Chapter 627: Act 370 – Requiem XX
The nearly three-meter-long claws were made of gray chitin, with clear honeycomb-like holes visible on them. Brendel knew that those fine pores were filled with parasitic magic worms, which would take the opportunity to infest wounds whenever the Chaos King Mesika attacked.
He remembered that when the TRS Guild defeated this hellish demon king, they specifically dispatched inquisitors and shamans to purify the parasites. But he didn’t have such favorable conditions now. The demon lord’s sword-like claws swung towards him, and Brendel quickly reacted, leaping back just in time as three sharp blades swept past him like a plow.
The grass was torn apart, leaving three deep claw marks. The chaotic power swept over, igniting a layer of hazy gray flames on the wounds.
At that moment, Brendel executed a backflip and landed steadily. Blood accelerated through his veins, completely waking him up. He narrowly avoided the claw, a fine layer of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
Fortunately, he was reminded by the elven senior sister at the last moment; otherwise, the aftermath would have been unimaginable. Unlike most high-ranking demons who wield the elemental strength of fire, true demon lords of a higher caliber are not acknowledged by the laws of power. Instead, they use chaotic power and the surging, violent dark magic from the sea of sorcery.
These two kinds of power lack creative force in the hands of demons but are more than sufficient for destruction. They can even surpass most elemental forces of the same level; chaotic power can assimilate everything, and the burning flames are clear proof of this.
The gray flames were actually unrelated to the fire element of the Vaunte world; instead, they were an existence known as embers. Everything burned by them returns to chaos, and according to legend, when the Realm of Order transforms into wilderness, such flames will engulf the heavens and earth.
Just as Brendel stabilized himself, the voice of Queen Wind reached him: “Brendel, when this demon attacks, its right hind foot exerts force slightly slower than the other three feet. It seems like there’s some hidden ailment. Can you seize this opportunity?”
Brendel nodded. In folk stories, the image of the Chaos King Mesika often appears as a three-headed, winged, corpulent giant, with a greasy belly cascading down to the ground. Although it looks quite bizarre, it essentially retains a humanoid form with two feet and two claws. The spot Wind pointed out was right on Mesika’s right ankle.
That place had been wounded by the magic snake of the pain lord during Mesika’s conquest of the torture inferno, leaving a lingering ailment. The TRS Guild had prepared a lot to take down this First Down, and they wouldn’t miss this obvious weakness.
Mesika indeed had a blind spot when turning right.
Unfortunately, this piece of information didn’t mean much to him; being nearly at the peak of the ultimate realm, no small weakness could make up for it. Still, to ease his mind, Brendel subconsciously leaned a little to the right.
As Mesika’s claw missed, it instantly erupted in rage, feeling humiliated that a mere elemental manifestation failed to land a killing blow. It let out a furious roar, and its left claw swept towards Brendel.
A sharp shriek exploded in the air.
At that moment, Charles’s spell finally arrived: “I command it to be unable to pass through one another, Wall of Laws!” The young wizard chanted the incantation, and as he pointed his wand forward, a wall made of various transparent force-field cubes instantly appeared between Brendel and Mesika.
With a crack, Mesika’s claw struck the wall, causing spiderweb-like cracks to immediately appear on the transparent surface. In an instant, it shattered as the force-field cubes burst like glass.
If Brendel were truly a player from the game’s first act, he would have likely been terrified to death. The Wall of Laws was famously an invincible spell, with the only drawback being that neither side could communicate, making it strictly a defensive spell.
Yet the force-field wall was forcibly shattered—it sounded like something that should happen several versions later.
It was only the 376th year. Brendel felt a chill run down his spine; however, Charles’s spell bought him a moment of time. He hurriedly pushed aside all distractions and took the desperate opportunity to roll to the side, narrowly avoiding the monstrous attack from the Chaos King.
“You filthy bug!” Mesika roared. It instantly felt mocked, that a mere mouse kept escaping its grasp time and again. If it couldn’t handle this little creature, it feared it would return to its fellow demon lords as a laughingstock. It lost all patience, raising its claw without need for any incantation or magical ritual—dark magic surged violently from its body.
Brendel and Charles immediately felt their bodies immobilized.
Demonic Spell: Bind!
This spell could immobilize opponents of equal rank for a second and let alone Mesika using it against two greenhorns. If it wanted to, Brendel and Charles could probably expect to not move a finger for half an hour.
Clearly, the Chaos King thought so as well—
It reached out a hand, as if a force had emerged from the void, pulling Brendel and Charles before it. Mesika wore a smug expression, eager to see the terror on Brendel’s face: “Truly overestimating yourselves. Next, I will let you taste the agony of wishing for death, so you foolish humans may learn the consequences of opposing me—”
Playing with people’s minds and spreading fear was the nature of demons and the source of their joy. Mesika could almost foresee the one caught in its claw trembling in fear.
But disappointment washed over it soon after.
Brendel’s eyes burned with rage, not an ounce of fear showing. Antinna’s death had pushed him to the edge of fury; he felt a part of him that belonged to the dark power stirring within.
The frenzied fire was like a venomous snake burning through his spirit.
He coldly glared at the foolish demon king and coldly replied, “The one who wishes for death is you, Mesika.”
At that moment, Dierphir had circled behind the demon king.
In truth, Mesika had long since noticed the little human girl, but it could totally tell that Dierphir lacked any real power; she was just an ordinary human, hardly worth its notice.
Though it didn’t turn around, it still ‘saw’ the little girl nervously pulling out a demonic armlet. Mesika couldn’t help but chuckle—this ridiculous bug actually thought it could bind it with something like that? It was a genuine hell demon king, and such a low-level trinket wouldn’t bind it; instead, it could reverse and affect the holder of that item.
Mesika decided to halt its actions and wait for the human girl to make such a naive mistake. It would turn the tables, making her its slave and trophy; the little mice would have some entertaining times ahead.
Thinking of whips and chains, this terrifying demon lord couldn’t help but break into a sinister grin.
It ‘saw’ Dierphir indeed raise the demonic armlet. Although it had its back to the young lady, a sly smile still crossed its face.
However, it quickly found itself unable to smile any longer.
Brendel snickered at the fool, fully aware of what the other side was planning. He had calculated this point long ago. It was a demon’s vile nature to derive pleasure from the misfortunes of mortals; habits are hard to break, and they would never easily give up such corrupt behavior.
Moreover, for Mesika, there seemed to be little to worry about at present.
As is well known, aside from those low-tier demons, the higher-ranking demons under the River of Sulfur are divided into many different sects; above them are the demon lords, and then the demon kings of various realms—Mesika was one of them.
The relationship between high-ranking demons and demon lords is somewhat similar to that between knights and lords, while the relationship between demon lords and hell demon kings is that of lord to king. Of course, demons do not have as strict a hierarchy as the human world. Nevertheless, becoming a demon king is no small feat.
Most demon kings are survivors who have emerged from a sea of corpses and rivers of blood after tens of thousands of years of slaughter. Though the powers among demon kings differ, they have at least reached the peak of the ultimate realm.
Such power is hardly something a few insignificant humans could intimidate.
Just like how Mesika had no idea what Brendel’s next move would be—Brendel did not act, but the state of binding did not mean silence; he could shout, at least. As Dierphir lifted the demonic armlet, Brendel suddenly shouted:
“Dierphir, listen carefully! This fool’s true name is ‘Toiss #403157’, you can find its mark in the Boundless Inferno! Hurry, cast a spell on it!”
The sly smile froze on Mesika’s face. Those well-versed in dealing with demons all know a secret:
Every demon born from the abyss is indestructible; they are another manifestation of chaos. Each time they are killed, it merely sends them back to chaos temporarily, leaving a mark that allows them to be reborn from it.
And this mark is the demon’s true name, the source of its power.
Every demon—no matter if they are inferior or powerful—has a unique name that belongs solely to them. This secret is known only to themselves and is never shared with anyone. Still, some demons throughout history have lost their names for some reason, and those demons often met grim fates of eternal enslavement.
To possess knowledge of a demon’s true name grants one the power to command it to do anything. While the saying that circulated among wicked sorcerers is somewhat exaggerated, it does represent a certain aspect of truth.
At least, the shock in Mesika’s heart at that moment could be described as tumultuous. The true name of a demon is its most intimate secret, one that wouldn’t be leaked even in whispered dreams. But the problem is…
Brendel spoke its true name.
How did he know?
If it were possible to change beliefs, Mesika would want to immediately flee to Lady Martha, crying at the feet of the Mother of All, claiming Brendel was just a cheating player and asking her to delete this guy’s account.
Unfortunately, Mesika’s superior, the Chaos and Duskgazer Dragon, was clearly not managing such matters.
The Chaos King displayed a look of awakening from a dream, roaring as it turned around in an attempt to stop Dierphir. But it was too late, or rather, it blamed itself for having been overly confident; just as it turned back, Dierphir had already located the mark of Mesika within the Boundless Inferno through her spell and the true name’s number.
Then she recited the painfully simple incantation: “Toiss #403157, authority revoked!”
At the same moment, the giant hell demon king and the frail young countess both let out muffled groans. Brendel felt the magical bindings on him loosen, while he saw a trace of blood instantly seep from the corner of Dierphir’s mouth.
Backlash.
He knew that Dierphir’s power was still too weak; relying solely on the demonic armlet would not only fail to control Mesika but would also lead to her being controlled in return. But even with the true name, Mesika’s tremendous power was beyond her capacity to bear.
Unfortunately.
He also didn’t have the extra time to search for a golden-tier summoner proficient in spirit communication; even the countess herself was just a pleasant surprise.
Brendel and Charles fell from the air to the ground. At the same time, Dierphir, who was trying to control the Chaos King, found her beautiful face twisting in agony; she finally understood why Brendel had warned her that this was a dangerous task.
She could not suppress Mesika’s power.
Even mastering the true name and the demonic armlet, a powerful hell demon king was not something an ordinary human could manipulate at will. The surging hellish power intruded through the armlet into her body, soon corroding her insides and blood vessels with numerous wounds.
“Lady Countess, you should know the consequences.”
“I know.”
Dierphir raised her head, blood flowing from her features, making her look horrifying. But she still held the demonic armlet high, shouting:
“I command you, sever the connection to the lower world’s magic!”
“No!”
The hell demon king suddenly screamed. It never dreamed that this little girl was so cunning; compared to her, it felt like a low-tier demon. Possessing its true name, Dierphir could command it to do anything, and it could not resist. In other words, she could command it to die, but the problem was, before that, she would be torn apart by the backlash.
But Mesika could never have anticipated that Dierphir would choose such a simple command that was ‘within her means.’
Severing the connection to the lower world’s magic.
It found itself powerless to resist as the dark magic within its body dissociated in an instant. To onlookers, Mesika appeared to be visibly ‘shrinking.’ In fact, its flesh rapidly deflated like a deflating balloon, soon transforming into a withered skin hanging off its bones, an utterly terrifying sight.
Moreover, Mesika’s power was quickly dwindling, almost instantly dropping from the peak of the ultimate realm to a mid-tier level of elemental awakening. In just a matter of seconds, it plummeted two realms or more, breaking a record for the rate of degradation in the “Amber Sword.”
“Ah! Bastards, you can’t do this!” Mesika raged, feeling as humiliated as a girl forcefully stripped of her clothes; it could hardly believe it would end up like this.
In fact, if Brendel could directly kill this guy, he would never choose such a troublesome method. Such a command was carefully considered because it was the only way to ensure Dierphir’s life safety.
Of course, the countess herself did not actually fear death. But the problem was, if she died, wouldn’t Mesika regain its freedom?
Therefore, Brendel initially opted for this compromise. Even this compromise would still inflict irreparable damage to Dierphir’s body, but it was the only way.
The dark bindings on Brendel and Charles dissipated in an instant. He quickly picked up the Sword of Earth, even as Mesika’s magical dissolution effect finally came to an end; theoretically, such a power dissipation would continue until it entirely became a mere human. However, the decay of physical strength was not something that could be achieved quickly.
The Chaos King—at this moment, Mesika, likely downgraded to a mere chaotic lord, had completely lost its confidence. It swiftly drew a horn from its waist—a long horn obviously made from the horns of a great demon—and frantically blew it.
The long, piercing sound instantly pierced through the entire battlefield. Brendel immediately realized this guy was calling for reinforcements. He turned around and indeed saw the demonic army in the center of the battlefield pause momentarily before turning chaotically to retreat.
“Stop him!”
He immediately shouted.
Antinna’s fate was still unknown; no one could find the node of the teleportation portal. If the demonic army arrived, everything they had done would turn to dust.
Charles, too, quickly reacted and grabbed the staff that had previously fallen to the ground.
At the same moment, the princess and her group, surrounded in the center of the battlefield, felt entirely different. Previously, they were trapped and could have faced annihilation at any moment. Reld and the Crusian knight were both battered and bruised, and Gherlok’s bloodied arm hung limply at his side, while the princess had taken a claw to the shoulder, staining half her outfit with blood. But just as everyone was fighting for their lives, suddenly the surrounding demons began to retreat, and the pressure lifted.
“What happened?” Those who had narrowly escaped death could not help but be momentarily stunned. The demons had clearly held the advantage; why suddenly grant them a breather?
They instinctively looked up—but the teleportation portal was still there, wasn’t it?
…
(PS: Given that the role-playing LOG has already spoiled some parts, I’ve decided to finish writing these chapters before continuing to post this segment… How painful = =, seeking votes.) (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes or monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
