Two of the strongest warriors in the world charged unflinchingly toward Reed. They struck together, one with his fists and the other her sword. The destructive force was immense, concentrated on one specific point to reduce damage to surrounding areas. Just the wind created from the combined attack made Reed's hair flutter wildly in the air, and those standing around were pushed back by the aftershock.
Bang!
A seemingly hollow vibration climbed up both their arms as an unexpected invisible barrier absorbed the strike instead of their intended target.
The handsome man leisurely strolled through the gust of wind as he murmured, "Sanctuary of Mortals, Grave of the Dead Man's Flower Garden, Tears of a Fallen Heaven." Reed recited three different Erebomancy spells, plunging the human world into hell.
"Wh-what is going on?!"
"Why have the surroundingsâ Ahhh!"
The courtyard turned into a graveyard as if the world was experiencing the Demon Realm Effect through a dungeon burst, countless skeletons emerging from the ground. Jealous of the living, the creatures began pulling any humans within reach into the ground with them. Every time someone was buried underground, a tombstone made of dirt was erected along with the blooming of a Dead Man's Flower. These flowers, which instantly bloomed after feeding on their human fertilizer, shined beautifully.
"N-no way!"
"Ah!"
This spell was applied directly to the target, which meant it couldn't be blocked. Even Grand Duke Heathfenrir and Marchioness Lecandro couldn't fend it off and were soon helplessly dragged into the ground along with the other citizens.
While a map of hell was being painted across the land, the view of sky also began to change.
Drip, drop, whoosh!
Treacherous stormy clouds began wringing out red raindrops made of a highly corrosive acid, which instantly melted the skin upon contact.
"Ahhhh!"
"The barrier, the barrier!"
Screams and shrieks erupted everywhere as people desperate sought shelter. This was the same peculiar condition that had taken place upon subjugating Helkaion, which belatedly reminded the holy knights of their previous experience.
"I-it's the dark mage knight!!" they shrieked as the wind blew stronger, for Reed had released his presence and demonic energy, just in time. Now, no one could dare stop him.
Meanwhile, Reed reached where Muriel was standing and halted before her.
"..."
"..."
They were quite close, which helped Muriel examine the details of this chillingly handsome man's face.
"You... That face..." She seemed to have recognized him.
Reed also had something to say on the matter. "You don't look the same as I remember."
"...!"
It seemed some strange person was pretending to be Muriel Phylise. His crimson eyes narrowed in suspicion, but only for a momentâReed wasn't all that curious about the saintess in front of him. She was about to die anyway.
"Ugh!"
The demonic sword stabbed through the left side of Muriel's chest.
"Y-Your Holiness!!"
"Ahhh!"
As the church members who were being dragged underground shrieked, Reed reached out and grabbed the Sacred Place Establishment. Now, the blood-splattered flag was in Reed's hands.
"Oh, Darkness Conceived by Light..."
Of the few survivors was Pope Senedict, who helplessly closed her eyes. Reed noticed his subordinate, who had been serving him in secret, and was about to turn when someone called out.
"How dare you do that to the saintess?!" screamed Clovis as he sprinted toward Reed.
It seemed that not everyone in the Vatican was a coward. As the oppressive force that inhibited the humans from moving was long gone, Clovis was able to reach Reed within a matter of seconds. Clovis' aura-covered sword was about to strike Reed. The dark mage knight's black hair flew back, revealing the side of the handsome man's face.
"You...!"
Clovis' silver-gray eyes widened as far as they could.
Clank!
His sword, blocked casually by Reed's hand, shattered into pieces and scattered in all directions as the two men stared at each other. Clovis gaped in shock, while Reed looked utterly apathetic as he gazed back at Clovis. The humanity inside of him had worn away a long time ago, after cutting all ties with humans. Nothing could interest him anymore. Even as his hand reached for Clovis' throat, there was no feeling behind his eyes.
Zap!
"Uh... Ugh!"
Black sparks exploded from the man's neck as darkness flared out around them and consumed Clovis' body. The brave commander was instantly turned into ash, then scattered by the wind, leaving only his white uniform in Reed's hands.
"..."
Reed glanced at what remained of this person for a moment, then turned around toward the gate that had already widened its mouth, awaiting his arrival.
"Oh... That's right."
Reed suddenly paused and murmured toward the surviving humans.
"Go to the Litennial Plains and wait. A Demon Lord will emerge from there."
"...!"
The words he said so carelessly pierced the people's ears more intensely than any prophecy they could imagine. He told them of the future, but there was no way of knowing whether it was to show them mercy or mock their terror.
Soon, Reed faded away into the dungeon gate, leaving behind the ruined courtyard of the Vatican. Only then, as they looked around, did the survivors realize that thinking they were chosen by God was but an illusion, and their despair would taint the air of the Vatican for years to come.
â
"I will do it."
â¬Â«System» Quest [A Legal Transaction (Difficulty level: SSS)] has been accepted.â
I accepted the quest by clenching my fist, which left the Dead Man's Flower seed and the mark of the contract imprinted upon my hand.
"So, a contract has been formed," remarked Inferinos.
Marchioness Levant approached the Demon Lord upon noticing Inferinos's side glance.
"Marchioness Levant will assist with the infiltration. Now would be a good time for you two to introduce yourselves to one another."
"As reluctant as I am to do this, I shall introduce myself, Executioner of Evil. I'm Marchioness Elentia Levant, chief of staff of the great Demon Lord Inferinos, Her Majesty."
When her white-gloved hand removed her mask, a familiar face came into view. She was a beautiful lady with intelligent eyes and short hair cut in a unique style in which the front on either side was left longer than the back. She looked identical to Elantia Levant, the librarian at the Library of All Things, to the point that I suspected that they must be sisters, especially given the similarity in name.
That's when Elentia remarked, "I will help you plant the Dead Man's Flower in your pink hair so that its roots grow deep. Oh, but before that, we should decorate the pot to Karpeios' liking first. We shall go to a private changing room andâ"
"That won't be necessary," I replied, then pulled out two articles of clothing that were perfectly suited for a situation like this. Both the Demon Lord and the chief of staff looked on eagerly, clearly pleased with my choice.
"You've got style."
"Consider it an honor that the great Demon Lord Inferinos, Her Majesty, who values sophistication, has approved of your outfit."
I didn't want to waste time getting changed, so I took one glance at the Pit of Solitude before removing my holy knights uniform jacket on the spot.
"Hurry up and get ready. We don't have time for chit chat."
The Tomb of Chaos
It was dark. It was the type of darkness where the eyes couldn't serve their function at all. Tesilid was at a huge disadvantage in a space with absolutely no light. The terrible memory of being trapped in an abyss called the Pit of Repentance was about to overtake his mind, however he was held together by the fact he could still hear.
Raaah!
Graaah!
This was a battlefield where creatures sacrificed in the name of black magic were fighting against each other to the death. Noises loud enough to make one's eardrums throb surrounded Tesilid, which reminded him that this wasn't the Pit of Repentance.
No, this isn't the abyss. He reminded himself of this fact over and over, closing his eyes tightly and convincing himself to believe his own mantra. Having reassured himself, he started to try to get a sense of the area around him.
Swoosh!
He sensed some unknown creature glide against the ground at rapid speed, approaching him. Tesilid immediately swung his holy sword.
Slash.
The enormous body of the opponent had to be slashed for a long time before it was fully cut in half. Thick liquid spurted in all directions and clogged his nose with a pungent smell. It seemed the creature had been around an A-class boss in strength. Tesilid had announced his participation in the battle by killing his first demonic monster, when his right arm began to feel hot and prickly.
"This is..."
Even in the endless darkness, he could just make out the surface of his right forearm, where a symbol he'd never seen before was imprinting itself as it emanated a dark light. This was called the stigma of the demon, also known as the Dark Stigma.
The Pit of Solitude was crafted to concentrate all powers of the sacrifices into one creature, so the absorption of power occurred instantly when a creature was killed. The predators grew as they fed on their prey, devouring the strength of one another as they climbed their way to the very top of the food chain. In this way, the last one standing would be given the powers of all creatures in the pit.
The Dark Stigma was a reaction of the body that announced the transfer of power from prey to predator. It was impossible for the human body to accept the stigma of the demon, so the body of a regular human, especially those with polar opposite powers from demons such as divine power users, could've disintegrated instantly.
Thankfully, Tesilid wasn't a regular human, and he also had a method of purifying the Dark Stigma. Tesilid's most treasured holy sword, or, in other words, the Holy Demon Sword, retained the ability to convert powers that were of completely opposite in properties.
The dark symbol that was imprinted on his right arm began to release white light as if a layer had been rubbed off, for the Dark Stigma's properties had been converted to those of a regular stigma. He took a deep breath and realized that the power he absorbed seemed to be a resistance to poison. It was now much easier to breathe the foul air at the bottom of the pit.
Tesilid would be safe even if he killed all of the sacrifices here, as long as the Holy Demon Sword remained holy. But what if, in killing all the creatures, he killed the sound at the bottom of the pit as well? Tesilid couldn't imagine how his tortured mind would react to being returned to a state of total nothingness under which he had suffered through so many lifetimes.
Unfortunately, there was no way of getting out of this place unless he killed all the other living things inside it. He had to return to Ailette, one way or another. Resignedly, Tesilid closed his eyes and swung the Holy Demon Sword through the air.