★14
"Y… you… people! What are you still doing here!?"
Chikuan's voice cracked with fear and disbelief.
Before anyone could react further, Lacua appeared, stepping into the cave with a presence that demanded attention.
"What's goi... Niyon? What's going on, Chikuan?"
"Our—no, YOUR plan has failed! You've been exposed!"
Chikuan barked, his voice sharp and trembling with a mix of anger and panic.
"What? It's impossible! No one can detect that spell."
"Well, I did."
A voice echoed through the cave, but no fourth figure appeared to reveal itself.
"I… am here too,"
Eto said casually, raising a hand in a wave.
"Who are you?"
Lacua demanded, fixating on the mysterious voice. Eto's presence, however, answered the question.
"Come on, you've forgotten us already?"
"No, he doesn't."
Shinn materialises at the entrance of the cave.
"Y... you?"
"He's the one...he's the one that took the spell!"
Chikuan cried out, his finger trembling as he pointed directly at Shinn, terror written across his face.
"What do you intend to achieve from your cruel acts in this kingdom?"
Shinn asked.
"Something you'll never know. Niyon, get up and destroy them!.."
His voice echoed, and the cave was silent as a graveyard.
"Are you doubting me? He's dead."
Eto smiled wryly.
"Who sent you?"
Shinn asked.
"I don't k..."
In the blink of an eye, Eto's fist struck Lacua's temple, sending him sprawling across the cave floor.
"Don't make him ask twice."
He glared down at Lacua, his eyes cold and unyielding.
<
"You really want to know?"
He asked, annoyed.
"Yeah."
"Hmm. Dark Prison!"
The fool began chanting, and instantly the entire cave was plunged into darkness. Shadows swallowed everything, leaving only those still alive visible amidst the oppressive blackness.
"With this, I'll tell you. We delivered that circle, planted the curse, and made each Queen use the tiara, which would eventually lead to their death and allow our mistress to resurrect.
However, aside from Towa, the current Queen, none of the previous generations have been compatible. By dawn, she will be dead, and our Lord will resurrect. Hahaha."
He spilled the truth and laughed, the sound echoing sharply through the cave.
"You believe me now?"
Shinn asked, his tone calm but edged with authority.
"I didn't want to believe it… but this is the truth."
A familiar voice rang out. Lacua's eyes widened in shock as someone materialised beside Shinn, it was Towa.
"How... how are you not..."
"Dead?"
"Well, whatever. Now that you're inside this prison, it's over."
Eto stomped his feet with force, and the cave walls trembled and cracked. Dust and debris rained down as the prison structure collapsed entirely around them.
"Are you sure?"
Eto asked, grinning.
"...wh.. what.. impossible."
"You're a Demon, no doubt. Who are you working for?"
"Chikuan, what are you doing!? Kill them!"
Before Chikuan could even form a thought, Eto moved. A sharp, whip‑crack sound split the air, then so did Chikuan.
Eto's strike landed with such perfect, merciless precision that the old Demon's body cleaved cleanly into two symmetrical halves. For a heartbeat, both sides hung in the air, suspended in shock.
Then the real punishment began.
Jagged black thorns burst forth from each raw edge of flesh, threading through organs and bone like needles through cloth. They didn't simply pierce, they dug, and anchored, holding both halves upright like grotesque puppets.
Black flames crawled out from the thorns, slow and deliberate, licking along his skin and eating through muscle with a sizzling crackle. The smell was horrible. The sound even worse.
Chikuan screamed, two voices now, broken and overlapping, echoing through the collapsing cavern.
Eto stepped forward, expression unreadable, completely unmoved by the horror unfolding.
"Answer the question,"
He said, voice calm in a way that made it all the more terrifying.
"..and maybe you might have a painless death."
The executioner, Eto, did not need to raise his voice. His presence alone made the promise unmistakably real.
"N..no!"
Lacua screamed, and he unleashed his demon form.
"It's over!"
He flew to attack Shinn, but Eto appeared in front of him, sending him back with a kick.
"Looks like you're not talking. I'll make you talk then."
Eto drew his dagger, which shimmered as rainbow-coloured particles danced across its blade. He advanced toward Lacua, who lunged with a desperate surprise attack.
In a heartbeat, Eto's strike cleaved Lacua's left arm, and the Demon screamed, writhing in pain from a wound that should have healed instantly.
"You cannot heal. The attack strikes both body and spirit."
Eto said, his voice calm yet proud.
"Seriously, Eto? You don't even understand how your own dagger works?"
Shinn's lecturing voice cut through the tension.
"It destroys all three planes of the body, physical, spiritual, and conceptual."
Eto froze, the weight of the revelation sinking in.
"Oh… I… I must have forgotten…"
He stammered, voice faltering.
"Well, now that you know how it works… not even reincarnation will bring you back."
He turned to his prey, fully focused.
"B... but my body is.."
"Oh, it also negates durability and healing. It's a death dagger, right, Shinn?"
Eto's face held a childish, expectant look, waiting for confirmation.
Shinn sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead, clearly exasperated.
"As long as it bypasses his immortality, the rest doesn't matter."
Eto let out a deep breath, shoulders relaxing slightly.
"Don't blame me. I don't have time to read the manual on how this God‑Class weapon works. Now… who's your Lord?"
He turned, the childish expression gone. His instantaneous mood swing isn't random, it's tested. The results might prove useful in the future.
"I didn't do it! I didn't say your name!"
Lacua spoke to someone unseen, his tone sharp. The duo immediately sensed that something was amiss.
"If only I could use Etherium…"
Shinn cursed under his breath, now forced to rely entirely on his heightened senses to track the elusive third party.
"Don't kill me, please!!!"
A violet orb materialised beside Lacua, pulsating with an eerie energy as it began to absorb everything around it.
"Eto, get out of there!"
Before he could react, the orb expanded rapidly, swallowing them whole. In an instant, they were transported to an unknown, unfamiliar dimension.
"This feeling....."
"Welcome to the Underworld, humans. No, if you're still alive, it means you're not human, well whatever. Nuclear Flame."
A girl, no older than ten or thirteen, with violet hair and a black dress, screamed as a massive explosion tore from the ground. Flames and debris surged outward, yet Eto, Shinn, and Towa remained completely unharmed.
Naturally, the attack had no effect, but Shinn immediately moved to shield Towa, layering multiple protective barriers around her for added safety.
"O… you survived that? How about.."
"It's my turn, bitch!"
Eto surged forward, closing the distance in an instant. His dagger sliced through the air with deadly precision.
There was no hesitation, no second-guessing, his instinct demanded attack, and he moved with the certainty of a predator striking its prey.
"Dimension Field."
She cast, but Eto's blade sliced clean through the barrier and took her right pinkie with it. Her eyes went wide, frozen in disbelief.
<
"You're fast. But I won't miss your head next time."
"Are you alright?"
Shinn asked Towa.
"Um... I'm fine, thanks to you. Are you sure you shouldn't help him?"
"He'll be angry if I interrupt. Besides, who'll protect you if I join him?"
"..."
"This barrier is what keeps you alive here. Just stay put and watch."
"You bastard! Nihilistic Banish!"
Black threads shot out, wrapping Eto from every direction, forming a suffocating, web-like prison around him.
"What now? Can't even use your dagger?"
She taunted, her voice dripping with mockery.
Suddenly, the threads erupted outward in a violent explosion. Eto hovered in the air, shrouded in a black aura that radiated raw power. The sheer density of his presence made the Underworld tremble, the shadows quivering in response.
Eto's eyes blazed with lethal intent as he lunged for the girl, but a white-haired woman stepped in at the last moment, barely shielding her.
The dagger grazed the woman, cutting just below the nape and staining her pristine white dress with deep crimson. Time seemed to pause, capturing a tense, cinematic tableau of power, blood, and impending chaos.
"Blanc, what are you doing here!?"
"Shut up, Violet. You almost died just now."
"Blanc… that means white. Violet… 'Our Lady Violet will resurrect.' That's…"
Shinn's eyes widened as he instantly pieced it together, the truth of their identities hitting him like a lightning strike.
Blanc stepped forward, a figure of unyielding presence. Her long white hair flowed like silk, crimson eyes burning with intensity, and her white robes billowed around her as if woven from light itself.
"Ho ho… another friend joins the party?"
Eto's voice carried casually, his back turned to the enemy, a smirk playing across his face as if the arrival of Blanc had been expected all along.
"I am not here to fight, but if you insist, I will have to fight back."
Blanc responded.
"We're not here to fight either. She summoned us here and assumed she could have her way with us.
"Well, apologies. I'll send you back now."
"Apologies, fool. We can go back anytime."
Shinn stepped forward, his tone sharp and measured, cutting through the tense silence like a blade.
"Is that a bluff? No one escapes the Underworld."
The girl hissed, eyes narrowing as tension coiled around her like a living thing.
"Our lips cannot utter a word we cannot keep."
Eto replied, his voice low, controlled, but laced with danger. His aura flared violently, dark and oppressive.
"Which of you sent this scum to poison the river in the Kingdom of Raja?"
"I did, is that a problem?"
The culprit, Violet, answered.
"And I suppose you're the 'angel' that gave them this tiara?"
"Exactly."
"Right straight to us. Heh heh."
He chuckled.
"I'll hunt you down as soon as I can."
Eto's dagger flared, wrapped in a dark aura that took on the shape of a blade as he lunged to kill. They vanished, only to reappear, safe, back in the cave.
Eto snarled, voice low and furious.
"Tch, too scared to fight, are we?"
The moment he realised the place was sanctified, the black aura bled away, folding into nothing as his rage cooled.
"I trust you're unharmed, Lady Towa?"
"No.."
"Did you teleport us back here, Shinn?"
He asked.
"The one named Blanc must have done that."
"Hmm."
The energy around his dagger faded and he sheathed his dagger.
"I guess our mission is over."
"No, we've only visited one kingdom. We have a lot more to visit."
"What are we, travellers?"
Eto's lips will never run out of complaints.
"Are you travellers?"
The queen asked.
"Yes and no."
"No, of course."
Eto denied, folding his arms.
"Heh?"
"He's right. We only came here because of the contaminated lake."
"Oh...ok thank you so much again."
"No problem."
"If there is a problem, she's still alive. What if she attacks when we're gone?"
"You're right...but I know how we can..."
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"So, I suppose there aren't any slave trades here are there?"
"No."
"...ok, any nation within the Western States you know partake in such acts?"
"No. They are all peaceful human nations."
"This is goodbye then, your highness."
Shinn bowed.
"You're leaving?"
"Yes. As I've said, we have places to visit."
"Will I see you guys again?"
"Depends. Take care of your kingdom."
"See you later, Milady."
Eto bows and the two disappeared.
THIRD POV
Somewhere in the Underworld.
"Why did you get in my way, Blanc?"
"What have you gotten yourself into?"
"They messed with my plans and toy, so I decided to teach them a lesson."
"Do you remember when the Underworld shook?"
"Um....You mean the day Rogue and Noir fought?
"Exactly. Do you think you can beat any of them?"
"Who?"
"Rouge or Noir."
"Right now, no, but I'll get stronger in the future."
"You won't have a future if you fought that kid head-on."
"Whaaa?"
Blanc nodded.
"Yes. He single-handedly caused a phenomenon that took two of our strongest to make it happen. If you understand that, you'll be glad that the other guy teleported them back."
"Heh? I thought you..."
"It wasn't me. He saved us from that kid. We should be grateful."
Blanc got up, spread her wings, and flew off.
Shinn and Eto appeared back to the forest.
"Why did you let them escape?"
Eto asked. He knew Shin was behind it, so he wanted to know the reason behind it.
"If they're wise enough, they won't attack the kingdom again. We need to concentrate on our next location."
"There are more than ten kingdoms in the western states. It'll take months, probably years to go through them all."
Not wanting to push it any further, Eto complied.
"We won't have to be there individually."
"What are you talking about?"
Shinn summoned five clones to his side before ordering Eto to do the same.
"Do it."
Shinn then opened a hologram containing a map of the central world.
"Based on Lady Ramiris's hologram, this is the map of the Central World. See these ten points?"
He pointed around the map, explaining.
"Well, send a clone for each point, and they will create an undetectable ten-sided barrier with an eye in the centre. I will give up my body to observe using the eye. You'll be in charge of protecting my body."
Eto was just speechless.
"You know, we're all clones, but I feel like you're not."
"What are you talking about?"
"Never mind."
All the clones dispatched to their location, erecting the ten-sided barrier. Shinn is ready to get started.
"Also, keep an eye on the map. I'll visit each nation and scan through. If it's clean it'll show green, if it's not you'll know."
"Know what?"
Shinn fell unconscious to the ground without giving him an answer. Eto sighs.
"What if three different colours appear?"
He filed a complaint, but no one responded.
The eye opened, and Shinn began to scout the kingdoms. The map was plain, and kingdoms appeared all at once.
There were approximately nineteen kingdoms in total, all of which were green except for the Kingdom of Coleus, which was yellow, and the Kingdom of Flitwood, which was red. After twenty seconds, the barrier was deactivated, and Shinn woke up.
"See, now there's a yellow colour. What does this mean?"
"It means it is equally good and bad. We'll head there first."
All the clones disappeared, and the duo left for the kingdom of Coleus.
To be continued...