Aryn leaps at the Devil to attack. Seeing this, I use my magic to confine the Devil.
Aryn's fist hits the Devil, driving into its face.
I undo my magic so Aryn's fist will send the Devil flying; it disappears into the air.
I don't know if any damage was dealt, but it seems I can use my magic to make the Devil be affected by attacks.
"So that was your doing?" its voice says from behind me.
I immediately alter the weight of the space around me.
"I see, by putting enough pressure on me, you can force me to maintain a solid form," the Devil remarks.
I lighten my own weight so I can move within the affected area. I turn around; the Devil's hand is reaching for my neck.
"Water Hold," Barin chants.
An orb of water appears around the Devil's head.
"Freeze," Barin then states.
The water becomes a ball of ice, then begins to spin until the ball of ice detaches from the Devil's neck.
I undo my magic; the ball of ice and the Devil's body fall to the ground.
The Devil's presence completely vanishes. The corpses collapse to the ground. Is that it? Did we really kill the Devil? I find myself overcome with immense relief. I don't think I've ever been more relieved to have been involved in something's death.
The old man sighs while cracking his back. "Luckily, that evil was not allowed to spread across the kingdom," he remarks.
Asteria and The Princess embrace each other with smiles and tears of relief.
Only Aryn and Barin remain emotionless. Perhaps they were hoping for more of a fight?
"Kekeke!" the Devil's laughter echoes through the city.
The Devil's body floats into an upright position, "I see only two of you are actual warriors," the Devil states.
Its body disperses into the air.
"For now, I shall observe how you deal with my puppets. Do try your best to amuse me. Kekeke!" the Devil's disembodied voice says.
The ground shakes following the words the Devil spoke.
Arin scoops up the girls and jumps into the air, followed by Barin and the old man. I float up with them and keep them in the air.
"Did anyone else feel hatred from the ground?" I ask.
Aryn, Barin, and the old man nod. How strange is that—to feel an emotion from the ground. Is the Devil summoning more undead from below?
The ground suddenly caves in on itself. From the depths, a column of undead sprawl out into the air. The column of corpses collapses into the streets as more of the dead crawl out of the hole.
"We can avoid a fight if we just stay up here,” The Princess states.
I keep us up in the air are the number of corpses keep increasing, and soon they fill the entirety of the city walls. It seems there is no end to the number of bodies the Devil can control.
"Fuck me," Aryn groans.
"Why is there a hole in the wall?" the old man asks.
I just now notice it, that where the entrance gate should be is a massive hole.
The corpses begin charging the spot. Shit, an army of death is heading into the kingdom… unless we can stop them.
"That hole is our fault," Asteria shyly responds.
You've got to be fucking kidding me… what did they do while Aryn and I were being held by the Senate?
"Seems like you youngins should take responsibility for releasing those creatures onto these lands," the old man says.
"We are not the reason for this catastrophe!" The Princess yells. "It is that Consul Artuitus's fault for summoning that vile, vicious-”
"Young lady," the old man interrupts. "You are at fault for destroying the only container that could keep them in," he barks.
I look back towards the sea of dead below us. A large group is amassing away from the rest. Something strange is happening over there… I swear it looks like they're forming into one clump of flesh.
"We'll move to intercept them on the other side of the wall," the old man orders.
We nod in agreement. It's up to us now to protect the kingdom from this unknown threat.
I begin moving us through the air. The old man lifts the blood up to create a massive wave to follow us, sweeping up the dead.
"Steel Storm," The Princess chants once again, launching spears from the sky.
This is a pretty effective way of fighting. If we survive this, this could be an easy way of dealing with any threats we may face.
Suddenly, a massive creature snatches Aryn out of the air and crashes into a building.
Damn! We have no time to worry about him though; we have to reach the wall before the corpses do. If only I could move them through the air faster. That would put them in danger, though. It's already taking all of my concentration to keep their body weight low and reduce the air's impact as we move through it. To go any faster, they would have to take the air's full impact on their skin.
We're a short distance from the wall, but I don't think we'll beat the corpses.
"Grove Entanglement," Barin chants.
From the ground under the gap shoot forth intertwining trees. The trees grow into the stone, forming a natural wall that stops the corpses. The trees spread past the hole… encircling the entire wall.
"Why did you not use that spell, to begin with?" The Princess questions.
"I just made the spell up now," Barin responds.
"Well, aren't you a genius," the old man jeers.
"So I've been told," Barin replies.
We land on top of the wall. The horde has begun to clamber upon each other to climb the wall.
The wave of blood that was following us barrels into them. The receding blood sweeping them back to the ground. The old man sends the blood away from the wall, taking most of the corpses with.
My body tenses with fear as the Devil's presence reappears. It's standing behind the old man.
"Well, this is not very fun to watch," it says.
The old man turns to strike. The Devil stops the old man's arm instead of turning into a shadow. It grabs the old man by the neck and lifts him off the ground.
"You've lived long enough," the Devil states with a grin.
Shadows spread from the Devil's arm and onto the old man. Once the shadows encase him, the shape of the old man disappears.
"D-did you kill him?" Asteria stutters.
The Devil turns to face her. "Well, well, well. Look who has the courage to speak now," it says gleefully.
The Devil strolls over to her. "I did kill the old goat," the Devil answers. "Ah… but remember what my name means?" it asks her.
"He who lords over death," Asteria replies somberly.
"Kekeke. That is correct, now… can you tell me what that means?" the Devil sings.
Fear overcomes Asteria's face… the murderous aura from the Devil is growing more intense as it talks.
"Answer!" the Devil shouts.
"W-we will have to fight Mister Jen now too," she states.
Asteria starts crying. Poor girl must be overcome with fear. I'm not one to speak though, my legs have been shaking for some time now.
"Kekeke," the Devil snickers. "For answering correctly, I shall give you a reward," it says.
The Devil glides across the ground, then faces the four of us.
Lifting its arm reveals a cloak around its body. From the shadows of the veil, the old man's body walks forward. His eyes are completely void of life and only capable of croaking.
"Your reward is that I will give him his mind back," the Devil states. "He will still be under my control, but at least you can see him suffer as he realizes what is happening to his body. You can even converse with him as you destroy his body over and over," it remarks.
The Devil wraps its hand around the old man's head. Soon, life return to the old man's eyes.
The old man looks around. "I've died, haven't I?" he asks.
I shake my head.
Tears feel his eyes. "Please, kill me," he requests.
"Kekeke," the D
evil laughs. "I hope you enjoy yourselves this time," it states.
The Devil grins as it slowly disappears, leaving us with the old man's corpse.
23
ISLA
Mister Jen's corpse stands in front of us; the somber expression upon his face is one that yearns for death.
That nefarious Devil… how could something so vile exist? Why have the Celestials allowed such evil to occur?
I turn to face the city. The carcasses continue to crawl from the cavity. The air is ensuing with the stench of rotting flesh… it is quite a horrific scene to witness.
"Jen Und," Barin says as he steps forward. "Do you want to die?" he asks.
Mister Jen smiles, "I've lived a long and regrettable life. I had so much power and could not do a single good thing," he remarks. "Please, kill me before I cause any more misfortune. Let this sorrowful old man rest," he pleads.
"I understand, but if I do this, no one will remember you," Barin replies.
Mister Jen smiles and nods.
What does Barin intend to do? Why does he imply we would forget Mister Jen?
He places the palm of his hand on Mister Jen's head. Mister Jen disappears, as if he were never there.
Why is Barin standing with his arm out?
"What are you doing?" Mister Utrix asks. "If you're going to use an attack, the corpses are behind us."
Something about Barin changes. The air around him seems to warp. His presence starts to feel eerily akin to that of the Devil's. A murderous aura overflows from Barin, surrounding us in a blanket of ill intent. It feels as if a wave that swallows all is crashing into me, turning into a violent torrent.
Why do both Barin and the fool have such an unbearable and murderous presence?
The Devil appears before us. "Why are you trying to ruin the fun?" it asks.
I am unable to breathe; the killing intent from the Devil is overbearing. The Devil's dark eyes swirl into an even darker abyss. Its smile… I do not believe I can put into words the sense of fear it installs into me.
The Devil vanishes, then reappears, looming over Barin.
"Hey, hey, hey. Do you intend on ruining my entertainment!?" the Devil roars maliciously.
The Devil grasps Barin's head.
"Release me, you worthless being," Barin coldly commands.
The Devil seems taken aback and releases Barin.
"I loathe you," Barin states with no emotion. "Not you specifically, but beings like you. Beings who believe they can play with those below you as they please. Beings who find joy in our suffering yet try to give us hope. Beings who have had the power to do as they please for so long. Beings, like the Devils and the Celestials… I loathe," Barin says, speaking with much malice.
"Kekeke!" the Devil laughs aloud. "Who are you to try and pass judgement on one such as I," the Devil responds. "Of course, the strong stand above the weak! I am the predator that hunts the vermin!" it shouts.
"Careful… a cornered rat will always bite the cat," Barin replies.
Following Barin's statement, time seems to stop for a prolonged period. Though I know time is moving at a regular pace, my mind is unable to comprehend anything aside from the Devil and Barin.
The Devil approaches Barin with that sinister grin upon its face. Barin raises his hand and, unexpectedly, the Devil vanishes.
Did Barin cause the Devil to run away? No, that seems unlikely. The Devil had shown that it is more than strong enough to handle us, which was made evident when it killed Mister Jen with a single hand. The Devil has also shown the ability to avoid any attack we may try to use against it. So why did it retreat this time?
The Devil appears in the air; it is no longer wearing a smile.
"What's this?" Barin chuckles. "Did such a mighty being run away from vermin like me?"
The Devil remains motionless and silent to Barin's belittlement.
"I'm sick of your game as well. I think it's time to end it," Barin states.
Barin concentrates a large mass of mana in an instant. What sort of extraordinary and destructive spell will this man call forth this time?
"Consume all in your path. Fill your insatiable gluttony. Come forth and return all to nothingness, Orochi," Barin incants.
Nothing happens.
Is it a delayed attack meant to take the Devil by surprise? It is eerily silent as we stand, guarded, anticipating what the Devil may do next.
Wait, why is it abruptly quiet? The horrendous wails of those atrocious corpses have ceased.
"What is that?" Asteria asks bafflingly.
I glance at Asteria; she has turned to face the city. The fear of letting the Devil out of my sight steadily diminishes as my curiosity to look back proves to be stronger.
As I turn, so does Mister Utrix. Have the three of us gone demented? The personification of evil is in our presence,.. yet we chose to turn our backs to see magic.
The corpses keep disappearing—not disappearing, but being consumed into themselves.
"Kekeke." the Devil chuckles maliciously. "What did you do to my toys?" it asks.
"You control what death means… those were your own words," Barin answers. "I take it; death means nothing in your presence if you determine it to be. Indeed, a terrifying power. However, what if there were a way to eradicate the notion of death?" Barin questions.
What exactly does Barin mean by eradicating death? Even if he could accomplish such a feat, the Devil's ability would make it fruitless.
I see… this was Barin's plan.
By some means, he was able to create a constant cycle of death and undying. I do not believe I will ever comprehend how these brothers think; in the face of a being that dictates what the aspect of death is, Barin decides to control what that being's powers can do.
Honestly, for him to do something such as that in a situation like this… I cannot help but smile a bit. Glancing at Asteria and Mister Utrix, I see a smile across their faces as well. Yes, for something so foolish and unique to occur in a dire situation, one cannot help but smile.
"Kekeke. So, you intend to make me cease my magic?" the Devil asks. "I suppose it would be pointless to continue bringing them back just to be consumed."
The Devil appears in front of me. I stop breathing and tense up with fear.
"The three of you seem to be more enthralled with your friend's actions than mine," the Devil jeers. The dark grin spreads across its face. "This is an excellent rising action for our play. Things seem to turn around for the heroes, leading up to the climax where I, the villain, combat the heroes. We will fight, and I shall defeat you—yes, that shall be a wonderful play!" the Devil shouts with glee.
Asteria approaches the Devil.
She gets an arm's length from the Devil, who appears to be as shocked as I am. Where is Asteria summoning the courage to face this vile entity?
"Kekeke. It would seem your courage and bravery have grown since I stepped into this world. You should thank me, for helping you evolve, that is," the Devil sneers.
A tear rolls down Asteria's face. "How can you find so much enjoyment in something so terrible?" she asks.
The Devil cocks its head and grins. "Well that is an obvious answer, it is be—”
Asteria slaps the Devil.
The Devil places its hand upon where Asteria hit, seemingly surprised that she could make contact with its face.
How was she able to strike him?
"I don't care what your reasoning for doing so are," Asteria remarks. "If you mean to hurt countless people, then use their corpses as puppets, we have to stop you. Yet, you mean to do this for nothing more than your entertainment. So, we have to kill you," she states callously.
Killing intent quickly arises from Asteria with unexpected intensity. At the same time, she swiftly unsheathes her hilt, slashing at the Devil with surprising speed.
A glowing green sword appears from the once bladeless hilt, aiming for the Devil's midsection. The blade hits the Devil, as expected, it dissipates into the air.
The Devil's right arm has been severed. How was Asteria able to injury it to such an extent?
“All of you wish to enrage me so!?" the Devil screams. "Fine… I will show you just how insignificant you are, compared to a being such as I."
The corpses cease to move, collapsing to the ground.
“I shall begin to show you the extent of my power," the Devil says malevolently.
Another arm springs forth from its shadowy torso, as its malicious presence intensifies into an oppressive miasma.
"Kekeke," the Devil chuckles, raising its hands towards the skies. It then bows, and the skies turn an even darker shade of black.
The Devil's body begins to alter, taking a more human appearance. It becomes a solid mass that has weight and depth, landing on the wall with a slight thud. Its limbs grow thicker, slowly resembling those of a warrior. The Devil's face, however, grows more twisted and sinister.
"It has been some time since I last felt the touch of a living being," the Devil remarks. "The sensation of my knuckles grinding their flesh. Their heads being squashed beneath my feet fills me with unimaginable ecstasy."
The grin that spreads across the Devil's face this time is the most grotesque yet. It is as though the evil the Devil showed before was just a mask to hide its real face.
The Devil stands in front of us, motionless. Is it trying to entice us to make the first move? Should we take that invitation? If we did, would we be able to land a successful blow? Of course not, it would have some way to make any attack futile. What should our procedures from henceforth be?
As time passes, the three of us remain guarded… staring at the Devil.
“Kekeke," the Devil cackles. "I feel a bit bad that you have these two as your teammates," the Devil states. "They are completely unaware that you have been holding me with your magic."
Mister Utrix has the Devil pinned? This can be our chance to deal significant damage.
I leap towards the Devil. "Steel Sword!" I chant.
A rapier forms in my hand; as my feet make contact with the stone below, I twist my body and extend my arm; a perfect thrust aimed for its heart. A mass of darkness stops the tip of my blade. Wrapping around the blade, the darkness swallows my sword.
Avarice Twilight Page 23
