NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: Chapter 8
Black Abyss approached the location where the sounds of battle could be heard, observing what seemed to be the guards of that place descending from the walls. She could see hands attempting to climb the walls, and she could hear clear knocks on the door.
Something was trying to get in, and well, climb up.
"Hey! Hurry up and escape from he-!"
When the guards saw her and Elise, they seemed to have a glimmer of hope, which quickly faded when they noticed that their plates were nothing more than bronze.
Black Abyss wanted to sigh at how annoying this rank issue was currently.
But the Adventurer simply continued walking towards the main door.
"You! Didn't you hear!? Go away, now!" The guard shouted, hoping that at least these novice Adventurers would be saved. However, they didn't seem to want to listen, observing the one dressed in white unsheathing her sword.
She pointed it forward and then brought it back, as if about to thrust.
The guards heard powerful steps behind them, and when they looked, they saw death in front of them, an amalgamation of skeletons united in a single being over 4 meters tall. The group of guards screamed in terror and tried to escape.
But the creature would have struck much faster, killing them instantly if it weren't for the sudden appearance of what seemed to be an intangible sword. It went through the creature and abruptly took it with it, appearing in front of the woman in white as if she had thrown a hook.
A golden shockwave emerged from the woman, covering the monster, which remained completely immobile.
The guards were totally amazed, especially when the woman jumped and, with a kick, broke the monster from its chest to its head, almost splitting it in half with a single blow.
The almost explosive sound echoed, and the fall of the giant Undead to the ground occurred while the woman in white and her companion walked by its side towards the door.
"Open it." She exclaimed to the guards, who stood up and looked at her.
"There's a horde of Undead behind that door. We won't open it!"
One of them said with concern, and Black Abyss sighed. She could simply kick the door and enter, but that would make her look like a thug… Elise then spoke.
"Titania, we can jump over it." Ah, right, she had forgotten that she could, in theory, jump extremely high… Titania nodded, approaching the door.
The guards were surprised by the great jump that Black Abyss, followed by her beautiful companion, who made them pause for a second, had made over the tall wall.
But, although they were extremely worried and considered the women dead, they began to hear cuts, tears, and explosions behind the door… Over the wall, large flashes of light could be seen, while the voice of the woman who had called the other 'Titania' was heard singing Level 3 master spells. It's not like the soldiers knew much about magic.
Eventually, the sound of knocking on the door began to quiet down until it completely disappeared, but the knocks and hits could still be heard, albeit more distant.
"You... Do you believe this…? Those two girls entered there and are making their way through that army of Undead..." In their shock, surprise, and admiration, the guards agreed to do one thing: climb the walls to see what was happening.
"But what... Impossible... Who are they?" All they could see were countless bodies and skeletons strewn on the ground, lifeless. What had once been a monumental threat to the city was now simply waste in a graveyard.
The Undead had been completely annihilated, some still showing particles of light in the cuts or divine burns from powerful spells.
But despite the impressive scene, out of their sight, the sound of powerful blows and spells could be heard.
"Impossible... Are they still fighting!?"
"Who the hell are they!? How did they handle these numbers all by themselves!?"
"That woman... She called the other Titania, but her plates are copper! It makes no sense for adventurers with this kind of power to be just copper! They must be Adamantite!"
Undoubtedly, he agreed with everything they were saying, these weren't two Copper-ranked Adventurers.
Not only did they finish off that number of Undead, but they were still fighting... And they were doing it alone…
Without a doubt, they were facing what should be two future Adamantite-ranked adventurers.
"Guys... We've probably just witnessed what will, in the future, become someone legendary..."
...
"Answer, answer, answer, answer!" Dont shouted hastily using [Message] so much that she disconnected before the spell even materialized several times. "¡Wah!"
…
The cuts overlapped one another, as soon as one limb fell, another was severed by Titania's sword. Even with their numbers, the Undead posed no problem whatsoever.
Titania made two cuts, slashing through several Ghouls. When she opened a gap, she pointed her shining sword toward the army of corpses.
"[Divine Light]" A light was emitted from the tip of the sword, burning everything it touched or even came close to, creating a path of charred bodies.
The Undead began to retreat, they weren't really intelligent, but they understood the danger these two women unconsciously represented, beyond reflexes, due to the lack of them.
Much more so when a light appeared from the hand of the gothic woman, burning dozens of ghouls and skeletons, turning them into ashes.
They were intelligent enough to flee from what could destroy them.
Black Abyss looked toward the walls in the distance. She could see several silhouettes appearing, but they weren't Undead, they were Adventurers. It seemed that Lizzie's words had enough impact to bring even Gold-ranked Adventurers.
"Elise, we will go directly to the mausoleum." She pointed her sword toward the structure a few dozen meters away.
Elise didn't respond, she just stared into space and then looked back at Black Abyss.
"Titania… Lady Nyx just contacted me. She wishes to chat with you through [Message] due to the circumstances…" She said sadly.
With a strike, Titania vaporized a Ghoul that, like a fool, tried attacking her.
"Huh. Let her wait, tell her we're busy," Titania said with a sigh. This time, she would make her wait.
"Yes." She said, sounding somewhat hesitant. "... Lady Nyx says it's very urgent."
With a cut, Titania sent out a wave of divine energy that ended dozens of skeletons.
"Tch. Fine, make her send me a chat request…" Titania grunted, took a Ghoul, and split it in half with her sword, then, she felt in her mind the chat request and accepted it.
(Look who shows up…) Black Abyss said in her mind.
(A-A-Am… I-I know you might be upset but... It's not my fault! Very urgent matters came up, and I had to leave to the capital earlier than planned! I think I sent a Shadow Demon to inform you that we should meet in Titania later...) Dont almost cried with the message.
Titania sighed in her mind and spoke again.
(And? What's that urgent thing you mentioned? I'm in the middle of an army of Undead and hope to find the culprit in a short time.)
(U-Uh… What? No… Of course. Ejem. Well, about the issue I wanted to mention earlier, there were like some Necromancers and a hooded woman I estimate to be at the level of Gazef Stronoff at best near E-Rantel's cemetery. No idea what they want, but just in case, I wanted to warn you about it… Right now, I'm about to be ambushed by some random bandits for this Martial Arts thing and stuff.)
(Ugh. Fine. Just don't make me wait for 30 minutes for a nonexistent meeting… In those 30 minutes, people died that I didn't want to die…) Titania exclaimed while dealing with many more Undead.
(People you didn't want to die because you're a half-dumb saint, or because they were useful?) Dont asked semi-curiously.
(Maybe because I'm the only one who still has common sense.) She responded, having already cleared a path to the mausoleum. (Putting that aside. There's a guy, Nfirea Bareare, who has a Talent that allows him to use any magical item.)
(Eh?... That is interesting… But what's so important about it that it can't be reported back in Titania more calmly?)
(He was kidnapped in the 30 minutes you had me waiting for nothing. According to [Locate Item], he should be here. They might be trying to use him to activate some item, or even more, maybe all these Undead are the result of that.) Titania explained while walking toward the mausoleum as Alicia dealt with those trying to approach them.
(Hm… I see… Apologies for that again… But if possible… I want you to bring that boy. Alive, preferably. Or if not… I don't know, try to take him to Carne to live there or something.)
(He seems to be in love with Enri, too. He's indebted to us for saving Carne and Enri, so that won't be a problem. But for that, I first have to save him, and I haven't found him yet.)
(... Okay?... Well… Yes, do that. Meanwhile, I'll continue with the mission of getting subjects with Martial Arts.)
(... I just ran into a cult; I'll talk to you later.) Titania exclaimed, having approached close enough to the mausoleum at the back of the cemetery. She had found a group of hooded men with long robes, while there was a man in the center with his face uncovered, holding a black gem or stone in his hand, seemingly concentrated.
Black Abyss walked directly toward them; several looked at her and Elise, then turned their gaze to the man in the center.
"Lord Khajiit, they're here," one of them warned the apparent leader, who looked at the two women.
"With so many graves already open, I want to believe you've already chosen which one you'll be in." Titania said to the group.
"Hmp. I decide when it's our time to die. But who the hell are you? How did you get through the army of Undead?" The man asked, irritated and curious at the same time, looking at Titania and her sword, which shone divinely.
"My name is Titania. I am an Adventurer who came to rescue a certain young man. I suppose you must already know who I'm referring to." The group stood, looking at Titania; they clearly knew whom she was talking about. However, the man in the center showed no real concern, only curiosity.
"Where are the other Adventurers? I wouldn't believe that only two girls made it here. Or maybe they're all dead except for you."
"The other Adventurers are finishing off the rest of the Undead we left behind while we made our way here with my sword and my companion's Level 3 spells." Titania said, showing her weapon threateningly, making the men skeptical.
"You can't lie." One of them said to the woman, who sighed.
"Anyway, hand over the boy, and I'll kill you painlessly. Consider it courtesy." Titania said with a threat, although her cute voice diminished the intimidation.
"Ja. Who do you think you are, woman?" Khajiit said arrogantly to both of them, to which Titania then looked to the side, then back at the man.
"Are you the only ones?"
The man who looked like an Undead raised an eyebrow but quickly responded.
"... We're the only ones."
"Hmp. You can't lie, Khajiit. There must be someone here with physical combat abilities, presumably waiting for an opening to attack by surprise."
"Well~ It seems someone investigated the bodies~ I'm impressed~" A female voice came from the mausoleum, making Titania turn in that direction.
"You…" Khajiit mentioned as everyone heard metallic steps while the woman appeared, with a wide smile on her face.
"We've been discovered~ No point in hiding anymore~ And just in case~ I'll let you know~ I was only hiding because I can't use [Hide Life]~"
The woman said with grace, although Khajiit seemed more furious and irritated by the woman's presence.
Despite having come this far, Titania hadn't seen Nfirea. It didn't seem like they intended to use him as a hostage, perhaps because they had already killed him… or for some other reason. But she couldn't draw conclusions without seeing the body.
"I am Clementine~ Nice to meet you~ Can you give me your names~?" The woman asked in a friendly tone, but Titania could tell she was anything but that.
"... Titania. At least, they'll know whom they've fallen before."
The man frowned and spoke to Clementine.
"I don't recognize that name. And you?"
"Neither~ I've studied all the powerful Adventurers in this place, and she didn't appear anywhere~ But, how did you know about this place~? The message clearly pointed to the sewers~"
Titania raised her hand and tapped her copper plate twice with her finger, then pointing toward Clementine, who smiled widely.
"Lift your cape." Titania ordered the woman.
"How~~~ Perverted~" She said, but her smile turned inhuman, almost reaching her ears. "Just kidding~ Are you referring to these?" The cape fell, revealing the light and revealing armor underneath.
The woman's armor was composed of plates of different colors: bronze, silver, gold, platinum, all of these plates functioned like scales, protecting her while showing off as trophies. The most eye-catching were made of Orichalcum and Mithril; undoubtedly, she was someone of Adamantite level when compared.
"Your foolish trophies were your downfall," Titania exclaimed, closing her fist. Clementine looked somewhat confused, but Titania didn't explain anything to dispel that confusion. "Elise, I'll deal with her. Take care of those guys."
"Understood, Titania." Upon Elise's confirmation, Khajiit smiled with a mocking tone. After all, that woman was a magic caster.
"You, come with me." Titania said to Clementine, turning to the side and walking in that direction.
Clementine followed her with a smile, and when they were far enough, a cry echoed in the area, marking the point where they were going to fight and making Titania turn around.
"Could it be that the people I killed in that shop were your comrades? You're upset because your comrades are dead~?"
As if teasing, Clementine continued.
"Jajaja~ That lovely magic was so amusing. Until the last moment, I believed someone would come to rescue them~ But it was impossible for them to hold out until any help arrived with so little stamina… Were you the one going to rescue them? Sorry~ I killed them all~"
"It's good to know that you were the one who did that. I promised myself that I wouldn't let you live. So, I suppose you know that your mischief ends here." Titania said threateningly, tightening the grip on her sword.
"Hahaha~ How amusing~ It's really interesting to enrage those who get stirred up when I mention their comrades~" Clementine laughed under her breath, notably amused by Black Abyss's irritation... Her almost playful attitude annoyingly reminded her of someone...
"They weren't my comrades, but they didn't deserve what you did to them. Unlike them, you do deserve what I will do to you." Black Abyss said, clenching her fist toward her.
"Wah~ How frightening~" She said mockingly and amused, clearly making a joke out of all of Black Abyss's annoyance.
"You're deluding yourself if you think your actions won't have consequences. The Guild has already been informed about all this; Adventurers continue their work, and I've come for you." Black Abyss said, taking two steps closer, quickly assuming a battle stance. "Perhaps you're very confident in your abilities; I'll show you how wrong you are."
"I see~ How sad that poor me is hated by others~ Oh, right, deciding to fight against me is a mistake~ That lovely girl is an enchanting magic user, isn't she? It's impossible for her to defeat Kaji-chan~ If you two swapped places, you might win if you're lucky. But that woman couldn't win against me either~"
"She just has to endure. I'll finish you in 10 seconds." Black Abyss growled at Clementine.
"Fufu~ How foolish~ Everything would have ended before you even realized it~ That's how it has always been~" She said confidently.
But then, Clementine saw the ground start to rise, she put her hands in front of her and stopped what seemed... She had fallen in an instant, dizzy and with pain in her jaw.
A strike so fast that it surpassed the brain's processing speed, but clearly not aimed to kill.
"Get up." Black Abyss said to Clementine. "Your punishment has only just begun."
Clementine blinked but frowned with a growl, quickly rising with a nimble acrobatics, extending her hands backward to unsheathe heel blades for each hand, skillfully moving them between her lightly armored fingers.
"Attack." Black Abyss ordered the woman, pointing her sword at her elbow.
"Tch." Clementine clicked her tongue in annoyance, licking her slightly split and bleeding lip.
…
Black Abyss heard Clementine's tired but more confident sigh.
"Ha~ I'm tired~"
Surprisingly, the woman had survived several minutes against Black Abyss... More because Black Abyss wasn't using her full combat capabilities, merely testing the waters.
However, no matter how much the woman used her stiletto blades against her, she managed to block or make the blades clash against her armor, causing the short weapons to bounce off the medium-high-level armor.
"Nothing you've shown makes me think you're on the same level as Stronoff. You're just a talker." Black Abyss said, exiting her combat stance.
"Oh~? You say that, but you couldn't land a hit after that little distraction~" Clementine said mockingly, licking her split lip.
"Do you think I even tried? Try attacking again." Black Abyss said, plunging her sword into the ground, now unarmed.
Clementine raised an eyebrow. But a couple of roars caught the attention of both, giving them the freedom to look away from her opponent.
In the distance, both Black Abyss and Clementine could see giant Dragons made of bone.
"Skeleton Dragons?" Black Abyss wondered aloud, looking at the Undead creature.
"Correct~ You're well informed. It's true~ They are the nemesis of magic enchanters-"
A loud blow sounded, and Clementine fell to the ground when she felt the powerful attack on her side, directly to her liver, writhing in sharp and powerful pain.
"To claim to be the pinnacle of warriors, you dropped your defense to a point where you're like this now. Twice I could have killed you." Black Abyss explained as she confidently returned to where she was before, taking her sword stuck in the ground, watching Clementine try to get up, although the contractions in her stomach made it difficult for her.
"T-Tch..." Clementine quickly composed herself, and glared at Black Abyss, then, in complete silence, assumed a strange stance, as if she were an Olympic runner ready to start running.
And in an instant, Clementine shot off at great speed, closing the distance between her and Black Abyss in almost a blink.
In response, Black Abyss made a vague movement with her sword, actually at an incredible speed and with quite a force behind it.
"[Invulnerable Fortress]" Clementine suddenly said. And ignoring any logic the Paladin might have, her sword bounced off without causing any damage to the slim, short stiletto.
Even if its quality was low-medium for her, Black Abyss's mind went blank from the sheer confusion of what had just happened.
Clementine didn't waste such a situation and moved swiftly through Black Abyss's defense, directing her stiletto towards her neck.
The Paladin reacted and moved slightly, making the stiletto clash with her light armor instead, but the blade still went through an edge, pressing its tip against the clothing beneath Black Abyss.
Clementine laughed and seemed to do something with the stiletto, turning it even though it was stuck. Instantly, a burst of fire erupted from the stiletto, purely contained by the light armor.
Of course, even then, Black Abyss didn't receive the slightest damage. In fact, that was a level 3 [Fireball], a fire spell.
Regardless of not being harmed, her defense had been surpassed by what, for her, was a mere fly. An elusive little insect, nothing more.
Clementine didn't trust herself too much, and pulled her stiletto out of the 'wound' and jumped back, laughing as she did. Smoke could be seen coming from the stiletto and inside Black Abyss's light armor.
However, she prepared to jump again, and it didn't take long for her to head towards Black Abyss at full speed... Only now...
"[At Full Blast]," and the Angel blinked again in confusion as she felt her speed reduced. No. Not exactly. It felt as if her body were in a viscous liquid that made her a bit slower, but Clementine wasn't affected by this.
Of course, even though her speed was reduced by this 'liquid,' the Paladin still had very good speed.
Black Abyss just sighed, she had seen enough.
When Clementine got close enough, she threw a quick punch at an incredible speed, hitting her open hand on her face and slamming her to the ground, which she could see blurred because of this.
Quickly, she used her Martial Arts reflexively in the situation.
[Mental Peace] [Great Evasion] [Speed Boost] [Greater Ability Boost].
Her mind calmed down thanks to the first one, and she made the most of her enhancements, vaguely recovering from the blow, doing a somersault on the ground, and sliding towards Black Abyss, directing her stiletto to her eye even faster than before.
She could feel her whole head pulsating, both from the pain of the blow and from using so many active Martial Arts at once.
But before the tip of her weapon could pierce Black Abyss's eye, the hand of the latter grabbed Clementine's wrist, stopping the attack and squeezing it with colossal force, not only breaking her bones but causing her flesh to tear, as if a hydraulic press had caused it. Clementine screamed in pain, but was silenced when Black Abyss hit her stomach with her knee.
"Hm. For a moment, you exceeded my expectations, but you're nothing more than trash." Black Abyss said emotionlessly, while adjusting her sword in her hand.
However, a connection request in her head interrupted her... Again.
"..." (What?)
(Entonces~ ¿Qué tal allá~? {So~ How are you doing there~?} I already got some random guys~ I'm chasing a weird guy with a katana~ Maybe he has Martial Arts~! Although he didn't show me any...)
(Ah, I see. Well, that woman you mentioned, I already defeated her. I'm about to finish her now, she showed a few martial arts, but nothing very impressive...)
(Uh~ So, instead of killing her, bring her to me~ ALIVE.)
(... Why? She's not really useful.)
(For experimentation? Duh~) Dont replied with obviousness from the other side of the channel.
(I'd rather kill her. This woman made me very angry.)
(Look at you~ The furious one with a grudge~ I'm supposed to be the villain here, you know~? Ugh. Fine. You better bring the corpse so I can try Resurrection. And if it doesn't work, you'll surely be to blame~)
(This woman killed dozens, if not hundreds of people just because she wanted to kill. It's not something that leaves me much choice but to want to kill her, and you still want to resurrect her?)
(Exactly~ I don't see the problem~ Don't you want to see how resurrection works? If the experiment goes well, we can try reviving one of those weird guys you encountered. ¿Trato~? {Deal~?})
(They were turned into Undead, there's no point in trying. I'll take her to you for you to use Resurrection, but she won't live in Titania.)
(Pfff~ Of course not~ Do you really think I'm going to stain my home with unpleasant trash from outside~? Just don't mistreat her too much and hurry up~ Okay~?)
(Today you're really determined to make me angry...) Black Abyss sighed, bending down and grabbing Clementine by the neck.
(Eh~? What did I do~?) Dont asked, almost amused. (Huh? What do you mean there's a 'secret way out'? LOOK FOR IT, YOU PIECES OF USELESS PIECES OF SHHIT!) Dont roared with more seriousness and annoyance from the other side of the channel, clearly not addressing Black Abyss, cutting the connection after the almost guttural roar that even resonated in her mind.
Black Abyss ignored this and looked at Clementine's face, who was trying to free herself from her grip.
Although, when she was about to say something, Black Abyss hit her in the chest. an enormous force had been used, instantly stopping any processes Clementine's internal organs might have had, killing her.
She threw the body towards the trees as if it were a garbage bag.
"Take her to Dont." She exclaimed towards the trees with clear disgust, as dark beings emerged from the shadows, grabbing the body.
She was really angry, so she looked to the side, where Alicia should be.
"Alicia! Use all your power! Do whatever you want with them!" Black Abyss shouted in that direction, where the sound began to intensify.
…
{Minutes Earlier}
"Get off the carriage immediately!" A gruff voice could be heard shouting from outside the vehicle.
Dont simply rolled her eyes as she stood up and kicked the door open.
Upon seeing an incredibly beautiful woman appear before them, the bandits could only sigh to themselves~ Obviously, who else but someone so beautiful could not be enchanted by her incredible beauty~?
Well, only the annoying Black Abyss, of course.
The bandits were so stunned that they couldn't even utter a word of praise. This moment demonstrated that something truly beautiful could calm even the desires of beasts.
"Yes~ You want to rob me, violate me, blackmail me, yada, yada. I've been resisting the urge to blow everything up for 2 days now, so be good and stay still so I can kill you more easily~" Dont said bluntly, earning some blinking from the bandits, who proceeded to release amused laughs. "'Tonces~ {So~} Who's your leader?" At Dont's question, some unconsciously looked in one direction, revealing the queen of Titania.
Dont nodded with a smile, already feeling all her stress accumulating in her next move, ready to burst out like a compressed ocean in a small glass of water.
"Good~ You'll be the only survivor for now~" Dont said elegantly, contrasting with her words.
And in an instant, before any of the bandits could react, one of them felt something strange.
A second later, his head fell to the ground under its own weight, the clean cut decapitating him before he even realized.
"Hm~ Eso se sintió bien~ {That felt amazing~}" She murmured with an almost sensual tone as she shook her hand, although there was nothing on them; Dont was bothered by the idea of having human fluids between her beautiful fingers, much as it might be blood.
Out of the corner of her eye, she marked one of the bandits and used a low-level skill. They didn't even deserve anything of medium level anymore.
Upon the skill's effect, a red mark appeared above the bandit, a symbol she vaguely remembered signifying something related to murder.
The skill had its 2 states of top level, but the disgusting man didn't even deserve that.
Dont looked at another bandit and tried a cute skill.
"[Horrid Hell]" Upon the skill, the bandit stood still, then started screaming like crazy while scratching his eyes and crying blood. He began to run around like a headless chicken, horrifying his comrades who didn't understand what the hell was happening.
The bandit began to hit everything he could. The ground, trees, he even gave a headbutt to one of his companions with such force that both broke their skulls with a final headbutt.
The Queen of Titania laughed at the surprise and fear of the other bandits.
One of them stuttered, being the first to snap out of his state of shock.
"Sh-She's a magic enchanter!" He said as his only explanation for the situation.
Essentially, he wasn't entirely wrong, but Dont only laughed at the man's despair and pointed a finger at him like a gun.
"[Fire Bullet]" Upon Dont's incantation, a small fireball shot out from her finger as the name indicated, easily piercing through the man's forehead and cauterizing the wound instantly as the bandit died.
Dont snapped her fingers as she saw the lifeless corpse fall, and the Shadow Demons rushed toward another bandit.
While they weren't strong per se, and truthfully one of these bandits could kill the creature in direct combat, Shadow Demons specialized in stealth and speed. Additionally, if they were many, they would easily overwhelm the bandit, which was the case.
Dont dodged a stone thrown at her by one of the bandits by slightly moving her head, then marked that bandit and used another skill.
"[Projectile Retribution]" Upon the skill, the stone automatically shot back at the bandit, but with greater force and speed, causing him to simply lose his entire torso in a mess of blood and organs as the stone disappeared into the distance.
A nice skill that returns a physical projectile to its owner with the same force added to Dont's shooter ability, which was considerable.
The Shooter wanted to use another skill, and she looked directly into the eyes of one of the bandits who stared at her in horror.
"[Soul Breaking Eyes]" Upon the spell, the bandit's eyes became as milky as a drowned man's. His skin turned pale, and he collapsed.
Dont felt something at her disposal. She wanted to experiment with this using the Solar Light Scripture, but for now, they were useful for some experiments she decided on with Bachelory.
"[Order Mid Demon: Purgatory's Warrior]"
Upon the chant, the corpse of the just-dead bandit turned into pure ashes, while a fire pentagram manifested where his body had been.
And from the circle, a creature emerged.
A Demon of great height, a little taller than Dont. His chest and arms were bare, displaying ashen skin with blackish-brown metal plate armor on his forearms and neck, with straps encircling the armor on his neck and reaching the belt that had more armor plates, extending into a skirt with more plates, but more like needles. He had black fabrics beneath these plates, covering his legs and feet.
His face was covered by a templar-like helmet, with two horizontal eye slits and holes in the 'mouth' to allow him to breathe. Various metal horns sprouted from the sides of the helmet, in crescents, spirals, and two long blade-like horns, easily reaching a meter in length.
From his back, two demonic wings of red leather sprouted in all their glory, while a long tail with a harpoon-like tip emerged from under his skirt.
In his hand, he held a large bastard sword of gray metal in a curious shape, with the flat tip like a square, and from the middle of the tip to almost the hilt, an arrowhead-shaped opening, resembling a bident in a certain sense.
A Purgatory Warrior was a Level 52 Demon specialized in combat. Dont didn't usually use it much because she didn't summon many creatures in the first place.
But now that she could create permanent summons, having an army of mid-level Demons would make her one of the most powerful people in the world even if she didn't have all of Titania and her own Level 100 power.
With this collection of bandit corpses, she could not only bolster Titania's forces but also experiment with some things.
Dont couldn't summon Demons beyond Level 65 because she didn't specialize in Demonology. She only had a few classes and races that allowed her to summon Demons as a bonus.
Before, she had used the corpse, or well, the soul, of a soldier from the Theocracy who was surely of a level lower than 20. However, with such a soul, she could summon and maintain a Level 30 Demon, the Infernal Protector.
What Dont wanted to check was whether there was a limit to how strong the summoned Demon could be based on the level of the 'soul.' The bandit could very well have had a level even lower than the soldier, and yet, as far as Dont knew, she could maintain a Level 52 Demon indefinitely.
But looking closer, Dont blinked when she saw that there were no remains of the other bandits she killed. Only ashes... Could it be...? Could summoning a higher-level Demon require more 'souls' to sustain it? She would have to experiment on that.
Noticing that, based on the power of the demon, more souls may be required, was an interesting discovery.
"I-It's a Monster!" One of the remaining 6 bandits shouted as he saw Dont's Demon, snapping her out of her thinking.
Upon the interruption of her incredible thoughts, she just growled while mentally ordering the Purgatory Warrior to simply go and kill 4 less important bandits along with the boss, Zach, and the marked bandit.
The Demon didn't make a sound beyond a hiss like a whisper, not as if it were a snake, but as if it were silencing someone.
Obviously not Dont. The Demon was loyal to its summoner and essentially queen, and it knew that if it hissed at Dont, she would blow its head into pieces.
In a second, the creature found a bandit's head between its armored fingers and crushed it like a grape before he could even react. It followed with a powerful slash that split another bandit in half vertically.
Dont hummed as she ordered the Demon to take its time with the other two and walked directly toward Zach.
The man was frozen in a smile that his brain forgot was there, horrified by the bloody scene unfolding before him.
"Hey Zach~"
The skinny guy snapped out of his shock a bit to see Dont, who was only smiling at him in the most genuine way she had smiled in the past few days.
It was a malicious, sadistic, and fun smile... It was as if she were a demon...
"What did you want to do with this beautiful body of mine~?" Dont teased, placing a finger on her bust-less chest, thanks to the Victorian dress she was wearing. "Something about rape me once the others finish their turn~?" Dont added with a furious hiss hidden behind the playful tone.
Honestly, Dont wanted nothing more than to gut the skinny and ugly man. But she had other plans for him. Some more... Fun for her~
"Well~ Guess what~? After all, you will have a turn with me in something~" Dont said almost seductively, but the ironic connotation made any excitement Zach might have felt at imagining a misinterpretation of the Queen of Titania's words disappear.
Dont then noticed that the last of the bandits she ordered to be killed was disemboweled under the foot of the Purgatory Warrior. She gave another order to have the bandit leader's legs cut off, and activated the skill she had been saving for the other bandit.
The symbol above his head glowed ominously, and a sound of brutal tearing was heard as the symbol seemed to tear apart. After that, the bandit exploded into a mess of blood, while Dont felt that her 'soul' reserve had grown. Although, as before, it was still very, very little. She found it strange about these 'souls' when she killed, or at least when she used a skill.
Was it because of the lore of the skill? Something innate in this world that made skills more real? Why didn't she have a reserve of souls from all the entities she had killed in Yggdrasil? Did they not have a 'soul'? Or was the soul value added after coming to the New World? So many questions...
Dont turned her attention back to Zach and saw that he had a short sword between his fingers. He couldn't even wield it. He was so terrified that his hands just trembled like jelly.
Dont rolled her eyes and looked him directly in the eyes, using one of her demonic abilities.
"[Demon Eyes: Nightmare]" Upon the innate skill of her specialized race, Zach immediately fell face-first to the ground, unconscious.
The [Demon Eyes] were not very useful in Yggdrasil, as they simply applied debuffs of up to level 9 to targets looking directly into her eyes.
Almost like the Gorgons and some other races, but she had to activate the skill, and the skill itself had less resistance penetration than usual, so it only worked on entities with low resistance who looked her in the eyes, on NPCs, Monsters, or weak Players.
She believed she could apply debuffs to someone like Gazef if she looked directly at him and used the strongest debuffs, but that remained to be seen. It tended not to work on warriors due to their high resistances.
Although the good thing was that it didn't consume Mana, and it dealt demonic damage to anything that saw it, even if they weren't looking at her, exponentially increasing its magical power.
It wasn't much, but it served for battles where she could afford to give her opponent her approximate location because it also gave signals of where Dont might be. In combat without stealth, it was more useful in that sense.
Of course, everything Dont said was practically part of the total if one included the Queen Demon's own skill that massively reinforced her [Demon Eyes], [Your Demon Highness's Gaze]. It still didn't make it a significant weapon against real opponents, but it was much more useful.
Coming out of her digressions, Dont rolled her eyes while giving an order as she used [Message].
"Hello, Eyesight~ Sweetie~ Open a [Gate] for me~ Send Lady Nyx's Doppelganger and get Superbia ready to receive an increase in Titania's forces... Also, send the skinny guy to Carmilletian, I want her to take good care of him for me~"
At her order through [Message], a purple portal opened in front of her, in a dark and purple kaleidoscope of swirling darkness.
Dont gave the mental order, and the Purgatory Warrior grabbed Zach like a sack of potatoes while collecting the remaining corpses of the bandits as best it could.
From the portal, someone emerged. An identical copy of Dont in her current alter ego as Lady Nyx.
The Purgatory Warrior entered afterward, and the portal closed.
Dont's copy gave a deep bow to her.
"Queen Dont. I am very grateful to have the honor of taking on your magnificent form and being of use to you."
Seeing a copy of herself bow and say such words felt weird, but she shrugged.
"Of course~ Get into the carriage~ I'll leave you with the Dullahan, and then I'll send you back to the Enchanted Armor once I return to Titania."
At her order, 'Lady Nyx' gave another silent bow and proceeded to enter the carriage followed by the Headless Guardian's Valor, who, this time, took the reins of the carriage.
The Dark Hero Armor left the carriage and hovered behind Dont. She had sent a Level 52 summon along with the Dullahan guarding her to do other things away from her, but she still had the power of a Level 100, two Hanzos, the Shadow Demons, and an NPC Mercenary of level 80-85 specialized in defense and protection.
Dont hummed cheerfully as she waved goodbye to the carriage that was now heading to the capital with ease.
And she turned around, walking elegantly toward the leader of the bandits who was writhing in pain at the lack of legs and the loss of blood.
Dont crouched down a bit to get closer to the guy on the ground.
"Tell me~ Where is your hideout?" Her [Demon Eyes] activated, emitting a charm.
…
The Sniper hummed while noting the location of the bandits' hideout, having one of the Hanzos mark all the traps and roughly map the area.
She could make use of the location later.
The hideout was located in a meadow with some rocks protruding from the ground, just barely entering the Katze Plains.
Two wooden barricades, each as tall as a person, stood on either side of a cave. Two guards were posted at the entrance, each behind a barricade.
Dont could easily go through these guards and enter without triggering any alarms, but resorting to stealth in a mission that didn't really require it made no sense at all.
Anyway, she had interrogated the bandit leader about the entrances and exits of the place, with only one way in and out, the cave she was looking at.
Dont simply activated a skill on one of the bandits that caused him to explode in silent white flames. The other guard was instantly killed by a slap from Dont, who appeared beside him in an instant.
The silent Demon, forming a fragment of her fragmented 'personality,' did not approve of the lack of stealth, but it fell silent when the violent Demon and Dont did. The Devil and the Demon Queen remained silent on the matter. Elizabeth really had no voice in the issue because she was basically Dont.
"Hanzos. Stay outside and watch if anyone tries to escape or enter. If that happens, kill them and store their bodies in that trap over there." Dont pointed to a simple trap she had detected on the side, and the Ninja summons nodded.
Dont proceeded to walk towards the entrance, with the Dark Hero Armor following her... Hm... She should give it a name since it was going to be an official 'bodyguard' for Lady Nyx.
Dont continued to walk in silence as her thoughts wandered. When she heard a scream that she wanted to interrupt, she simply fired a [Fire Bullet], killing the owner of the scream and scaring other sources of screams.
... Carlos... No! More French~ Charles~!
Dont nodded with a smile, but noticing more screams, she only frowned as she snapped out of her thoughts, finding herself surrounded by bandits with weapons threatening her.
She got so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that she had basically alerted the entire bandit hideout... She could almost hear the nonexistent modern alarms in her head.
The Queen of Titania just sighed and gave the order out loud for her bodyguard to handle it.
Summoning a luxurious and valuable-looking sword, the Dark Hero Armor charged towards the bandits.
.
.
.
Name: Elise (Look at Author's Comment~)
.
.
.