As compensation, the swordsmith absorbed an unreal amount of demonic energy. Although he couldn't really use it, the "spiritual pressure" he emitted crushed weak demons, so now no local inhabitants dared to even approach him.
The demon who had "stolen" Griffith was quite far away, so we had to run for a very long time. The world we were in was not a planet. At least, I didn't find even the slightest signs of a curved surface. There was no horizon here, and only the constantly hovering mist limited visibility.
In my estimation, Griffith was now about a hundred thousand kilometers away from us. Moreover, the direction to him also indicated that this world was flat. We would have had to run too long, even at cheetah speed. Definitely more than a month. And with the presence of crowds of demons around us, even two months didn't seem like a limit to me. Therefore, I made the strategic decision to teach Guts how to fly.
Fortunately, the psyche of the former mercenary had already adapted enough to the new realities so that he could perceive the idea of flying at supersonic speeds normally. And considering the burning hatred in his heart for Griffith, the thought about he could reach him not in a couple of months, but in just a couple of days, greatly increased his motivation to learn something new.
As a result, following my instructions, Guts transformed into a supersonic fighter jet that flew forward, piercing through space. But I didn't get to enjoy it for long. When we had only a couple of thousand kilometers left to fly to our destination, the laws of the world around us began to change. For unknown reasons, it became increasingly difficult to stay in the air, and in the end, not only Guts but also I crashed to the ground.
While I was "floating in the air," being a small elf was quite comfortable. But as soon as I was forced to move on the ground, my small body immediately became a source of many troubles. Where the ground was simply uneven for Guts, for me, it was a hellish terrain with deep pits and high hills.
As a result, I brazenly climbed onto Guts' head and commanded my "steed" to move forward. However, he was already so accustomed to me that he barely paid attention. This was also due to the fact that I deliberately implanted corresponding settings in his consciousness. I had already composed through his brain with my imagination, forcing him to focus on his hatred for Griffith and forget about Casca and Farnese waiting for him.
However, from the consciousness of the Skull Knight, I read thoughts that all of this company was devoured by demons during the "attack" on the witch's cottage. Although the Skull Knight and the Band of the Hawk apostles had the same master, there was strong competition between them, and their roles themselves implied rivalry. In short, although Griffith was not in the material world at that time, his "minions" attacked the witch's refuge and burned down her "residence" along with her and the people staying there. In short, there was no turning back for Guts, and the only option left was to accelerate his movement forward - straight into the mouth of Azathoth.
Our rough "landing" turned out to be not the only problem. After a hundred kilometers, which Guts ran at the speed of a racing car, mountains appeared before us. And not just mountains, but sheer cliffs rising for tens and hundreds of kilometers. Fortunately, the foothills of these cliffs were dotted with a network of caves, into which we delved.
Here, Guts had to slow down again and literally fight his way through countless hordes of demons. Some of them were much stronger than the Band of the Hawk, so the swordsman had to deal with them quite a bit. But in the end, we encountered an obstacle that we could not overcome.
The thickness of the mountain rock in this place was split by a bottomless chasm. Approaching the edge, we could see a sheer wall with numerous tunnel openings a couple of hundred meters ahead. In fact, the view was the same from this side. My ability to fly had not yet been restored, so there was no way to overcome this abyss. Moreover, I could sense that it was not just a chasm, but some kind of conceptual barrier, so even building a bridge would hardly be possible.
However, from the height of our position, we could see a wide bridge below and to the side, crossing the gap. It was illuminated by two rows of torches, making it visible from afar. After navigating through the dungeons, we reached the bridge and encountered another demon obstacle.
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At first, Guts didn't pay much attention to the presence of a "guard" in this place. Demons were always guarding something somewhere from someone, and we constantly had to kill them to pass by. But this time, our opponent had an incredible defense based on demonic energy that Guts couldn't penetrate. No matter how he attacked or dodged, the demon simply ignored all the attacks directed at it and prevented the "intruder" from passing by, putting up defensive barriers in his path.
As a result, after nearly a day of continuous battle, during which we also tore apart several groups of demons who wanted to cross the bridge without the guard's permission, Guts gave up and retreated. The demon, of course, was not pleased with this, but didn't pursue us. It was tired of constantly "killing" Guts, only to find his body restored a second later.
"Guts, you may have become a little stronger, but everything is still as impenetrable as ever" - I began instructing the contender for the title of - "King of the Bridge."
"What?" - the swordsman grumbled.
“You possess immense reserves of demonic energy, but you have no idea how to use it. Don't think that your sword can kill any enemy. You act according to the proverb "Strength is enough, no need for intelligence" but the result is "No intelligence - consider yourself crippled". You need to learn demon magic. But since I know in advance how dumb you are, I've decided to give you the knowledge in a fully prepared form. You just need to learn how to properly utilize your new abilities, and your immortal body will take care of all the details of using magic.”
With these words, I copied a block of information into Guts' consciousness, containing all my analytical work on the combined use of demonic energy and psionics. During our journey, I observed Guts' actions and the actions of the demons, analyzing them using the most advanced quantum-magical computers in my body. As a result, I formed a whole "spell library" that allowed for the indirect manipulation of the surrounding world using demonic energy.
For three days and three nights, Guts learned to use magic. Although he now knew how to use it, it all ultimately came down to conscious control. Fortunately, all the basic energy manipulations could be "automated" through the functions of Vritra's body. After all, this entire body was one big computer. And on the astral level, I literally "grew" new astral organs for Guts, which allowed him to use a limited set of spells with almost no effort.
As a result of all these "improvements," the next time Guts appeared on the bridge, he crushed the previously invincible demon in just a couple of minutes. The correctly chosen methods of attack literally "exploded" the enemies from within, creating a destructive resonance in their internal channels. Because of this, every strike from Guts caused injuries not only to the local equivalent of a physical body that demons possessed but also to their astral bodies.
Having crossed the bridge, we found ourselves in what seemed like another world. The dungeons we had passed through before were reminiscent of slums and sewer pipes. Here, everything was adorned with gold and precious gems, and even the most insignificant demon could boast golden armor. However, all this masquerade did not affect the strength of the local inhabitants, so Guts crushed them effortlessly.
In the last hundred kilometers, we ran through corridors resembling palace chambers, cutting through crowds of demons of all kinds and ranks. Before their deaths, many of them lamented that their master was currently occupied with an important event and could not personally punish the intruder. But after the ceremony was over, they promised us endless torment and eternal pain. However, all these cries of impending death did not frighten anyone.
Just as we were nearing the place where Griffith was located, the sensation from his mark suddenly disappeared. Within a second, we burst into a richly decorated hall, where only a four-meter-tall demon dressed in golden armor and a group of his lackeys were visible. Those who could have helped their master had already lost their lives, trying to stop Guts' progress.
“You again?” - the demon exclaimed, and I recognized the voice of the Idea of Evil that had kidnapped Griffith.
“Where is Griffith!?” - Guts shouted, looking around.
“So, you came for him? Ha-ha! That worm is already beyond your reach. I sent him as an offering to my master for the upcoming feast. Don't worry, your master will be devoured, and the rights to your Brand of Sacrifice will pass to whoever consumes him. Although, by that time, you will already be dead. Guards! Seize him!” - the demon yelled, looking at us with a sense of superiority. – “Guards!? Where are they?”
At that moment, another demon rushed into the hall. He wore the same armor as the thousands of demons we had slain on our way here.
“Oh, Lord, your entire guard perished while trying to fulfill their duty. This man dared... kh-ha-a-a...”
Without hesitation, Guts shot a harpoon, pulled the last guard towards him, and split him in half with his sword, instantly turning him into a pile of slime. Thanks to the magic he wielded, even a simple strike completely obliterated the bodies of the demons.