Chapter 617: [ Illusion ]

As the Azure Spear coated with blinding golden light hit the Storm Bear’s chest, Eerika’s eyes gleamed excitedly.

Claaang—!!

However, the spear only made a metal striking sound and did nothing further.

“Wha—?!” Eerika’s eyes widened in shock.

What the—?! How is this possible?!

Eerika had put all her power and strength on that one attack and yet—

How is it possible to cause even the slightest injury to this monster?!

This is not possible!!

RooooaaaarrrR—!!

At this moment, Eerika suddenly heard a loud roar, and a large vicious beast approached during her shock. It was the two-headed Demonic Wolf King pouncing at her viciously and full of murderous ferocity.

“Tsk!” clicking her tongue in disbelief and anger, Eerika defied gravity and somersaulted in the air, like a leaf fluttering in the wind, successfully avoiding the attack of the Two-Headed Demonic Wolf King, all while sweeping her leg horizontally, kicking the Wolf King on its abdomen and sending it crashing on the ground.

Clench! Gripping her spear, her body glowed brightly in golden light and then, this light gathered together on her spear, especially on the spear’s pointed tip—

“I don’t believe that you can still remain unscathed after this…!!!!!!” Eerika cried out in anger as her body flickered and then appeared on top of the Storm Bear’s head.

“DIEEEE!!” She pointed her spear at the monster beneath her as she screamed with a position as if letting the gravity take a hold of her, "Light Spear Piercing Void!"

Booooom!!

A sonic boom occurred behind her and her speed skyrocketed. She looks like a dazzling meteor falling on the ground.

“Wo?!”

A blinding golden light expanded on the monster’s vision, causing the bear to grunt and avert its eyes from the sky, giving an attacking opportunity. Eerika’s spear then transformed into a golden spear of light heading towards the Storm Bear’s eye.

"That was quick!" Troy, who stood at quite a distance exclaimed. Eerika’s attack caused ripples on the air and the shockwave generated even caused the nearby monsters and people to stumble down.

With a Whiiiiiiz. The monster did not have the time to escape when the light pierced through its eye.

Booooom!!

An explosion occurred, followed by smoke and dust.

"Did it hit the monster?" Alva was uncertain as she turned towards Eerika’s direction.

"No, it had some kind of unique ability." Mair frowned as she shook her head.

With her eyes, she can see through the smoke and what was reflected in her eyes stunned her.

Eerika, who was in the battle, was overjoyed when she saw the attack hit the Storm Bear. However, her smile disappeared once she realized that her attack actually missed the monster.

How is this possible…?! She never missed! And the Storm Bear might be strong but in terms of speed, it was completely inferior to Eerika, much less the latter had moved in a speed of light. So, how is it possible for her to miss?

It’s incomprehensible…!

Not good! Eerika’s expression paled as she felt a sudden danger creeping on her from the back, like ants crawling on her skin.

Just as Eerika was about to escape, a gigantic dragon-like tail slapped her and she was slapped like a fly hit by a flyswatter…

BooOOmmM!!

That enormous force that was transmitted from her back directly caused Eerika’s body to lean forward and collapse. Finally, she became like a rolling gourd that rolled over ten times before she forcefully stopped her rolling body with great difficulty.

Blood covered half of her face and her right arm was limping, dyed by blood.

“This is impossible…!”

She could only mutter in shock and panic. She wiped the blood trace from the corner of her mouth, lifted her pale face and eyed the two giant monsters looking at her coldly. Ridicule flashed on their eyes as they look down upon her.

Eerika’s body felt petrified, whether from fear or humiliation that her strongest power couldn’t do anything against even the two monsters.

“Eerika!!” Elena saw Eerika was hit, immediately panic and soared towards Eerika’s direction. However, before she could reach her position, the two ferocious monsters moved, like predators pouncing on their prey they leaped at her.

Under the watch of countless tensed gazes on the battlefield, the two rays of light swiftly flashed in midair. Finally, they violently crashed on the ground much like two meteorites.

“Baaaaang!”

The sound of a huge explosion reverberated throughout the entire battlefield at this very moment!

Clouds of dust surrounded the entire place, causing one’s vision to be blurred. The thundering sound suddenly exploded in the sky above the huge battlefield. Like the anger of a thunder god, it caused people’s minds and spirits to involuntarily tremble in fear.

“Eerikaaa!!”

Elena, whose heart was full of panic and anxiety looked around but couldn’t see anything. Her eyes turned moist, several monsters jumped from everywhere pouncing on her distressed and anxious state but,

“FUCK OFF!!!”

Elena cried out in anger and her sword flashed golden, instantly killing dozens of monsters and demons that rushed towards her. She looks like mad war god as she slaughtered all the monster that blocked her path, her eyes hovering around, bloodshot.

“EERIKAAA!!” Elena generated a windstorm, blowing away the clouds of dust. There, she saw the Storm Bear and Two-Headed Demonic Wolf King standing side by side. Seeing these monsters, fury and killing intent surged through her body.

How dare they hurt my precious daughter—!!

She was about to rush in and kill the monsters herself when,

“Seriously… rushing in without thinking and analyzing your opponent, you’re going to get killed if you are being reckless, you know~”

A voice rang out in the clouds of dust and smoke.

Cracked! Cracked! Numerous crack lines slowly appeared on the ground surface and finally began to spread all over.

“Eh?!” Elena’s figure stilled as she found the voice quite familiar. This voice… Her body halted and immediately turned towards the source of the voice.

There, Eerika’s figure could be seen standing on the ground, where a large almost ten meters crater around her. Aside from the wound she had suffered quite earlier on, there was no grave or serious wound on her body, even the small injuries are recovering at a rapid speed.

However, her expression was complicated; shock, at a lost, disbelief, amazement, joy, happiness and many more varying emotions reflected on her eyes as she stared at certain someone that should not be in this place…!

“Eerika!!” Elena cried out in relief as she looks at Eerika safe and sound. Her figure flickered and she appeared beside her daughter, her heart sighing in relief and joy; “Eerika, you’re sa—huh?!” she was so happy she was about to hug her when her gaze was attracted by something.

Her eyes widened in shock and her body petrified.

—Because standing beside her was a kid around seven to eight years old in height—a shoulder-length silver hair with a touch of black strands at each of his sideburns. A single small curved pointing upwards at the left side of his side—the horn looked like a miniature version of that of a Ram’s horn. Stylish and might even fool people in thinking that it was just a cool hair ornament.

Beautiful face and a strange ashy colored complexion. Small hands and legs but every movement show the utmost elegance and nobility.

The usual indifferent smile that gives people a sense of security and allure.

The small boy was wearing a snow-white colored mantle and a loose casual black V-neck shirt underneath. A pair of obsidian colored shackles on each of his wrists and ankles with chains dangling from it as if he had just broken out from jail. Behind him, there was also a briskly reptilian tail swaying lightly…

“Hm? Well, something indeed was happening...”

The silver-haired boy muttered while scratching the back of his head as he surveyed his entire surrounding. A lost and pondering expression appeared on his youthful pretty face. Then, as if he finally noticed her, he turned towards Elena who was staring at his shock, “Oh? Isn’t this Mother-in-law? A pleasant greeting~” he said lightly and then bowed casually like an aristocrat.

“D, D, Dante…?!!” Elena was taken aback that she completely ignored what the child had called her. She stared at the silver-haired boy from head to toe, with wide-open eyes. Shock and disbelief appearing on her expression.

“W, wh, why are you here?!! And what’s with that appearance?! Are you really Dante?!”

The silver-haired boy smiled impishly, “Mother-in-law, you’re completely mistaken, my name is not Dante!”

“Eh?! W, what are you talking about? You’re surely him!!” Elena retorted back. Still unable to comprehend what is happening. Why is he here? And what’s with his current appearance? Did he revert back to his younger appearance?

“…Although I am him, but my name is not Dante.” The silver-haired boy shrugged while smiling wryly, her facial features caused him to be like a mischievous pretty boy next door. “My name is…Allen, Allen Bando… that’s the name I go with right now~”

“Eh?! You’re really Sol…?!!” Eerika who had snapped out from her daze cried out in astonishment. Her fear and panic from a while ago instantly dissipating in thin air as she looked at the silver-haired boy in shock and joy.

She immediately crouched down, completely disregarding the chaotic surrounding and touched the boy’s face and arms, as if checking if he was real and not an illusion.

“Wh, what’s happening?! Why do you look like this? And how are you here?!”

Although she was happy to see him again, no matter what form he takes in front of her, as long as it was him, she would be satisfied. Her eyes turning moist and teardrops falling from her eyes, those that she couldn’t keep and endure any more.

She had missed him, so dearly.

God knows how much she wanted to see him, all day, all night… longing…

Child Allen smiled at her and wipes her tears with his thumb as he caressed Eerika’s face gently. Eerika closed her eyes, placing her hand on Allen’s small hands and gently pressing it against her face, feeling that familiar warmth.

“Although I want to say that it is really me…but sadly, it’s not…” he started.

“Eh?!” Eerika opened her eyes in a start. What? What does he mean?

“My real body is somewhere, or rather probably in another world right now. Our connection for some reason is slightly blurry…I can hardly connect with him at all…”

“What are you saying—”

“This is just a clone,”

Child Allen smiled wryly.

““A Clone?!””

Not only Eerika was surprised, even Elena and the other people who had rushed over, saw and heard Allen’s words halted. Shock. Eh? What’s going on here? And who is that kid? That horn and that appearance—a demon? A monster?

Many were dumbfounded and at a loss but they shook their heads and surrounded Eerika and Elena’s position in a circular manner, guarding.

Only Mair and the other youths who had seen and met Allen before had some idea as to what was really going on.

Leaving the soldiers and other warriors in the perimeter, they started walking towards Eerika’s direction, curious and interested by the sudden development.

“What do you mean a Clone?” Eerika tilted her head while kneeling on the ground, wanting to see Child Allen on an eye level.

At this image, she looked like a mother, no probably an elder sister talking with her little brother—a comical scene despite being at the center of the battlefield full of corpses and stench of blood and death.

A scene so detached from the current reality…

“Actually, ‘that’” Child Allen pointed at Eerika’s necklace hanging on her neck. It was a silver chain with a beautiful and artistic teardrop like a pendant with a pair of silver wings behind the teardrop.

“This?” Eerika gently hold the pendant and her eyes turned even gentler—it was a necklace Allen had once given her as a present in the Aryan City, just before the day of the last Beast Wave occurred.

It was a very convenient and useful magical item that boosts training speed, gathering of magic power in the surrounding and has the ability to heal one’s injury no matter how grave it was.

What’s more was it, that it has the power to generate a barrier to protect the user and one last self-saving ability—it has the ability to receive a very fatal attack from an opponent that might insta-kill the user, in exchange the necklace would lose its power and become an ordinary necklace.

It was one of Allen’s greatest creation—a masterpiece. Though, it’s hardly a good item since it would be destroyed completely once the last self-preservation was used. And can never be used again or repaired. You can even say it’s disposable…

But its uses are without a doubt among his greatest creations so far…

“Yep, that magical item has my blood on it…”

“Eh?” Eerika’s eyes widened in shock. Blood?

“…it’s the very last function of the magic item in which I didn’t tell you. The blood will be activated the moment the necklace felt that you are in mortal danger and then, summon that blood to turn into my clone.” Child Allen patiently explained. “Although the power my clone has is not as strong as the original. But at the very least, it can still protect you from any danger possible…”

“Sol…” Eerika was moved, her eyes turned teary and teardrops once again fell. Eerika, crying, pulled the clone into a tight embrace, almost causing the clone to suffocate if it was a normal creature that needed its lungs to pump air.

“…but, but why didn’t you tell me…?!” she muttered bitterly.

Child Allen smiled wryly, “It’s because it’s not something I had hoped would happen!”

“Eh?” Eerika frowned and stared at Child Allen eye to eye, her eyes blazing in blame.

“… I fear that if you know about it, you might not think about your safety and plunged yourself into danger or worst, seek for it yourself…”

“I’m not that of an idiot!!”

“Oh really…?” Child Allen smirk, eyeing at her condescendingly. ‘I know you, so don’t lie to me’ kind of expression on its pretty child-like face that almost caused Eerika to have an impulse of punching it. However, after recalling what had just happened, Eerika’s face turned beet red and her gaze averted from Allen’s.

“…y, yeah, re, really…” she said but even she couldn’t believe her claim.

“… …” Child Allen’s brows rose up while showing an incredulous expression…

“Anyway,” he sighs and cut off the topic. “Things are getting pretty interesting for some unknown reason… what is going on?” he then turned around and looks the raging battlefield full of screams and cries and sounds of explosions and metal clinging.

“…it’s a war… you don’t know?”

The one who answered was Elena, sighing and looking at Allen’s clone with a complicated expression. Since Eerika was fine and all, she could finally sigh in relief.

Allen’s clone shook his head with an innocent expression.

“…that shouldn’t be possible, right? If I’m not wrong, the war is not happening only here but all over the world now…” she frowned.

“—the thing is…my real body is not in this world currently.”

“What? Ah, right you said that a while ago. What do you mean? Where are you right now? Where is the real Sol right now?” Eerika asked out of concern. Though, she realized she actually didn’t know how to treat this Clone. Should she treat him as the real one? Or should she treat him as another existence…

He moved, talk and even behave like a real person…

You can see and feel that it has something that only real beings have—Free Will.

“I don’t know, up until now, I’m in deep slumber, cut off from the original. In fact, the moment I woke up, it should alarm my real body and notify him that you’re in danger. He would immediately rush towards here but… for some reason; I can’t connect to my real body at all…” Child Allen shrugged. “So it’s either he was in this world, or trap in some severed dimension, separated from this world.”

“T, trap?!” Eerika was startled.

But Allen’s clone immediately shook his head and calm her down, “Ah, you don’t need to worry about it Eerika, if something bad happened to the original something should have happened to me as well and I should have felt it. After all, even with a severed connection, we are still one and the same. Although not enough to create a clear line between us, we are still connected. But I didn’t feel anything so, it should be that he is okay~”

Chibi-Allen smiled faintly. “So? What is going on now?”

“The Demon had started their invasion…” Eerika sigh.

“The Demons? But Virgil shouldn’t… ah… it should be Mammon…” The Child Allen frowned. “That bastard, since he had finally begun, does it mean he finally found the right way to release Lucifer…?” he asked, in a daze.

However, these words solicit a violent reaction from the others.

“… …?!!”

“…To release Lucifer? Wait, that’s right… why did I not realized it!?” Elena cried out in astonishment and anxiety. “The Demons movement will also mean that the Demon had found a way to break the Demon King’s Seal!!”

“… …!!?”

Everyone look at each other, dread and fear could be seen reflecting on their eyes. Not one didn’t know about the Demon King Lucifer…the Doom Bringer!