Playing with her nails against the armrest of the black throne, Dont finished reading aloud, for Black Abyss, Superbia's 'request.'
"Entonces… ¿Qué piensas sobre esto? {So… Whatcha think about this?}" She said with a slight grimace, somewhat doubtful about what the Angel would say.
"Why did they have a statue of me in the first place...?" The Paladin said with a sigh as she held her temples, then looked at Dont. "Surely everyone is upset about that... But I don't think it's an excuse to start a war as Superbia wants..."
"... Oh, for us..." Dont looked distressed as if it was the end of the world. "They threw down two of my statues..." She lamented. She raised her hands up, as if she were pleading to some god. "Don't worry... Mama will avenge you." With theatrical exaggeration, Dont almost seemed to be on the verge of tears as she clenched a fist and lowered her head like an anime character swearing revenge.
Ignoring the Shooter's nonsense, Black Abyss returned the discussion to the main topic. "... And do you plan to support that?" The Paladin raised an eyebrow, curious and almost accusatory, ready for a small debate.
"I mean..." Dont recovered from her theatrics with a fake cough as she straightened up. "That blonde girl was completely useless in the only important thing she had to do, and the nobles keep pushing for war anyway. We just need to see who gives the 'officialization' of the conflict. I propose we don't declare war but wait for them to declare it on us. I will incite them to do so instead of recognizing us." The Queen of Titania sighed, playing with a coffee cup on her armrest.
She ignored how the current maids, Agares and Purson, seemed incredibly amazed by Dont and her gestures, as if they were watching the best play of their lives, not crying with joy nor doing anything due to their highly refined professionalism in their respective personalities.
"We crush them... Like little cockroaches~ Maybe we claim E-Rantel and a few nearby villages to secure the territory near Titania, and in the process, destroy their workforce, credibility, international support, economy, etc., inciting them to become vassals, which will eventually lead to a revolt that will make most of Re-Estize want to merge with us." Dont explained her newly formed strategy as she took a sip of coffee from her inventory.
Black Abyss sighed, leaning back in her chair next to the throne. "Don't be naive. Even if Titania is entirely self-sustaining, its resources are not unlimited, and we will need to use Superbia's resources, otherwise Deorum Regnum will not be independent from Titania's sustenance."
"That's easily solved with SatinMan's social plan." Dont groaned. "The POPs are literally free, we can send them, and the strongest are around Orichalcum level or so. Even then, we have Superbia's summons that can form entire armies of high level." She rolled her eyes at Black Abyss's look.
"An army that strong would draw excessive attention... We need to demonstrate strength, but not an overwhelming force. Otherwise, something like the black lizard might come here, and I'd like to avoid something that can kill me like that time." The Angel argued, quite serious.
"Uh-huh. What's going to come? The Komodo Demon? Oh, right. The Komodo Demon is a world-class enemy that we 'fight'~ If we don't demonstrate strength, it makes no sense to offer support to the Argland Council in the first place. We need to make it clear that we are not to be messed with. I don't want other idiots thinking going to war with us is feasible because 'we are new'." Dont put her argument on the table.
"I think you're not understanding... Deorum Regnum was founded less than a week ago. Where did such a kingdom get such a force? We need to show strength, yes, but not in such a suspicious way. There needs to be something external to handle it if you want to eliminate everything in one go." The Paladin sighed, looking almost tired at the Demon Queen.
Dont looked at Black Abyss for a moment, grimaced, hesitated, and finally, sighed.
"Mo… Well... We can have the POP and summoning army at the 'front,' and Komodo appears, wiping out both 'sides' if the war happens in the first place. The POPs wouldn't be a problem, and Superbia can simply unsummon the 'dead.' Then you could appear as Titania, while some of the Commanders and Superbia 'help' to drive away the Komodo. That way, we win the war and come off as 'heroes' who drove away the Komodo Demon while defending our nation from another. Does that seem better to you, sweetie~?" Dont smiled as she gave the closest solution she could think of at the moment.
"... Well, it's more feasible, but we can't always rely on Komodo and Titania, there might need to be a surprise... Although, now that I think about it, Stronoff is the Warrior Captain of Re-Estize. He might be in the battle. No. He will be. It's possible we could recruit him." The Paladin said thoughtfully.
"Eh? You think you can do it?" The Shooter asked somewhat doubtfully, but then sighed. "Well, I have no idea about the man, so if you think you can do it, then I won't doubt you~ We'll leave a 'gap' in the battle between the start of the war and the appearance of Komodo, sending only the POPs and minor summoning of Superbia." Dont chuckled as she struck a sensual pose, caressing Black Abyss's cheek, earning a sigh from her.
… The pair of maids trembled in a blushing mess while they were eager to gossip with the rest of the maids.
…
Raven advanced confidently and steadily through the halls of Ro-Lente Castle.
Outwardly, his face was an inscrutable canvas of neutrality, but internally, he was conflicted.
After all, a war might be on the horizon.
Normally, it would be just an annual skirmish against the Baharuth Empire. Although he knew that the conflict was merely a ploy by the Bloody Emperor to deplete the Kingdom's workforce, driving the country into poverty and famine, thus facilitating a full invasion.
However, Baharuth had been wiped off the map in a storm of fire and poison, according to the border towns and cities, making it lethally dangerous to even approach.
The thought of the Undead that might arise from the death of an entire country... It sent a shiver down his spine.
The foolish nobles who wanted to invade the territory were so... Raven wanted to punch them for their stupidity. Weren't they aware of the lethal poison that lingered in the area?
But then an unknown foreign noble appeared, one who gave him chills despite his flawless appearance, and declared the existence of a newly founded kingdom in the venomous land where Baharuth once stood.
Ignoring the hypothetical impossibility of this, since, in theory, the poison could have been temporary or purified by stronger priests or many of them, the creation of a kingdom in the ruins of another in less than a week was impossible.
The creation of a single village could take months. A city, years. Not to mention a capital.
Sure, if it were a city of the Empire that had survived the destruction of the rest of the country and declared itself a City-State, it would at least be believable.
But an entire kingdom? Even Raven was tempted to laugh at the absurdity implied...
And the spies he sent a few days ago to investigate the existence of this kingdom returned with reports confirming it.
All of Baharuth's territory had lost the poison that had covered it, and instead, the flora and fauna were in perfect condition, with large cities that seemed like capitals in various points, villages that were actually cities, and smaller towns protected by guards in enchanted armor.
It was something out of a fairy tale.
They couldn't venture in due to the military's precautions, preventing anyone from daring to come from the west or southwest because neither the Theocracy nor Re-Estize had recognized Deorum Regnum as an independent state. Well, at least Re-Estize hadn't yet.
And despite other nobles surely receiving the same reports from their spies, they still wanted to go to war...
Didn't they understand they had no chance if the enemy army had soldiers with enchanted armor? With the power to erect fortress-cities in less than a week?
There was the possibility that they had deliberately deployed the guards with enchanted armor at such borders, but merely having access to such resources was not something to underestimate.
Raven held back a sigh. The guards gave him a nod and opened the door to the meeting room...
He took a deep breath, calming his unease... Everything would be decided here…
Especially because his shadow showed an unnaturalness that very few could notice. An irregularity that was more than eager to carry out his lady's plan when the time came~
…
Black Abyss hummed as she ate cherry ice cream, reading the report written by Bachelory, detailing each feature of the inspected item. The report was written in Earth's alphabet to prevent espionage, as was the writing system for all of Titania, outside of runes, symbols, or sign language, etc.
In the end, her predictions were accurate: it was undoubtedly an important item, but this went beyond what she initially thought.
It wasn't just a World-Class Item, but one of immense power, one of those coveted by all. One of such power that its mere use meant losing the item. One of 'The 20.'
She silently approved Dont's decision to give it to Bachelory, pass the Trumpet of the End to Superbia, and Dont's 'order' for Bachelory to prioritize his own survival along with that item.
With this, Titania had taken a significant leap in its accumulated power, and although it would have been nice to see the item, a few questions now arose... If she used the item...
Would other guild members be affected by its effect...? She didn't know if it would consider them 'dead' since they were 'disconnected' at the time of arriving in the New World...
It could be possible, but she wouldn't risk one of 'The 20' just to find out... The probability of failure was too high...
After all, its use would consume the item and cause it to appear at a random point in the game... Although this wasn't a game... In fact, it wasn't Yggdrasil at all. Therefore... where would the item go if consumed? Somewhere in the New World? Or would it disappear forever into the digital abyss of 'Yggdrasil'?
There were more questions, but she would ponder them with Dont later.
She set the empty ice cream cup aside, tossing the report aside, and began to review the reports from the emissaries she had sent.
After a few moments of reading, she had a brief mental pause while trying to process what she had read. After all, what was stated in the report was... Ridiculous to her.
"My letters succeeded... But they weren't even well-written..." According to the received reports, only one kingdom remained to declare its stance on Deorum Regnum, which was Re-Estize.
Well, there was also the Holy Kingdom, but Black Abyss was confident they would accept after sorting out the details with Dont. They just needed to leave the kingdom alone for a while, and then, once they dealt with Re-Estize, start relations with that country.
But either way, regardless of the country, all of them were pagan kingdoms from her perspective, believing in gods that no longer existed, instead of beginning to worship those who had appeared. That is, herself and Dont.
These were kingdoms that needed correction, but it wasn't a simple task. Some, like the Theocracy and possibly Re-Estize given the situation, would surely prefer going to war.
Knowing them even minimally... They would undoubtedly try to seize Baharuth's territory, essentially going to war against Deorum Regnum.
She sighed, for in the end, the war that Dont had mentioned as a possibility would inevitably happen if things continued like this... Especially with Dont going to incite the war now...
Her intention was to convert those pagans, but she didn't want to do it that way; it wasn't the best option...
War was very bad, a waste of valuable lives, but... Perhaps this could serve as a demonstration to the other pagan kingdoms, so they would accept those they should truly worship. It was the most merciful thing she could do considering that Dont would simply wipe out many kingdoms like wheat in a storm if left unchecked...
Regarding the Holy Kingdom, honestly, Black Abyss found it odd that they hadn't accepted the recognition request, even considering it was a significant possibility. Black Abyss had summoned an angel for that task, thinking it would be favored for gaining their recognition...
Perhaps she should have gone herself, that would have had a greater effect, but... If they didn't recognize an angel, would they really recognize her? They were blinded by their false doctrines... Well, the summoned angel was a biblical one and of... Mid-level. Black Abyss was a more modern Christian one and level 100, a Sun Angel, an Angelic Lady. There was practically no comparison between that heap of gold and feathers and even a mote of light emanating from her.
SHE WAS THE SUN.
The Sun had been worshipped by all civilizations, from the Sumerians to the Romans, from the Japanese to the Chinese, from ancient Native American tribes to the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. Even monotheistic religions revered the sun as something divine, something made by God, the light that bathed the world from its first moment, its first day and second of existence. Everyone knew one thing, something primordial in every mortal being: they lived thanks to the Sun, and therefore, they worshipped and had rites to praise it.
She was that, the Sun. A superior being that rose above them as the absolute divinity. An entity that embodied something as essential as the primordial source of life.
She sighed at this... This world was more backward than she thought...
In the end, those who directly accepted were the Draconic Kingdom, the Karsanas City-State Alliance, the Minotaur Kingdom, and the Argland Council. Each with their 'conditions.'
The Draconic Kingdom only wanted to place an ambassador in Deorum Regnum, besides, of course, the promised military aid. Argland also had interests in an ambassador, besides fulfilling the initial trade offer regarding draconic obsidian.
On the other hand, Karsanas was cautious for the moment and only agreed to have open trade borders. Diplomacy would have to continue to improve ties.
And the Minotaur Kingdom reluctantly agreed after the envoy had to demonstrate his strength, and they requested an immediate 'tribute' of some easily obtainable resources from Deorum Regnum's territory, so there was no problem with that.
Perhaps if she had presented herself, or Dont, as the darkness rising with malice over the inept who dared to oppose her, rising from the depths of the abyss to bathe in the divine light, turning it into impure and filthy darkness... Each of them would have even begged to be vassals... But they couldn't reveal their identities, even if that was annoying... Sure, Dont could go as 'Nyx,' and Black Abyss as 'Titania,' but the presence of those two figures outside Deorum Regnum was questionable at this time.
The only exceptions had been the Holy Kingdom and Re-Estize, possibly with the war looming with the latter. The Holy Kingdom might change its decision after seeing the result... That's what Dont and she hoped. Because if not, a punishment would have to descend upon them for their stubbornness.
Just as the sun sent solar flares from time to time, Black Abyss would have to send HER flare. Her punishment and light in the form of fire and destruction that would make them obey and open their eyes, be blinded by the truth, but know the truth.
Deorum Regnum would not be able to prosper as a murderous and genocidal kingdom; it would gain too many enemies and be unproductive in the eyes of the world's races... So all those were final options, but they would be done if nothing else worked.
And well, as expected, the Slane Theocracy refused to recognize them almost immediately upon hearing they were a multiracial country. They wouldn't go to war, but nothing good should be expected from the Theocracy soon.
In the end, it was expected, they only sent it for diplomacy's sake, not expecting anything from that theocracy.
Now, all that was left was to wait for Re-Estize's move or a decision from Dont in the coming time. Black Abyss simply leaned back in her wooden chair, placing a hand on her stomach as she felt a slight pain begin to grow stronger.
She hadn't carried a World Item with her that day... She was thinking of so many things that something so important slipped her mind... And that mistake almost cost her life according to Dont's theory...
"... Wild Magic..." She murmured... The effects of those things were brutal and apparently incredibly dangerous... As if that Dragon had been using World Items all the time...
"Lady Black Abyss?" The servant on duty, Bifrons, in a black and white maid dress that only had a bit of pale bust in a window as the only show of skin, with a charming gentle face with red eyes and a black headband over her white hair, asked worriedly. "Should I call Amasu-sama?"
{Maid Bifrons PNG}
Her question, filled with fear behind the concern, made Black Abyss feel tender, though she still grimaced slightly in pain. It should be noted that all the maids referred to the Mikos with the oriental titles of '-sama.' A lovely detail from their creators.
"Yes, just for a moment." Although a healer had to be called at the same time every day, the pain was becoming less intense each day, and the damage now only consumed 20% of her HP, compared to the initial 50%.
This cheered her up slightly, knowing that soon, this would end, allowing her to return to how she was before.
…
Calca Bessarez resisted the urge to bite her nails.
"Your Holy Majesty, is everything alright?" Remedios Custodio asked with concern.
"Ah… Yes, don't worry, Remedios… I just had a nightmare." She calmed the strongest paladin with a gesture of her hand, making her nod more calmly.
On the other hand, Kelart did not believe those calming words but said nothing, as Calca was not lying. Kelart had known her since childhood and could tell when she was lying and when she wasn't.
Calca looked somewhat uneasy out the balcony of her room, as if she needed to see Kalinsha at peace.
She felt uneasy. And there had been no reports from any city of the Great Wall...
In fact, all the generals and officials were very nervous about the lack of responses from the east at all.
Fearing the worst, they ordered a military mobilization across the rest of the country as a precaution.
If the demi-humans managed to breach the Great Wall and so efficiently ravage all the cities and towns in the east without any communication... It was concerning.
"Are you worried about the Great Wall?" Kelart asked carefully.
"... We haven't received the slightest news. And the messengers who were sent have not returned…" She expressed her concerns. "And… I had nightmares… About Kalinsha in flames… With demons… And…" Anguish prevented her from speaking, making Calca take a deep breath to calm herself and avoid crying.
"... Do not worry, Your Majesty. If the demons dare to come, I will personally take care of bringing you their heads." Remedios said with conviction and assurance.
Calca chuckled softly at the determined paladin, looking at her with a gentle smile.
"... There's no need for you to bring me their heads…" She responded, as if she was joking, which brought a smile to Kelart...
"Could it be that the news about the 'Komodo Demon' is affecting you, Lady Calca?" Kelart ventured.
The Holy Queen blinked. "That… Yes… It is possible… Maybe I am very concerned about its existence and the destruction it caused in Re-Estize and the possibility that it has destroyed Baharuth…"
Kelart made a slight grimace.
After all, it was true. That monster had been able to survive multiple Adamantite Adventurers and escape. And one of those adventurers was the famous paladin who, according to estimates, might be above Remedios, Titania.
The Komodo Demon had appeared from the south of Re-Estize to its capital. And with the disappearance of Baharuth possibly at its hands, an entire country overnight, its existence was troubling.
Although the emergence of Deorum Regnum was suspicious and intriguing, and the 'religion' presented by the angel sent spoke of the Komodo as a traitor to the gods of that belief, Calca seriously considered allying with Deorum to eliminate the Komodo Demon.
Bells rang.
Calca froze.
Remedios frowned, hand on the hilt of the Sacred Sword, Zafarisia, as she stepped forward and opened the balcony windows.
Several footsteps echoed through the hallways.
Kelart tensed, while Remedios drew her sword and stood between the door and the Holy Queen. "Stay behind me, Lady Calca."
The door burst open.
"Your Holy Majesty!" the chief of staff shouted. And before Remedios, Calca, or Kelart could ask, he quickly responded. "A huge army of armored demons is approaching at great spee-!"
His speech was cut off by an explosion.
Looking out the balcony, they could see a large breach in the great walls of Kalinsha, the capital.
Calca shuddered horribly as she saw the armored monsters angrily charging through the opening.
…
The Archiarchaeologist scoffed.
"[Deadly Temptation]." At the spell, the Archangel of Light convulsed as darkness consumed it, swallowing it until it disappeared.
"I-Impossible!" The priest who summoned the Angel stammered.
"[Demon Feast]." The Demiurge chanted, using the racial ability as his helmet tore apart, creating a mouth of black metal splinters.
The mouth opened wide, while the priests and paladins were unsure whether to flee or fight.
A horrific sound, like a moan of agony, was heard as an unholy wind was drawn into the Archiarchaeologist's mouth, as if it were a vacuum cleaner.
Along with the unholy wind, something white, like smoke, came out of the priests and paladins. The Angels disintegrated into motes of light that were also absorbed.
And by the time the mouth closed, with the helmet being repaired, all those affected by the unholy wind collapsed like puppets whose strings had been cut.
"Hmm… [Create Mid Demon: Amalgam Devil]." With all the corpses turning to ashes, a large red circle appeared in the center of the 'battlefield,' summoning a black abomination with multiple clawed arms, two black heads with insect-like jaws but human teeth, six pairs of eyes distributed between the two heads, a horn protruding from the side of each head, and a kind of white cloth covering the upper body, over the short tentacle-like appendages sprouting from the heads.
{Amalgam Devil PNG}
The monster roared and, following its summoner's immediate command, ran with delight towards another part of the human city, seeking more 'sources of experience' to 'farm'.
The Archiarchaeologist hummed in satisfaction as he felt the hundreds of experience points flowing towards him from his summons.
Of course, they were minimal amounts, but still something.
He watched the Amalgam Devil force itself through the window of a house, ignoring the screams that could be heard from inside.
He saw a group of paladins fleeing from a Infernal Knight and pointed at them with a finger.
"[Hellfire Missile]." The spell shot towards the paladins like a red fire missile, hitting them at high speed and exploding, instantly incinerating them and melting their armor.
He hummed as the experience was 'absorbed'.
He had already leveled up three more times in his 'destruction' of the eastern part of this 'kingdom'.
Now he was level 64 and well on his way to level 65.
Kalinsha was indeed in flames, all thanks to the Archaeologists, Mages, Hounds, and Infernal Pyromaniacs, along with other Demons using fire abilities.
The Archiarchaeologist, however, also sighed, as he had only two low-level summons left to use.
So he decided to save them for when necessary, or for when he finished 'cleaning up' everything.
He began to advance, followed by his guard of Purgatory Shielders, defensive level 50 summons that he had barely managed to summon with half the population of a city. Robust, demonic beings with thick gray scaly skin and plenty of sharp, spiked dark armor that made them look almost like giant beetles. Their heads were exposed, showing a demonic face that was a mix between a rhinoceros and a crocodile, with elephant-like tusks on the sides of the jaw and red eyes. Additionally, they had a small tail behind them. But what gave sense to their name was the huge dark metal shield with a large demonic skull with an open mouth, housing a cannon glowing orange, as did their eyes, and two pairs of horns on the shield, two on the sides and two on the lower part pointing upwards.
{Purgatory Shielder PNG}
Eventually, he reached the central plaza, from where he sensed several of his summons being eliminated. They were mainly the weak ones, Imps, Hellhounds, Infernal Soldiers, and a couple of Infernal Vanguards.
He would have brought the Infernal Cavalry, but it was not convenient to use them in a city. In any case, they were not particularly strong or resilient summons.
Once he arrived, he saw the culprits of such losses.
A large group of paladins, with priests summoning Archangels of Flames and Guardian Angels, along with a high-ranking priestess, a blonde woman with a crown and a Principality of Peace behind her, and a paladin very similar to the priestess wielding a sword that exuded sacred power.
They... Were strong... But not that strong.
"Hm... So, you were the ones killing my servants?" He thought aloud, drawing the group's attention, who looked directly at him.
"You! Are you the one behind all this!?" The paladin growled hostilely, pointing her sacred sword at him.
The Archiarchaeologist looked at her and couldn't help but feel the desire to mock her. But he resisted for the moment.
He remembered Her Majesty's words, 'Refer to me as the Demon of Komodo outside of your thoughts.' The Archiarchaeologist extended his hands to the sides.
"Yes~ That's right. I, the envoy and creation of Her Majesty, the Demon of Komodo, have come to fulfill my mission! Mission given by Her Majesty!" He said cheerfully, shivering with pleasure at just mentioning his summoner.
"[Holy Ray]!" The priestess shouted, launching a ray of sacred energy at the Demon.
One of the Purgatory Shielders placed his massive tower shield between the attack and the Archiarchaeologist. The sacred energy only dispersed like a light spray of water against a stone wall.
"Angels! Distract the Demons protecting him!" The blonde commanded, while one of the paladins, with several pieces of pink cloth on his armor, began organizing the rest.
At the order, the Archangels of Flames and Guardian Angels swiftly flew towards the pair of Purgatory Shielders.
They prepared to protect the Archiarcheologist, but he gave them a mental order. The dark-armored Demons roared with agonizing fury and charged with their shields forward towards the angelic charge. He would leave them be.
"The Demon is unprotected! Attack!" The female paladin shouted.
"[Big Dread]" And with the use of that spell, an ominous and terrifying aura consumed the hearts of those present, plunging them into terrible fear.
To the point that most of the paladins and priests screamed in horror, clawing at their eyes, affected by the Madness of the spell.
However, madness was an effect for low-level beings. The pink-clad paladin, the female paladin, the high-ranking priestess, and the blonde with a crown only retreated, trembling, struck by the effect of terror.
They weren't strong enough to resist the effect, so Fear accumulated in its second stage, Terror.
"[L-Lion's... Heart]" The priestess stammered, causing an aura to cover the four.
They stopped trembling as much, especially the paladin, who seemed less scared but still nervous.
"Watch out! He can cause mental effects!" She growled anxiously, tense.
It made no sense to keep spending Mana on an effect that wouldn't bother them as much, but it consumed too much, so he deactivated the spell.
"[Twin Magic: Holy Ray]!" The blonde shouted, causing a pair of sacred light rays to shoot towards the Demon.
"[Hellish Shield]" An ethereal shield made of demonic runes appeared in front of the Archiarcheologist, protecting him from the pair of attacks before dissipating. "[Belphegor's Bed]"
With that spell, a faint illusion of a giant pillow appeared behind the Archiarcheologist, covering him in a dreamlike dust.
"What is that spell!?" Asked the crowned woman.
"I don't know! I've never heard of it!" The priestess shouted, quite uneasy.
"[Hellfire Wave]" The Demiurge ignored the conversation between his opponents and launched a great wave of infernal fire.
"[Holy Shield]" The shield of sacred light stood between the wave and the group.
He hummed. These humans were exceeding his expectations, after all, they came out unscathed.
"Isadora! Go with Remedios!" The blonde ordered the pink-clad paladin, while the female paladin charged with relatively impressive speed towards the Archiarcheologist.
"Yeaaaart!" Her battle cry intrigued the Demon a bit, but he wasn't willing to take a hit.
"[Hold Species] [Thunderbolt]"
Immobilizing the paladin, the electric bolt shot towards her.
The paladin gritted her teeth as she was immobilized and saw the attack coming towards her, before a white shield appeared in front of her, blocking the spell.
The Archiarcheologist hummed again seeing that the paladin managed to free herself from the [Hold Species] effect. He wasn't especially strong in total terms, being only level 64 and not specialized in combat, so [Hold Species] had a certain duration, especially one he could afford, not counting the target's resistances.
This woman must be above level 40 approximately, with equipment that helped her resist immobilizations...
"[Flow Acceleration]!" The paladin shouted, and the Archiarcheologist blinked when she seemed to move incredibly faster than before, reaching him in an instant. "[Holy Strike]!"
He didn't even look at the pink-clad paladin running from one of his flanks, or the Archangel of Heavens approaching with a long lance of light in his hands from above.
He just opened his eyes as he saw the light attack falling towards him from the sacred sword.
His speed stats weren't the highest, but they were still notable for low levels, and only that prevented him from failing his mission and dying.
He moved to the side as quickly as he could, but not enough to avoid the entire blow.
The sword struck his shoulder, cutting through the simple armor and flesh.
The Demiurge screamed as [Tasmanian Scream] activated. A passive ability based on a creature that lived in a forgotten past time, its own roar caused fear in all beings, so it went extinct under the dreaded name of the Tasmanian Demon.
The roar with effects made the paladin's ears bleed as she gritted her teeth, only to receive a [Shockwave] fully, being pushed into an empty shop with a groan.
The scream further disturbed the maddened paladins and made the blonde and the priestess cover their ears, while the pink-clad paladin became disoriented.
The Angel, on the other hand, paused for a moment, equally disoriented.
"[Call Lesser Thunder]!" He roared, causing a pure thunderbolt to fall on the Sky Archangel, making it scream as it disappeared in motes of light.
On the other hand, the effect of [Tasmanian Scream] ended, allowing 'Isadora' to quickly charge at the Archiarcheologist, fearing he might do something.
"[Forbidden Answer]" He shouted again, with the spell hitting the pink-clad paladin fully.
He staggered back, tensing up, falling under a specialized Madness effect.
The paladin screamed in horror, before the Archiarcheologist pointed at him with a finger.
"[Maximize Magic: Fire Arrow]" With the spell, the fire attack struck 'Isadora', piercing his armor-covered chest and deeply entering his flesh, roasting him inside and out as the arrow exploded inside his body.
The Archiarcheologist groaned while looking at the priestess and the blonde.
"[Twin Magic: Mark Entity]" He selected the two while grabbing the stump that had been his arm, now bleeding tar while the severed limb writhed in black flames on the ground.
The paladin who cut him was not getting up, but surely it was due to the effect of [Belphegor's Bed], applying Sleep and Fatigue.
He could kill her... But... Right now... Well, all his plans crumbled in the blink of an eye. And the two divine magic casters remained intact...
"[Aspect of the Demon: Pitch Black Wings]" Using the racial ability, wings made of pure darkness sprouted from his back in two pairs. He flapped them, rising into the sky.
This... Should not have happened.
The sacred damage, the loss of his limb... He shook his head.
He had lost a lot of HP, and he couldn't trust that the paladin wouldn't get up, or keep spending his Mana, even if it wasn't completely depleted.
At least he had killed the pink-clad paladin, and the madness effect caused the other paladins and priests to commit suicide, with their deaths being caused by the Archiarcheologist, giving him the experience anyway.
And combined with the experience gained throughout the city... He was now level 65.
He would level up in the class he had unlocked, Purgatory Overseer, once he was in a safe place and finished healing his arm.
For now, it would be somewhat complicated to heal with the divine energy negating his regeneration, but his summons could heal him. But he couldn't afford to fight in these conditions, he could evidently die against these insects... But if he retreated...
He could endure the dishonor in that, he was worth more alive than dead, and he longed more than anything to see the happiness of his summoner at what he had become, therefore...
"Tch!" He clicked his tongue in pure irritation. "I will retreat this time, humans! But I will return! With a larger army! With more strength! I will fulfill the mission given to me by Her Majesty, the Demon of Komodo! Rest while you can! Dream while you can! Because I will return and bring you despair!" The Demiurge spat out angrily.
"N-No..." The blonde woman groaned, still clutching her ears, while she seemed to weakly start conjuring a divine spell. "[H-Hol-]"
"[Silence]" The Archiarcheologist silenced her, then quickly flapped his wings to fly away. That spell, against a divine caster, would only surprise her initially before she removed the minor debuff, so this was his chance.
He used [Order of the Legion], and all the Demons under his command obeyed, roaring furiously as they ran, following their summoner in frustrated bloodlust but delighted satisfaction from the chaos, fear, and suffering they had caused and would cause.
…
Calca cried, ignoring the pain in her ears and the nightmarish screech that still echoed in her eardrums.
She cried seeing the remnants of Kalinsha.
She cried seeing the families mourning, broken.
She cried seeing her wounded soldiers, her hurt people.
She cried while healing her childhood friend, Remedios Custodio, along with the twin of the Leader of the Paladin Order, Kelart Custodio.
For some reason, Remedios was not waking up... And although the blow that dented her armor had broken some ribs, she was not in mortal danger.
However, she seemed to be asleep like a log.
She seemed to react to some invigorating spells, frowning and moaning slightly, but showed no signs of waking up.
Calca kept crying.
She cried as she saw the body of Isadora, one of the Nine Colors, the Pink.
She looked at the collapsed walls of Kalinsha...
That thing... It was wounded by Remedios... But not killed... It escaped, with all its legendary army... Taking as many corpses as it could, setting fire to as many houses as it could reach... The capital of the Holy Kingdom, the pinnacle of her wonderful and prosperous realm... was destroyed...
However... As far as she knew, only the northeast, Kalinsha, and some cities were destroyed, but not the west or the south.
She could escape to the south of the Holy Kingdom, although it would be risky considering the noble opposition waiting for her there.
She was the first woman to rule the country, and she was not well supported by the nobility, which was mainly settled in the south...
Her brother, Caspond... Although they did not get along well, they did not get along badly either... If she reunited with him... If she found him alive even... Or at least if she found his body if those demons appeared... Then they could go south together.
With Caspond, she would be safer in the south, as being a man, Caspond was more respected by the nobility... The Holy Queen almost cursed herself for being a woman at this moment... And almost cursed the nobles for being so irritating.
"That will be enough, Lady Calca." Kelart gently held her hands, smiling reassuringly.
Calca nodded, seeing the peaceful face of Remedios.
She could be somewhat foolish, distracted, but she was her friend. Someone loyal, with a strong character and determination. A hollow-headed person faithful to her ideals. The true 'justice' for Calca...
"What should we do, Lady Calca?"
Kelart's question snapped her out of her memories about the paladin.
And she went blank.
"... I don't know..."
…
The Marble Queen, Nitocris, or rather, Superbia, hummed on her marble throne while Bulldoger retreated, snorting.
They had spent a good hour exchanging insults as Bulldoger reported on the 'envoy' from the Kingdom.
It's not that they didn't get along, but this was how they interacted with each other. Additionally, neither of them could help but find this interaction amusing and entertaining.
Returning to the envoy, since the letter dictating the response was addressed to Superbia, Bulldoger simply took the letter, or rather, the scroll, and sent the rider away.
The Duchess hummed and looked at the scroll in her hand. After inspecting it with some annoyance, she realized that this letter was not from the Unseelie, but from the Kingdom of Re-Estize itself. She resisted the urge to frown and read it aloud in a low voice.
"For the record... The Kingdom of Re-Estize... declares the-"
She froze.
Her Ladies had given their opinion on Superbia's desire to go to war against Re-Estize.
Superbia obeyed, as the mere obedient servant she was, without complaint.
After all, they were the Supreme Ladies of Titania, their words were law.
Therefore, she calmed her fury towards Re-Estize and awaited acknowledgment or even a response of delay.
... But upon reading the scroll.
Her beautiful face deformed, growing black jaws fit for brutally crushing prey, her lips parted, giving way to sharp knife-like teeth, while her eyes turned black and soulless, compound like those of any insect, and her antennae trembled violently with a menacing hissing sound.
And the roar of the Marble Queen of Deorum Regnum was heard from outside the castle.
The fairies that were mobilized, along with POPs and other servants, felt a hint of pity for those towards whom Commander Superbia's wrath was directed.
Only a little.
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Name: Manjar de Pan
Creators: RataVibradora2003
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