594. The Beast
I had not lived a long life, but the life I lived had been bountiful of precious memories. From the amber-tinted past when I laid my eyes on the beauty of the Mortal Realm so long ago, to the catharsis of the present when I finally reunited with my first companion. While I had lost and I had grieved, with anguished determination, I soared on to a future that was jewel-bright.
Now, a darkness had been appended to my turbulent tale. A blotched sunset that cast its glaring shadows over my limpid sight. A terrible scene unfurled before my very eyes— one I had only ever seen through the masking cracks in the walls of reality, or experienced through the fiery phantasms of another’s memory.
I wanted to run. I wanted to scream. But I was assailed by the pinprick of petrifying ants. Small, terrible presences that trawled my skin. I felt like I was staring at flowers made of flesh— swimming in an ocean that spanned to eternity.
And a swelling silhouette stalked me deep beneath from where I couldn’t see. Like a lurking eye that refused to leave, even after glancing over the shoulder. It nibbled at my feet. At first, just a touch. Then all at once, yanking me to the bottom of the sea where it waited for me.
There I saw it. A colossal creature, so bestial and large, it rose out of the sea. Having ten horns and seven heads. An amalgamation of all the most ferocious beasts of the earth. It was like a leopard and a lion and a bear and—
It was the Beast.
Its blazing gaze evaporated the ocean around me, and I was brought back to reality. I stood atop a rocky mound, dumbly staring at the behemoth towering over the horizon. The highest-leveled being in all of the Nexeus.
Even older than the Devil; even more dangerous than the Demon King and his armies. Each of its seven heads was like that of the dragon, but its body was that of a wolf without fur. It had a single, thin tail that coiled out of its back, three spikes poking off the edge like it was a trident.
It stood as tall as a mountain, dwarfing over the undulating hills that were receding back into the earth from Reconstruction. And while it looked like it was lumbering over sluggishly, I could tell that my eyes deceived me. The Beast’s size made its speed deceiving.
And I knew we needed to get out of here right now. Even if I couldn’t use [Identification] on it— not from this distance; not without using [Manifestation of the Old Gods]— I knew it was going to kill us if we stood around here like idiots.
I turned to Haec. He was stricken with fear, standing stupidly in place just like Taburas, Bertrugil, and Aemula. I quickly poked each and every one of them one after another to break them out of the stupor.
Haec blinked as he turned to me. However, he didn’t say a word. All around us, little black globules slowly rose to the sky. The Netherworld itself was shifting. We had all seen Reconstruction begin, but for whatever reason, the four Archdemons looked like they didn’t know what was going on— whatever primal fear they felt for the Beast was too overwhelming,
“We need to get out of here or we’re going to die.”
I spoke simply, holding Haec’s gaze. He stared at me for a moment. His eyes flickered as comprehension seized him. He opened his mouth, then caught himself. He nodded slowly.
“Right. We need to get moving. Make our way to safety. Hopefully the Beast ignores us. After all, we are not the only ones out here.”
He glanced up towards the crimson sky. Sure enough, dark specks buzzed about in the distance. Winged Demons. They came in all shapes and sizes Many of them gave the Beast a wide berth, staying as far away from the Primordial Demon like some sort of primal fear was keeping them back.
But others were foolish enough to draw closer. And those that did paid the price for it. I watched as a [Hellabomination] flew up to the Beast. The wild Demon screeched, unleashing a brilliant streak of blue flames into the side of one of the serpent-like heads.
A powerful blast shot out. A pillar that stretched across the sky. I felt the impact of the attack even from here— the intensity of the shaking ground, caused by a Primeval Demon.
And yet, it barely fazed the Beast. I watched as a cloud of smoke cleared, revealing an unscathed looming head right before the [Hellabomination]. From a distance, I couldn’t quite gauge the size of the Beast, but now I could compare the Primordial Demon’s size with the Primeval Demon’s size. What I saw was—
A single head of the Beast alone was as long as the [Hellabomination] was tall.
Even an [Ancient Centinel]’s length couldn’t match the length of the Beast. It was almost incomprehensible, I took a step back, looking on as the Beast simply snapped its jaw up at the [Hellabomination]. And in an instant, there was nothing there.
The [Hellabomination] was gone— crushed within the maw of the Beast.
I gulped before turning to Haec.
“Yep, we definitely don’t want to end up like that. Come on, let’s get going.”
I gestured at Haec to follow. He shook his head at me, before gesturing the other direction.
“The Demon King’s Domain is this way. We need to go there. To save those we can.”
He explained, and I blinked.
“Huh. Alright.”
I didn’t fly. I wasn’t going to spread my wings wide— not when there was the slim chance it made me more of a target for the Beast. I wasn’t even going to cast [The World of My Mind] to create a reality space.
While my space magic was advanced enough to hide from the corruption, I didn’t know whether the Beast had a way to detect it. Like when [The Great Agarus] had suddenly spotted me through [Manifestation of the Old Gods]. Maybe when I was far enough away, I would use [The World of My Mind]. But for now, I walked with Haec and the other three Archdemons.
It took a moment to Taburas and Bertrugil out of their stupor, and it took even longer to get Aemula moving. In fact, I decided to just carry Aemula at first, but when the Beast was out of sight, she returned to reality, walking once again.
We made our way through the shifting mountains. It provided a perfect cover for us since the ground itself was twisting and turning in ways that I had never seen before. I saw mountains toppling over, and ridges rising from the ground. A constant trembling shook the world, but it was nothing like any tremor I experienced.
I could still see the Beast’s heads occasionally popping up in the distant horizon, oftentimes fully obscured by the rising and sinking hills around me. It wasn’t heading directly towards us, but it wasn’t heading directly away from us either.
It was like we were moving perpendicularly away from it. So the Beast just remained in the background— blending into the scenery. I wanted to sigh in relief. I was glad that the Beast hadn’t just ravaged the landscape, killing us all.
But I remembered my brief encounter with [The Great Agarus]. Anything could happen in an instant when it came to Primordial Demons. I wasn’t going to rest easy until I was certain I was at least a thousand miles away from the Beast.
The same could be said for Haec, Taburas, Bertrugil, and Aemula, although to varying degrees.
“I can’t believe we actually encountered the Beast and lived…”
Taburas shuddered as she tightly hugged herself. Bertrugil shook his head, before glancing at the silhouette of the Beast in the distance.
“That wasn’t an encounter. And we haven’t survived just yet.”
The [Succubus] didn’t bother to retort, although she did glare back at him. Aemula remained silent, not even daring to look in the direction of the Beast. I shook my head, looking back to the front.
And that was when I saw a pair of [Hellwolves] standing before us. Haec came to a halt, noticing them too. I raised my clawed hands as they growled at us.
“Wild Demons—”
I started as I readied for battle, but I paused. I watched as the [Hellwolves] raced past us without even slowing to look our way. I blinked a few times as the wild Demons ran.
“Huh.”
Haec strode past me, shaking his head.
“We don’t need to be so wary of those we encounter now. Not during Reconstruction.”
“Right, because of that… returning to your birthplace thing, right?”
I scratched my chin, remembering the conversation we had just before the Beast showed up. Haec nodded simply.
“That’s right. So as long as we stay out of their way, any wild Demon we encounter should leave us alone.”
“Not all of them.”
Bertrugil added grimly. Behind him, the Beast’s head peeked over a mountain. For a brief moment, I thought it looked our way. My heart jumped in my chest. But the Primordial Demon turned away, continuing on.
“Why isn’t the Beast affected by Reconstruction?”
I wondered aloud. Bertrugil shrugged.
“That’s just how it always has been.”
“But why?”
I pestered him. He gestured at Haec, shaking his head.
“Don’t ask me— try asking your companion the Heir of the Netherworld himself. I’m sure he has some secrets passed onto him by his King.”
“Regnorex is not my king.”
Haec scowled, and I blinked. I stared at my first companion for a moment, before he took notice of what I was doing.
“Is something wrong, Salvos?”
“Haec…”
I took a step towards him as he shifted back, perplexed. Taburas snapped her gaze up, narrowing her eyes at me. But she said nothing. Haec scratched the back of his head.
“Yes…?”
“You’re the Heir of the Netherworld? Is that really your Title?!”
I gaped at Haec. He scratched his cheek as he murmured softly.
“Well… I was? But not anymore…”
“And why is that?”
A voice cut him off before he could finish. My brows snapped together as [Angelic Premonition] immediately blared in my head, and I raised my head. I looked up at the sky as I saw a figure hovering overhead.
A winged Demon with a grin plastered on his face. Haec took a step back with round eyes as he whispered.
“Oh no…”
“Who is that?”
I frowned. And the winged Demon laughed as he spread his arms wide as I used [Identification] on him.
[Archfiend- Lvl. 188]
“I am Venas. A Deathsquad Hunter. And now, you die.”
With that, he pointed at us, unleashing a blast of purple flames.
MelasD
I did a Twitter face reveal because I met Travis Baldree at Dragoncon! https://twitter.com/melas_delta/status/1700907256580317583
I'll be posting more dragoncon pics, so follow me on twitter plox ty
594. The Beast
I had not lived a long life, but the life I lived had been bountiful of precious memories. From the amber-tinted past when I laid my eyes on the beauty of the Mortal Realm so long ago, to the catharsis of the present when I finally reunited with my first companion. While I had lost and I had grieved, with anguished determination, I soared on to a future that was jewel-bright.
Now, a darkness had been appended to my turbulent tale. A blotched sunset that cast its glaring shadows over my limpid sight. A terrible scene unfurled before my very eyes— one I had only ever seen through the masking cracks in the walls of reality, or experienced through the fiery phantasms of another’s memory.
I wanted to run. I wanted to scream. But I was assailed by the pinprick of petrifying ants. Small, terrible presences that trawled my skin. I felt like I was staring at flowers made of flesh— swimming in an ocean that spanned to eternity.
And a swelling silhouette stalked me deep beneath from where I couldn’t see. Like a lurking eye that refused to leave, even after glancing over the shoulder. It nibbled at my feet. At first, just a touch. Then all at once, yanking me to the bottom of the sea where it waited for me.
There I saw it. A colossal creature, so bestial and large, it rose out of the sea. Having ten horns and seven heads. An amalgamation of all the most ferocious beasts of the earth. It was like a leopard and a lion and a bear and—
It was the Beast.
Its blazing gaze evaporated the ocean around me, and I was brought back to reality. I stood atop a rocky mound, dumbly staring at the behemoth towering over the horizon. The highest-leveled being in all of the Nexeus.
Even older than the Devil; even more dangerous than the Demon King and his armies. Each of its seven heads was like that of the dragon, but its body was that of a wolf without fur. It had a single, thin tail that coiled out of its back, three spikes poking off the edge like it was a trident.
It stood as tall as a mountain, dwarfing over the undulating hills that were receding back into the earth from Reconstruction. And while it looked like it was lumbering over sluggishly, I could tell that my eyes deceived me. The Beast’s size made its speed deceiving.
And I knew we needed to get out of here right now. Even if I couldn’t use [Identification] on it— not from this distance; not without using [Manifestation of the Old Gods]— I knew it was going to kill us if we stood around here like idiots.
I turned to Haec. He was stricken with fear, standing stupidly in place just like Taburas, Bertrugil, and Aemula. I quickly poked each and every one of them one after another to break them out of the stupor.
Haec blinked as he turned to me. However, he didn’t say a word. All around us, little black globules slowly rose to the sky. The Netherworld itself was shifting. We had all seen Reconstruction begin, but for whatever reason, the four Archdemons looked like they didn’t know what was going on— whatever primal fear they felt for the Beast was too overwhelming,
“We need to get out of here or we’re going to die.”
I spoke simply, holding Haec’s gaze. He stared at me for a moment. His eyes flickered as comprehension seized him. He opened his mouth, then caught himself. He nodded slowly.
“Right. We need to get moving. Make our way to safety. Hopefully the Beast ignores us. After all, we are not the only ones out here.”
He glanced up towards the crimson sky. Sure enough, dark specks buzzed about in the distance. Winged Demons. They came in all shapes and sizes Many of them gave the Beast a wide berth, staying as far away from the Primordial Demon like some sort of primal fear was keeping them back.
But others were foolish enough to draw closer. And those that did paid the price for it. I watched as a [Hellabomination] flew up to the Beast. The wild Demon screeched, unleashing a brilliant streak of blue flames into the side of one of the serpent-like heads.
A powerful blast shot out. A pillar that stretched across the sky. I felt the impact of the attack even from here— the intensity of the shaking ground, caused by a Primeval Demon.
And yet, it barely fazed the Beast. I watched as a cloud of smoke cleared, revealing an unscathed looming head right before the [Hellabomination]. From a distance, I couldn’t quite gauge the size of the Beast, but now I could compare the Primordial Demon’s size with the Primeval Demon’s size. What I saw was—
A single head of the Beast alone was as long as the [Hellabomination] was tall.
Even an [Ancient Centinel]’s length couldn’t match the length of the Beast. It was almost incomprehensible, I took a step back, looking on as the Beast simply snapped its jaw up at the [Hellabomination]. And in an instant, there was nothing there.
The [Hellabomination] was gone— crushed within the maw of the Beast.
I gulped before turning to Haec.
“Yep, we definitely don’t want to end up like that. Come on, let’s get going.”
I gestured at Haec to follow. He shook his head at me, before gesturing the other direction.
“The Demon King’s Domain is this way. We need to go there. To save those we can.”
He explained, and I blinked.
“Huh. Alright.”
I didn’t fly. I wasn’t going to spread my wings wide— not when there was the slim chance it made me more of a target for the Beast. I wasn’t even going to cast [The World of My Mind] to create a reality space.
While my space magic was advanced enough to hide from the corruption, I didn’t know whether the Beast had a way to detect it. Like when [The Great Agarus] had suddenly spotted me through [Manifestation of the Old Gods]. Maybe when I was far enough away, I would use [The World of My Mind]. But for now, I walked with Haec and the other three Archdemons.
It took a moment to Taburas and Bertrugil out of their stupor, and it took even longer to get Aemula moving. In fact, I decided to just carry Aemula at first, but when the Beast was out of sight, she returned to reality, walking once again.
We made our way through the shifting mountains. It provided a perfect cover for us since the ground itself was twisting and turning in ways that I had never seen before. I saw mountains toppling over, and ridges rising from the ground. A constant trembling shook the world, but it was nothing like any tremor I experienced.
I could still see the Beast’s heads occasionally popping up in the distant horizon, oftentimes fully obscured by the rising and sinking hills around me. It wasn’t heading directly towards us, but it wasn’t heading directly away from us either.
It was like we were moving perpendicularly away from it. So the Beast just remained in the background— blending into the scenery. I wanted to sigh in relief. I was glad that the Beast hadn’t just ravaged the landscape, killing us all.
But I remembered my brief encounter with [The Great Agarus]. Anything could happen in an instant when it came to Primordial Demons. I wasn’t going to rest easy until I was certain I was at least a thousand miles away from the Beast.
The same could be said for Haec, Taburas, Bertrugil, and Aemula, although to varying degrees.
“I can’t believe we actually encountered the Beast and lived…”
Taburas shuddered as she tightly hugged herself. Bertrugil shook his head, before glancing at the silhouette of the Beast in the distance.
“That wasn’t an encounter. And we haven’t survived just yet.”
The [Succubus] didn’t bother to retort, although she did glare back at him. Aemula remained silent, not even daring to look in the direction of the Beast. I shook my head, looking back to the front.
And that was when I saw a pair of [Hellwolves] standing before us. Haec came to a halt, noticing them too. I raised my clawed hands as they growled at us.
“Wild Demons—”
I started as I readied for battle, but I paused. I watched as the [Hellwolves] raced past us without even slowing to look our way. I blinked a few times as the wild Demons ran.
“Huh.”
Haec strode past me, shaking his head.
“We don’t need to be so wary of those we encounter now. Not during Reconstruction.”
“Right, because of that… returning to your birthplace thing, right?”
I scratched my chin, remembering the conversation we had just before the Beast showed up. Haec nodded simply.
“That’s right. So as long as we stay out of their way, any wild Demon we encounter should leave us alone.”
“Not all of them.”
Bertrugil added grimly. Behind him, the Beast’s head peeked over a mountain. For a brief moment, I thought it looked our way. My heart jumped in my chest. But the Primordial Demon turned away, continuing on.
“Why isn’t the Beast affected by Reconstruction?”
I wondered aloud. Bertrugil shrugged.
“That’s just how it always has been.”
“But why?”
I pestered him. He gestured at Haec, shaking his head.
“Don’t ask me— try asking your companion the Heir of the Netherworld himself. I’m sure he has some secrets passed onto him by his King.”
“Regnorex is not my king.”
Haec scowled, and I blinked. I stared at my first companion for a moment, before he took notice of what I was doing.
“Is something wrong, Salvos?”
“Haec…”
I took a step towards him as he shifted back, perplexed. Taburas snapped her gaze up, narrowing her eyes at me. But she said nothing. Haec scratched the back of his head.
“Yes…?”
“You’re the Heir of the Netherworld? Is that really your Title?!”
I gaped at Haec. He scratched his cheek as he murmured softly.
“Well… I was? But not anymore…”
“And why is that?”
A voice cut him off before he could finish. My brows snapped together as [Angelic Premonition] immediately blared in my head, and I raised my head. I looked up at the sky as I saw a figure hovering overhead.
A winged Demon with a grin plastered on his face. Haec took a step back with round eyes as he whispered.
“Oh no…”
“Who is that?”
I frowned. And the winged Demon laughed as he spread his arms wide as I used [Identification] on him.
[Archfiend- Lvl. 188]
“I am Venas. A Deathsquad Hunter. And now, you die.”
With that, he pointed at us, unleashing a blast of purple flames.
MelasD
I did a Twitter face reveal because I met Travis Baldree at Dragoncon! https://twitter.com/melas_delta/status/1700907256580317583
I'll be posting more dragoncon pics, so follow me on twitter plox ty
