"[Summon Mid-Tier Demon: Infernal Hero]" An elegant voice hummed, with a book that could be called nothing less than unholy and evil flipping to a page and flashing a complex pentagram filled with other symbols in a deep red.
Afterwards, in front of Ghost, or rather, Bachelory, an Infernal Hero, a nearly mid-high level Demon of Level 60 who could still put up a good fight even against a level 80, perhaps 85, player, appeared before kneeling before him.
"Go to that Infernal Scribe, he will instruct you on your new duty." He ordered simply, with the summon nodding, and advancing toward the second, or well, technically third Demon present.
Once Bachelory found himself alone again, he hummed without much emotion.
"Those will be today's summons." He muttered, taking a small measure of amusement in declaring the completion of his duty, as if telling the world how satisfied he was to have fulfilled his duties as a servant of the Overlords. Indeed, he was.
Still… To say he was calm would be a bit of an inaccuracy.
After all, the concern about the reaction of Her Majesty, the 'Demon Empress, Komodo'...
No, it really wasn't that intense.
But he was worried.
All due to the return of the two units dispatched, whose fates were unpredictable.
Well, all in all, the pair of Evil Lords sent to deal with the Deorum Regnum army in the northeast was easy to 'predict'.
The same with the Betelgeuse unit heading towards the United Army.
However, as for the Evil Lords of Lust and Gluttony, and the Evil Lords of Greed and Pride…
Actually, there were no losses in that. It was estimated that one of the pair of Evil Lords in each unit would die. In the case of the unit tasked with attacking the Black Scripture, fortunately, it was planned that Pride would be killed.
Although in the unit attacking the Argland Council, it was expected that only Lust would be killed in most scenarios.
However… Both the first and second units led to… Unfortunate discoveries.
Not only did the Black Scripture Captain, who could barely put up a fight against the Lord of Greed, manage to kill the Evil Lord of Pride in one hit after using a skill or martial art from this world… But Gluttony was killed almost instantly by Riku's sudden appearance, despite the Lord of Gluttony being a specialized tank.
Again, there were no losses, since both were temporary summons summoned by the Bachelory himself… But the reason for their deaths was a huge and unpleasant surprise…
The only consolation, aside from the fact that the actual losses were zero, was that a significant amount of Black Scripture equipment was stolen by Greed, such as the Captain's own spear and all the equipment of the beast that was the 10th Seat. Added to this, the 4th and 10th Seats of the Black Scripture were killed, allowing Operation Fata Morgana to proceed.
At least that was on the part of Greed and Pride's unit.
On the part of Lust and Gluttony, they managed to wipe out three of their elite units, not counting Morgol, who had been dead for some time. Two sons of the Dragon Lords, plus the Wyrm Dragon Lord himself. It's a shame their bodies can't be recovered quickly. And to that we add that Lust managed to charm two other Children of Tomorrow, being a more than valuable source of information~
After all, they confirmed many things. Among them, that the vaunted Riku and his allies were Dragon Lords, and that they possessed artifacts from Yggdrasil, as one of the kidnapped Half-Dragons possessed an arcane firearm.
Therefore, officially, the Overlords had finally fully revealed their enemies.
They could let the presence of other Dragon Lords, or Dragons in general, pass as long as they were peaceful and posed no threat, as was the case with the Frost Dragons, or if the war hadn't happened, the Wyrm Dragon Lord, who wasn't strong enough to pose a real threat to Titania in almost any situation.
But in the case of the two Dragon Lords the Supremes faced, the Dragon Lord of Deep Darkness and the Dragon Lord of Ocean, entities of that level of power, capable of truly putting a group of level 100 entities in a bind, with Deep Darkness nearly killing Black Abyss and Bulldoger in their pocket dimension, and Ocean almost killing Betelgeuse twice, the Dragon Lords had to be either heavily monitored and restricted by Titania, or exterminated.
Likewise, defining the power level of the different Dragon Lords was complicated.
Deep Darkness was able to fight for what felt like hours against Black Abyss and Bulldoger, and almost defeated Dont at the end, if not for her ultimate ability.
But on the other hand, the Wyrm Dragon Lord was barely able to put up a fight against the Evil Lord of Gluttony even with the help of two Half-Dragons descended from Dragon Lords, not to mention that in their previous confrontation, Wyrm nearly died against Gluttony despite having more Children of Tomorrow on his side.
Therefore, it pretty much explained the vast difference there could be between one Dragon Lord and another.
And in the case of Riku, or rather, the Platinum Dragon Lord, who was supposedly the strongest Dragon Lord according to the two kidnapped people, considering the strength of Ocean and Deep Darkness, Platinum could very well be above level 100 in terms of power.
Although that didn't explain how Dont, in her Komodo form, was able to put up a fight even without Black Abyss protecting her.
And that happened three times. Was he restricting his strength? Did his 'humanoid' form have a limitation? Or did he even have a draconic form? It could very well be a Dragonoid like Achernar, with its Dragon form being its ultimate with a huge stat buff…
There were many different theories and possibilities, but there was still so much missing information.
And thanks to Lust, and of course, Eyesight and Gandolfo, plus a little touch from Carmellitian, all the information those two Half-Dragons could provide was going to be extracted.
It was a huge opportunity, having parts of a Dragon's corpse was one thing, it allowed for the creation of beasts as strong as the B.A.W.F., but this pair of Dragonoids was going to prove very important, or at least that's what Dont hoped. Being supposed familiars of a Dragon Lord, the information they had to give could reveal major weaknesses or strengths of the Dragon Lords.
And of course, Titania didn't plan on sparing the rest of the Children of Tomorrow. And any grudges the Dragon Lords may have, they'll die with 'Komodo' at the end of this~
And those mutant lizards had better be useful to the Supreme Ladies. If not, there were more than enough Titanian inhabitants who could put stress dolls to good use.
Bachelory hummed, calmer with his brief review of the current situation.
The Archon was dead, but as with Gluttony and Pride, it wasn't a real loss, aside from the few hours of nonstop work by Skeletons and some POP Demons, and the Golems created from Gandolfo's common stone.
The Theocracy's army was in the red in loyalty to its country and in terms of troop numbers itself. The Black Scripture was decimated, as were the Children of Tomorrow and the Dragon Council. Titania had valuable information at its disposal, and everything was going according to the Supremes' grand plan.
And soon, very soon... The climax would arrive. The legendary battle where Titania, or in the eyes of the public, Deorum Regnum, would rise as the greatest world power.
Bachelory couldn't wait. But at the same time, he was more than content to be patient.
"Ah, how wonderful~ Praise the Supremes~" He hummed, before remembering to mention something to himself that, while he already knew, didn't hurt to mention it once more just in case. "Mm, soon it will be my turn to shine~ Don't worry, Supreme Ghost, I won't tarnish your image." He said to nothing, or well, to someone who wasn't there. Still, someone who believed in his heart was listening.
If Ghost could really see it, he would be shedding a tear of pride.
…
"Hm…" Titania looked around, no longer seeing any Demons nearby, only the remnants of a bloody and violent fight…
Of course, for Black Abyss, it was never dangerous, but it was something that decimated the strength of the Black Scripture by perhaps 70%, considering their fatigue.
And all of that considering there were only two Level 60 Demons.
For Black Abyss, of course, it might have been a walk in the park, if the park were a setting straight out of World War III and Demons were added instead of birds and butterflies.
But to be fair, even the strongest attack from one of those two Infernal Heroes was nothing more than a tickle for the Paladin. They barely managed to take 1 HP each with those skills, a point that recovered almost instantly.
The Infernal Heroes truly tried their best, as they were ordered to do, but again, the level difference between said Demons and the Angel was 40 levels, from 60 to 100, which was even greater than if the difference had been from 10 to 50.
But for the Black Scripture… It was hell.
Not only did they have to try to ensure that the collateral damage of the dramatized combat would destroy them, but with the loss of the 10th Seat and the Captain's weapon, their combat power dropped dramatically.
Seraiah had a sword borrowed from Black Abyss, which was nothing less than a rune weapon with a single, insignificant rune that supposedly improved the weapon's sharpness, but it was actually a remote self-destruct rune that Alicia could activate at any time.
She didn't expect that to actually hurt the Captain, having proven himself to be over level 60, though under level 80, but considering he was human and didn't have any truly impressive equipment, it was enough to stun him if necessary. Then again, the Captain wasn't a swordsman, he was a spearman.
Likewise, the quality of that spear was abysmally superior to that sword, which could barely be considered above average for common reinforced steel swords.
After all, while Black Abyss had no real problem giving, say, a random Lizardman soldier, an Artifact-quality magic sword before Dont suppressed it and swapped it for a rune of the same rank, which was difficult to do, the Paladin wasn't foolish in the least. Obviously, she wouldn't give a weapon that was even remotely threatening to the strongest of the Black Scripture, who literally killed an Evil Lord with a single blow.
Simply put, the only reason the elite unit was still standing without any more casualties was Titania... And the fact that they were no longer being openly attacked by Demons.
Every fight they had with monsters was waged by the elite unit against the large squads of Demons roaming around, under the guise of reducing the burden on the armies of the three nations. It was all just a plan to tire the humans out further.
"Ha... I-Is it over...?" Brain gasped, collapsing while hissing in pain from the superficial wounds on his body, all due to the Demonic Spearmen and Swordsmen he faced. Which spoke highly of the human, given that a single Demon could take out half a normal army before dying, according to Bachelory's estimates... Brain has certainly become very strong.
"Not yet." Titania blurted, her weapons disappearing in a white light, her halberd reappearing. "How long did they say I was in a coma?" She asked aloud, more to Alicia, Elise in this case.
"3 days, Titania…" Elise whined, approaching Brain to heal him… The only human the Undead healed without so much reluctance… And the only reason was because Black Abyss ordered it before the trip.
"Mhm. It's very difficult for any magic to work on me. And the Anti-Coffee… I should have been able to see when she tried to inject it. She would only do it if it came from somewhere she didn't expect." She exclaimed, looking at Seraiah, who was getting up tired from the ground.
The Captain frowned slightly, looking at Titania.
"Are you implying we are colluding with those monsters?" He asked, his tone noticeably annoyed at the very idea.
"Not you, but the Theocracy." Titania exclaimed. "I suppose that would make us enemies in a way, but I'd rather not." She spat, planting her halberd into the rock floor, wiping her hands of dirt and Demon blood.
"Same here." Seraiah muttered, noticeably irritated by the mere suggestion that the Theocracy was secretly allied with the Demons.
But they'd already had an intense argument about it twice, and Seraiah decided to simply ignore it until it was all over. He didn't believe it was possible for the Theocracy to do something like that, but until he proved it to Titania, which he could only do when they finished this mission, he'd just be fighting the Paladin 24/7. And that wasn't good at all.
"M-Miss…" Elise exclaimed to Titania, who looked up at her. "I-I'm receiving a telepathic message request…" She blurted out. "This is the Supreme Commander…"
Titania raised an eyebrow.
"Miia? It must be important. Besides a good signal, communications should have been restored." Titania murmured, placing a hand on her waist, waiting for the information.
"W-What…?" Elise seemed surprised, then looked at the remaining members of the Black Scripture with caution. "B-But, Commander…" She whimpered, before sighing. "Yes… I'll tell the Saint…" She exclaimed, looking at Titania, swallowing for a moment before speaking to the white-haired woman. "T-The Commander reports that… The Theocracy launched a joint attack with the Demon Empire against her army… They declared the Theocracy as enemies…" She said…
Titania just looked at her, closing her eyes afterward.
A deathly silence fell as Seraiah stared at Elise in disbelief. And to say that the rest of the Black Scripture, including Brain, weren't feeling the same… Would be a lie.
"…What…?" Seraiah muttered, truly… Unable to believe what he was hearing…
"The Theocracy army that fought alongside the Commander resigned and joined Deorum Regnum…" Elise blurted out, causing Titania to open her eyes, then look at Seraiah.
"What will you do?" She asked, not aggressively, but not with the kindness she had before.
The Captain remained deathly silent… Considering his options while still trying to comprehend what he had just heard.
"… I can't believe what I'm hearing." Seraiah declared, as if simply refusing to believe that Elise's words were true. "The Theocracy would never betray an ally without there having been a prior breach of treaty." He blurted out… However, a part of him… Knew it was possible that a part of the Theocracy had been ordered to betray Deorum Regnum…
Not for any reason… Simply… In the case of the Theocracy, there was an authority, who, while not having that much individual power over the entire army, was a figure of power. A Cardinal, after all… And said Cardinal, it was well known that he hated Deorum Regnum to the core for being multiracial…
"I believe you, but I doubt your leaders saw us as Allies, Seraiah. Deorum Regnum is a kingdom where humans and demi-humans coexist. It's not something your leaders, or even some members of the Black Scripture, like." The Paladin exclaimed.
"It could be a Komodo trap." The Captain quickly responded, frowning.
The tension was rising rapidly…
"I know Komodo, its traps and strategies. It's not one of them." Titania blurted out. "It's not the first time I've seen people betray each other to gain a larger share of territory after winning a 3-versus-1 war." She said, though those betrayals she saw were in Yggdrasil Guild Wars, but they still counted. She thought, at least.
Seraiah stared at Black Abyss, silent… The wind, smelling of ash and sulfur, blew, stirring both of their hair… At any moment, one of them would pull out a revolver, and they would start a cowboy duel.
"Join me, come to Deorum Regnum." Titania blurted out.
"I will not betray my country." The black-haired man immediately declared.
Black Abyss closed her eyes, her hand gripping her halberd.
"I know, at least I wanted to try." She murmured.
"Captain…" 2nd murmured shakily, not really knowing what to do…
Seraiah raised a hand, stopping her from saying anything else.
"We don't have to fight each other, Titania. Our mission is one, and we both want to fulfill it. To finish off Komodo and rid this land of the Demons." Seraiah said, clearly not wanting the tension to escalate into a serious conflict. And everyone knew things were getting serious when even 6th remained silent.
"Don't get me wrong, Captain. I really don't intend to kill you, just knocking you out will be enough. Then I'll go myself and finish off Komodo. But your loyalty, although I see it very well and I support loyal and faithful people like you, will be a problem. Our Kingdoms are at war." Black Abyss explained, pulling the halberd from the ground, revealing its sharp spearhead, axe head, and razor-sharp hook.
"T-Titania, this isn't necessary…" Brain stammered, clearly afraid of what was happening.
The Scripture Captain silently looked at Black Abyss before sighing.
"… I see… I'm sorry it's come to this, Miss Titania. It didn't have to be this way." The human muttered before speaking. "Draco. Use it."
The strange word followed by an order confused Black Abyss…
And without hesitation, the White Orchid saw her dress bathed in pink flames… So that they would scorch to nothing…
…What…? Was she going to seduce her or stun her with a nude…? She wasn't going to deny that it might work for a moment… But she already had Dont! Who was more than 10 times better than that pink-haired girl! However, to Black Abyss's further confusion, beneath the 2nd Seat's ash-turned dress was another garment… And she opened her eyes, seeing that it matched a long-ago description…
A white chinese dress with a golden Dragon.
She froze, almost frightened, while White Orchid, with an almost pitying expression, gestured toward Titania, as if she were pushing something at her…
Then, the Chinese Dragon on the dress separated itself… Turning into a projection of light with 3D lines that perfectly created that same 5-legged Dragon.
Of course, White Orchid wasn't the only one who moved.
Brain nearly leaped frantically to defend the Paladin, only to be rammed by the 5th Seat, then held back by the 9th Seat's metallic arms.
"TITANIA!" He cried out in concern.
On the other hand…
Elise, or rather, Alicia, held back no longer.
She leaped like a hungry beast toward 2nd, seeking to tear her apart while clenching her fist.
But it was 6th who intervened, placing his sword in the way.
However, the punch collided with the sword, and the Paladin could only gasp as he was pushed back by the sheer, unexpected force of the ever-weeping woman.
Sure, Alicia was a Saint and a support, yes, but she also had greater physical power that the blond never expected.
However, even if she hadn't been blocked, Alicia was already too late.
The Dragon launched itself with decent speed toward Black Abyss, like a snake slithering through the air with some haste, but not resembling a train.
And Black Abyss became truly uneasy when she heard the 'ping', like a sixth sense, along with a violent, unpleasant shiver… The bell… That notification that warned when they were being targeted by a…
This was… Very unexpected… Dont had told her many times…
'Stop being so careless.' 'What if there's another World Boss out there?' 'What if there's someone with a World Item out there?' 'What if there's a Player or a random with one of the 20?'
But… She never expected that she would be targeted by a World-Class Item… She wasn't in Yggdrasil, much less did she expect it here…
Just like that, she watched as the Dragon collided with her, the effect dissipating as the golden projection dissipated into motes of light as it seemed to impact with the Paladin, as if crashing into a wall… The bright light disappeared, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust in its wake…
Black Abyss placed her hand in her chest, feeling it beat hundreds of times per second. W-Was she scared...? She hadn't felt that way in a long time...
"W-What...?" White Orchid blinked, watching as... Nothing happened...
"I-Impossible...!" Seraiah stepped back in disbelief...
Then, the Paladin, snapping out of her stupor, responded properly, shooting out like a missile and with a firm slash, decapitating the 2nd Seat.
Her speed was such that it took everyone by surprise... After all, it was the first time she'd used her maximum speed since arriving in these lands. Only sonic waves could be heard where she passed, and after a few seconds, the wind realized the speed at which the Angel moved and reacted, raising a massive amount of ash and dust as a rather large crater formed where Black Abyss had been.
When Seraiah looked at Orchid, she saw her falling to the ground… The woman didn't even realize the moment she had left life.
"E-Eyesight…" The Paladin gasped, still trembling as she stared at the mage's body… No, the dress, which no longer had a Dragon.
Instantly, Seats 5th and 9th froze, before collapsing like puppets whose strings had been cut, freeing Brain, who also fainted.
Taking advantage of the 6th Seat's commotion, Alicia lunged at him, delivering a firm punch to his stomach, causing him to gasp helplessly. Elise's mouth deformed into a mess of carnivorous teeth, filled with rotten flesh and blood, and toxic saliva spurted out. The ghoul quickly began devouring the stunned Paladin in frenzied... Rage.
If Brain could witness the scene, he would be beyond disturbed, discovering Elise's true nature... But fortunately for his sanity, he was knocked out by Eyesight, along with the two holding him.
And if anyone was wondering about the 11th Seat, she was vomiting her own guts while writhing, her eyes bleeding. A gift from Eyesight.
Black Abyss turned, looking toward the only Black Scripture member standing.
"It certainly didn't have to be this way… If she hadn't used a World Item against me, I would have let her live. But…" Her yellow eyes glittered as she frowned. "You showed me how dangerous you are… And I can't allow that… For the sake of… What I love." She exclaimed, raising her halberd. In her left hand, her glowing shield appeared, taking a phalanx stance toward the Captain.
Seraiah gritted her teeth, gripping her uselessly weak sword…
Alicia grunted as she chewed meat, reaching into one of her pockets and activating a stone.
Then, the single rune on Seraiah's sword glowed.
The human opened his eyes, noticing it, and threw it toward Titania. However, mid-strike, the sword exploded. It was a [Minor Explosion], but it was still an explosion nonetheless, briefly blinding Seraiah as he covered his face.
In that meager second, he felt a powerful blow to his stomach, knocking him back several meters. Several enormous boulders that had been brought to the surface by the previous fighting were destroyed.
Getting up from the blow, he looked towards Black Abyss, who no longer had her weapon or shield in hand.
"Out of respect, I'll face you on equal terms. At least in terms of weapons." Black Abyss blurted out, instantly closing the distance, closing her fist, and slamming it into Seraiah's face with worrying power. It sent him violently and swiftly tumbling across the ground, causing a 25-meter line of destruction until he stopped.
"G-Gah... Ha..." The Captain gasped before rolling to the side as he repositioned himself, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. Although having a busted lip was the least of his worries, feeling his teeth shatter and his jaw dislocated… "[Null Pain]." He managed to blurt out, feeling all the pain disappear.
Afterwards, he looked at Titania… Then he looked at Elise.
"… I see…" He murmured, though his words sounded somewhat odd because of his broken jaw. "So you even have Undead as pets?" He growled.
"Pet?" Black Abyss stopped a few meters away from him, sighing. "No, Seraiah, you still don't understand. Undead, Demi-Humans, Humans, everyone in Deorum Regnum is the same, people. We never cared about race." Black Abyss explained.
However, the Captain no longer had the slightest intention of listening to Black Abyss, standing up as… He knew he had no chance.
But he wasn't going to just stand still.
"[Divine Speed] [God Stance] [Will of Humanity]" Seraiah chanted as best he could, rapidly improving himself as auras of different colors bathed him…
The Paladin didn't recognize those abilities, but it didn't matter. Seraiah's destiny was set in stone.
But then again, the Captain of the Black Scripture, who could very well be considered the greatest human hero in the world, albeit by religious technicality, was a Demigod, not 100% human. However, the 'God' from whom he descended was human as well.
Black Abyss opened her eyes, watching Seraiah practically become a blur.
She could see him clearly, but… Somehow, he became faster than her.
She noticed it quite clearly with the blow to her stomach twice, followed by a punch to her chin.
Those skills improved him quite a bit… Which was interesting…
Black Abyss closed his fist and punched, striking Seraiah's chest, sending him stumbling back several meters, coughing after such an attack.
Black Abyss looked down at her hand, seeing the metal of her gauntlet fall apart. Well, they weren't high quality, in fact, they were very low. But Seraiah's armor wasn't scratched. Was it Relic quality? Perhaps Legendary?
Black Abyss removed her gauntlets, letting them fall to the ground. She also removed her chest armor. She was left with only her Relic-level dress and metallic boots.
Even so, Seraiah, who launched himself at Black Abyss again, striking her face with a strong punch, a knee to her waist, and another punch to Black Abyss's cheek, was once again thrown to the ground with an overly strong punch from the Paladin, sending him crashing against the rocks and raising piles of rubble. And even with the difference in equipment, in which Seraiah had the vast advantage, not a single drop of blood was seen in Black Abyss. At least none of it was hers.
"Go on." Titania blurted out at him.
The human spat to the side, spewing a mass of broken teeth and blood, before seeming to change strategy.
"[Grand Sukuchi]" He growled... Another martial art or skill.
Then, Seraiah slid. Yes, he slid, as if he were skating on ice instead of land, causing the Paladin to blink... It looked almost ridiculous...
However, that mere moment of surprise cost her dearly. Not for herself...
But...
"GROOAAAHHHH!" A roar was heard along with a disgusting sound of flesh being crushed and bones breaking.
Ironically, taking the spear away from Seraiah backfired.
Alicia vomited rotten blood, more due to her Undead nature and naturally disturbing and decomposing, than because she received a powerful punch to the stomach.
She was then headbutted to the face, shattering her skull from the powerful blunt force damage, especially strong against Undead, pushing the Ghoul backward and causing her to crawl on the ground.
While the Paladin could follow Seraiah's movements as a level 100, Alicia was still level 75, and a support at that.
Black Abyss raised her hand, and her halberd appeared, pointing at Seraiah.
"[Spear of the Saint]!" She exclaimed seriously, pointing at him, a similar golden halberd made of light extending to its place, piercing through him without any damage, but retracting at high speed toward Black Abyss. Seraiah couldn't move for some reason, making it impossible to avoid the spearhead of the halberd piercing through his back, exiting through his chest in a light blue light, emitting smoke from the heat the attack produced.
All the while, Black Abyss's arm wrapped around Seraiah's neck, with her other arm behind him, placing him in a well-known lock, executed perfectly.
Seraiah snarled, reaching into a leather pocket on his greaves, pulling out a red knife, and violently plunging it into Black Abyss's thigh. The Paladin blinked as the knife, though only a few millimeters deep, pierced her flesh… She didn't know whether to praise Seraiah's strength or the quality of the knife, perhaps a mixture of both. But all in all, the damage was almost nonexistent, quickly regenerated. Perhaps it would have been a little more if Black Abyss weren't immune to the knife's fire damage.
Only then did she tighten her grip on Seraiah's neck with extreme force, rendering him unable to utter a sound.
With the halberd stuck in his heart, and Black Abyss strangling him… It was a sealed fate…
"Don't worry, Seraiah. I'm going to make this a better world. I'll get rid of senseless wars. Until this is a paradise." She said to the man, tightening her grip.
The human gritted his teeth, resisting the suffocation as best he could. Black Abyss commended his resilience.
"You're a good warrior." The Paladin said. "It was a shame you chose the wrong side, like all your comrades. But I promise you that everything you possess will be put to better use than you gave it, Seraiah." He murmured in her ear.
The Black Scripture Captain resisted, grunting and writhing despite all the damage…
For a moment, his HP dropped to 0, but he continued to move for several more seconds… Wow, each time, the martial arts and local skills increased his potential and power more and more in the eyes of all Titania.
Titania smiled, suddenly releasing Seraiah, dropping him to the ground, grabbing her halberd and tearing it from the man's back, causing another serious damage.
"[Heal]." She unleashed the basic healing spell before stomping hard on his back, rendering him immobile with the sound of something breaking.
"G-Gah!" Seraiah, able to breathe again, gasped violently while still twitching despite his injuries. He gripped her knife firmly and shouted at the top of his lungs. "[GODLY DEATH]!"
The Paladin frowned… He had no way to hit her… But it was still the same skill that killed the Lord of Pride in one hit.
However, to her surprise, Seraiah made a move, breaking his elbow and practically turning him around, and thus, managed to push his knife into the Paladin's ankle…
Still, the force of something like that shouldn't be…
Black Abyss gasped as she felt a… Very intense pain, feeling the burning knife cut into her ankle and pass through her.
Her HP dropped by 5 points. It wasn't much, really, but she felt the instant death effect fail… And just like that, her HP didn't heal, while the Bleeding effect added to her status.
Black Abyss was surprised, so she smiled.
"I lost a warrior who exceeded my expectations once, I won't lose another." She muttered. After all, that thing hurt, and did more damage than he could have even expected at the best of times, and it worked with such a weak weapon. If she could get Achernar to learn such a technique~
"[Holy Ground Revelation]" Black Abyss exclaimed, to which a dome of light rose up 10 meters around her, isolating her from everything else, except for certain things that were too specific and strong in that sense, like… "Eyesight." She exclaimed the name. "Have Bachelory come here, right now, open a [Gate] inside here." Black Abyss said, looking at Seraiah, who had fallen unconscious after such an attack.
A few seconds later…
A kaleidoscopic red portal opened next to the Paladin, and a figure emerged.
The Angel almost expected to see Ghost, but she was seeing Bachelory as he was.
The Prime Minister, in front of Black Abyss, immediately knelt.
"I have hearkened unto Your summons, My Lady." He hummed in his ever-so-elegant and noble tone.
"Bachelory, this human, keep him alive no matter what. His skills impressed me, and his group gave us such a beautiful gift as a World-Class Item. Be sure to let 'Her' know when you return with him. It's no more worth mentioning than the one who was able to cut me with a knife and inflict fire damage." Black Abyss exclaimed, removing her foot from Seraiah's back.
The Doppelgänger was silent for a moment, almost trembling, but composing himself… He was visibly annoyed now.
"I see, I do hear and obey, my Lady. Shall I dispatch this man and his company to 'wring forth his knowledge'?" He asked in an almost venomous tone, clearly speaking of Carmellitian.
"To his group, yes. Not to this one. I don't want any kind of mental damage to him. Instead… Try high-level Mind Control spells. I want you to try teaching Titania's assassins that technique, [Godly Death]. If they're able to learn it, it would be a huge breakthrough." The Seraph explained.
"Ay, my Lady. I shall forthwith obey, and return to mine appointed station." He hummed affirmatively and understandingly, before looking at Brain through the dome that hid them. "Wouldst thou have me deal with yonder mortal?"
Black Abyss looked at him. Brain was still unconscious after the release of that World Item…
"No, he tried to protect me. I'll heal him and send him back to guard the rear." She Paladin said.
"I comprehend." Bachelory nodded, before looking back at Alicia. "What wouldst thou have me do with the corpse of One-Ey'd Alicia?" He asked once more, causing the Paladin to freeze.
She looked in that direction… She was level 75… She hadn't taken any damage before that attack Seraiah dealt her… It shouldn't be possible that…
"W-What do you mean…?" Black Abyss blurted out in a low voice…
"One-Ey'd Alicia hath perished. Her HP doth measure naught, as judged by [Life Essence.] Wouldst thou have me preserve her remains, and set forth the rites for her return? Or do I presume too much upon the Ladies' will, in thinking they would spend their sacred breath on one whose purpose hath been spent?" The Prime Minister elaborated further in a neutral and polite tone.
H-How…? S-She couldn't have been that stupid… D-Did she really let her take a fatal attack…
S-She didn't know what to think... It was her fault that Alicia had died... Just because she didn't kill Seraiah when she clearly had the absolute advantage...
"T-Take her... Revive her immediately on Titania, have her rest there... Take Brain and everyone here as well..." Black Abyss said, a strange heat emanating from her body.
"As thou command'st, my Lady. I go to bid the Lady raise Alicia anew." Bachelory nodded before standing with his hands behind his back and reaching out, using simple telekinesis spells to lift all the bodies, both unconscious and lifeless. "If it so please thee, my Lady, I shall examine the new World Item, and, once mine inspection is complete, deliver it into thy hands, and unto the mortal Brain Unglaus." He hummed respectfully and bowed.
"Y-Yes... G-Go now, Bachelory..." Black Abyss said, her voice somewhat trembling.
The Doppelgänger gave a final bow.
"Ay, of course, my humblest apologies, my Lady." And so, Bachelory, carrying the bodies with him, entered the still-open [Gate], with Alicia entering last so the portal would close once her floating body passed, leaving Black Abyss alone…
She cupped her face in one hand…
"Stupid…" She said to herself with anger in her voice, trembling… The nearby rocks began to explode from the change in temperature. "Idiot…!" She growled, clenching her fist and punching the ground. So much force was used that it split the ground in two, splintering hundreds of meters across.
The temperature was rising too quickly, the earth beginning to change color as the rocks exploded.
Then… She heard a [Message] connection requesting a chat.
Black Abyss couldn't accept it.
From a great distance, her anger was seen as an enormous fiery explosion that rose to the clouds, creating a gigantic pyramid of red fire.
…
From the Demon Empire, the usual darkness made that explosion more than clear. Even from a distance, its effect on the sky could still be seen, as could the fire itself, turning the horizon orange.
"... She's not responding..." A beautiful, shocked voice murmured, while its owner was pale and somewhat trembling...
Sheol Castle remained silent as it quickly went into mourning under Dont's immediate order. Although, of course, they weren't going to hold a ceremony right now or anything like that. There was only a minute of silence for... For Alicia...
"... [Message]" Dont cast again, wanting to contact her beloved Angel after receiving Bachelory's immediate report.
In a way, it was cause for celebration. All of the Black Scripture, except for its Extra Seat, was neutralized and captured, and they even acquired the world item Dont had encountered back then…
But considering the cost…
If Dont had to prioritize, it would be Black Abyss above all else, and second, all of Titania. From the stones in the smallest park, to the strongest NPC and the weakest POP.
But as long as it was part of Titania, Dont loved it, and cared about it.
Therefore, hearing the… Terrible news… One of her precious NPCs died… She wasn't the strongest, nor the most unique, nor the one she interacted with the most. She didn't even have a hand in creating her.
But still… She loved her like a daughter… Because all of Titania was the children of Dont and Black Abyss.
And hearing that One-Eyed Alice died…
It almost repeated what she did to the Baharuth Empire and disintegrated the Theocracy. But above her immeasurable anger came concern and empathy. Yes, empathy. For her beloved.
For, knowing her, Dont knew the Paladin would blame herself for it.
And if there was anyone who could make the Demon Queen's heart tremble inside Dont, that evil, practically divinely hellish conqueror and ruler of her soul, it was her precious Angel…
She looked at the horizon as it brightened even more, seeing the pillar of fire that rose into the sky, clearing it of clouds and turning it red… When Black Abyss got angry at Betelgeuse, she did the same. This time it was much bigger than that…
She was sure Black Abyss would be angrier than ever, but… She waited a long time for the perfect opportunity, one that would show in all the armies attacking her and attract the strongest. This… It was the perfect opportunity…
But was it worth it…? Ha…
Be that as it may, Black Abyss had unleashed her angelic form as an Urielle, an Archangel of Fire, though simply calling herself 'Archangel' was an understatement. She doubted Riku and company wouldn't come closer to see what was going on…
She clenched her fists… Feeling as much hatred as Black Abyss must be feeling… Everyone was going to pay… Everyone except Titania and Deorum Regnum, of course…
Dont sighed… Soon, they would reach the final act of this arranged war. But for now, Titania was in mourning, and Dont had a job to do.
He rose from her throne and walked down the ornate stairs, then sent a message to a certain Gorgon.
A red portal opened in front of her…
"Well, let the inhabitants of Argland and the Theocracy pray that their corpses compensate for Titania's losses." She growled like a monster swearing eternal vengeance before entering the portal.
(Don't worry, Alicia. I'm going to bring you back, and when this is all over, I'll be sure to spoil you rotten.) Dont swore to herself.
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