The Threefold Curse of Naberius
Getia Naberius let out a thunderous roar and charged. The water buffalo tank Torso easily blocked the three-headed hound's rush.
"Tough as he looks! It's been ages since my arms went numb like this!"
As if refusing to back down in ferocity, Torso shoved Naberius toward the wall. Naberius pushed back just as hard. But in this contest of charges, Torso emerged victorious. Among beastkin, he boasted the strongest charge. Even against a powerful demon like Naberius, Torso had the edge in a pure shoving match.
Naberius cleanly acknowledged his defeat, kicking off Torso's shield to recoil backward. Then, the middle head—stained with blood—suddenly lit up its eyes.
"Cough!"
Torso spat blood and dropped to one knee. The party panicked at the unknown force. But saving Torso took priority over figuring out the ability.
Clang!
"Torso! Close your eyes!"
While Amon blocked Naberius's claws, Torso squeezed his eyes shut. Blood triggered his excitement due to a procedure side effect. Repeated treatments, rehab, and meds had eased it, but he wasn't fully cured. The mute sniper applied optical camouflage tech to filter out the blood as usual. Meanwhile, the androgynous utility mage dragged the fallen Torso away. As Sonia healed him, the mute sniper fretted telepathically.
"I don't know... It just felt like my guts twisted suddenly, and then I puked blood."
The tank's explanation plunged the party deeper into confusion. They couldn't even guess at the ability, let alone identify it. All they knew was that Naberius had kicked the shield. Amon recalled that detail, dodging rather than blocking as he engaged.
Then came the snorting of another forgotten demon.
"Snort— you haven't forgotten me, have you?"
"Sonia, duck!"
At Kashi Iliya's shout, Sonia ducked. Following Kashi's gesture, her spear flew over Sonia's head—aimed straight at the horse demon Orobas, who had targeted her.
"What an intriguing technique!"
Orobas deflected the spear with silver knuckles. Kashi manipulated the rebounding spear back at him. Orobas parried several times, then suddenly shifted into boxing footwork.
"Ever seen this one?"
With those words, Orobas vanished. Kashi's eyes flicked behind her. He reappeared at her back. Ignoring the flying spear, she drew her close-range one and barely blocked. His punches packed horse-like power; she grunted through the block.
"No way... Shukuchi?"
"You blocked it on reaction, so you've seen it before?"
More than seen—Amon used it often. He described it as an adaptation of Sky Step, stabbing the air repeatedly in short bursts for near-teleport speed. Sparring with him had familiarized her, letting her react just in time. But Kashi didn't share that with Orobas.
"You think I'd tell you?"
"Oh dear. Such a petty girl."
Quoting his own words back, she swung her spear. As he dodged, watching allies joined in. Trained by Amon, they reacted to the shukuchi too. Attacking Orobas, they all shared one thought:
'Slower than Amon.'
Unlike Amon's, his movements were larger, predictable. Manageable speed. That was their assessment.
Orobas panicked as they reacted.
'How can they keep up with my top-tier Goetia shukuchi?'
Spotting Amon toying with Naberius using identical footwork, Orobas gaped.
'What the...'
Amon's shukuchi was freakish. Top-two speed among Goetia demons, but without visible buildup stomps—instead, a subtle ankle twitch triggered it. Plus, mid-move path changes. Speed, stealth, unpredictability: perfect.
'How is that even possible?'
Impossible by logic. Like moonwalking at sprint speed with free direction changes. Naberius screamed, unable to cope—realizing too late that Amon's blade wounds didn't heal.
'Is that his power?'
Meaningless to humans, fatal to regenerating demons.
Orobas made his call.
"Naberius! Time to unleash!"
"Was thinking the same!"
Mystic power erupted from both. Facing the overwhelming surge, Amon and Sonia stayed calm—they'd seen demons "transform" when cornered before. Amon warned comrades unable to sense divine power.
"They're powering up. Stay sharp."
Naberius roared instantly. Pain like hammer blows to the eardrums assaulted Amon and the party. It worsened to vertigo and nausea. Clutching throbbing heads, Kashi yelled at Amon.
"What the hell is that ability!?"
"No clue!"
"Not in the Bible?"
"Demon records are Solomon's diary! Not the Bible, so no!"
Even Amon didn't memorize all 72. He knew some named ones, but Naberius was obscure—less famous than Cerberus despite higher rank.
"Still, think of something!"
Under Kashi's urging, Amon inferred amid the pounding headache. Recalling the shield kick linked to now: a game scene flashed.
"Pain! Pain amplification!"
Amon deduced Naberius's authority. Some demons controlled agony; he was one. Resistance? Endure it clenched teeth. Protective spells existed but needed prep time, leaving you exposed. Too late now—meant for pre-curse.
Feeling the info gap, Amon regripped his sword reverse-grip, eyed Kashi, and charged Naberius.
Kashi directed via precog and telepathy. Of course, Naberius—sharing precog—would see her futures too. That was her trap.
No hesitation with a joker card. Demons could peek her visions, but not Amon's—her blind spot exploit.
Naberius took the bait. As he fixated on her, Amon shukuchi'd behind. But what followed defied expectations.
Splat!
"Guh!"
"Amon!"
Naberius spun, grabbed Amon pre-backstab, and slammed him down. Too prescient—like he knew the future. Kashi panicked, peering ahead again. A fate-thread color shifted.
'?!'
She realized the deception.
'Fooled the future?'
Naberius's second power: lies. She'd read his false futures from the start. Biting her lip, self-loathing surged—edging toward disgust, then past trauma. On the verge, she snapped to the oddity.
'Why's it spiraling like this?'
She slapped her cheek, refocused. Glancing around, allies were trapped in their pasts.
'No way...'
Naberius's third: self-loathing. Each head symbolized one: pain, lies, loathing. She telepath-broadcast it, snapping comrades free. But she forgot real Naberius was fine.
"You thought I'd just watch?"
Claws slashed. Kashi barely resisted amid pain-loathing-lie triple debuff. Even she couldn't handle full-power Naberius like this. Disarmed swiftly, as claws swung at helpless her—Amon blocked.
"Grr..."
Amon ground teeth, suppressing nausea. Naberius admired purely.
"Why are you fine?"
Amon didn't answer. No need. Divine Eyes pierced lies, unshakeable self beyond loathing, grit vs evil—that's all.
"Aaaa men!!!"
Battle cry drowning pain, Amon swung. Blade clashed claws repeatedly, holding. But weakening gradually. Defeat loomed inevitable.
'Damn...'
Nothing left but swing on.
* Meanwhile, defeat loomed elsewhere too.
"What the hell is this...?"
As Naberius hit phase 2 and Sonia shook the pain-loathing-illusion combo, she realized her allies were gone. Massaging her pounding head, she glared at her isolator.
"Spill it, horse-face."
Separated from Amon, her mouth turned foul like a mask swap. Horse-face Orobas snorted back.
"Such rudeness, miss. But you? I suppose I can indulge."
He'd ignored Kashi but answered Sonia overly politely.
"Our original plan used appetite suppressants to spread a special drug—inducing violence for war, in short."
Amon and Sonia foiled it, so he ditched Neville Pharma cleanly.
"Money means nothing after 'Her' arrival anyway."
Demon-like, ignoring cash or power. His interest?
"But abandoning a megacorp felt wasteful. So, maximum return on discard."
"?"
"Not getting it? Precog isn't just your ally's trick. All this lured you here—alone with me."
Amon nearly derailed it, but phase 2 clinched success. To disbelieving Sonia, Orobas greeted one-sidedly.
"Welcome, Astaroth."
Sonia sighed deeply.
"I told you, I'm not her."
"...Pardon?"
Orobas adjusted his monocle in shock, then widened eyes.
"Ah! That's why you felt off! Still, link to Her vessel—you'll do for a memory read."
Sonia raised a finger.
"Don't lump me with that woman."
With that, she lunged into battle.