The forest path wound through dense woodland, ancient oaks casting long shadows across the uneven ground. Helldunkel moved with measured steps, his boots silent against the packed earth despite his considerable height. The horns protruding from his temples caught occasional flecks of sunlight filtering through the canopy above, the only obvious sign of his demonic nature.
He had been traveling for weeks now, making his way deeper into the Central Lands. The terrain had grown increasingly wild. Rolling hills gave way to steeper inclines, the side roads became little more than worn tracks towards the main road near which he stalked. This particular stretch was relatively abandoned.
It was the mana signature that reached him first.
Helldunkel paused mid-step, his senses sharpening as he detected the faint magical presence ahead. A mage, traveling alone through these remote parts. The signature felt... modest. Weaker than his own by a considerable margin. It had been some time since he'd encountered a lone human traveler in an isolated location. The fact that this one is a mage didn't make much of a difference; this one was way too weak. Easy prey, and perhaps they carried something of value. More importantly, it had been weeks since his last meal.
He altered his path, moving closer to the road that he traveled in parallel with, already preparing himself for the encounter. His lips curved into a smile, pleasant and innocent, the kind you would expect on the face of a man whose life had just been saved. A moment later, the smile morphed into something smaller and amused, then to a grin of good humor. He paused, cycling through the expressions, selecting the one he had once observed on a villager welcoming his friend back from a hunt. Yes, that would do nicely for approaching his prey.
Helldunkel didn't typically walk the main trade route. He preferred to travel a few hundred meters away from it, close enough to sense any travelers, far enough to easily evade any patrols. But this particular mage was on the road, and the opportunity for both sustenance and perhaps some intel wouldn't go amiss.
The sound reached him next; heavy, rhythmic steps of something large moving through the forest. Not the hurried pace of a fleeing creature, but the steady, mechanical rhythm. Steps.
Helldunkel crested a small hill and stopped, his dark eyes taking in the sight before him. Then, instinctively, he flared his mana; a brief pulse of power meant to announce his presence and gauge his target's reaction.
It was in that moment of expanded awareness that the scent hit him.
Demon.
The realization shifted his entire approach in an instant. The easy-going smile vanished from his face like a morning mist. What he had planned as a hunt had become something else entirely; a diplomatic encounter that required different preparations.
How curious. Helldunkel had interacted with demons serving the Demon King for the longest time. Those who remained close to the Demon King's domain, or were dispatched on specific missions like his own. It had been a while since he'd met one in the wilderness. To stumble upon one on the Eng Road, the largest trade route between Northern and Central Lands, was intriguing indeed.
A massive wagon dominated the forest path ahead, easily the size of a small building and crafted with obvious care. Its dark wood gleamed with protective enchantments, and dozens of metal reinforcements spoke of its considerable value. What was also curious were the creatures that pulled the wagon; golems, clearly, rather massive ones, easily taller than three meters each.
And there, seated on the driver's bench of this remarkable contraption, was the source of that familiar scent.
The figure appeared human at first glance, a heavy cloak concealing his features, but Helldunkel's senses told a different story. Demon, without question, though something felt... unusual about this one. It wasn't the clothing or the concealed horns. It wasn't rare for demons to hide their inhuman features when hunting. No, the oddity was the wagon itself. Even if stolen, golems wouldn't obey anyone but their creator or rightful owner. Which meant this demon had either subdued them with his own magic or curse... or had created them himself. Both possibilities were equally likely and equally intriguing.
As the wagon approached along the road, Helldunkel stepped forward, positioning himself in the shadow of one of many surrounding trees, but close enough that they would need to acknowledge each other. A meeting between demons was not something to be taken lightly, even if this one seemed to be weak and young; there were some basic courtesies to such things.
Helldunkel's curiosity was piqued. Lesser Demons, those who were usually less than a century old, tended to be cautious and timid beasts. Demons learned quickly that they couldn't challenge other races easily. While young, they weren't powerful enough to handle the response for a raided village or an obstructed road along which they hunted men. If they didn't learn those lessons quickly, they died when they were children.
For this reason, it was odd to see a demon, who, judging by his mana, was a Lesser Demon, traveling in such a way. Was he perhaps this confident in his ability to pass as a fellow human? Intriguing, even amongst Major Demons like Helldunkel, few understood the confusing creatures that are humans enough to interact with them beyond exchanging a few words, and not be obvious in their inhumanity.
Helldunkel could feel the demon atop the driver's bench also flare his mana, as he wordlessly commanded his golems to stop. This demon's mana wasn't much to speak of. He likely wasn't older than fifty.
"An impressive contraption," Helldunkel voiced, gazing calmly upon the demon, who, in turn, was studying him from under the hood, his hands on his knees. "How did you come across it?"
"I killed the previous owner." Said the demon, tilting his head. "I wasn't expecting to meet a demon here."
"That's mutual," Helldunkel acknowledged, "I am Helldunkel."
"Albert." Echoed the other demon, his words lacking in expression or emotion.
That told Helldunkel that the demon likely wasn't very experienced in mimicking humans. Demons tended to use each other as social wetstones of sorts in conversations, trying new facial expressions and tones to see if they passed as natural. Between acquaintances, it was a good tone to point out when the expression or a choice of tone wasn't fitting the situation or the persona of that person.
"An odd name," Helldunkel admitted, studying the demon, not commenting on his monotone delivery.
They weren't acquaintances after all.
"Not one I took for myself, it was given." Said Albert simply, making Helldunkel nod in acknowledgment.
"Were you recruited young by an older demon?" He asked, mildly curious, and he took care to reflect that curiosity in his tone, making his tone inquisitive but polite. Not insisting.
"It's the name I received from my mother." Said Albert, surprising Helldunkel further.
Demons rarely met their parents or knew who they were after all.
"Was there any reason you barred my path?" Albert asked after a moment, with the same monotone expression.
Helldunkel considered him, but decided against questioning him further on the subject. He certainly could, but there was no reason to push at this stage. Not when his curiosity was middling at best.
"I only wanted to trade information," Helldunkel answered with an honest expression, "I am coming from Northern Lands, you are clearly heading there from the Central Lands, where I am heading. We both could benefit from an exchange." The meaning behind his words was simple to grasp. Helldunkel was saying that there was no reason for conflict between them, as they would stalk different hunting grounds. He also smiled welcomingly, taking care to choose the right expression from memory.
He also lied. He didn't choose to approach after recognizing a fellow demon merely for an exchange of intel.
The demon sitting on the driver's bench reached somewhere below him, and after a moment extracted a parchment.
"I have a map here. We can discuss details using it as a reference if you wish." The demon offered reasonably.
Helldunkel nodded, but didn't approach yet. He was yet to take a measure of this demon properly.
"First, indulge my curiosity. This wagon of yours… is it useful for concealment? Does it help you with your hunts?" Helldunkel asked. He was curious, true, but he also wanted to see how Albert would respond. His goal right now was to take a measure of this demon's character and responses.
Albert raised his hand and moved it in the air in a 'so-so' gesture.
"It attracts attention. Helps to prey on bandits, but also forces me to interact with a lot of humans that I can't afford to kill."
That's about what Helldunkel expected. Still…
"Your disguise is good," Helldunkel admitted, studying the demon before him. The demon chose his clothing well; he did look the part of a human mage. Not too extravagant but also not too simple. "But you seem to have trouble properly communicating like a human would."
Albert tilted his head a bit.
Suddenly, a sheepish smile appeared on his face as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand.
"Geeze, really? Sorry, sorry, I had no idea I had to do that sort of thing, even with fellow demons! You would be the first one I met after all." Helldunkel studied his expression and gestures, his body language, and this Albert was good.
His embarrassed, awkward smile looked genuine, as was the relaxed nervousness in his shoulders; every gesture only helped to build a character.
It was as Helldunkel expected: to use such a disguise, a demon would need an excellent acting ability. Not to simply approach humans close enough to kill, but to avoid conflicts entirely with patrols or guards in the villages and towns he would pass through. Instincts alone weren't enough for that; one needed to study humans, know how they spoke, and what they expected from each other. Not to understand their logic; that's practically impossible, but methodically learn their patterns of behavior.
Regardless of strength, that sort of skill wasn't one all demons possessed. Only the most human-looking of their kind, and ones uniquely patient and interested in learning such things to begin with.
Still, that remark about him never meeting fellow demons…
"It's not surprising." Helldunkel acknowledged after a moment, "Most of our kind live in Northern Lands." Thought that wasn't to say it was impossible to meet demons elsewhere. Just considerably rarer.
He considered his next move for a moment before speaking up again.
"How much do you know about us, demons?" He asked in a friendly manner, sounding helpful.
"I think that'd depend on what you mean…" Albert said, shrugging, as he pulled his hood down. He sounded… 'sheepish', Helldunkel believed it was called. Only when the hood was off, Helldunkel understood why he couldn't see the fellow demon's horns. Albert was quite lucky. His horns protruded along his head, making them easy to conceal. "I know a bunch of stuff about my own body, but I don't think that's what you are asking."
"Allow me to share some things then," He offered, moving his hand in a pointless and counter-intuitive gesture, fingers and palm up, and hand a bit to the side, that nevertheless seemed popular amongst humans, "Most demons are like you. They either aren't designated as anything or are referred to as lesser demons. It has less to do with overall ability and more to do with age and the amount of mana at your disposal," Helldunkel explained pleasantly, "From childhood to up until the moment when your personal magic matures, that's all you are. But that is fine, every demon started at this point, and the majority of demons you will meet will be lesser demons." He explained simply.
Then he pointed at himself with his index finger, while smiling.
"I am what you may call a Major Demon. Though to most, once again, most humans don't make much of a distinction, and many demons don't either. Major demons, such as myself, can be characterized by the fact that our personal magic is usually well-formed and is both versatile and powerful. Major demons are usually at a level where humans, no matter how skilled, will never be our equal in magic, though they could still overwhelm us with numbers or tactics. You can think of us as fully matured demons, compared to still maturing ones like yourself."
Helldunkel waved his hand in the air aimlessly, in a gesture designed by humans to help dispel the tension. It was as if he were trying to repel a particularly stubborn insect.
"Major demons like me are a minority. You can say that for every five lesser demons, there is one major demon." He met Albert's eyes, on whose face interest and wander were plain to see. "That being said, there are also Greater Demons. Those are ancient monsters who lived for centuries, with magic beyond comprehension." He shrugged helplessly, "Obviously, there aren't many of those. Just over two dozen."
He met Albert's eyes.
"Would you care to guess what the last category?"
The young demon did make an effort to look thoughtful, before nodding ot himself.
"That would be Demon King, correct?"
Helldunkel wasn't surprised that Albert knew. Every human knew of the Demon King, and young demons tended to be curious. It was inevitable that a Demon whose body reached physical maturity would have tortured a couple of humans and asked about fellow demons.
"Correct." Helldunkel nodded with an easy-going smile. "Naturally, even for us, demons, there is safety in numbers. In Northern Lands, it's not rare for Major demons such as myself to collect talented underlings. Or for Greater Demons to recruit demons like me." Helldunkel tilted his head, dropping the smile for a moment. "You aren't very strong, but you seem quite talented in mimicry and deception. I could use you."
Albert blinked, acting surprised, but as expected, more clueless than disagreeable. Helldunkel expected nothing less; even if this demon had taken his offer badly, he would have no reason to project any hostility before striking.
"Well, you are crazy strong, so I don't think I can really say no and live… but, is there any benefit for me in joining you?" He asked, some concern in his voice.
His deduction wasn't correct. While Helldunkel would've had to kill him were there any other lesser demons present, just to enforce the threat of disobedience before other recruits, there was no practical reason to kill him if he refused in the current scenario. If the order to join came from any Greater Demon personally, especially from those who served directly under the Demon King, then yes, refusal would've meant death.
Still, Helldunkel was in no hurry to correct Albert.
His question also wasn't unreasonable, so Helldunkel obliged and answered.
"As long as you are useful and follow orders, I will have a reason to extend my protection to you. For someone of your strength, it would help your chances of survival greatly if you were to fight by my side rather than alone." He explained simply, flaring his mana fully, to demonstrate his strength. "Traveling with me would help you accumulate battle experience and hone your magic. In exchange, I will receive your strength for the duration of our time together."
Albert nodded along to his words, appearing thoughtful. Helldunkel figured the emotions he was projecting weren't far from his genuine thoughts.
After all, for a lesser demon joining a powerful Major Demon such as himself was a tremendous benefit. Helldunkel knew that, objectively, his mana was quite powerful, and his personal magic even more so. He was no Greater Demon, but in a century or two, he may just reach that height.
In other words, to a lesser demon like Albert, he was an unapproachable bastion of magical might; having his protection is valuable.
"Is there any reason you are traveling to the Central Lands specifically, then?" Albert asked, tilting his head. "It seems dangerous to change your dwelling like you do now."
The question also didn't surprise him. Albert clearly was trying to understand if joining him would be more of a risk than trying to escape, so he was asking about Helldunkel's goals.
Keeping that in mind, Helldunkel nodded in pleasant agreement.
"I was tasked with a mission by Great Demon Lady Asveld, whom I serve, to seek promising talents in Central Lands for recruitment," He revealed, mostly truthfully. "There is news of the war in the Klingenfurt Region that ended three decades ago. Word was that the region never truly recovered and is still in a state of disarray. Weaker demons from across all Central Lands were likely drawn to it," He shared simply, "Our mission would be to find anyone with interesting magic worth recruiting, and convince them to join our group. Then we return to the Northern Lands."
Helldunkel didn't know anything about Albert's magic yet; there was a chance it was weak. But Albert clearly was good at deception and mimicry, and that by itself was a very valuable skill, especially in lesser demons. That alone qualified him for recruitment.
"So that's how it is," Albert said, leaning back on his seat a bit, scratching his chin, his voice thoughtful, "I've heard of what happened in that region, of course, but instead of going to such a dangerous place, I figured crossing the border to Northern Lands would be safer." He sighed, shaking his head. "Ah, well, it's not like I was too attached to this idea. I suppose if I serve you now, we can travel to Klingenfurt, and I will still get to see Northern Lands when we are done there."
Helldunkel nodded at that with a pleasant smile. It felt pleasant to find a recruit so quickly.
"I am sure your knowledge and this wagon would be of great help. In return, I may help you with your magic, if your pride would allow you to accept such help, of course." He offered diplomatically. It likely took some effort to acquire such a wagon, especially for a lesser demon, so Helldunkel praised him and offered something in exchange, even if the offer was symbolic. "Tell me, you aren't running from a pursuit of some sort, are you?"
After all, why else would a demon travel any distance along Eng road otherwise, instead of just moving their lair a little bit within the region? Helldunkel himself was an exception; he had a mission. Albert clearly did not.
"It's not that," Albert shook his head, "Anyone who met me and recognized me for a demon is dead." He said, his voice turning serious, grave. This was a very good tonal shift, Helldunkel had to admit; it looked like something a human would do. "I wanted to move to Northern Lands out of curiosity. I heard it's less populated, and I figured it would be a bit easier for me to develop my magic in peace there."
Curiosity and the wish to develop your magic, the only two reasons that drove young demons to action at all. Aside from the desire to kill.
"I am glad to hear that." He said, finally taking the first step towards the wagon, "Now, you mentioned a map?"
Albert smiled, nodding his head and inviting him over with a gesture.
Helldunkel took his first step toward the wagon, then another. Albert remained seated on the driver's bench, that pleasant smile still fixed on his face as he gestured invitingly to him to hop over and see the map.
Something shifted.
It was subtle, barely perceptible, and only served as an instant of warning. But Helldunkel had survived for one hundred and twenty-three years by trusting his instincts. Albert's mana signature fluctuated, a minor spike that a mage can't avoid when shaping a spell.
Helldunkel's shadows responded before his conscious mind could process the threat, on sheer instinct.
Darkness erupted from beneath his feet, coiling upward in protective spirals just as crystalline spears materialized from the air around Albert. The ice spears struck his shadow barriers with sharp, ringing impacts, the ice-clear projectiles shattering against the writhing darkness that had surged to defend him.
Helldunkel's body tensed.
But that wasn't all.
Even as Helldunkel's magic deflected the crystal assault, movement exploded from both sides of the wagon. The golems, silent and motionless just moments before, launched themselves at him with mechanical precision. Their stone fists, each the size of a human head, crashed into his shadow defenses from opposing angles.
The impact sent Helldunkel staggering backward, his feet sliding across the forest floor as the golems' combined assault overwhelmed his hastily formed barriers, making his shadow splash on him like ink.
Before the golems could pursue, he summoned the shadows from the surrounding trees, which crashed into the animated beings like a tidal wave, giving him enough time to jump back, widening the distance.
"What..." Helldunkel asked plainly, even now, out of sheer habit, he displayed some of his confusion, but didn't care for showing his anger at such a strike.
Albert was no longer smiling. The pleasant, sheepish expression had vanished; his face was expressionless now. He remained seated on the wagon, hands resting calmly on his knees as if he hadn't just ordered an attack on a fellow demon.
"Your defence a good enough to block even this caliber of piercing spells with no warning," Albert said, his voice returning to that flat, emotionless tone from earlier. "Interesting."
The golems were clearly pushed back, but they remained positioned between Albert and him.
His shadows writhed around him, responding to his agitation, and for the first time since approaching this strange demon, Helldunkel felt genuinely uncertain about what was happening.
"Have you lost your mind?" Helldunkel demanded, shadows coiling more tightly around his form. "We have no reason to fight."
Albert tilted his head, studying him with those emotionless eyes.
He didn't answer with words.
A staff appeared in his hand in a brief flash of condensed light, a storage enchantment Helldunkel recognized; he'd seen countless human mages use it.
But he had no time to dwell on it, four condensed spheres of fire ignited above the stuff and immediately sped off towards him.
Helldunkel gestured with his hand, and shadows from surrounding trees once again flowed out like ink and stretched into a thin barrier, intercepting the shots long before they could reach him.
They exploded in large, lingering fireballs that produced a lot of light… and deepened the shadows.
Helldunkel didn't hesitate as he formed his defence; a fragment of his shadow separated, flowing across the ground, until it merged with Albert's. Then, an eyeball opened in the lesser demon's shadow.
Helldunkel couldn't see his target through the flames and wanted to be sure he would hit. Albert's own shadow condensed into a spike and shot into his unprotected back almost in the same instant when the 'eye' opened. Transparent yellow barrier rose in the spike's path, slowing it down just enough for three more barriers to appear and deflect it.
The strength of the impact threw Albert into the air, or so Helldunkel assumed for an instant, before he realized that the demon was floating.
Studying him from above.
Helldunkel's eyes widened as his own shadows spun around him in a spiral, shredding five spheres of mana that almost struck him from his blind side. The spheres exploded, but far enough from him that he only felt the wind ruffling his hair.
…Albert must have set those attacks up when Helldunkel's vision was obscured by the exploding fireballs.
"Human magic," Helldunkel commented, staring up at the flying demon. "Spells of this level can't harm me."
Helldunkel felt confusion. Human magic wasn't something to be underestimated, but seeing it used by a demon warranted a single, crashing question: why?
A demon, a being who can fashion his own unique magic into whatever shape and use he likes, would never have a reason to rely on human magic. Some rare exceptions supplemented their primary magic with a few human spells, and some used whatever human spells they acquired to better their own magic... but this isn't what Albert has shown.
All he cast so far were human spells. Rigid, solid, inflexible, with no elegant modularity that allowed demons to twist their own spells on the fly. Why would a demon spend years learning spells they couldn't ever make their own?
This was the primary question that thundered in Helldunkel's mind. Even Albert's surprising skill in battle was ignored, just as his ability to fly, even though both of those skills were atypical for demons of his strength. All because a question thundered in Helldunkel's mind, a question he couldn't help but entertain, that ignited a dangerous, all-consuming bonfire of curiosity.
"Why would you bother learning spells like this? Is your own magic so weak?" Helldunkel questioned; he truly was perplexed.
Albert didn't answer. His face didn't change. It was as if he never heard a question at all.
The floating demon brought his hands together in front of his chest.
Sparks of electricity started to dance between his fingers, and eventually his palms, slowly growing in strength, arcs of electricity lasting for longer, becoming brighter…
At the same time, Helldunkel could see both golems awkwardly run towards him.
That was enough for him to understand he won't hear the answer.
"Pitiful," Helldunkel commented, and raised his hand.
Helldunkel's magic was called Hohlform. It was a magic that allowed him to give shape to shadows and to control them.
This magic was limitless in potential, limited only by Helldunkel's own knowledge and power. As any spell of any demon inherently was.
He could do many things with shadows, but ultimately, shadows were essential. The closer his enemy was to any shadow, the easier it was for Helldunkel to kill said enemy.
By flying, Albert made his shadow further away from him. Any attack would naturally take longer to reach Albert; the logic was sound.
However, the lesser demon was a fool if he thought Helldunkel was helpless.
The surrounding shadows of the forest turned into spikes and catapulted into the air, into Alberet, from every angle imaginable.
There was no cover for him, nowhere to dodge, which was the essence of Helldunkel's Hohlform.
It was magic that one couldn't escape.
At the same time, strength flooded Helldulken's body as he burned mana and accelerated towards the golems, cracking the ground under his feet. His shadow that trailed after him like a cloth morphed into a spear and a shield.
His shadow's eye was focused on Albert, so he saw how the demon dropped his lightning spell and woven a shield of wind around his body. The shadow is formless before being touched by Hohlform, but after the magic is used, the shadow becomes a substance. A solid, a liquid, a gas, something tangible. This was how the wind spell was clearly invented to shield oneself from physical projectiles, and managed to deflect the barrage by merely shifting the shadow spikes away from Albert's body enough not to penetrate him.
The bigger spikes met the yellow barriers Alber has woven as needed; the precision of his response impeccable.
Helldulken only paid half a mind, as he engaged the golems while Albert was fending off the barrage.
His shadow-spear pierced through the first golem's torso, cracking the stone construction with a grinding sound. But even as chunks of its chest crumbled away, the construct continued swinging its massive fists. Helldunkel ducked under the first blow, his shadow-shield deflecting the second golem's strike from his blind side.
From above, Albert was shaping something new while still fending off the spikes. Concentrated orbs of magical energy began forming around his floating form, four of them spinning in a slow orbit. They launched toward Helldunkel in rapid succession, not in a straight line, but curving through the air.
Helldunkel grabbed the damaged golem by what remained of its torso and yanked it between himself and the incoming attacks. The first orb exploded against the construct's back in a burst of raw force, sending stone fragments flying. The second and third followed, each impact reducing more of the golem to rubble.
The fourth orb curved wide, arcing around the improvised shield to strike at Helldunkel from the side. He twisted away, the magical projectile scorching past his shoulder to detonate against a tree behind him.
The shadows in the surrounding forest didn't miraculously appear again; they couldn't. Helldunkel's magic was such that until he released the shadow from the transformation, they remained physical. Meaning he only had so many shadows to draw from. It was one of the few limits of Hohlform.
However, Helldunkel wasn't disarmed just yet. The spikes from his previous barrage burst into liquid shadows when they missed, and once they hit the ground, they once again turned into projectiles to continue the assault.
Albert's wind barrier deflected most of them, but Helldunkel could see several finding their mark, leaving thin cuts across the demon's arms and legs. Nothing serious, but Albert was accumulating damage.
The second golem charged forward. Helldunkel's shadow-spear elongated, piercing through its head, but the construct merely continued its stride, impaling itself forward, and with a grinding sound, breaking its own neck, leaving the head impaled as it advanced and swung its fist.
More attacks rained down from above. This time Albert conjured what looked like crystalline fragments that fell like deadly hail. Helldunkel's shadow turned into a formless limb that pulled him behind the headless golem, using its bulk as he animated the golem's own shadow to impale it by a dozen tall spikes, propelling up from the ground as a stone shield. The crystal shards embedded themselves in the construct's back with sharp, ringing impacts, some piercing deep enough to poke from the other side, for Helldunkel to see.
But Albert seemed to have anticipated this. The next barrage came from multiple angles; some crystals fell straight down while others curved around the golem's sides. Helldunkel had to abandon his cover, as he stole the golem's shadow to augment his own, the spikes holding it up disappeared, making it collapse, even as Helldunkel's shadow-shield expanded to deflect the attacks as he leaped away.
The movement put him in the perfect position for the damaged golem's final attack. Its massive fist, trailing loose stone and dust, crashed toward him. Helldunkel's shadow-spear met it head-on, piercing through the construct's wrist and erupting from its elbow. The golem's arm separated completely, but momentum carried the severed fist forward.
Helldunkel twisted aside, the stone projectile missing him by inches, and his shadows surged upward in retaliation. More spikes lanced toward Albert, forcing the demon to weave between them while maintaining his magical bombardment.
A sphere of flame exploded near Helldunkel's position, and a few above him, concealing Albert from view. The shockwave staggered him just as the headless golem made its final charge. He managed to sidestep, his shadow-spear carving through the construct's remaining leg. The golem toppled, but even as it fell, Helldunkel's eyes widened in shock.
Albert was behind him, concealed by the raging magical fires from Helldunkel's mana sense and the eye in Albert's own shadow.
Albert's mana exploded into a terrifying inferno, rising up beyond anything he had shown this far and…
"Druckwelle."
Helldunkel's shadows were mostly directed above him and in front of him, attacking the golem and shielding him from bombardment, respectively.
He managed to shift only a bit of shadow in front of Albert's attack.
It struck like a tidal wave of pure force. Mana condensed not into a beam or a sphere, but into a pressured wave that hit him like the waters of a raging waterfall multiplied by a factor of ten.
The thin layer of shadow Helldunkel had managed to shift offered no meaningful resistance. The wave of raw magical energy crashed into him with devastating force, lifting him off his feet and hurling him backward like a broken doll.
His body smashed through the trunk of the first tree with a thunderous crack, bark and splinters exploding outward. The impact barely slowed him down. He careened through the forest, his form ragdolling through branches and undergrowth as the magical wave continued to propel him forward with relentless momentum.
The second tree he struck was thicker, older. The ancient oak groaned and swayed as Helldunkel's body punched through its base, but it held just long enough to alter his trajectory. He tumbled, spinning end over end, before slamming into the forest floor.
But the wave wasn't finished with him.
The concentrated force dragged him across the ground like an invisible hand, carving a deep furrow through dirt, roots, and stone. He could feel his ribs grinding against each other, his left arm bent at an unnatural angle. Blood filled his mouth as he was pulled inexorably backward, his body plowing through the earth like a living plow.
The Eng Road rushed toward him, and when the wave finally launched him onto it, the ancient stone pavement cracked under the impact. Spider web fractures radiated outward from where he hit, chunks of fitted stone exploding upward in a shower of debris.
Still, the force carried him. He skidded across the broken road surface, his coat and skin shredding against the rough stone, leaving a trail of dark blood in his wake. Only when he finally came to rest against a massive boulder on the road's far side did the magical assault finally dissipate.
Helldunkel lay there for a moment, his breathing ragged and labored. His shadow writhed weakly around him. Every part of his body screamed in agony, and he could taste copper on his tongue.
Slowly, painfully, he pushed himself up onto one elbow, spitting blood onto the cracked stone. His dark eyes fixed on the destruction he had carved through the forest, the trail of devastation that marked his passage. Trees lay broken and splintered, the road itself bore the scars of his impact, and dust still hung in the air like a testament to the spell's power.
That wasn't the magic of a Lesser Demon. That level of raw force, that precise control, the sheer amount of mana required to sustain such an attack... Helldunkel's mind reeled as he tried to process what had just happened.
In the distance, through the settling dust and debris, he could see Albert's silhouette still floating with his hand outstretched. The demon's hand is trembling slightly. For the first time in this battle, Helldunkel noticed Albert's mana dropping considerably.
This attack took a lot from him.
Helldunkel wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, his shadow beginning to coalesce more solidly around him as his shock gave way to something else entirely.
Rage.
"Have you no pride?!" He shouted, but his voice was hollow. His face expressionless. He had no energy to charade anymore. "To hide your mana even in battle?"
Albert's trembling hand lowered.
"I don't care for pride." For the first time, Albert, the Major Demon, answered Helldunkel since the battle started. "The only thing that matters is that you die."
Helldunkel didn't understand. He couldn't. For a demon, their magic was the greatest source of pride. But his enemy used no magic of his own… and to the bitter end even concealed his mana. The power of one's mana was an accumulation of the demon's effort in life, the achievement, the culmination of their work through countless decades.
Hiding it… was despicable. An insult to one's own achievement in magic.
Helldunkel had no words; by this point, they were meaningless.
The liquid pools of shadows lingering all around the battlefield turned into mist, rising into the air and solidifying, forming a gigantic cage. The air was now denied to Albert.
"Your magic is fearsome, not because of the durability of your constructs, and not because of their versatility," Albert commented, seemingly merely observing as he was being trapped. "What scared me is your capability to strike from my own shadow. I studied you and waited for my own shadow to return, so I floated above the ground. But it never did. The greatest power you have is the first-strike capability your magic affords, and you wasted my shadow on a weak attack only because you underestimated me."
Albert leveled his staff towards Helldunkel.
"Now there is no reason for me to fear engaging you on the ground."
Helldunkel didn't care to answer, and besides, while his enemy clearly stalled for time to recover from exhausting so much mana in so little time, Helldunkel's regeneration took care of the most serious injuries impeding his mobility.
There was a set range to the Hohlform, a range beyond which Helldunkel wasn't able to transform the shadows. So Helldunkel always had a limited amount of shadows to work with. Most of the surrounding shadows wove the barrier to bar Albert from flight, despite his enemy's taunting words; Helldunkel didn't remove it, expecting it to be a trap.
A demon can't be trusted, a demon who can lie even about his own mana… could lie about anything.
So, besides his own deep shadow, Helldunkel only had scraps to work with. And, of course, the cage itself can become his weapon at any time, even if it will be a one-time use trump card.
He decided to leverage his greatest advantage: the speed with which he could shape his magic by moving the fight into melee.
Helldunkel's shadow pooled beneath him, then erupted upward into a spear and shield. The constructs were smaller than before, conserving his limited shadow material, but dense and sharp. He launched himself forward, using the broken road's uneven surface to his advantage, leaping from one cracked stone to another as he closed the distance.
Albert backpedaled, his staff already glowing as he was forming spells. Crystalline spears materialized and shot toward Helldunkel in rapid succession. The shadow-shield met them, the ice-clear projectiles shattering against the dark barrier, but each impact chipped away at the construct's integrity. Helldunkel could feel the shadow weakening, stress fractures appearing in its surface.
He didn't slow down. Instead, he liquefied a portion of the shield, the shadow flowing like ink before solidifying again into a fresh, unblemished barrier just as another barrage struck.
Albert continued retreating, moving toward higher ground where the road curved upward against a rocky outcropping. His movements looked clumsy, unpracticed, showing him to be a demon unused to fighting on land. He could've levitated above ground, but clearly, he decided to save his mana instead.
Helldunkel pressed his advantage, his spear elongating to strike at Albert's legs. The demon jumped backward, clearly assisted with a burst of flight magic, nearly losing his footing on the sloped ground as he landed, and yet he responded with a sphere of concentrated force that exploded between them. The shockwave pushed both fighters apart, but Helldunkel recovered faster, his shadow-spear morphing into a whip-like tendril that lashed out to wrap around Albert's ankle.
Albert's staff flashed, and the shadow construct severed as a blade of wind sliced through it. But the attack had served its purpose, throwing Albert off balance. He rolled backward up the slope, with a gesture rising a large boulder between himself and Helldunkel while frantically weaving protective barriers.
"You fight like a coward," Helldunkel snarled, his voice still hollow but edged with contempt.
The new boulder created a new shadow, which Helldunkel animated instantly, using it as a thin claw that broke the first layers of barriers surrounding Albert.
He vaulted over the boulder, his reformed spear aimed at Albert's chest.
The two remaining weak yellow barriers shattered with his blow, but bought Albert enough time to twist aside, the spear point grazing his ribs as he stumbled around the boulder's far side. Yellow barriers flickered into existence, deflecting Helldunkel's follow-up strikes, but each impact threw Albert back and usually ended up with more cuts.
His enemy was clearly on the defensive, unable to properly fight back, and Helldunkel sensed it like a smell of blood in the wind.
Albert abandoned trying to fight on the ground, levitating above it now, just half a meter or so, but Helldunkel closed in relentlessly, his shadow-spear flowing like liquid to extend around Albert's hasty barriers, the point seeking flesh.
Albert raised his staff to block, wood meeting shadow-steel with a sharp crack. The staff held, and Albert used the moment of contact to pivot and create distance, launching himself sideways and sending another barrage of spells.
Orbs of magical energy formed and launched in rapid succession, forcing Helldunkel to raise his shield. The shadow construct absorbed the impacts, but Helldunkel could see it degrading with each strike. He converted a portion back to mist, then reformed it, but the process took precious moments.
Helldunkel smiled grimly. His enemy was trapped.
He brought the hammer down, the cage woven from shadows above them turned to gas, and immediately into spikes that rained down, locking the mage in place.
Helldunkel charged up the slope, shadow-spear extended, ready to end this pathetic display. Albert raised his staff again, more barriers forming, as wind roared around his body, deflecting stray shots, but that left him little opportunity to defend himself.
The spear punched through the first hastily conjured barrier in its way, then the second. Albert threw himself sideways, but it was too slow; Helldunkel's spear extended and caught him in the shoulder, piercing through cloth and flesh with a wet sound.
Albert's staff clattered as it fell from his crippled arm. As his second hand flashed in the air, lashing out… only to be caught by Helldunkel, his extended nails never even reaching his flesh.
"Finally," Helldunkel breathed, drawing closer to finish his opponent.
This was when, to his surprise, he noticed Albert's hand gripping his own.
"Resonant Soul," Albert said casually, his voice no longer carrying any trace of exhaustion or pain, even as it distorted into something deeper, otherworldly.
Helldunkel's eyes widened in realization, but it was already too late.
The curse took hold.
A massive wagon dominated the forest path ahead, easily the size of a small building and crafted with obvious care. Its dark wood gleamed with protective enchantments, and dozens of metal reinforcements spoke of its considerable value. What was also curious were the creatures that pulled the wagon; golems, clearly, rather massive ones, easily taller than three meters each.
And there, seated on the driver's bench of this remarkable contraption, was the source of that familiar scent.
The figure appeared human at first glance, a heavy cloak concealing his features, but Helldunkel's senses told a different story. Demon, without question, though something felt... unusual about this one. It wasn't the clothing or the concealed horns. It wasn't rare for demons to hide their inhuman features when hunting. No, the oddity was the wagon itself. Even if stolen, golems wouldn't obey anyone but their creator or rightful owner. Which meant this demon had either subdued them with his own magic or curse... or had created them himself. Both possibilities were equally likely and equally intriguing.
***
As the Resonant Soul spirited away his opponent into the memory, Albert flew back, his movements deliberate despite the wound in his shoulder. The spear that Helldunkel had driven through flesh came free with a wet sound, dark blood trailing in the air as Albert carefully extracted the shadow construct from his body.
Below him, the battlefield had transformed into something alien. Liquid puddles of shadow spread across the broken ground like spilled ink from a giant's quill, dark pools that reflected nothing and seemed to drink in the filtered sunlight. The destruction from their battle shattered trees, cracked stone, and scattered debris; all of it now lay partially submerged in those unnatural black lakes.
Helldunkel stood at the center of it all, motionless as a statue. His face had gone completely blank, eyes staring into some invisible distance as the curse held him fast within the grip of the memory. The demon who had been so animated moments before now appeared as lifeless as carved stone, his chest not even moving to breathe, as demons didn't need to do so, and the action wasn't in their instincts.
Albert raised his arm, mana gathering at his fingertips. A tall spear of ice crystallized in the air before him, its surface gleaming with deadly precision. Without hesitation, he sent it hurtling downward toward the defenseless demon.
The projectile never found its mark.
The spear still clutched in Helldunkel's motionless hand twisted of its own accord, shadow flowing like liquid mercury as it reshaped itself into a spiraling shield. The ice struck the dark barrier with a ringing impact, shattering into a thousand glittering fragments that rained down onto the shadow pools below.
Albert's eyes widened, but he had no time to process what he had witnessed.
A spike of pure darkness erupted from the ground beneath him, moving with the speed of a striking serpent. He threw up a hasty barrier, yellow light flashing as his magical shield deflected the attack. But the shadow construct punched through, the deflection of the angled barrier only made it miss his heart.
Still, it found flesh. The needle-thin spike punched through his lung with surgical precision.
Blood filled his mouth as he coughed, the metallic taste sharp on his tongue. With a sharp strike of his palm, he shattered the shadow construct, but even as the fragments dissolved into mist, more were already forming below.
He flew higher, putting distance between himself and the writhing darkness below, but what he saw made him narrow his eyes.
The shadow pools were moving.
Not flowing like spilled liquid, but moving with purpose, with intent. They converged around Helldunkel's motionless form, but more specifically, they gathered around his shadow. And that shadow was wrong in ways that Albert's mind struggled to process.
Where other shadows were merely black, dark reflections of the world above, Helldunkel's shadow was a void. It didn't simply absorb light; it seemed to devour it, creating a patch of absolute darkness that hurt to look at directly. The emptiness was so complete it appeared to have depth, as if one could fall into it and never stop falling.
Something moved within that terrible depth.
Eyes began to open throughout the shadow pools. Red orbs with slitted pupils like a serpent's, each one turning upward to fix upon Albert with predatory intelligence. They blinked in unison, dozens of them, perhaps hundreds, their gaze following his every movement through the air.
The pools began to rise.
What had been liquid darkness started to take shape, flowing upward in impossible defiance of gravity. The shadows formed writhing tentacles, grasping claws, serpentine bodies that coiled and twisted around Helldunkel's still form like living guardians. They moved with fluid grace, each construct appearing to possess its own will, its own cunning.
Albert sent another barrage downward: crystalline spears, orbs of force, fireballs. Every attack met its match. A tentacle of shadow would intercept one projectile, a serpentine form would coil around another, and somewhere in the darkness, those red eyes would track each movement, calculating, adapting.
The constructs didn't just defend; they sacrificed themselves with tactical precision. One would throw itself into the path of an attack that threatened to reach their master, dissolving into mist upon impact, while two others took shape, becoming monsters with wings. The kind that could reach him.
The shadows moved silently, but as if in rhythm, perfectly complementing each other.
And through it all, Helldunkel remained perfectly still, trapped within the curse's embrace, completely unaware that his trump card was playing itself when his control over the cage he held in his own shadow weakened.
The shadow constructs circled their master like a living fortress, their red eyes never leaving Albert's form, waiting for the moment when he would venture too close, when his attacks would bring him within reach of their grasping darkness.
Albert understood the intent immediately. Their forms had wings, claws, and other appendages; they could fight him… but that would leave fewer bodies between Albert and their master.
This gave Albert a chance to kill him while he was indisposed.
So instead, those monsters were prepared to sacrifice themselves while threatening him not to come too close by taking those forms.
Albert's expression turned grim; he knew the memory he enforced would last only for two minutes. This was the time he had to kill all those monsters and Helldunkel. If Helldunkel awoke with enough of those beasts still alive… Albert will die.
Wasting no time, he sent the first barrage of fireballs.
***
"Finally," Helldunkel breathed, drawing closer to finish his opponent.
This was when, to his surprise, he noticed Albert's hand gripping his own.
"Resonant Soul," Albert said casually, his voice no longer carrying any trace of exhaustion or pain, even as it distorted into something deeper, otherworldly.
Helldunkel came to awareness in an instant.
It was a sudden switch, so his first instinctive action was to strike Albert, who, as he had just seen, was within his grasp.
But as he swung his spear-hand, he realized it was empty, and took measure of the situation around.
Albert was fighting his hunters, who took the forms of flying beasts, tearing the few around him with his claws with precise, practiced movements, even as he sent a barrage of exploding mana balls at Helldunkel.
Instinctively, the demon tried to defend, only to see some of the surrounding shadow pools roused by some other power, defending him.
He spared the few remaining eyes in the pool a glance. Only ten or so hunters are left, out of almost a hundred.
It didn't take him longer than a moment to put two and two together, realizing that Albert's curse made him relive his own memory. After all, he did remember living through the encounter twice.
"What an unwieldy curse," He said, summoning his spear and shield once again. "Just reliving a memory… is this the limit of your magic?" He said disdainfully, even as his enemy finished off the last hunter attacking him.
That left him with eight.
Albert looked down at him.
He smiled.
"I see you regenerated well," He said, his voice empty, despite the smirk on his face.
Helldunkel realized what he was referring to. While under the effect of this curse, his body was driven by instinct. So it regenerated all wounds it could, even the non-essential ones, spending a lot of its mana.
Moreover, the Hunters, while they had a mind of their own, used Helldunkel's own mana to fight and take shape. The Hunters clearly attempted not to spend too much, probably using little to no Hohlform aside from taking physical bodies. Yet, even so, Helldunkel was weakened.
His mana was below Albert's now.
He merely tilted his head.
"You don't have an advantage," Helldunkel stated the obvious. "You wasted all the opportunities you have; there are no more secrets for you to make use of." And in a direct confrontation, Helldunkel was sure - he would win. Even if he had less mana now.
"Let me ask you one thing then," Albert was still smiling.
His words were putting him on edge. This enemy fooled him again and again, and while he said Albert was out of tricks, he still hesitated to attack. Because he couldn't be sure that things really were as they appeared.
Was it possible that Albert was concealing his true mana level again? Did he have more spells that could attack him? Was there something that he missed within those two minutes, some preparations, some ploy?"
"Why do you assume that my curse merely lets you relive your memory?"
If Helldunkel didn't specifically search for it, he would've missed it.
How the shadows behind him filled with mana in a familiar, if strange fashion.
Helldunkel's personal shadow shifted, shielding him… from blades made out of darkness that almost struck him in the back.
"Impossible." He said, looking up at the smiling demon. "You… you stole my magic."
That explained it. Why Albert attacked him, why he used so many human spells… if he merely stole them from other mages, it explained it.
Helldunkel also understood why he hid his mana. If he did it to better his own magic while stealing from him…
Helldunkel was beyond enraged, especially when a few spears of ice struck his shield from another direction.
This battle… he couldn't imagine winning it anymore.
Helldunkel's mind worked with mechanical precision, calculating probabilities and outcomes even as rage burned cold within him. Albert possessed his magic now; that much was undeniable.
Worse still, Albert's mana reserves exceeded his own. The regeneration, the hunters, all of it had drained him while his opponent had conserved strength. And if Albert could wield Hohlform even in an incomplete state… there was no chance to win, not when Helldunkel couldn't rely on his constructs anymore.
"Albert," Helldunkel said, his voice carrying the flat certainty of a pronouncement, "I name you the Accursed."
He spoke the words without heat, without the theatrical fury. They were simply a fact, delivered with the same tone he might use to identify the weather. But the weight behind them wasn't fake.
"No demon will be caught unaware of you again," he continued, tilting his head slightly as if considering something mildly interesting. "From now on… your deceptions end here."
Albert's smile didn't waver, but something flickered in his eyes; or so it appeared to Helldunkel.
Helldunkel felt the familiar touch of his own shadow beneath his feet, deeper and more responsive than any other darkness on the battlefield. His personal void, the one space Albert's stolen magic couldn't touch or predict. He began to sink into it, the shadow accepting him like dark water.
"You fought trampling over your own magic, dignity, and pride," Helldunkel observed as the darkness rose around his ankles, his knees, his waist. Not an accusation; simply another fact to be catalogued. "What you did today was unthinkable, and I will kill you one day for it."
The shadow climbed higher, reaching his chest. Albert watched from above, making no move to interfere. He likely understood that shadow travel, once begun, couldn't be interrupted by outside meddling, thus only confirming to Helldunkel that he was making the right choice by choosing to flee.
If Albert knew even this application of Hohlform and didn't even attempt to inject his own mana, trying to disrupt it, it meant all of Helldunkel's knowledge was likely taken.
"But I also take my words back," Helldunkel continued, his form now submerged to the neck in absolute darkness. "Your curse is the most amazing spell I've seen,"
"Shame it is wasted on someone like you," he said as the shadow began to close over his head.
The darkness swallowed him completely, and he was gone.
Albert remained floating above the devastated battlefield, surrounded by the lingering pools of shadow and the debris of their conflict. The forest held its breath in the sudden silence, broken only by the distant sound of settling stone and the whisper of wind through shattered trees.
Somewhere in the deep places between shadows, Helldunkel traveled through paths only he could navigate, for the first time in his existence, breaking down the pathway behind himself, erasing the traces only he, and now one other Demon, could ever find in this realm.
***
???
The road to Klingenfurt wound through dense woodland. It took a month of travel from the border of Northern Lands.
A month that Helldunkel spent traveling with utmost caution. He passed the warning about the demon who ambushed him, but aside from that, the encounter was too confusing to teach him anything but additional care when confronting his fellows.
The war-torn region lay just ahead now, perhaps half a day's journey through these final stretches of forest.
It was as he traveled along one of the rough roads that he saw her.
She sat on a fallen log beside the road, so still she might have been part of the forest itself. Small and delicate in appearance, with long, silver hair and large, pointed ears that marked her unmistakably as an elf. Her green eyes gazed into the distance, seemingly never noticing him.
She wore a simple dress. A staff rested against her knee, red wood with a crescent-shaped golden tip that seemed to catch the filtered sunlight. Everything about her suggested a traveling mage, perhaps making her way through these remote parts on some elven errand.
Helldunkel paused, considering his approach. Elves were supposed to be almost extinct. Whoever survived the purge likely wasn't an ordinary villager.
He considered retreating, and took a step back… only for the elf's eyes to zero in on him.
He couldn't sense her mana. Only when she moved her head was she detected by him as he strained his senses.
Instinctively, he knew that if he tried to flee, he would be attacked.
So, projecting no hesitation, he approached instead.
Helldunkel arranged his face into the expression he had selected for this very purpose: the warm, relieved smile of a weary traveler encountering a fellow soul on the lonely road. He had practiced it carefully during his journey, refining the tilt of his head, the slight relaxation of his shoulders that suggested both friendliness and harmlessness.
"Greetings," he called out as he approached, his voice pitched to carry just the right note of pleasant surprise. "I didn't expect to encounter another traveler on this remote stretch of road."
The elf turned her head toward him with unhurried movement. Her green eyes settled on his face with complete calm, as if she had been expecting him all along. There was no surprise there, no alarm, just quiet observation.
He didn't care much for her expression. She was an elf and a mage; a few more steps and he would have a chance to kill her first.
"A demon," she said simply, her empty and calm, detached.
Helldunkel maintained his smile, though something cold touched the base of his spine. Still, there was no fear in her voice, no preparation for flight. If anything, she seemed almost... bored.
"That I am. But there is no cause for alarm at all, I despise my breatheren," he said, continuing his approach with measured steps. "I'm simply a traveler, like yourself, heading toward—"
She lifted her staff from her knee and pointed it toward him with casual indifference, as if she were indicating a particularly uninteresting cloud formation.
The world exploded into light.
There was no warning, no gathering of mana that Helldunkel's senses could detect, no visible preparation. One moment, the elf was sitting peacefully on her log; the next moment, raw magical force erupted from her staff with the fury of a contained star.
The beam of concentrated flame struck him squarely in the chest, lifting him off his feet and hurling him backward with impossible velocity.
Helldunkel's shadow defenses meant nothing. The magical onslaught tore through his Hohlform constructs like they were made of morning mist, his most practiced defenses unraveling before they could even begin to form. His own considerable mana, the accumulated power of over a century of existence, was simply swept aside.
The beam of flames carried him through the forest in a straight line, obliterating everything in its path. Ancient oaks, some thick enough that three men couldn't wrap their arms around them, exploded into splinters and sawdust. Boulders cracked and shattered, their fragments joining the wake of destruction. A small hill simply... ceased to exist, carved away as if a giant had taken a blade to the landscape.
For hundreds of meters, the devastation continued in a perfectly straight line. Trees fell in dominoes, their trunks severed clean through, as the deep cleft in the ground burned. The earth itself bore a deep groove where the magical force had scorched away soil and stone alike, and melting what was beneath. Wildlife fled in every direction.
When the spell finally dissipated, there was nothing left of Helldunkel save scattered particles of ash drifting on the wind.
Back on the road, Frieren lowered her staff and returned it to rest against her knee. She gazed down the path of destruction with the same empty calm she had shown before, as if the obliteration of an entire swath of forest was no more noteworthy than swatting a fly.
After a long moment, she shifted slightly before standing up.
"That's the only one I found this month," She mused to herself, sighing quietly, "Checking Klingenfurt outskirts again wouldn't hurt, I suppose." With that said, the elven mage headed down the road.
----
Author Notes: Count how many times Albert gaslight his fellow demon. Hopefully, that put an end to some of the discussions in the comments, specifically about Albert's flight.
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