What is a curse?
It is a form of energy very similar to mana but slightly different. Mana and its true power come from the Angels and are governed by the Lord of Order, but a curse was born from the sins of the Ebony Knight and the creation of the demon race. If mana is the light which forms the words in a script, then a curse is a blot of ink which drowns out those words.
A wound from a curse is one mana cannot affect. This has made demons vastly feared. Healing from damage is easy, including cursed wounds from other people. This is because a person's mana will eventually beat the curse, allowing them to be healed, just at a far slower rate, as the body must heal on its own. A wound from a demon is something far greater, however.
Once a Demon leaves its mark on a person, that target can never recover. A permanent wound. Well, unless a divine being healed it, but those sorts of things weren't around anymore.
'One lethal blow is all it takes. A single strike to a vital area and you'll be dead. Good luck. :]'
Father's mana flared. "Ril Absloute-"
The demon tore his throat out. Father's speech was shifted into a blood-curdling gurgle as his life flowed from his neck in the form of a red stream. He dropped to his knees, flailing and grabbing at his neck, his eyes widening with horror. He couldn't breathe, speak, or even think straight.
Everyone else froze. Tori stared blankly ahead, not reacting. Bruno felt every nerve in his body scream at him to run, but his legs remained stuck in place, Laerton's sword aimed at her belly as she debated taking her own life, and Myth was stuck in a stupor, stuttering and staring at his former captain, who was bleeding out on the floor.
The Demon glanced down at its hand. Myth had heard stories of them, but he had never actually gotten to see one in person. Many times at night, he would often dream about what it looked like.
Nothing he imagined came close.
Just staring at the Demon caused his eyes to sting, and tears flowed down his face. Its body was blurry, and specks of black and purple spots would distort across it. Space kept twisting all around it, going in and out, and it was sort of like looking at a glitching computer screen, but if all the glitches swirled together into the shape of a living nightmare.
When the glitching effect was happening, he was able to see parts of its form. It looked almost mechanical. Just like the king or the late Adamaska, black iron made up most of the demon's body. It was a bit different from the King, however. Nier Sini had the head of a human, and from the neck down, he looked almost fully robotic, but this thing still had several organic parts.
Bits of red flesh were clumped around the metal, and it had sections carved into its body where organs resided. Myth felt sick as he watched a heart beat and a pair of lungs grow and shrink. Its legs were shaped like those of a goat, and from the elbow down, it had burned arms with jagged claws. Finally, where its head should have been was a ball of fire. Flame swirled and hissed, and somehow, the fiery head stared down at the demon's hand as it studied the blood that had coated it, along with the piece of throat it tore out of Father.
The Demon brought the flesh up and tossed it into the ball of fire. The effect was instant. The orb erupted, hot flames gushing upwards, and all the ice walls Bruno forged melted away into clouds of steam.
The glitching effect grew worse, flowing down the Demon's body, but as it crossed over, new flesh began to flow. Like the clumps that cover it, the flesh was red, and it draped over the metal bones, thankfully hiding its organs. Myth realized then that the Demon was healing. The state it had been in was a badly damaged one, likely brought on by its battle with Haru.
Its flesh had been seared off and its own head blown to bits, but now it regenerated from the damage. When it was done, the demon was fully healed.
Now it had an almost human shape, but its flesh was still red. Black fur covered it from the waist down, where a pair of goat legs remained, and it now sported a tail that flicked back and forth. Its head had also returned, revealing a handsome face with dark and cold black eyes. White hair flowed from its scalp, and it had pointed ears just like an elf as well as bull-like horns that jutted from its skull.
The final thing to note was black fire, which formed into a pair of robes that covered the demon, giving it some modesty.
The thing rubbed its jaw and looked down in a puddle of water that had formed from the melted ice. It studied its appearance and then smiled.
Addon, Borvus, Sleetdrazer, and Gonro. These four demons were considered to be exceptionally powerful by the Knights that served under Haru. Sleetdrazer was famed for wiping out the first Phoenix Flight guild. Gonro was known as the Demon who invented the strongest fire spell. Borvus, the trickster who whispered words to the Ebony Knight, and Addon, the one who would bring about the new world.
Then there was the fifth member of this group. Elzebub.
Elzebub the cruel, Elzebub the liar, Elzebub the evil. The one who devoured the most humans. The one who created the door to Hell. The one whom Haru locked away.
Elzebub's grin grew as he finished studying his own expression. He tapped the puddle of water with a finger, crouching down, and the image shifted suddenly, showing a city. Then another, and another, flickering through people and places as he gazed upon the planet.
Images crossed over in seconds, and the Demon nodded. "Humanity seems to have bred like cockroaches. How fascinating. Oh, and Haru's Knights are still around?" Elzebub patted Father's cheeks as the gurgling man sputtered up more blood. "Hey, it seems you were a big shot, Mister Captain. Way to go. I bet you lived an interesting life. Thanks for letting me out. I've been waiting years to stretch my legs. This world is just waiting to be reminded of who owns it."
Myth finally managed to break out of his stupor as the Demon began to casually speak. He shook his head and tore out a page of his book. "Ril Necromancy Rebirth!" He poured as much energy as he could into the attack.
His Necromancy magic allowed him to make copies of beings he was one hundred percent sure were dead. Because of this restriction, he couldn't create a copy of Haru as he was unsure if she truly died. The same went for strong warriors who were MIA. Only those he confirmed were dead would count.
There was someone he now knew to be dead, though.
The shadow of Neptune formed, and the sea god smashed his trident down, bringing down a block of ice and shadows onto the demon. As soon as the attack landed, Myth turned to Laerton.
"Laerton! Take Father and heal him! I'll buy you some time and-" A hand appeared in front of Myth's face as the Demon walked through the ice and grabbed Myth's head. A moment later, there was a horrible tearing sound as Myth's head was torn from his body.
The Demon paused. "Huh?" He glanced down at the severed head. "Wait, seriously? I barely touched him?" He gripped Myth's hair and brought the Captain up to eye level. "Are you actually dead? Could I have sworn you guys were all Knight Captains? Did I get it wrong? I guess you were a Squire."
Laerton swung her blade as hard as she could, putting everything she had into the strike. Her sword shattered on the demon's flesh, and it turned to her, dropping Myth's severed head.
"You there, could you tell me where the nearest Captain is?" Elzebub smiled. "So many years, I'm a little ticked off and looking to have a chat and figure out where Haru ran off to."
Laerton stared at her broken sword. "A night sky, lonely and sad. Explore the cosmos and travel roads never seen before! Will of Hermes-" Laerton began to chant but stopped speaking as everything blacked out. Then she felt a horrible pain.
Elzebub plopped Laerton's eyeballs into his mouth and swallowed them. Laerton screamed and grabbed at her face; blood began to flow from the two spots where her eyes had been. "I guess she's a bit slow in the head." Elzebub looked to Tori and then Bruno, raising an eyebrow. "How about you two?"
Tori stared at the wall, a blank expression on her face, not reacting. Bruno trembled and squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath.
The Demon sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I guess they really lowered the IQ of the Knights." He turned and waved his hand. The ice from earlier began to reform, creating the ice stairs Bruno had made earlier. With that done, Elzebub left.
As soon as the Demon was gone, Bruno collapsed to his knees and vomited. He panted and grabbed at his head, letting out a strangled cry. Laerton was still rolling around, letting out an anguished cry as she blindly felt around, and Myth's headless body remained motionless on the floor.
Finally, it was Father who had stopped moving. Tori at last walked over to him and gazed down at the dead captain. Her blue eyes were cold, and she poked at him with her lance. "The fragment of the Holy Saint in him will have returned to her coffin at our base. When we return, you'll undergo the ritual and take her burden." Tori said casually. "I guess if you survive, I'll make you my Vice Captain." She smiled.
"Vice Captain?" Bruno stared at Tori as if she were mad.
"Well, duh, Father's dead, so from this day on I'm the guild Captain." Tori placed her hands on her hips and gave a cheeky grin. "Things turned out perfectly. Oh, hey, Laerton, do you need a hand?" Tori cocked her head to the side and turned her attention to the now-blinded captain. "Bruno, give her a hand. I'll be back after I settle my own business."
Bruno blinked several times and stood there in a stupor as Tori muttered a spell and vanished in a flash of fire.
While that happened, the Demon reached the top of the stairs and stopped. Two figures stood before him.
Davi's eyes narrowed, and Whisper trembled as she stared at the red-skinned creature. He had a sinking feeling that something like this would happen, so he had Whisper turn him invisible, and the two of them had headed here. They arrived too late, however, and the barriers had been put up. He planned to wait for them to come down and hoped things would go smoothly, but the fact that this being now stood before him told him everything he needed to know.
Things did not go well.
"Whisper, go check on the others," Davi said. Whisper remained trembling. "WHISPER!" She jumped as he yelled. "Go check on the others! Make sure your Captain is alright!"
She glanced at Davi and then at the Demon, and then very slowly inched toward the stairs. The demon smiled at her and nodded as she walked by and even stepped to the side, allowing her more room.
"Excuse me." Elzebub turned back to Davi. "Do you know where a Captain is-"
"Row Shadow-Light Armor." Black and white swirled around Davi as his coat appeared around him. "Vil Shadow-Light Scar." He held his sword out, a blade of white and black fire forming into his palms. "Vil Shadow-Light Cloak." Chains of fire and ice stabbed out of the ground and wrapped around the Demon, binding it in place. "Vil Shadow-Light Vault." Hands erupted out of Davi's back, and each one created its own mana orb. His energy reached its peak. Even more mana than he had when he fought Neptune. Every. Last. Drop.
"You've got some good muscles on you," Elzebub noted, studying Davi's left arm. He then dropped the severed limb to the ground and lifted up Davi's right arm, which he had also torn off. "You must have worked out a bunch? You were getting close to unlocking bodily fusion, I bet."
Davi's armor and limbs faded away. His aura shut off completely, and he hesitantly gazed down at where his arms should have been. From the elbow down, there was nothing.
Elzebub dropped the limbs and yawned. "Why's a civilian out here anyway? The Squires were unable to battle me, so I don't know why you thought you could-"
"Vil Shadow-Light Armor." Davi's aura erupted once again, and this time his armor formed around the Demon. Ebony and Ivory shimmered around the demon, catching it off guard for a nanosecond. "Whatever it takes," Davi announced. "Do you hear me, Lord of Order! Take my entire life force! Name your price for the Vow! Just seal this guy away."
The Demon's eyes actually widened, and his expression shifted to one of panic.
Nothing happened.
Davi stared at the armor in confusion, slowly getting lightheaded as the loss of blood got to him. "Lord of Order! Take my life and-"
"There's no use in trying that." The demon flexed, and the armor shattered. "A Vow can only be created for something of value. It's an equal trade. I guess you don't value your life as much as you want to seal me. Still pretty sick, you tried that. Most humans care about their safety, but you? You must seriously hate yourself, huh?" The Demon's lips twisted back into another smile. "I regret taking your limbs. If you weren't about to die of blood loss, I'd consider playing with you a bit. Most people aren't brave enough to try and contact a cruel being like that. The Lord of Order didn't even bother to slay any of us when we first appeared despite having the power to do so. He simply sat upon his throne of flame, and created the Saint System so others could do his dirty work. Yet humans worship him? How gross your kind truly is."
Davi winced. "Row Shadow-Light Armor." His armor reformed around himself. "Row Shadow-Light Vault." He took the handle of a sword between his teeth and bit down on it as hard as he could.
The Demon raised an eyebrow. "You look ridiculous." He pointed, and then a small hole appeared in Davi's stomach, causing the raven-haired man's eyes to widen in pain. The Demon then flicked his finger up and aimed for Davi's head but suddenly stopped as an arm landed on his shoulder.
"Yo! What's up, man?" Himvel patted the demon. "How's it hanging, dude?"
The demon stopped pointing at Davi and turned to face Himvel, who had once again worn his radiation-repellent clothes, which were the only thing keeping him from turning into a demon right away.
"Can I help you?"
"No, but I can help you!" Himvel reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of chalk. He swirled it through the air and created a shimmering white portal. "You're looking for a captain, right? This door will take you to the gate of this dungeon, and you can leave. You'll be back in the real world after that."
"Oh? Thanks." The Demon removed Himvel's arm, quite literally ripping it off. "I'll make sure you get to serve as a slave when hell reopens." Elzebub gave a thumbs up.
Himvel dropped to his knees and clutched at his bleeding stump. "S-Sounds awesome, man. I always knew that was the role meant for me."
Himvel watched as the Demon stepped through the portal, which then closed. As soon as the Demon was gone, Himvel scrambled over to Davi's side.
The raven-haired man was now flat on the ground, leaking so much blood it was hard to tell if his robes had been white or red.
"D-Davi, come on, stay with me." Himvel grabbed him and forced the man to his feet and began to drag him toward the stairs. "I need you for something."
Davi gazed tiredly at the elf, then looked back at his missing arms. "My arms are gone."
"Yeah, yeah, cursed wounds, they ain't coming back, worry about that later. Look, shit has hit the fan. We failed. Both you and I are likely going to bleed out and die, so we have to act fast."
"I don't want to die…"
"Neither do I! We don't have a fucking choice! I knew my plan should have been used from the very start, but I actually let you talk me into thinking we could somehow get a good ending." Himvel hissed. "That thing is about to get outside, and when it does, it can open a portal to Hell, and then this entire planet will be flooded with those fuckers. Not even the Holy Saint can kill them all." Himvel stared into Davi's eyes. "You want to save everyone, don't you?"
"Yes."
"So then let's leave. We need to use your Vault. We can gather the others up and hide in there."
Davi didn't say anything, but he did grit his teeth. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, his eyes widened once again when he actually saw the Core as well as the state of the others.
Whisper was full-on sobbing now, huddled next to Myth's body and head. Bruno had collapsed next to Father and looked like he had gone insane, and Laerton was finally standing and patting the wall blindly. Davi felt sick at his stomach when he saw the slash marks along her face and the holes where her eyes used to be.
"Don't worry about them." Himvel shook Davi. "Just focus on the mission." He dragged Davi some more and reached the core. "This thing should still have some energy left. Open your Vault and take everyone inside, then we can use this to build a mini sun."
"This is the Core?" Davi stared at the strange winged device with what little curiosity he had left.
"It's a ship," Bruno said numbly. "One that goes through the stars."
Davi blinked. "It goes through the stars?"
"Yeah." Himvel nodded. "That's not important, though. Davi, open your Vault."
Davi glanced at Himvel, then he turned to Laerton before finally staring back at the depowered Core. "I have an idea. A really bad one."
Meanwhile, the Demon appeared in front of the Gates of Enforcer City. Himvel's portal had actually tried to send him somewhere else, but he was way too strong for a silly trick like that to work, and so he hijacked the mana and forced it to bring him to the exit.
As soon as he appeared, Ragna rammed Greenie into the Demon's neck. Or at least he tried, but Greenie suddenly twisted, causing the attack to miss.
"Smart pet you got there," Elzebub noted and then kicked so hard he exploded Ragna's left leg into a bloody pulp, downing the man.
Every other member of the Phoenix Flight Guild, as well as the Pantheon Guild, froze in terror as they gazed at the Demon.
Elzebub bowed his head. "Morning." Then he swatted the air, shattering space and time as he easily punched a hole in reality and opened a portal to the world outside. "Could you all stay where you are? The others will be hungry, I'm sure. I'll only be a few seconds."
The portal remained open as the Demon walked through it, and he appeared in the empty clearing that the dungeon had first spawned in.
Elzebub held his arms out and let out a blissful sigh as he smelled fresh air. "Oh, the world is so populated and fat. I can't wait to scar it and shatter this realm." He gazed toward the sky, his grin growing. "Are you up there, Mother? I hope you are. Your children will be coming for you very soon."
Back inside the dungeon, everyone watched in fear as Elzebub began to draw various runes in the air. He was about to open the doors to hell. Olivia shook her head and grabbed her sword. "We have to stop him!" She screamed. "We must-"
A lance tore through her chest as Tori rammed her weapon into Olivia's back as hard as she could.
"No!" Ken screamed.
Tori laughed, and her smile grew as she twisted the weapon, making sure she plunged it through Olivia's heart. Then she smashed the girl into the ground. "Finally! I bet when Davi sees this, he'll snap! Just like he did when he saved me!"
Sieg's eyes narrowed when he caught Tori's gaze. "Evelyn!"
"Hello!" Tori's eyes glowed even brighter, and she winked. "Ril Light Beam." Orbs of light blasted out, hitting every guild member around her, blasting them all back and killing several Pantheon ones in the process. "Sorry, but could you all allow my puppet to kill you all? I need to hurry and get Davi to see this so he can draw his sword and slay that demon! When he becomes the Lunar Knight, everything will be back on track."
"Eve, you stupid bitch! Davi doesn't have the sword!" Vlad screamed as he bled through the hole in his chest.
"What!"
"He removed it!"
"What!" Far, far away, Evelyn's own eyes widened comically wide, and she slipped off her staff and crashed to the ground. "What the hell do you mean he removed it? And what the fuck are you doing here, Alpha!"
Back in the dungeon, Vlad gritted his teeth and glared at Tori, who was repeating all of Evelyn's words. "Regressions don't work with Demons in the timeline; you knew that, you absolute moron! You doomed us!"
"N-No! He shouldn't have drawn the sword! It was going to happen when he saw Olivia's corpse!" Evelyn/Tori screamed. "He'd get the powers of the Administrator and kill the demon, then he'd slaughter the Great Dragon of Roads with me! If anything changed, then it's because you ruined it!" Tori's teeth gritted so hard one shattered, and Evelyn made her punch herself over the head until her skull nearly cracked. "God! Years of work and getting this stupid dog to obey me have gone to waste! Now we'll have to wait for the next major loop! Do you know how horrible it was being part of this world?"
"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly like it either," Vlad spat. "But I think you've overlooked something, Prettiest Flower." He said using her real name.
Evelyn paused, and Tori's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"Subject six hundred twenty-one quadrillion, one hundred twenty-one trillion, two hundred thirteen billion, one hundred fifty-one million, four hundred eleven thousand, eight hundred thirty-eight, did not absorb the sword. Don't you find this odd? Such a thing can not simply be destroyed. So, where did it go?"
Evelyn's and Tori's eyes both widened slightly. "Wait, that's true. Where did the blade end up at?"
Olivia weakly grabbed at her chest and felt her blood pour out. Her heart had been ruined. Completely run through. Polymorph wouldn't save her, nor would her healing. She was going to die.
Everything began to go dark. Like really, really dark. Like, so dark, she thought she might have been in Davi's shadow vault. It was cold just like his. So, so cold. And strangely enough, she saw this blue glow. A sword was hovering in front of her.
'Maya thinks you could use a hand. :]'
"M-Maya?"
'Maya's other half was able to escape and is here now. Mary, Mary, Mary, sweet, sweet Mary. Why don't you take that sword.'
"Sword?" Olivia felt something, and she looked down, finding that shadowy hands were wrapping around her wrists and dragging her toward the blade, which was now stabbed into a sea of darkness. Her fingers curled around the handle, and then, before she could process what was happening, Olivia drew the sword.
'Good girl. :] Mary is so well-behaved. Shall I save you?'
Suddenly, just like that, the vault faded, and Olivia smiled, her blue eyes lighting up. "I've missed having a body." Maya smiled.
Deep, deep, within Olivia's body, the Ebony Knight folded his arms and huffed. "I thought we'd both get a body. It's not fair that you get full control over this one. Share with me."
"But of course, my darling~"