The Red Rose and The Black Rose

She had passed by the Guild and received a hefty pay for all the "high-level" missions she had completed in such a short time, along with bonuses for extra monsters hunted down.

With just half of such pay, a peasant could live for months without needing to work again. But it's not like she did it for the money.

Black Abyss had Titania as the sole target that would benefit from her actions.

The Sun- Er, Titania rubbed her chin as she left the guild, with Elise behind her.

It was already very late, perhaps it would be difficult to find a place to spend the night, as Titania was not in the mood to go to that 5-star inn... They could simply go to a restaurant or something like that... Or visit 'Nyx,' because it wouldn't be strange for them to return to their 'contractor.'

She sighed, still, this was her last night here, so there was really no problem with just aimlessly walking until the plan began, while Dont should already be finishing what she said she would do.

"Mh?"

She looked to the side hearing the faint sounds of footsteps, seeing those two boys she had met this afternoon along with another hooded figure.

"Hello!" Black Abyss said aloud, surprising for a moment the men who were a street away, addressing them. Elise, of course, remained silent, assessing the men with a practically murderous look.

That Climb owed her a favor, so she could surely find something for them to do tonight.

"L-Lady Titania, Lady Elise... It's an honor to see you again, but... What are you doing out at this hour...?" Climb said once both approached, somewhat flushed and bowing to both women, leaving both groups in the middle of the street that originally separated them.

"We just got back from our jobs. We had a few things to do, you know~ Wyverns~ High-level Undead~ A possible Pandemic~ All solved~ And you? I saw you trying to be stealthy, plus your armor is now black." She said, pointing to Climb. "What are you supposed to be doing?" Black Abyss asked the young man, to which he looked at Brain behind him, the man who had appeared in that alley before with Climb practically.

The blue-haired man just sighed with a smile.

"Well... We were doing reconnaissance on something, but surprisingly we found absolutely nothing..." Brain explained without giving much more information, causing Titania to raise an eyebrow.

"Reconnaissance at this time of night?" Black Abyss tilted her head. Then she looked to the side, seeing the third member of the group... From his attire and gear... "That man also looks like someone specialized in being a thief, you're not robbing houses, are you?" Titania asked, frowning, causing the three to quickly shake their heads.

"N-Not at all!" Climb quickly said. "To tell the truth... We were looking to spot the Six Arms, but... Where they were supposed to be, we found absolutely nothing..." Climb replied quickly as Brain sighed seeing that the boy gave in to the pressure caused by Black Abyss...

And although being close to a person like her was comforting, making her angry or thinking that they were committing crimes was... Definitely something they didn't want to let pass without correcting the mistake.

"I see..." Titania murmured, rubbing her chin. Then she remembered the things Dont wanted to do with those so-called Eight Fingers... And she believed she knew what was going on. Therefore, she wouldn't inquire much further.

Black Abyss pretended to yawn and looked at Brain, who was watching them somewhat doubtful.

"Any questions?" Titania asked Unglaus, who looked somewhat surprised to snap out of his thoughts.

"Uh, yes... Are you two...? You know..." He muttered somewhat embarrassed by the question itself. He was being somewhat intrusive...

Titania laughed softly scratching her head, while Alicia seemed annoyed.

"How dare you... I would never be worthy of being B-Titania's partner..." She exclaimed angrily at Brain, who raised both hands with a nervous laugh, indicating for her to calm down.

"It's okay, Elise... I suppose doubts must arise in many... In fact, even many believed things like that about my comrades and me..." Black Abyss said remembering the joke of the shipping that there was for a while, even they came to ship her with the Boss she fought so many times until she managed to defeat it alone...

Thanks to this, Alicia seemed a little less annoyed, but annoyed nevertheless.

"Anyway. Do you have anything else to do? I'm a bit bored~ So I could use something to do~" Titania said with her soft and beautiful voice, silencing any other noise. To which the three men looked at each other.

Climb was going to ask something. Try to ask for help regarding this matter they were in...

Until an explosion so loud that it shook the earth came from not far away, with its shockwave even pushing the group a little.

The sky even lit up like day for a moment.

Black Abyss blinked. So the plan has already begun...

She looked back, and saw the massive mushroom of fire and smoke rising in the middle-class district.

Of course, after experimentation, both she and Dont knew that the ability wasn't as harmful as it seemed compared to others. For example, [Nuclear Explosion] was something that left a big hole in the Forest of Tob, and the radiation stayed there. They didn't alert the nations only because they placed defenses to prevent the shockwave and radiation from escaping from a delimited area, and then purified the zone...

However, this ability... [Hell's Welcome] basically covered an area with demonic and fire damage, generating thick smoke that obstructed the view in the form of an almost nuclear mushroom. It was a deceptive ability even though it was only tier 7.

Of course, all the civilians in that area should already be dead anyway.

But fortunately, they found that the spell didn't really cause much damage to the terrain. Its AoE was large, but the damage was minimal. At most, it raised the temperature significantly and left the area with demonic energy to strengthen Demons and so, but it made humans sick in the long term, driving them insane or psychotic.

And indeed, some houses were on fire. The resources in the warehouses in the area should have been moved or are being moved while they appreciated the spectacle.

Now, Black Abyss just had to do her part as the shining Sun she was~ And hopefully, this Riku would appear and these senseless deaths and such would have a purpose.

"That explosion, that energy... Elise..." Titania looked at Elise with a angry and worried face, seeing her sad companion nodding towards her.

""The Komodo Demon..."" Both said in unison.

Such a name that had been spread after Titania's battle against such a creature, caused fear in those present. Titania quickly turned to the three men with seriousness.

"Go and evacuate the civilians! We're all in mortal danger here!" She ordered forcefully, making the three stand up quickly as they nodded, almost compelled to follow the command.

Titania turned, looking towards the explosion, and crouched slightly.

"Use [Fly], stay away from that thing... You know what to do." Titania exclaimed to Elise, who nodded before the Paladin made a powerful leap, propelled by a brutal force that broke the ground beneath her, disappearing from everyone's sight in an instant.

…

The civilians screamed in horror as they watched the massive mushroom cloud rise into the sky.

The night sky was replaced by the still burning black ashes, covering the sky with fire and sulfur.

They ran for their lives as best they could.

The most unfortunate ones fainted from the sudden intense heat.

And the even more unfortunate ones... Were brutally torn apart by the hordes of Demons and monsters that suddenly appeared.

From Hellhounds to Succubi, the capital was quickly overrun by Demons.

However, the saving force arrived.

The city guards were weak but numerous, able to hold off the Demons for a while at the cost of many... And that's where the Adventurers came in.

As experts in fighting monsters, they were able to push back the demonic forces enough among all the experienced and novice adventurers in the capital.

But among all the Adventurers... The civilians looked on with admiration and happiness as the Adamantite-class adventurers flew towards the center of the explosion, with the famous Elise casting divine and holy spells to make the Demons rot and die.

The threat would be neutralized... That was certain with an Adamantite adventurer here.

The people's hopes took a fearful leap when a fireball struck Titania, the leader of Black Flower...

She emerged unscathed and somewhat covered in soot, but another fireball came.

Imps and other flying Demons began to surround and attack Titania fervently.

She didn't seem really harmed, but attacking was becoming complicated for her. And Elise backed away from the fervent horde of Demons.

And with the appearance of a giant Demon with 4 wings made of fire, Titania retreated, generating more panic among the masses.

…

Dont ran falsely towards the castle.

She had to act as the frightened and concerned Nyx Morgause.

And she had to 'inform' the castle of this.

Her bodyguards followed closely, with the Hanzos hidden. The Shadow Devils were withdrawn as a precaution.

She heard a roar and looked into the distance.

Her Level 100 Shooter senses allowed her to see clearly Black Abyss and Alicia flying over the middle-class district.

They were 'withdrawing' upon seeing the Omen Demon they brought. A level 45 summon.

It was garbage really. It wasn't useful against anything level 100, not even against level 60. At most, it could deal with levels around 55 with a weakness to fire or be a relatively useful shield against level 70 beings. But it was still 'strong' for this world.

Eyesight also reported nothing unusual, but Riku could still appear at any moment.

Anyway, she had to hurry. The plan needed to be executed.

So when the palace guards didn't let her pass, she DIDN'T break their necks.

…

Climb, Brain, and the soldiers accompanying them stopped when the street in front of them exploded upon the impact of an object of immense power. 

When the dust cleared, they saw the demonic creature's flames extinguished by Titania's sword stroke, with her standing victorious atop the Demon, eliciting surprised looks and admiration from everyone witnessing, as serious as the paladin may seem. Although internally, she was quite satisfied with shining so brightly~ 

She descended from the corpse, which dissolved into black embers, and looked towards the soldiers.

"Climb! Take me to the castle!" Black Abyss shouted at him, snapping him back to reality, and he nodded vigorously.

"Y-Yes! Follow me!" He quickly replied, without really having time to think or doubt at all. 

The boy ran even with his armor on, followed by all the soldiers who would be part of the operation, which ended up being a fiasco, both due to the invasion of Demons and the fact that in some places, there was basically nothing from the Eight Fingers.

But now, with a more important mission ahead, they had to go to the castle first to receive orders, and everyone felt much calmer with Titania in the group.

"You cannot pass, miss!" They heard the guard say with seriousness as they approached the castle.

"Please... I need to speak with the king about this... I-I know what that thing is! I can help!" pleaded the gentle, concerned, beautiful voice, to the guard, with two large men behind her, one in red armor and the other in dark, loose clothing.

And the woman... She was beautiful. Wearing an elegant gothic dress that matched her hair and face.

However, for Brain Unglaus, she was a monster.

A deep fear ran through his body, and he quickly and firmly grasped his katana, stepping back a couple of steps.

"Lady Nyx!" Brain looked to his side when he heard Titania exclaim that name, quickly walking forward as the woman arguing with the guard turned quickly towards her.

What was that name? Brain had heard something else when he first saw that monster...

The so-called Nyx looked back and saw Titania with relief.

"Ah, Miss Titania! I'm so glad you're okay." She said with genuine concern and gentleness... Kind of.

The pair of men beside her who didn't seem to be kingdom soldiers seemed to be her bodyguards and silently watched the group.

Brain froze even more seeing the dark armor of one of them.

"I want to believe that you know what's causing this..." Titania exclaimed already in front of Nyx, showing that apparently, they knew each other.

"It's... The Komodo Demon... That's the only explanation..." The gothic woman responded, between worried and somewhat scared. "Everything... Everything is dangerous now. It infiltrated Succubi among my staff. If it weren't for my bodyguards... I-I... I wouldn't be talking to you right now." She looked disturbed, hugging herself as the 'bodyguard' in loose clothes grabbed her shoulder in support.

The black armor just tightened its hands and looked down.

"At least you can be sure that creature cannot take my form due to my divinity... Nevertheless... I've heard that, well... You were seen committing many criminal acts..." Black Abyss sighed.

Nyx's eyes widened.

"W-What? T-That thing... Is it really capable of taking on the appearance of others?" Nyx stammered, stepping back a couple of steps.

"Wait a moment! Please!" Brain interrupted. "I was attacked a long time ago by a woman named Morgause... She changed her body to have claws and had monstrous strength... And she looked a lot like you." The swordsman pointed at Nyx, who blinked in astonishment.

Titania stood between Brain and Nyx, speaking carefully. She would have to 'enlighten' him on what she wanted Brain to see.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you, but... She is Lady Nyx Morgause, my main contractor. Her surname is well known, although not much in this kingdom. And she doesn't have such abilities. But... The Komodo Demon does possess them, that's what you encountered, Brain." Titania explained.

Brain seemed perplexed, looking at Nyx with surprise. She seemed to be twisting a little, embarrassed and shy. Definitely not threatening.

And she gave a deep bow.

"My sincerest apologies! All this time... I... Feared the wrong figure..." She swallowed a little as she stood up and seemed... To have a new resolve. "But now I understand who my enemy is. But please forgive me for accusing you of such acts."

"Ah... Of course, don't worry about it... You, er..."

"I'm Brain. Brain Unglaus."

Nyx blinked and smiled gently.

"A pleasure, Mr. Brain." But she shook her head. "Ejem. We'll have time for introductions later. Now, we must deal with Komodo before things get worse. Charles, Antoine, follow me." Nyx called her bodyguards, and they nodded silently. "I need an audience with the king to discuss this... Both Titania and I have vital information to confront the Komodo Demon and its minions." Her seriousness was notable.

The guard recognized Climb, Unglaus, and clearly the name Titania, and seeing the circumstances, he had no better option than to let them pass, stepping aside.

Nyx walked, and followed her were both Titania, Climb, and Brain. 

…

The Komodo Demon. The most feared monster in all of Re-Estize today...

"[Order Mid-Low Demon: Infernal Archeologist]"

It continued summoning Demons capable of summoning more Demons. 

Even then, most of the Demons terrorizing the capital were summoned by Titania's queen, Lady Dont-Say-My-Name, or were brought from Titania as POP monsters or disposable summons.

It wasn't necessary to use more skills to cause chaos. Just with Lady Nyx's imitated form, with the queen Dont's statistics, it could simply destroy houses with a weak punch.

It did so several times anyway, effortlessly demolishing medieval houses while the summons took everything of value from the Eight Fingers' bases, warehouses, and houses, bringing the corpses to Titania to maintain permanent summons.

Meanwhile, it had the lesser Demons capture civilians from outside the 'demonic area' and start torturing them, but without killing them.

It needed to build a positive reputation for Lady Black Abyss as Titania, and for Lady Nyx as her benefactor.

It was a faithful follower of the Supreme Ladies, and he would fulfill his duty as bait.

Eyesight was constantly providing detailed reports while she received constant reports from the Shadow Demons and Dark Devils guarding the Supreme Ladies and selected important targets.

There were no signs of enemies, but Eyesight detected someone in Mecha armor approaching. It wasn't strong, but he was an item from Yggdrasil. It alerted Eyesight to inform the Shadow Demon.

Whatever it was, they would be prepared.

…

"Still... Lady Nyx, I cannot unleash my full power or my Talent while in a city... Unfortunately, I can't fight the Komodo Demon at 100% under these circumstances." Titania explained, sitting at the table where everyone was gathered, discussing what to do and how to counterattack.

Nyx made a complex expression. Everyone looked at her in silence. She seemed to know enough about Titania to take priority.

Until someone interrupted in the room.

"If that's the problem, then I can see if I can distract that monster and lure it away from the city." The condescending yet charismatic voice spoke, drawing attention.

One of those present, Lakyus, the leader of Blue Rose, who was vital for this situation and had been part of the attempts to invade the Eight Fingers' headquarters, exclaimed.

"Uncle!?"

Titania looked somewhat doubtful at the man. He seemed like a simple middle-aged guy, with a good physique and an attractive appearance. He had long, blonde hair swept back, with some strands framing his face and one dyed red, along with a braided goatee.

"Who are you?" Black Abyss asked, looking at him seriously, knowing his power, which made many of those present tremble at how threatening he sounded and looked.

"Wow~ Easy there, darling~" He said, raising his hands innocently. "I'm surprised you don't know me, but I don't know you completely either, let's say it's a fair game~ My name is Azuth Aindra, Adamantite class~ As you can see~ Finally, the Guild made a valuable acquisition~" The man said with respect but also clear flirtation, making Black Abyss furrow her brow. "And well~ I'm Lakyus's uncle here too~ You can just call me Azuth. And I can theorize that you must be Titania as I heard. Am I right~?"

The Paladin's face turned to surprise upon hearing that, looking at the man with wide eyes.

"Does it surprise you? I know many things, especially when it comes to rumors like 'The most beautiful Adventurer in Re-Estize'~ or 'The Beauty Merchant,' Nyx. Although, of course, those were assumptions at first." He said, looking at Dont and winking at her. Both women let out a growl, they didn't even know they had such titles... 

Well, Dont always had titles like those anyway.

"E-Ejem." Dont coughed into her hand falsely. "S-So... Sir Azuth... You-"

"Just Azuth is fine." He smiled.

"... Sure. Azuth. I'm not sure of your capabilities, but we will need your support to deal with the Komodo Demon. As you said, if you can lure it away from the capital, it would be incredibly useful for Titania to unleash her power to the fullest." Nyx said somewhat uncomfortably but kindly.

"I can't use my full power with that Demon here, but it's not like there's anyone else at its level but me. Can you really lead that thing away from the city?" Black Abyss questioned the newcomer.

"Hmm... Well, I truly believe I'm capable. Perhaps you don't know me, but I have my methods to get it done." He said, looking proud, to which Lakyus nodded, glancing at Black Abyss and Nyx.

"Hmm..." Nyx stroked her chin, ignoring the words of the others in the room. "Yes... In fact, it sounds feasible. If you're truly able to do us such a favor, I would be deeply grateful." Nyx smiled gently at Azuth, although internally, Dont could barely resist laughing in her face.

The beautiful merchant looked at Titania. 

"How far would you need to be to use your Talent at its 100%?"

"Well, technically, 500 meters to avoid harming anyone. But... perhaps 1 kilometer to ensure the city is safe from the Komodo Demon... Essentially, that creature knows it can't destroy this place, as that would allow me to use my Talent... We'll need to be careful when it comes to keeping it at a distance."

The room practically turned to Azuth. He just smiled with a certain arrogance typical of a bad boy or something like that, but still with his touch of humility.

"I should be able to push it back at least 500 meters at least, yeah." He nodded.

"Then we'll count on you," Nyx smiled gently, seeming to truly trust Azuth.

In silence, she used a [Message] to one of the Hanzos near the Komodo Demon.

Titania glanced at Nyx for a moment, who glanced back at her. The disguised demon gave her a wink, the signal they had long ago agreed upon to send a [Message].

(Titania.) Dont's voice resonated in her head. (For now, let's play along. If something strange happens, Bachelory has a world item, and you'll be there. In any case, I'll intervene, and Eyesight is watching at all times with an attack team ready at all times.)

(Yes. It's strange that this guy is so confident. Maybe he's just overestimating his power, or he has a Yggdrasil item... In that form, he's a potential danger.)

(Or he's underestimating Komodo. Anyway, I told Bachelory to play along until they reach 400 meters from the capital.)

(Good, for now, at least they know I have a Talent, or they think I do. That will give me an excuse if Riku appears again, I'm sure he recognized the Divine level of my equipment... It's very possible he has something like that... Plus, he didn't explain anything to me. He's very careful and intelligent apparently.) She spoke somewhat angrily almost. How could something hide from HER light?

(For now, let's play along. You know the plan if things get out of hand.) And the message cut off.

"That's enough." Black Abyss said seriously, drawing attention back to the discussion they were having. "The Komodo Demon won't wait for us. Let's just do that. Let's scare that thing away from the city, where I'll take care of it." Black Abyss declared as something already decreed.

Several more details were discussed before they were forced to leave immediately upon hearing explosions.

…

Eyesight, the Snake of the Red Starts. As her name reveals, she is practically the eyes of Titania. 

With her divination abilities, she could even surpass the defenses that the Supreme Ladies themselves had.

Of course, if they wished, they could set up so many defenses that even Eyesight would struggle to penetrate them, and they would notice her efforts. 

Either way, she was in charge of watching over everything. Yes, everything.

From Bulldoger to the crater where the Demon Tree had been, to the Great Forest of Tob and Titania, as well as her Supreme Ladies and Bachelory.

Of course, she had priorities, with Hanzos and Shadow Demons watching and reporting anything with simple detail to her or to subordinates throughout the Observatory, which helped her monitor some areas more, as it wasn't like Eyesight, however skilled she might be, could have 20 eyes focused on 40 different places.

Either way, she was tasked with more or less monitoring what was happening in the capital apart from her Supreme Ladies due to the main operation, which was carrying out the plan to gain a certain type of public trust and other less 'kind' objectives.

She saw the girl named Lakyus, leader of the Blue Rose group, fighting against one of the Succubi summoned by Bachelory. And with the rest of the Succubi in the horde, along with Infernal Hounds and other Lesser Demons, they were being overwhelmed.

How weak...

It wasn't until Gazef Stronoff appeared that they had an overwhelming advantage. 

A couple of Presage Demons appeared, ready to give a tough battle to the Adventurers and the Warrior Captain with the king behind him.

The Demons were ordered not to kill Gazef or the king, so she wouldn't have to worry about that.

She saw Gagaran, Tia, and Tina, from Blue Rose as well, dealing with several Succubi, Imps, and Infernal Hounds, even with an Infernal Executioner, level 32, stronger in terms of pure combat than an Infernal Protector, but less resilient. While not as strong as a Presage Demon, it was something on the level of 'army destroyer' or even 'country-level'.

Eyesight just grumbled with a slight pout while rolling her eyes. They weren't important. If they died, it wasn't her problem. And it wasn't helping that they were destroying the beautiful summons of her Queen or of Bachelory.

She looked away. The blonde boy and the blue-haired one, along with a thief, sneaked to free the tortured and trapped people.

The Demons there were weak, just Observation Demons, so she shouldn't worry about them. Actually, they were probably deliberately placed there.

She saw Alicia the One-Eyed elsewhere, casting 'divine' spells against the Demons. In reality, she was rotting them with negative energy and low-cost instant-death spells. That's how weak her targets were, and Alicia was mainly focused on hitting the Demons created by Bachelory.

She smiled a bit at seeing her Titania companion, but shook off her smile. It wasn't the time to be happy about a comrade, it was time to watch.

"Do your best, Alicia!" Eyesight said, serious yet childish, before abandoning her surveillance over Alicia.

She blushed a bit, but didn't get distracted. She didn't notice the encouraging glances from her subordinates capable of driving almost anyone crazy in the capital of Re-Estize.

She looked away and saw soldiers, more soldiers, and then Bachelory's 'generals'. Mere mid-level Demons summoned by Lady Dont with the souls of the Six Arms, minus Edstrom, who was currently undergoing 'reeducation' alongside that blonde Lady Black Abyss once brought.

Such 'generals' were easily massacring the soldiers, spreading their influence slowly as they advanced with fire, blood, and violence. One of their subordinates opened a [Gate] in one of the conquered bases of the Eight Fingers, where the Dark Devils were taking the new corpses to one of the fake zones along the Tob forest. After a few hours, such corpses would be mobilized to Titania.

Of course, the occasional prisoner was also taken to the fake bases. They would be used for experiments and other things.

She saw one of the 'generals' 'fighting' against Lady Nyx's two bodyguards. They were provided as support since they were 'Oricaldo'. But they were just exchanging 'soft blows' and causing some chaos and weak explosions.

After all, it was two level 80s against a level 40-50. One of the bodyguards alone could simply make half the city disappear with one punch alongside all the low-level Demons.

Unless there were Demons like Infernal Protectors, which wasn't the case.

Well, technically there was one. One that 'Lady Nyx' sent thanks to an 'item'. The Demon was simply defending and tearing apart Demon after Demon while leading a vanguard of soldiers and adventurers.

He was 'carrying' them, as the Supreme Lords said.

Eyesight continued watching, scanning the castle after a few spells, seeing the agent Queen Dont acquired, King Rampossa… Her own queen giving a subtle thumbs up...

She smiled with joy, but Pollux gave her a slight growl to snap her out of her distracted state.

Shaking her head, she refocused on her task.

And she searched for Lady Black Abyss.

She was atop the red mecha armor of the adventurer named Azuth Aindra. It was a Power Suit.

There were a couple in Titania, but according to the Supreme Lords, they were basically garbage to make the weak relatively minimally 'strong'.

They were getting closer to Bachelory at a considerable speed.

She kept an eye on everything, with no signs of that guy Riku.

She hadn't been able to track him with her divination before, but now she would make sure not to disappoint the Supreme Ladies and to have their attention on him.

Due to the danger of Riku appearing and attacking Titania, a curfew was announced in the bunkers within the palace, so the city was basically empty, with defenses maximized and most monsters normally stationed outside of Titania, within its corridors.

Of course, they were cleansed before even thinking of letting them set foot in the palace.

Therefore, even the forests were empty, except for some low-level POPs for surveillance.

Gandolfo was withdrawn within the walls and ready to maintain the defensive at any moment alongside Cristofer and Bill, so, for the moment, it could be said that the exterior of the palace was unprotected.

But it was a strategy approved by Dont and Black Abyss. It would give a sense of security to the invader.

And with Achernar and Bachelory outside, which forced Superbia to temporarily take charge of the defense administration and Miia to split from Echidna to monitor various parts of the Palace alongside other NPCs, although their forces were somewhat divided, they were ready to jump in to support whoever at any moment.

Eyesight smiled relieved, and was about to turn her attention to Lord Bachelory...

... At that moment, all of Titania held its breath upon hearing the intruder alert.

Level 3 POP Monsters, the Black Sparrows, were completely useless creatures. They had no combat power and were as fragile as dry twigs. However, their existence throughout Titania had a reason.

Not only could they be generated at no cost, but they had a very useful unique ability. They emitted an 'alarm'. One that caused the other Black Sparrows to also release the alarm.

And such an alarm couldn't even be heard by Players, more like a radio signal. It could only be detected by certain magical objects or races like the Insectoids. And obviously, Titania was full of objects capable of receiving this alarm.

Both Eyesight and several entities throughout Titania used [Message] instantaneously.

…

Bachelory Antoinette Sheoler II.

Normally, he would be roaming the halls of the magnificent and incredible Palace of the Pact of Titania, but now, he was in a common square in a human kingdom, surrounded by soot, sulfur, ashes, and fire. Ah, and not to forget the charred corpses.

No, more than Bachelory, right now, he was the Komodo Demon. The monster that was an enemy to all of Re-Estize, and as far as they knew, to the Guild Riku might have come from.

Having taken on the form of his creator, under the premise of the shapeshifting monster that this Demon was, his name could well be said to be Morgause temporarily.

He had to present himself with such a form and such, deceive the eye at the most superficial, but deep at the same time, and at the right moment, change into the form his queen used to directly portray the Komodo Demon.

And now, he was doing what was necessary, summoning lesser Demons in mass to continue terrorizing the capital.

He had started receiving [Message] requests at some point, but these were canceled before he could open them.

He worried, but he assumed that if the messages were canceled, it was because his queen was dealing with it personally.

He wiped away a nonexistent tear. To think that his wonderful creator would go to such trouble!

And here he was, letting a maiden of the caliber of his mistress exert herself in trivialities... What a lack of chivalry on his part... He even had to allow the Sun of Titania, Lady Black Abyss, the entity second only in title to his creator, to also exert herself... Expose herself to so much danger...

He swore to himself to work twice as hard, no, quintuple! Even if he had already promised to work much harder before. Just to make up for such lack of consideration and chivalry towards his creator.

He didn't see them directly, but he felt the presence of a couple of targets approaching. As he now had Dont's form, his detection abilities were outstanding even at 80%.

He glanced sideways at the red armor of the human named Azuth, and the white clothing of his mistress, Lady Black Abyss.

He saw a part of the armor extend, and he cast a 5th-tier spell, a [Chain Dragon Lightning], easily ending the lesser Demons he had just summoned and striking him.

Of course, the damage was null, both due to his own defenses against such weak magic, and his equipment.

He turned somewhat dramatically towards his attacker, technically he was facing away, but he was facing him, even if he was in the sky.

"WHO DARES TO ATTACK ME!? THE WONDERFUL, MORGAUSE!" He shouted with haughtiness and arrogance, starting his perfect performance as his creator bestowed upon him.

The red armor stopped in the air and his mistress, Lady Black Abyss, murmured. "Tch. He must have a very altered perception of reality to keep believing he's Lady Morgause..." She almost growled before jumping to the ground, falling as light as a feather. How magnificent~ The performance of the Paladin of Titania was as wonderful as expected~ "This time it will cost you dearly, Komodo Demon." Titania exclaimed with annoyance in her voice, drawing her sword and pointing it at the beast with red skin, or well, right now, the pale and perfect skin imitating that of his Creator.

"JAJAJAJA! LOOK WHO'S HERE! THE WHITE RAT~!" Internally, Bachelory apologized to his mistress for such insult. "AND YOU BROUGHT A FRIEND~ A RED RAT NOW~? WHERE'S THE BLACK RAT THAT ALWAYS FOLLOWS YOU AND THE PLATINUM RAT FROM LAST TIME~?" He asked while striking a somewhat suggestive pose. Bachelory figuratively cried blood as he begged for forgiveness from his Creator for profaning her supreme self in this way.

"Hmp. Like I'm going to tell you such a thing, Komodo. You know well that I'm never the same as the last time, Did you prepare to bid farewell to the world?" Black Abyss said with a smile as she displayed the edge of her sword. "Besides~ You can't do much here~ You know that if you destroy everything, I'll use my talent~"

"FUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS PILE OF STONE AND ASHES WILL BE YOUR GRAVE, WHITE RAT! ALONG WITH ALL THESE BARE AND UGLY RATS WHO CALL THEMSELVES 'HUMANS'~! HAHAHA! MAYBE I'LL HAVE FUN WITH THAT BLACK RAT I COPIED YOUR APPEARANCE! IT WILL BE VERY FUN TO BREAK HER WHILE I MAKE HER APPRECIATE HOW I DESTROY EVERYTHING TO ASHES!" She laughed incredibly amused. Bachelory prayed once again endless prayers of forgiveness for his words.

Black Abyss growled and began to walk towards the Komodo Demon.

"Oh~? ARE YOU COMING TO ME, WHITE RAT~?" She smiled broadly.

"I can't beat you up without doing so." She said, tightening the grip on her sword handle.

"WELL THEN~ COME AS CLOSE AS YOU WANT, DAMNED WHITE RAT~" The Komodo Demon exclaimed, walking towards Black Abyss as well, smiling broadly as he glanced sideways at several teams arriving at the scene, but keeping their distance.

Black Abyss then raised her sword, delivering a downward slash that Bachelory easily dodged, sidestepping the blade and watching it emerge from the smoking ground after the cut.

"Are you not taking this seriously?" Titania asked, looking to her side.

"FUAHAHAHAHAHA! [HELLFIRE BALL]" Pointing a finger at Titania, Morgause shot a large ball of hellfire that hit her head-on, with its force sending Black Abyss flying towards one of the few standing buildings. "YOUR EMPATHY FOR THESE OTHER FILTHY RATS WILL BE YOUR UNDOING!"

A sound of gunfire was heard, and Bachelory somersaulted as he dodged a burst of bullets fired by Azuth.

When he looked forward again, he received a blow that resonated throughout the area, sending him crashing into a pile of rubble and destroying it even further.

Although the blow itself had been quite gentle, comfortable even, Lady Black Abyss was undoubtedly very gentle. He heard the surprise of everyone present, it was working, as expected of the Supreme Ladies~

Black Abyss leaped to avoid a punch from Bachelory, which hit the ground and cracked it into hundreds of pieces, causing the place to tremble slightly.

Titania was caught by Azuth, who backed away to avoid a flare that came from Morgause's mouth. Another of the cannons on his back opened, and he fired a [Great Fireball] that hit the Komodo Demon head-on.

Even Azuth could tell that it didn't cause any damage. If he was using so much fire, it was because he would have some resistance. But at least the smoke would bother him.

Black Abyss then pointed her sword at the Demon, and it began to glow brightly, causing the Komodo Demon to show a displeased face, leaping forcefully backwards after a powerful light emanated from Titania's sword, piercing the ground.

"Wow~... You sure have surprises, partner." Azuth said in the armor, but then he saw the Demon, he was on the wall.

The battle was to 'push' Komodo away from where he had been, and it seemed to be working. Well, at least that's how everyone who didn't know the Supreme's plan saw it.

Titania didn't waste any time and stood on Azuth's armor, propelling herself to attack the beast still disguised as a human. With her sword, she struck the claws of the Komodo that appeared between her delicate hands, causing a loud noise, and in a second, they were exchanging blows with each other, but the physical advantage was clearly Titania's, who managed to push the Komodo Demon to the edge of the wall.

"TCH! YOU'RE VERY ANNOYING, WHITE RAT!" The Demon shouted after taking a big leap backward, finally being outside the city, but Titania wasn't going to settle for just that.

When the Demon fell onto the grass outside the walls, Black Abyss fell right in front of her, but she sheathed her sword, staring at her intently while Azuth aimed his weapon, but didn't attack, waiting for Titania's move.

She raised her hand and an energy shield formed, then the Komodo Demon knew what she was about to do, growling trying to move, but couldn't.

"[Divine Charge]!" Titania shouted, as her body was enveloped in a golden aura, shooting herself towards the creature and hitting it with the shield head-on. A large amount of dust rose as trees were destroyed in Titania's path.

Azuth looked bewildered at the attack that caused a line of destruction for up to 300 meters until it finally ended, showing the broken trees, and at the end of them, Titania, standing unscathed, while the Komodo Demon got up at a great distance from her due to the momentum of the charge.

Nevertheless, Bachelory hadn't really received any damage, the shield used by Black Abyss had completely shattered under the strain of its own power, and it had actually weakened him precisely to avoid harming him. But it had clearly left an incredible impression.

Titania looked back, seeing the city at a somewhat safe distance, but then... Azuth grew concerned seeing the Paladin clutching her arm.

"Titania! Are you alright!?" He shouted, worried, to which she nodded after a moment.

"Yes... It's just that... These abilities take a toll on my body... Gh..." He furrowed his brow, hearing Titania's slight groan of pain, pointing his weapon towards the creature and firing the machine gun, raising a huge cloud of smoke due to its power, but stopped when he couldn't see what he was shooting at due to the density of the dust.

However, a large ball of hellfire shot towards Azuth, barely managing to dodge it by a hair's breadth. The fireball ended up hitting the capital's wall, creating a sizable hole, which made Azuth click his tongue.

"Tch... We're still too close..." Titania muttered angrily, looking at Azuth. "I can use that ability again but... I might end up in a bad condition... Do you think you can defeat it...? We'd be leaving everything to chance, but... If we keep going like this, it could keep attacking the city..." Titania murmured to Azuth, looking quite concerned.

"Mm... I don't really seem to be able to harm it... So I don't think so... But if we can get it further away from the capital, we should have a good chance." Black Abyss couldn't see his expression through the armor, so she couldn't draw any conclusions from it, but she imagined he was serious.

"I see... Do you have any special abilities...? Something capable of causing great damage?" Titania asked, getting back into a fighting stance.

"... Besides this armor, I don't think I have anything else. No." He said somewhat irritated and exasperated. He used his machine gun to shoot at another fireball, causing it to explode before hitting them.

Bachelory smiled internally, just like Black Abyss, they could see that this really wasn't a real problem, even the Power Suit had no modifications from what it was in Yggdrasil, it wouldn't bring any trouble on its part.

After all, if it were even half as good as Echidna, then it would be somewhat problematic.

Titania then raised her sword and it began to glow.

"Ha!" She made a cut towards the Demon, who had to jump to the side to avoid the light that burned large trees behind her. "Support me then!" Titania exclaimed, to which Azuth nodded firmly, rising into the air to continue the fight.

…

Dont surveyed the chaos caused by her Demons and Bachelory, with Black Abyss having joined in to some extent, while she could see the capital's surrounding wall crumbling.

(Wonderful~) She thought, but outwardly, displaying a distressed expression. She couldn't risk being seen enjoying others' suffering. It would ruin the plan's objective.

And as she watched in silence, she frowned with a slight headache from receiving so many [Message] requests at once.

Unconsciously, she accepted them all, and the pain became more bothersome as the chorus of voices in incomprehensible chaos overwhelmed her.

(Silence.) And at the command, each and every one fell perfectly silent. (Eyesight, are you there?)

(Y-Yes!)

(Good, tell me what's happening.) She said while feigning rubbing her temples in concern instead of being overwhelmed by [Message].

(T-There are intruders in Titania.) Said the little Gorgon.

Ah, that was it...

... She blinked as the information was processed.

Dont fell silent for a moment.

(Prepare Lady Nyx's Doppelgänger, I will go immediately. Keep an eye on Black Abyss and Bachelory, continue with the plan on that. Then inform both of them of what's happening once you're done. If I give the order, tell them to retreat to Titania immediately.)

The order was given with quick organization as she activated different anti-divination effects, excused herself from the room for feminine matters, retreated to an area with no one, and had a [Gate] opening in front of Dont thanks to the Snake of the Red Stars.

Dont growled like a hungry monster as she stepped through the portal and her Lady Nyx 'double' replaced her.

How would she allow them to invade her wonderful home?

She would make those dirty invaders pay with blood and suffering.

…

Azuth was panting along with Black Abyss and even the Demon of Komodo. It had been almost 20 minutes of constant combat.

Bachelory practically knew all of Azuth's moves, just like Black Abyss. They could kill him right here if they wanted without even breaking a sweat.

Outside of the Power Suit, Azuth would barely be level 30-40 maybe, like elite humans tended to be.

Black Abyss then looked back, seeing the distance to the city, realizing it was even more than 500 meters away, smiling, just like Azuth underneath his armor upon realizing it.

Black Abyss then looked at Azuth.

"You must go. When I use my talent, my power can be difficult to control." She said, but Azuth shook his head.

"Do you think I would miss such a thing?" He exclaimed with his usual joking tone, to which Black Abyss sighed, but the Demon of Komodo growled.

"SO ALL THIS TIME YOU WERE TRYING TO DISTANCE TO USE YOUR TALENT, WHITE RAT!?"

Titania pointed her sword at the Demon, and it shone brightly, the light began to mold and elongate, turning into a halberd of indescribable quality, Azuth could say that his armor was junk compared to such a weapon...

The Komodo growled as he covered his face from the light.

What kind of talent was that...? But then he quickly looked to the side, seeing some kind of mace resembling an anchor flying towards the Demon of Komodo, impacting the ground when he jumped and evaded it.

Morgause roared monstrously, and Azuth looked horrified as in a second, the beautiful woman resembling the merchant in the castle, turned into a murky amalgamation and changed into the monstrous appearance for which the Demon of Komodo was known, as Black Abyss had fought before.

"IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO DIE ONCE AND FOR ALL, WHITE RA-!" But she was interrupted when a hammer hit her from above, pushing her towards the ground and cracking it with force.

Black Abyss frowned slightly, and finally saw who she had been waiting for.

"Riku Aganeia!" Titania said his name, looking at the platinum armor descending with weapons rotating around it. She smiled at him and took her spear with both hands, looking towards the Demon of Komodo. "What were you saying? Whose time to die?"

"ROOOOOOAAAAAR!" Using [Jaldabaoth's Menace], the thrust of the ability was enough to push Riku, Azuth, and Black Abyss several meters away. "ENOUGH! YOU WILL ALL DIE!" An infernal and demonic aura sprouted from her, burning the grass and replacing it with red grass. She could hear the metal squeak of Azuth's Power Suit as it started to heat up rapidly.

Even Black Abyss was taking some damage, but it was so small that her HP regeneration was enough to cover it without any problem.

One of Dont's passive abilities. [Aura of the Demon Queen I].

"Full Release!" Titania exclaimed, taking her spear with both hands, as a blinding light emanated from it, almost turning night into day, but taking mere seconds, and when everyone looked back at her, she was completely covered with equipment of an impressive construction, indescribable, of extreme quality...

She looked almost like a Goddess, and if her beauty was added, she was undoubtedly one. But... She showed a slight pained expression, while her left arm trembled slightly.

Azuth was impressed but worried, it seemed that Titania had extreme power, but unleashing it cost her own physical health...

"I'll only be able to sustain this form for a few minutes, maybe not more than 2... Riku, I'll entrust everything to you after that..." Black Abyss exclaimed. As far as they knew, Riku couldn't beat the Supremes in a 1 vs 1, but they didn't know his abilities in more depth, making him fight would be the best way to find out.

"[Cloak of Light] [Draconic Indomitability]" He chanted, covering himself with two lights for a moment. The second was a new ability.

It seemed that he wouldn't bother to cast that barrier he had cast against Dont the previous time.

And in an instant, Riku was in front of Morgause.

"[HELLFIRE BREATH]!" If he could at least take advantage and kill Riku, it would be a good thing. They could kill Azuth afterward, and Titania would gain all the glory for her victory in passing.

The infernal breath came out like a giant wave of red fire, covering Riku from head to toe. However, it didn't stop, and his katana cut Bachelory's shoulder, his large sword hit his other shoulder, the spear stabbed him in the stomach, and the mace ax struck his head, causing him to close his mouth and it to be pressed by his own breath.

The pointed tail shot out and pierced Riku's shoulder after a sequence of three continuous instant blows that was a mid-level ability.

Bachelory frowned slightly when he noticed that he couldn't move Riku as efficiently. That second ability he used must have been for that. So instead, he used Riku as support and backed away, charging directly at Titania with his claws and jaws extended.

She spun her halberd, hitting the Demon's claws with the pommel, spinning around and managing to strike with the Moon Blade on the halberd, cutting his back and slamming him into the ground.

Bachelory opened his eyes to see that his wounds were healing faster, this was... Black Abyss's passive abilities were affecting him.

He got up, but Black Abyss's charge didn't stop. According to what she said, she had to use those two minutes as much as possible, she had to Demonstrate a legendary battle in that short time. And she was going to do it, pulling out her claws.

"[ASPECT OF DEMON: PURGING CLAWS]!" Morgause's already large claws extended a bit more and were engulfed in a gray and cold flame.

With her sharp and large claws, she attacked Titania, blocking and counterattacking against the powerful sacred halberd, smashing rocks and trees with pure collateral damage and shockwaves. But Black Abyss quickly made him retreat.

"What's happening!? Can't that body full of evil handle my speed!?" The heroine shouted, delivering a powerful blow with her hand, turning around and giving another attack with the moon-shaped blade of the halberd, and although it was blocked, the Demon of Komodo was shot out like a bullet, causing a great straight line of destruction that raised piles of dirt and red grass.

Black Abyss looked towards that place but at one point fell to one knee, hissing as the red grass pierced through the openings of her armor, seeking to damage her. Even if the damage was null anyway.

"Are you okay, Titania!?" Azuth shouted from above.

"Don't get distracted." Riku commanded as he levitated slightly beside them. His weapons spinning around him.

"[ARCHANGEL FALL]!" The roar caught their attention, and from among the clouds of ashes, something that could only be called a meteor fell at great speed.

Although the meteor seemed to be a ball made of rings and feathered wings that was falling, surrounded by black and white fire.

"Tch..." Titania growled. The Paladin definitely knew about Dont's most explosive abilities.

Black Abyss stood up and took her halberd in a firing position.

And although she let out a groan of pain, with incredible power, she shot towards the meteor, impacting against it and causing the black and white fireball to stop in the air for a moment before bursting with almost nuclear power, while the light from the halberd mostly eradicated the black fire, turning night into day as trees were uprooted by the explosion, which was weaker than what Dont could have done and suppressed by the Angel's actions. 

That spoke to the power of the ability itself.

Black Abyss, who let herself fall, and Azuth were shot to the ground by the shockwave, while Riku remained in the air, undisturbed by the shockwave. 

They looked up as the Komodo Demon raised its arms.

"THIS IS A TRUE GODDESS! HAHAHAHA!" It exclaimed with strength and arrogance before Titania appeared in front of her with her fist clenched.

"Shut up!" She shouted before delivering a powerful blow, sending her crashing to the ground, where the power of the blow caused the surface to break.

But... Both Azuth and Riku saw Titania's equipment disappear, causing her to begin to fall to the ground apparently unconscious, wearing her original clothes.

The Komodo Demon got up after shaking its head, and then roared powerfully.

"[HELL AIR ATTACK]!" It roared, and from among the ashen clouds, hundreds and hundreds of Imps descended in flames, laughing as they headed towards Azuth, Titania, and Riku like guided fire arrows.

The adamantite adventurer used his machine gun to stop the Imps before they even reached the ground. Each Imp hit was a powerful explosion of red fire capable of destroying a section of the Ro-Lente castle.

Meanwhile, Riku suddenly appeared in front of Bachelory.

She used her sword to strike the Doppelgänger, but he/she, or it, released a burst of fire at him.

Azuth ignored the exchange of blows between the two and flew towards Titania.

He took her, and with a click of his tongue as he saw Riku send the Komodo flying, before it appeared behind Riku and used one of the armor's weapons against herself, only for Riku not to even flinch, he grabbed Titania, and seeing that it was useless to even try to help, he took her away from the fight.

With his Power Suit, he quickly reached the capital, and carefully laid her on the ground, then looked back. The Power Suit came with a telescope, so he could see the Komodo Demon and Riku, watching as the latter received a powerful blow with the creature's claws, opening gashes in her armor.

The Demon roared again, using [Jaldabaoth's Menace]. Even so, the thrust did not affect Riku, who began his assault on Bachelory again.

It roared again, and rose from a beat of its large wings.

High in the air, it began to spit balls and balls of fire, which were blocked by Riku's weapons as he ascended.

With one last infernal fireball, which was intercepted by another of Riku's weapons, Morgause roared again.

"UGH! DISGUSTING RATS! I'LL LEAVE THIS TIME! BUT I'LL BE BACK! STRONGER THAN BEFORE! REMEMBER MY WORDS!" And with that, Bachelory used one of her lady's abilities, appearing behind a lesser Demon she had marked before. And the retreat order began.

The 'generals' received the [Message] and could only obey, starting to retreat towards Bachelory, where they would be transported to Titania, now being permanent summons.

The lesser Demons could stay there, with the exception of the permanent Succubi still lurking around. 

Their duty was done. Now he could only await the praises of her mistresses.

...

Evileye, a member of Blue Rose and their strongest member as a 6th-tier magic caster, ran, chasing after the fleeing Demons. 

Using a spell, she pierced through dozens of imps with sharp crystals, dropping them like flies.

The ash cloud began to disperse as the fire and demonic energy vanished. The sun began to rise on the horizon.

She, along with her companions and others, arrived at the common square where the explosion originated. 

They saw the destruction that was there and could only lament the losses.

Evileye sighed, remembering ancient times when Demon Gods roamed the land. 

Scenes like this were familiar, but still nothing compared to the atrocities committed by the Demon Gods. Although to be fair, the Komodo was only one, and they had someone who matched or even surpassed the leader of the 13 Heroes to deal with him and drive him away. And that was only temporary.

"Look!" shouted a random adventurer. 

"Oi, Lakyus. Isn't that your uncle?" Gagaran asked their leader.

And indeed, it was the flying armor of Azuth... Who was carrying Titania in his arms, inert and with her eyes closed.

"Titania..." Elise appeared from the side, with a sad expression, almost on the verge of tears, as she looked at the white-haired woman with her only eye.

The armor began to descend towards the common square.

"Does anyone here have healing spells!? Potions!? Anything!" Azuth's voice sounded clearly worried, but from Titania's expression, she was still alive.

Elise trotted over to Titania before Lakyus could step forward. She knew the 5th-tier spell, [Raise Dead], so they could revive Titania if the worst had happened...

The gothic mage approached Titania and placed her hands on her.

"... 'Holy Restoration'..." She whispered, almost desperate and mourning.

Nothing happened... And Titania's wounds closed up as she groaned in her unconsciousness and stirred a bit.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around, as everyone was stunned to see Titania slowly getting up. And suddenly one of the adventurers present asked.

"And... The Demon...?" The Paladin looked somewhat hesitant, to which Azuth in his armor placed his hand on Titania's shoulder, pointing at her with his finger.

And everyone clearly understood, it had been defeated and victory was brought by that person's hands.

"Long live Titania!" Everyone began to celebrate, chanting Titania's name, applauding and praising her, the new Heroine of Re-Estize. Titania smiled somewhat embarrassed and approached Elise, giving her a hug while patting her head.

"You did a good job~" she whispered to her with a gentle voice, hearing Elise's faint sobs, who was more than happy.

The Sun rose just behind Titania, marking the day of victory.

…

Black Abyss entered through the portal, which strangely took a bit longer than necessary.

She arrived at the eerily silent Titania. 

After all, the city had been evacuated in case of an attack while the operation in Re-Estize was underway. Strangely, Dont had left earlier than she was supposed to, so she only encountered Lady Nyx's Doppelgänger. Of course, it took a bit longer due to diplomatic matters and such.

She frowned at how unnervingly quiet Titania was even as she walked through its halls, where the servants cleaned with silent unease, only stopping to respectfully greet Black Abyss.

Finally, she reached the throne room. Dont wasn't there. Only Bachelory and Superbia were, but they seemed... Nervous...

"And where is Dont?" the Supreme Lady asked.

Both remained silent until Bachelory stepped forward. " Lady Black Abyss... Queen Dont hath embarked unto the Empire with alacrity in answer to the invasion they hath wrought. Verily, we shall provide thee with a comprehensive elucidation of the matter."

"Did you say invasion…!?" Black Abyss asked with supposed calm, but her face showed clear anger.

The Sun growled a burst of flames as she gritted her teeth.

.

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Name: Komodo Demon

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