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Guinevere's guard heightened instantly. Though her experiences with them were few, she knew better than to underestimate the unknown. Over thousands of years, she had crossed blades with ancient demigods, cosmic beasts, and abyssal lords whose very presence warped reality. She had survived them all precisely because she never allowed arrogance to cloud her judgment. To assume she could easily defeat a being that could subdue Arthur in enemy territory without getting a single speck of dust on its suit would be a fatal mistake.
The being glanced at Luke, who was looking at Arthur, stunned. If this entity was able to subdue the arrogant knight so effortlessly, then it was far from ordinary.
Lilith used the opportunity, while Guinevere and Luke were focused on the being, to scramble away and run to its side.
"Lord Vysemer! Please save Ekie! This woman placed a strange artifact inside her!" Lilith begged, pointing a trembling finger at Guinevere.
The entity took one glance at Lilith before scoffing. "Ekterina is a big girl. She can save herself."
Vysemer? Guinevere hadn't heard his name before. Despite giving off a chilling, oppressive aura that rivaled the most ancient deities she knew, he didn't seem interested in immediate slaughter. His posture was entirely too relaxed.
"Luke, don't!" Guinevere yelled.
Unexpectedly, the boy charged at the entity, swinging his sword glowing with concentrated golden energy. That attack was clearly meant to kill, driven by his new, fanatical devotion to eliminating anything that stood in Arnold's way. The blade cut a blinding arc through the dark basement, aimed directly for the creature's pale neck.
Vysemer didn't even raise a hand to defend himself.
Instead, a spectral, ethereal light flared from his shadow. A translucent, multi-armed female figure materialized from the void, draped in woven threads of starlight.
"The Goddess of Fate's spirit…" Guinevere recognized the avatar instantly.
It coiled around the creature's neck like a lover, whispering into his ear. The avatar raised a single, ghostly finger toward the charging Champion.
Before Luke's blade could even complete its swing, the outcome was already written. A crushing weight slammed into Luke's chest. The golden divine energy around his sword was snuffed out instantly, like a candle in a hurricane. Luke's body jerked violently as he was forced down to his knees, the sword clattering uselessly against the stone. He gritted his teeth, veins bulging in his neck as he tried to push back, but he was completely paralyzed—crushed under the absolute gravity of his own dictated destiny.
"It can't be… A fate ability…?"
The power of this ability is that no matter how strong someone is, if the user can predict your moves, they can finish their "prophecy" before you even move, making all your skills, speed, and attacks basically useless.
That is the absolute power of Fate, the power of the second most powerful god.
"My qualms aren't with you, mortal," Vysemer said smoothly, looking down at the paralyzed Luke. "But if you decide to stand in my way—"
Just when he was about to finish, Guinevere stepped directly in front of Luke, placing herself between the Champion and the creature, shielding him.
"Forgive his impulsiveness," Guinevere said, keeping her tone even and respectful, masking her racing thoughts. "He assumed you were allied with the demons."
It didn't matter how strong or fast Guinevere was. So long as the power of fate lay in the hands of such a being, she was useless against him in a direct fight. Fortunately, he wasn't actively hurting anyone either—for now, at least.
"Hmm." Vysemer's sharp fangs glinted in the dim light as his smirk widened. "I wouldn't say we're allies, as I barely lifted a finger to help them. Not yet, that is. Though I do have a deal with Arsnoria."
"…What do you mean?" Guinevere asked cautiously.
What did this being have planned?
Vysemer released Arthur's hair, letting his head hit the stone floor with a dull thud. He straightened his white cuffs casually.
"There's a certain Key I must obtain," Vysemer said, his voice echoing in the ruined chamber. "And a certain land goddess I must visit to access that key. We will be enemies once I obtain that Key. But you're free to strike me down now, Valkyrie."
He spread his arms with a wide smirk.
Guinevere narrowed her eyes but didn't react to the provocation.
"L-Lord Vesemyr! W-Why won't you help us!? You said you'll use your siblings to flatten the mortal realm!"
"My troubles aren't with the humans. Unlike my father, I have no resentment for humanity and dislike needless destruction. If the humans are smart, they will simply let us walk to the ancient teleportation device."
'Ancient teleportation device?'
He was very vague so Guinevere didn't know what his true goal is. What siblings was Lilith talking about?
Just like a dragon ignoring ants who built a colony on his land, the being seemed disinterested in fighting humans.
That means humans aren't his target… for now. But the fact that he's assisting the demons means he's still technically her enemy.
However, if she can't find a way to counter his ability, then she has no way of beating him.
'Before I even think of where he got the ability to use fate, I need to know… Will Arnold be able to help?'
It may sound strange but she always thinks of him when there's something difficult to solve. If he had an artifact that could keep Guinevere alive, then it's possible he has something that could even deal with a terrifying god-like monster like Vesemyr?
He even has the power of fate on his side for some reason.
That avatar bore a strong resemblance to the Goddess of Fate, who vanished mysteriously from the divine realm shortly before the Demon-Human war. Vesemyr must be connected to why she vanished.
'What happened to her for this being to have one of her powers…?'
She's probably not dead since every god can reincarnate. Maybe she's alive somewhere and if so, Guinevere has to find her.
"So, Valkyrie, will you stand in my way?" his grin widened, as if he knew he's invincible even to the former High Valkyrie who killed evil gods way above him in strength.
Guinevere silently stepped aside.
"Now then, we will part ways for now, Lilith. I have to go see my dear elder brother who came to this world. What a reunion it shall be!"
He glanced at Ekterina, whose legs were wide open while she snored, saying "What a shameful display for a demon lord." Then he vanished in a white smoke that travelled up the stairs.
Luke coughed up blood after being released by the pressure, "W-What was that thing!?"
"I'll explain it to you later. For now," she looked at the artifact, "We must destroy that device and go back."
All of this will be over once they deal with the device.
Hearing that, Lilith gritted her teeth and ran over to a strange terminal nearby.
Lilith hit a button, "Demon Lord Ekterina has been captured by the Hero! Ignore all previous orders and send through all the platoons!"
All portals broke at the same time.
She smirked at them, "Lord Vezraya and Lord Malzorath will descend upon this world soon and kill you, Valkyrie!"
"Dammit!" Luke cursed and hit her in the side of the head with the pummel of his sword before she could react. She collapsed on the ground, "We have to go to the capital!"
Guinevere quickly slashed the artifact, cutting it in two. Black lightning came out of the artifact's core, striking the portals and making them vanish.
But it was too late.
In the distance, massive dark tentacles descended from the clouds and dug into the ground, forming a grotesque wall of dark flesh. Six hundred kilometer of land was claimed by the tentacles.
'Was that a failsafe to make sure the red mist doesn't scatter if the artifact is destroyed!?'
The artifact is destroyed but it's not impossible for there to be more. Artifacts may be creations of gods but they can still be reproduced on rare occasions, depending on the artifact type. Guinevere knows the Watcher is an artifact fanatic who's obsessed with studying them so he probably found a way to create a magic item with a limited but similar ability as the Terraformer.
"What's happening outside!?" Luke ran to the windows, noticing the black slimy vines.
"We need to either find the Oracle or use the Holy Sword's skill to purify the land." She answered.
"Can't we just destroy that wall?"
"It's not that easy. We'll need to cleanse the entire land of the red mist. As long as there's demonic energy in the air, the terraforming ritual stays active."
Guinevere picked up the Holy Sword floating next to the unconscious and beaten-up Arthur then handed it to Luke.
"Hero Luke, you need to take the Holy Sword. Since you've awakened your full potential, it will no longer reject you."
"B-But I don't know the first thing about using the sword or its skills!"
"They come naturally. The Holy Sword holds the memories of all its previous wielders, myself included. You will be able to use every ability the sword has ever witnessed. Since it chooses its wielder, it has the free will to allow you access to those memories."
He looked at Arthur, "Did it allow Arthur access as well?"
"If it did, he could've easily subdued Ekterina and Lilith instead of cowering behind me. In the hands of an incompetent Champion, it's just the sharpest blade in the world. It might be able to kill demons but it won't instantly make you invincible against them, especially if the demon is far stronger and experienced than you."
He clutched the sword close to his chest, gulping hard.
"...Hehe… My body's trembling so hard, I can't move…"
"That's normal." She placed a hand on his shoulder, "But I know this won't stop you. You declared to the people that you'll protect them, right?"
"Yeah!"
"Then let's go back to the capital and rid this land of the demons." Guinevere said as she picked Ekterina and Lilith up. Luke picked Arthur up like luggage.
**
A rumble shook the streets of Toril city.
Freya, focusing on chanting a Fifteenth-Rank spell that can target flying monsters, noticed a change in the air. She was too far to notice it before but it looked like the entire empire was sealed by some kind of dark mist in the distance.
There was no more dark sky beyond the terraformed land.
The red sky remained but that volatile energy she sensed before was gone.
'Why didn't Arthur destroy the artifact? Or is this the result of destroying the artifact?'
Maybe this is the demons' backup plan and a last resort to carry out their final attack.
That rumbling she felt from before came back, this time stronger.
'The underground is…' she sensed various signatures moving under the streets, 'If I warned everyone beforehand, regardless of their morale, would we have been able to prevent this…?'
She had already instructed the priests to cast AOE exorcism spells, which should've delayed the monsters underground until she could finish things up here or Luke returned after the artifact is destroyed.
'Now it doesn't matter how demonic energy travels in the atmosphere… We're doomed either way if they break through the spells…'
Freya sighed and looked up at the red sky.
"Why did this all have to happen when I wasn't prepared for this in the slightest…?"
The Great Nobles and her elite mages were fighting diligently but they can only handle the ordinary demons. If Greater Demons showed up, only Freya would be able to handle them.
She's just one person so if thousands showed up in the demonic army, she'd have no way to deal with all of them.
Luke and Arthur must be fighting the demon lord behind this so they'll be too preoccupied.
At that moment, something broke through the asphalt like tearing through clay.
"L-Lady Freya! The northern gate!" the pastor screamed up to her.
This time, it wasn't an ordinary behemoth that had its size going for it—it was an actual armored titan whose body and city pole-sized spear radiated red and black aura. Hundreds of similar demons appeared behind it, exuding a pressure Freya only experienced when dealing with the monsters that tried to invade this world or when she's fixing the cracks in the Intermid Barrier.
No one in this empire besides Freya and the other heroes would be able to take down a Greater Demon. But with thousands of them, how could they hope to handle both the demons and save lives?
"I haven't tasted human meat in centuries!" the demon at the front bellowed as his drool leaked through his razor-sharp teeth.
"I don't even care if they're cooked or infants, I wanna taste em!" another screamed while his pig face twisted in feral hunger.
Something suddenly crashed to the ground when the hundreds of Greater Demons began to march towards the cathedral, its cloak blowing wildly in the wind.
It rose from the smoke and crater, revealing its towering muscular build. It was a person in jet-black armor, wielding a chunk of iron as its greatsword.
"I-Is that Hero Arnold!?" a young boy, having heard that Arnold fought against Valtraak in black armor, misunderstood who that was.
But the armored man was far too tall to be that young man. Besides, that young man didn't wield a greatsword.
Even though they understood this wasn't Arnold, the embers of hope began to ignite until it became ablaze.
The black-armored knight stared back at the people as the demons marched towards him.
He gave a thumbs up to the people without a single word.
The boy who spoke before smiled at the man's confidence even in the face of such a threat that only a handful of people in this empire can manage.
He began walking towards the Greater Demons, the third strongest demon variant, calmly before taking off his greatsword and effortlessly holding it to the sky as if it were a stick.
"Humph! What can you do against the great Skerk!? Though thin, I share blood with Lord Oriel of the Rock Eater Seer clan so I am the most powerful general in my tribe!" the titanic demon spoke with a bellow as he laughed at the tiny "human". He easily measured two stories tall and had arms thicker than a cow's body.
"Kill the human and bring me his armor. I will present it to Lord Malzorath Doom—"
The dark knight swung down. It felt like the pressure in the air increased, bringing even the people inside the barrier, every single one of them, to their knees.
A thunderous boom echoed in that moment and a pillar of pure force rose in front of the black-armored knight, charging towards the demons, who didn't seem fazed by the pressure.
"Huh—" someone made a dumb sound when they blinked then saw just chunks of meat remained in the knight's path. The damage was so severe, the entire road had collapsed, revealing the demonic portal that spat those demons out.
Many more demons tried to climb to the surface.
That knight's power outranked basically any warrior Freya has ever seen in battle even in the past 150 years she's been alive.
Freya snapped out of her daze and ordered: "Cast a Holy Fire over the street!""
"R-Roger!"
"Lady Freya, monsters started appearing in other streets leading here!" someone shouted in a panic.
'The mysterious knight has this side covered so I'll handle the others.' She flew towards where she sensed the demons.
"H-Huh?" one of the demons that appeared out of the sewers stared in confusion at the two red-armored knights that stood before them.
'The armor looks similar to the black-armored knight. It can't be… These two are just as strong as that one…?'
And just like the black-armored knight, these two instantly turned the demons into chunks of meat with pure physical strength, not forgetting to give the humans a thumbs up to show they're friendly.
In the midst of that chaos and scene that drew awe from the people, a voice spoke up—imperial princess Ronia.
"Do not worry, people of Eulia empire! Lord Arnold Valtraak sent reinforcements!"