550. Reason to Fight

Belphegor saw ghosts.

He saw relics of the past. Phantoms roamed the streets of the dead city, and the wailing echoes of death and despair haunted his mind. His vision blurred. The dry stain of tears permanently scarred his cheeks. He couldn’t cry— not anymore.

“Someone save me—”

“I don’t want to die!”

“What is that thing…?”

The voices called out in agony. They remained, even as everything else left. Belphegor couldn’t cry. He could not let himself cry. He… he… he…

He paused. Cry? Why was he crying? No— why would he even need to cry? He had a duty to his people. It was a task he had been given. And he was going to see it until the very end.

There was a terrible shriek. The sharp sound quickly died down, and Belphegor broke out of his stupor. Dust and debris shot up into the air as the nearby buildings collapsed, falling into the bubbles of non-existence. He blinked as he raised his head.

“Where am I?”

He swept his gaze over his surroundings. All around him, the City of Dreams lay in ruins. The tall spires— the majestic buildings— had all been reduced to rubble. He lowered his head, and he saw the corruption flaking off the broken debris at his feet.

The rocks piled up into a massive mountain. He raised his head, seeing the second layer expand endlessly around him. He shook as his [Gargoyles] swarmed around him. They continued to pour down the city. They clambered up the walls, and they sprinted on the ceiling. He stared as the vast tunnel continued to seemingly decline further and further down towards the third layer.

But the third layer was gone. It had been consumed by the corruption. Nothing remained. So why was he going there? Why was he…?

“Oh, right.”

Belphegor closed his eyes. He dropped to his knees.

“Everyone I know and love is dead. The world is going to end. And it is my fault. It is my…”

He trailed off. He shook his head as he clenched a fist.

“No— not everything is gone. Everything is…”

Belphegor thought of the surface— what was above the first layer of the Netherworld. He thought of the [Basilisk]. He thought of the [Hydra]—

He winced. That was right. The [Hydra] was gone. Taken by the corruption. He felt a pang of guilt. He couldn’t kill it. He had tried. But he failed. And that was not because of a lack of capacity.

He just couldn’t bring himself to finish it off. It had been one of the Protectors. Just like him, it had been enslaved. Forced to fight endlessly against the corruption. It was tiresome. It was exhausting. But…

“But not everything is gone. There is still something to fight for.”

His eyes glinted, and he heard the roaring of his [Gargoyles]. He raised a hand as a magic circle formed in his fingers. Both rock and stone broke off from the nearby buildings— that which was left uncorrupted— before forming the vague shape of figures just ahead of him.

[Gargoyles]. Created from nothing but the earth in an instant. A dozen of them spawned into existence, before running off to face the corruption ahead. And Belphegor muttered to himself as he pressed on.

“It’s his fault. It’s his fault… I can’t stop it. But I can slow it. I can delay it.”

Belphegor sucked in a deep breath as he drew forward. His muscles rippled, and he looked beyond the edge of the city. His eyes flickered.

“I will do what I must.”

And he headed for the end of the world.

[-̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ Gargoyle - Lvl. -̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ ]

[-̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ Netherstone - Lvl. -̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ ]

[-̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ Netherstone - Lvl. -̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ ]

I stared at the three corrupted creatures. I was used to seeing two of them— the Corrupted Netherstones. They permeated the second layer. They could be created out of the blasts of the Corrupted Hydra’s breaths. So it wasn’t surprising to see them. In fact, I even had the drop on them just earlier.

They were injured. Their corrupted rocky bodies had been partially destroyed because of my divine attacks. I had thought that the [Gargoyle] would help me finish them off. But that was when I learned that the [Gargoyle] was not a [Gargoyle]... it was a Corrupted Gargoyle.

And it attacked me. It threw a large boulder at me as I swerved out of the way. Now, I stood face-to-face with the three corrupted creatures, and I wasn’t sure what there was to do.

Maybe I should run, I considered. But the first Corrupted Netherstone— the most severely injured one of them all— lashed out. It charged at me. Its tendrils were gone. So it barreled forward like a shooting star.

I gritted my teeth and flew to the side. I watched as the first Corrupted Netherstone charged straight to the bubble of non-existence. It vanished, and I cast my gaze back towards the remaining two corrupted creatures. The second Corrupted Netherstone lashed out with a pair of tendrils as I raised my Divine Nebular Scythe.

[Draconic Fury] mixed with [Barrage of Cinders]. Each strike sent the second Corrupted Netherstone reeling. I sliced apart the tendrils, and they receded. I smirked for a moment, before the Corrupted Gargoyle crashed into my side.

My Aura of Greater Protection flashed— the artifact’s effects too weak to barely even stand up against a Primeval Demon, let alone a corrupted one. I immediately wreathed my armor in gray flames. [The Holy Flames]. A barrier of protection that stood up against the Corrupted Gargoyle’s attacks.

It clawed at me as my [Corruption Resistance] flickered. I struggled to kick it off, and it tore through even [The Holy Flames]. I activated [Faux Limbs]. A pair of fiery scythe-like arms protruded from my back before slashing down.

But the Corrupted Gargoyle withstood the attack. I watched as my [Faux Limbs] broke against its back. I pursed my lips, and the Corrupted Gargoyle continued to hiss as it clung onto me. And the first Corrupted Netherstone re-emerged from the bubble of non-existence.

[Angelic Premonition] flared in my head. But it didn’t just warn me of the incoming surprise attack. It told me of what was going to happen if I let this keep up. I’d be wrapped up, trapped by both the Corrupted Gargoyle and the first Corrupted Netherstone.

After that happened, the second Corrupted Netherstone would join in. And the brief vision ended. I blinked. I knew what that meant. I knew how this ended. I cursed as I tried to shake off the Corrupted Gargoyle, but it was too strong. It wasn’t just a Primeval Demon— it had been empowered by the corruption.

It was stronger than me on its own. I was sure of it. Even if the other two Corrupted Netherstones weren’t here, I might not even have been able to defeat the Corrupted Gargoyle. I was trapped between a rock and hard place— literally.

And I had to break out.

I watched as the first Corrupted Netherstone flew straight towards me. That brief period it spent in that bubble of non-existence didn’t cause any harm to it— it was entirely made from corruption, so it still pervaded. And the second Corrupted Netherstone began to regrow its tendrils. It flew up slowly, eyeing me from the distance.

This was it. I had to do something before the worst came. I took in a deep breath, steeling myself. There was only one thing I could do. And I shouted.

“No!”

All at once, my voice echoed across the broken city. A wave of invisible energy washed over the three corrupted creatures. I watched as they froze mid-air, and I closed my eyes. I wasn’t finished.

I hadn’t wanted to do this. I wanted to save it as a last resort. But I had no other choice. And my eyes snapped open as an iridescent flame wisped off my body.

“Now it’s my turn!”

I shouted as I broke free from the Corrupted Gargoyle grasps. I shot up into the air as a soft glow emanated from my body. I hovered high above the three corrupted creatures like a bright star. They were corrupted creatures— born from death and depravity. And yet, they stared at me in shock

It was [Divine Essence of the Angelic Devil Princess]. My Grand Skill. It empowered me. It allowed me to fight monsters far above my level. I looked down at them— or I looked up at them— before grinning.

The three of them didn’t move. For a moment, they glanced between each other apprehensively. And that was when the first of them made a decision. The first Corrupted Netherstone charged my way as I narrowed my eyes.

It didn’t care that it was already injured. It didn’t care that I had suddenly grown much stronger compared to before. It was out for my blood. And that was its mistake.

“Stupid…”

I easily evaded the charging attack, before swing to the side with my Divine Nebular Scythe. The first Corrupted Netherstone shrieked with a chittering voice, but I didn’t care. My blade was simply wreathed with a pair of scintillating auras as I smashed stone into pieces.

“[Divine Strike]. [Draconic Fury].”

The first Corrupted Netherstone shattered. Its remains rained over its allies as the corruption dissipated. The remaining corrupted creatures just looked on for a moment. I raised my Divine Nebular Scythe towards them as an aura of both my Skills coated the weapon.

I smirked.

“Come on! Do you want to die too?”

And the second Corrupted Netherstone lashed out. Its brand new tendrils shot up towards me as I rolled my eyes. I swiftly dove down past the attacks before crashing into the second Corrupted Netherstone. I swung my Divine Nebular Scythe down again and again, cracking its body.

Even with both [Divine Strike] and [Draconic Fury], I couldn’t just tear down the Corrupted Netherstone with ease. I had to focus my attacks— combining them both into a single powerful slash.

And I swung down. My Skills flared. The auras coalesced into a single powerful attack. The aura of [Draconic Fury] took the image of a claw, striking down at the Corrupted Netherstone. Meanwhile, the aura of [Divine Strike] coalesced into what looked like a ring at first— one that exploded out of my Divine Nebular Scythe like a small explosion.

I flew back, watching as the second Corrupted Netherstone broke into pieces. My smirk remained on my face. And I turned to the Corrupted Gargoyle as the [Divine Strike] and [Draconic Fury] faded away. It stared at me. It gazed upon my power.

I hadn’t wanted to activate my Grand Skill. I felt like it would be a waste, especially if I stayed for too long down in the second layer. I thought of it as a last resort. But even during my first encounter after the Corrupted Hydra, I was already outmatched. So I knew that if I didn’t do this, I would die later on.

In fact, I nearly already died. I just had to be smart. I couldn’t wander around aimlessly or take risky fights without at least one of my Grand Skills at the ready. Because the both of them could turn the tide of battle in an instant.

I swooped down at the Corrupted Gargoyles as it let out a final battle cry. It bounded towards me, and I easily evaded its charging attack. I simply swung down at its back once. A normal attack. But I broke off a large chunk of its stone body.

It spun back around, charging at me once again. I clashed with it. It narrowly missed me each time. No matter what it tried to do, it couldn’t hit me. Because it was slower. I was faster and I was stronger. I would win.

The Corrupted Gargoyle and I repeated this dance again and again, until it finally collapsed. I flew back from the remains of its body as I heard the notifications resounding in my head.

Defeated [-̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ Netherstone - Lvl. -̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ ]!

Experience is awarded for defeating a corrupted piece of the world!

Defeated [-̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ Netherstone - Lvl. -̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ ]!

Experience is awarded for defeating a corrupted piece of the world!

Defeated [-̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ Gargoyle - Lvl. -̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ ]!

Experience is awarded for defeating a corrupted piece of the world!

“Huh.”

I had expected my Divine Essence to make a big difference in combat. But I didn’t expect it to be this easy, fighting against the corruption.

“I am stronger than I thought I’d be.”

I looked down at myself. I shone brightly here in this infinite cavern. I was the only real source of light in the fallen city. I didn’t think I could defeat the Corrupted Hydra. But I was still strong. So I smiled to myself.

“Time to take advantage of my Grand Skills effects.”

And that was exactly what I did. I flew on and hunted down the Corrupted Netherstones, continuing to scour the city for Belphegor. I didn’t know where he went. But I had to find him soon.

Before my Grand Skill came to an end.

Defeated [-̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ Netherstone - Lvl. -̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ ]!

Experience is awarded for defeating a corrupted piece of the world!

Defeated [-̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ Netherstone - Lvl. -̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ ]!

Experience is awarded for defeating a corrupted piece of the world!