"Bastinado was the punishment for deserters, beaten to death in front of the legion with clubs and stones by his fellow men. Yet the issue becomes prominent, how does one go about beating an entire army to death when every soldier is a traitor..." Cyrus mulled over the fact, "His human legionaries could certainly partake in the execution yet they're incapable of hurting let alone killing an elemental. These ghost beings are impervious to physical damage..." Rubbing his head with his invisible hands, the creative streak sneaked into the mental meeting during this respite. "Perhaps I can create elemental rocks that exist in the same plane as the..." His words were drowned out by a barrage of notifications.
[Congratulations! You have defeated [4] [Average Level 19] adventurers! [Class Upgrade requirement unlocked] [4/250 foes defeated] [100/200 Troops] [500/500 Mana]]
[Congratulations! Boss: Prometheus Level 15 has increased to Level 20 (Temporary until next defeat) and Level 16 (Permanent Spawn Level)
[Divine Presence detected! Divine Avatar detected!]
[ToS: Article C Section 15B enacted!]
[Notifying administrators]
[Manual Override detected...]
[ERROR]
[Noti&%*ing @dmi%&s*(*ors]
[Holy title detected! Your title [Saint] is at odds with [Maria Bardot]'s [Servant of Darkness] and [Max Wright]'s [Avatar of Evil]
[DIVINE QUEST DETECTED!]
[Kill both title holders to gain a bountiful reward:
[0/2 Slayed]
[Reward: Unknown]
[Time limit: ERROR Calibrating...]
[Time limit: Unlimited until targets have left your dungeon]
[This quest cannot be declined. [Y] has been selected for you!]
If Cyrus had hair in his bodiless state, he would've been pulling them out by the bushel. While he understood the notifications, the inability to choose between accepting or declining left a bitter taste in his mouth. The roman had vowed to never be put in such a position again but it seems the fates don't care for it. "At least my troops can get in some live practice now..." The Decanus cheered up slightly at the thought, the inner-workaholic dancing with glee. Shaking his head, the dungeon core returned to his mortal avatar.
Waking up in the tent, Cyrus jumped up only to bang his head against a pole. Pressing his palm against the pinkish, rectangular indent on his forehead, the roman jogged out, sliding past the remaining pillars with haste lest he suffers more at their hands. The dungeon core spread his will throughout the cavern, whispering into the minds of every legionary with one message, "Grab your equipment and assemble at the parade ground." A torrent of motion met his silent announcement. The rattle of armour, stamping feet and hissing blades echoed through the chamber, bringing Cyrus a sense of home, of familiarity.
His eyes glistened, staring blankly into the distant earth boundaries as his mind took a trip down memory lane. After a few minutes of reminiscing about the past, Cyrus wiped his eyes with a freshly conjured linen shirt and strode purposefully to the parade ground. He had a battle to win.
Breaking out from the rows of tents, he was greeted by ranks upon ranks of buff, sturdy men, fully armoured with shields and swords hanging by their side, heads locked forward, eyes front. Silent.
Marching to the podium, Cyrus's gaze met his second-in-command's hatred-filled eyes. He sighed, "No luck on that front it seems. Relationships are such fickle things. Give me a sword and a battle over this any day..." The woman slammed her fist into her chest, head bowing, her movements janky and forced. The Decanus returned the salute and walked to the edge of the stage. He looked over the sea of men, eagerly waiting for his speech. Anticipation and nervousness filled the air but his men remained still like statues, not displaying a single outward sign of their emotions. Each legionary was standing an exact distance from the next. Uniform and orderly. "The perfect army," Cyrus mused.
Clearing his thought and taking in a deep breath, he addressed the ranks, "We are facing an evil foe that has marched to our doorstep. It is our duty to protect our home from this treacherous foe! Your lives are not guaranteed but the blood you shed will not be forgotten! Fiat justitia, pereat mundus!" His words were repeated a hundredfold, rolling through the cavern like war drums.
[You are under the effect of chant [Fiat Justitia, pereat mundus]! +100% damage against [dark] entities. +50% to all stats [20 min duration]]
Cyrus opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted as more notifications bombarded his vision.
[Hostile intent detected towards dungeon core!]
[Enemy distance from core: 50m]
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
[Enemy distance from core: 49m]
...
The distance grew shorter and shorter. "Prepare to march!" The men did an about-turn in sync, now facing 180 degrees to the podium.
Cyrus turned around, noticing the terror within his vice-commander's eyes. Her body quivered despite the warm temperature. "So you've received the same notification as I huh?" The woman nodded glumly. "Truce till the threat has passed?" She accepted, "Y-yes." Patting her on the back and giving her a reassuring grin, the commanding officers sprinted down the ramp and formed up in front of the column. Without a word, the legionaries parted in the middle, fifty behind Cyrus and fifty behind the assistant. "ON THE DOUBLE! MARCH!" The two mini armies jogged towards the teleportation door.
----------------------------------------
Lilith was absolutely delighted by the turn of events. Her minion brought her a controllable portal to the mortal realm. Not only that, her acolyte's timing was impeccable. Summoning her at the end when the dungeon's resources have been entirely expended and the pesky mortals are all dead was just fabulous. It would've been utterly perfect if she had a feminine form. Alas, the goddess couldn't complain.
Practically skipping down the corridor, the goddess's mind was bustling with activity. Her consciousness was split into multiple sections, each in charge of a different task. From calculating the distance to the core to formulating plans for the future, her brain rapidly processed each subject simultaneously. An immortal never rests. There are too many things to get done and loose ends to tie up.
After approximately ten minutes of walking, the pair reached the final chamber without opposition. The demonic goddess's eyes landed upon the "core," a standard bearing the symbol of four snake-like bodies with arrowheads fixed at the end crossed in an X with a unicorn horn-like shape cutting across through the intersection. The space between the unicorn horn and the squiggly arrows contained a snake-like body but rigid, forming incomplete squares instead of curves with an arrowhead tip. The Legio XII Fulminata standard. Surrounding the flag was a group of fifteen soldiers with more streaming in through the door by the second.
The demonic goddess swooned with laughter, cackling like a witch before cooing in a sickeningly sweet tone, "What do we have here? Guess we're gonna have some excitement after all."
Upon setting eyes on that weird man with a female voice oozing corruption and evil, the Saint knew it had to be destroyed. It reminded him of the chimeras from legends but more unnatural and disgusting. Cyrus didn't know how the adventurer had become like this, but he didn't want to. This abomination, perversion of nature mustn't exist.
The two sides surveyed each other in silence, one searching for weaknesses to exploit. The other gazed at them with barely hidden excitement, licking her lips as if they were a delicious meal waiting to be gobbled up. The roman ground his teeth in frustration at the information deficiency. They knew nothing of the enemy. Cyrus felt the chance of victory was negligible. As his mind calculated whether making the first move was the best option, his decision was made for him.
Two black bolts slammed into the front ranks, eating away at all that came in contact, flesh, bone, metal, all turned to dust under the rapid assault of the black substance. "A ranged unit that can bypass shields and armour..." The Decanus gulped.
His eyes widened in shock and fear. The supreme military tactic, testudo, has been completely nullified before it could even be enacted. There was only one option, the bloodiest one, the one that cost the most lives. "ONWARD MEN! RUSH THEM!" His men swarmed forward, feet pounding on the floor.
The former tank gave an exaggerated yawn while casually flicking her fingers at the incoming soldiers. Black beads shot from her fingertips, each droplet colliding with a man's forehead with immaculate aim. Screams of pain and the thud of bodies echoed across the chamber as the first rank of legionaries toppled over, dead. The comrades behind tripped and tumbled over the corpses of their dead comrades, jostled forward by the never-ending tide of men.
Pale white faces looked back at their fellow soldiers, yelling for them to stop, to halt. Their words were swallowed instantly by the din of battle. They had no choice but to charge onward. The men acted like animals backed into a corner, lunging ferociously at the demon in human clothing. Their wild swings met metal, ricocheting off the smooth surface, leaving slim dents in the armour.
The man-woman smirked at them, coating her hands in a black, tar-like liquid. The soldiers kept on rushing forward. Upon being touched, their eyes rolled into the back of their heads, mouths open in a silent, soul-tormenting scream before slumping to the floor. Man after man fell to her powers. Nothing could touch her. The corpses building a small barricade around Lilith. Her minion hadn't been diddling around either, constantly launching black missiles into the sea of metal.
Cyrus watched helplessly as the woman cut his men down with ease, not even using a weapon. A mere touch was all it took. Explosions rocked the cramped room, hurling the dead and alive across the chamber, disrupting their fellows' charge. Half-liquidated bones and other body parts were flung about, landing on the faces of unsuspecting warriors, spreading their corrosive disease. Glistening armour and shields became coated in red and black.
The enemy hadn't moved away from her position, casually throwing what seemed like black raindrops into the men while swivelling her hand around like a scythe. She harvested his precious soldiers like wheat. Not a single drop of sweat was visible on her body. The tide of men slowed to a stop. The cacophony of sounds died down. The final few men rushed through the door. The second in command followed behind, gazing at the gut-wrenching scene.
Her mouth was wide open, eyes popping from their sockets. "So we lost..." Cyrus smirked grimly, "Yes, but we're taking at least one of them down with us." The woman nodded faintly. Drawing their swords, they charged in unison towards certain death.
Having dispatched the three remaining soldiers, she looked up at the duo, grinning evilly. Her demonic red eyes glazed over briefly as her jaw eased open. The avatar's jaw closed with a click as she recovered her demeanour, smiling curiously. The goddess grabbed the incoming blades with her bare hands, twisting them 90 degrees to either side. Bones cracked and popped from their sockets. Screams of pain soon followed.
Seeing the two pathetic humans on the floor, she dissipated the black aura surrounding her hands before reaching down and grabbing them both by the throat, lifting them off the floor with ease. The two warriors struggled, thrashing about, biting and kicking. Their efforts were in vain, unable to shake off the fleshy noose wrapped around their necks.
The avatar's black pupils stared the female officer down. Her eyes glazed over temporarily. "Well, that is disappointing..." Her hand crushed the woman's windpipe before twisting her wrist into a diagonal position. Crack. The female warrior's body stilled, dangling like a dead fish on a fishing rod. The possessed man's hand released the corpse, sending the deceased officer crashing to the ground.
Lilith turned her head to inspect Cyrus, "You're such an anomaly, I'll enjoy breaking you down." The man remained silent, unyielding in his quest to defy the monstrosity to his last breath. "Don't worry sweety, you'll be voicing your thoughts soon enough."
[Saint] [Divine Aid] 2/2 activated! Remaining charges: 1/2]
[No patron deity found! Searching for suitable domains...]
[Match found! [God of War: Mars]]
[Your patron is now set to [God of War]]
[Aid request sending...]
[Request has been sent. Please wait patiently.]