595. Deathsquad Hunters
Here he was.
Venas.
A Primeval Demon.
A Level 188 [Archfiend].
One of the Deathsquad Hunters.
I stared at him as he hovered in the air, under the cracked, crimson sky. Tiny dark droplets floated past him and swirled into the nebulous blotched shape of clouds. The world trembled, and I opened my mouth.
“Wait, who are you? What’s a Deathsquad—”
And Venas unleashed a blast of purple flames my way. I blinked, before raising a hand. I conjured up a wall of [The Holy Flames]. Our magic clashed, before blasting out into the sky. I narrowed my eyes as I took a step back, glancing towards the horizon.
The Beast wasn’t in view. Which was both relieving and worrying. After all, it meant that we were obscured from its sight, so we were… kinda safer? But also, if it somehow noticed us, we wouldn’t be able to tell until it was too late.
Haec stepped forward as the explosion began to dissipate.
“He’s Venas— one of the leaders of the Deathsquad Hunters. If he’s here, that means he’s not alone. We need to be careful of others. They should all be Primeval Demons too.”
Aemula gasped, and Taburas gritted her teeth. Bertrugil slumped his shoulders.
“We’re all going to die here, aren’t we?”
But I just smirked, taking a step forward.
“Multiple Primeval Demons, huh? So I’m finally going to get some real experience.”
I began to conjure a Divine Nebular Scythe as I spread my [Angelic Wings] wide. The smoke cleared, revealing the [Archfiend] floating at the same spot, unscathed. My [Angelic Premonition] continued to blare in my head, even when he wasn’t attacking me, which was rather odd. But I brushed it off for now as I turned back to Haec.
“Keep a look out for the others.”
I snapped my fingers, conjuring half a dozen clones in an instant. They appeared all around me as they chuckled, their gold and silver flames flickering with each laugh. Four of them stayed behind, protectively hovering over Haec and his companions as the remaining two flew up with me.
“I’ll deal with this guy.”
“These are… clones?”
Haec stared at the fiery figures as they surrounded him. It took him a moment to realize what they were— he had seen Skills capable of creating apparitions or projections. But to create clones was a rarity. Even amongst the Domain of the Demon King.
He had certainly heard of such Skills before. But the ones he had seen always seemed to create… lesser copies of the original. For example, Oracle was capable of creating a thousand clones of himself. But each one of them only amounted to the strength of a Greater Demon.
Meanwhile, the clones that Salvos created were nothing of the like. He heard their soft laughter. He watched as they danced around him protectively, whispering amongst each other. They were made of gold and silver flame— they wisped with the recognizable aura of divinity that was so familiar to Haec.
He couldn’t see their levels. But if he had to guess, they were only barely weaker than Salvos was. Perhaps 5 to 10 levels lower at most. Haec wasn’t sure for certain. But he wasn’t the only one who noticed their relative strength.
Taburas backed away as she gaped at them.
“What? So many— and so strong… how?”
Her gaze darted between the four that were standing guard. They just nodded reassuringly as they raised their hands. Haec’s eyes flickered as he saw the world around them rippling. Bertrugil frowned.
“Space magic… you’re creating a pocket space?”
The [Abraxas] looked towards one of the clones. She just nodded as she whispered back.
“Yep!”
Haec watched as the world seemed to darken around them. Fractal panels formed in the air, creating the vague shape of a cuboid. The vestiges of a pocket space.
And it was nothing like Haec had ever seen before. Every other pocket space he had seen thus far had been their own little world. But whatever the Salvos clones were creating seemed to meld with the Netherworld, while slowly separating them from their current planar position.
It was odd. Haec felt a strange sensation compel him to run out of the forming pocket space— to get back to the Netherworld before it was too late. However, he stopped himself. He raised his head as he stared at Salvos in the distance.
“Should we help her?”
Aemula piped up, pursing her lips. She glanced back towards Haec.
“Venas is higher-leveled than Salvos. I feel like she’ll need our help.”
“We’ll just slow her down.”
Bertrugil scoffed, crossing his arms. He gestured at the closing pocket space.
“We should just sit tight, and we’ll be fine and dandy.”
Aemula ignored him as she focused on Haec.
“Salvos is your friend, isn’t she? We need to help her.”
The former Heir of the Netherworld raised his head. He stared at the fighting in the distance. He saw the clashing of iridescent flames with purple flames. Salvos and her two clones seemed to be fighting evenly with Venas.
She barely missed him with her scythe, and she avoided his onslaught of projectiles. Haec watched this for a moment longer, before turning to Aemula.
“I want to help her too. But—”
Haec shook his head.
“Something is off… Venas shouldn’t be alone.”
“Is that really all you’ve got?”
Venas watched as the silver-haired Demon flew at him with a pair of her flaming apparitions. He recognized her immediately— he had known who she was from the very moment he started tracking them.
She was Salvos, and she was the Enemy of the Demon King. It was surprising, seeing her getting together with the Heir of the Netherworld.
But that was expected, considering that Haec had abandoned his role. He had betrayed the Kingdom of the Demon King. He had forsaken his Title, abandoning this path to paradise. So it was expected that a traitor like him would ally with the enemy.
Venas had wanted to attack as soon as he saw them. He had been tracking them since Reconstruction began, following his Tablet of Tracking to where a metal collar lay, not far from where Haec and Salvos had been standing.
And ever since then, he had been tracking them. He had been biding his time. Of course he had. Because…
“Take this— [The Holy Flames]!”
Salvos screamed as she created her own volley of projectiles. Venas narrowed his eyes. He saw the variety of flaming weapons soar through the air, and he conjured up his own.
It was almost like she was copying his Skills. But that wasn’t right. Because he was the one who was copying her Skills.
He was a [Trickster Archfiend]. And his Skills allowed him to emulate and even copy the abilities of his enemies. So with his [Skill Appraisal], he had been able to choose which one of her Skills he had wanted to copy. He couldn’t see her General Skills, her Grand Skills, or her Class Skills. But he saw all of her Subspecies Skills, and he borrowed three of them.
And with his levels over her, Venas was going to defeat her with ease. Or at least, that was what he thought.
He gritted his teeth, watching as their projectiles clashed in the air, exploding into a brilliant pulse of energy. Somehow, Salvos was able to match his strength. He didn’t know. He didn’t understand why he wasn’t winning this fight with ease.
“Damn you! [Copy Skill: Sacred Hellfire]!”
Venas pointed at her, and she narrowed her eyes. She deftly dove out of the way, but her clones were slower. He grinned, watching as one of the flaming clones was lit ablaze with a black and purple flame.
She screamed as she tumbled back, before exploding in the distance. Venas shook his head as he turned to the real Salvos. But she was already flying his way. He cursed as he conjured his own flaming scythe, parrying her attack.
The two clashed in the air for a moment, before flying back. Salvos bared her teeth at him, and he shook his head, floating in place.
“As expected, from the Enemy of the Demon King.”
He nodded approvingly at her. But she just shook her head.
“I don’t know who that is. I’m Salvos.”
“That you are. You know, normally I would have you killed on the spot. But I am busy with another mission. If you flee now, I will ignore you. I will let you go… for now.”
Venas warned her as he looked back down at where Haec was standing. A fractal barrier seemed to be forming around the four traitors, but the Deathsquad Hunter didn’t care. He could break through it with ease if needed.
He turned back to Salvos.
“What do you say?”
She shook her head, before a blast of gold and silver flames shot at Venas from the side. He saw it coming. He dove out of the way in time. The one remaining clone joined Salvos as they nodded at each other.
“Sorry, but I’m not leaving Haec behind.”
Venas closed his eyes.
“I see.”
And he raised his head.
“Good.”
After all, this was just the opening act of their confrontation. He wasn't a fool. He would not have announced his presence before attacking without a plan. He had known from the moment he had seen her at the start of Reconstruction that this battle would not be easy. That was why he approached them alone without the rest of his team.
They were making preparations for the real battle to begin— for the trap to be sprung, and for all of their targets to be caught stuck in their web, unable to escape when the real hunter arrived.
Venas raised his head, seeing the towering figure in the distance. It hadn’t noticed them just yet. But he knew that it would soon take notice. And when the Beast came, it was all going to be over in an instant.
He just had to ensure that his exit strategy was ready for when that happened.
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.
595. Deathsquad Hunters
Here he was.
Venas.
A Primeval Demon.
A Level 188 [Archfiend].
One of the Deathsquad Hunters.
I stared at him as he hovered in the air, under the cracked, crimson sky. Tiny dark droplets floated past him and swirled into the nebulous blotched shape of clouds. The world trembled, and I opened my mouth.
“Wait, who are you? What’s a Deathsquad—”
And Venas unleashed a blast of purple flames my way. I blinked, before raising a hand. I conjured up a wall of [The Holy Flames]. Our magic clashed, before blasting out into the sky. I narrowed my eyes as I took a step back, glancing towards the horizon.
The Beast wasn’t in view. Which was both relieving and worrying. After all, it meant that we were obscured from its sight, so we were… kinda safer? But also, if it somehow noticed us, we wouldn’t be able to tell until it was too late.
Haec stepped forward as the explosion began to dissipate.
“He’s Venas— one of the leaders of the Deathsquad Hunters. If he’s here, that means he’s not alone. We need to be careful of others. They should all be Primeval Demons too.”
Aemula gasped, and Taburas gritted her teeth. Bertrugil slumped his shoulders.
“We’re all going to die here, aren’t we?”
But I just smirked, taking a step forward.
“Multiple Primeval Demons, huh? So I’m finally going to get some real experience.”
I began to conjure a Divine Nebular Scythe as I spread my [Angelic Wings] wide. The smoke cleared, revealing the [Archfiend] floating at the same spot, unscathed. My [Angelic Premonition] continued to blare in my head, even when he wasn’t attacking me, which was rather odd. But I brushed it off for now as I turned back to Haec.
“Keep a look out for the others.”
I snapped my fingers, conjuring half a dozen clones in an instant. They appeared all around me as they chuckled, their gold and silver flames flickering with each laugh. Four of them stayed behind, protectively hovering over Haec and his companions as the remaining two flew up with me.
“I’ll deal with this guy.”
“These are… clones?”
Haec stared at the fiery figures as they surrounded him. It took him a moment to realize what they were— he had seen Skills capable of creating apparitions or projections. But to create clones was a rarity. Even amongst the Domain of the Demon King.
He had certainly heard of such Skills before. But the ones he had seen always seemed to create… lesser copies of the original. For example, Oracle was capable of creating a thousand clones of himself. But each one of them only amounted to the strength of a Greater Demon.
Meanwhile, the clones that Salvos created were nothing of the like. He heard their soft laughter. He watched as they danced around him protectively, whispering amongst each other. They were made of gold and silver flame— they wisped with the recognizable aura of divinity that was so familiar to Haec.
He couldn’t see their levels. But if he had to guess, they were only barely weaker than Salvos was. Perhaps 5 to 10 levels lower at most. Haec wasn’t sure for certain. But he wasn’t the only one who noticed their relative strength.
Taburas backed away as she gaped at them.
“What? So many— and so strong… how?”
Her gaze darted between the four that were standing guard. They just nodded reassuringly as they raised their hands. Haec’s eyes flickered as he saw the world around them rippling. Bertrugil frowned.
“Space magic… you’re creating a pocket space?”
The [Abraxas] looked towards one of the clones. She just nodded as she whispered back.
“Yep!”
Haec watched as the world seemed to darken around them. Fractal panels formed in the air, creating the vague shape of a cuboid. The vestiges of a pocket space.
And it was nothing like Haec had ever seen before. Every other pocket space he had seen thus far had been their own little world. But whatever the Salvos clones were creating seemed to meld with the Netherworld, while slowly separating them from their current planar position.
It was odd. Haec felt a strange sensation compel him to run out of the forming pocket space— to get back to the Netherworld before it was too late. However, he stopped himself. He raised his head as he stared at Salvos in the distance.
“Should we help her?”
Aemula piped up, pursing her lips. She glanced back towards Haec.
“Venas is higher-leveled than Salvos. I feel like she’ll need our help.”
“We’ll just slow her down.”
Bertrugil scoffed, crossing his arms. He gestured at the closing pocket space.
“We should just sit tight, and we’ll be fine and dandy.”
Aemula ignored him as she focused on Haec.
“Salvos is your friend, isn’t she? We need to help her.”
The former Heir of the Netherworld raised his head. He stared at the fighting in the distance. He saw the clashing of iridescent flames with purple flames. Salvos and her two clones seemed to be fighting evenly with Venas.
She barely missed him with her scythe, and she avoided his onslaught of projectiles. Haec watched this for a moment longer, before turning to Aemula.
“I want to help her too. But—”
Haec shook his head.
“Something is off… Venas shouldn’t be alone.”
“Is that really all you’ve got?”
Venas watched as the silver-haired Demon flew at him with a pair of her flaming apparitions. He recognized her immediately— he had known who she was from the very moment he started tracking them.
She was Salvos, and she was the Enemy of the Demon King. It was surprising, seeing her getting together with the Heir of the Netherworld.
But that was expected, considering that Haec had abandoned his role. He had betrayed the Kingdom of the Demon King. He had forsaken his Title, abandoning this path to paradise. So it was expected that a traitor like him would ally with the enemy.
Venas had wanted to attack as soon as he saw them. He had been tracking them since Reconstruction began, following his Tablet of Tracking to where a metal collar lay, not far from where Haec and Salvos had been standing.
And ever since then, he had been tracking them. He had been biding his time. Of course he had. Because…
“Take this— [The Holy Flames]!”
Salvos screamed as she created her own volley of projectiles. Venas narrowed his eyes. He saw the variety of flaming weapons soar through the air, and he conjured up his own.
It was almost like she was copying his Skills. But that wasn’t right. Because he was the one who was copying her Skills.
He was a [Trickster Archfiend]. And his Skills allowed him to emulate and even copy the abilities of his enemies. So with his [Skill Appraisal], he had been able to choose which one of her Skills he had wanted to copy. He couldn’t see her General Skills, her Grand Skills, or her Class Skills. But he saw all of her Subspecies Skills, and he borrowed three of them.
And with his levels over her, Venas was going to defeat her with ease. Or at least, that was what he thought.
He gritted his teeth, watching as their projectiles clashed in the air, exploding into a brilliant pulse of energy. Somehow, Salvos was able to match his strength. He didn’t know. He didn’t understand why he wasn’t winning this fight with ease.
“Damn you! [Copy Skill: Sacred Hellfire]!”
Venas pointed at her, and she narrowed her eyes. She deftly dove out of the way, but her clones were slower. He grinned, watching as one of the flaming clones was lit ablaze with a black and purple flame.
She screamed as she tumbled back, before exploding in the distance. Venas shook his head as he turned to the real Salvos. But she was already flying his way. He cursed as he conjured his own flaming scythe, parrying her attack.
The two clashed in the air for a moment, before flying back. Salvos bared her teeth at him, and he shook his head, floating in place.
“As expected, from the Enemy of the Demon King.”
He nodded approvingly at her. But she just shook her head.
“I don’t know who that is. I’m Salvos.”
“That you are. You know, normally I would have you killed on the spot. But I am busy with another mission. If you flee now, I will ignore you. I will let you go… for now.”
Venas warned her as he looked back down at where Haec was standing. A fractal barrier seemed to be forming around the four traitors, but the Deathsquad Hunter didn’t care. He could break through it with ease if needed.
He turned back to Salvos.
“What do you say?”
She shook her head, before a blast of gold and silver flames shot at Venas from the side. He saw it coming. He dove out of the way in time. The one remaining clone joined Salvos as they nodded at each other.
“Sorry, but I’m not leaving Haec behind.”
Venas closed his eyes.
“I see.”
And he raised his head.
“Good.”
After all, this was just the opening act of their confrontation. He wasn't a fool. He would not have announced his presence before attacking without a plan. He had known from the moment he had seen her at the start of Reconstruction that this battle would not be easy. That was why he approached them alone without the rest of his team.
They were making preparations for the real battle to begin— for the trap to be sprung, and for all of their targets to be caught stuck in their web, unable to escape when the real hunter arrived.
Venas raised his head, seeing the towering figure in the distance. It hadn’t noticed them just yet. But he knew that it would soon take notice. And when the Beast came, it was all going to be over in an instant.
He just had to ensure that his exit strategy was ready for when that happened.
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.
