542. Fleeing and Fighting
[Cerberus of Hell - Lvl. 193]
It was a wild Primeval Demon. It stood taller than the towering wall protecting the Demon King’s Domain. It had three heads, and it wore a coat of thin black spikes. Its body was lit ablaze— fire wisped off its fury as molten lava dripped off its feet.
The [Cerberus of Hell] emerged from the ground below. It had ripped through the rubble, clawing its way back up to the surface. Where could it have come from? For a moment, Haec thought it had to have dug a tunnel beneath the earth. But when he looked down, all he saw was red.
He stared past the carpet of debris. The earth was cracked open— a spiderweb of crevices tore their way through the Netherworld, revealing the crimson glow of magma. Haec blinked for a moment, before he finally realized where this Primeval Demon had come from.
It must have swam through the river of lava to get here. It didn’t need to cross the wall, because it simply went under it. But why was this [Cerberus of Hell] here? What led it to the other side of the border? Haec didn’t know.
He just looked on as the wild Primeval Demon swept its fiery gaze across the Third Legion. For a moment, it didn’t react. It just eyed the swarm of soldiers gathered around the valley. They looked back at it with wide eyes. Even Haec didn’t move. And he thought he saw a hint of intelligence in the [Cerberus of Hell]’s eyes.
But before he could get a word out, someone screamed.
“Kill it!”
And a volley of spells shot out at the wild Primeval Demon. Flaming arrows and bolts of lightning struck its burning side. It reeled, before letting out a guttural howl. The earth cracked from the ear-piercing screech, and a shockwave boomed out. Haec winced and covered his ears. But the lower-leveled soldiers recoiled from it.
Lesser Demons collapsed to the ground, screaming in pain, while Greater Demons dropped to a knee, barely taking the brunt of the shockwave. Their onslaught of attacks slowed, and the [Cerberus of Hell] opened its mouth, unleashing a wave of black flames into the valley.
The attack came from all three heads of the wild Primeval Demon. It swept its blast of black flames across the Third Legion, incinerating thousands of soldiers all at once. Haec watched as the wall of death approached him and gritted his teeth.
He grabbed Taburas once again, hopping over the streak of black flames. While they were still mid-air, the [Succubus] conjured a volley of ashen spears. The attack lanced out and struck one of the three heads of the wild Primeval Demon.
Haec landed, quickly placing Taburas down, before picking up a large boulder. It was about ten times his size, and he tossed it at the [Cerberus of Hell] like it was a mere pebble. It smashed into the wild Primeval Demon’s mouth, cutting off its deluge of black flames, giving the Third Legion a moment of respite.
The [Cerberus of Hell] roared and cast its gaze towards Haec. He clenched a fist, standing protectively over Taburas. Nothing either of them could throw at the wild Primeval Demon could hurt it. They were Archdemons— meanwhile, it was nearly a Primordial Demon.
Maybe if Haec used his Grand Skill he could harm it just a little bit…
But then a volley of rocks crashed into the back of the wild Primeval Demon. It recoiled, and another avalanche of boulders fell upon it. Haec narrowed his eyes, hearing the cheering of the Third Legion. He watched as bits of debris flew up to the sky, hovering over a glowing gray dot overhead.
“That’s…”
He stared for a moment. And Haec heard the cheers.
“Hartia!”
“The Ruler of the Border!”
“With the [Unseelie Lord] on our side, even this [Cerberus of Hell] is nothing!”
The Third Legion roared, emboldened by their leader. They poured forward, continuing their onslaught of attack against the wild Primeval Demon. Haec looked on as the [Cerberus of Hell] was inundated by salvo of spells from all sides.
He looked on as soldiers of all shapes and sizes raced around him. He caught a glimpse of Aemula shouting amidst the crowd. He saw Laxi flying up and circling the wild Primeval Demon on her magic carpet. All the while, Hartia continued to bombard the wild Primeval Demon with his magically enhanced boulders.
“What do we do, Haec?”
Taburas asked, taking a step next to the Heir of the Netherworld. He narrowed his eyes as he took in this scene. He looked back down at his right arm, seeing the glint of the metal band on his wrist.
And Haec realized… he might have found his opportunity to escape.
“Leos, that idiot!”
Savilus cursed as he sprinted around the [Cerberus of Hell]. He raised a hand, unleashing a blast of blue flames at the wild Primeval Demon. Even though he was an Archdemon— a Level 110 [Fiend] who could easily content with any wild Demon 5 levels above him— he was nothing more than a pest in the face of such a terrible beast.
He shook his head as his spell left no marks on the wild Primeval Demon’s fur.
“I should’ve known he was going to try to escape without me… and he completely botched it!”
While Savilus and Leos only met each other here in the Third Legion, they both realized they had the same motives— they wanted to get out of this stupid kingdom. This entire ordeal with the Demon King was pointless. They had discerned as much long ago. The only thing that mattered here in the Netherworld was their survival.
And they knew they would die here in the Expanse. So Savilus had come up with a plan. It would require both of them to time it just right— to slip away below the debris, navigating through the cracks and crevices to safety.
But they had to do it while Hartia was distracted. Not only that, they had to ensure it was when there was a massive battle— when the wall was besieged by a flock of Archdemons or even a Primeval Demon. The wall would be destroyed, and the entire Third Legion would be thrown into disarray. At that point in time, both Savilus and Leos could slip away safely. After all, there would be no wild Demons roaming the cracks. They would all be drawn to the large battle.
Unfortunately, Leos must have decided that he was tired of waiting. Instead of sticking to the plan, he had gone off on his own when there was a lull in combat. And that was his great mistake— he encountered the [Cerberus of Hell] while fleeing, and now he led it back here.
Savilus came to a halt right by the border wall. He had his back pressed up against it as he watched the [Cerberus of Hell] continue its rampage against the Third Legion.
“I am not fighting that.”
He got down on one knee and began digging up the rubble at his feet. He grinned, quietly remarking to himself as the battle continued to rage on ahead.
“Well, Leos may be an utter moron, but at least his death won’t be in vain. This is the perfect opportunity to escape…”
Savilus stepped back as he unearthed a large crevice with a river of lava running through the bottom. He nodded at himself, satisfied.
“Now then, time to get out of this damn—”
And he heard a roar. Savilus blinked as he looked up, looking on with wide eyes as a streak of black flames shot towards him. He couldn’t react in time. He tried to brace himself for the blast, closing his eyes. But he wasn’t incinerated to ashes.
The black flames struck the wall behind him. The earth shook as the blast tore through Hartia’s border. Savilus paused, keeping his eyes closed for a moment, not realizing he was still alive. Until, finally, he looked down at himself.
“I’m… alive?”
Savilus patted himself in disbelief. His mouth hung open as he realized the blast of black flames had missed him. He cheered, laughing madly at himself as he dropped to his knees.
“I’m alive! I’m—”
He started. And then he heard the rumbling crack. He paused as a shadow loomed over him. Savilus looked up with a frown, before his hands drooped down to his sides. The massive border wall began to collapse over him.
“Oh no…”
He whispered. And a moment later, he was crushed under the weight of a mountain as the rubble and rock of the towering wall fell upon him.
“Dammit!”
Hartia glanced back towards his wall, watching as it prematurely collapsed all thanks to the wild Primeval Demon’s flames. It crushed the surrounding soldiers and killed the nearby wild Demons too. But the wall hadn’t been up for long.
Normally, the Ruler of the Border would let the clamoring wild Demons out in the wilderness accumulate by the wall. And when the wall collapsed, there would be no wild Demons nearby to swarm into the Expanse. However, since there hadn’t been very many wild Demons gathered just yet, it meant that the horde of oncoming wild Demons could simply pour in freely.
He heard the roars— the howls and the growls. Hartia watched as the swarm of wild Demons charged over the wreckage of the wall. They assailed the soldiers of the Third Legion from behind, interrupting their barrage of spells.
“Wild Demons too…”
Hartia pursed his lips before he looked back towards the [Cerberus of Hell]. The wild Primeval Demon continued tearing its way through the Third Legion. It swiped down with a claw, sending hundreds of soldiers flying into the air. And it whipped down with its tail, crushing both wild Demons and soldiers alike.
It didn’t discriminate. It destroyed everything. And nothing Hartia threw at it could slow its rampage. It was stronger than him— not just by a little bit too. This [Cerberus of Hell] had to have had a Class that was above Level 190 too. Otherwise, there was no explanation as to why it could withstand all of the [Unseelie Lord]’s attacks without flinching.
He zipped back, barely avoiding a pillar of black flames that erupted into the air. He raised a hand as the fallen rubble of his wall floated above him. The flying rocks clashed into one another, forming a giant meteor the size of a small mountain. Hartia screamed as he hurled the massive boulder down at the wild Primeval Demon.
The [Cerberus of Hell] looked up just in time for the massive boulder smashed against it, shattering into millions of pieces. The attack had been larger than the wild Primeval Demon. But it wasn’t enough.
Hartia watched as the [Cerberus of Hell] collapsed for a moment— the flames coating its fur snuffed out. And its eyes snapped open. It raised its three heads, howling as another shockwave exploded out, knocking down soldiers and wild Demons alike.
The Ruler of the Border saw this show of strength— he looked on as the wild Primeval Demon continued to tear through the Third Legion. Every spell flung its way— all the projectiles thrown at it— none of it mattered. The [Cerberus of Hell] took it all in stride.
And Hartia gritted his teeth. Even his strongest Skills couldn’t harm it. Perhaps if he used his Grand Skills… but that was too risky. There had to be another course of action here. So he made his decision.
“There is only one way to deal with this mess.”
Hartia shook his head and turned around. He cupped his tiny hands over his mouth, yelling for all the Third Legion to hear.
“Retreat!”
His voice reverberated throughout the valley. And before his soldiers could process what he had just said, the Ruler of the Border quickly fled the scene, zipping into the distance.
MelasD
You can now read up to 30 chapters ahead on my patreon and support the webcomic.
Join my discord or subreddit.
Follow me on twitter or instagram.
542. Fleeing and Fighting
[Cerberus of Hell - Lvl. 193]
It was a wild Primeval Demon. It stood taller than the towering wall protecting the Demon King’s Domain. It had three heads, and it wore a coat of thin black spikes. Its body was lit ablaze— fire wisped off its fury as molten lava dripped off its feet.
The [Cerberus of Hell] emerged from the ground below. It had ripped through the rubble, clawing its way back up to the surface. Where could it have come from? For a moment, Haec thought it had to have dug a tunnel beneath the earth. But when he looked down, all he saw was red.
He stared past the carpet of debris. The earth was cracked open— a spiderweb of crevices tore their way through the Netherworld, revealing the crimson glow of magma. Haec blinked for a moment, before he finally realized where this Primeval Demon had come from.
It must have swam through the river of lava to get here. It didn’t need to cross the wall, because it simply went under it. But why was this [Cerberus of Hell] here? What led it to the other side of the border? Haec didn’t know.
He just looked on as the wild Primeval Demon swept its fiery gaze across the Third Legion. For a moment, it didn’t react. It just eyed the swarm of soldiers gathered around the valley. They looked back at it with wide eyes. Even Haec didn’t move. And he thought he saw a hint of intelligence in the [Cerberus of Hell]’s eyes.
But before he could get a word out, someone screamed.
“Kill it!”
And a volley of spells shot out at the wild Primeval Demon. Flaming arrows and bolts of lightning struck its burning side. It reeled, before letting out a guttural howl. The earth cracked from the ear-piercing screech, and a shockwave boomed out. Haec winced and covered his ears. But the lower-leveled soldiers recoiled from it.
Lesser Demons collapsed to the ground, screaming in pain, while Greater Demons dropped to a knee, barely taking the brunt of the shockwave. Their onslaught of attacks slowed, and the [Cerberus of Hell] opened its mouth, unleashing a wave of black flames into the valley.
The attack came from all three heads of the wild Primeval Demon. It swept its blast of black flames across the Third Legion, incinerating thousands of soldiers all at once. Haec watched as the wall of death approached him and gritted his teeth.
He grabbed Taburas once again, hopping over the streak of black flames. While they were still mid-air, the [Succubus] conjured a volley of ashen spears. The attack lanced out and struck one of the three heads of the wild Primeval Demon.
Haec landed, quickly placing Taburas down, before picking up a large boulder. It was about ten times his size, and he tossed it at the [Cerberus of Hell] like it was a mere pebble. It smashed into the wild Primeval Demon’s mouth, cutting off its deluge of black flames, giving the Third Legion a moment of respite.
The [Cerberus of Hell] roared and cast its gaze towards Haec. He clenched a fist, standing protectively over Taburas. Nothing either of them could throw at the wild Primeval Demon could hurt it. They were Archdemons— meanwhile, it was nearly a Primordial Demon.
Maybe if Haec used his Grand Skill he could harm it just a little bit…
But then a volley of rocks crashed into the back of the wild Primeval Demon. It recoiled, and another avalanche of boulders fell upon it. Haec narrowed his eyes, hearing the cheering of the Third Legion. He watched as bits of debris flew up to the sky, hovering over a glowing gray dot overhead.
“That’s…”
He stared for a moment. And Haec heard the cheers.
“Hartia!”
“The Ruler of the Border!”
“With the [Unseelie Lord] on our side, even this [Cerberus of Hell] is nothing!”
The Third Legion roared, emboldened by their leader. They poured forward, continuing their onslaught of attack against the wild Primeval Demon. Haec looked on as the [Cerberus of Hell] was inundated by salvo of spells from all sides.
He looked on as soldiers of all shapes and sizes raced around him. He caught a glimpse of Aemula shouting amidst the crowd. He saw Laxi flying up and circling the wild Primeval Demon on her magic carpet. All the while, Hartia continued to bombard the wild Primeval Demon with his magically enhanced boulders.
“What do we do, Haec?”
Taburas asked, taking a step next to the Heir of the Netherworld. He narrowed his eyes as he took in this scene. He looked back down at his right arm, seeing the glint of the metal band on his wrist.
And Haec realized… he might have found his opportunity to escape.
“Leos, that idiot!”
Savilus cursed as he sprinted around the [Cerberus of Hell]. He raised a hand, unleashing a blast of blue flames at the wild Primeval Demon. Even though he was an Archdemon— a Level 110 [Fiend] who could easily content with any wild Demon 5 levels above him— he was nothing more than a pest in the face of such a terrible beast.
He shook his head as his spell left no marks on the wild Primeval Demon’s fur.
“I should’ve known he was going to try to escape without me… and he completely botched it!”
While Savilus and Leos only met each other here in the Third Legion, they both realized they had the same motives— they wanted to get out of this stupid kingdom. This entire ordeal with the Demon King was pointless. They had discerned as much long ago. The only thing that mattered here in the Netherworld was their survival.
And they knew they would die here in the Expanse. So Savilus had come up with a plan. It would require both of them to time it just right— to slip away below the debris, navigating through the cracks and crevices to safety.
But they had to do it while Hartia was distracted. Not only that, they had to ensure it was when there was a massive battle— when the wall was besieged by a flock of Archdemons or even a Primeval Demon. The wall would be destroyed, and the entire Third Legion would be thrown into disarray. At that point in time, both Savilus and Leos could slip away safely. After all, there would be no wild Demons roaming the cracks. They would all be drawn to the large battle.
Unfortunately, Leos must have decided that he was tired of waiting. Instead of sticking to the plan, he had gone off on his own when there was a lull in combat. And that was his great mistake— he encountered the [Cerberus of Hell] while fleeing, and now he led it back here.
Savilus came to a halt right by the border wall. He had his back pressed up against it as he watched the [Cerberus of Hell] continue its rampage against the Third Legion.
“I am not fighting that.”
He got down on one knee and began digging up the rubble at his feet. He grinned, quietly remarking to himself as the battle continued to rage on ahead.
“Well, Leos may be an utter moron, but at least his death won’t be in vain. This is the perfect opportunity to escape…”
Savilus stepped back as he unearthed a large crevice with a river of lava running through the bottom. He nodded at himself, satisfied.
“Now then, time to get out of this damn—”
And he heard a roar. Savilus blinked as he looked up, looking on with wide eyes as a streak of black flames shot towards him. He couldn’t react in time. He tried to brace himself for the blast, closing his eyes. But he wasn’t incinerated to ashes.
The black flames struck the wall behind him. The earth shook as the blast tore through Hartia’s border. Savilus paused, keeping his eyes closed for a moment, not realizing he was still alive. Until, finally, he looked down at himself.
“I’m… alive?”
Savilus patted himself in disbelief. His mouth hung open as he realized the blast of black flames had missed him. He cheered, laughing madly at himself as he dropped to his knees.
“I’m alive! I’m—”
He started. And then he heard the rumbling crack. He paused as a shadow loomed over him. Savilus looked up with a frown, before his hands drooped down to his sides. The massive border wall began to collapse over him.
“Oh no…”
He whispered. And a moment later, he was crushed under the weight of a mountain as the rubble and rock of the towering wall fell upon him.
“Dammit!”
Hartia glanced back towards his wall, watching as it prematurely collapsed all thanks to the wild Primeval Demon’s flames. It crushed the surrounding soldiers and killed the nearby wild Demons too. But the wall hadn’t been up for long.
Normally, the Ruler of the Border would let the clamoring wild Demons out in the wilderness accumulate by the wall. And when the wall collapsed, there would be no wild Demons nearby to swarm into the Expanse. However, since there hadn’t been very many wild Demons gathered just yet, it meant that the horde of oncoming wild Demons could simply pour in freely.
He heard the roars— the howls and the growls. Hartia watched as the swarm of wild Demons charged over the wreckage of the wall. They assailed the soldiers of the Third Legion from behind, interrupting their barrage of spells.
“Wild Demons too…”
Hartia pursed his lips before he looked back towards the [Cerberus of Hell]. The wild Primeval Demon continued tearing its way through the Third Legion. It swiped down with a claw, sending hundreds of soldiers flying into the air. And it whipped down with its tail, crushing both wild Demons and soldiers alike.
It didn’t discriminate. It destroyed everything. And nothing Hartia threw at it could slow its rampage. It was stronger than him— not just by a little bit too. This [Cerberus of Hell] had to have had a Class that was above Level 190 too. Otherwise, there was no explanation as to why it could withstand all of the [Unseelie Lord]’s attacks without flinching.
He zipped back, barely avoiding a pillar of black flames that erupted into the air. He raised a hand as the fallen rubble of his wall floated above him. The flying rocks clashed into one another, forming a giant meteor the size of a small mountain. Hartia screamed as he hurled the massive boulder down at the wild Primeval Demon.
The [Cerberus of Hell] looked up just in time for the massive boulder smashed against it, shattering into millions of pieces. The attack had been larger than the wild Primeval Demon. But it wasn’t enough.
Hartia watched as the [Cerberus of Hell] collapsed for a moment— the flames coating its fur snuffed out. And its eyes snapped open. It raised its three heads, howling as another shockwave exploded out, knocking down soldiers and wild Demons alike.
The Ruler of the Border saw this show of strength— he looked on as the wild Primeval Demon continued to tear through the Third Legion. Every spell flung its way— all the projectiles thrown at it— none of it mattered. The [Cerberus of Hell] took it all in stride.
And Hartia gritted his teeth. Even his strongest Skills couldn’t harm it. Perhaps if he used his Grand Skills… but that was too risky. There had to be another course of action here. So he made his decision.
“There is only one way to deal with this mess.”
Hartia shook his head and turned around. He cupped his tiny hands over his mouth, yelling for all the Third Legion to hear.
“Retreat!”
His voice reverberated throughout the valley. And before his soldiers could process what he had just said, the Ruler of the Border quickly fled the scene, zipping into the distance.
MelasD
You can now read up to 30 chapters ahead on my patreon and support the webcomic.
Join my discord or subreddit.
Follow me on twitter or instagram.
