COI C274

  The end is near. The East Coast fell into conflict. Behalf of many enemies wanting something off from this realm. The sinking caves, the valley, the ruin, and finally the depths. It is so well defined as a domain after layers upon layers of realms consist of different biomes co-existing. This realm is invaluable. Different factions, entities, and people are all gathered here. Knowing all what lies inside for what they could no longer control the attraction it provided.

  There is no excuse anymore to leave it alone. The rat men have found an enemy that is too long to left ignored. The Circoston invaders fled, none of them return after they found the depths. The dwarves who were trapped here before, finally escape from this treacherous realm. Many assume that they found where rat men entered. Altogether, none of them know how it went like this. It is near to its destruction as time goes by. When the 5th moon cycle ends, the 1st moon cycle will restart to its original seasons. Near the sea where the realm will restore again.

  Everyone watches inside of the realm. Lights pouring out and the realm begin to change. Tabitha and the rest of the citizens bare witnessed the drastic disfigure of the coast. It draws out the supernatural environment then shifts into beyond any natural forms. The fiction in nature begins to merged out the sands, the sky, and finally the sea. The nasty fluid turned thicker, less natural, and become more denser in mana form. The change was too overwhelming whereas all the citizens are backing away.

  They hear the bells toll softly ringing. All around as they see divine magic collected all the lights as each comes out in a form of a soul. Souls of Horsin appeared and see the living. They all faded one by one as the spell they cast had been done. The Benedictus collects them all restoring their strength. The man catcher raises his hand with the golden light blazing in fire. The holy book appeared, still torn and incomplete lies on his arm. To them, it is done. They brought them out from the realm.

  Silfa remembers these flashing lights before. These are the same stories heard among the surviving adventurers. She can hear the songs hymn as no one is singing. These hymns strengthen her and her powers inspired. She took a deep breath as she, at the same time in shock, watches the realm turning into a world they could not comprehend. The realms turned into an empty abyss, where the ruins of Del’Montra Esteval being devoured by the strong torrent.

  Already engulfed in dim waters as it tries to free itself from the destruction. This is where they witness the true realm’s nature. The day when the Fall Era happened; broken, hellish, and consumed by the last moments of its fallen. Showered into the abyss, where everything they have ventured through survived it all in its once miraculous ground. They stared at the lights to the last time, the souls vanish one after the other sending away natural forms into the hellish landscape.

  Mi’lady turns to the survivors after what they have seen. The survivors ask

  “Is that what you said to us before. The true demon realm?”

  She nodded and pointed them away from it

  “We finally escape. There is nothing left you will be going back there anymore”

  The tidal wall appeared out of nowhere where the last barrier used by Haw had reached its limit and drowned into a wall of explosion. It was over, but still trapped at its walls.

  “Give thanks to God, all of our prayers keep safe to those who are willing to flee”

  “Then this must mean we have brought all who want to be saved. But we’re been here more than they have trapped themselves”

  “This is not about us who walking through there. This a path of no returns”

  “Even with that, all of us knew that city belongs to Sarah Mae”

  “And what gods would ever create where three powerful beings fighting each other over this fallen world”

  “Then what’s the point now as we cleared and saved everyone we could. Dare we go back home like this?”

  “I’d say, we should finish this and take them home. We’re not even finish talking about taking it down”

  “You mean the demon, let it stay at the pit I say”

  “A pit or not, where else will that sneak dragging the people we rescued out from a safe distance?”

  “It’s been months and we already know why. Without those bastards trafficking these people, we wouldn’t be bother getting backstab in the first place”

  “What about that boy? He can’t be free for at least a few seconds?”

  “Hey! Don’t blame others”

  Tabitha gathers her team. Silfa, Juela, Haw, R-cord, and McS4 gathered around her. Silfa insists on bringing Mina’s team as they need a crowd to get this ordeal in order. Tabitha thinks this rescue is impossible if they won’t stop the demon from sabotaging their escape. Kenta is possessed, there he is being tied away from harm’s way. Voldemyr and U’ecin are next to him finding ways to free from the curse. If this continues like this, then the demon’s powers will return and none of them will escape from it.

  The man catcher accompanied the survivors. As everyone is tired after the ordeal. He checks the time as they have only a few weeks left. The surprised expression on the old man’s face as they still have to go through in this last cycle. If defeating the demon is the only way to end all this. Then there is only one thing left to do.

  “. . . To get this far, there is one way left”

  Tabitha raises her head “Yeah. But planning to kill a demon, I heard from Myrrkei they died is only sealing them”

  “Of course, and more so if you tried to escape after killing it”

  “Like what?”

  “It is a risk worth taken if it meant for everyone. Like most demons, destroying them means their magic will disburse. This realm will fall if we succeed to destroy it. What’s dangerous about it because how deep the demon is. Trapping the victor inside of the sealed demon’s realm is mostly common back in the Heroes and Demons Era. It wasn’t that complicated when people are highly resolved enough to escape and not going to kill the demon in the first place”

  Silfa doubted it “Then we have problems because we have people who are not as unified than we have thought. For this to end it and free everyone. We have to go down there and end it. What about the magic we are dearly needed to escape?”

  R-cord points out outside as he projected his visor to show it to them.

  “The blood pavement, all the effort we have done. It still works, we can still go down there and finished the job”

  Everyone looks around, and then straight to Tabitha. Her eyes show no hesitation. This is the only way they have to pull it through. She stands up and decided what to do next.

  Days go by, the risk had reached its peak. They have one day left before the cycle will end soon. Alga’s light will return by sea. Nurturing back to the shore where the sea reaches to the coast. This will cause a great change of event. If what they observed from the realm. Then the crystal wall will finally break. Then the east coast of Kinteinnou region will rise cesspools of old machines coming back and attack the city states. This news will be detrimental if they failed.

  R-cord, McS4, and Haw take their time on the crystal wall. The sight of sore eyes at the site while listening to Lady Coheld’s transmission.

  “. . . In the end, we can’t keep a secret”

  “Negative, ma’am”

  “Our discovery shouldn’t have been exposed. No matter, there are other ways to keep yourself stay inside the realm for a while”

  “For a while, ma’am. What about Haw? He has duty need to attend to”

  “He is Raker Mawn guild member, that much is true. Yet, he is a man who can decide on his own. There is nothing much left but to survive out there. I’m guessing he is going to make a gift for the recruit to use. Isekai City is turning up well”

  When the transmission ends, McS4 said to Haw. “It’s kind of sad that you won’t be part of the group later”

  “Our leader said so, I don’t have any more of the potions against those machineries”

  “Or rather, your experiment had already figure it out that the world we entered before wasn’t real”

  “Are we really talking about the realm before it changed? We received classified information about it and we still pretend the places we go are really safe? Without that, I’ve never supposed to make those potions and defenses”

  For how long did they hide it from Tabitha? Also, Juela, she pretends pretty well not asking what happened to the actual demonic realm. There is no natural formation throughout demon history. This realm fits what the demon had in mind neither spiritual or natural. It is dense and highly made from personal mind. The Unworthy guild had done greatly to make everything natural. Infestations and other strange phenomenon made it harder to make it normal.

  R-cord didn’t care much of the deceptive details. The main fact that they were able to reach here and back out without any of them died from the gushing torrent all around them. They see the blood pavement as the others have already waving at them. R-cord gives the signal. McS4 heads first carrying all of his best equipment. The tech on his body repels the majority of the dense toxication of the influence magic. Where he landed as they walk along the road.

  Tabitha, Juela, and Silfa joined him “Are you sure just us?”

  “You’ve brought those girls before. I’ve seen them not capable on fighting. Rather, they seem not learned much”

  Silfa agrees “Yeah, they just survive. I still want them to venture down though”

  “Why is that?”

  “It’s because we can share our resources. Our fights will be dangerous and expect of fighting a literal demon. We can get this done soon with numbers. We waited to the worse time and it is better off die trying, right?”

  They are planning to take the risk, boldly explained by the man catcher. If they are going to kill the demon. They need a certain amount of time for its death to destroy what holds them, and destroy the realms at the same time. However, if the demon revived sooner. The realm will be intact and them who beaten it will have time to escape. If they succeeded correctly, then they can escape with their lives.

  On Juela’s hand is Wilson’s note, there are still people who are not sealed yet. The paper is riling itself to move as the influence is trying to free it. For it to be fully complete, there they can see only a few lefts are hiding. This means they are some of them left. This would be the last thing to do to appease Delilah and ends the favor she wanted from Aoi.

  Crossing through the blood pavement, it is hard for Tabitha and her friends would be walking through this empty void. Purely dark and can see a few lines moving like water. Far deep as they only remember the areas by their senses, they can see silhouettes of rat men floating in the air moving around both consumed by the pavement and the abyss itself. When they reach to the end, they found the extension of the road going further. It latches on nothing but continues to be solid as they walk on it. Beneath the pavement, they saw countless entities, sea creatures, corrupted citizens, and more trapped on the road.

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  McS4 checks on the ground and sees the path seems stretch further than the actual infrastructure, he guides them down lower to where moving platforms were

  “Luckily, we skipped all the platforms and then straight down directly at the demon’s den” R-cord responds “Lucky or nor, the hassle going back up won’t be hard”

  They look around where they could not see any buildings at all, and they can only see scattered ruins of rat men and other old remains, ancient like, stuck in the existence of neutral mana barely holding on its own.

  Juela figures out what she had seen thus far

  “If it wasn’t for them, these ruined remains can be used as resources. But how it was kept there for so long means something else . . .”

  Tabitha asks “What happened who take it?”

  “Take a demons’ treasures are always leads to their demise. It is better we walk over it than take it. The Benedictus has their reason to hide from us. It is much better we should go along with it. We are here to help you, Tabitha”

  A spark appears down, where scattering dark specs flying around like fireworks. They covered their eyes as dark specs land close to them. Ashes, dusts, and smoke. The remains of the rat men fell to their defeat like trickling rain. McS4 covers Juela, R-cord covers Tabitha, and Fae-chan shelters Silfa. All of them continue to going down and watch the fight from afar. R-cord and McS4 recognized the blazing fiery might in the distance. Their enemies before had already been revived. The fight keeps going.

  There they stop. Close to the depths where the fight held. The magic centered around it projecting enormous amount of magic surrounding it nonstop. Where the last steps of the blood pavement lead there, large numbers of the rat men horde stationed there just to feast on the infrastructure. Dining it to no end just to regain their strength. Somewhere on the horde, there is a rat man looking at them. The rat man looks different than the rest, covered in the robe, but never tattered as its limbs are not thin than the rest. Like, it doesn’t show its undead features. It removed its robe showing its iron rat helm.

  It walks slowly and carefully not to trample its horde as others are going straight back to the fight. The trickling rain of rat men body parts continues dropping down, hitting the rat man in robes. It manages to catch one with its spear consumed it with its magic, and the spear engulf it, strengthening the weapon temporarily. Tabitha and her friends were frightened a bit as it comes closer. They look at their partners as they show no signs of being hostile towards it. The silent continues as they watch the rat man closer.

  As they reach to the point, face to face, the rat man reaches out the infrastructure by its hand scratches it with its claw, pulling it furiously towards the fight, and as everybody being pulled in. The men and the doll are not reacting to it. Rather, they are preparing. Fae-chan channels its shamanistic rituals, calling out the spirits of the rat men. The doll channels ritual winds around the robe rat man. Its rituals going through the rat man and breathes it then exhales releasing powerful essences.

  Silfa says to the doll “Hey, what’s going on? We are getting pull into the enemy”

  She sees Juela telling her to be quiet. The women were not sure what’s going on, and going into the fight is not what they have in mind. The robe rat man starts pulling them faster, and begin to run. The essences out from its body begin to form. The ritual spurts out its essence spreading all around the rat men horde, providing enough power to push back the threat before them. Then the bright light split in two.

  The blood pavement begins to move forward as the road is form. Countless remains scattered form into a road by itself. The blood like ink acts alive on its own bringing itself the last connection to the entrance of the depths. They see the opportunity to go through as they being pulled by the robe rat man. Two lights coming back and appeared before the rat man. R-cord and McS4 reacts quickly and takes arm and used each of their range weapons.

  Molten steel appears in a form of lava, two avatars try to stop the blood pavement to come closer. Shots fired from the dark, and the piece of their body were torn off. Halved from the shot, they pick themselves up again trying to stop it. Tremendous heat bursts out causing all of the rat men around the two fell into the flames, blown up to the air, and others burnt to ashes. The two restored and continue pushing them forward and attack the robe rat man. When they meet, face to face, they see shamanistic ritual of the same figure of the robe rat men. Identical and essence match to the original, giving enough time for the actual rat man to reach the gate before it flees from the attack.

  R-cord, McS4, and Fae-chan turn around where the heat blasted on them. They huddled the women together while Fae-chan closes the heat. A seal is form and something materialized before them. A gate a ruined door once belonged to the tidal city of Del’Montra Esteval. Once the door is closed, a figure appeared through the water. Delilah, Sarah Mae, the immortal one calls out to them.

  “I was expecting my bloodline to come here. Also, the young girl should be here too. Did you not bring them here?”

  Silfa calls out on her “After all that happened since your stupid trials. Where were you when we are being going through life and death, while we are drop down fainted?!”

  Delilah sees Silfa’s wrath going at her. It is pretty much hard to understand how lucky they were when the Benedictus are around. She didn’t give a proper respond and continue her own way.

  “This argument means nothing to me as you are close to the core of that trespasser”

  Juela casts a spell and gives a big gap between them

  “She’s right. Delilah, we need you to coordinate with us. We have to deal with that demon or none of us will escape”

  Delilah summons a room before the door, concealing them together from the dangers around them. The old chamber that used to be a courtroom. There they can see the immortal that used be in royal rule.

  Delilah explains to them “Defeating an old enemy, that’s my personal issue. But I overestimate your people to actual resist the influence. My guess is wrong, how pathetic. I was hoping my bloodline should come and aid me to end that trespasser’s nuisances. For the young girl, she needs Wilson’s note to finish it. It is important because those names written on it are the ones who are trying to get inside the crystal wall. Your companions did great but they are like ticks. They will come back”

  She shows them the crystal wall. It is real as what lies inside is the large armies of mechanical spiders.

  “Souls lie inside already lost their sanity, and your people’s soul will be good enough to control these machines. That note is the key to search all of those traitors who will be chosen to control them. If it is complete, then let the note do the rest”

  Tabitha left in shock as the enemies they face before, who Mina trying to kill are . . .?

  “You mean earlier, the survivors who are against us . . .”

  “Split from their bodies, and you are only taken a piece of their souls. If you’re able to complete a few more, from how I sense from the note. Then let magic takes its course”

  “What about the demon? We are here we can take care of it for you”

  “This is a different matter. I’ve seen this trick before. It is your plan, but mine will definitely put the end of your lives because I chose to destroy it and this realm”

  Juela understands. This means Delilah chose to end this. Either she helps them or not, she knows she is strong but never seem to used her powers. She must have her reasons. The realm is drained out all of their mana. The crystal wall is losing its integrity leaving out a weak spot when the sudden burst of Alga’s light returns. Delilah alone versus the corrupted citizens and the demon itself. This situation will definitely destroy the crystal wall. But what happened to her after they escaped. Delilah shows no concern about it.

  Delilah was here in the realm for a long time. Her city was engulfed by the demon. Because of the crystal wall she made to stop the horde of machines to kill her people. It’s been years when the city attacked. She was able to hold off from many intruders and trespassers trying to break free from the crystal wall. Her legacy of this ruined tidal city had trapped herself to keep it safe. She still hears her children descendants hoping she would leave that place and destroy the realm she had forced to stay. Del’Montra Esteval should’ve put to rest.

  R-cord receives a transmission being hacked through his helmet.

  “So, I guess you’re all here. And I thought that dwarf guy and the hunter should be the one dealing against our master”

  Silfa felt chill on her spine “That voice . . .”

  “Yes, it’s me! Youta. I felt a piece of my soul chipped off back at the surface. We’re glad that the note is incomplete. If it wasn’t for . . . Hmm, I should stop talking. When you reach here, you’ll see what happened to all of us. The one who joined the heroes’ faction. This is just the beginning. Once tomorrow begins, we will break out from this realm and show all of you that we are just as powerful as we were back then”

  The transmission stops. It shows from the start they were being tapped. An archscience tech being wire tapped is hard to believe until the powers they used are coming from the demon itself. Youta calls them out as he said in a low frustrated tone. R-cord holds his helmet adjusting the frequencies

  “. . . I have proof, Tabitha”

  “Yeah, if we haven’t talk about the details before”

  “The moment we talk about the curse. Those young girls and especially the boy would be turned against you if they know.”

  McS4 slightly opens the door and sees Youta. Only in the form as ghosts, they can’t seem to move and only haunts around them. Their mana is dried up, leaving only the existence of themselves seen through their devices and other magical traits. The only threat through his visor is the avatar itself. The marks show that it was teleported away from the surface, leaving the divine sticking on its living armor. Weakening enough for it not to move because of the impurities.

  Something knocks on the entrance door. It was loud metal banging. Everybody turns as they see molten heat coming out from it. R-cord raises his hand with his handgun. He opens the chamber and reload specific bullets to take out the avatars. Load it up, aimed at the door, and ready to shoot to what is to come. He said to Tabitha

  “The avatars are the least of your worries. The demon is weak, bring everything you’ve got”

  Juela says to him in respond “Let’s hope the three of us can fight that demon”

  Tabitha pats on Juela’s shoulders “We got this. If what the Benedictus said to us earlier. Then this is the last moment of their powers are gone. Put the demon out and everything of this place torn apart”

  Silfa added “. . . And it will come back after a few hours and kill us if we can’t made it back”

  The three women look at each other. Their grins put a smile on their face. One last luck as they headed to the other side. The door broke down and the sounds of gunshots fired. McS4 shouts at the top his longs

  “ARCHSCIENCE COUQUERS ALL!”

  Juela casts a spell and teleport them out from the courtroom. Seeing Delilah looking at them one last time before the room she made collapses. When they arrived, powerful bursts of spell break the entire area leaving nothing what lies inside. The demon finally meets them. Youta is beside it leaving a ghostly figure before them. At last, they meet. The last remaining magic on the influence. Along with the avatar that got teleported away from the coast. He sends his broken piece of his soul into the body. As the avatar begins to move.

  As its core opens widely exposed and unbelievable amount of energy released. Tabitha counters it by using her card. They are buffered into a zone, ceasing the opportunity to move. The zone warps them in and see the avatar begin to move molten red hot. All three of them channeled their spell together. Extending the speed of the avatar while the other avatars at the back begin to powered charge between R-cord and McS4. Ready for this final moment, Tabitha releases the spell and the avatars radiantly lunges themselves at them.

  All of them were able to dodge it and the three avatars hit each other at the collision. Molten together as if they are formed one. The collision causing them to stick together. But couldn’t combine together as the cores themselves are refusing to merge altogether. At this moment, fluid drops on it. The last potion left made by Haw. The concoction merged them in and left them into stone. Juela holds the last potion as they see the last guardians are gone.

  Tabitha wields the remaining of her active cards. Already set in and planned out, a burden coming out from her body as many cards being played to protect them from this place. The resistances they have used on three of them. The doll is the only one is truly exposed as the essence corrupting its very presence. R-cord looks at the doll then to them

  “Let’s go, the demon is waiting for us”

  The moment they are about to leave. Something happened to the stoned avatars, one core revealed in stone while the two remained burning in molten fire. An explosion set lose as the two immediately break free. One avatar fell into a crumbling state leaving the other two messed up with the remaining on their body untouched by the potion. Youta shouts out at them

  “I’m glad you waisted two of those potions. Who knew that guy left near the realm did so much damage?”

  Youta charges forward got impaled by R-cord’s rifle. R-cord almost takes aim but getting hold off from Youta’s molten body grabbing his rifle. The sounds of the loading hand gun as he takes aim at the avatar. One well shot, then blasted off its core. The core drops and roll bringing in the body. Youta emerges then quickly shots off with a cooling shot from R-cord’s rifle. The molten ceased and hardened, but soon cracked out from its body, whereas its molten body continues to cause damage on R-cord’s power armor.

  Silfa casts her forcefield on R-cord. Her shield burns and the magic quickly melted down and materialize, capturing R-cord’s part of his body. Multiple spells surround the avatar breaking down the forcefield and at the same time weak enough for R-cord to break free. Another few shots from his hand gun at the molten presence persists until Youta’s body shifted into a weapon smashing him away.

  The other avatar fights McS4, burning through and got pulverized from his heavy weapon. McS4 grabs its broken limb and hardened before it casts anything. He quickly crushing it putting it down in its place where its head and body slides a bit as he drags it down tearing some of its body. Adding in with his flamethrower and heavy gun, flames and explosion bursts out, draining his ammunition with multiple chemicals. The living steel tainted by impurities leaving it slowly repairing itself. Delaying it from recovery.

  “Just like the last time, luckily you can’t revive as fast as before”

  “AAH!”

  McS4 got hit from the back. Youta drowned in impurities from R-cord’s shots. Living steel’s souls and pure alloys are one, and impurities would’ve damaged its soul temporarily until cleaned. Except it merged with Youta’s soul, and he is able to control it. The core begins to manifest and turning. The core is weakened but still strong enough to fight them. Artificial, made into a hybrid, the soul channel inside to help it from losing its strength. Pure metal mixing by magic, not as strong as the original but good enough to go on.

  R-cord looks through his monocle and calls out to Tabitha “If this soul really going to control those mechanical spiders. We must leave before the crystal wall breaks”

  Tabitha uses her telepathy hearing the details. Youta, only his soul left is capable on controlling the body of the avatar. Just like Aoi’s brother and the mechanical spider, they can able to possess those bodies with their limited knowledge. This becomes a dangerous threat right. Molten fire bursts out like volcano, sending everyone burning in and the influence seeping in them too.

  Once the fire clear, Fae-chan casts its ritual holding itself in place. The damage was too much as it linking the pain of molten fire transfer to it. Burning through its doll body, its shamanistic powers endure the damages. When it is cleared, all of her companions are knockdown. Tabitha feels the burning molten steel. The manifestation of steel and magic left R-cord and McS4 melting their armor off. Removing it before the damage reaches their bodies.

  Youta sees the strength he can do. All the damage he receives and returned effectively including the Dexter guild’s power armor. He never felt so strong and at the same time disappointed of how he can’t beat them on his own. The avatar’s body is the pinnacle of the influence power. Now eyeing at Tabitha, he walks forward. His legs rusted shot from the impurities, he removes it as he floats in the air. The sight to see how they were able to get here. All he sees is right in front of him. The cards helping them to keep themselves alive and sane. One raise of his molten arm into a drill, whirling towards Tabitha’s heart. He takes aim and

  “Youta!!!”