed before patting on Sif's back. "But you have a point."
As the group continued their path, Ash caught a glimpse of a massive camp in the distance, which is surrounded by wooden palisades. Adventurers and mercenaries flocked through the gates and went through. Ash halted Sif in front of a nervous Gaulian soldier that got caught by an intimidating stare from a Greatwolf. Ash raised the quest sheet before another guard stepped in and confirms the official stamp of their local lord.
"You may enter." The Guard said before stepping aside. Once they passed through the gates, Reginald parked the caravan nearby the stables before the rest disembarked. Ash felt a disturbing amount of stares coming from the adventurers themselves. Even some among the mercenaries which Ash noticed were a group of Order Knights watching over him with haughty and smug looks.
"Oh, look at that fella, this guy seems to have lacked mana."
"Then how is he alive?"
"Who knows? He must have worshipped a heathen god who bestowed him a blessing to suck his life away."
The Order Knights laughed and mocked the Ashen One until Sasha made an angry pout after hearing the Order Knights lauded her knight with an insult. But Ash waved his hand to Sasha and decided to not mind their business before passing by. Yet he was stopped by one of the Order Knights, standing in his way with a flamboyant attitude.
"Oh, pardon me for blocking your way~! I haven't seen a lady such as thyself with unnatural beauty." The Order Knight bowed gracefully towards Sasha. "Why would a maiden such as you be assisted by some lowly ranking knight? I'm sure that if you stick around like us who hailed from the famous Order where we can give you some extraordinary protection~!"
Once the Order Knight offered his rose, Sasha flabbergasted as she took a step back beside Ash.
"I-um... uhh..."
"Leave her out of this." The former Undead interrupted his conversation with a stern voice as he gently shoved Sasha behind him away from the suspicious Order Knight. "She's my acquaintance under my protection."
"Hmm~? A heathen such as you have no right to talk in front of us, the Knights of the Holy Order, who hailed gracefully from the nation of Welspe!" The Order Knight replied with an arrogant smug. "You're void of mana... and I am not sure why would a beautiful maiden such as her has chosen you as her knight-"
"Such talks don't pique my ire, fool," Ash replied with a darker tone that sends cold chills down his spine. "I have no time to squabble with your so-called "knights" on a pitiful errand... and we shall take our leave from now on. Good day, sir."
With that, Ash shoved his shoulder against the Order Knight along with Sasha under his arms and led his way through the camp. After that, Reginald, Elen, Arcturus, and his two cousins walked past him. The Order Knight seethed in anger before a large shadow cast over him and slowly turned around. Then in his shock, he was met by a pair of giant fearsome eyes that belonged to a wolf before he fell flat to the ground while the rest of the other Knights backed away from the greatwolf in terror.
'I advise you to never defame Sir Cyrus, human.' Sif glowered at him. 'And even if you try to partake a duel against him shall cause your demise.'
The Order Knight's flamboyant attitude faltered before it broke down into tears, and he crawled back to his group in fear of the Giant Greatwolf.
"B-By the Chief God, it can talk!" One of the Order Knights stuttered. While anxious, he grips the hilt of his sword, but cautiously, not drawing the blade. "I've never heard of a massive beast that can talk in the words of men, other than the mamono!"
'Hmph. You knights might be prideful, yet thou has the hearts of fragility.' Sif scoffed before turning away. 'But I shall remind you of this warning, it might be not wise for you to partake this quest, the monsters will be different and all of you will die. Farewell.'
...
Ash and Co. continued their way through the camp whilst looking around. Men were donned in armour and some were accompanied by their mamono partners, while human women wore even more questionable and skimpy attires in much to Elen's dismay.
'By the Lords! Why do they wear those as armour?!' Elen silently gawked in disbelief. 'Even their undergarments have armour plates on them?! It still doesn't count as armour!'
"Jeez, these half-naked girls don't seem to be bothered with such inadequate armour protection despite the harsh coldness of the alps," Elaine grumbled with an annoyed look while pointing her thumb at the skimpy female adventures walking around the camp. "Seeing this makes me puke."
Elen stood appalled after hearing Elaine's statements until her expression went up in joy and a single tear broke up.
'Oh~! Looks like I'm not the only one!'
Sasha squeezed her hands tightly on Ash's right arm after hearing Elain's opinion, much to her embarrassment, she remembered the Silver-Blue Knight himself had stated that a former Apostle like herself wearing her old Order outfit would've been seen as a prostitute.
"Sasha, you're squeezing my arm tight," Ash said while tilting his head down to her. "Are you alright?"
"I-I'm alright, Ash!" Sasha flustered out a lie while a shade of red appeared on her cheeks. "It's, uh, j-just the cold!"
Arcturus looked around before he caught sight of a big gathering in front of a wooden stage with a podium. Then a man in his mid-40's, wearing a noble attire with a thick fur coat, came up to the wooden stage with his two armed bodyguards.
He clears his throat before speaking out his speech to the adventurers about the rampaging humanoids that terrorised local towns within the alps and caused the Orc tribes to forcefully migrate elsewhere in massive numbers.
"This crisis must end!" The nobleman, Yves Bernard, then called out with his fist raised to finish his speech. "And those who can slay those giant men and their monstrosities to cull down the entire crisis shall be handsomely rewarded as promised in your Quest sheets!"
"OOoooohhh!"
The mercenaries and adventurers jubilantly raised their weapons and fists into the air.
"One hundred fifty thousand gold, here we go!
" "If we could get them first, then we'll be the richest adventurers in the entire continent!"
"You hear that, men!? One hundred and fifty thousand gold shall belong to us!" A Captain of a Mercenary Brigade yelled out loud in pride before the jubilant cries of his men cheered in agreement. "Onwards!"
With that, the mercenaries marched their way out from the camp. Ash observed their expressions filled with excitement and greed.
Ash couldn't help but tilt his head sideways in disappointment, these people are up against monsters of untold horrors.
He sighed deeply and led his group as the last ones to follow the path where the mercenaries had left off. After a couple of hours have passed, the adventurers wandered around the snowy alps but they have found none but unbeknownst to them, they were watched by the tall silent humanoids under the whistling snowy winds.
Meanwhile, Reginald sensed that something wasn't right before looking up to a nearby mountain and seeing several shadowy figures standing in a distance until they vanished behind the cold fog.
"Is something wrong?" Reginald tilted his head toward Gerome. "Looks like you've seen something."
Reginald blinked twice before replying.
"It's-"
Before Reginald could finish his sentence, the earth quaked as the rest of the mercenaries and adventurers almost stumbled to the ground.
Ash and his companions stood firmly before looking up to the commotion that is happening amid the snowfield until something arose from the surface.
Suddenly, to his horror, he witnessed massive worms erupted from the mountainous rocks and cliffs. One of the giant worms let out a loud shriek that forced everyone to close their ears.
"Wh-What is that!?" Sasha winced while holding her ears from the abominable scream. "A giant worm!?"
"No... that is-Hrgh!" Ash then stood back as the gigantic worm sent out another loud ear-piercing shriek. "It's a Rockworm!"
After the gigantic monster finished its shrieking, more Rockworms erupted from the ground and snatched the adventurers with their jaws without warning, and sent them to their deaths while going back underground. The adventurers stood still as they were dazed and paralysed after witnessing the horrors before them until another Rockworm sprang up in the midst of their ranks from the surface and swept its entire body, killing many more without any forms of warnings.
"B-Blasted! These are actual monsters!" A Mercenary Captain cried out loud while raising his Battle Axe. "Charge, men! Charge!"
His entire Mercenary Battalion charged into battle against the massive Rockworms with everything they got, and the gigantic subterranean monsters retaliated in return. The adventurers saw the mercenaries battling the gigantic monsters before they mustered up their courage to help them out.
"What are we waiting for!? We have to help them out!" One muscular adventurer called out while raising his sword. "We've signed up for this! Let's go!"
The adventurers roared as they charged into the fray, magic and arrows hailed upon the Rockworms as the mercenaries gained their ground in the battle. Armed men, women, and ammonia fought side-by-side in their battle against their monstrous foes.
"Alright, let's go." Ash unsheathed his Claymore while Sif drew a massive Greatsword with his mouth. "Let's get rid of them."
Ash charged forth towards a Rockworm that had just erupted from the ground and pounded its jaw to the Silver-Blue Knight, but Ash strafed to the right and jammed his blade against the skull and the Rockworm reared back its head in pain.
Then Ash went for the killing blow as he jammed his Claymore once more against the Rockworm's abdomen, killing the giant monstrosity. In some parts of the battlefield, Arcturus and Elaine raised their Talisman and hurled their Lightning Spears against a couple of Rockworms that tore giant holes into them. Gerome charged one Rockworm with his sword-coated lightning before jamming his blade into its abdomen and sends sparks of electricity throughout the innards of the subterranean monster. The Rockworm shrieked in pain before it fell on its death.
Reginald and Elen strafed swiftly with their agility to avoid the Rockworms lunging and biting attacks. Then Reginald jumped high into the air and marked one of the Rockworm as his target and put it down to its death by impaling his blade on top of its skull. Elen dodged a spray of acidic substance and then lunging in, sliced a nasty gash against the Rockworms' soft underbelly.
The Rockworm swung its body in its attempt to crush down the Farron Swordswoman, yet Elen strafed back before the Rockworm smashed its body to the ground before she saw her chance and locked her blade against the gigantic monstrosity. She thrust her sword between the eyes and the Rockworm died down with its last wail.
Sasha casts her Spears of Light against a Rockworm, but her magic spears shattered upon contact as it tries to pierce against the hard shells to no avail. Sasha saw the giant worm spun around, going high and lunged down with its jaw. The Warrior Nun then rolled to the left before the Rockworm would've snatched her alive. Then Sasha saw her chance and charged in. The blade of her broadsword struck the Rockworm between the eyes and the beast reared back in pain with her flinging on its back.
The former Heroine jabbed her blade even deeper until the blood gushed out like a fountain until the giant worm crashed down. Sasha took deep breaths before jumping down from its massive corpse until another rockworm emerged from the ground, much to her horror.
Fortunately, Sif charged before drawing his massive blade and sliced the Rockworm in half.
"Oh, thank you, Sir Sif." Sasha sighed deeply in relief. "We need to help them as much as we can."
'Fret not, Lady Fullmoon. The numbers of Rockworms are faltering.' Sif stated while overlooking the Battlefield as the joint forces of mercenaries and adventurers put down the Rockworms one-by-one along with the Farron Siblings, the Knights of Sunlight, and Ash Cyrus himself. 'This battle is almost over. Go to a safer place and tend the wounded while there are still some enemies left.'
Sasha nodded while conveying a face full of determination before withdrawing from the combat area to heal the wounded. Sif saw the remaining Rockworms emerge, and the Greatwolf sprang forth, using its graceful swordsmanship as the Rockworms were cut down into large chunks of flesh and Ash went on to assist the Greatwolf.
The adventurers on the battlefield witnessed the Greatwolf and the Silver-Blue Knight fought with skills and tenacity. Their awe-filled eyes were glimmered with hope, as if the pair were blessed by the gods themselves as an unstoppable duo to these beasts.
"A-Amazing!"
"So that giant wolf knows how to wield a sword after all!"
"That man in armour... could he be the Silver-Blue Knight of Lescatie!?"
"No way, that's him! I saw him in the tavern back in Gerth!"
"The Silver-Blue Knight himself and the Greatwolf of Gerth? Now that's something that can make Heroes out of it!"
Sif leaped and spiralled gracefully into the air, then smashed his Greatsword unto the last Rockworm.
The battle is over.
Mercenaries and adventurers cried out their victorious cheers. It was a victory, but it came at an enormous cost, there were more losses to the Rockworms than anticipated. Many clerics and healers arrived and grabbed the gravely wounded warriors back to their camps.
Sasha sighed in relief that their battle against the Rockworm is over, but the crisis is far from over.
"We've lost so many..." Sasha breathed silently before she kneeled and prayed. "Lest their souls rest in peace."
Ash stood by her while looking over the carnage across the once bloody battleground, and he saw the same flamboyant Order Knight without his helmet lay in a pool of blood among the dead. Ash couldn't help but tilt his head in pity. He sheathed his claymore into his scabbard before Sif came along with Reginald and Arcturus.
"Damn, this quest is not something we've expected," Arcturus said while rubbing the back of his neck. "Now we've fought giant worms, I guess there's more to come."
'Indeed. Thou and thy fellow Knights shall be prepared.' Sif concluded before raising his ears, overlooking the cold, foggy valley beyond. 'The worst to come is beyond of thy league. Only warriors of the greatest skills and wits should overcome such a challenge of great odds. Then I'm expecting much from you, young knight.'
"Huh, um thanks for reminding that, Sif." Arcturus remarks with a determined mood. "But as of right now, we're not fighting for the money that we just picked up in the Inn... we'll just make it our duty to end this crisis."
"That's what the Knights of Sunlight are for!" Elaine came up to Arcturus with a proud smile and made a slap on his right shoulders. "In the midst of crisis, the people relied more on us across the frontiers."
"Hey, Everyone!" Ash turned around as the two followed by and saw Elen carrying a bundle of Titanites and held up one large titanite shard in her hand. "I've got something. Those large Worms dropped these stones, and there's a bunch of them lying around!"
"Well, that's good news." Ash smiled behind his helmet before looking at the three Knights of the Sunlight. "It seems like the five of you would like to reforge your weapons. I can strengthen them using those stones."
"How? I mean there's no nearby blacksmith in the camp." Reginald said with a puzzled look.
"Don't worry, I've got a Weapon Smithbox," Ash replied. "Just in case there's a need for upgrading weapons."
'Since there's no bonfire in this world, teleportation between places isn't accessible.' Ash's thoughts remarked. 'Even instant repair is out of the question. I've relied on my repair box for months. But somehow, I still have the Large Embers somewhere in my inventory.'
…
Demon Realm Nation of Lescatie
"Oho~? Your Fallen God sends her adherents to capture the last Heroine?" Druella raised her eyebrow with an amused expression. "And then she sends you as a messenger to me for acquiring my assistance?"
"Indeed, the Fallen God needed more fighters in the Fallen Tower in case he comes to rescue her," Daria replied in a troubled tone. "She's becoming more... paranoid, to say the least."
"Paranoid? From who?" Druella crossed her legs and her arms together with an intrigued look. "Gods who have been siding with us for a long time don't have to fear anything."
"The Goddess of Death herself submitted a message to our Deity," Daria explained as she nervously stirred her fingers. "It is a warning, a prophecy that the Fallen God will die under the hands of the dreaded Silver-Blue Knight if she dares pursue to corrupt Sasha Fullmoon."
Once Druella heard this, she widened her eyes in disbelief. The Fallen God will die under the hands of a mortal? Such words were unheard of, even though Fate has always been at the side of monsters and even to the Demon Lord herself.
As a, Lilim and the Gods themselves can change their fates for whatever they please. But Hel, the Goddess of Death, who foretold the Fate of the Fallen God, is truly dark and foreboding which presents a frigid chill through Druella's spine.
"Impossible... no human can alter their own fate... but let alone Artos himself," Druella muttered before cupping her cheeks in deep thought. "Is there a way to prevent this cruel fate?"
"N-No, the Banshee says that it is... somewhat inevitable." Daria trembled while looking down as tears suddenly appeared on her eyelids. "It would have been a better option to leave Sasha Fullmoon, but our Deity has her desire and couldn't abandon such duty!"
Druella fell silent as the dark angel broke down into tears. She couldn't fathom the inevitable Fate of the Fallen God is now a serious issue in the realm of Pandemonium. The fourth-borne princess, who always knew that Fate has been on their side, now doubts such consequences that would've been impossible.
'This can't be... this shouldn't be possible!' Druella expressed her concerned look while she felt an amount of pressuring anxiety that weighed around her. 'How can such one unblessed mortal turn the tides?'
Druella let out a deep breath and leaned back on her throne, straightened. "Very well, I shall send the Fallen Heroes to your aid."
"You... You will?" The Dark Angel slowly perks up with eyes filled with hope. "Th-Thank you! May Fallen God shall bless you for your call of aid!"
The Fourth Borne smiled before Daria vacated the throne room. Once the fallen adherent closed the doors, the entire hall went silent. No one but her left in the room. Druella glowered down and thought deeply about the person which the Fallen God fears.
"Ash Cyrus, Knight of Astora." She muttered his name. "Just... who are you?"
…
The Underworld.
Inside the ominous-looking throne room of the Goddess, a silver cup filled with magic essence fell to the floor. The Banshees watched as the Goddess of Death fell on her knees.
"Beloved Goddess! What is wrong!?" One of the elder banshees came up to the Goddess and helped her up. "What did you see?"
"It's... no... that fool," Hel spoke up with a shaking tone as she felt her fingers tremble. "There are no alternative ways to prevent her death... it is truly inevitable!"
"Th-The Fallen God herself?" The Elder Banshee spoke, and the Goddess nodded in reply in much to her horror. "My Goodness, this is horrible!"
"But how can that be?" Another Banshee asked anxiously. "There are no fated mortals who can overturn the impossible odds, other than you could decide it!"
"No... there is another." Hel slowly spoke up before swallowing a lump in her throat. "There is another one that can decide its fate and it is hindering us from preventing it."
The Banshee widened her eyes in incredulity before asking. "Then what is the one that can decide fate?"
"In my vision... I've witnessed that... that "thing"... it is old as time itself, a creator and destructor." Hel continued as her tone trembled. "It is of light and darkness... An amalgamation of disparity who can alter any fabrication of reality and time. This thing is even more distorted and powerful enough that even me as a Goddess... I'm nothing, but a small bean compared to it."
"And what is the description of... that 'thing'?" The Banshee asked once more.
"All I saw... is a flame," Hel replied. "It possessed ominous powers beyond my league."
The Banshees grew silent and felt a coldness as never before. Despite in the Underworld, for the first time in their lives, they've never experienced foreboding dread and malignancy coming from elsewhere .
"Its power can decide for the Fates of Gods," Hel concluded with dreadful eyes. "And it resides within... that wretched Knight."
…
Chapter 15: Ends
Authors Note: I imagined the Izalith Demons coming out from the Chaos Archtree and attacking Everlston reminds me about Episode 1 from Castlevania Netflix where Dracula unleashed a horde on Targoviste.