READ AHEAD ON ROYAL ROAD
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"Haaah! Haaah! Haaah!"
Dash Dash Dash Dash
"Haaah! Haaah! Haaah!"
Dash Tumble Dash Dash
In a dense forest, halfway down a particular mountain, a black demon with white eyes ran like a madman through the woods. His breathing was heavy as he held up a small communicator as he continued his retreat.
BUZZ BUZZ
BUZZ BUZZ
"Come on, come on! Pickup!" He ran wildly, not bothering about the small cuts and dirt covering his naked form. He took a few tumbles here and there, but he was alive, and he planned to keep it that way.
"Haaah! Haaah! Haaah!"
As he ran, he kept dialing a contact sigil on his communicator, trying to make contact with his superior about the situation. But this state-of-the-art tool, purchased from the greeders in the north, was feeling less and less reliable as it continued to ring with no reply.
"Fuck!" he clenched out. His young master was, once again, not taking this mission seriously! This was the emergency contact line, and he'd been dialing for the past 5 minutes!
He was running out of options. His mana was already spent from using his unique skill [Shadow Switch] to trade places with a shadow on the wall and sneak away while the War Demon was distracted with Baku.
But before he vanished over the wall of the open courtyard, he saw it all. The agonizing and eerie fate of the people below, all impaled, all bleeding profusely, yet not a twitch of suffering nor a single grunt of pain was heard. It made his hair stand on end seeing that. Some were not in husks of lifeless flesh like him, but the result was all the same.
But that wasn't the important part.
'Paradoxical Tenet!'
Only a paradoxical tenet manifests monsters; the rest produce a simple law field that enhances a devil's power. This had to be reported, a new four or five star allying with the Feast faction was one thing, but one possessing a tenet like that was an entirely different story.
This one had to be put down before she grew any more. Such a devil was a huge wrench in his master's plans. With the young master not picking up, he would have to meet with the patriarch directly, not really protocol, but this was without a doubt an exceptional case.
"Gotta get to the safe zone!" As a spy, he'd obviously made arrangements for the day his cover would be blown; fortunately, he set up an array to teleport him well out of Baku's territory, far away from the War Demon.
Unfortunately, he had to set it up far away from the fortress, the vice captain was just as sensitive to mana as the Dream Eater.
"A-almost there, Haaaah! Haaaah!" The demon ran as fast as his trained body would take him. He didn't know how much time he had before the old demon lord discovered his absence, but he knew the second the War Demon found the husk empty, the sky would fall to earth once more.
He had no desire to witness such a terrifying skill again.
'Fucking Monster.' How could a demon possess a power like that? No matter, his array should be around-
"Kuhu…" While his eyes darted around for his array, and his mind spun over the information he discovered, the demon heard a soft, feminine laugh.
His feet froze.
He whipped his head around, left and right, seeking out the voice that sounded so close yet far from him. A witness!
But as he scanned his surroundings, he found no one, he couldn't even sense a presence around him. In his haste, he failed to notice the color of the dark forest was a bit off compared to normal dark greenery one would subtly sense in such an environment.
He sighed in relief. Perhaps his nerves were-
"Kuhu…"
He heard it once more, but this time, his trained spy mind picked up on the sound more clearly. It was a soft laugh he recognized. His scalp turned numb.
'No! I-impossible!' He quickly shut his eyes. This was a sound that everyone in his unit was familiar with, how could they mistake it? It was one of the recordings in the dossier they went over hundreds of times. A noise they were told to be extremely wary of.
It was the indicating sound of one of the greatest dangers on this mountain.
But he didn't need to worry about such a noise for some time now. Why?
Because the fortress lord didn't have the strength or luxury to currently utilize the creature. So the shadow demon leader thought.
'Baku's Manifestation!? How!?' His fists trembled in frustration, so even his intel on Baku's health was incorrect? So they were dancing in the palm of that old bastard's hand the whole time!
"Kuhu… ah, there you are… little demon." He could hear the monster giggle behind him.
The demon's heart sank, but he soon pushed the feeling down and gritted his teeth in determination. No. It wasn't over yet!
He was close to the array, and the intel they had on the monster was enough to keep him relatively safe! He just had to use his senses to find the hidden accumulated mana!
'I just need to keep my eyes closed and find the exit!'
One of the few rules they gleaned about the monster from staying close to Baku was simple enough to follow.
Don't look directly at it!
So that fool Baku explained. The demon grinned boldly; this game was far from over. The creature was a spectral-variant-type monster, possessing dream laws. Not looking at it made sense; denying its existence by ignoring it would keep it from doing any physical harm. So the team concluded.
"Kuhu kuhu, can you hear me, little demon?" He heard the voice behind him once more. He steadied his mind and ignored her.
"Kuhu, can you see me, little demon?" Now heard in front of him, but he was unperturbed by the sounds. He spread out his mana sense as far as he could, searching desperately for his array. The signature was around this area, he was sure.
"Kuhu kuhu kuhu, oh? Your eyes are closed. Are you ignoring me? Hey, look at me…"
He said nothing and continued his work, he didn't know all the rules, so ignoring her completely was the best option. But as he continued to rapidly search, something happened that made his heart shudder.
He felt two slender arms wrap around him from behind. Two large, soft objects pressed against his back, and he felt a warm breath brush past his ear as the monster spoke.
"Kuhu, did Baku tell you to ignore me? He's so rude~" The creature spoke, hugging the demon tightly.
'C-calm down, just find the exit! As long as I ignore her, she can't exist in the physical-'
His body began to tremble violently. If she can't exist in the physical world if she's ignored, what was this?
"Kuhu kuhu kuhu, did you figure it out? Kuhu kuhu kuhu!" She hugged him tighter, but there wasn't much strength in her grip, so the only discomfort the demon felt stemmed from his pounding heart.
"Kuhu, seeing me has nothing to do with Baku's rules…. He just thinks I'm ugly~" She said aggrieved. "But at least I'm much prettier than that sadistic puppet! Hmph!"
The demon didn't say anything; his despair was too deafening to hear anything else. He slumped to the ground. It was over; if no such rule existed, escape most likely didn't exist either.
He was out of ideas, his body was chilled, instinctually aware of his imminent execution.
The monster kneeled down to the slumped demon, whose eyes were now open, staring at the ground. As her pale legs came into his view she spoke up, patting his shoulder. "Kuhu, aww, it's ok. You don't need to worry; from now on, your dreams will live on forever… In me. Kuhu!" She whispered. "Now… look at me~"
'Look at her...'
The demon, now hollow and empty about the feeling of his death drawing near, slowly began to raise his head to look at the woman before him. At least, he wanted to see the creature about to-
BUZZ BUZZ
But his rising eyes froze when he felt the buzz of his communicator in his hand. A flicker of defiance flashed in his eyes. A chance! Not yet! At least… At the very least, he would tell his young master of Baku's full recovery. It would give them a chance to inform the rest and plan accordingly!
At the very least, he would die a hero.
"Kuhu, that's it, just a bit mor- hm? H-hey, wait!"
While the monster was speaking arrogantly, fully assured of her victory. The brave shadow demon leader did something she did not expect. With swift and hell-bent motions, he lifted the communicator and pressed the answer button.
PIP
As he did so, the monster couldn't stop him; she just shouted urgently, trying to hinder him, weakly grabbing his wrist with no meaningful results. He smiled recklessly as he quickly shut his eyes once more. He was still safe! He had gambled correctly, she couldn't do anything to him yet, he hadn't broken a rule!
A voice soon came from the communicator. A tired, annoyed voice.
"Haaam, what is it this time, Gregor?" The voice asked, clearly uninterested in the conversation.
But the shadow demon didn't mind; he only had so much time left. Even if the monster standing in front of him couldn't do anything, her master could, and he was most likely en route to his location. So he spoke urgently.
"Young master, code red! We have all been discovered, and the Dream Eater has been fully healed. I don't have a lot of time left; quickly relay my message to the others! All agents have most likely perished!"
The voice replied, a little sleepy and confused. "Huh? All dead? And who was healed?"
The shadow demon held down his frustration, even at a time like this? Useless! But he pushed on, he was running out of time, he could feel it.
"The fortress lord Baku has recovered fully through the whore devil's abilities; you should be getting a report about her soon! She also possesses a paradoxical tenet. Please, young master, you have to remember all of this! Quickly!"
BLUBB BLUBB
The voice replied a little more startled and urgent now. "Huh? Baku has been healed?"
"Yes, young master, Baku has been healed!" He confirmed, relieved his young master was sounding a bit more attentive now.
BLUBB BLUBB
"T-this can't be! Repeat what you just said! Impossible!" The shadow demon felt a small sense of relief hearing his young master's urgent voice. He had never heard such urgency before; his information was getting through to him.
"That's right, young master! That's right! I…I'm trapped as well… and will soon lose my life… So please, young master. You have to let the others know…"
"...Gregor...you..."
"...let them know that Baku, the dream eater, has returned."
BLUBB BLUBB
The shadow demon could feel it. His time was up. The dream eater was upon him. But he no longer felt despair or helplessness; he felt peaceful, accomplished, even a little heroic.
"Thank you for the information, Gregor. Your sacrifice won't be forgotten… You were a true hero." The voice spoke, sorrow and respect heavy within.
The shadow demon's eyes moistened a bit at the words. "Thank you, young master." Near the end of his life, he never expected to feel more fulfilled than ever before.
"Your name will never be forgotten; so be at ease my friend, sleep well, Gregor… and sweet dreams…Kuhu!" The voice on the other end bade a final farewell.
"...Huh?" Was all the shadow demon could utter as he heard the voice of his young master slowly transform to a more feminine and playful one. His eyes snapped open in horror, only to see rows of sharp teeth shoot up from the ground beneath him, engulfing him completely in an instant.
SWALLOW
SNAP
CRUNCH
CRUNCH
CRUNCH
~~~
In a tree above this horrific scene, Baku stood there, his face scrunched up at the sight. Why even make that dream if he was going to reveal himself at the end?
"As grotesque as ever..." He muttered.
"I don't know, I think she looks pretty strong at least." A pink-haired, flower-petal-eyed, young devil voiced beside him. She let out a yawn as she watched the creature crunching meticulously.
"He." Baku corrected.
Hannya raised an eyebrow. "Huh? But-"
"He just likes illusions of women more when hunting; he says it's more elegant." The old fortress lord shook his head. He always had to explain this. His manifestation would pout otherwise.
"Elegance! I see! So it does work in this world… Just you bumpkins…" she muttered as she rubbed her eyes. Baku just looked at her strangely. What was that supposed to mean?
"With that done, you should get some sleep, kid. You exhausted your essence far too much; it's not like mana or chi, it takes time to recover. Sleeping helps with that; I'll finish things here."
But Hannya shook her head. "I'm…fine, I can't go to sleep yet… I just need a pick-me-up… like…like a line or two would-"
Baku snorted. "Nonsense, you'll feel like that for days if you don't rest…"
SNAP
"...now sleep. We've got training when you wake up. Kahuhuhu!"
Baku snapped his fingers, and pale blue chi rushed from his hand and entered Hannya's small body. She immediately collapsed, falling from the tree they were standing in.
With agile movements, the fortress lord caught her descent. Baku laid her beneath the tree they previously stood atop and walked over to the bloodstain where the shadow demon used to be, the body and his manifestation long gone.
BUZZ BUZZ
BUZZ BUZZ
When he approached, he spotted the small communicator lying on the ground, buzzing.
Baku grinned. "Dreams can come true, with the courage to pursue them…"
He stepped forward and picked it up, wiping the blood from its surface. He read the screen.
[Young Master Doze]
"...but fearing them will only cause nightmares to pursue you...consuming your reality. Kahuhuhu!"
A subordinate from the very top, it seems. The patriarch's son seems to have a hand deep in this offense. Baku's sparkling grey eyes seemed to glow brighter at the sight. Though he had no ocular abilities, the rumbling mana in his body brought the fury to his vision.
One known offender, now to find the rest.
"Know the name of Baku, the name of pure dreams, the name of the devil." The color returned to the world around him.
"Kahuhuhuhu!" And a malicious laugh echoed throughout the silent forest.
~~~
Hellnia, Pleasure Faction Domain, Pleasure Palace
Inside a pure pink lounge room, resting his head on the lap of a beautiful charm demon was a young devil. His eyes were tired as he squinted at the communicator in front of him, while the beauty brushed his long silver hair periodically.
She brushed it gently, but every now and then, her hands would tremble ever so slightly when the young devil shifted his body every now and then. Regardless, she maintained her smile as she did her work diligently. She just needed to make it through the hour.
Tap Tap Tap Tap
PIP
The devil tapped on the communicator a few times, revealing a hand showing 4 stars on each finger, close to the knuckles. After typing, he pressed a large button on the center, sending the message.
"Haaaam." After doing so, he set the communicator down, readjusted his head, and closed his eyes once more. He needed more sleep; there never seems to be enough rest for the wicked.
BAM
But suddenly, one of the side doors, leading to a bedchamber, swung open with a slam, startling the two on the couch.
The charm demon was so startled from being on edge the whole time, she brushed the devil's hair too quickly, catching a knot of hair in the wooden brush, yanking the devil's head upwards a bit. This caused the devil to scrunch his face in annoyance.
She immediately apologized. "I-I'm sorry! Young mast-"
SPLAT
*Yawn* "No worries…" He didn't need scary mice to brush his hair. Covered in blood, he leaned up from the remaining half of the charm demon and looked at the noisy intruder.
"Hahaha, my bad. Was I interrupting something? Was you tryna get demon pussy a second ago?"
A tall, tan-skinned devil walked in. He was shirtless and covered in blood; funny enough, none of it belonged to the charm demon just executed.
The pale devil snorted. "And risk the birth of a disgusting imp, like you? I'll pass." He looked over at the lower half of the dead charm demon. "Besides…they are far too fat."
The tan devil scoffed. "Fat? Don't you mean too old? I've already seen the ones you go for."
The pale devil shook his head. *Yawn* "Shame. The love faction really is a bother; they convinced the Luxuria council to ban the skinnier whore devils from service until…they are of healthy weight. He grumbled.
The tan devil squinted his eyes at the pale devil. "Dude, if you just want a 'skinnier' girl, I can just request-"
"No need." The pale devil immediately cut him off. "It isn't the same. Never will be."
He then looked the tan devil up and down. "And why are you covered in blood?"
The tan devil chuckled. "They couldn't handle the strokes of superior blood, hahaha!" He shrugged and followed up with a crude humping gesture.
The pale one shook his head. "Showeuff, they will kick us out if you keep killing the servers. They have an area for that already."
The tan one, Showeuff, just shrugged. "What are a bunch of whore devils going to do? Suck us to death? Hahaha!" He walked over and slapped the other devil on the shoulder. "Listen, Dozeuff, my brother from another mother, you gotta relax, live a little. How can you be sleeping in a paradise like this and not have any fun? Sometimes I wonder how we were born on the same day." He shook his head.
Dozeuff grumbled. " I would have had fun had the rules not been changed so outrageously."
Showeuff laughed. "Hahaha, just give me a couple more weeks here. I never get to leave the palace back home. Then, on our way to that backwater village, we can hunt for 'Skinnies' all ya want! How's that sound, brother?"
Dozeuff's eyes lit up, finally! He nodded enthusiastically. "Ok, it's a devil's deal! Y-you're a good brother!"
"Hahaha, don't sweat it, man!" He slapped his back once again. "Ah, by the way, any news on the overrun mission on that mountain?"
Dozeuff shook his head. "It was a failure; the feast faction happened to be in the area or something, but it seems like that old man is still close to kicking the bucket. I also received a call some time ago, but it seemed to be just an all-clear for the War Demon leaving."
"Gotcha…" Halfway through the explanation, Showeuff stopped listening, his eyes squinting at the lower half of the dead charm demon, considering something. He then nodded and walked over to the half, picked it up, and began walking back to the room he came from.
"Well, let me know if anything important happens; our clans need this plan to be a success."
Dozeuff nodded. "I will…and d-don't forget our promise!"
Showeuff waved his hand, not looking back as he carried the charm demon half away. "I always keep my promises, bro!" Slamming the door behind him.