NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49: Return
A golden blur of a humanoid figure stood in the path of the young Hannya. He pointed sternly to the sky and shouted. "Your supreme blood knows no fear; don't run! Go and fight! Destroy the source!"
Hannya, hearing her beloved sounding a bit unreasonable, felt a little aggrieved at the demand. Men were like this every now and then, so her internet research confirmed. She spoke in a coddling tone, hoping to quell his ire.
She felt much more comfortable speaking her mind this time around.
"Honey, just calm down a bit; I'm not running out of fear. This is a tactical retreat. Arden is currently too OP for me to-"
"No! Destroy the source!" The golden being interjected. Seemingly not listening to Hannya's words.
Hannya's brows knitted together at his reaction.
'Huh…' A strange feeling of incredulity welled up within her. Something felt…
"Stop thinking and go! You are superior! Retreat is for the weak!" The golden figure stamped his foot, not taking no for an answer.
Hannya stared at the individual in silence. Her hubby was indeed a prideful man, the cold handsome of Hellnia, and a talent unrivaled beneath the heavens. But…
"Listen to me and go! The source!"
Vainglory was far from a reckless fool. He was one who knew his own limits, as well as others within his vision. Charging into a risky battle that held no real benefit was not his style.
Not in the slightest.
"Vain." Hannya finally spoke up once again. "Is there a reason we need to go fight that guy now?"
The golden glow answered immediately. "Yes! That thing forgets the hierarchy! Show them their place!"
Hannya nodded at the words, feeling her mind clear up. "I see." The pieces were beginning to fall into place.
The golden devil seemed to calm down at the words. It nodded and spoke once more. "Now, go and show the source our-"
"Heretic." Hannya spoke simply. Gazing at the entity with dead eyes.
The golden glow froze at the words.
Crack
A large crack appeared across its ethereal body. The frozen world shook around them.
Hannya continued. "Do you take me for a fool? You dare masquerade as the Caged God and put on such a cringey display?"
"..." The golden devil didn't answer; it shifted in place, seemingly a bit nervous.
Hannya stepped forward. "Did you think acting like a Kevin shouting for the manager would convince me? You know nothing of the young genius!" She pointed righteously.
Crack
The cracks on the being spread further, causing it to tremble in place.
Hannya didn't stop; she preached fervently. "All that's read the Vainglory scriptures knows that pride and hierarchy do not drive the sacred one!" She raised her nose to the false idol. "It's the battle one fears yet has a chance for victory, the glimmer of hope that illuminates the path forward, slaying the beast that boasts ten thousand wins!"
Hannya grinned at the cracking entity. "It's about guts and glory!"
Shatter
The glowing devil shattered as the world around Hannya regained its color, the golden body vanishing without a trace, as her mind exited her inner world and back to reality, time resuming around her.
Hannya scoffed at the scattered wimp. "But that doesn't mean he rushes in without a plan or meaning."
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DING
[
The [Mark of Madness] cackles at your zealous sermon and unwavering belief. The more fervent the host, the better.
It agrees with your retreat. A dead host is a useless one. It switches teams and makes space for your growing mind, pushing down your unruly blood.
Your supreme blood roars in betrayal and indignation. It demands superiority!
]
DING
[
Minor Achievement: Usurpation(Complete)
Your mind has exposed the tricks of your cunning six-star blood, attempting to take the reins of your actions, driving you to move on pure instinct. With the assistance of your unique soul, you have driven out the tyranny threatening to consume you. Now democracy stands supreme.
Supreme blood influence: 82% -> 51%
]
Hannya felt her mind clear considerably; the world around her seemed to increase in color, and her senses felt more acute than ever before. She felt reborn. She hadn't even noticed the slow and subtle hampering of the world around her.
Upon reading her achievement, she understood it all.
Her supreme blood was psyoping her to do its bidding. Hannya wanted to sneer, choosing Vainglory as the catalyst? Wishful thinking.
She redacted the first time she fell for it in her mind and turned to the glowing red sigil in the distance. She had to get out of there.
The mist was essentially all gone, leaving her exposed in the ruined district. She felt lucky Arden hadn't gotten here yet; she wasn't completely sure what spell this light was generated from, but she assumed its rays were supposed to hold her in place for him to arrive or bait her back, given her previous troubles.
"Kikiki, guess again, Hero!" With her resistance to order law and her supreme blood 'under control', she could escape while he was feeling cocky!
She dashed quickly to the exit, not sparing a second glance behind her.
She leaped into the sigil without wasting any more time. Escape was her only objective now.
And with that, she vanished without a trace.
~~~
On the other side of the battlefield, a white chain hung in the air, stalled by a raised hand, signaling its halt.
Arden stood in the sky, his face filled with confusion as he watched the pink-haired devil in the distance disappear into the summoning circle. His heart felt a small sense of unease at the display.
Not once had he seen a devil resist the temptation of destroying order, law spells, and artifacts. This revelation chilled his scalp. If a baby devil could do such a thing…
His thoughts drifted to the words she spoke earlier. The mention of Ragnarok, the reopening of Hellnia's gate, and the devil god that sleeps on the other side.
A young devil with such an ability would not worship another that could not do the same thing, if not more.
'This…this could be an issue…'
He should have just captured her. She would surely relay the message of her time here in Neel, and given his experience, it wasn't out of the question that the devil was wronged when summoned here.
'The politics might get a bit hectic when the time arrives.' But what could he do? he was helpless right now.
He shifted his gaze from the summoning circle and locked his eyes back on the entity sitting in the air a fair distance in front of him.
The being wore long, flowing robes patterned with an array of bright and gaudy colors. The 'man's' hair was painted bright red, his face painted white, and exaggerated patterns and lines were drawn all over his body from head to toe.
From what Arden could see, he wore heavy armor under his large robes that fluttered in the wind, and a large sword was strapped to his back.
Though he referred to the being as a man, given it had no horns, fur, or pointed ears, Arden could feel it. This was no human; the laws surrounding the creature were abnormal.
'A demonic spirit.' Arden concluded. An unsettlingly strong one at that. It must have fed on lives for quite a long time to get to that point.
Arden did not fear the strength of this entity; the issue lay with the two unconscious individuals floating behind the spirit.
The magic hero Abigail and the guardian elf Matilda.
The spirit sat in the sky leisurely, its legs crossed as it stared at the holy paladin. He grinned as two ethereal swords hovered threateningly around the two unconscious people captured in his grasp.
Arden's face was stern, so it seems; unbeknownst to the young one, her force sent a hidden protector to follow her.
There was no way the girl knew. She wouldn't have high-tailed it out of here if that was the case. The half angel shook his head; it seems she was an important individual on the other side.
He wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or annoyed that she got away. This battle had been a disaster from start to finish for the veteran hero.
He spoke calmly to the spirit floating across from him. "Your young lady has returned. Now, I ask that you kindly release those you've captured."
The spirit smiled wider at the hero; this one was impressive but was still evaded by the new mountain princess. She was one to take pride in.
He shook his head in his heart; unfortunately, his mistress got along so poorly with her.
'Well, I guess jealousy will do that to you. Hehehe!'
Finally the spirit nodded; he tossed the elf over like a sack of potatoes, no longer concerned for his captor.
But he did not hand over the magic hero immediately. Instead…
BOOP
He disappeared from the vision of the two standing in front of him.
Damien, seeing him and the monster simply pop out of existence in front of him, shouted. "Master!"
But a hand soon came down on his shoulder, calming his panicking mind. "It's fine." A humble voice said, gesturing to the summon circle in the distance. "Humans can't pass through summon circles."
Damien turned swiftly in the direction of the red sigils; to his relief, his master was there along with the evil creature. He guessed the creature assumed they were as honorless as them and decided to use his master as a shield to escape peacefully.
In truth, it was a good decision. Had Damien had the power, he'd have slain the thing regardless of deals.
You should only make deals with people you trust. And he didn't trust a single one of those creatures crawling from the depths of Hellnia.
Further in the distance, by the glowing red sigil, Abigail's bleary mind began to regain consciousness.
"Ugh!" She got up from the ground she now lay on, clutching her head from the pain. The last thing she remembered was escaping the sacred forest before the bog could eat it all up. Then nothing.
As her eyes regained focus, in front of her vision she saw a strangely dressed man with markings all over his body. Before she could even understand what she was seeing, the man before her spoke.
"Hehehe, the princess has found favor in you, wizard." The entity smiled haughtily at the hero on the ground. "Don't keep her waiting." He snorted.
With that, he turned and walked to the summoning circle's center, disappearing within.