I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Natsume Akatsuki*
M for mature topics. No children allowed. *
Konosuba (Not): Thanatos Blessing Upon This Broken World
By Try Another Time
Irene took a deep breath as she looked around at her surroundings and reacted to the attacks of their current target.
"Mommy!" The demon screamed at full volume as its crystal arms stretched like spears, determined to pierce anything on their path.
Thanks to the buffs she had received from her teammates, Irene had no issue evading the initial attack as she dashed to the left to avoid one of the arms while Kazuma did the same with the other. But the arms attached to the main body were far from their main issue, as their senses alerted them to the other arms that attacked them from the walls surrounding them.
Each crystal around them was a deadly trap that could activate at any moment, making the situation far more difficult than it had to be.
Irene hated this, but luckily enough-
Multiple explosive and electric attacks rain from above with deadly precision as they target the extra arm and the demon to aid the team in achieving their goal.
She had some of the best teammates one could ever wish for under such circumstances. Irene watched with anxiety as the explosive spells chipped away at the demon's defenses, whose body seemed to try to repair any damage with newly formed crystals while carefully protecting the bright crystal resting in the middle of its chest.
Irene could see clearly that the demon acknowledged its major weakness as it tried to protect the core with layers on top of layers of hardened crystals. "We can kill it. One attack is all it will take to end this." Her eyes could see Darkness from the corner of her eye as she made her way up with the aid of Yunyun's ice platforms while evading the constant attacks of the crystals on the walls.
Yet with a clear way out of this situation, if she were to use her sword to pierce the chest of the demon, Irene didn't try to play the hero as her senses screamed at her that trying to get close and ignore the dangers surrounding her would be a significant mistake. Call it fear or natural survival instinct, but she felt threatened, and the magma that continued to pour in from the walls wasn't helping her to calm down.
"Open your eyes, Irene. It's coming for us!" Kazuma screamed at her as he saw the incoming charge of the demon, who almost resembled a bull as it tried to crush them with its large, bulky body.
Both adventurers evade the initial tackle, but their eyes grow wide as crystal tentacles shoot out from the main body, intending to capture them. Neither the reaper nor the young swordswoman wasted time as their bodies reacted to the incoming attacks by swinging their weapons with swift attacks, which destroyed the tentacles. At the same time, they also backed away from the immediate area to create as much distance between themselves and the main body.
"I feared that it could do something like that. Close quarters combat is out of the question." Kazuma said as he summoned several dark scythes, which he started to fire against specific spots of the demon's body.
The scythes cannot cut deep into the targeted areas, but at least they confirmed the spots they could use to immobilize it when the time comes, as the strain of the large body's weight is clearly damaging its limb joints.
"Are you afraid of the crystals?" Irene asks.
The demon turns around before firing its crystals like a machine gun. Both adventurers dance around the crystals while blocking some with their weapons. Their movements seemed to match each other as they didn't bump or block each other's view as they continued to be targeted by the demon.
Suddenly, another round of magic spells rained on the demon's position, which forced the creature to stop its assault against Kazuma and Irene before it used its arms to create a crystal dome to protect itself.
Its eyes seemed completely locked on Kazuma and Irene.
"I'm afraid of what it could do to either of us if we let them touch us. The crystals on the walls seemed a bit different from the ones in the main body….. My body is telling me not to test my luck by letting them touch me…. I mess up, I should have planned something else." Kazuma admits as he takes a second to catch his breath.
Irene does the same as she doesn't look away from their target. "... None of us has died yet. The mission is not impossible. At least we know it hasn't seen or detected our spellcasters or supports. Only three of our entire team are being targeted, which must serve us to some degree." Irene said as she understood the weight that Kazuma must be carrying on his back.
Being the leader required taking charge and actively considering the lives of others at all points, something she knew she lacked since she wasn't a leader like her brother or father.
"I need a clear shot, Kazuma!" Darkness screams as she has finally reached a spot from which she could safely open fire.
The pair acknowledges this as they see their path forward.
"The magma is not helping our odds. If this fails, I'll have to stay here and send you up. I can face death once more, but you shouldn't." Kazuma says as he accumulates his energy into his scythe's blade, which grows in size.
Irene shakes her head as she does something similar by infusing her blade with her golden energy until she materializes a larger blade. "I won't be running away. I can do this."
Both nod before approaching the dome up to a certain distance and start to slash the structure with precise movements as they seek to clear the path for their teammate. The dome begins to fall as the combined attacks are restless, which, alongside the spells that continue to rain on it, dwindle its defenses to almost zero.
Irene follows Kazuma's lead, targeting the same areas the scythes attacked. This brings the demons to their knees, as their legs are unable to support the weight of their bodies.
"Mommy!" The demon shouts as more tentacles burst from its body, intending to eliminate its targets.
But that was exactly what Darkness needed.
Darkness POV, moments before.
The fallen knight took her position as she kneeled down while the relic arm transformed into a futuristic weapon that hadn't been seen in centuries by the people of this world besides those within the Black Daggers.
Darkness sensed the weapon as it started to drain large amounts of her energy even before she loaded the projectile. Darkness extended her other hand open as she awaited the projectile.
"Here it goes. Make me proud, Darkness." Wiz screamed as she used her mastery over alchemy to mold a piece of iron ore into a projectile that resembled a spear's head, perfect for the mission, in a matter of seconds before she threw it at her ally.
Darkness catches it before she loads it into the chamber of the railgun. "You're mine, now." Darkness closes one eye as she aims the gun barrel while looking through the futuristic scope sights of her railgun.
She senses danger as more arms shoot out to attack her from the nearby walls, but Darkness doesn't move an inch as she trusts the spellcasters.
Thankfully, her trust was well placed as Wiz and Aqua didn't waste time as they countered the attacks with their magic.
The mission was clear, and Darkness knew that as she took a deep breath, she waited for the right moment to open fire. She was far from an expert sniper, but she knew it was up to her to make this plan work, as nobody else could.
The demon seemed highly resistant to magic attacks, and the situation wasn't leaving space for a new plan, so with the tension running at its highest, all of the responsibility fell on her.
One single shot to end it all.
One single projectile to put an end to this mission.
One single attack to put the poor demon to rest as it continues to call out for its mother.
Then, in a moment of pure clarity, Darkness saw a chance as the demon opened itself up by giving her a perfect view of its core.
The fallen knight didn't say a word as the railgun opened fire. The shot was mostly silent up until the point of impact, at which point everyone heard the shattering of the demon's core as it broke into a million pieces due to the sheer strength of the shot.
Everything froze for a couple of seconds, as nobody made a move. The demon was also completely frozen in place, as even its tentacles stopped their advance. Its eyes, which shine bright, go dark as the core no longer powers its body.
Not even a last cry was heard from within the demon as its life seemed to come to an so called end.
Suddenly, magma began to burst from the wall that the projectile pierced, and Darkness watched as Kazuma didn't waste a single second before he grabbed Irene and used his wings to fly up.
The knight didn't waste her chance as her relic arm returned to its previous form. Darkness stood up before she jumped and grabbed Kazuma's hand, which allowed all three to reach the entrance from which they came.
The spellcasters joined them, feeling relieved that the mission had been a success. The chamber started to fill once more, and the demon's body disappeared under the magma.
Everyone seemed happy about the end of the fight, as the team evaded any damage despite being in such a dangerous situation.
"We did it. Thank Eris. That was tense and much harder than I thought it was going to be." Darkness said.
"I would have loved if our magic was more effective against that demon, but the crystals kept growing so fast as if it had no end in sight," Megumin admits as she glances back at the chamber for one last time before she looks away.
Wiz seems worried as she recalls everything they witnessed. "I don't think that was a normal demon. The fact that we found a single demon inside a dungeon instead of a team is already weird. Add its abilities and the fact that it could 'talk' makes me think that someone in the demon army is trying to boost the abilities of normal demons. This might have been just part of a much complex experiment."
"It could be. We should send a message to-" Kazuma stops himself as his body tenses up. His body screams at him about the incoming danger, and before anyone else has time to react, Kazuma pushes Irene out of the way before a crystal tentacle barely scratches his shoulder, which thankfully is protected by his armor. "Shit.. Is the demon still alive?"
Darkness also reacts as she swings her sword to cut the crystal tentacle off before the entire group approaches the edge of the entrance to the magma chamber.
The tentacle crumbles back into the magma that continues to fill the chamber faster than before. Yet from the depths, a dark hand reaches out before the team witnesses the horrible face of their enemy, which arises with a newfound purple glow, which starts to affect the crystals, which change colors to match the new energy.
A creepy smile appears across the demon's face, and its head twitches uncontrollably as if possessed. However, to the team's surprise, its core remains completely destroyed.
"Princess Iris, my beautiful bride, I finally found you after so long!" The possessed demon says as Fulcan takes over. Its crystal claws bury themselves into the wall before it starts to climb up. Its goal was not a secret to anyone, as its eyes remained locked on one person.
The entire team feels its demonic aura, which spreads around the chamber like a gas that makes everyone tense up.
Irene freezes up as she recognizes the voice. Her mind grows blank before all those memories from the past come back to her. Anger takes over her mind as she grips her sword with all her strength, but before she has time to react, Kazuma pulls her away from the edge.
"We're getting out of here. Fighting that creature is no longer possible in this place. We're exiting this dungeon at all costs. Megumin, get ready to fire your strongest spell when I give the order." Kazuma says as he points everyone towards the exit.
Everyone besides Irene nods as they rush out of the magma chamber without a second thought, yet Irene remains frozen in place as her desire for revenge clouds her mind.
"Irene, we are not doing this. Let's move." Kazuma says as he grabs her hand.
Irene tries to look back, but Kazuma forces her to look at him.
"You can't make him pay if you get captured by him. Don't make me repeat myself, Irene!" The reaper says as he locks eyes with his teammate.
Irene feels the tension behind his blackened eyes as his worries keep increasing with each moment. The former princess bites her lip before she forces herself to listen to Kazuma. "Let's go."
Kazuma nods as he rushes her to get out while he follows right behind her. The reaper doesn't look back, yet his body senses the approaching enemy that is likely to go on a rampage as it seeks to capture the object of its attention.
"Iris! Don't run away!" The ground trembles for a second before the entire team hears the sound of a cave-in as something forces its way through the tight tunnels they had walked before.
"Don't look back, Irene. We'll face it once we're outside!" Kazuma shouts as he pushes on without stopping for even a second.
General POV.
The sight is both terrifying and a bit comedic as the entire team does their best to escape the dungeon while evading the monsters that crawl through the tunnels and the demon who seemed like a mad bull set on its restless charge as its body destroyed anything on its path.
While they ran, Wiz and Aqua, who were being carried over Darkness's shoulders, continued to cast support spells to aid the team on their escape as the exit seemed to get closer and closer, while at the same time, the demon's tentacles became more restless as they sought to capture Irene.
"Don't look back." Repeats in her mind as she jumps over a primate monster who sought to attack her.
Kazuma finishes the monster by throwing one of his dark scythes straight into the head of the beast. "We're almost there. Get ready, we'll create an opening for Megumin. I'll be right by your side. Let's create another opening for them."
"Iris!" The demon lord shouts her name once more as its crystalline hands reach out to capture her once more.
Kazuma glares at their enemy as he spins around before he delivers a series of slashes that cut the arms of their enemy, before he resumes his escape.
"Don't get in my way!" The demon growls as it forces the body to obey its will, which results in a new set of arms replacing the missing ones, before it uses them to try to crush Kazuma like a wild gorilla who only sought to destroy its opponent.
The reaper smirks. "Try your best, traitorous bastard. You think you deserved her hand in marriage after all you did? A coward who didn't have the guts to come and face us in person? Don't make me laugh. If you want her, you'll have to eliminate me first!"
"How dare you get in my way!? Not only did you eliminate Talus, but you also dared to conceal my bride from me? I won't forgive you, reaper from the goddess!" Fulcan says as he orders his puppet to attack once more.
Kazuma evades the frantic attacks while analyzing the entire situation. "Didn't know demon lords could control their troops like this…. Maybe Wiz can tell us something about it, although I feel that this entire situation is not normal. A demon that can produce crystals that infect others…. Seems more like something that someone else created and put to use on this demon… so many questions. We might be more help against this thing if it keeps moving regardless of how much damage it receives. "
"Another demon lord so soon…. You don't cease to amaze me, Kazuma." Thanatos's voice invades Kazuma's mind.
"Thanatos-sama? Were you listening?" Kazuma questions the god while also remaining focused on Fulcan's assault against him.
"You're connected to me, Kazuma. If you do need me, I'll know, and from what I can see in your mind, this fellow is crossing a line…. Maybe it is time to tell you a tiny secret about your vessel and the blessings I gave to you."
"I'm all ears. I have a plan, but if that fails, I welcome any tool I could use to protect my team."
"My dear boy, you can cut the connection between the demon lord and that body. Your scythe can cut the ethereal link between targets. You used that ability against the first demon lord you faced. Concentrate and slash that link; your vessel can sense it."
"Eh? I can do that?"
"Don't do that. You're not that ignorant. I imagine you thought about it. Why did the first demon lord's soul go to me and not back to the demons? That child keeps those souls trapped within his grasp, and I want that to stop. There's no better way to stop him than sever every link he possesses with those trapped within his grasp. Your scythe can cut any link. For now, that should be all you need. Damage it with a powerful attack before you aim to cut the link. You should be able to sense its link once it's weakened."
"You make it sound so easy."
"It is that easy since you're my agent. Be confident in your actions. You've done a lot for someone who lived in a society that wasn't submerged in a war like this. Doubting yourself won't help you, push forward and you'll find success."
The voice vanishes as Kazuma and the team finally arrive at the dungeon's entrance. It doesn't take much for Fulcan to burst through the entrance and exit to the wastelands that awaited them outside.
"Darkness, Irene, let's show this bastard what we can do," Kazuma shouts as he begins to summon dark scythes, which he uses to target the demon's eyesight as he needs to distract him long enough for Megumin and the others to prepare their spell.
Darkness and Irene follow suit while being mindful of being in direct contact with the crystals. One targets the left side, while the other targets the right, with Kazuma targeting the front.
Their speed, even that of Darkness, works to their advantage as the demon's body cannot keep track of all three simultaneously.
The demon rages on as its tentacles go wild while crystals arise around its immediate area before new arms grow from them and start targeting Kazuma and the others. "Damn you. Why do you continue to fight me, Iris? I did all for you. I did it to give you a life in this new world we hope to create, why, why, why?" Fulcan's voice denotes his madness as the calm attitude for which he was known was nowhere in sight.
His words, his raging emotions, all of it made Irene sick as none of it made sense. The pain and the damage that he had inflicted upon her, the nation, the world, none of it came from a place of love or affection, as only a madman would go down the path that Fulcan did.
"... Don't make me laugh, Fulcan. For her? You killed her father, her brother, and sacrificed an entire nation for love? None of what you did came from a place of love. You're a traitor who betrayed all the hopes and dreams of Irene and her nation. You were their hero, and yet you sold yourself to the enemy. Don't you dare speak about love before me, bastard!" Kazuma screams before he puts all his energy into the blade of his scythe.
The reaper goes all out alongside Darkness and Irene as they use their own abilities to attack the demon.
"What would you know about my love for Iris? You weren't there to see how much effort I put into keeping her safe. I did what was necessary to save her." Fulcan forces the body to go all out to defeat Irine and finally capture her while eliminating everyone else.
"Save her? You saved nobody, you disgusting traitor. You betrayed everyone who once believed in you! You stabbed all of us in the back, and you're so cowardly that you can't even face us in person. This is the type of man you are, incapable of accepting the responsibility for your actions. You're no hero, and you don't love Irene. You're just looking for a reason to reaffirm your actions as right. Shut up and die!" Darkness joins in as her own emotions come to the surface.
Yet one person remained silent, although she kept fighting. There were no words for Irene to say to the one that she once saw as her beloved knight in shining armor. Her tears had dried up for him, and the pure feelings that she once held for him had crumbled into nothingness, as there was nothing he could do to ease the damage he had caused. The princess who once awaited his return to the castle died long ago on the day that she witnessed the head of her father rolling down to her feet after he had beheaded him in front of her.
There was nothing for her to say, and only cold anger remained as she let her blade speak for her. Her golden blade was fast, refined, and deadly as it cut through the body of her enemy with little difficulty, yet each attack was also filled with emotions she couldn't express through words.
"10 seconds! Be ready!" Megumin screamed as the spell was ready.
Fulcan tried his hardest to track her down, but the girl seemed to only leave after images of her body as she slashed him with zero regard for the past that once united them. "Don't look at me like that, Iris! I'm your knight, your hero, your eyes shouldn't look at me like that!"
Yet Irene's expression didn't change as she delivered one final slash, which cut one of the legs of her target. Darkness cuts the other with her ax.
Kazuma doesn't miss the chance. He cuts both arms of their opponent before rushing to drag Darkness and Irene as far away as his speed allows. Once they are far from the immediate area, Darkness uses her shield to protect them from the incoming attack.
Fulcan's POV.
The demon lord didn't understand what was happening until his eyes finally looked up. A massive magic circle stood right above him, as the strongest spell was ready to deliver judgment upon him.
"Iris!" Her name was the last thing he got to scream before a massive explosion blew everything up within a predetermined area as its casters sought not to destroy a gigantic area but instead eliminated a single target.
It was a concentrated spell worthy of the fear it could provoke on anyone unlucky enough to become its target.
Kazuma's POV.
The reaper kept his eyes closed until the explosion settled. Once he sensed it was over, he opened them only to find Irene trembling within his embrace. He didn't know the cause for this reaction, but he felt it was due to the experience of facing such a spell from so close. "Darkness, how are you?"
"I'm fine. A bit tired but I'm alright. The shield blocked the damage we could have received." Darkness replies as she lets go of the shield.
"Good." Kazuma arms released the girl before Irene raised her head to face him. "Are you doing all right?"
"...I don't know…. I feel empty…." Irene admits.
"...Alright, try to recover; we'll depart soon. This place is not safe for us to camp, but I must confirm the kill." The reaper stands up. "Darkness, help her. I'll do this on my own."
Darkness nods as she understands the situation.
The reaper spreads his wings before he rushes to reach the area of the impact. As soon as he reaches it, he finds a heavily damaged demon trying to regenerate with little success.
"Even that wasn't enough? This thing doesn't know when to die." The reaper descends with his scythe in hand as he aims to finish the job.
"How dare you!?"
Kazuma doesn't reply as he closes his eyes. The reaper seeks the link that Thanatos spoke about. He doesn't see anything but darkness before him until a purple threat seems to appear before him. "I see. I must cut all links…"
With no doubts plaguing his mind anymore, Kazuma swings his scythe against his target, which is aimed at its abdomen.
"Bastard!" Fulcan screams as his influence over the body is forcibly cut by his opponent. The body then crumbles into a million pieces as if the damage couldn't be ignored anymore.
After all is done, Kazuma opens his eyes, finally returning to their green color.
"It survived our attack?" Megumin asks as she approaches Kazuma with the other spellcasters.
Kazuma shakes his head. "That body was already dead. Fulcan is who kept it moving…. Wiz, are there any reports of demons being altered to gain more power?"
Wiz nods right away. "Our next target is likely to blame for this fellow. We theorized that she seeks to push demons towards the next step of their evolution."
"Great…. Let's not waste any more time in this place. Fulcan is still alive and likely sending troops as we speak. We need a place to camp for the night." Kazuma says.
Everyone seems in agreement, as they all feel exhausted after the whole mission, which was full of turns and unexpected visits.
Time was of the essence, and a long night of rest awaited them.