"The forests are thick, and demons would blend in perfectly." He frowned calmly, lifting a hand to his face and rubbing his forehead, "Then again, this would only be a hindrance to my plans. It would be too late in mere moments… I have to make the decisions now."
Requiem stepped forward, and the halls around him collapsed to reveal a massive mountainous horizon, one that Requiem had gotten very used to. His robes fluttered in the wind as he reached his hand out and willed a screen to appear before his vision.
The area shifted around him, transporting Requiem to his pocket dimension for a brief moment,
⦗Day 6, Sign-in — Consume 100 Divine Point (DP)?⦘
"Yes…"
⦗Signed-in Day 6⦘
⦗Destiny Points 64⦘
[Unlocked, Eye of Truth (B)⦘
As it shifted back, Requiem blinked. The process, once alien, felt more natural to him now. As he led the charge on foot, Requiem clenched his blade tight. Soon, the demons were sprawled in sight, their numbers stunning and forms intimidating.
The demons, gathered in their dozens were humanoid. Armoured in stone, they brandished their clubs and spears. Their horns stretched up from their heads, poking at the sky, giving them an air for enhancing their intimidating demeanour.
Facing these monsters that towered over metres, the slaves were shaken. Yet, as they were led by Requiem, they felt a force welling up within them. It was a courage like never before, and they let the feeling engross them, their eyes gleaming in vicious lights.
Requiem rushed the enemies with the seven slaves gathered around him. Using the thick forests as leverage, he weaved around the enemies, swinging his blade and sending their heads flying. With a few quick strokes from their force, the demon numbers dwindled in an instant.
⦗Killed 4 Demon Spawn⦘
⦗Earned 20 DP!⦘
"Lord!" one of the slaves called out, and Requiem spun around, dodging an arrow. His gaze fell on the archer and a cold feeling descended upon the target. He dashed forward in an instant and a flash of light flowed in an arc, and in the next moment — slash —!
The head of the demon was sent flying into the air. Requiem staggered to the side and dodged a hammer that was swung at his face, then stepping in and waving his sword, severed the demon into two separate halves. Requiem frowned, his right ear twitching.
Suddenly, he spun around and swung his blade.
Sparks flew as he blocked the collapsing blade of another attacking demon, his gaze burned with an intense light as he frowned. Requiem stepped back, then pivoted on his heels, spinning his body a second later and leaping into the air, slamming his feet into the demon's side.
As the demon staggered, Requiem leapt forward with his blade, stabbing the demon in its guts. It stiffened up, as Requiem dragged the blade, spraying blood. The demon's eyes widened as it fell over and collapsed to the ground, growing still in the pool of its blood.
Requiem frowned, watching as the others slaughtered the remaining slaves. After a while, all the demons in the area where killed and he was left with his slaves. He turned around calmly, watching a few demons rush past in the direction of the castle, the frown growing on his face.
"Where are these demons coming from?" one of the slaves wondered, glancing at the demons as they charged drown the forest. Requiem turned to the slave with a strange expression on his face, he also wondered this, then he shifted his gaze to the forests.
"Interesting question…" he muttered, holding his chin and narrowing his gaze to slits, "I believe a mastermind is behind this. The attack was too coincidental and these demons — whom I have never seen before — must not be from this area…"
He was pulling the last out of his arse. Even if he had sometime in the past seen these things, he would definitely not remember anything of the sort. Well, because — he turned to the side, and his gaze narrowed, "Ryelir, I guess that there are somethings you must be dying to tell me…"
Requiem stepped forward, reaching his hand to the tree and rubbing its dead bark. He withdrew his hand, then stepped back. He glanced around at all the trees in the air, touching them one after the other, feeling around until he halted before one, breaking into a smile.
"This one is quite warm…" he muttered, clenching his fist. The tree exploded in his grasp, a wave of splinters were sent scattered in different directions. He glanced down at the trunk of the tree, and as he noticed the runes drawn in its hollowed out insides, his grin broadened.
They emitted a faint pulse as his fingers traced them.
"They must be using the lifeforms of the living trees here as a means to power the summoning. It seems to be a ritual similar to the abomination Ryelir had committed." Requiem, squatted down with his hand inside the hollow trunk, stood to his feet and withdrew his grin, "Interesting."
"It's —" just as she was about to speak, an arrow whizzed through the darkness. Requiem didn't waste time in leaping forward, his face stone cold as he shielded the stunned Ryelir, deflecting a stray — more like calculatingly fired — arrow with his armour, staring into the darkness.
"It's a Regional Lord!" she blurted out, covering her head in fright. Ryelir, hid behind Requiem as she trembled, spilling everything she knew, "He had helped us secure the slaves as offerings. This is a good deal for both parties as he supplied us with weapons and took slaves for his nefarious deeds."
"A regent?" Requiem glared down at the pitiful Ryelir, kicking her to the side with his feet. He was not against offering sacrifices to the goods in good faith, it was a necessary evil. He was against all of the shady things that came with that necessary evil — nonsense like this.
"Let me guess… wait, Haha!" he laughed, but his expression was like ice. He stepped away from a trembling Ryelir, then turned in the direction where the arrow had flew from, lifting a hand, clenching his fist and sighing. A sword ripped through the darkness, and following a loud thud was a cry.
"The nefarious purposes you speak of has quite a lot of things to do with transmutation. That's a great technique, I must applaud. Alas," Requiem turned to the hollowed tree, and the direction of that loud cry, "In the hands of a childish amateur, it is worthless."