NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Chapter 9
Inside a private room, a man stopped maintaining his weapons and focused his ears on the noise.
The commotion of people running and faint screams in the distance indicated an obvious attack on the hideout.
His mercenary group had seventy members, although none of them were as strong as he was.
There was no way men like them would fall into such disorder from the attack of a small group, which demonstrated the strength of the assailant. There wasn't enough noise to indicate a large battle, and he couldn't sense the presence of many enemies either.
"So... Adventurers?"
Few in number but powerful in combat, so this uneasy feeling made sense.
The man stood up slowly and strapped his sword to his waist.
He forcefully opened the curtains, as if wanting to tear them off the hinge, and stepped into the makeshift hall.
Hidden beneath his clothes, his body was slim but not frail, and his muscles were robust and trained, refined by experience rather than formal training. His messy blue hair fell long like a blue tangle.
His brown eyes stared straight ahead, and a smile played on his lips. Although his appearance wasn't well-groomed, his movements were smooth and graceful, like a predator.
As he walked toward the entrance where the attack was taking place, another man approached him. He recognized in the familiar face that it was one of his people.
The moment the other man saw him, relief washed over his expression, as if signaling that victory was now assured.
"What's happening?" Brain asked with some interest.
"Enemy attack, Brain!"
Brain chuckled bitterly and replied.
"I already know that. The attackers, who are they?"
"T-They're a woman a-and a guy in armor!"
Brain tried to recall if he had information about strong adventurers with such characteristics, but he ran out of ideas. Nonetheless, he sighed bitterly and walked toward the site of the attack, rejecting the offers of help from the man.
As Brain approached the entrance, the scent of fresh blood was strongly in the air. He could no longer hear screams, indicating that those who had been fighting near the entrance were dead. And it had only been two or three minutes.
The ten men stationed near the entrance were tasked with handling the defense to buy time for the rest to finish preparations for battle. That they could kill these men so quickly...
"If they are really just two, they must be as strong as I am." A smile appeared on Brain's face.
He continued with quick steps and drank one of the potions from the pouch on his belt. A strong and bitter liquid flowed down his throat into his stomach. Then he drank another bottle.
His body quickly strengthened thanks to the potion's effects.
The first one he had drunk was [Lesser Strength], while the second was [Lesser Dexterity].
He took his katana and applied oil to the blade. The oil shone faintly and soon disappeared as it was absorbed into the katana. The oil was called [Magic Weapon], and although the effect was temporary, it infused the sword with magic that enhanced its sharpness.
"Activate 1, activate 2."
The keywords activated the collar and ring he had equipped, and a faint light enveloped his body.
The Eye Collar, as the name suggested, protected the eyes when activated, providing resistance to blindness, night vision, and light filtering. A warrior who couldn't land a blow was useless, and obstructing one's field of vision or attacking from a distance were common tactics used by adventurers. Brain had lost once to an adventurer who used similar tactics.
The Magic Linking Ring allowed the bearer to link a low-level spell to the item and invoke it using the ring as a catalyst. His ring bore [Lesser Energy Protection], allowing him to block elemental damage.
If there were truly only two enemies, then these preparations would be necessary. It would be too late to regret not activating the effects beforehand.
With this, he had finished the preparations.
He gathered the overflowing heat emanating from his body and expelled it in a long breath.
At this moment, with his reinforced physique, Brain had likely reached the peak of human strength. With an arrogance that could only stem from absolute confidence in his abilities, Brain walked with calm thoughts, like the surface of a lake in the middle of nowhere.
With each step, the smell of blood grew stronger, and he finally saw two shadows.
"Wow... How boring... Well, lil' guys, take the bodies~ Hm~?"
It was a response that seemed unconcerned with Brain's sudden appearance, as if she already knew he was coming. Brain hadn't made any particular effort to hide his presence either, so he wasn't surprised.
He frowned slightly as he looked at the two intruders.
"Hm... I was told there was a man in armor and a woman, but I didn't expect to see a noble maiden here." He said disdainfully, almost hypnotized by the unparalleled beauty of the woman, who barely gave him a vague glance.
But the maiden returned a more surprised look.
Ja... She finally recognized him...
"Wow... It's the first time I've seen blue hair like that... Is it dyed? It looks pretty bad anyway..." The woman said curiously, causing Brain to blink as he saw that the attention of the beautiful maiden was focused on the color of his hair rather than his own identity.
However, Brain also didn't take his eyes off the tall man in particularly black armor with a bright red sword, which seemed more... Simply decorative in a certain way than practical. But seeing his blade bathed in blood, something hard to see due to the red glow of the sword itself, as well as the drops on the dark armor, he had no doubt about the functionality of the sword.
"Mm... You seem especially strong compared to these randoms... Tell me, bluehair, can you use Martial Arts?"
The woman's question surprised Brain. Was she really asking him that...? So, she didn't know who he was...
Brain didn't respond at all, and the woman just sighed.
"Well, I'll have to see it for myself~ Mm... Carlos... Or Juan, I forgot your name. Stay on the sidelines." The woman said to the man in armor, who only nodded silently as he stepped back, never taking his gaze off Brain.
The swordsman had to admit that he admired the woman's bravery, but he also mocked her naivety. While the woman might be a charming mage, exposing herself in such a way to a physical fighter was nothing but foolishness.
".. .I am Brain Unglaus."
"Ah, this is... A formality of duels or something like that... One of those things that Jamon and Blac- Ejem, people I know liked~ Well, I'm... You can call me Morgause~" The woman said with a slight nod as she puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her hips.
The woman looked clearly confident, calm, without a hint of fear in exposing herself to a swordsman.
"If you please~ I would appreciate seeing Martial Arts," Morgause said almost kindly but with such elegance that it seemed sickeningly mocking.
"Hmph. I don't need to use them against someone like you." Brain lied.
But Morgause just froze and looked at Brain clearly offended. She was about to say something, but she swallowed her words with a tongue click.
"Tch. Fine. If that's how you want it, puto tipo azul. {you fucking blue guy.}" She said in a strange language that Brain didn't identify at all.
The swordsman exhaled slowly as he bent his body and returned the katana to its sheath.
His feet were firmly planted. His breath, shallow and long.
He focused on a single point, and when it reached its limit, he released a massive wave.
He had created a world where he could sense sound, space, and presence. It was the first of his original Martial Arts, [Field], creating a 3-meter field where Brain could instantly detect any movement in 360°, enhancing his precision and evasion.
Combined with his second original Martial Art... There was no one who could survive against Brain.
A secret combination with the name 'Wind of the Great Forest.'
"Well, then. Here I go..." Morgause said somewhat disheartened, walking straight toward Brain.
"I'm going to crush you."
He said as Morgause approached, silently activating her [Ability Boost], waiting for her to enter the range of his Martial Art [Field] so she could kill her with one blow. A punishment for her sin of underestimating her opponent.
And once the woman's heel entered his [Field], he swung his sword with his second original Martial Art. The perfected speed of thousands and thousands of attempts... [God Flash].
Cutting at an incredible, almost instantaneous speed, Brain's katana left its sheath and quickly headed towards Morgause's neck at absolute speed...
"Wups~" … But Morgause just bent down at an even higher speed, avoiding the sword from even grazing her hair or the black flower in her hair.
And the woman proceeded to sweep her feet, making Brain stumble.
"I-Impossible...!" He said as his body fell to the ground in slow motion.
Barely touching the ground, all his instincts reacted to the detection of [Field] and made him roll to the side to avoid Morgause's heel, with the heel almost piercing his shoulder.
He quickly got up, and, although still in shock that this woman simply dodged his [God Flash] with total ease and then knocked him down.
"Mm~ That was faster than anyone I've seen in this world~ Was that a Martial Art? Or are you just naturally this fast? Umu, umu~" Morgause murmured to herself with a hand on her chin, epically ignoring Brain's panic and shock.
Brain paled at the realization as his shock dispersed.
"Monster..." He muttered without realizing.
"Ey! Why does everyone insult me!? Can't they see I'm the greatest beauty in the world!? Hmp~" Morgause complained while huffing with her arms crossed, a furrowed brow, and looking away.
Brain trembled when he realized that his opponent was so strong that she could afford to even look away and make a whimsical scene in front of him, a human who had reached the highest pinnacle of strength.
… Should he escape? Was he in the presence of the true pinnacle of humanity...?
Brain stood back up and prepared his next plan. Damage Morgause's leg through her dress and reduce her mobility. For what? To escape. That was his plan.
As long as Brain survived, he could become stronger... He could strengthen himself and someday reach and even surpass this woman...
That was what he believed, what he was clinging to as his fighting spirit extinguished like a candle flame before a giant wave.
Morgause seemed to notice that Brain was planning something, and she looked interested.
"Uh~ Let's see~" Brain activated [Field] again and charged towards Morgause with the intention of bringing the [Field] toward her and using [God Flash] in a feint.
The woman entered his [Field], and she feinted with [God Flash] and...!
Morgause disappeared in an instant, and Brain felt a chill run down his spine as his mind went blank when he heard her laughing somewhat amused behind him.
"Mm~ Are you using Martial Arts silently? Can that be done like spells too?" The well-endowed maiden murmured, more focused on her own thoughts than on Brain himself.
She wasn't even mocking him... She just wasn't strong enough to really catch her interest at all...
Brain's entire ideology collapsed like a sandcastle. Just as he had taken advantage of the arrogance of the strong to bring them down, he himself had fallen due to his arrogance... Though against someone stronger in this case.
He suppressed his feelings of self-loathing… And shouted desperately, turning around with his back raised, ready to put all his weight into the weapon. A blow that could cleave a armored man in half.
A sound echoed... And Brain just blanked again as he witnessed the unreal scene.
A large black claw sprouted from Morgause's index finger, effortlessly blocking Brain's sword without even a scratch.
The realization that Morgause wasn't human hit him. His spirit shattered, threatening to break into pieces at any moment. It took all his strength not to lose his mind.
His hands still trembling from the impact, he concentrated his strength on the hilt, lifted his katana, and struck again. And again. The blows were effortlessly blocked by Morgause's large claws.
"Mm~ It's good to know that these innate Demon abilities work well~" Morgause hummed more focused on herself than on Brain, who was attacking her.
"UUWWAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed desperately, striking with more desperation.
"Wah! Don't scream!" Morgause came out of her thoughts somewhat startled and gave Brain a light slap at a brutal speed.
The swordsman felt his entire face numb, thrown to the side like a dirty rag.
He heard a ringing as his mind rolled completely dazed, and he felt his mouth practically flooded with his blood from broken teeth.
"...Ups. Perdón~{Sorry~}" Morgause said with some apology in her voice. But the maiden felt somewhat uncomfortable when she saw Brain crying. "Uh... Sorry?"
Brain didn't even really hear her. The life he had led until now, everything was for nothing. Faced with true strength, Brain was no different from all the weaklings he had looked down on until now.
"I've been a fool..."
Morgause looked at him almost pityingly but shrugged and walked towards Brain in silence.
Seeing this, Brain ran. With all he had. Even if he knew Morgause was faster... He still did it.
However, Morgause didn't pursue him. Instead, she just hummed.
And the 'maiden' sent a [Message] and several Shadow Demons to follow the man and gather data on the people in the hideout...
…
"Fucking hell, fucking hell, fucking hell... FUCK! THAT USELESS LEADER SAID THERE WERE NO SECRET EXITS!" Dont shouted to herself as she made her Shadow Demons search for the man with blue and ugly hair.
She ordered the Dark Hero's Armor to kill the rest of the bandits and bring them to the entrance. The Shadow Demons told her that there were female prisoners, so she ordered a Hanzo to kill them painlessly as a condolence. Dont didn't enjoy the idea of rape at all...
She considered sending the remaining Hanzo to hunt down Brain, but she took a deep breath, not wanting to be left without decent bodyguards.
She groaned while holding her head... She could go and look for the man herself... With her speed and detection abilities... Yes... Yes! She would do that! She just had to get out of here. Although it could be a trap... and the weakling was just bait... or... Dont made a face, but shook her head.
Dont began to walk a bit hurriedly towards the exit, but not at full speed.
She sent some Shadow Demons to check the entrance.
Today was not an ideal day...
A Shadow Demon returned quickly and whispered its report in her ear. Dont blinked at the information and growled.
There was a group of adventurers at the entrance... It seemed they were coming to attack the hideout...
She gritted her teeth and frowned. A vein pulsed in her temple.
The Queen of Titania was now upset. Very upset.
She would show no mercy now.
…
Brita and her group tensed when they heard the scream, as if a thousand souls in agony were emerging from the depths of the entrance.
They had come to wipe out the group of bandits located here... Did they have some monster there...? No... From the corpses in the trap discovered on the side, they could tell it was more like a monster forced its way in.
The two magic casters, a wizard and a bishop, proceeded to cast protective spells on the warriors in the group.
Only for one caster's head to explode into a mass of blood and brains accompanied by small bone fragments.
Brita screamed at the grotesque scene.
And a guttural sigh was heard from the side.
Covered in reddish-black flames, with large wings of black leather, a long tail like a whip, full of thorn-like blades and a tip like a harpoon coated in fire... Huge claws like bastard swords, a slim body with rough black veiny and scorched skin.
A series of 5 pairs of horns sprouted from its forehead and the sides of its head, like a horrible crown surrounding its head, with a long mane of black fire.
The monster measured about 3 meters without counting its long horns, and it turned around, revealing its monstrous face.
Enormous monstrous teeth, blood-red, with a black interior with a faint flame-like light coming from the depths of its jaws. And shining red eyes like the deepest flames of Hell burning with so much fury that if glances could kill, Brita's group would be nothing but ashes.
"A D-Demon!" The bishop shouted, terrified by the unholy aura emanating from the monster.
"SILENCE!" A guttural roar came from the Demon's jaws, and the creature swiped towards the bishop despite the considerable distance.
However, the bishop was torn into different pieces of flesh, just as the rocks behind him were split, with black flames erupting from the wounds and consuming both the rocks and the bishop's divided body.
Before anyone could do anything, the Demon moved its tail quickly, piercing through the chest of the other magic caster with ease, and giving a slight glance towards the second present warrior.
The warrior, under the direct gaze of the monster, began convulsing and started violently vomiting blood, to the point where organs came out of his mouth, until he had nothing left to expel, and he collapsed lifeless.
The Demon withdrew its tail with a strong motion, leaving the magic caster unsupported and causing him to fall to the ground.
And the Demon's attention turned to Brita.
A monstrous growl came from the creature's throat as it approached the frozen Brita.
Taking advantage of her paralyzed state, the monster slowly opened its jaws, bringing them closer to the adventurer.
And Brita managed to do one thing.
From her belt, she grabbed a bottle and threw it at the monster in a blind hope...
The bottle hit the Demon's teeth, exploding into pieces and spilling red liquid on its long, snake-like, black tongue...
And the Demon stopped, blinking.
It moved its jaws away from Brita with confusion, stepping back a couple of steps.
And its eyes met Brita's, clouding her mind.
…
"... WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?" Dont's distorted and monstrous voice came from its jaws
It felt a bit embarrassed to temporarily sacrifice its beauty to use this physical combat transformation, but it wasn't willing to reveal its true appearance at this point.
And now, it found itself facing an adventurer who had just thrown a low-level healing potion at it... But it was a Yggdrasil-level healing potion in the end.
According to its research, there were no Yggdrasil potions in this world naturally. Yggdrasil potions were red, and the ones in this world were blue and less efficient than even the weakest Yggdrasil healing potions.
Thus, it used its [Demon Eyes] with a high-level charm debuff against the red-haired and freckled woman.
"... A girl in armor and a hood gave it to me."
Dont recoiled at the answer.
"... B-BY ANY CHANCE, WAS THAT GIRL ACCOMPANIED BY A WOMAN IN BLACK CLOTHES!?"
"Yes." The woman replied.
Upon hearing this, Dont would be sweating if it had the biological capacity to do so in its current form.
"AH…"
W-Was Black Abyss using this girl for something?
No... If this girl was on good terms or any of those silly things with the Paladin... And if she killed her... Ugh, the furious arguments they would have if she found out...
And they had agreed to leave mission matters and any plans that arose on each side's affairs. Therefore, if Black Abyss had some plan of her own with this woman, something she would have to tell her back in Titania, it would be ruining her plan...
Dont's furious 'Demon' was more in control now, as Dont was in 'its' form. Therefore, she herself was now more impulsive for the moment... And because of that...
Dont took a couple of steps back, while the 'Demon' inside Dont also retreated, giving a bit of control to its counterparts. The Demon Queen proceeded to give her next order to the enchanted woman.
"F-FORGET EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED HERE, I WANT YOU TO GO BLACK THE WAY YOU CAME AND NEVER RETURN... IF THEY ASK YOU, YOUR GROUP WENT AHEAD AND DIED, AND YOU DECIDED TO RETREAT RATHER THAN RISK YOURSELF…" Dont said, to which the girl only nodded with a blissful 'Yes' while showing a drowsy smile on her face.
Subsequently, the girl turned around and walked into the forest.
Dont sighed in relief as she watched the Shadow Demons dispose of the Ranger that Dont had barely detected when it left. Few could deceive its perception, and a low-level Ranger wouldn't even dream of doing so.
Now... Brain... Her order with the Hanzo was still in effect, so he must have either killed all the women there or was in the process of doing so. With the Dark Hero Armor bringing all the bandits' corpses and the Hanzo bringing the women, she had a good supply of corpses ready to go to Titania... No! She was getting sidetracked again! Brain!
She centralized her problem and looked back and forth. The man could have gone in the most obvious direction, towards the capital, or he could have turned around to go to E-Rantel, which wouldn't make sense since it was the exit direction from which Dont was... But of course, one would normally think that the man would simply go towards the capital... So if she looked more towards E-Rantel... Dont groaned at the indecision because she could send some Hanzos in one direction, and she could go in another... UGH!
The furious 'Demon' growled at Dont, reprimanding her for getting distracted in 'thinking' instead of acting.
Dont groaned internally as she grabbed her head and decided.
And looking at one of the adventurer's corpses, she cast a spell.
"[Order Lesser Demon: Chaser Imp]" With the spell, the wizard's corpse turned to ashes, and an Imp with dark green skin, slender, and with various leaves and mud paint covering parts of its body appeared from a pentagram of fire.
It was a small Imp with Ranger classes, essentially a reconnaissance unit more specialized in speed than a Shadow Demon.
"GO AND FIND A BLUE-HAIRED SWORDSMAN. LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU FIND HIM," Dont ordered, and the little Devil nodded. It couldn't be told if it was smiling like an average Imp or not due to the mask covering its mouth.
The Imp disappeared into the trees as Dont sighed.
This wasn't going well... Both the 'Demon' and Dont received a reprimand under the gaze of the 'Demon Queen.'
She ordered Eyesight to open a [Gate] when she saw the Dark Hero Armor returning with the corpses, and the pile of dead women's bodies appearing from the shadows.
However, after instructing the Hanzo to put the bodies through the [Gate], Dont felt her recent summoning die.
She should have actually summoned another Imp and had it search in the other direction just in case...
Now she felt foolish; she should have acted as her 'Demon' inner self said, and act instead of overthinking... She sighed, although the sound seemed like a nightmare growl.
She blinked in confusion but then shook her head.
If she had to estimate Brain, he was probably level 40-50, just like Gazef. And the Chaser Imp was only level 25 with Ranger classes, not a fighter, so it was normal for the little Devil to die easily against Brain.
But the most useful thing about the Chaser Imp was that, upon dying, its summoner would gain a temporary vision of an area 10 meters from where it died. Well, that was how it worked in Yggdrasil, revealing a 10-meter map around the Imp.
In the New World, it only reported to Dont where it died and roughly the terrain within 10 meters of its death... As well as the entities in that area.
She frowned upon detecting 12 entities near the Imp's death, but there were also some entities at the edges of detection. Considering the possibilities, they could be either other adventurers or just animals that happened to be near Brain.
She didn't know much about animals; after all, 99% of them were extinct in 2138, and she felt quite sorry to investigate beyond the beasts of Yggdrasil, so she wasn't entirely sure about the accuracy of her theory. But she had at least identified some targets.
So she just spread her wings and flapped them forcefully, shooting up from the ground while raising dust from the impact.
At an incredible speed, Dont flew over the trees in an instant, reaching a treeless meadow where twelve humans could be seen, stopping to appreciate them better.
"SO, THEY WERE ADVENTURERS..." Dont sighed, blinking when she felt a spell hit her.
It was a divine nature spell, but level 5. So weak that even if it had damaged her, the received damage was so little and insignificant that it didn't even bother her life bar. The Demon groaned at her stupidity... How was she supposed to disable her magical defenses? UGH! This day wasn't being even remotely good!
Dont scolded herself and activated her magical defenses.
And changing the trajectory of her flight, she dove straight toward the group.
The group of humans scattered before Dont could land on all of them, plummeting to the ground. Even then, she hadn't used her full speed and reduced it before landing, doing so with force, shaking the earth and creating a small crater around her.
Dont looked at the humans and slightly furrowed her brow. Although outwardly, her face seemed to become more ferocious.
They were humans with different equipment... But they emanated a sense of power that reminded her of... Legendary-class equipment?
She didn't have abilities to identify equipment, only to estimate their magical power and enchantments, but she would have to touch or be closer to the equipment than she was, so she wasn't sure. But if humans had this kind of equipment...
Dont blinked when she looked at a 13th human. An old woman. A wrinkled and ugly one... But the feeling she emanated... It sent shivers down her spine.
It was as if she were much stronger than all the other humans present...
Dont took a step back, cautious. She sent a [Message] to the Dark Hero Armor to come to her location immediately. One Hanzo was still with her, and the other could wait where it was.
She doubted that the Shadow Demons would be of any use against these people...
She carefully examined each human, who also looked at her cautiously. And when her gaze landed on an androgynous man, black-haired, ruby-eyed, and wearing a flamboyant armor of gold, silver, and other colors, along with a long spear, Dont blinked.
Was he strong? No. Not really. He was stronger than anyone in this world she had seen. Stronger than any of Titania's Miko at least... He didn't really specialize in physical combat, and she couldn't give an accurate measurement of his physical strength, only based on her [Demon Eyes] could she estimate it.
The man looked at her cautiously and spoke to the side.
"... Use it." He said coldly. Dont slightly furrowed her brow at this.
And her detection made her turn her head, looking toward the old woman.
The old woman wore a one-piece dress, white, with openings on the sides for the legs, loose sleeves, and a long golden Eastern Dragon encircling the dress. It was unpleasant to see the old woman with wrinkles like a raisin in such a dress.
Although she had to admit that she pictured herself in such a dress, and wow~ she would look fabulous~
With the 'Demon' pushing aside unnecessary thoughts, Dont felt another chill. It was as if a sixth sense had turned on, with bells warning her of something.
She... Recognized the sound of the bells in her mind. It was something she had only experienced once. A random from another guild attacked her with a unique item that her guild never recovered in the end... A World Class Item.
She remembered the irritation of being turned into a level 1 chicken with level 1 stats, without access to her equipment, skills, spells, or inventory.
She literally died from a basic blow. She lost her Roise Noire there... They declared war on the guild, and at least they managed to recover her equipment and got some other equipment and heaps of gold before a truce was made.
When they used the item on her, warning bells sounded in her HUB and alerted her that she was the target of a world item.
And with that in mind, panic took over her. She had to kill that woman... NOW.
Dont charged at full speed toward the old woman. She was still in her transformation, and if she detransformed to use her rifle, she would waste precious seconds, so she used her improved physical abilities and charged full speed toward the old woman.
The lance-wielding man jumped toward Dont, standing in her way.
She didn't even consider bypassing him with her incredible speed, or jumping over him, or just continuing her march like a bull.
"OUT!" Dont roared, delivering a powerful swipe toward the lancer. He used his lance to block the blow, and it endured it. But the thrust and force of the blow made the man fly toward the trees in the distance.
It was surprising that, despite his enhanced physical strength, he hadn't turned into a puddle of blood, but she would think about it later.
Noticing the movement of the others, Dont used one of her AoE skills.
[Jaldabaoth′s Menace]
Dont roared powerfully, shaking trees for kilometers around, with the closest ones uprooted and others pushed back, while the humans were thrown a great distance and immobilized by a fear and paralysis effect for a few seconds.
However, in front of the old woman, there stood a sturdy man in heavy armor with two shields in his hands, a black tower shield and a large Swiss shield, from what Dont could recall from her cute studies in medieval history. Just in case, she deactivated her [Demon Eyes] to avoid ending up like Medusa Gorgon from myth.
The man appeared injured, having taken the full force of Dont's blast, with blood visible from every facial orifice due to the sheer pressure he endured. However, his 'resilience' prevented the old woman from being blown away.
Dont blinked when she saw the five-legged golden Oriental Dragon from the dress emerge, manifesting as a giant Dragon with the same golden energy properties, lunging towards her.
No, no, no, no, no, NO!
Dont tightly closed her eyes while shielding her face, unconsciously roaring again and unleashing another [Jaldabaoth's Menace], sending the shield-wielding man and the old woman flying.
The 'Demon Queen' rose from her throne, ready to break free.
The 'Devil' shuddered. The Demon in the form of a 'Snake' hissed threateningly as its features bristled.
The 'Demon' roared furiously as Dont screamed in fear and anger.
The Dragon struck her head-on, and Dont wanted to cry, fearing whatever effect the item might have...
But nothing happened.
Dont opened her eyes with black tears streaming down her face and looked at her hands.
The '5 personalities' within the Queen of Titania fell into complete silence for a moment, blinking in unison.
She was intact. There was no debuff, buff, or change at all. None that she could detect, at least.
And the realization, thanks to the vague murmurs of the 'Devil,' hit her.
In her inventory, she had...
The World-Class Item... The Big Ben... An item in honor of the English monument that had been destroyed in the 3rd World War...
And that item had just saved her...
Dont took a few steps back, attempting to locate the old woman with the world-class item with her eyes. However, panic overwhelmed her, and she simply leaped powerfully into the forest, heading towards the hideout.
In less than a blink, Dont was back, holding the Dark Hero Armor in one of her claws, having caught it on the way, and sent a [Message].
A [Gate] opened in front of her. And she entered without looking back, ignoring the other Hanzo and the Shadow Demons that couldn't get through...
…
Black Abyss pulled a mirror from her inventory once she was in her room and used it to see how her new plate looked.
"Meh... Doesn't match that well," the woman in white exclaimed, examining her new plate. In one night, she had ascended to the Mithril rank alongside her companion, Alicia, due to the events in the cemetery.
Although they hadn't completed the investigations yet, they wouldn't be given the Adamantite rank until then. Still, those two Skeleton Dragons were seen by many adventurers, and since they vanished after encountering only them, people believed the two had defeated the dragons. Now they were admired, even though the Skeleton Dragons were on their way to Titania through a portal opened by Eyesight.
Now, having finished the missions for the day, it was time to return home. Black Abyss sighed with relief. Returning to Titania felt very soothing. Her level 70 team disappeared, and her divine-level clothes and armor replaced them. She took out a scroll from her inventory and opened it.
"[Message]" An aura surrounded her as the scroll burned. "Eyesight, can you hear me?" Black Abyss asked.
(Y-Yes, Lady Black Abyss! W-What do you need? Are you finally coming back?) Eyesight replied, sounding surprised and... A bit nervous. More than usual.
"Yes, I need a portal to Titania," she declared with a smile, suppressing some curiosity for now.
(Yes! I've already located it!) Eyesight said on the other side of the channel.
A [Gate] appeared in front of Titania.
She smiled and turned to Alicia. "Let's go." She ordered something she had wanted to do for a long time, return to Titania. Alicia nodded with a slight smile, although it was usually challenging to see her smile. The excitement of returning was shared, and together, they walked through the portal.
Black Abyss let out a deep breath.
"Fwah~ Finally home~" She stood at Titania's entrance, the largest in the entire massive city, the first line of defense outside the border and the habitat of a being she liked very much. She looked around to find it.
Heavy steps began to be heard and felt, powerful paws causing them. Emerging from the shadow cast by the wall, a creature started to reveal itself. Two bright dark eyes stared at her from three distinct heads as it approached.
A beast of colossal size, making the already tall Black Abyss look small, especially when fully exposed to the light. Black fur covered its back, while its belly, legs, and face were white. Black Abyss smiled and looked at it.
"Kronos~!" She exclaimed with excitement, raising both her hands.
The Cerberus barked three times and leaped, getting closer to Black Abyss and caressing her with its snouts while she patted them.
"Who are good guardians~? You are~!" The Cerberus was extremely excited, jumping and licking Black Abyss's hands, while she continued to pamper the creature that would cause nightmares in many but was incredibly adorable to the residents of Titania… Except for a certain queen.
She played with the gatekeeper dog for perhaps 30 minutes before returning to what she did before.
"Good girls~" Black Abyss said, giving them a few pats, then she took out the guild medallion. "Alicia, ask Eyesight to take you to your zone, or if you want, walk around Titania as you please~"
"Of course, Lady Black Abyss. I will deliver the orb recovered from the cemetery to Cecilion and call the Doppelgängers who will replace our alter egos in E-Rantel." Alicia bowed deeply.
"Perfect~ And make sure the Skeleton Dragons have arrived; they'll be under your care~" Black Abyss said before using the medallion and disappearing, instantly being in her room.
She took out another message scroll from her inventory, opening it to contact the other person in the guild.
"Dont? Can you hear me?"
(A-Ah!? Oh... B-Black Abyss... Did you... Return...?) She replied from the other side. The scroll opened the channel without needing permission.
"I'm back in Titania. We had some acquisitions, two Skeleton Dragons among them. Where are you?" Black Abyss asked, curious about how her fellow Player sounded.
(In my office... With Bachelory... Give me a report on those Dragons and what you did... I... have something... important... Very... Serious on my hands...)
In an instant, the medallion was used, and Black Abyss appeared in the office, ending the connection of the scroll.
Black Abyss blinked and furrowed her brow.
"You look... Decadent... Are you okay...?" The Paladin said, looking at Dont, to which Bachelory turned to her side, greeting her with a deep bow.
"Lady Black Abyss. Welcome." Bachelory greeted elegantly. But Dont just gave her an almost disturbed look, remaining silent.
"... What happened?"
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Name: Achernar (Look at Author's Comment)
Creators: Black Abyss•White Flower
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