Chapter 29: The New Lord of Monsters
Crucifixion Forest.
...
"HAAAHH! Take this!"
Olivier yelled out a war cry as she plunged her rapier into the abdomen of a hollow. Yet the undead stood unflinching from her attack and swung down its demented axe. The musketeer immediately evades its lethal blow as the axe head missed and plunged into the ground. Which creates several puffs of dust, and the ground quakes. Olivier's eyes winced as she braced up her defensive posture when the Hollow charged in to tear the musketeer apart. But in a single blur went past between them until the hollow felt its abdomen was cleaved in half and fell to its death.
Olivier looks up and saw Elen whip off the blood from her greatsword.
"Hey, you alright?" The dhampir asked.
"Uh? Oh! Y-yeah." Olivier breathes out in relief. "Thank you, that thing was... indeed relentless."
"You can thank me later on," Elen said while turning around and seeing another group of hollows emerging behind the trees. "The fight isn't over yet."
Olivier slowly breathes out and gripped her rapier firmly. "These things... they barely feel pain and ruthless, even."
"Right." Elen nodded while raising her sword at the ready. "Let's go!"
In the same area of the swamp, Reginald evades the wild swings and deadly blows of the demented Lychantrope. The large wild hollow let out a loud screech before it leaps into its opponent in the hope to get a hold of the Farron Swordsman. Yet Reginald caught its movement in a glimpse and evades backwards and swung his greatsword in an uppercut, which cleft off its left arm. Reginald then sensed something coming from behind and gaze back to see additional hollows coming in with their wooden pikes raised unto him.
The son of the vampire spun his bastard sword around in the right timing and momentum, then halted their assault by slicing off the head of their pikes before severing them into pieces in three-swift moves.
"rrRRAARGH!"
Reginald gazed around and saw another lycanthrope leaping right into him and attempting to tear him into pieces with its massive claws. Unfortunately for the hollow. Reginald slid through the ground underneath the Lychantrope and severed off its knees. The Farron Swordsman rolled aside from the falling corpse as he quickly stood up, then jab his bastard sword through the hollow's spine and went through the chest, killing it.
"Tch, just how many of you bastards are still out here?" Reginald scorned while wiping off the hollowed blood from his cheeks.
The Farron Swordman looks back to his companions, who were busy killing off the hollows, and sees Sasha chanting her miracles to summon several glowing circles from thin air, and in an instant, these circles cleaved several hollows into halves before the projectiles returns to the warrior nun. Then the earth quaked.
"Wh-What the-!?" Arcturus stood firm on his feet until an explosion erupted from the murky waters. "The hell!?"
"Seriously!? This swamp has giant crabs!?" Elaine cried out agitatedly as she widened her eyes. "First, giant worms, and now a giant crab! Then what's next!? a giant butterfly!?"
Arcturus noticed the crab crept up to Elaine and raised its massive claws in the air. "Elaine! Watch out!"
"Oh, shit!" Elaine caught the claws descending on her and she rolls back to evade its deadly grab. "Fuck, that was close!"
"Hold on! I got this!" Arcturus raised his talisman and imbued his sword with lightning. "Elaine, step back!"
Elaine noticed Arcturus charged in while the crab raised its claws once more to sweep down. The orc rolled away before its deadly pincers jabbed down into the wet mud and Arcturus saw an opening and promptly jabbed his blade into its mouth. The Giant Crab howled in agony as the electricity surged throughout its entire body until it dropped its claws. Elaine noticed the smoke coming out from the appendages of the gigantic creature, and the Giant Crab fell backwards to the ground. Arcturus then whips the blood out from his blade and his nose picked up the stench coming out from the giant crab.
"Ugh! It smells like cooked seafood with an expired crab." Arcturus reeled back in disgust before looking back at Elaine. "You alright?"
"Yeah." She nodded in relief before looking around. "I guess we eliminated the hollows in this area... have you seen Ash and Sasha?"
...
"Ash, look out!"
Ash spun around and saw a tall knight figure rushing through the trees. The Black Knight leapt into the air with its massive sword. Ash immediately rolled to the left before the hollowed knight would smash his apart. However, the Black Knight turned around with its weapon and Ash realised this move; he leapt back and the massive blade of a black knight's sword nearly got his head by a single centimetre and the Ashen One saw an opportunity to strike for a counterattack.
He charged forth and jabbed his broadsword into the hollow's head through the eye slits. He pushes the blade deeper and sends its entire body to the ground. The Black Knight gave out its dying wail as the undead entity disappears into dust particles within mere seconds. Sasha exhaled in relief while coming to his side to check for wounds.
"Sasha, I'm fine." He said while waving his hand. "I didn't receive any damage."
"Well, that blow nearly got your head." The Warrior Priestess then pouted while giving him a scolding look. "You'd better watch out next time!"
"Alright, alright, I get it." Ash sighed as he rolled his eyes while shrugging off his shoulders. Then turning his attention to a nearby corner. "But 'lest not we stay here for long until another one comes in."
"Say, Ash... what was that knight?" Sasha asked out of her curiosity. "Unlike the Lothric Knights we've seen in Northern Corse... that black knight was dangerous... especially since it carries a massive blade on one hand like a feather."
"It's a Black Knight alright. They're former Knights who served under Lord Gwyn," Ash explained while looking down on a rusted Black Knight Helmet, still laying on the grounds of the ruins. "Long ago, when Ancient Lordran stood fighting against the demons of Izalith. Their armours were charred by the Fames of Chaos. Now, these knights have strayed throughout the land as wandering spirits. They also survived during the times of Lothric."
"S-Sounds dreadful." Sasha's voice trembled with a look of uneasiness. "Does their weapons even break my Holy Shield Blessing?"
"Of course, they will. They're enhanced with special Titanite and they will cleave it like butter in a single hit or two," Ash said blankly behind his helmet while Sasha looked down in distraught. "Don't worry, Sasha. I'm always here to watch your back."
"It feels like every dungeon wants to see me suffer in dread like my very soul... is going hollow~" The Ashen One raised his eyes when he noticed Sasha's tears streamed down like a waterfall with a saddened, yet, humorous look. "Why can't it let me catch a single break~!?"
Ash exhaled one more time and led themselves to traverse the ruins and the knight turned left until he saw a large cavity on the floor with a ladder. The former Chosen Undead caught a stench coming from below while the Warrior Priestess forced herself to cover her nose from the assaulting miasma.
"Hurgh! What a foul smell!" Sasha reeled back in disgust. "It comes from there, isn't it?"
Ash didn't make another word as he stepped to the edge of the cavity and looked down. His eyes blink and then his eyes turned to the Warrior Nun.
"Well, this might lead us to another swamp." He spoke up dreadfully. "But even worse."
"Even worse?" Sasha raised her eyebrows in question until she realised his anticipation for exploration. "Don't tell me... we're going in there!?"
As Ash was about the say something, he heard footsteps coming their way. The Knight and the Warrior Priestess raised their weapons and shields at the ready until Arcturus stepped in from around the corner.
"Oh hey, there you are!" Arcturus said out loud in surprise before he gestures his thumb to the rest of their companions. "They're over here!"
The rest of the party members soon followed up and met with Ash and Sasha. As soon as they regrouped altogether, Elaine, Elen, and Olivier caught the unbearable stench in their noses as they reeled back in disgust and nausea.
"Okay, what the fuck!?" Elaine spat out loud as she clenched her nose tight while looking over the exposed cavity. "Seriously, looks like you two must have discovered a doorway into the sewers."
"My, what an awful stench. Much worse than in the slums of the city. " Olivier scrunched her eyebrows, feeling uneasy. "I believe we might take the wrong turn here."
"No, there is something down here than it meets the eye." Once they heard Ash speak those words, all the women in the group stared at him in antipathy. "... What?"
"No, seriously... No!" Ash then turns to the dhampir, who threw her hands out in frustration while walking away. "Fuck that! I'm not going in there!"
"But Elen, I think there is something down there-" Reginald tries to speak up, but his sister interjects him.
"To hell with that, Regi!" Elen argued back while raising her voice further before pointing her right index finger at the cavity. "I ain't going into that shithole! At least Ash would've chosen a better way-"
"I'm going in first." Elen then went slack-jawed once she saw Ash take the ladder and descended to the bottom. "Come in if you're brave enough."
When Ash went further deep through the dark cavity, Sasha couldn't help but exhaled with regret before she followed the suit. Right after taking the ladder that leads down to the bottom, the Warrior Nun coughed as she went deeper and noticed the stench became stronger. The air was suffocating, which might make her sick of nausea as she feels her stomach churns. Olivier looked down through the ladder and saw the two had almost reached the bottom.
"Come down, Olivier!" Sasha called out with a cough. "You have to get used to this!"
The musketeer gulped with a regretful look and then ripped off the cloth from her left wrist and made a makeshift mask to cover her nose from the smell. Thus, she descends onto the ladder; Arcturus and Reginald followed the suit before Elaine and Elen groaned in defeat as they were the only two left.
"Ugh, I hate this."
"Yeah, I'd better make a mask with lavenders if we came to this wretched place again."
...
A few minutes later, after they delved through the ladders, the Orc and the Dhampir saw the rest of the group were waiting for them outside an entrance before stepping into the new area and gong sounds rang through the air. Sasha and Olivier saw two white words materialised from thin air and Reginald reads it out loud.
[Farron Keep]
"Farron Keep?" He raised his eyebrow in mild surprise while stating a question to Elen. "Huh, since when did our family own such a keep?"
"Ugh, don't ask me... this place is a massive cesspit," Elen growled with disgust while holding her nose. "I mean, look at this place! It's full of shit! Everywhere!"
"Now, now, Elen," Sasha speaks up in a scolding manner with a wave of her index finger. "You can cuss about it later on."
"At least it's better than going into Blighttown," Ash said while strapping his claymore behind his back and bringing up a pack of purple moss. "Luckily for everyone in this group. I have a full set of antidotes with me."
"What's Blighttown?" Olivier scrunched her eyebrow in question. "I mean, you sounded like you have bad thoughts in that place."
"You'd better not know about Blighttown," Ash answered while giving her a dead look through his helmet visor. "Going into that place is off-limits."
"How bad can that be?" Sasha asked, curious.
"Worse," Ash replied monotonously. "In one step, you'd get hit immediately by a poison dart without caution and die off."
Olivier and Sasha felt their spines freeze up before the priestess snapped out from her frightened stupor when she saw a glimpse of a shadow. A giant creature stood in a distance behind the fog, lingering through the swamp while holding a massive tree as a staff.
Sasha grew worried while pointing her index finger at the creature. "Ash, what is that?"
"That's... an Elder Ghru," Ash replied with a tense look behind his helmet. "We have to avoid direct contact if it comes to them."
"Whoa, look over here!" Ash and Sasha turn their attention to Arcturus and saw the Knight of Sunlight point out his index finger towards the slimy creatures crawling around. "Are those... slugs? They look bigger than usual."
"Don't be curious about those things. Those are Rotten Slugs." The Ashen One replied sternly, with a warning. "They'll spit out acidic venom if you're careless."
"Oh... right." Arcturus acknowledges in realisation in dread before they move on to the dirt path. "At least we found a new area after the Crucifixion Forest."
...
Chaos Kingdom of Pimor.
...
"It's been a month since I became his consort..."
On the balcony of an ember fortress, a succubus watched over the new state of the Chaos Realm of Pimor. The remains of the surviving citizens wandered around the nearly ruined state of the city of Everlston. Most of the buildings were brought into ruins by massive roots of the archtree since the previous first-wave invasion of the Izalith Demons. She was sent into the realm by the higher-ups of the Royal Makai Army to aid the local militia and recover the lost demon realm.
However, it didn't go as planned, and many attempts to recapture Pimor had led to many failures as their magic powers became severely deteriorated to the point of being mundane once they entered Pimor. She heard the news from the previous weeks prior that many people in the city were slaughtered, and that news alone worried herself and her family if the Demons of Chaos would enter her home, the nearby Demon Realm of Volst. But fortunately; not every denizen was slaughtered. Their fates, chained under their conquerors, served as slaves.
Izalith Demons watched over the surviving citizens of Pimor, watching over them like cattle. But the King of Demons, she now knew, differs from those from the other demons and granted their mercy, and because of her, she became the King's consort of the new kingdom.
She recalls how it played out almost a month prior.
...
'It's been days since we gained territory in this new land and our progress is faster than we've expected.' The Demon mulled with a deep voice as he looked around the realm from the balcony of his new fortress. 'Our new enemies are pathetic... weak. Even their so-called "powers" have given us strength. No wonder our Flames of Chaos ravaged uncontrollably without mercy...'
'Yet... they are indeed strange inhabitants, humans with the traits of beasts. They claimed to be physically superior to a mere human.' The Chaos Demon continued as he mused while looking down to see mamonos tied with chains made of sturdy titanite, and working out with their pickaxe and other tools while carving statues and other constructs while the Incubi's just carried out their intense labour. 'Even so... They make better slaves for our new kingdom of Chaos.'
"Your highness, we found a spy among the populace of prisoners." The Arch-Capra Demon turns around and saw a Taurus Demon holding a succubus by her wings with his two fingers before dropping her to the ground, letting out a painful shriek. The Taurus Demon gave out a mean-looking growl which froze the poor succubus in her place. "King Adramelech won't forgive thine actions for spying on our territory."
"HIEK! Forgive me! I-I will do whatever you want!" She begged out loud, crying for mercy. "I can clean your hides and even give you pleasure whatever you want! Please, don't eat me!"
"Tch, this woman thinks we were doing the same thing as humans do." The Taurus Demon scoffed with scorn as the Arch-Capra Demon, now named Adramelech, watched the scene between the two. "Shall I perform her execution, here and now?"
Upon hearing that, the succubus cowered even further with tears. Knowing that her fate is to die, from here and now, she will never live to marry a husband she loved and have children. The Taurus Demon begins the execution as he raised his massive bone axe. Yet he was stopped once the Arch-Capra Demon made a gesture while raising his arms.
"Alocer... I might be pleased when you execute her, but I did not order it. Not yet," Adramelech spoke up. "But every single day we execute spies in our nation... I felt we're being mindless and we still lack knowledge of this world... I believe it's my turn to take over this prisoner."
"Pardon, your highness?" Alocer, the Taurus Demon, raised his eyebrows in bewilderment. "You will do it on your own?"
The Demon King of Pimor nodded. "Indeed. I will take her in for... personal use. You're dismissed."
The Taurus Demon then bowed obediently to the new King of Chaos Nation and heads back through the entrance, exiting the throne hall. The succubus is still on the ground, cowering in fear and confusion while looking up at Adramelech once he stepped forth from his throne, coming closer to her.
"You. Tell me your name, creature." The king growled while looking down at her as she swallowed a lump in her throat. "If you don't speak... then I might throw you into a pit of hungry Rock Worms without your wings."
"V-Veona... Veona H-Holburn." The succubus stuttered out her name as her body was trembling in trepidation. "P-Please, don't kill me. I-I will do well in your service, I mean it!"
"So, Veona isn't it? That name sounds very... human for a creature such as thee." The Demon King chuckled, amusingly. "And the way you feel and act... undoubtedly human indeed. Is your race always been like this?"
"W-Well... I'm a succubus, and I've been like this since I was born," Veona said meekly as the Demon King encircled her, his eyes inspecting every inch of her body. "W-We grew up and learn how to find ourselves to get a husband. Th-That's the only thing we do, even as a spy like me would do."
"Husband? You're a spy, yet you seek for a spouse?" Adramelech question in curiosity. "Hmph. Strange. Your people here told us you were a species of monsters... yet I see nothing hideous among thine folk."
"Th-that's because of the Demon Lord, sh-she wanted monsters and humans to live in coexistence," Veona answered with a stutter in her tone. "Every monster from the previous age was turned into girls. Nowadays, we're called the Mamono, and this is what we are from now."
The King of Pimor digested this information in his thoughts. His eyes cocked in disbelief for a brief moment until Veona noticed that the Arch-Capra Demon shakes and gave out a burst of laughter. Adramelech couldn't believe what he was hearing. There exists a "Lord" of Demons, who had turned the hideous monster of the previous era and moulded themselves into the image of human women who seek nothing more but to find love. This sounds ridiculous to every demon such as himself, with an intelligent mind of its own.
"Laughable... absolutely laughable!" Adramelech chuckled before shaking off his head in pity. "So this world is teeming with a race of monsters who hold the image of women. Such a disgrace when your so-called "Demon Lord" would've left some of your male counterparts to thrive."
"But we thrived! Our species did go out to search for human men and converted the women to increase our numbers!" Veona talked back. "But you... you monsters slaughtered almost everyone in this city!"
"You say we are slaughterers... but in your ways, I see is assimilation," Adramelech said with mild amusement as he leaned further. "You're thinking yourself of hypocrites with such minds of a human. But aren't we both monsters? We have our own civilisations of our own as humans do, but they see our nature differs from them and we... might be the same."
Veona went speechless, with no words coming out of her mouth. Her hunch alone seems to admit that he has a point. From what the demon spoke about, there was no truth or lie in these words. But in truth, they made sense otherwise.
"Listen well, Veona, from what you're telling about coexistence between humans and monsters is nothing more than a dream," Adramelech said while he circled around her. "Assimilating humanity on your side is the same way we slaughter them in front of us."
"I grew to know these people... men into incubi, women into succubus... It's the same thing as slaughter. Robbing off their humanity and replacing them with mindless instincts and different bodies." The King of Demons continued as his jaw grew into a feral grin and leaned over to the shaken succubus. "And you think turning them into your kind will achieve peace with the human race... when the realistic goal itself where not a single true human left on this world?"
Veona is still sitting upright, feeling her body numb and her mind trembles, whether it is truth or lie. His words were giving her much pressure to the point as if she is now questioning her belief in the Demon Lord's ideal, which has been ingrained in her mind ever since she was born. Therefore, was she supporting a millennium strong ideal that turns out to be a lie?
"But-!... T-That's not how it's supposed to be..." Veona felt her shoulders slumped. "I refuse this! That's a lie!"
"Think, Veona. Monsters remain as monsters as long as we slaughter and remove their humanity." Adramelech then straightens himself up, still looking down at her as if she was a shaken child. "We are monsters because we are never shackled by their sense of right and wrong... and we're merely doing the same thing. That "Demon Lord" of yours is a monster, yet whoever this so-called "monster" is nothing more but a deceptive jester with a foolish foresight."
"I refuse at what you're spouting at!" Veona grits her teeth with a scowl once her face then turned down with a look of horror. "We... we're better than that!... Better than monsters-"
"Better than monsters? Then what are you?" The King then questioned. But he can see the discouragement in her eyes. "You have minds of humans, yet your nature and instinct are that of a monster. Then why do you deny the nature of your existence when humans and your people call yourselves monsters?"
"It's-... I... We are mamono... but I don't know who we actually are..."
Veona's mind then fell blank. Her senses didn't catch any emotions from this King of Demons, as if this being is actually questioning her without fear or any lust. Only what she had met were doubts and questions flinging towards her and his words, which made her existence seem like a joke. Her eyes went lifeless as if her joyful sense of love and understanding was thrown off.
While still looking down with a horrifying realisation. 'Was the true purpose of my existence... still remains... from the previous cycle?'
"We were called monsters by humans and my kind... we refuse to shed blood," Veona said. "But assimilation... turning humans into our kind... is it the same thing as slaughter?... Is that true?"
"...Indeed, that is true. Your people wanted to make them into one of your own and they are no longer humans," Adramelech nodded in response. "Which makes you no difference between us."
He remembers the time about a certain kingdom named Oolacile and saw how the humans were assimilated by the Abyss, just like themselves who were transformed into demons by the Flames of Chaos when he was just a Flame Sorceror until the actual demons were born out from the Witch's Flames.
Veona, on the other hand, had been around this world for over a hundred years while looking for a husband. In her old times, saw how many human kingdoms fell before the might of the Lilims and other powerful monsters under the command of the Demon Lord. In her years as a spy for the Royal Makai, she saw a lot of women and men who had been suffering under the hardships of the Order.
Many of them didn't live long and never get the chance to see the entire world. After their lands became demon realms, the result of their transformations changed their nature. Living on a longer lifespan, becoming powerful, and experiencing the pleasures of eternal love. Yet from what Adramelech had pointed out, it's nothing more than assimilation. Turning them into one of their own is the same as slaughtering which removes their identities and yes, she never heard a single disagreement from other monsters with their decisions regarding humans wanting to remain as humans in their entire lives after their homes were conquered by monsters.
Then she realised one thing; in these former human kingdoms, there were no ordinary humans left. Only incubi, succubus, and monster girls remain. The Demon Lord's ideal of coexistence is just nothing but a fragile dream. She grits her teeth in disbelief and frustration upon realising that her actual existence, like many others who had been born out, remained shackled by the old cycles of the war from the previous age.
Then does that mean the cycle of war wasn't broken? After all the efforts, when Lilith and her hero husband had beaten the Chief God from a millennium ago, was it all for nothing? This false victory they believed in is nothing but propaganda made by the sympathisers of Demon Lord that sees this never-ending curse disguised as a blessing?
'...My life... is all a lie?' Veona teared up in a sob. 'This can't be... This can't be true!'
"Do you now... understood?"
"I-.. now I understand." Veona's reply was blank, then closing her eyes in admitting defeat. "We are monsters... no matter what. Whenever we tried to deny ourselves. It remains in us."
"... You see? This is the reality you lived in." Adramelech then closed his eyes and nodded to her understanding. "When a monster thinks the same ways as humans do... they are no longer seen as monsters. Do you get my word?"
Veona then nodded slowly in reply, which satisfied the King of Demons as he walked back to his throne.
"But... Lilith is the Demon Lord in the Royal Makai, but she's a succubus and not a demon... and over here..." The Arch-Capra Demon heard her and then slowly turns around. He saw the succubus was staring at him with her blank eyes. "They called you as the Demon King of Pimor... is that true? Are you really demons?"
"Yes... and I can see in your eyes that you have a new purpose," Adramelech said, while his gaze piqued in curiosity as if the spy had turned submissive to the king. "Then what do you desire?"
"I-... no... Let me be your consort. I can no longer hold these ideals of the Demon Lord." Veona then made a prostration to the Demon King of Pimor. Much to his surprise, he never expected this turn of events. Then she straightens herself up and gives him a look of determination with pleading eyes "Please... You have opened my eyes to this truth. I will contribute myself in service to the new Lord of Monsters!"
Adramelech stood there for a brief second in surprise until another laughter escaped from his mouth. The succubus' expression remained unfazed until Arch-Capra Demon raised his head.
"Interesting... you will be my consort? After spying on my kingdom, you became submissive of a sudden." The King of Demons crossed his arms as he sat on his throne. Then he shows his expression of delight. "Then, be my guest... You shall prove your loyalty to the Chaos Kingdom... and so the results with satisfaction are met... Then your reward, I shall give you my seed and bear my heir for the throne. Is that understood?"
...
Present Day.
Veona observed the city while rubbing her belly. After nearly a month of serving the newly crowned King of Demons, she finally conceives a child after their marriage vows. She saw how big his meat was. Unlike her father, it was three times bigger than any incubus she had seen in the love hotels when they did with their monster wives. Such size will make other monster girls being jealous of her. As soon as their flesh intertwined; it felt like a dream. At first, he had ripped her insides like a battering ram until the pain washed away once she had coped with it. The time of their marriage was indeed an enjoyable experience to behold.
Then now, the succubus was pregnant, and Veona knew full well that their child wasn't one of her kind, and she knew it. With the lack of mana resonating from the womb, the child inside her will become the new heir to the throne, a demon born between a succubus and the Demon King of Chaos.
"Everyone... I'm sorry. I can no longer hold my loyalty to the Royal Makai." She uttered remorsefully to someone as if some ghostly phantoms of her dead comrades were staring at her with their dead looks. "What we've been fighting for... were nothing more but lies."
The succubus remembers her duties from the past month where she weeded out hidden spy locations throughout the Pimor Region, and her actions pleased the Demon King as well. She couldn't help but make a sad smile. In one battle, she betrayed her comrades by leading them into a trap that turned into a slaughter. Her former friends and allies who had witnessed her betrayal before their deaths were nothing more but a rain of knives jabbing into their hearts.
She couldn't forget how bloody it was, and the horrified faces of her former friends were still ingrained in her mind. Is this how the people of the Order felt betrayed after one of their own turned into monsters? If so, then it was much more painful than she realises. The feelings of betrayal and guilt were something that many monsters of the Demon Realms had never experienced for what was it like of getting stabbed in the back. But she knows full well that the Royal Family experienced the same since a Lilim, known as Ilassa, left her mother and betrayed the other Lilims as well while siding with humans and mamonos with their outworldly bloodlines in their veins.
Then does this mean the major reason how Ilassa left them made sense because she saw the truth while her family remained ignorant? Then it wasn't her fault. After all; she can no longer see her mother as the bringer of peace and coexistence but as a harbinger of delusion and extinction. While she knew the former Theocracy of Lescatie was corrupt and forbids any heroes to know the feelings of love and pleasures, the truth provided by Adramelech about their nature and ideals of the Demon Lord's "love and understanding" does nothing better than she imagined.
"Monsters... remain as monsters... no matter how hard we try to deny ourselves."
Veona can still feel her energy no longer connects with the Demon Lord when she conceived an Izalith demon child in her womb. The succubus exhaled before stepping back and entering the building to meet her husband in his throne hall to discuss future plans for the Chaos Kingdom of Pimor.
...
Viola Region, Farron Keep.
...
"B-By the Chief God... J-Just what is this place...?"
Olivier gaped in horror as her gaze darted left and right to see countless dead bodies all around the swamp. Trees are littered and decorated with spleens, fresh bones and skulls. Adventurers and mamonos lying dead around every corner as the small vermin feasted on their cold, exposed skins. Thus, to her shock, she saw Heroes of the Order were even nailed to the cross, only their upper bodies remained intact.
"These poor people... Their families and friends will be sad to hear about their fates." Sasha quietly muttered in sorrow while making a prayer to the dead. "Oh Lord in heaven, please guide the lost spirits to lay their rest... amen."
Elaine couldn't help but feel dread as she turns her gaze to the right and saw a pile of rotten decapitated heads, while some were fresh. She even saw a dead body of an Orc laying down on the roots of a tree while black crows plucked on its corpse.
"Damn, these guys who went here before us didn't stand a chance," Arcturus said while feeling miserable. "It's just as worse than in Lothric castle."
"Yep, death is all around these places," Reginald stated, keeping his eyes up to look for hostiles. "These huge cesspit seems toxic. If you step in with exposed wounds, then infection comes in and kills ya'."
"You'd better not. It's just toxic substances around here and it's acidic to any living flesh if you dare to step in," Ash interjected sternly. "However, with sturdy gears, you can withstand how long it takes until the faeces will reach it through and burn your skin... Otherwise, one step is enough for the poison to seep through clean skin. So you better get out as soon as possible"
"Okay, now I get what you mean, Ash," Elen grunts while her eyes rolled back. "We're not supposed to step on a big pool of shit for a long time, right?"
"Yep." Ash nodded until his ears caught the sounds of running footsteps within the fog. "Speaking of which..."
"AAAAHHHH!"
The group was started as they jerked their heads up after hearing a blood-curling scream. Oliver turned to where the scream's direction came from and saw a bloodied male adventurer in a distance who ran out from the thick fog. He looked young, and probably in his eighteen years. The adventurer screamed for help until his face felt relief to find another group of people in the middle of the swamp.
"By the Chief God, I'm saved!"
He is fortunate that he got away from the horrors he encountered that killed his party members. That is not until false hope loomed over him. He heard the monstrous screech behind him and the adventurer's face, then morphed into horror once he saw a tall goat-like humanoid creature jump out from the fog, and its hooves landed on his back and broke his spines on the ground. The adventurer let out an anguished scream until the Ghru silenced him with another stomp of its other hoof, popping out his skull like a cherry tomato. The group stood back with their weapons drawn, but the Ghru grabbed the leg of the fresh corpse of the dead adventurer and dragged it back into the thick fog, vanishing from their sight without batting an eye.
"By the Chief God..." Sasha's voice trembles while gripping her staff and darting her gaze around the area to look for ambushes. "This is area is getting more dangerous..."
Without another provocation, they slowly lowered their weapons and Sasha noticed Olivier was shaken after witnessing such a horrifying sight that an adventurer had just brutally died and tears slowly welled up in her eyes.
"Olivier... take some deep breaths." Sasha cooed her with comfort while gently pulling Olivier back with her shoulders, trudging away from the hostile area. "We have to keep going."
"Uhh... hrmph!" Olivier felt her stomach swell up and puking out her lunch. "Blurgh! Huurgh!"
"By the Lords, thank goodness we took a small lunch." Elen stepped back in disgust while looking away. "Deaths are truly common in this dungeon."
"Yeah, but that thing..." Arcturus wondered anxiously before turning to Ash. "Ash, just what was that thing?"
"That's a Ghru," Ash answered dreadfully. "Those things will rip off your head when you're not careful."
The group continued their way through the forsaken swamp known as the Farron Keep. They took up the stairs while Ash and Arcturus took the front as Frontline combatants. Elen and Reginald were wary as they stood on each flank while Elaine keeps her eyes peeled at the rear. Sasha and Olivier were in the middle, and the musketeer saw something in a distance.
Olivier caught a faint purple glow, and the entity itself was shaped like a person. But based on her observation, it was surrounded by Ghru's and the monsters attempted to bring the entity down. Yet all their attacks were futile once the mysterious person swung its greatsword in a full 360, completely hacking the Ghru's into pieces.
"Is that a person?" Ash heard Olivier while the musketeer observed the mysterious entity. "That person is... glowing in purple."
The Silver-Blue Knight then noticed the purple-glowing individual in the distance and his mind cursed that he did not expect to see them here in this world.
"By the Lords, this isn't good." Ash exhaled deeply in dismay and spite. "This place also welcomes them... those wretched phantoms."
The musketeer raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Phantoms?"
"That's right, they're invaders coming from another world that parallels our own." Ash nodded as he noticed the purple phantom is walking directly into their position. "Stay on alert. Sometimes more can appear."
Arcturus raised his shield to defend himself, to counteract against the phantom before them while Sasha raised her talisman. When the purple phantom gets close to their position; Olivier and Sasha noticed the identity of the invader; it wore a warrior set without a helmet and wields a claymore. Once they look up at its face, both the Order heroes, including Ash, widened their eyes in surprise and bewilderment.
Sasha then stuttered out incredulously. "W-Wilmarina?"
The purple phantom that stood before them has the image of Wilmarina Noscrim, the Order Hero of Lescatie. Ash knew that invaders came from other distorted parallel worlds that were connected with the Flames. But he didn't expect to see this phantom have the identity of a well-renown hero; then does that mean there are worlds that have people with similar appearances? The Ashen One didn't have time to think once the Mad Phantom Wilmarina took her target and charged in.
"Arcturus, watch out!" Elaine warned once the Phantom went for her cousin.
The Invader Phantom then leapt from a great distance into the air towards Arcturus while raising her claymore. The Sunlight Knight raised his shield in a nick of time before the blow of her claymore sends him back to the ground after taking the brunt of her force. Ash returns a counterattack with a deadly thrust of his broadsword but the Phantom evaded his attacks when rolling backwards and quickly gets up to make a defensive stance.
"Wh-Why is Wilmarina here?" Olivier said, shaking in disbelief. "Stop! Just what are you doing!?"
The Phantom then turns her gaze towards Olivier and leapt forth in speed with a thrust of her claymore. Yet Reginald intercepted her attack with a parry of his bastard sword and kicked the phantom away from the Musketeer and crashed against the tree.
"Don't just stand there!" Reginald yelled out, snapping Olivier out of her stupor. "This person has a clear intent to kill us!"
Phantom Wilmarina quickly stood up and rolled back before she pulls up her Estus Flask. She silently chugged down the flask through her throat and healed her inner body parts in seconds while Ash cursed under his helmet that this phantom was clearly undead, meaning that she was equipped with an Estus Flask much to his frustration.
'Damnation. I could've known she's equipped with Estus!'
"I-Is she trying to kill us?" Sasha felt her jaws gape, still in shock once she saw an insidious expression on the Phantom's face. "Wilmarina, please stop! It's us, your friends!"
"Sasha, it's futile that she won't listen to us. While this phantom might share the appearance of Wilmarina of Lescatie..." Ash explained while the knight raised his shield defensively. "... This one isn't the same person you knew."
The Invader then raised her left unarmed hand and activates her Pyromancy flames. Phantom Wilmarina summoned a Chaos Fire Whip and threw it over to Reginald from a great reach. The swordsman evades her attack by strafing backwards while the Invader's surroundings were immediately covered in flames after the nearby trees were caught by her chaos whip.
"Shit, she's agile and looks like we have a real bitch here to deal with!" Elen cursed while raising her greatsword at the ready to prepare for combat. "Don't tell me the odds whenever she has more tricks in her sleeves."
The Dhampir couldn't help but feel agitated once Phantom Wilmarina grew a wicked smile and her right eye flashed red like a demented hollow.
...
[Invaded by Mad Spirit Wilmarina of Noscrim.]
...
Chapter 29: Ends.
Authors note: Phew, looks like I'm taking a break. But future chapters will update slowly because my seasonal full-time summer job is coming in two days. However, the next chapter for Attack on Titan: Emergence will be expected to be posted by tomorrow. So then, I'll see you guys soon and this chapter will be constantly updated whenever errors and typos are found.