592. Rupture
The Salvos clone stared at the swarm of Demons.
There were so many of them— each so distinct in shape, size, and levels. Many of them were Lesser Demons, however there seemed to be more Greater Demons. Which was odd to see.
When the Demon King’s grand ritual was being cast, bringing over hundreds of thousands of Demons into the Mortal Realm, the main bulk of their numbers tended to be Lesser Demons. But for whatever reason, that wasn’t true here.
There were at least ten thousand wild Demons gathered here, with a proportionally large number of them having reached the higher evolutions. There was even a single Primeval Demon amongst their numbers.
A Level 175 [Greater Amaymon].
It looked like an amalgamation of a dozen different beasts, except each one had been enlarged to the size of a small building. It wore the heads of a goat, a lion, a camel, and a dozen other creatures. But at the same time, it bore the feet of a chicken, the claws of a wolf, and the hooves of a horse.
The Salvos clone often felt like she had rather muted emotions compared to the original. Because of that, she was much more carefree. Maybe even apathetic. However, for once, she was taken aback, completely befuddled at what she saw.
The [Greater Amaymon] was such a strange wild Demon. It just lay there, unmoving as all kinds of Demons circled around it. At first, the Salvos clone thought they were all attracted to it.
But then she watched as the drew closer towards it, like they were trying to attack. And it easily swatted them away. It cut the other wild Demons down before they could even get close. The goat head swung down, crushing a [Savage Agarat] against the ground. The lion’s head opened its maw and munched on a dozen approaching [Hellhounds].
Because of that, the wild Demons warily gave the Primeval Demon a wide berth. Those that drew too close were instantly squished like an insignificant insect. The Salvos clone blinked.
But why were the wild Demons attacking the [Greater Amaymon]? Maybe it was because they weren’t attacking it.
The Salvos clone narrowed her eyes as she drew closer. There was no mistaking it. The wild Demons didn’t even care about the Primeval Demon. They just wanted to get past it— they just wanted to gather around the faded ritual circle.
It was the very same ritual circle used to aid the grand ritual to merge the planes. It had even been deactivated, before being reactivated by Ira to continue the merger. The Salvos clone had been here before.
…or at least, the original Salvos had been here. And she had been the one to defeat Ira. That was how she evolved into a Primeval Demon. That was how she became an [Angelic Devil Princess].
The Salvos clone could only vaguely remember those events. It was like with each passing day, she was able to remember past events— or at least, events that occurred through the original— less and less.
But she shook her head as she hovered just before Lunaris. That didn’t matter right now. She had to figure out why the Demons were gathering here. So she flew closer and closer…
And the [Greater Amaymon] finally took notice of her. All of its dozens of heads snapped up, facing her way in an instant. Before the Salvos clone could even react, the closest head opened its mouth.
“What—”
The Salvos clone started, and the wild Primeval Demon’s heads shot out. They didn’t detach from the body, but their necks extended outwards. Like they were tendrils of sorts. They shot straight up for their target, moving at extremely high speeds.
Fortunately, the Salvos clone was able to react with the help of [Angelic Premonition]. She dove out of the way just in time for a wolf-like head to slam shut where she had been hovering. However, before she could even get far, a second head intercepted her.
She narrowed her eyes as she came face to face with a lion’s head. Once again, it tried to rip her out of the sky, and she activated [Divine Haste]. A smile cut across her face as she deftly flew out of the way of the second attack.
The Salvos clone continued evading the onslaught of various animal heads. But right as she thought she could escape, three of the heads opened their mouths all at once. She readied herself for whatever projectile they would unleash her way.
And the [Greater Amaymon] screeched. The Salvos clone recoiled as her entire flaming body flickered. An intense wave of pain washed over her as she screamed silently.
Her wings twisted, almost dissipating from the attack, and she tumbled out of the air. It was sound magic. She couldn’t have prepared herself for that. She tried to catch herself, even as the screaming continued.
But before she could regain any sense of what was going on, the goat head rammed straight into her. Her eyes widened as she was sent flying into the distance. Her wings were shredded into nothing, and her flaming body dimmed.
She crashed into the ground as she gritted her teeth together. The Salvos clone raised her head, and her vision blurred. The [Greater Amaymon] loomed over her, its many heads quickly descending to crush her where she lay.
“Strong…”
The Salvos clone whispered as she rose to her feet. She steadied herself as she looked up at the oncoming heads. Five heads opened their mouths this time around, and she knew what was going to come next. So she acted before that could happen.
She rarely had to do this, but she focused her mind on the last location she remembered outside of the ruins of Lunaris. She thought of the battlements where she stood and conversed with Faith.
And the Salvos clone raised her hand as the world around her distorted. Everything seemed to shift around her. The various heads of the [Greater Amaymon] began to fade. They unleashed their sound magic as they drew closer.
But it was too late.
“[Greater Teleportation]!”
The Salvos clone was gone. And the wild Primeval Demon’s heads crushed the empty ground beneath.
—--
After escaping from the [Greater Amaymon], the Salvos clone immediately started flying back to where she had last left Edithe. The same small encampment where they had saved Jaakko and his team.
That was where most of the adventurers gathering around the east of the Netherfied Lands were gathering. They were preparing to build up a large force to tackle this Demon problem together. Unfortunately, the Salvos clone had bad news for them.
“Over ten thousand of them… and a Primeval Demon too.”
Edithe whispered in a grim voice. She raised her head, watching as everyone gathered in the meeting tent lowered their heads. The Salvos clone had recounted her story of what happened, and the situation seemed significantly more dire than they had thought.
“The last time a single Primeval Demon appeared and we ignored it, Nixa was destroyed.”
Hadrian spoke up as he swept his gaze over the room. A few heads nodded in agreement, while others turned away in shame. Edithe shook her head as she turned back to the Salvos clone.
“But why are they gathering there?”
It was the question that was weighing in everyone’s mind. Unfortunately, the Salvos clone just shrugged in response.
“Don’t know.”
It was not an answer anyone wanted to hear. Edithe herself had been hoping that the Salvos clone could have provided a reasonable explanation. But knowing Salvos, and considering the fact that this was supposed to just be a copy, the redhead the answer before she had even answered the question.
“So what do we do?”
Edithe asked as she looked at the various adventurers in the room. Most of those who were currently present were independent adventurers. The Valiant Dreamers Company was one of the bigger companies that had joined in eradicating the Demons leaking out in the Netherfied Lands. And that was saying something, considering that the Valiant Dreamers had downsized significantly in the recent years— after all, many of their members had perished from partaking in a company war, before helping with fending off the Demon invasion.
…and not to mention the split that occurred where nearly half of the members of the company left to start a brand new company when it was revealed that the previous leader had lied to them.
Nevertheless, there were many different forces gathered here in the Netherfied Lands. Certainly, the Rising Veterans Company had offered some support. But the bulk of their forces were preoccupied elsewhere, so the forces left to handle the Netherfied Lands were far smaller than Edithe had hoped.
They could recruit the help of the neighboring nations who were also dealing with the outpouring of Demons from the Netherfied Lands. However, Edithe didn’t think that was enough to take down a Primeval Demon— not without significant risks.
And Hadrian seemed to agree. He raised his head, facing the room.
“We need the help of Elites.”
He spoke simply, before looking at the Salvos clone briefly. She tilted her head, and he looked past her.
“Multiple Elites. Not just a single one. We need enough to defeat that Primeval Demon and those swarms of Demons in a single fell swoop. Otherwise, we will only make them stronger.”
“That’s true…”
“But who’s going to be willing to help us?”
“Perhaps we can get Clayton Skyshredder!”
Edithe pursed her lips as she overheard the various small conversations breaking out across the room. She highly doubted that the Headmaster of Mavos Academy was going to participate in this incursion, even after the controversy that had come from his late participation in joining the United Coalition of the Human Lands.
She had spoken to him only a handful of times. But each time they spoke, she could get a good read of his character. And the redhead was under the strong impression that he was a hard-headed, stubborn man who was a sticker for the rules.
But if not Clayton Skyshredder, who else could they possibly recruit? Edithe thought of one possible candidate.
She didn’t know if he was equivalent to an Elite just yet, but the last time she spoke with him, he had vowed to grow much stronger by the time they next met. And even if he hadn’t leveled at all since she last saw him, his abilities and artifacts made him quite the formidable ally.
Edithe nodded slowly to herself as she strode forward.
“If we can get the Thief of the Golden Scales—”
“Perhaps the Council of Cremont should get involved…”
“I believe Laux Lionfist would—”
Edithe heard the various suggestions before offered, and she wanted to scoff. She raised her head, about to tell them about a certain [Hero] who would listen to her—
…and the ground shook.
At first, it was a slow, gradual tremor that the redhead barely noticed. But it rapidly increased in intensity as she blinked. Edithe staggered back, steadying herself against the table as a violent earthquake shook the world around her.
“What’s going on?”
The gathered adventurers exclaimed, stumbling around the room as the shaking continued. A rack of weapons collapsed to the ground with metallic clangs, and the only two stools in the room toppled over. Even the tent itself threatened to come crashing down, but it managed to hold steady for a moment longer.
And the shaking stopped. Edithe sighed in relief, leaning against the unsteady table. She pushed herself off as she turned to Hadrian. He scanned the room with round eyes, before meeting her gaze.
Everyone present was in a daze. Even the Salvos clone was confused, looking around in surprise. Hadrian shook his head at Edithe.
“I haven’t felt tremors like that since the start of this mess…”
He whispered softly. Edithe blinked, before slowly nodding.
“Since the ground cracked open, and the sky ruptured.”
She knew what he was talking about. When the Netherfied Lands first began to fall apart, before the incursions began. Her eyes narrowed at the implication, and she snapped her gaze up.
“Wait, does that mean—”
And she sprinted past Hadrian. He paused, before giving chase as he called out to her. But the redhead ignored him. She ran straight for the flap leading out of the tent as she gritted her teeth.
“It can’t be… right?”
But as she burst out of the tent, she came to a sudden halt. Hadrian was a step behind her. It took him a moment to even realized what was going on. His footfall gradually slowed as his eyes went wide.
He stopped right next to her. Edithe didn’t even glance his way. Because she was gaping. Her gaze was focused solely on the sky.
She had feared that even more crevices had formed in the Mortal Realm— that was why she rushed out of the tent. But what actually happened was something beyond her comprehension. Because she didn’t even understand what was going on.
The ground didn't rip open. The sky didn’t rupture. Most of the Netherfied Lands remained the same. Except that the entire landscape had been shadowed over by a dark cloud. One that was growing larger by the passing moments as reverse raindrops seemed to fall into the sky.
It flitted up slowly, being collected in the air from black water. No— not water. It was Demon’s blood.
It gathered above, rising from the ground. And not just that, it seemed to pour through the rupture in the sky as well. And Edithe took in this scene, uncomprehending. She could only wonder to herself as the Salvos clone and the rest of the encampment took notice of this odd view.
“What in the world is going on?”
And no one had an answer for her. Because the answer waited in the Netherworld.
MelasD
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592. Rupture
The Salvos clone stared at the swarm of Demons.
There were so many of them— each so distinct in shape, size, and levels. Many of them were Lesser Demons, however there seemed to be more Greater Demons. Which was odd to see.
When the Demon King’s grand ritual was being cast, bringing over hundreds of thousands of Demons into the Mortal Realm, the main bulk of their numbers tended to be Lesser Demons. But for whatever reason, that wasn’t true here.
There were at least ten thousand wild Demons gathered here, with a proportionally large number of them having reached the higher evolutions. There was even a single Primeval Demon amongst their numbers.
A Level 175 [Greater Amaymon].
It looked like an amalgamation of a dozen different beasts, except each one had been enlarged to the size of a small building. It wore the heads of a goat, a lion, a camel, and a dozen other creatures. But at the same time, it bore the feet of a chicken, the claws of a wolf, and the hooves of a horse.
The Salvos clone often felt like she had rather muted emotions compared to the original. Because of that, she was much more carefree. Maybe even apathetic. However, for once, she was taken aback, completely befuddled at what she saw.
The [Greater Amaymon] was such a strange wild Demon. It just lay there, unmoving as all kinds of Demons circled around it. At first, the Salvos clone thought they were all attracted to it.
But then she watched as the drew closer towards it, like they were trying to attack. And it easily swatted them away. It cut the other wild Demons down before they could even get close. The goat head swung down, crushing a [Savage Agarat] against the ground. The lion’s head opened its maw and munched on a dozen approaching [Hellhounds].
Because of that, the wild Demons warily gave the Primeval Demon a wide berth. Those that drew too close were instantly squished like an insignificant insect. The Salvos clone blinked.
But why were the wild Demons attacking the [Greater Amaymon]? Maybe it was because they weren’t attacking it.
The Salvos clone narrowed her eyes as she drew closer. There was no mistaking it. The wild Demons didn’t even care about the Primeval Demon. They just wanted to get past it— they just wanted to gather around the faded ritual circle.
It was the very same ritual circle used to aid the grand ritual to merge the planes. It had even been deactivated, before being reactivated by Ira to continue the merger. The Salvos clone had been here before.
…or at least, the original Salvos had been here. And she had been the one to defeat Ira. That was how she evolved into a Primeval Demon. That was how she became an [Angelic Devil Princess].
The Salvos clone could only vaguely remember those events. It was like with each passing day, she was able to remember past events— or at least, events that occurred through the original— less and less.
But she shook her head as she hovered just before Lunaris. That didn’t matter right now. She had to figure out why the Demons were gathering here. So she flew closer and closer…
And the [Greater Amaymon] finally took notice of her. All of its dozens of heads snapped up, facing her way in an instant. Before the Salvos clone could even react, the closest head opened its mouth.
“What—”
The Salvos clone started, and the wild Primeval Demon’s heads shot out. They didn’t detach from the body, but their necks extended outwards. Like they were tendrils of sorts. They shot straight up for their target, moving at extremely high speeds.
Fortunately, the Salvos clone was able to react with the help of [Angelic Premonition]. She dove out of the way just in time for a wolf-like head to slam shut where she had been hovering. However, before she could even get far, a second head intercepted her.
She narrowed her eyes as she came face to face with a lion’s head. Once again, it tried to rip her out of the sky, and she activated [Divine Haste]. A smile cut across her face as she deftly flew out of the way of the second attack.
The Salvos clone continued evading the onslaught of various animal heads. But right as she thought she could escape, three of the heads opened their mouths all at once. She readied herself for whatever projectile they would unleash her way.
And the [Greater Amaymon] screeched. The Salvos clone recoiled as her entire flaming body flickered. An intense wave of pain washed over her as she screamed silently.
Her wings twisted, almost dissipating from the attack, and she tumbled out of the air. It was sound magic. She couldn’t have prepared herself for that. She tried to catch herself, even as the screaming continued.
But before she could regain any sense of what was going on, the goat head rammed straight into her. Her eyes widened as she was sent flying into the distance. Her wings were shredded into nothing, and her flaming body dimmed.
She crashed into the ground as she gritted her teeth together. The Salvos clone raised her head, and her vision blurred. The [Greater Amaymon] loomed over her, its many heads quickly descending to crush her where she lay.
“Strong…”
The Salvos clone whispered as she rose to her feet. She steadied herself as she looked up at the oncoming heads. Five heads opened their mouths this time around, and she knew what was going to come next. So she acted before that could happen.
She rarely had to do this, but she focused her mind on the last location she remembered outside of the ruins of Lunaris. She thought of the battlements where she stood and conversed with Faith.
And the Salvos clone raised her hand as the world around her distorted. Everything seemed to shift around her. The various heads of the [Greater Amaymon] began to fade. They unleashed their sound magic as they drew closer.
But it was too late.
“[Greater Teleportation]!”
The Salvos clone was gone. And the wild Primeval Demon’s heads crushed the empty ground beneath.
—--
After escaping from the [Greater Amaymon], the Salvos clone immediately started flying back to where she had last left Edithe. The same small encampment where they had saved Jaakko and his team.
That was where most of the adventurers gathering around the east of the Netherfied Lands were gathering. They were preparing to build up a large force to tackle this Demon problem together. Unfortunately, the Salvos clone had bad news for them.
“Over ten thousand of them… and a Primeval Demon too.”
Edithe whispered in a grim voice. She raised her head, watching as everyone gathered in the meeting tent lowered their heads. The Salvos clone had recounted her story of what happened, and the situation seemed significantly more dire than they had thought.
“The last time a single Primeval Demon appeared and we ignored it, Nixa was destroyed.”
Hadrian spoke up as he swept his gaze over the room. A few heads nodded in agreement, while others turned away in shame. Edithe shook her head as she turned back to the Salvos clone.
“But why are they gathering there?”
It was the question that was weighing in everyone’s mind. Unfortunately, the Salvos clone just shrugged in response.
“Don’t know.”
It was not an answer anyone wanted to hear. Edithe herself had been hoping that the Salvos clone could have provided a reasonable explanation. But knowing Salvos, and considering the fact that this was supposed to just be a copy, the redhead the answer before she had even answered the question.
“So what do we do?”
Edithe asked as she looked at the various adventurers in the room. Most of those who were currently present were independent adventurers. The Valiant Dreamers Company was one of the bigger companies that had joined in eradicating the Demons leaking out in the Netherfied Lands. And that was saying something, considering that the Valiant Dreamers had downsized significantly in the recent years— after all, many of their members had perished from partaking in a company war, before helping with fending off the Demon invasion.
…and not to mention the split that occurred where nearly half of the members of the company left to start a brand new company when it was revealed that the previous leader had lied to them.
Nevertheless, there were many different forces gathered here in the Netherfied Lands. Certainly, the Rising Veterans Company had offered some support. But the bulk of their forces were preoccupied elsewhere, so the forces left to handle the Netherfied Lands were far smaller than Edithe had hoped.
They could recruit the help of the neighboring nations who were also dealing with the outpouring of Demons from the Netherfied Lands. However, Edithe didn’t think that was enough to take down a Primeval Demon— not without significant risks.
And Hadrian seemed to agree. He raised his head, facing the room.
“We need the help of Elites.”
He spoke simply, before looking at the Salvos clone briefly. She tilted her head, and he looked past her.
“Multiple Elites. Not just a single one. We need enough to defeat that Primeval Demon and those swarms of Demons in a single fell swoop. Otherwise, we will only make them stronger.”
“That’s true…”
“But who’s going to be willing to help us?”
“Perhaps we can get Clayton Skyshredder!”
Edithe pursed her lips as she overheard the various small conversations breaking out across the room. She highly doubted that the Headmaster of Mavos Academy was going to participate in this incursion, even after the controversy that had come from his late participation in joining the United Coalition of the Human Lands.
She had spoken to him only a handful of times. But each time they spoke, she could get a good read of his character. And the redhead was under the strong impression that he was a hard-headed, stubborn man who was a sticker for the rules.
But if not Clayton Skyshredder, who else could they possibly recruit? Edithe thought of one possible candidate.
She didn’t know if he was equivalent to an Elite just yet, but the last time she spoke with him, he had vowed to grow much stronger by the time they next met. And even if he hadn’t leveled at all since she last saw him, his abilities and artifacts made him quite the formidable ally.
Edithe nodded slowly to herself as she strode forward.
“If we can get the Thief of the Golden Scales—”
“Perhaps the Council of Cremont should get involved…”
“I believe Laux Lionfist would—”
Edithe heard the various suggestions before offered, and she wanted to scoff. She raised her head, about to tell them about a certain [Hero] who would listen to her—
…and the ground shook.
At first, it was a slow, gradual tremor that the redhead barely noticed. But it rapidly increased in intensity as she blinked. Edithe staggered back, steadying herself against the table as a violent earthquake shook the world around her.
“What’s going on?”
The gathered adventurers exclaimed, stumbling around the room as the shaking continued. A rack of weapons collapsed to the ground with metallic clangs, and the only two stools in the room toppled over. Even the tent itself threatened to come crashing down, but it managed to hold steady for a moment longer.
And the shaking stopped. Edithe sighed in relief, leaning against the unsteady table. She pushed herself off as she turned to Hadrian. He scanned the room with round eyes, before meeting her gaze.
Everyone present was in a daze. Even the Salvos clone was confused, looking around in surprise. Hadrian shook his head at Edithe.
“I haven’t felt tremors like that since the start of this mess…”
He whispered softly. Edithe blinked, before slowly nodding.
“Since the ground cracked open, and the sky ruptured.”
She knew what he was talking about. When the Netherfied Lands first began to fall apart, before the incursions began. Her eyes narrowed at the implication, and she snapped her gaze up.
“Wait, does that mean—”
And she sprinted past Hadrian. He paused, before giving chase as he called out to her. But the redhead ignored him. She ran straight for the flap leading out of the tent as she gritted her teeth.
“It can’t be… right?”
But as she burst out of the tent, she came to a sudden halt. Hadrian was a step behind her. It took him a moment to even realized what was going on. His footfall gradually slowed as his eyes went wide.
He stopped right next to her. Edithe didn’t even glance his way. Because she was gaping. Her gaze was focused solely on the sky.
She had feared that even more crevices had formed in the Mortal Realm— that was why she rushed out of the tent. But what actually happened was something beyond her comprehension. Because she didn’t even understand what was going on.
The ground didn't rip open. The sky didn’t rupture. Most of the Netherfied Lands remained the same. Except that the entire landscape had been shadowed over by a dark cloud. One that was growing larger by the passing moments as reverse raindrops seemed to fall into the sky.
It flitted up slowly, being collected in the air from black water. No— not water. It was Demon’s blood.
It gathered above, rising from the ground. And not just that, it seemed to pour through the rupture in the sky as well. And Edithe took in this scene, uncomprehending. She could only wonder to herself as the Salvos clone and the rest of the encampment took notice of this odd view.
“What in the world is going on?”
And no one had an answer for her. Because the answer waited in the Netherworld.
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.
