544. River of Lava

Betrugil stumbled back as the [Cerberus of Hell] howled. A powerful shockwave rippled over the valley, knocking him back. He was small. He was nimble. But he wasn’t sturdy. He was an [Abraxas]. And he wasn’t even a Primeval Demon.

He was quite literally 50 levels below the [Cerberus of Hell]. He was almost entirely certain he would be incinerated by its black flames if it even got close to him. He knew better than to try and fight it. In fact, he wholly agreed with Hartia’s decision to call for a retreat.

Unfortunately, Betrugil hadn’t been fast enough to escape the Expanse in time. He had been literally jumping on heads just to get out of there, but the [Cerberus of Hell] decided to smash the ground open with a powerful Skill. Or was it a Grand Skill?

Betrugil didn’t know. He didn’t have a Grand Skill. He was no Duke nor Duchess of the Netherworld. He was a mere Archdemon— he never had much potential. And that was probably why he was sent here on this death sentence.

He closed his eyes as the earth cracked open. Fortunately for him, he was rather fast, so he managed to escape the brunt of the shockwave. If he had been closer, he might have been badly injured from the blast. But standing at where he was, he was simply sucked into the broken earth.

Multiple massive crevices tore through the valley, exacerbating the destruction of Revelation here beyond the Demon King’s Domain. Betrugil tumbled through the air as he glanced back at the [Cerberus of Hell]. It raised its three heads as its eyes flashed.

And as Betrugil fell down the cracks towards a crimson glow, he watched as a wave of black flames engulfed everything above. He heard the screams of pain and he heard the cries of terror.

Perhaps he should have been glad he was falling down here into the lava.

His eyes flickered as he saw the other falling soldiers screaming as they collapsed into the molten red liquid. He closed his eyes, spreading his arms wide as he embraced his death. He waited for the warm hug of death.

And he crashed into the river of lava at the bottom of the crevice. He waited for his escape. His skin burned, and a searing hot pain overcame his body. His body was lit ablaze as his body sank into the molten rocks, before floating back up.

Betrugil blinked.

“...is that it?”

He continued floating down the river of lava as the rain of Demons around him didn’t stop. They fell straight to their deaths as he continued staring up at the belly of the [Cerberus of Hell] below. It continued on down the valley, giving chase to the fleeing Third Legion.

Betrugil frowned.

“Well, it’s kind of hot.”

He didn’t move. He just continued floating past the charred bodies of crying soldiers. And it was not just them. Wild Demons flew down from the sky as well, whimpering as they burned in the river of lava.

Betrugil sighed. And then he leapt into the air as his ass burned.

“Ok, ouch, it’s getting too hot—”

Haec tightly clung onto Taburas as the two of them fell into the bottom of the river of lava. The white barrier protected the two of them as they landed on the molten hot surface. They didn’t sink, even as the nearby soldiers of the Third Legion fell to their deaths. Many of them had been instantly killed from the explosion. Others had been badly injured, but quickly burned to death in the lava below.

Thanks to Haec’s Skill, both Archdemons managed to survive the blast and the fall completely unscathed. Taburas panted as she swept her gaze around their surroundings.

“What… was that? Where are we?”

She asked with wide eyes. Haec just kept his gaze raised, eyeing the passing [Cerberus of Hell]. It continued on its rampage, but it never once paid attention to those who had fallen into the crevices.

He sighed in relief before finally replying to the [Succubus].

“These are the cracks of Revelation. We’ll be safe from it down here. Don’t worry about the [Cerberus of Hell]. We should be more worried about what awaits us below the surface.”

“R-right.”

She nodded slowly as he glanced over the crevice. Haec narrowed his eyes, finally taking in his surroundings. He was floating here in this river of lava, protected by his white bubble. He shook his head as they continued to float down, away from the Demon King’s Domain.

Taburas realized this. Her lips tightened into a thin line as the two of them streamed down a narrow passageway.

“We need to find our way back, Haec. If we stray too far, we’ll be hunted down by the Deathsquad Hunters.”

Haec’s eyes flickered towards the [Succubus]. He opened his mouth, then he caught himself. He heard the [Cerberus of Hell]’s howl in the distance. But he steeled himself.

This was his chance. It was his opportunity to escape from Regnorex’s kingdom. He even had an excuse— the Expanse was destroyed by a wild Primeval Demon. He had an excuse if he was caught fleeing.

But what about… His gaze landed back on Taburas. She shifted uncomfortably as the two of them continued floating past the burnt corpses of thousands of Demons. The [Succubus] looked back at him hesitantly.

“Haec? What do we do?”

“I…”

He wasn’t sure what to say. He couldn’t leave Taburas alone here, but she couldn’t follow him. Unlike the Heir of the Netherworld, she had her collar around her neck. There was no way to remove it unlike the metal band on his armor.

Haec knew how he could escape from the Deathsquad Hunters. All he needed to do was slice off his arm, and he was in the clear. But the only thing Taburas could do to remove her collar was by slicing off her neck.

And then she’d die.

He couldn’t let her do that. Haec… cared for Taburas. She wasn’t Salvos, but she was someone he’d known for a long time. The [Succubus] was important to him. But he couldn’t bring her with him. He closed his eyes.

He tried to come up with an answer, but he heard a scream.

Haec narrowed his eyes as he glanced down the river of lava. Taburas blinked and took a step forward. She whispered.

“That voice…”

The screaming continued. He recognized it. He glanced back at Taburas as she nodded. Haec spoke a name.

“That’s Aemula!”

And the two of them moved.

Aemula screamed as she was thrown against the rock wall. Her burning body flopped over the stone, landing on a small beach. She groaned as she raised her head, and her vision blurred. The [Cerberus of Hell]’s blast had broken both her legs before she fell into the lava. She had been trying to swim her way out of the molten river towards a nearby beach, before something had attacked her from beneath.

It ragdolled her for a moment, then sent her flying into the rock wall. Now, she was burning, bloodied, and her legs were broken. She gasped as she eyed the undulating creature rise from the lava.

It was an [Ouroboros]. A Level 103 Archdemon. It towered over her as it hissed dangerously, flashing rows and rows of sharp teeth.

Aemula tried to raise one of her six hands, but she could barely muster up any strength to even move. All she could do was stare at the wild Demon close in on her. She moved her mouth, whispering for no one to hear.

“H-help…”

She closed her eyes, flinching. The [Ouroboros] whipped down at her. She waited. She thought she was going to die here below the crevice. But her death never came.

Aemula blinked her eyes open as her vision began to return. Her body was still burning. Her legs still refused to move. But the [Ouroboros] had come to a halt right before her. She stared, before her eyes went round.

A crimson figure stood before the wild Archdemon. A tall hulking man who Aemula recognized. She stared at the black hair with yellow stripes, before gasping.

“Haec…?”

“Aemula. Are you alright?”

He glanced back at her as he held the [Ouroboros] back. She looked at him, before raising a weak hand.

“Where did you…?”

“Don’t force yourself.”

Another voice piped up. A blue-skinned figure appeared next to Aemula as she blinked. She recognized the [Succubus] in an instant.

“T-Taburas?”

“Stay calm. I can only heal your burns.”

Taburas ran a hand over Aemula, wiping the flames off her burning body. Aemula winced as a searing pain overcame her body. But a moment later, a sense of relief washed over her. A soothing feel hugged her arms and legs as the fire was extinguished from her body.

The burn marks closed, and her eyes flickered back towards Taburas. The [Succubus] took a step back as Aemula just looked on, unable to muster up any words. Her legs were still broken. Most of the cuts on her body remained. But as Taburas had said, her burns were gone.

The [Ouroboros] roared as Haec took a step forward. Aemula looked on in awe as he lifted the wild Archdemon out of the river of lava. He held it high in the air, and it thrashed in his arms. He grinned, before finally tearing it in half in a single motion.

Black blood rained overhead as Aemula could only stare at his back. He was the Heir of the Netherworld. An Archdemon on the precipice of evolution. A smile slipped onto her face as she whispered.

“T-thank—”

And she passed out.