The Demon King, Xarith, sat on his throne, and his palace made of red brick and marble echoed with emptiness. The wind howled no matter which hall you entered, and darkness took over every corner of the building. Out of boredom, the ruler tapped his fingers at his high seat, his long nails painted a deep purple to match the color of his eyes. His long, straight black hair fell over broad shoulders, and a few rays of light landed just on his bare chest, showing clearly defined muscles. A fly came in. Xarith squashed it with one precise, quick hand movement, then put its smashed body in his pocket.
"My… child…" something called from the darkness. It sounded like several voices from a crowd of different people, finishing each other's words. "Come…"
Xarith frowned in disgust and held out his hand. Not far from his throne, a stairway downward appeared, hidden in darkness so thick that only the first few steps were visible. The Demon Lord stood up, brushed off the rest of the dust from the silver lower part of his hakama, taken years ago from some warrior from distant lands. Xarith went down.
"You called, father?" he asked politely, though coldly.
A golden glow came from the being hidden in the depths, lighting Xarith and his surroundings, but the same light did not reveal a single inch of the demon's body that Xarith called his father.
"I feel… your… hesitation... Do... not… fear… I intended… to praise… you… you chose… good… …hateful… remains…"
"Call it what you want," he replied, shrugging. "You probably noticed the sudden mana explosion less than a week ago."
"Heroes… are… here… we must… make… our own…"
"Didn't you feel that even for such a quick energy burst, that one was way too big? One of them is probably the Messenger. If that's true, we're done before it even starts. We lost from the beginning."
"Trust… my… intuition… he… peace… hate… suffering… love… friendship… it… hides in him… we… are…"
"I don't understand any of your nonsense," he said with a mocking smile. " You've probably been aware of this world for too long, and your brain got all mixed up".
A huge, massive blue hand, four meters taller than Xarith himself, who was one seventy, shot out of the shadows and hit the wall beside him, making a hole several meters deep.
"Calm down. Can't we joke around anymore? Ugh, the older generation really has a stiff sense of humor."
"Obedience… I demand… bring… more… corpses…"
"Well, it just so happens I already have one," he said proudly. He took out the smashed fly and then threw it into the darkness.
The hand shot out of the shadows again, hitting the wall next to Xarith, almost destroying it behind him.
"You're… joking… right…?"
"First, be careful. If you break the basement's foundations, the whole palace will collapse on us. You might survive it, I might not. Second, look carefully at what I just threw at you. That insect reeks of death. I made sure rumors spread that part of the Demon Kingdom is a complete wasteland that even the Demon King ignores. You don't even know how many screams I've heard from raped and murdered slaves there, considered useless."
"Wh… why…"
"So I don't have to fly all over the world to find stuff for you to use. We have a nice graveyard right under our noses. They bring us uncut diamonds themselves. I know you hear their begging for revenge too, but you just ignore it. Otherwise, you'd go insane. I'm just wondering how much longer we'll have to do this dirty work."
"The… days… of our… evil deeds… are… long… counted… soon… the Messenger… will undo… what… is obvious…"
"Mhm," he said, completely ignoring what the being he called father was saying. "So, are you getting to work?"
A glow of golden light fell from above on the smashed fly.
"Rise… and live…"
From the insect's body, a thick, dark substance like foam began to pour out, with small pieces of its torso rising up. The foam turned into a muddy consistency that soon hardened, forming female, humanoid shapes. In front of Xarith appeared a woman: a figure with black, bristly skin, a fly's head, and long, human blond hair. She had two pairs of arms: the front ones ended in huge obsidian claws, the back ones had hands, and from their elbows grew a pair of wings. The naked fly-woman lay on the floor, gasping for air, as if she had just been drowning.
"Calm down. Control your breathing. Slowly, in and out," Xarith said.
It took her a moment, but she finally started breathing normally and sat up.
"Who am I… what's happening to me…" she stammered in her soft, yet strange voice that sounded like a sweet, shy girl mixed with the buzzing of a large insect.
"Get dressed," Xarith held out his hand. Pieces of brown cloth appeared in the air so the fly-woman could wrap one around her chest and the other around her legs.
"Zotta… her name… Zotta…" said the voice hidden in the darkness.
"You heard that? From now on, that's what you're called."
"Who… was I in the past? Who are you? I only know that you brought me back to life. I feel anger, pain, and the urge to destroy."
"We gave you a second chance so you could repay what was done to you. I'm sorry for the way you were brought to life, but unfortunately, my dad has a strange taste. If I knew how to restore you to your original body, I'd do it without hesitation."
"I… don't… know… I want… differently…"
"Dad? You mean those voices in the darkness?" she said, turning her head toward the 'father.' "He's the one who gave me a second chance at life. Can I… look at him?"
"No. Even I can't see him. He only shows himself to the chosen ones, and only when he's sure that seeing him won't break their mind. So far, no one has seen my father except two other demons. One of them…"
"Don't… you… dare… talk… about her."
"As you command," Xarith said, giving an ironic bow.
"I don't understand… what's my task?" Zotta asked, looking around.
"For now, you can keep me company. We can talk, or play checkers. I'm terribly boooored up there by myself. Besides, I need to train you, find your weaknesses and strengths. Don't worry, the day will come when you'll get a clear goal, just like your predecessors."
"Predecessors?" she asked, surprised.
"Generals…"
"Exactly. After proper training, you'll become the fourth general in our demon army, or second lieutenant if you don't do well. For now, come upstairs," he said, taking her hand. "It's probably too dark for you, so I'll lead."
As they left the basement, a distant whisper reached Xarith's ears, lost among the shadows:
"I need… sleep…"
*
"Are you sure you have enough of everything? Enough food and drink?" Alice asked, stepping one foot into the caravan. Tae and Zetto stood behind her.
"Yes. Thanks for caring about us," the Messenger replied with a smile. "I hope everyone in the camp will enjoy your cooking, Alice."
"Of course!" she said, stepping fully inside the caravan. "At least that's how I can help out on the front! Good luck. Come back as fast as you can, and in one piece."
"Thanks," Tae replied.
The driver snapped the reins. They waved goodbye to the maid for a while.
"By the way," Zetto started, "maybe it's a bit late for this, but I just realized we don't know anything about our own abilities."
"Oh, right. So much has happened in the last few days… especially, you know, yesterday," she added, blushing, "I totally forgot. H-here you go. Status!"
A gray screen appeared in front of them.
Name: Tae White Fang
Status: Citizen (Tiriga)
Class: Warrior
Level: 90
Racial Skill: Coordination
(Coordination only works when the user fights with two weapons at the same time. If the user meets this requirement, Coordination gives an extra 50% bonus to both weapons.)
"Hm, now it's all clear. That's why you use twin blades and trained in weapon combat. Otherwise, your skill would be useless."
"Exactly. Tiriga can be proud of a range of inherited racial skills. Usually, a newborn can get one out of forty-five. Pretty big number, right?"
"Yes. Quite a lot. Now it's my turn. Status!"
Tae looked at the green screen in front of her.
"687?! Seriously?! And that special skill… no wonder I lost to you back then."
"Are you done already?" Yua approached them. "We leave in a few minutes. Head to the front, that's your spot in the plan," she ordered sharply.
"You think you can give us orders, you fake…", Zetto put his hand on Tae's shoulder and shook his head, gesturing for her to let it go.
"It's better to keep up some appearances, as long as it's still possible," he added in a slightly thoughtful tone. Although it's hard for me to keep myself in check too.
Tae sighed. Both of them moved to the front, taking their position at the head of the army.
*
Two weeks later…
The northern unit, led by Hiro's team, had taken their planned positions. On the front line: Hiro and Marittus with the foot soldiers; behind them, the archers and mages, including Ren and Luciia.
"Association!" Ren shouted, holding his magic wand forward. Just before the battle, he had grabbed some random mage robes and a weapon. He did it hastily at the last minute, so the bonuses to his abilities were minimal or useless.
"Curtain of Darkness!" Luciia yelled, trying to hide the whole army, but her spell fizzled into the air. "What? How?"
"Take battle positions! The enemy is coming!" Marittus shouted.
"Don't make me laugh, it's just one woman," Hiro said dismissively.
Indeed, only one figure was walking toward the army. Tall and thin, she wore a silver breastplate with pauldrons and tight red pants. Her hair was unnaturally long, reaching the ground and shining like metal. She wore a golden mask showing a peaceful sleeping smile. In her right hand, she held a long, one-handed sword.
"Time to give her a real welcome… straight to the ground," Hiro said, activating his flaming fist.
"Wait," Marittus stopped him, stepping forward. "Something's off about her appearance," he added, squinting.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Hiro asked, confused, turning his gaze back to the opponent.
At first, everyone thought that besides the red pants, the mysterious woman also wore long red sleeves underneath and a neck covering of the same color. But aside from the pants, it wasn't fabric, just bare muscle tissue.
"Are you kidding me? What kind of freak is this?" the redhead said, not believing what he saw. "I imagined demons would look more classic. Alright, no time. We'll rip her apart." Hiro turned back. "Fiiiiiiire!" he shouted as loud as he could.
A volley of arrows and offensive spells, both small and large, flew toward the calmly walking demon.
"Ahahahahahahaha!" Her high, irritatingly squeaky voice rang in the air. "How did you know I'm ticklish?"
"What the fuck is this shit?" Ren shouted. "She took so many attacks and she's still standing?"
"Who the hell are you?" Hiro yelled, running toward her.
"Sir Hiro!" Marittus shouted after him, trying to stop him.
"Just be quiet and watch my back in case she tries anything!" Hiro said, turning to him, then swung at the demon. The woman parried his attack, not caring at all.
"You'll have to try harder, little boy."
"Shut up, you ugly bitch!" Hiro hit her straight in the face. Just before touching the mask, he noticed that oily, black, thick liquid was constantly leaking from under it. Surprisingly, the demon let him land the hit. The mask shattered into pieces, revealing the opponent's real face: a mass of empty, white-gray eyes gathered on bare tendons and muscles, and a mouth full of fangs stretching all the way across the lower part of her face , from which the black substance kept dripping.
"Booooring. Come up with something new. Push back!" she said, pointing at Hiro with her open hand. The spell sent him flying several kilometers away, carving a crater in the ground. "Time to take care of the little trash."
"Attack!" Marritus yelled.
"Oh, one dumber than the other," she said, clearly disappointed, then made a single slash through the air. The heads of the soldiers fighting alongside Hiro shot up in a fountain of blood, and hundreds of corpses fell to the ground, sinking into a growing pool of crimson. Only Hiro's team stayed alive.
"W-w-w-w-what the fuck?!" Ren yelled, terrified.
The monster gave him an ironic, satisfied smile. She bowed, mocking the elegant curtsies of nobles, ladies, and knights.
"I'm Ketarth Ares, first lieutenant of the demon army. At your service," she said, then grinned even wider, causing a stream of black, oily liquid from her mouth to spill onto her armor.
*
Meanwhile, in the northeast
The human army and the army of magical beasts charged at each other. Knights and warriors held off attacks from animal-like abominations, like black demonic wolves and mutated bears. Archers helped finish them off from a distance, while some tried to target the enemy's long-range units. Mages supported the foot soldiers with shields or tried to weaken the opponent's magic.
Aquirlla blocked an attack from one of the bears with her trident, while Kerrin finished it off from behind. The beast's blood splashed straight onto Quii. Thanks to that, Kerrin leveled up.
"Where the hell is Makoto?" Aquirlla asked, irritated. "He disappears just when we need him the most."
"Watch out!" the rogue yelled, using her daggers to shield Quii against an attack from behind by a black wolf. The wolf bit Kerrin's wrist.
"Thanks," Aquirlla said, driving her trident into the enemy's skull and finishing it with a single strike. Then she cast a quick, weak healing spell. It was enough to seal the wound, but not much more. The magical beasts kept pressing forward.
Meanwhile, Makoto first blended into the crowd, using his chameleon skill, turning into one of the soldiers. Then, moving forward into the heart of the battle, he ran into the midst of the beasts, acting like a reckless and ambitious warrior. There, he transformed again into one of the demonic wolves. He returned to the front, pretending to fight the Atoria knights, then ran to the enemy's rear. He approached one of the long-range units, a mental beast that looked like a chaotic mix of several animals. The monster had a huge, purple, spiky crystal for a head, a gorilla's body, eagle wings sprouting from its shoulders, and a snake's tail. The creature looked at Makoto, who returned to his human form. It recoiled in fear.
Time to bring Zetto down. Good thing I did a little shopping earlier.
Makoto pulled a teleportation pearl from his pocket. Unlike a normal pearl, it was gold-purple and glowed faintly with a sickly green light.
"Don't run. I won't hurt you," he said to the beast, then touched one of its hands and shattered the pearl right under it.
*
Ren panicked and started throwing all kinds of low-level offensive spells. He tried a fireball, a water arrow, an air shot, even a blast of dark energy – nothing worked.
"Luciia! Do something, or she'll slaughter us all!" he said, eyes wide with fear, teeth chattering.
"Calm down. I'm gathering mana for a spell that will finish her."
"Are you sure? By the time you say the incantation, we'll already be dead, damn it."
"You forget we're not alone here."
"I won't forgive you, vile creature," Marittus said in a grave tone, pulling the axe from his back. "I won't forgive you for murdering so many good, brave, and kind people. I'll kill you!" he shouted, running at her.
"Ohhh, is the big warrior going to cry now?" she said, dodging his wide swing. Ketarth jumped up and landed on the blade of Marittus's axe. "Die," she said, pushing the blade straight toward his forehead. The axe shattered against the Crusher's skin. Ketarth looked surprised, and Marittus decided to take advantage of that.
"You can't hurt me. I've perfected both my offense and defense," he said angrily, then grabbed her head with his free hand and smashed her into the ground, making a huge crater. He swung his axe again, this time hitting, and cut the demon's torso in half. Marittus let out a sigh of relief. He turned to Luciia and Ren.
"You don't have to be afraid anymore. I dealt with it somehow," he said with a slight smile. But on both mages' faces he saw nothing but fear. Marittus realized what it meant, but it was already too late.
"Watch out!" Luciia shouted, as if it would do any good.
The upper half of Ketarth's body floated in the air, while the lower half stood on the ground. More tendons shot out of her bare muscle fibers. Some started healing her wounds, but most wrapped around Marittus and pulled him in. The Crusher tried to fight back, but he hit a wall he couldn't break through, a challenge he couldn't overcome.
"You really thought a trick like that could end me?!" she screamed, fury in her eyes. Marittus was almost completely swallowed, only his face visible, showing shock and silently begging for help behind the curtain of the demon's muscle fibers.He tried to shout something to his team, but only coughed up blood.
I couldn't get anything out. Her muscles were crushing mine, one by one, like they were feeding on them. I won't forgive myself if I die in such a pathetic way…
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! How much longer, Luciia? She's going to eat us one by one!" Ren panicked again.
"Just a moment," black, tar-like magical mist started gathering around her fingers. "Only a few seconds left."
"A few seconds my ass! By then Marittus will be swallowed."
"Can't blame me for you being useless," she said angrily, clearly annoyed at Ren.
"Please… help… me…" That was the last thing Marittus managed to say before he was completely swallowed. My warrior's pride… where is it? It should show itself now, as I face death head-on.
Hiro came back and rushed between them like a comet, his burning fist breaking the connection. Marittus flew out of the tendon cocoon and collapsed to the floor, barely breathing. His skin from head to toe was covered in deep burns. Blood pooled from him, though it was impossible to tell where it was coming from exactly. Ren tried to heal him with low-level spells, but they barely worked. They only stopped the bleeding, yet the Crusher still lay there, motionless and barely breathing.
"Can you hold on? I'll try to beat her ass as fast as I can," Hiro said, looking back at Marittus.
"Thank you… Sir Hiro…"
"Hiro, now!" Luciia shouted. "My spell is ready!"
Hiro nodded at her and charged at Ketarth. He started hitting her furiously. His strikes were faster than a blink. The demon stood still, trying to regenerate. Her tendons shot toward Hiro, but Luciia helped:
"Blade of the Night!" she yelled.
The sky darkened with storm clouds. From above, a huge crimson lightning in the shape of a dagger struck Ketarth, paralyzing her tendons and increasing Hiro's attack power, who didn't stop hitting her. Around his fist, besides the flames, small black lightning bolts pulsed with energy. The demon screamed in pain. Ketarth looked up, and her eyes turned to blood. In her last moments, she looked like a burning tree made of human meat with wide-spread branches.
"Th-thank you… for… freedom…" she whispered barely. Hiro shot her a look full of anger and surprise.
When Ketarth's body burned, among the smoke, the smell of burnt human flesh, and the clouds of ash, a small green-and-gold light began rising.
Luciia was the only one in shock.
"What is this? Demon souls should give off black, cursed energy, and this one is pure. What the hell is going on?"
Hiro sighed, deactivating his flaming fist. Struggling, he finally lifted Marittus and rested him on his shoulders.
"Sir Hiro… I'm pathetic…"
"No. You did what you could, don't blame yourself for this," the hero said, still rough, but a bit softer.
"Holy shit! I leveled up five times, and the association acted like Hiro just killed 1,500 enemies!" Ren shouted, astonished. "What is this?"
"Enough talking," Hiro commanded in his style. "Look at the state Marittus is in. We need to get back to camp and report about this battle as fast as possible."
His team gave him knowing nods. Before leaving the battlefield, Hiro cast one last glance at the fallen soldiers.
Rest in peace. It's a shame your fight had to end this way.
*
Makoto teleported himself and the mental beast to the Varlen area, exactly to the grove where Zetto's team had stayed for a while. For some reason, the beast was afraid of him, shaking with fear and obeying him.
"Prepare a fragment of memories from a few days ago. Search the memories of this place. If you find a man with white hair and red eyes, gather everything this place remembers about him. And then kill yourself, leaving no corpse behind."
The beast twitched violently. It stood on two legs, then stretched its arms forward. After a moment, a small, thin, pointed crystal fell from its head, showing exactly everything that happened during the attack on the nobles' carriage.
Makoto caught the crystal immediately as it broke off from the monster's head; otherwise, it would have shattered on the ground, and all his effort would go to waste.
I have undeniable proof. I waited until we moved against the demon army. Zetto will be exposed and finished. No one will be able to save him now.
Makoto looked at the still hesitating creature.
"What are you waiting for?" he said, anger in his eyes. "Don't you remember what I told you to do?"
The monster let out a terrified squeak, like a rodent somewhere deep in a dark cave. Then, not wanting an even worse fate, it struck its two huge gorilla-like arms straight into the crystal head. This made the crystal unstable, and after a moment, the magical energy swirling around the beast exploded, destroying itself and the monster's torso, leaving not even a fraction of a carcass.
I got what I wanted.
Now it's time to go back to the front and pretend to be the great hero who did and is still doing even more heroic things.
Gross.