Story: I'm a Daemon, so what?
Disclaimer: I do not own the original setting.
Chapter 114: Reverse Jumping in The Dungeon!
There are now up to 17 chapters ahead at [email protected]/theogbasilisk!
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- Shinji Tanimura -
The oppressive stillness of The Dungeon's air was unnerving. Shinji glanced over at his comrades, Shin and Mark, as they pressed forward cautiously through the narrow corridor. The eerie quiet was broken only by the faint crackle of the torches lining the walls.
This Rimuru guy seriously knew what he was doing when he designed this place. Shinji was getting more and more sure that either the Demon Lord himself was an otherworlder, or at the very least an otherworlder helped design The Dungeon. Many of the traps were textbook examples from the MMOs he used to play.
There were even a few easter eggs referencing pop culture from Earth; things only a fellow otherworlder would recognize. Just a few floors ago, they had come across a mural depicting what was unmistakably the One Ring from The Lord of the Rings. Shinji had nearly laughed out loud when he saw the inscription, though Mark and Shin had only given him puzzled looks. Both were rather uncultured on that, front it seemed, Shinji expected Shin's ignorance, but as an American, Mark's was a surprise.
Another room had featured a trap where they had to step on tiles to recreate a sequence. The sequence? The opening notes of the Super Mario Bros. theme. The fact that incorrect steps triggered a barrage of fireballs only made it feel more authentic.
"Seriously," Shinji muttered under his breath. "If the next room has a puzzle involving Tetris blocks, I'm calling it."
"Calling what?" Mark asked, his voice breaking the silence.
"Nothing." Shinji said with a shake of his head. He didn't want to jinx anything. He knew full well that the power of Murphy was everywhere.
All of a sudden Shin stiffened. "There's a powerful monster approaching, fast." Shin said as his hand quickly traveled to the hilt of his blade.
Shin's Unique Skill: Perceiver allowed him many detection abilities as well as other similar abilities. They were close comrades, so they trusted one another with the details of their Skills.
The Unique Skill: Perceiver was rather powerful in that it had multiple sub-skills, a rarity among Unique Skills. There was Instinct Evasion, which allowed Shin to hide from one's instincts, which made Shin a truly excellent assassin.
Then there was Danger Detection, which allowed Shin to sense any nearby danger with supernatural instinct. Trap and Monster Detection were rather self explanatory. Then there was Presence Detection, which allowed Shin to also sense Majin and Humans alike.
Perceiver made Shin the ideal scout, and it played a big part in why Shin was able to rise up in the Imperial Guardians so rapidly. Many of the higher ups took notice of such a useful Skill and worked to get Shin on their side. Shin had taken part in many espionage operations in the past. He has played a major part in conquering some of the kingdoms that are now part of the Eastern Empire.
So when Shin warned them of an incoming danger, they took him seriously.
But before Shinji could fully process Shin's warning, the monster burst from the darkness. Its movements were chaotic, flickering through the torchlight like an afterimage, the sharp edges of its shadowy limbs seemed to be able to slice through practically anything
Mark reacted first, his Thrower skill activating as he grabbed a chunk of rubble and hurling it at the monster with incredible accuracy. The stone flew with the force of a cannonball, aimed directly at the monster's chest. But before it could connect, the being contorted in the air, evading the attack with a sickeningly unnatural fluidity.
"Ugh what a pain."
Mark's Unique Skill: Thrower allowed him to throw anything as long as it's graspable, even a Monster or air itself. It was simple but useful in application, and it suited a brawn over brains type like Mark.
Mark was already prepared for the monster's avoidance. "Boomerang!" He yelled as the brick ricocheted off one of the walls of The Dungeon, smashing into the monster.
Yelling your attack name was unneeded, but it helped you focus and visualize the attack itself making the attack far more natural and instinctive.
The monster staggered, but the attack didn't seem to have done much to the monster. It lunged for Shin, perhaps sensing the danger Perceiver posed to it in its ambush.
Shinji was rather curious about the monster that had attacked him. He had overheard a few adventurers talking about a group of menacing monsters that would ambush adventurers in The Dungeon.
There was a shadowy monster, a pink imp, a skeletal warrior, a living armor, and a ghost mage. This group of monsters was responsible for the deaths of many adventurers, but Shinji never heard about the shadowy monster being powerful enough to contend against Enlightened like them for even a few moments.
The methods the group of monsters used against other adventurers was mostly trickery rather than raw power, yet it seemed to possess a fair amount of raw power. Why had it been holding back on the others? Something about the entire situation seemed off to him.
Shin's blade flashed as he moved, his blade cut through the air, deflecting the creature's strikes with relative ease. The attack was rather mechanical, if you asked Shinji, as if it was somehow programmed into the monster. It didn't seem to have a light of intelligence in its eyes, but it was still skilled and powerful.
It was most definitely a unique monster, as Shinji had never heard of such a monster existing. It was easily higher than an A Class threat, not due to its overall meager energy, but due to its wide scope of abilities it had already demonstrated and relatively mechanical skill.
The monster hissed as its shadowy body flickered. If Shinji were in a joking mood he'd comment about how chunni the monster they were fighting was. It was made out of shadows, seriously?
He blinked in confusion as the monster split into two, one seemed to be a shadowy illusion while the other was the real one.
"That's annoying!" Mark yelled, grabbing a handful of rubble. "I hate when bosses have add-ons!" He hurled the debris, forcing the now two monsters to scatter as they narrowly avoided his attacks.
Shinji was rather surprised that he had a hard time perceiving which one was real and which one was the illusion. He was no master mage, but he had a fair amount of experience and should normally be able to feel the magicules in the illusion, yet he could feel nothing.
Perhaps The Dungeon was protecting the monster to a certain extent?
Shinji stepped back, his mind racing. "Alright, my turn." He muttered, his hands glowing faintly as he activated his Unique Skill. His viral cloud expanded invisibly, spreading across the battlefield, he made sure his allies were not affected by the virus he spread.
His Unique Skill: Healer was one of the most terrifying Skills that existed, at least according to Yuuki. Healer allows him to manipulate viruses, it is simple, but could be overwhelming if used properly and with care. He could manipulate the air composition to spread viral poison, making him nigh-invincible against living creatures.
Of course, it could also be used to heal others just as it could be used to kill others.
He could wipe out entire kingdoms within days with his Unique Skill by spreading a virus. Of course, Healer was less effective the stronger his target was as Spiritual and Demi-Spiritual Lifeforms wouldn't be as severely affected by a mortal plague.
Still, his Unique Skill: Healer was a truly absurd power. According to Master Gadra, even Emperor Rudra was intrigued by it and had hypothesized that if Shinji managed to surpass his limits, he could create viruses capable of affecting even Spiritual Lifeforms.
The monster in front of him was no Demi-Spiritual Lifeform, let alone Spiritual Lifeform, yet it seemed to be resisting the virus somehow. Shinji could feel it affecting the creature, just not as much as he expected it to.
The virus he released was spread through the air and was meant to cause the magicules in one's body to go haywire. He was indeed capable of creating viruses that could cause supernatural illnesses as well.
The monster's movements began to slow as his viral poison began to take effect, within moments the illusion dissipated as it couldn't maintain itself leaving just their main target.
"Nice!" Mark cheered, launching another barrage of projectiles.
Mark's Unique Skill was simple, but it had tremendous potential. For now he could only throw material things and some immaterial things such as air. However, Shinji theorized that eventually, if Mark made a breakthrough, he could grow to throw other more esoteric forces such as gravity, or even space itself.
Shin cursed under his breath. "This thing's more than just fast; it's learning." He glanced at Shinji. "Can you keep it slowed?"
"I'll try." Shinji replied. He shifted tactics, altering the composition of the viral cloud to focus on paralysis.
The monster charged him, likely sensing that he was the source of the poison. Shin intercepted it mid-strike, his blade flashing as he parried and countered in a fluid motion.
Mark leapt forward; his hands glowing as he grabbed the air itself. With a grunt, he hurled an invisible mass directly at the creature. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the corridor, forcing the monster to retreat momentarily.
Despite how well the battle was going, Shinji couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right.
"Guys!" Shin called out. "I think it's holding back! My Danger Detection wouldn't be flaring up as much as it is if this is all the monster is capable of." Shin said as he gripped his weapon tightly.
"Just how strong do you think it is?" He asked, Shin had the experience to hopefully tell the threat level just from the feeling of danger he was getting.
Shin paused for a moment before answering. "The closest approximation I can place it at is… is at the level of Davis." Shin said with slight fear.
Shinji's eyes widened hearing that.
"For real!?" Mark yelled.
Davis was an Enlightened just like them, but the difference between them was vast. Davis was one of the ones responsible for sealing and defeating Blanc in the first place. He was Imperial Guardian #11 and served as an assistant to the Double 0 Numbers.
"We might be cooked." Mark mumbled.
Shinji shook his head. "Focus!"
This information alone would likely warrant them some merits back in the Eastern Empire. For The Dungeon to have monsters capable of fighting one of the strongest Imperial Guardians would be very troublesome for the Generals.
In front of their eyes, the monster's body began to shift form, the flickering shadow form started to solidify, and sharp, jagged edges extended from its limbs. It was as if it turned itself into one living weapon. Shinji would be fascinated if he wasn't so worried.
The creature lunged at Mark with speeds greater than what it had showed off so far. Mark barely had time to react, throwing a chunk of air at point-blank range. The attack connected, but the monster absorbed the impact, barely sliding back before sending a retaliatory attack with its claws.
"Get back!" Shin yelled, intercepting the monster mid-strike. His blade clashed against the creature's limb, sparks flying as their energies collided.
Shinji extended his hand, releasing a concentrated viral burst aimed directly at the creature's core. The air shimmered with the invisible poison, and the monster faltered for a moment before its form twisted unnaturally.
The monster staggered backwards as his virus began to take effect. Its movements were slowing and it seemed to be getting a bit more sluggish.
"Nice work, Shinji!" Mark grinned as he hurled another chunk of debris, the projectile smashing into the monster's shoulder. The force caused it to stumble, but not falter.
Within moments, the monster managed to recover somewhat, though there was still some sluggishness in its movement.
In the blink of an eye, it blitzed towards Shin who was closest to it. Its speed was such that the three of them could barely even react. They felt the shockwave of the sonic boom it left behind travel through them as he and Mark rushed to Shin's aid.
"Shit!" Shin yelled as he attempted to get out of the way. Shinji and Mark had both dashed forwards to try to cover Shin.
Mark raised his Unique Grade axe as he sent a slash of Fighting Spirit towards the monster.
Just as the slash was about to hit the monster, the creature's form seemed to almost twist unnaturally as its shadowy limbs elongated. The creature sliced its hand downwards in a cutting motion. Shinji felt all his instincts warn him of the attack the creature had sent.
Shinji's heart sank as he saw and felt the deadly precision and sheer power of the invisible slash the creature sent towards Shin.
When the fight first started, Shinji had quickly attempted to understand how strong the creature was. It had less energy than all three of them, and so Shinji was confident they would win. They were each bonafide, experienced Enlightened, yet it seems he had made a mistake.
Shinji sent a burst of poison towards the monster in the hopes of it managing to weaken the monster enough for Shin to manage to avoid the attack. He closed his eyes as he put a vast amount of his energy into the attack he sent towards the creature.
The creature staggered backward, its form twisting unnaturally. For a moment, Shinji thought the viral poison had finally taken a meaningful toll on the monster. But then, the air grew thick with an ominous pressure, and the shadowy figure began to shift. Its jagged edges shimmered, and a sharp, eerie hum filled the corridor.
Shin had managed to avoid the attack, but he had a feeling that maybe they were screwed either way.
The monster clearly wasn't intelligent, but there was some strategy within its head; some methods to its madness making it far harder to deal with than a normal monster as most lacked any semblance of intelligence.
"What's it doing?" Mark muttered, his voice tense as he gripped his axe tightly.
Without warning, the creature sprang into motion. It skittered across the walls and ceiling with unnatural speed, its jagged limbs clicking against the stone. One moment it was on the floor; the next, it was darting behind Shin, its movements too erratic to predict.
Shinji could barely trace its movements, and even then he could only keep pace with its afterimages. The creature was managing to move faster than he, an experienced Enlightened, could fully perceive.
Shin quickly fended off the monster's attacks. The moment Shin defended the creature would retreat, hopping from surface to surface making it impossible for them to land a solid hit on it. It was a master of using the environment against them.
The creature hissed, its shadowy form flickering as it poised for another attack. Shinji tightened his grip on his weapon, his eyes darting to Shin and Mark. They were still holding their ground, but the monster's movements were becoming harder to track.
"Keep your eyes on it!" Shinji shouted, his voice tense.
"I'm trying!" Mark growled, hurling another burst of projectiles. The creature dodged effortlessly, its form a blur as it twisted and leapt. The projectiles struck the walls, sending shards of debris raining down, but the creature was already elsewhere. He was sure that from an outside perspective, their fight looked right out of an anime, and was suitably badass. Perhaps he'd be enjoying himself more if he didn't feel like he was about to die.
Shinji barely had time to react as the monster lunged at him, its claw-like limb slashing downward. He twisted out of the way, but the attack sheared through the floor, leaving a gaping, smoldering gouge where he'd been standing.
"That thing's cutting through magicule infused material like butter." Shin gasped, clutching his side.
"It feels like it's playing with us." Mark muttered, his voice filled with frustration.
Shinji nodded in agreement. The longer the fight went on, the more abilities and power the monster revealed. It was sandbagging against them, hard.
With a guttural roar, the monster's jagged appendages struck the ground, creating a shockwave that rippled outward. The torches flickered violently, plunging the room into darkness. Shinji, Shin, and Mark struggled to maintain their footing as the ground beneath them trembled.
"Stay on your toes!" Shin barked, his blade poised.
Mark braced himself, but the monster was already moving. It blurred forward, its speed doubling. Mark swung with a chunk of rubble enhanced by Thrower, but the creature anticipated the attack, sidestepping and delivering a bone-crushing blow to his side. Mark slammed into the wall, groaning in pain.
"Mark!" Shinji shouted, but he had no time to assist as the monster pivoted, lunging for him next.
Shinji instinctively used one of the defensive applications of his Unique Skill, creating a viral barrier around himself. The barrier shimmered faintly, a deadly cloud meant to disintegrate anything organic or magical that came into contact with it. The monster slammed into it but barely faltered, its shadowy form resisting the viral decomposition with an unnatural resilience.
"This thing's insane!" Shinji cursed, his mind racing. He had killed other Enlightened with the barrier he created around him.
Shin darted in, his blade aiming for the creature's core, but the monster's reflexes were far superior. It twisted mid-air, deflecting the blade with its jagged limb, and retaliated with a slash that Shin narrowly avoided.
The creature quickly hopped to a wall. Crouched low, its glowing limbs poised like blades. Then it launched itself toward Shin once again with terrifying speed. He brought up his blade just in time to parry, but the force of the collision sent him sprawling. The creature didn't pause. It darted away, bouncing between walls like a chaotic pinball before lunging at Mark.
Mark threw up a makeshift barrier of compressed air as he had recovered from the monster's initial blow, but the creature's strike ripped through it as if it weren't there. It struck him in the chest, a sonic boom echoed the surroundings as Mark was sent crashing into the wall, again.
"Shit!" Shinji cursed as he quickly thought up a new attack to use on the spot. The viral cloud around the battlefield shifted, condensing into razor-thin strands of airborne contagion. "If it can't be slowed, I'll cut it to pieces!"
The viral strands slashed at the monster, slicing through its shadowy form. For a moment, it staggered, as though caught off guard. But the monster roared, its form solidifying further to repel the attacks. The strands were losing their efficiency with every second.
Shinji grit his teeth as he rapidly went through various plans in his head. He knew that they would respawn if they died, but he wouldn't leave his fate in the hands of The Dungeon if he didn't have to. Not to mention the fact that he was very concerned that they were attacked by such a powerful monster when they were only a little over half way through The Dungeon. Going by the way The Dungeon had scaled so far, it made no sense that they were attacked by such a strong Monster so soon.
Something like that happening only meant one thing: someone had deliberately sent the monster to them. Who could hope to command the monsters in The Dungeon expect the higher ups of Tempest?
Shinji seriously did not want to stick around. He really should have trusted his instincts.
Shin growled in frustration. "It's too strong! If it's at Davis's level, we're just bugs to it!"
Mark, clutching his side, staggered back to his feet. "Then we've got to fight dirty." His eyes gleamed with determination as he reached into his pouch and pulled out an enchanted crystal. It was an artifact that Mark brought from the Eastern Empire. A one time use kind of thing. "Shinji, Shin, cover me!"
The monster seemed to sense the danger, its glowing eyes narrowing as it turned its full attention to Mark. Before it could act, Shin moved; his blade flashing in rapid arcs to intercept the monster's advance. Despite his best efforts, the creature battered through his defenses, forcing him to retreat with a deep gash across his arm.
Shinji could feel the hope bloom in his chest. They had a chance. If they made it out of this okay, he was totally going on a vacation! This was all way too much for him.
He unleashed another wave of viral constructs, this time focusing on its sensory perception. The air around the monster shimmered as the constructs distorted light and sound, creating a barrage of illusions.
Mark gritted his teeth, the crystal in his hand humming with raw power. "You want some of this, you overgrown shadow?" He growled, activating the artifact. He hurled it with all his might, the crystal glowing brighter as it arced toward the monster.
The explosion was blinding, a massive detonation that shook the entire floor of the dungeon. Dust and debris filled the air, and for a moment, there was silence.
But as the smoke cleared, their hearts sank.
The monster stood in the center of the blast zone. Oh it was wounded for sure, but it had somehow managed to evade the worst of the explosion. No it hadn't evaded, it was just regenerating from the wounds it was dealt.
Mark slumped against the wall, his face pale. "No way…"
The monster roared, its body radiating pure malice. It surged forward with a speed that none of them could follow, striking Shinji first. The viral barrier around him shattered under the force of the attack, and he was sent flying into a pile of rubble.
"Shinji!" Shin yelled. His vision was blurry but he could make out the figure of the monster raising his arm in Shin's direction before lowering it in a slicing motion. He felt the magicules around him fluctuate, and then within a moment he heard Shin's scream.
"Gah!"
Before he managed to lose consciousness he could see Shin's arm slide off his shoulder, crashing onto the floor below.
It was then that he realized that there was no hope from the beginning.
The last thing he heard was Mark's roar of rage before he lost consciousness.
- Chloe Aubert -
She tilted her head as she observed the fight between the Shadow Dancer and the group of spies. It was wrapping up now. One was unconscious, another was on the verge of collapsing and had lost an arm, and then the last was charging forth like a berserker.
The results of the fight were as she expected them to be, though the process was a bit different than she expected. She expected the Shadow Dancer to beat them up in the familiar reverse jumping pattern. It had been told to hold back, of course, so the three could be tested and they could get a better idea of their abilities, but they still put up more of a fight than she thought they would.
She supposed it was her own fault for underestimating someone in the Eastern Empire military, though to be fair, she didn't expect even the Enlightened to be a bit special.
All three of their Unique Skills were rather interesting. The virus one was especially dangerous. If Chronoa's theory was right, then his Unique Skill was the most dangerous of the bunch.
The three had fought rather well, each demonstrating some excellent combat skills and techniques that would have them revered as Champions in the Western Nations. Though to be fair, the West was sorely lacking in the Champion department. Anyone of sufficient skill and a shown tendency to help Humans in some way would be called as such.
She watched as Felix-nii's Shadow Dancer hopped from surface to surface, avoiding Mark's barrage of attacks. The guy seemed to really be getting desperate now, both of his allies were incapacitated, it seemed he realized that there was something off about the situation.
"Rah!" Mark yelled as he pulled his arm back, throwing the Unique Grade axe he got at the Shadow Dancer. The sound barrier was breached instantly, though the shockwaves of the sonic boom were absorbed by The Dungeon.
As for the axe, it whizzed through the air like a comet; the pressure from its flight distorting the surrounding space. The Shadow Dancer, nimble and unflinching, shifted its position with fluid grace. The axe missed its mark by mere inches, embedding itself deep into The Dungeon's wall with a thunderous crash.
"Incredible." Beretta muttered with awe in her voice.
Ramiris had arrived in the midst of the fight and was sitting on Beretta's head. "Felix's Avatar is pretty strong, but I'd solo him!" The Pixie said as she began shadowboxing around Beretta's head. "My Avatar is leagues stronger too!" Ramiris added.
Chloe's lips quirked up in amusement. It was pretty funny that Ramiris's Avatar had more EP than the current incarnation of Ramiris herself.
Mark's desperation reached its zenith as his breathing grew ragged. His eyes, now a mix of determination and fear, burned with a primal desire to overcome the odds, she had seen it in others in the past. He sprinted toward the Shadow Dancer, drawing on every ounce of his remaining strength.
She watched with interest as he pushed beyond his limits, Plus Ultra as Felix-nii liked to say sometimes. Through the projection she could see Mark pushing his Unique Skill past its limits. Skills often responded to the desires of their users, in the current situation Mark was rather desperate. In his mind he and his friends would likely be doomed if he lost here now, she doubted he was thinking much further than that, like how they could get out.
As Mark rushed towards the Shadow Dancer, he reached out in the same fashion he used to grip the air, except this time he gripped something else. She watched as Mark managed to grip space itself, condensing it into a ball, before throwing it at the Shadow Dancer at speeds surpassing that of sound.
The orb of compressed space shot forward; the air around it warping and shimmering violently. The force of its movement sent shockwaves throughout the Dungeon; the walls groaning under the strain of Mark's desperation-fueled attack.
The Shadow Dancer didn't flinch. Its unreadable form stood poised, as though waiting for this very moment. Shadows coiled tighter around it, and its eyes glinted. With a deft and familiar motion, it raised one hand and sliced downwards.
"Is that?" Beretta asked.
Ramiris nodded. "Ooh! That's Dismantle, I think, right?"
Veldora nodded. "Indeed! Cleave requires direct contact to be used, so it must have used Dismantle!"
The orb of compressed space unraveled mid-flight. The once-deadly sphere dissipated into harmless particles; the distortions vanishing in an instant. Mark staggered as the feedback from his failed attack slammed into him, nearly driving him to his knees. His energy reserves were practically exhausted now. While the Shadow Dancer had less reserves than Mark, it excelled at making the most of the limited energy it had. It was likely a carryover from Felix-nii, since he was rather energy efficient as well.
The Shadow Dancer, it seemed, had enough as it blitzed forwards at speeds the naked eye could not observe. In the blink of an eye the Shadow Dancer closed the distance between itself and Mark. Its movements were a seamless blend of fluid grace, reminiscent of Felix-nii's battle style, but not quite as refined. Mark barely had time to react, raising his arms in a feeble attempt to block the incoming assault.
The Shadow Dancer sent a single, fluid motion targeting his midsection. The impact was surgical, delivering just enough force to incapacitate without causing severe harm. Mark crumpled to the ground, his energy utterly spent. His body hit The Dungeon floor with a dull thud.
The Shadow Dancer didn't linger or show any sign of acknowledgment toward its fallen opponent. It pivoted sharply and retreated into the shadows, its form dissolving as though it had never existed.
It finished its orders, and so it was done. It had no real personality that would allow it to bask in its victory or anything. In the end, it was just a vessel for Felix-nii when he wanted to play around a bit. It had no autonomy. All of its actions were due to the extremely advanced orders programmed into it that allowed it to give off a semblance of sentience.
She heard Beretta sigh from behind her. "It is finally over then."
Beretta was always a real worry wart. Beretta already had taken many precautions to make sure that the three didn't escape despite that being basically impossible, but when you had to take care of someone as whimsical as Ramiris, then perhaps it was only expected.
Veldora yawned as he leaned back against his chair. "That was more boring than I thought it would be."
Ramiris fluttered around Beretta, clearly less impressed. "It wasn't even close! That Shadow Dancer barely broke a sweat. What's so great about these guys anyway? I bet I could beat them up easy!"
Chloe rolled her eyes at Ramiris theatrics. While the three chatted with each other, Chloe thought about Hinata. Through the soul connection she shared with Hinata, she could feel that Hinata had managed to Awaken as a True Hero. Chloe wasn't quite sure how since, as far as she knew, Ramiris hadn't helped Hinata get another Hero's Egg, but she was still glad that it all worked out in the end.
She had been feeling guilty that she inadvertently snatched away Hinata's opportunity to grow into a True Hero and had planned to ask Ramiris to help Hinata out later, but it seems that wasn't needed.
With Hinata becoming a True Hero, she was sure that she had grown a lot more powerful. Especially considering the fact that Hinata was already a Divine Human before even Awakening as a True Hero.
They had hung out a bit after Hinata evolved here and there, but both of them were rather busy. Still, they managed to make time to hang out as friends with Luminous. It was then that she learned Hinata had acquired an Ultimate Skill which was impressive.
With Hinata's Awakening, her EP must have multiplied. It wouldn't be on her own level, as she was an abnormality. She was self aware enough to know that. Awakening two Hero's Eggs was practically unfair and almost immediately threw her into the same league as True Dragons when it came to raw power. Still, she imagined that Hinata would be quite up there in power now.
"I attempted to reach out through the soul connection, but was rebuffed by something."
Chloe blinked in confusion as she took in Chronoa's words.
'Just who managed to block you?'
"I have no idea. However, I have some guesses." Chronoa said vaguely.
Chloe shrugged. She'd leave all that stuff to Chronoa. That was what she was there for, after all.
"I'm truly feeling your love…"
All of a sudden she froze as a smile formed on her face.
"Oho! It seems my brother is back!" Veldora said with a boisterous laugh.
It hadn't been that long since Rimuru had left for the meeting with the Council of the West. He had taken Benimaru and Souei with him, and now all three of them were back. Rimuru was already teleporting right to them. He was probably informed about what was happening by one of his subordinates that was meant to keep an eye on things. Since Souei was gone, it was probably that girl with a crush on Souei, Souka was her name.
After a moment, Rimuru appeared in front of them. "Guys? What the hell happened!?" He asked. "Souka said there were enemies of some kind in The Dungeon, and that you were handling them. Chloe?" He said as he looked right at her.
Before she could respond Rimuru grumbled. "Ugh, why does all of this have to be happening at once, right after the attack on Ruberious too…"
She blinked as she took in what Rimuru had said. "So it really happened?"
Chronoa had already predicted that the attack would happen when Rimuru went to meet with the Council of the West. The situation was the best it would be, and Granbell was one who would take advantage of the timing to launch the attack. Chronoa expected for there to be an attack on the Council as well to keep Rimuru busy, leaving Luminous and Ruberious with fewer allies he'd have to deal with in the short term.
Of course she was still confident that everything would turn out okay. She didn't believe that Granbell had access to anything that could cause Benimaru and Souei together much trouble, let alone if Rimuru himself was present. Luminous could also handle herself, Chloe knew full well that much
Rimuru sighed. "Yeah, Granbell attacked Ruberious with his allies, but it's been dealt with now."
Veldora snorted. "I bet if I was there, there would have been no attack at all! My magnificent presence would send them all away."
Chloe tilted her head. "You know, that's probably true."
Veldora preened. "See, she gets it!"
Rimuru rolled his eyes. "That would be a bad thing, you know? Then we wouldn't know when they would attack next." Rimuru said with a sigh. "The meeting with the Council of the West was attacked as well."
Chloe nodded, she had expected it after all.
"Wait, don't change the subject!" Rimuru said after a moment. "What happened here?"
She took the initiative to explain what was going on. She told him about her random meeting with the three spies and how she felt they were all Enlightened, which on its own wasn't that unusual in a growing city like Tempest, but they seemed different from the rest. Her instincts warned her that they were up to no good.
So she told Veldora about them and they came up with a plan to capture them and test their abilities so that they could have a better picture of what the three were capable of.
To do so, they got Felix-nii's Avatar to test them in a fight in The Dungeon.
Rimuru sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I suppose you all didn't act that recklessly."
Beretta looked at Rimuru in betrayal, as if she expected him to be the voice of reason.
Rimuru turned away from Beretta's betrayed look. "Did you guys retrieve the three then?"
Before she could answer Treyni entered the room with the three spies in tow. They were being transported by roots that ran along the floor.
"Ah, thanks Treyni!" Rimuru said as he looked over the three before wincing.
Treyni bowed. "It was my pleasure." She said before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
"Felix's Avatar really did a number on these three." Rimuru said as he walked closer to them.
Veldora nodded. "It was an excellent battle. Sukuna would be impressed with the efficiency that the Shadow Dancer made use of with his abilities." Veldora praised.
"If you're done with your glazing session, could you tell me where Dino and Vesta are?" Rimuru said as he gestured to Beretta to handle the three spies. They'd probably be healed and everything before being forcefully awoken and questioned.
Ramiris flew closer to Rimuru. "They're taking a break today!"
Rimuru nodded. "I'll have to give them those Daemon things later then."
Daemon things? She shrugged, it wasn't any of her business.
Now that Rimuru was here and had dealt with the biggest upcoming thing that he had to deal with, maybe she could finally ask him for a date.
As she opened her mouth she was interrupted by space warping and Felix-nii appearing. The glare she sent at Felix-nii could have killed.
"Yo Rimuru!" Felix-nii waved before looking at her weirdly before shaking his head. "Sup Veldora, Ramiris, and Chloe." He said, brushing off her glare completely.
Rimuru raised his hand. "Yo, Felix. I wasn't expecting you."
"After you left some things happened, I thought I should fill you in."
Rimuru blinked. "Oh? Like what?"
"Well for starters Hinata and Guy fought."
She found herself freezing at Felix's words.
"What!?" Rimuru yelled, she was feeling something similar.
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Author's Note:
Sup everyone, back with another chapter of Daemon. In this chapter Shinji and his friends get jumped by the Shadow Dancer. I hoped to show off Shinji, Shin, and Mark's abilities a bit in this chapter since they'll be a bit relevant in the future, not to mention they serve as a good benchmark for the strength of the top 50 in the Imperial Guardians.
Then Chloe gets a pov in which we learn a bit more about her opinion on things and what she's been up to.
Anyways, thanks for reading, peace.
Thanks to @Salante and @Flowerman for beta'ing this chapter.
Last bit of editing -Omnax
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