Why Does Demonic Energy Flow?
Why Does Demonic Energy Flow?
+
[this bastard is just tough as hell..]
what the fuck was this guy even doing in hell?
wow i just got insta-gibbed without being able to do a thing
+
I'll start with the conclusion.
The subjugation battle for the newly appeared demon, Dantalion, ended in failure. The knights who took part ultimately couldn't catch him and let him slip away.
+
[what even is Dantalion's ability?]
He defends against every attack, he has shit that stops you from moving,
and for attacks he just flicks a finger and an instant-death skill flies at you,
he's just doing it all solo lmao fuck
+
[he seems to be a wizard yeah]
[↳ who the hell doesn't know that?]
[what was that thing where dozens got shredded at once in the middle? the streamer i was watching died then too holy shit]
[↳ that was magic yeah]
[↳ yeah, that's what i'm saying, who the hell doesn't know that you bitch]
[↳ what a sincerely helpful answer^^]
At any rate, the biggest reason for the failure was, as expected, the sheer power of the demon named Dantalion himself.
He relentlessly spammed magic without ever resting in that small body, so there was simply no way to withstand it.
Because of the incessant, absurdly powerful magic flying at them, not only the Otherworlders but even the NPCs were shredded.
A major issue, since he was a wizard, was that he possessed countless AoE skills.
Even if they charged in army-sized formations, a single spell from the enemy swept away huge numbers of them.
Sending in the Otherworlders first, as they had done last time, had ended up only buying time for the bastard instead.
Well... even so, the subjugation itself had gone fairly smoothly in its own way.
His magic was certainly devastating, but at the end of the day, he was still just a single individual.
If they kept pressuring him with sheer scale, he was bound to be pushed back eventually.
There were also strong fighters among the human forces. Dantalion's slight frame was vulnerable to anyone capable of exploiting an opening.
+
[but honestly, weren't we pretty much set to win?]
if it wasn't for those lemegeton motherfuckers, he wouldn't have been able to retreat, right
seriously, cults are zero help in a game
+
[fr lmao]
[wow i didn't expect them to barge in like that at the end]
But this time, Lemegeton barged in at the final stage.
Compared to the Andromalius subjugation, the demon himself was stronger, and the number of cultists had grown.
They had gained enough strength to meddle in such a massive battle.
Because of that, the subjugation squad had to return to their home nations having taken nothing but losses.
Having only confirmed the fact that this demon, unlike the last one, could not be easily caught...
So, what was that demon, who escaped thanks to Lemegeton, doing now?
That is...
*
While it was true that most players joined Lemegeton because of Seere,
that wasn't the sole reason.
There were plenty of players who joined Lemegeton for other reasons.
Some were simply curious about a new faction, some followed friends, and some thought maybe they could receive a quest themselves, among other things.
And among them were people who thought, 'Maybe if I slap a Lemegeton-affiliated tag on my stream title, I could milk some views?'
Here, the Lemegeton cultist and streamer 'Yeopyeop' was one of them.
And she did not regret that choice. As a nobody streamer, she had been able to grow into a respectable mid-tier streamer thanks to the unique appeal that was Lemegeton.
Even now, just spilling a few Lemegeton-related stories on a chatting stream brought in thousands of viewers. Sure, it was an evil faction, but it had been one of the options that players could choose, after all.
People might be curious for information.
Thanks to that, Yeopyeop was still raking in views even now. All while praising her past self for joining Lemegeton.
And that praise still continued now, even with the demon Dantalion right before her eyes.
"Phew, thanks to you, we were able to escape without much trouble. And by the way, who might you all be?"
"Think nothing of it. I am the Fourth Branch Leader, Harold."
Thanks to diligently carrying out Lemegeton activities, Yeopyeop had become a talent capable of undertaking critical missions alongside the executives before she knew it.
After all, she was a high-level player and an Otherworlder who could resurrect even if she died.
She was perfect for dangerous missions.
She looked at the demon whose face changed moment to moment before her and thought.
'This is my chance!'
To think the moment to witness a demon up close would come again, just like with Seere.
She could already see the flood of views that would pour in the instant she just told this story on stream.
Of course, the demon before her eyes was vastly different from Seere. Unlike the handsome Seere who drew a smile just by looking at him, the demon before her gave her goosebumps the moment she saw him.
First off, the body was that of a 'man,' but... the face was utterly grotesque.
That was because his facial muscles constantly shifted and changed his face moment to moment.
'Ugh, it's giving me the creeps...'
Because of that, all she felt was revulsion.
At any rate, this game has a gory side in the weirdest places. Well, this definitely feels demon-like, but still...
It was right as she was thinking that.
"..."
Suddenly, Dantalion's gaze turned toward her. He still wore that seemingly polite smile, but Yeopyeop, looking at it, felt nothing but fear.
She had thought he would keep talking with the branch leader the whole time.
She'd just been standing in the back like a set piece, so why was he suddenly looking at her?
As she was having those thoughts, Dantalion asked.
"I see you are an Otherworlder? And furthermore, you even do broadcasts?"
"Huh? Ah, yes. That is correct..."
Yeopyeop was flustered for a moment, but nodded her head anyway.
And she swallowed a curse inwardly.
'What the fuck...'
I hadn't even said anything, so how did he know I was a streamer?
Could this bastard also read player logs or the information recorded in the capsule, similar to the One-Horned Lord?
Chaos briefly welled up in her mind. Even in the midst of that, Dantalion's words continued.
"Allow me to give you one piece of advice. Please, be careful of your thoughts in front of me."
"Ah, yep... Understood."
Honestly, I didn't quite grasp what he meant, but Yeopyeop nodded for now. Because she didn't want to draw any more of his attention.
"So, what did you wish for, in aiding me?"
Fortunately, Dantalion's attention scattered quickly. Once they arrived at the Lemegeton branch, he asked the branch leader.
Hearing the question, the branch leader bowed leisurely and spoke.
"How could I have aided you because I desired something, Lord Dantalion? Merely being able to attend by your side is more than enough."
"...My, that is a lie. I am grateful that you treat me preciously, but please do not talk in circles. For I dislike dishonest people the most."
A smile still hung at his lips, but it was a chilling statement.
Hearing that, the branch leader hastily gave an apology.
"I apologize."
"Heh heh, it is quite all right. Then, I shall ask once more. What do you wish for?"
"I wish to borrow the authority of the demon lord."
The branch leader continued.
"What I desire is for our Lemegeton to stand tall in the world. So that even the other kingdoms prostrate themselves beneath us. I need the mighty authority of the demon lord."
"What a grand and ugly ambition. However, I like that you are honest."
Dantalion grinned and opened his mouth again.
Squirming, his facial muscles shifted, and the face of a dark, gloomy man was fashioned.
Somehow, that face seemed to suit him the best.
"But it will be difficult with my strength alone. I felt it while dealing with those humans just now. Perhaps if it were Lord Paimon, I cannot say... by chance, is there another demon besides myself?"
"Not at the moment. However, there is a way to find one."
The branch leader, Harold, said that and handed an item to the other party.
It was the arm of Andromalius. He had already received approval from the General Assembly Chair.
Though it only had one use left and he had been saving it all this time, it was an object he had managed to obtain thanks to the credit of assisting a Demon Advent.
If he could even summon a demon with this, the standing of the 4th branch leader would become even more unshakable.
Seeing the arm of Andromalius, Dantalion let out a short laugh, "Pfft."
"Why, this is the arm of a familiar fellow."
"Do you know of him?"
"Of course. Though we are not of the same faction, we are demons who have received a rank from him regardless. I can roughly guess how to use it as well."
So saying, Dantalion picked up the item.
The arm of Andromalius, which had passed into his hand, corroded at a rapid pace. It meant he was using the item's ability.
Crumbling...
Along with the sound of the arm's surface drying up brittlely, Dantalion's voice was heard.
"So you mean to tell me to locate an altar with this. Well, our intentions appear to align broadly. I shall seek out a demon of formidable power especially for you."
Evidently, he knew not only how to use it, but how to use it better.
Perhaps because he was a fellow demon, he knew it better.
At last, the rapidly corroding arm of Andromalius pointed in one direction, as if expending its last strength.
A city located on the fringe of the Empire.
A forbidden zone that even humans could not easily enter, only reachable after a long walk from that city.
Confirming the arm's direction, Dantalion smiled and spoke.
"It is that way. Shall we go look for it?"
That place, what people commonly called the 'Forbidden Forest',
Was the direction the arm pointed to.
*
In the forest lush with grass and trees, Demonic Energy flowed all year round.
The Demonic Energy that flowed thickly in all directions encroached upon the tiny creatures, even causing transformations.
They became a little stronger, a little more ferocious.
In the past, people died at the claws of the ferocious beasts coming out of the forest and gradually came to shun it. They even attached the adjective 'Forbidden' to the forest with the meaning 'do not enter.'
But because of that shunning, people ended up inevitably ignorant about that forest.
They didn't know since when the Demonic Energy had flowed in this forest, nor from where it flowed out.
Though they held questions, they had never investigated. Naturally, they did not know the cause.
And that was true for the sole human living in this forest.
"Mm~ The weather's nice today."
Yor was the same.