483. Reactivation

Demons. Scourges. Monsters from the underworld. It was an outdated term, but one which the Den of Souls still used. After all, the Nexeus was a world with three layers of planes. The Spirit Plane sat at the very top of the hierarchy— a utopia ruled by the Spirit Lord himself. There was no war, no famine, no strife, no grief. It was the world Human society aspired to be, but couldn’t achieve.

So the Mortal Realm lay in the middle. A place with war, but strived for peace. An imperfect world that hoped to become something more. And beneath it was the Netherworld. Or, as Kacey knew it, the underworld.

The Den of Souls thought of the Netherworld as a place of chaos. A world with only war, only famine, only strife, and only grief. Even the other sects called this line of thinking outdated. But Kacey adhered to her beliefs her whole life, and finally, she saw it play out before her.

She saw the chaos festering before her eyes. Innumerable Demons that clashed mindlessly with each other like they were nothing but savage beasts. And they were savage beasts. The [Crusader] cut them down as she grunted.

Kacey hacked away at the Demons, yelling and screaming as their black blood coated her armor. She tore through their insides, but they had no innards. All that spilled out were splatterings of the ink-like liquid.

“Die, you Demons!”

She shouted madly as she charged through the streets of Wilford. The [Crusader] was at the front of the charging army, having cut her way this far. The walls of the city had already collapsed from when Laux Lionfist invaded it, so there was not much in her path other than the myriad of wild Demons that she had culled.

Kacey charged ahead down a street, heading straight for the sub-ritual site. She took a step forward, reaching a junction, only to be cut off. She stumbled back as a hard strike knocked her from the side. The [Crusader] went flying, landing a dozen feet away. Looking up, she saw a lumbering creature standing before her. It was…

[Hellterror - Lvl. 121]

A creature made of dozens of tendrils and eyeballs. A kind of Archdemon she had never seen before. She gritted her teeth and raised her longsword.

It hissed. The monster flew up, unleashing a flurry of tendrils her way. She struck down the attacks and swung up.

“[Purification of They]!”

There was a flash of golden light. A powerful slash that lit up the red sky. It struck the Demon— an attack that engulfed the [Hellterror] entirely. Kacey grinned, waiting for the notification to come at any moment.

But there wasn’t one.

She blinked as the tendrils tore through the golden light, whipping down at her. The attack struck her hard, shattering her full plate armor. Kacey yelped in pain as she backed away from the [Hellterror. But it was fast.

It didn’t look nearly as slow as it looked. It was at her flank in an instant, and she barely spun around in time to raise a gauntleted arm.

“[Shield of Honor]!”

A golden barrier overcame her. Shaped like a shield. There was a loud clang as the [Hellterror]’s tendrils lashed out, like it was hitting metal. Kacey felt the impact knocking her back. She staggered, but caught herself.

But the Archdemon was relentless. It continued to pry at her shield, trying to tear through it as a bead of sweat crawled down her neck. Her eyes widened in horror as the [Hellterror] slowly broke apart her Skill.

“N-no…”

She gasped. And a blast of iridescent light consumed the Demon. It vanished with a screech, obliterated in an instant.

Kacey blinked. She looked up as a cloud descended before her. An elderly man with a long and flowing beard.

“Are you alright, [Crusader]?”

Clayton Skyshredder the Headmaster of Mavos Academy asked as he looked down at her. Kacey got to her feet as she stared at him, trying to work her jaw.

“Y-yes. I was just caught off-guard.”

He shook her head as the cloud carried him higher.

“Do not stray too far alone. It would be a shame to lose someone as high-leveled as you.”

With that, he shot off into the distance, flying straight for the sub-ritual site as a group of [Mages] flew after him. Their powerful magic ripped throughout the battlefield, taking out Demon after Demon with ease.

Kacey just watched on, only turning away when she heard footfalls approaching her from behind. Daniel Song came to a halt, accompanied by a duo of [Crusaders].

“Kacey, are you alright?”

The [Hero] asked, and she shook her head. She gestured towards Clayton Skyshredder who was flying ahead of them.

“Was that… Divine Essence?”

Daniel hesitated. He looked between the Headmaster and the [Crusader] before shrugging.

“I don’t know for sure, but I think it was.”

“How is he doing that?”

Kacey asked as she got to her feet. For a moment, the [Hero] didn’t respond. Then he shrugged.

“I have no idea. I’m just glad Clayton’s here with us now. Come on, we’re getting close.”

The [Hero] ushered her forward. And they continued pressing towards the sub-ritual site.

“[Dark Backstab].”

Orgaf sheared straight through the [Savage Agarat] before vanishing back into the shadows. A volley of dark arrows shot over him, and he trailed after it, leaping out right as the projectiles hit the [Hellterror]. The Archdemon screeched in pain, only to be sliced in half from a vertical swing from the Elite [Rogue].

“And you say you work better alone. I don’t see it.”

A voice spoke softly amidst the fighting, and Orgaf glanced back as he landed. His daggers vanished from his hands as he saw the woman lower her dawk bow. Alice the Shadow Consort calmly walked towards him, stepping over the dead Demons.

The pair had already reached the sub-ritual before everyone else. It had been a race, and as expected, the Thief of the Golden Scales was first… with only Alice trailing behind.

“If you weren’t dragging me down, I’d have arrived here ages ago.”

Orgaf snorted as he stepped forward to the massive ritual circle. Just like in Cedric Academy, he stood before the crimson pillar with Alice. But Lofus, Marwin, and Domenic weren’t here this time. It was just the two of them. And they didn’t let their guard down.

They both warily scanned their surroundings, ready for a surprise attack. Just in case Ira decided to show up again. But even as they waited, nothing came. Finally, Alice whispered as she let her dark bow dissipate.

“There really is no one guarding this place.”

“There isn’t. Ira must have fled.”

Orgaf narrowed his eyes. The pair waited. Alice glanced about.

“Don’t you think this is a bit too simple?”

“It is.”

“Why would Ira give up this sub-ritual site so easily? He didn’t even leave anyone behind to guard it. There’s only these… wild Demons. And they’re here by chance.”

She peered through the ritual circle, staring into the vast expanse of the Netherworld. It was an aerial view— like looking down a large map. But even from up here, both Orgaf and Alice could see the colossal figures. Primeval Demons that were so numerous below.

The Shadow Consort pursed her lips.

“This sub-ritual alone is bringing over such a vast area of land from the Netherworld. Even without the rest of the grand ritual, the entire country of Inoria would’ve been consumed by this. It seems the Demons really intend to turn the Mortal Realm into their home…”

“Isn’t that obvious? What other reason would they have for this grand ritual?”

Orgaf rolled his eyes. But Alice just whispered.

“It doesn’t make any sense. I would’ve thought the Demons were trying to flee the Netherworld. Otherwise, terraforming the Human lands has no other purpose.”

The Thief of the Golden Scales wanted to retort. He wanted to ask why a purpose was even needed. But he remembered Salvos. The fact that she was a Demon. Yet, she wasn’t just a mindless beast. And he bit his tongue.

“That’s…”

He trailed off. And a figure descended from the skies. Clayton Skyshredder landed before Orgaf and Alice, followed by Helena Warshade and a retinue of high-leveled [Mages]. They descended from the skies, surrounding the sub-ritual site from all sides.

“Good work, Orgaf, Alice.”

Clayton spoke in a booming voice. He walked up to the crimson pillar and gestured towards it.

“Dismantle this immediately. We do not want those Primeval Demons to cross over to the Mortal Realm. But be careful of traps. We do not know if Ira has left behind any failsafes before leaving.”

“Yes, Headmaster.”

A group of [Mages] rushed forward, beginning to unfurl the ritual. The crimson pillar began to dissipate. Orgaf saw the mana threads weave out of existence as more and more adventurers and soldiers arrived. Mori Gladius, Daniel Song, Edithe Dawnrise— they quickly reached the center of Wilford, wiping out any stray wild Demon on the way.

They waited for something else to happen. For something to go wrong. But the last vestiges of the sub-ritual vanished. The crimson glow in the sky faded, and the dark clouds drifted away. Daniel blinked.

“That’s it?”

“It is over.”

Clayton Skyshredder nodded. He turned back to face the rest of the army.

“Wilford is freed—”

He started, then his brows snapped together. Helena Warshade spun around, glancing up with wide eyes.

“Do you sense that?”

She asked, and Clayton nodded. He looked towards the northeast with narrowed eyes.

“I do.”

“What do you guys sense? What’s going on?”

Daniel asked, confused. Orgaf glanced around in confusion as well. But the [Mages] were all reacting. They were all pointing in the same direction as a susurration swept over them. Headmaster Clayton Skyshredder pointed towards the horizon, and Orgaf could’ve sworn he saw the faintest hints of a red glow.

“Another sub-ritual has been activated. No— it was reactivated.”

Clayton’s words made Orgaf freeze. Daniel’s eyes grew wide. Laux Lionfist frowned, and Mori Gladius’s eyes flickered. The rest of the non-[Mages] looked at each other in a panic as they gasped in shock.

But Clayton wasn’t finished. He hesitated.

“It’s coming from…”

“Lunaris.”

Mori Gladius spoke over the Headmaster of Mavos Academy. The Champion of the Human Land leapt atop the rubbles of a collapsed temple and shook his head.

“I see it. It’s coming from Lunaris.”

“What…?”

Orgaf stared in shock.

And I raised my head, blinking. I saw the crimson light. The column of red that shot towards the sky. It came from the city as screams of terror erupted in the distance. Novis, Bellum, and Oriur paused what they were doing— chasing each other— to stare in awe as the sky was ripped open.

“What’s that, Mama?”

Novis asked as he tugged at my hand. I looked around at the encampment as chaos broke out. As all the injured adventurers rushed around in a hurry, readying for battle.

“That’s, um…”

I scratched my cheeks as I saw an outpouring of winged creatures emerge from the crimson pillar. I saw the Human civilians and soldiers scattering and fleeing from this horde of Demons. Finally, I shrugged.

“I have no idea what’s going on.”