596. Demon Dance
Colorful flaming petals bloomed across the sky. Iridescent blasts mixed with violet explosions as a pair of figures clashed with each other. A third figure joined them, but it could barely keep up with the first two.
The streaks of projectiles and smears of fire served as the perfect backdrop for dance that was taking place overhead. Like the choir of an orchestra, each pulse of magic boomed and shook the land.
“Venas sure likes showing off, doesn’t he?”
Torin shook his head as he saw the unfurling scene. He turned to his three other comrades, and they shrugged back at him. Only one of them replied.
“Let Venas do his job, and we’ll do ours.”
Chorus said as she placed her hands on the ground. The earth began to shift, and symbols began to form on the ground. Next to her, Eros and Keran wove their hands together, and space seemed to warm.
They were the Deathsquad Hunters. They were all some variant of a [Fiend]. Venas himself had been able to pick out his own team for this mission, and he was known for being partial towards those who had undergone [Fiend]-adjacent evolutions.
It was a well-known fact that he was a [Fiend]-supremacist. And he especially never partnered with any Demon who had undergone a monstrous-evolution. Torin himself didn’t really understand the pointless discrimination, but he didn’t question it either.
To him, it didn’t matter who was chosen on this mission. They were all Primeval Demons, and each and every single one of them had a role to play. Even Torin.
He might have looked like he was just carelessly standing off to the side, but he was on lookout. His gaze turned towards a towering figure in the distance. He saw the serpent-like heads. He saw the obsidian body. And he knew what it was.
It was the Beast.
Torin shuddered at the sight alone. He had seen the Beast only once before, and he had seen the destruction it could wreak. The fact that it was even visible in the distance meant that he was not safe. He was still in the danger zone. At any moment, he could die.
He tried to steel himself— think about anything else, like how the Beast had fewer heads than the last time he had seen it. After all, his job here was simple.
As a [Grand Puppeteer Fiend], Torin was a master of swaying wild Demons to his will. And while he could not control something like the Beast, he had a vague understanding of how it felt from a single look its way. He could tell where its attention lay. So he knew it wasn’t even glancing their way.
However, he could sense its nervousness. Its unease which seemed to turn into anger at anything that even approached it. And that feeling alone made him second guess the plan they had in mind.
“Are we sure this is a good idea? The Beast cannot be controlled, we’re going to get ourselves killed.”
He turned to his comrades. Eros didn’t even raise his head to respond— focused purely on casting his spell.
“Venas has done this before. While we cannot control the Beast, we can draw its attention. It can be angered, and when that happens, everything around us will be destroyed. Nothing will remain of the Traitor or the Enemy.”
Torin narrowed his eyes. He watched as the Warp Point took hold— not a single-use teleportation spell that could transport a group, but a true portal. Just like the kind that would lead to the Mortal Realm. Once the Beast’s ire was drawn here, they would escape unscathed.
It seemed like a reckless plan, but for whatever reason, his comrades were convinced it would work.
“Why don’t we just deal with them ourselves? We’re Primevals, they’re mostly Archdemons. We can take them.”
Torin suggested, and Keran snorted in response
“You’re only Level 152, you fool. You’re hardly a Primeval Demon. And I am Level 161— the highest amongst us. But not even I could match the Enemy in battle. We’ll only get in Venas’ way.”
“We could deal with the Archdemons.”
“The Heir of the Netherworld is said to be as strong as a Primeval Demon above your level. You can try and do that— get yourself killed.”
That made Torin glower, but Keran didn’t care. He looked between his three comrades before huffing.
“Fine. But if the Beast kills us all, then it’s not my fault.”
He crossed his arms as he looked back to the horizon, ignoring the battle that was playing out overhead.
And the duel continued. Venas once again clashed with Salvos, copying her magic as they flew through the air. They were dead-even in strength. It amazed him that she was this strong. But—
“I guess they don’t call you the Enemy of the Demon King for nothing!”
He laughed as he sent a blast of purple flames her way.
“Who even calls me that?”
She dove to the side, before unleashing her own magic at him. He created a scythe and sheared through the attack.
“I told you— I am Salvos. I do not care about your stupid king or whatever. I only care about my companions and my friends.”
“And it just so happens that your allies are opposed to my King.”
Venas shook his head, before his eyes flickered. He saw a flaming figure darting at him from the side, and he simply tilted back.
The remaining Salvos clone barely whizzed by his head. She swiped a claw for his face, missing. And he grinned, poking her side.
She flew back as she yelped. But it was already too late. Venas raised a finger, pointing at her as she shone.
“[Copy Skill: Demon’s Mark].”
The Salvos clone raised her head, eyes growing wide. She clawed at herself as a symbol burned brightly on her. And Salvos narrowed her eyes.
Venas watched as the Salvos clone exploded, consumed by a sphere of dark purple flames, before rippling and exploding into a gold and silver cross that extended towards the sky.
“Don’t you have any Skills of your own?”
Salvos rolled her eyes, even as her clone died and she was left alone. Venas laughed.
“I do, but I will not need them to defeat you. I have already taken down two of your clones. You will be next.”
He drifted forward as she waved a hand dismissively.
“I have four left, and I can always create more. Honestly, I’m not even trying. I’m just waiting to see what kind of Grand Skill you have.”
“A hilarious bluff, but a bluff nonetheless.”
Venas smirked at her response. He cast his gaze back down to the ground.
“Your other clones cannot aid you, lest they risk the lives of your… of your…”
And his brows snapped together. Salvos cocked her head back at him.
“What’s wrong? Did you notice something?”
She was hardly masking the smile on her face. Venas frowned as he swept his gaze over the landscape, before turning back to her.
“That’s not right… I— they should be there! Where did they go?”
He angrily snapped at the Enemy of the Demon King. She just shrugged in response.
“I told you, I’m not even trying. I was distracting you, and I was waiting to see if you’re actually this weak, or if you’re hiding something.”
“Answer the damn question! [Bindings of Leviathan]!”
Venas raised a hand as he pointed at her. Chains shot out of his finger tips, shooting at the silver-haired girl. She easily flew out of the way.
“Huh, that was actually kind of dangerous. So that’s one of your Skills…”
She blinked a few times, before shaking her head.
“If you really want to know what happened, we realized this was a trap, so—”
Salvos nodded past a cliff in the distance.
“They went to deal with your friends.”
And Venas froze. His blood ran cold as he opened his mouth. Only a single word left his mouth.
“What…?”
But before he could process what was going on, Salvos appeared next to him, swinging down with her scythe.
Torin didn’t even notice the fighting stop. He didn’t hear the lack of explosions, nor did he see how the two combatants were talking to each other now. His gaze was focused only on the Beast.
It was still lumbering past in the distance, like a slowly shifting mountain. The sense of unease bearing down on Torin’s shoulder never vanished. But that was expected when staring at the most dangerous wild Demon of the Netherworld. He shook his head as he turned back to his comrades.
“Are we done yet? It doesn’t usually take this long to set up a Warp Point, does it?”
“We should be done. But I don’t know what these two idiots are doing.”
Chorus scowled as she faced both Eros and Keran. The two [Fiends] shook their hands. It was Eros who spoke first.
“Something’s wrong with the ritual…”
“It is like something’s messing with our spatial magic.”
Keran added. Chorus made an annoyed retort, and she bickered with the other two for a moment. Torin frowned at the three of them. They didn’t notice what he saw. A ripple in space. One that seemed to take hold over the Warp Point. He strode forward, cutting them off.
“What are you guys talking about? The portal is already forming— look.”
The three bickering Primeval Demons paused. They turned to face the Warp Point, and sure enough a portal tore open there. Eros frowned, and Keran tried to work his jaw. Neither one spoke. It was Chorus who just scoffed, taking a step forward.
“Finally—”
But before she could step foot into the portal, a red figure stepped out. Torin’s eyes widened and he called out.
“Wait, Chorus!”
However, he was too slow. A powerful fist smashed across her face, sending her flying back. She screamed as she crashed against a nearby hill— one that was floating in the air from Reconstruction.
Torin’s eyes narrowed as he turned back to the looming red figure. The former Heir fo the Netherworld. The Traitor himself.
Haec stood there as he glared at the remaining Deathsquad Hunters.
“We’re not letting you escape.”
And with that, four flaming figures shot out of the crack in space a moment after.
MelasD
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596. Demon Dance
Colorful flaming petals bloomed across the sky. Iridescent blasts mixed with violet explosions as a pair of figures clashed with each other. A third figure joined them, but it could barely keep up with the first two.
The streaks of projectiles and smears of fire served as the perfect backdrop for dance that was taking place overhead. Like the choir of an orchestra, each pulse of magic boomed and shook the land.
“Venas sure likes showing off, doesn’t he?”
Torin shook his head as he saw the unfurling scene. He turned to his three other comrades, and they shrugged back at him. Only one of them replied.
“Let Venas do his job, and we’ll do ours.”
Chorus said as she placed her hands on the ground. The earth began to shift, and symbols began to form on the ground. Next to her, Eros and Keran wove their hands together, and space seemed to warm.
They were the Deathsquad Hunters. They were all some variant of a [Fiend]. Venas himself had been able to pick out his own team for this mission, and he was known for being partial towards those who had undergone [Fiend]-adjacent evolutions.
It was a well-known fact that he was a [Fiend]-supremacist. And he especially never partnered with any Demon who had undergone a monstrous-evolution. Torin himself didn’t really understand the pointless discrimination, but he didn’t question it either.
To him, it didn’t matter who was chosen on this mission. They were all Primeval Demons, and each and every single one of them had a role to play. Even Torin.
He might have looked like he was just carelessly standing off to the side, but he was on lookout. His gaze turned towards a towering figure in the distance. He saw the serpent-like heads. He saw the obsidian body. And he knew what it was.
It was the Beast.
Torin shuddered at the sight alone. He had seen the Beast only once before, and he had seen the destruction it could wreak. The fact that it was even visible in the distance meant that he was not safe. He was still in the danger zone. At any moment, he could die.
He tried to steel himself— think about anything else, like how the Beast had fewer heads than the last time he had seen it. After all, his job here was simple.
As a [Grand Puppeteer Fiend], Torin was a master of swaying wild Demons to his will. And while he could not control something like the Beast, he had a vague understanding of how it felt from a single look its way. He could tell where its attention lay. So he knew it wasn’t even glancing their way.
However, he could sense its nervousness. Its unease which seemed to turn into anger at anything that even approached it. And that feeling alone made him second guess the plan they had in mind.
“Are we sure this is a good idea? The Beast cannot be controlled, we’re going to get ourselves killed.”
He turned to his comrades. Eros didn’t even raise his head to respond— focused purely on casting his spell.
“Venas has done this before. While we cannot control the Beast, we can draw its attention. It can be angered, and when that happens, everything around us will be destroyed. Nothing will remain of the Traitor or the Enemy.”
Torin narrowed his eyes. He watched as the Warp Point took hold— not a single-use teleportation spell that could transport a group, but a true portal. Just like the kind that would lead to the Mortal Realm. Once the Beast’s ire was drawn here, they would escape unscathed.
It seemed like a reckless plan, but for whatever reason, his comrades were convinced it would work.
“Why don’t we just deal with them ourselves? We’re Primevals, they’re mostly Archdemons. We can take them.”
Torin suggested, and Keran snorted in response
“You’re only Level 152, you fool. You’re hardly a Primeval Demon. And I am Level 161— the highest amongst us. But not even I could match the Enemy in battle. We’ll only get in Venas’ way.”
“We could deal with the Archdemons.”
“The Heir of the Netherworld is said to be as strong as a Primeval Demon above your level. You can try and do that— get yourself killed.”
That made Torin glower, but Keran didn’t care. He looked between his three comrades before huffing.
“Fine. But if the Beast kills us all, then it’s not my fault.”
He crossed his arms as he looked back to the horizon, ignoring the battle that was playing out overhead.
And the duel continued. Venas once again clashed with Salvos, copying her magic as they flew through the air. They were dead-even in strength. It amazed him that she was this strong. But—
“I guess they don’t call you the Enemy of the Demon King for nothing!”
He laughed as he sent a blast of purple flames her way.
“Who even calls me that?”
She dove to the side, before unleashing her own magic at him. He created a scythe and sheared through the attack.
“I told you— I am Salvos. I do not care about your stupid king or whatever. I only care about my companions and my friends.”
“And it just so happens that your allies are opposed to my King.”
Venas shook his head, before his eyes flickered. He saw a flaming figure darting at him from the side, and he simply tilted back.
The remaining Salvos clone barely whizzed by his head. She swiped a claw for his face, missing. And he grinned, poking her side.
She flew back as she yelped. But it was already too late. Venas raised a finger, pointing at her as she shone.
“[Copy Skill: Demon’s Mark].”
The Salvos clone raised her head, eyes growing wide. She clawed at herself as a symbol burned brightly on her. And Salvos narrowed her eyes.
Venas watched as the Salvos clone exploded, consumed by a sphere of dark purple flames, before rippling and exploding into a gold and silver cross that extended towards the sky.
“Don’t you have any Skills of your own?”
Salvos rolled her eyes, even as her clone died and she was left alone. Venas laughed.
“I do, but I will not need them to defeat you. I have already taken down two of your clones. You will be next.”
He drifted forward as she waved a hand dismissively.
“I have four left, and I can always create more. Honestly, I’m not even trying. I’m just waiting to see what kind of Grand Skill you have.”
“A hilarious bluff, but a bluff nonetheless.”
Venas smirked at her response. He cast his gaze back down to the ground.
“Your other clones cannot aid you, lest they risk the lives of your… of your…”
And his brows snapped together. Salvos cocked her head back at him.
“What’s wrong? Did you notice something?”
She was hardly masking the smile on her face. Venas frowned as he swept his gaze over the landscape, before turning back to her.
“That’s not right… I— they should be there! Where did they go?”
He angrily snapped at the Enemy of the Demon King. She just shrugged in response.
“I told you, I’m not even trying. I was distracting you, and I was waiting to see if you’re actually this weak, or if you’re hiding something.”
“Answer the damn question! [Bindings of Leviathan]!”
Venas raised a hand as he pointed at her. Chains shot out of his finger tips, shooting at the silver-haired girl. She easily flew out of the way.
“Huh, that was actually kind of dangerous. So that’s one of your Skills…”
She blinked a few times, before shaking her head.
“If you really want to know what happened, we realized this was a trap, so—”
Salvos nodded past a cliff in the distance.
“They went to deal with your friends.”
And Venas froze. His blood ran cold as he opened his mouth. Only a single word left his mouth.
“What…?”
But before he could process what was going on, Salvos appeared next to him, swinging down with her scythe.
Torin didn’t even notice the fighting stop. He didn’t hear the lack of explosions, nor did he see how the two combatants were talking to each other now. His gaze was focused only on the Beast.
It was still lumbering past in the distance, like a slowly shifting mountain. The sense of unease bearing down on Torin’s shoulder never vanished. But that was expected when staring at the most dangerous wild Demon of the Netherworld. He shook his head as he turned back to his comrades.
“Are we done yet? It doesn’t usually take this long to set up a Warp Point, does it?”
“We should be done. But I don’t know what these two idiots are doing.”
Chorus scowled as she faced both Eros and Keran. The two [Fiends] shook their hands. It was Eros who spoke first.
“Something’s wrong with the ritual…”
“It is like something’s messing with our spatial magic.”
Keran added. Chorus made an annoyed retort, and she bickered with the other two for a moment. Torin frowned at the three of them. They didn’t notice what he saw. A ripple in space. One that seemed to take hold over the Warp Point. He strode forward, cutting them off.
“What are you guys talking about? The portal is already forming— look.”
The three bickering Primeval Demons paused. They turned to face the Warp Point, and sure enough a portal tore open there. Eros frowned, and Keran tried to work his jaw. Neither one spoke. It was Chorus who just scoffed, taking a step forward.
“Finally—”
But before she could step foot into the portal, a red figure stepped out. Torin’s eyes widened and he called out.
“Wait, Chorus!”
However, he was too slow. A powerful fist smashed across her face, sending her flying back. She screamed as she crashed against a nearby hill— one that was floating in the air from Reconstruction.
Torin’s eyes narrowed as he turned back to the looming red figure. The former Heir fo the Netherworld. The Traitor himself.
Haec stood there as he glared at the remaining Deathsquad Hunters.
“We’re not letting you escape.”
And with that, four flaming figures shot out of the crack in space a moment after.
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.
