"The magical beast was after you, Hel."
Calm and apathetic, his words resounded in her ears and she couldn't help but doubted her own senses. Unlike what Zed thought, where none know of the beast horde true objective like he did, Hel herself was well aware of them. To be precise, she had to know them in order to survive in Tiny World.
Magical beast and demonic beast, these two type of beast makeup the largest portion of the denizen in Tiny World. But unlike what might think, while a beast they remain, a glaring difference separated the two different type of beast.
For one, a magical beast was merely a mutated animal. An animal that through the passing of time, was able to accumulate the energy between heaven and earth and become stronger than the usual animal. Henceforth was called a magical beast, with their meat become one if not the best delicacies in Tiny World, more when they provide benefit to cultivator.
Their close friend the demonic beast however, wasn't animal to begin with. With their bloodline dated far to the origin of time, it wouldn't be weird if the demonic beast possessed many resemblance toward those mystical creatures. And to a certain aspect, it wouldn't be weird if people called the demonic beast, beastkin either. Because their growth were essentially limitless. So long as their bloodline allowed them to advance, they will be able to turn into a human as they reached a certain strength. Thereby, becoming a beast king- a story for another time.
The magical beast on the other hand was limited in many way. Granted that they were but a mutated animal, ones without bloodline that dated back to the origin, and even if they do, was so diluted that it seem negligible. Their strength all had a limit in their growth.
Ranked with tiers, ranging from 1 to 10. Their peak strength was determined by the number in their tiers, and the closer they were to the two digit number, the stronger they could growth. But even so, still had a limit that they couldn't break under normal circumstance.
Right, under normal circumstance, on rare occasion however, thing would be different.
To break the curse that prevent them from growing stronger, a set of requirement had to be made. The first of course to enhance their bloodline, and to do so, devouring a demonic beast would do the job just fine. The stronger the demonic beast was, the stronger their bloodline power, and the powerful the latter, the easier the said magical beast to obtain a breakthrough after consuming them.
But to say the least of eating a demonic beast that strength far surpassed them. Even if they don't, granted that the demonic beast possessed bloodline that linking them to all beast's ancestor, just the strong hierarchy among them, would force all magical beast under the demonic beast's will. Preventing rebellion, internal strife and whatnot that plague the human civilization.
And even if by chance they were able to escape the hierarchy's shackles after becoming stronger, those who wasn't able to affect them was only some small fry that couldn't even fill the gaps between their teeth. Hence, with such fate, how can they ever breakthrough right? After all, with only small fry purifying their diluted bloodline, even after massacring million (if he was allowed to), they might not be able to succeed.
So come the second requirement, the attainment of intelligence, which was quite self explanatory. But easier said than done for beast who had been living his entire life solely on instinct, you can guess why they never hoped such miracle to begin with.
Hence come the third requirement... that was to devour a noble demon. And while Hel wasn't a demon but a devil instead, her enticing bloodline make it so that even an intelligent demonic beast couldn't resist it temptation, so how could those mindless beast?
However, disregarding this worries, Hel looked at Zed's eyes with frown on her face. Better than anyone, she know that she hadn't introduce herself to this always so mysterious young man, and the probability of him knowing her was so low that even phoenix feather wouldn't be so rare in comparison. Which show how secretive her identity was.
But, as if expecting her upcoming question, Zed started.
"Hel Risingsun, the daughter of Leon Risingsun and Cass Quinn. The Pride Monarch of the underworld and the prideful lady that was overthrown by her closed adjutant, Malak Hellsing."
"How did you... know...," hearing the mention of her closes adjutant, for the first time in this life, Zed saw her expression turning dimmer. But since she questioned them, he will definitely answer. However, instead of speaking them out loud, he leaned for a kiss. A long, almost eternal kiss.
Their lips connect, and their tongue entangled. As if intoxicated by them, Hel resist them not, allowing Zed to taste her all as if by drowning herself in his pleasureful service, she could forget thing that he allowed her to recalled.
Unaware when did it happen, comfort, warm and happiness swarmed into her soul, calming her down absurdly but never was the end, it continue onward.
His golden hues glimmered in radiant shine, and their forehead locked against one another. As if responding to it, her blue hues resonant with his hues, but unlike it partner, the crimson hues dimmed down, as if cloaked by a veil of darkness.
Illusion of the future, of the past and of the present event appeared on Hel's mind, throwing her off to a roller-coaster of emotion. And joining her on the ride, Zed continue to let her see all, that the lady in red ever showed him. Thing that he remembered, wished to forget, but never able to.
Hel realized this for a fact, thing that her crimson hue clarified with much certainty. She know that what he show was the truth stem from his very white soul: it was her future as well as Zed's past. And while she was indeed naive like the lady in red claim to be, when opportunity present, the two of them will definitely not let them go.
Hence within the long ride, she matured. Ripped like a blossoming lotus by the lake, turn into a priceless flower that meet her exquisite beauty.
Spending dozen years within the illusion, but only half an hour in reality, the two broke their lips under the bewildered gaze of the other ladies who, had returned from they lengthy bath. But instead of frowning upon their action, Daisy showed an understanding smile; Yui a pouting lips; while the other four, didn't know how to express their feeling, silently stood behind their mistress with an expectant glint.
Hel however had an even more drastic reaction. As their lips parted with one another, her different colored pupil, which had now returned to normal met his golden hues. It stayed like so for a long moment, and as if time had stopped, their gaze and what within was the only thing that matter.
"Zed... I'm sorry...," Hel said, words now colder than the blizzard atop the mountain, and soul-stirring to a point, that Zed's didn't know how to react for a moment.
It bring him back to the past when he first met the lady in red, the first time when he got to know Hel. The first time that he know, he wasn't as emotionless as he was.
However, unlike the first time when she pointed her sword on his neck, the girl before her instead wrapped her arms around his neck. Searching for his lips, brushing their nose together, and wished to seek forgiveness to redeem herself- he allowed her to do so.
But barely did their lips connected against one another, a strong destructive aura sweep upon the land. Covering the Maple Leaf City, it surrounding vicinity and further beyond, alerting many of the anomalies that suddenly appeared.
Zed, Daisy and Hel eyes narrowed into a slit, looking at each other with a frown before turning toward the city wall. There, everything seem normal, the soldier defending the gate with their life on their line, and the pedophile magistrate fending off the Bloody Ape to no avail.
But better than anyone, the three know the origin of the disturbance and quickly shifted their gaze toward the city wall's underground. As if their eyes could see through the thick earth and stone wall, their eyesight arrive before a shadowy figure who, upon being sensed, showed a blissful smile that send chill down the trio spine.
[Emergency Hidden Quest: The Revival of The Demon King, Playing The Role of A Hero, had been acquired.]
[Difficulty of the quest was being calculated, and along with it, the reward was being processed. My Lord, this is a one in a lifetime opportunity, you can't miss it!]
The words... brought no joy on Zed's face, but a frown and a deep sigh instead.
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Under the city wall, a huge underground reside. Meant to occupy criminal of the cruelest offense, it wouldn't be weird that the place was damp and unkempt.
Walking along the eerie hallway, lighten up by dim torches light, Hades was nervously looking around. Not the first time to visit the underground cell, but definitely the first time to be tasked to awaken a monster. And even if it was only to awake them, just a reminder from some much stronger than him, caused his thought to run wild.
"Is this the place?" probably occupied much by his thought, Hades failed to realize that he had arrive before a closed chamber; the only one within the underground cell.
The door toward the chamber was covered in multiple layer of runic letter, unable to be read by him, Hades payed them least attention. Instead, he started to find for a keyhole, or a way to open them- he failed to find one. As if the door was meant to be sealed, to say the least of a keyhole, even the doorknob remain unseen.
Frustrated, Hades tried to use his own strength to force the door open, to no avail. But maybe fated to, his palm unintentionally grasped in a sharped edged of the eroded stone wall, bleed and spurted some blood on the door's surface.
Woo!
A gush of wind sweep upon Hades's form, forcing his eyes closed which ironically, make him fail to realize the symbol lighten up in the middle of the many runic letter. And when the wind disappear, the door was already wide open. The abyss was before his eyes, dark, boundless and without a clear end.
Looking at them, Hades found it odd that it seem familiar. But among all the emotion he felt, true fear become dormant and his instinct cries for him to runaway. Just staring at the abyss make him hesitant, it make him doubt his decision, but as the bombarding continue to shook the underground cell, he stilled his determination and walked forward, into the abyss.
"Ho.. A.. Human.. After.. So.. Long..," words, one after another was as if spelled out by a voice one could only describe as a broken audio. The words shocked Hades who were still vigilantly looking at his surrounding, it was pitch black inside and without any source of light after all.
But as if knowing his plight, the room vibrated and shone in a faint blue radiant, emitted from countless runic letter craved on it stone wall. A scene to behold, if and only if, a shadowy figure wasn't trapped in the middle of the chamber.
And finally attracted Hades's utmost attention, the figure smiled brightly, which for a reason make Hades entire body trembled in fear. After all, while the shadow was clad in armor and was humanoid in frame, faces and humanly features, was something that he lacked. Hence for him to know that he was smiling... that was...
"Mind.. Blowing.. Right.. He.. He.. He..," the figure laughed, further throwing Hades's mind into chaos.