Chapter 6: Virgo versus Daemon
Blood and death held dominion over that fateful day, where few souls could elude their relentless grasp, plunging headlong into the abyss known as the Demon World, or Hell.
Initially, it started as an ordinary day, yet as the heavens darkened, scarlet lightning bolts streaked across the sky, foretelling the impending disaster.
In the vicinity of the capital, rifts in the fabric of space materialized, initially mute until the first otherworldly creature emerged. It stood colossal, a body cloaked in searing flames, sporting bat-like wings sprouting from its formidable frame, and a pair of menacing horns adorning its head.
Merely gazing upon this monstrosity one could feel an overwhelming sense of fury and malice.
"Fear me, mortals." The creature proclaimed, extending its arms as if to offer a ghastly embrace, followed by a horde of demons emerging behind it, racing and soaring towards any living beings they could find.
With but a sweep of its colossal fists, houses crumbled, its fiery touch reducing the ruins to smoldering embers.
With a vicious grin, it unfurled its wings, soaring into the heavens only to descend upon the next cluster of houses. Screams and terror-stricken faces met its gaze, and for this entity, it was but a source of perverse satisfaction, a wellspring of joy.
[Begin capturing humans. Take one out of two. Kill the rest.]
Evil Lord Wrath commanded, or as he was known, Baphomet. His minions swiftly obeyed, their chaotic minds astute enough to heed the demon's directives.
Yet suddenly, a different scent drifted into the demon's nostrils, one brimming with anger and unyielding willpower. Disposing of a swarm of humans, it turned towards the source, finding a group of adventurers standing in front of him, with the most noteworthy among them being the members of Blue Rose, as his lord had dubbed them.
"Prey. You come to me yourself. How nice of you."
'Baphomet' remarked, advancing deliberately towards the adventurers. The weakest among them trembled uncontrollably as the embodiment of hate drew nearer.
Lakyus, Gagaran, Tina, Tia, Evileye, and Ulbert stood before the demonic monstrosity, its size triple or more that of an average human as it regarded them with a sadistic grin. Its form was cloaked in molten lava, emitting the searing heat only a demon could generate.
"You will pay for the lives you took! Charge!" Lakyus bellowed, brandishing her sword as she charged at the demon. Blue Rose and the other adventurers followed closely behind.
In response, the demon raised a hand toward the attackers.
"[Fireball]"
A colossal sphere of flames hurtled towards the back of their group, and upon impact with the ground, it sent most of the adventurers flying.
"What…" Evileye exclaimed, her eyes widened in astonishment at the unusual size of the fireball. Its power could easily be compared to spells of the 5th Tier, but she had no time to ponder its magnitude at the moment.
She redirected her focus to the demon, preparing herself to unleash one of her most potent spells. Neither she nor Blue Rose possessed a clear understanding of the demon's true strength, but its recent display was more than sufficient to consider it a serious threat.
"So they burn. You will join them in death soon." The demon declared, spreading its wings once more as it finally prepared to unleash its assault. With a powerful leap, it propelled itself towards Lakyus, its claws unnaturally sharp and imbued with a searing fire.
"[Dark Blade Mega Impact]!" Lakyus roared, employing her sword's ultimate attack to engulf the demon in a series of devastating explosions.
However, to no one's surprise, when the fiery blaze subsided, the demon remained standing, its wicked smile undiminished as it loomed menacingly over Lakyus.
"Curious girl. To use a demonic weapon against a demon. Mmh, I believe I have found my weapon."
'Baphomet' mused, extending his hand toward Lakyus.
"[Penetrate Magic: Dragon Lightning]"
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning resembling a dragon's head surged toward the demon. The demon, in turn, raised its hand to absorb the lightning.
Although the lightning made contact with the demon, it only seemed to leave a bitter taste in its mouth. It became clear that the attack had penetrated its defenses, a fact noted by every member of Blue Rose.
"You dare!"
Displaying unmatched speed among the members of Blue Rose, the demon lunged at Gagaran, seizing her as though she were a mere toy and hurling her twenty meters away.
"Gagaran!" Lakyus cried out, but there was no response. 'This is not good!' Lakyus thought, her gaze returning to the unfolding catastrophe.
Evileye and Ulbert continued their aerial assaults, bombarding the demon with spells from all directions. Meanwhile, Tina and Tia stood nearby, their abilities seemingly ineffective against this formidable foe.
"I see you need some help." A familiar voice rang out from the heavens, belonging to none other than Lakyus's revered adventurer uncle.
"Uncle! Good that you're here! You need to help us fight Baphomet! He's too strong for us to handle alone!" Lakyus appealed, and her uncle glanced briefly at the demon before turning back to her.
"Of course. I'll do my best." He saluted swiftly before soaring above the demon. Clad in his formidable suit, he possessed extraordinary capabilities that exceeded his wildest dreams.
He squeezed the trigger of his machine gun, unleashing a torrent of bullets upon the demon, which produced little more than a mild amusement as it barely scratched the fiend.
Focusing its attention on its newfound adversary, the demon ascended into the sky, homing in on the Armored Mech.
Azuth, quick to discern the demon's intentions, evaded its charge while activating one of the spells within his armored suit.
Two lightning bolts, each shaped like a dragon, erupted from his suit and struck the demon squarely in the chest, prompting a slight growl from the creature.
"Enough!" The demon thundered, extending its hand towards the heavens and clenching it as if seizing an invisible force.
"[Meteor Fall]"
Above the demon, a colossal flaming boulder materialized. With a single mighty throw, the demon hurled the meteorite towards the adventurers.
"What will you do now, heroes."
"Shit." The twin sisters scrambled to evade the impending disaster, darting from shadow to shadow in a frantic attempt to escape the meteorite's impact zone.
"Evileye!" Lakyus shouted, but her friend seemed unaware. Instead, her uncle swooped in and whisked her away.
"I got you!" Azuth reassured her, but Lakyus's concern extended beyond her own safety.
"There! Pick up Gagaran as well!" Lakyus pointed towards Gagaran's unconscious form, the unfortunate first victim of the demon's onslaught.
"No problem."
With his second hand, Azuth effortlessly plucked Gagaran from harm's way and hastily retreated from the meteor's deadly path. He then maximized his suit's velocity to the fullest.
Ulbert and Evileye followed closely behind, their rear view offering a menacing glimpse of the fast approaching catastrophe.
BOOM!
A colossal ring of fire engulfed the impact site as a shockwave rippled throughout the city. The explosion expanded at an alarming rate, nearly overtaking Blue Rose in a matter of seconds.
"We need to go faster!" Lakyus screamed as she witnessed the approaching wall of flames.
Ulbert and Evileye resorted to [Teleportation] to escape, but Azuth, encased in his armor, was unable to employ the spell.
"I'm trying my best here, okay!" Azuth retorted, straining to push his armor to its limits.
Barely managing to elude the inferno, the trio emerged from the fiery maelstrom, with Azuth subsequently cooling down his armor as he slowed his pace.
"That was close." Azuth's voice quivered beneath his armor, his visage moist with sweat.
Lakyus collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, her eyes reflecting shock, her heart racing as if it were a ticking clock. Beads of sweat fell to the ground, her hearing temporarily obliterated by the deafening explosion, leaving only a resounding buzz in her mind.
"Lakyus, are you alright?" Azuth inquired, placing a hand on her shoulder. However, the young woman remained unresponsive.
'What…What was that…' She pondered, the final moments of the happenings feeling like an eternity.
Summoning her inner strength, Lakyus rose to her feet. She turned to survey the devastation for herself, witnessing just how much damage the demon caused.
"It's…It's gone."
Nothing remained. Not a single building, not a trace of the once-thriving city. Only a colossal crater, approximately one kilometer in diameter, bore witness to the unfathomable destruction.
Lakyus felt inconceivably small, dwarfed by the enormity of the crater and the evil presence responsible for it. She imagined the demon, a sinister specter, leering down at her, reveling in her despair.
"Lakyus? Lakyus?!"
Gradually, her hearing returned, and she registered Evileye's call.
"Have you seen this thing? How much do you think is gone? How many people have died in the destruction?" Lakyus murmured, her eyes wide and her speech fragmented.
"Lakyus, I don't think we should harbor such thoughts right now. We shouldn't lose hope." Evileye advised, gently gripping Lakyus's arms as the latter trembled like a leaf.
"Baphomet has proved a much greater threat to us as we have seen just now." Evileye continued, her gaze fixed on the crater.
'I would have never guessed someone of such power would exist. Maybe Rigrit was right. Baphomet is truly a player from Yggdrasil.' Evileye mused, her conviction growing. Even if not, she was convinced that Baphomet must have some connection to players, but she doubted he would provide her with answers simply because she asked. No, the demon would have likely killed her on the spot.
'I need to talk with Rigrit.'
The twin sisters materialized nearby, having barely survived the cataclysm. Gagaran awoke, experiencing excruciating pain throughout her body. The demon's assault had utterly demolished her armor, exposing her vulnerable flesh beneath.
"Damn, the demon got to be good." Gagaran remarked that her assessment of the situation made her considerably less eager to confront the fiend a second time.
"We should return to the inn. Gagaran is wounded, and Lakyus seems to have received psychological trauma." Evileye proposed, the rest of the group nodding in agreement.
Ulbert remained motionless, his gaze locked onto the crater. He made no effort to assist any of them or inquire about Lakyus's condition. He seemed present in body but absent in spirit, as though this were all a game to him.
"Ulbert?" Evileye questioned, prompting the man to snap back to reality.
"Yes?"
"We're leaving." Evileye declared tersely, opting not to waste any further words on the man whom she suspected of concealing ulterior motives. Whatever his intentions, she was certain they were far from benevolent.
"Fine."
Returning to the inn, Evileye entrusted Lakyus to the care of the other members of Blue Rose, with Gagaran receiving the attention of healing priests.
'Time to meet her.'
Closing the door behind her, Evileye vanished again into the inn, where she had previously met with Rigrit.
The seasoned necromancer was already seated, gesturing for Evileye to join her.
"I'm here."
"I know."
"Fine then."
As Evileye settled into her seat, a fresh mug of beer arrived at their table. Rigrit wasted no time in emptying it before resuming their conversation.
"So, I saw what happened. Definitely something the big guy would like to interfere in." Rigrit stated, her face grave.
"You sure? And if he doesn't do anything, I'll come over to him and tell him myself! This thing is above our league! He and his dragons are the only hope!" Evileye exclaimed, her words resonating throughout the inn.
"I know. I'll beat him to it. He won't do anything. If such a being with the power to do that much destruction with one spell exists and is ready to use it for evil, he will not hesitate." Rigrit assured Evileye, who sighed in relief.
"I hope you're right, Rigrit. I really hope you are."
In a dimly lit chamber, its sole source of illumination emanating from radiant crystals, six figures gathered amidst hovering tomes and reports.
These were none other than the esteemed Cardinals of Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Light, and Darkness, each a pivotal pillar within the revered Slane Theocracy, the rightful successors to the legacy of the Six Great Gods and their unwavering devotees.
"So you have all read the report." intoned the Cardinal of Earth, Raymond, his voice resonating with a deep and serious tone.
"This is a matter we have to worry about. The demon has not only decimated a part of the Re-Estize kingdom's capital but has advanced into our territory, kidnapping our citizens!" Berenice, the Cardinal of Fire, replied with an unwavering conviction, her message sounding clear.
"I am with you. This demon must be stopped before he decides to visit even our capital. But it seems it travels with an unknown method. Thousand Leagues Astrologer is scarred from what she saw even now. I guess you all have seen the picture she showed." Raymond mentioned, alluding to the illusionary depiction offered by the Thousand Leagues Astrologer through her divination magic, a record reliant upon the caster's perception.
"And what do you propose? Should we send the Black Scripture after him? It seems every time when he disappears, he does so for good." Voiced the Cardinal of Wind, raising legitimate doubts shared by the others.
"I thought of a different kind of idea. It does not bode well for us, but we should consider allying ourselves temporarily with the Argland Council State, or more precisely, with the Platinum Dragon Lord." Raymond suggested, fully anticipating the apprehensions some of the Cardinals harbored.
"Why should we ally ourselves with that filth?!" The Cardinal of Darkness retorted, his disdain for the dragons of that land evident.
"I agree. It would not be a good image." Concurred the Cardinal of Light, aligning with his comrade.
"I know we had our past differences, but we should consider doing so. Not only do we have a powerful ally at our side when fighting the demon, but we also could use the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Once we let the dragon fight the demon, we will fight whoever is left." Raymond clarified, his revelation prompting gasps among the Cardinals. revelation.
"I see, what a brilliant idea. I vote for it." The Cardinal of Darkness, formerly opposed, swiftly reversed his stance.
"I vote for it as well." Affirmed the Cardinal of Light.
"Good, then, as there are no oppositions, we will execute that plan. An envoy will be sent this night." Raymond concluded the meeting.
"Praise the Six."
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