That’s… Rosy!
The sudden information he got was how one of his parallel selves saw the corrupted Rosy wandering stupidly close to him. Happily enough, she was still in her unstable state, making her senses unstable and unable to detect him, even though he was only a few meters away from her.
Her presence was a great danger not only to him but to the city as well, since the central park was only a few hundred meters away from the fortified city, making Darius sweat bullets.
After some time, it appears that she left the area farther away from the city without harming him, while a dark-red aura was emanating from her, demonstrating how the miasma was slowly but surely corrupting her.
If that’s a Rosy halfway to being corrupted, then it must be Icarus’ world... Then the only one remaining is Sora Kim, the Beastwoman… Fucking great.
Darius sighed annoyed, as he remembered the fifth hero of the story: Sora Kim, the Beastwoman.
If she were anything different from the other heroes, it was that while her body was that of a 20-year-old woman, inside she was a demonic spirit that consumed the spirit of a dying woman and, after some weird accident, it got counter-corrupted by the woman’s spirit and started to love humans, wanting to fight for them. Having a demonic spirit, she was able to modify her body to turn into that of a demonic half beast, half human. But thanks to that, she was afraid of telling the other humans about herself, keeping her abilities secret, and using two knives and raw physical power rather than her transformation ability. Because of that, in the first half of her story, she would end up using only 50% of her powers at all times, until an event forced her to release her own limiter and transform to use everything she had.
In his past life, Darius tried to reassure her that not all the humans would fear her, ending up having her open up to him and be more dependent on him as a result. She behaved like an animal sometimes, a wolf especially, liking his face and jumping on him whenever she was in a great mood.
Obviously, this ended up taking a whole other turn the moment we fell into madness, doing similar things with her as I did with Anna… Sigh~ miasma it’s one scary shit alright…
In conclusion, as if things weren’t bad enough, Darius not only doomed the world and humanity in his past life but also screwed two of the six heroes.
Trying to forget this and get back on track, Darius went back to the city through the same alley he came from—more exactly, through the alley used only by the Demonic Followers.
While at it, I might as well lower their numbers.
As he walked slowly down the path through the ruined city, then outside the park, down the alleys, he suddenly heard some footsteps and hid beside a wall. He looked around and saw that the building that hid him had more broken windows on the first floor, easily entering through it and waiting for further movements as he peeked through.
"P-please…! L-let me go. I have nothing on me to offer…"
"Tsk. Hey, could you knock her out once more? She’s starting to get annoyed."
Two men dressed in the Blue Spark uniform walked down the alley, while one of them was holding a woman like a bag of potatoes on his shoulder. Her clothes were ripped while she was bleeding from behind her head, most probably from being hit with a blunt object. She was barely able to stay awake while she cried and squirmed on the man’s back.
"Dunno man, I think if I hit her one more time, she might seriously die. And I'm not sure about you, but I’m not into corpses, you know?"
The second man shrugged his shoulders and spoke while licking his lips, staring at the woman like a wolf at his prey. Both of them were mages, and by the looks of it, they obviously abducted someone from inside the city.
"Tsk. That’s because you don’t know where to strike to shut them up. Should I do it?"
"If you do it, you might break her skull. Your control over your own physical powers sucks."
"Don’t piss me off, bastard, or I might just kill her here and have you find us another one."
They continued on walking, and after getting out from between the buildings, they passed by the window while continuing on chatting.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever man…-!"
-TZEW!-
"Damn, at least she’s quiet now... Hey, why are you quiet too?"
The man turned back and saw his friend with a pained expression on his face while holding onto his neck, blood dripping from his wound like a faucet.
"W-what the fuck is going on?!"
He dropped the woman on the ground then ran to his friend, who was barely standing.
"----!"
His windpipe and jugular were completely cut, the slash being clean and quick. Although he had the vitality of a superhuman, even he couldn't heal after having his neck cut open, falling to his knees, and slowly dying from suffocation and bleeding.
W-where did this come from?! Was it a wind-slash? Another mage?! But who!
The other mage released his aura and a raw power started to swell his muscles up, showing that his power revolted around physical enchanting.
How troublesome…
From the next window, Darius peeked outside and thought to himself after seeing the physical enchantment. Right now, he was wearing a black mask and wiped the bloody knife off a tissue. He placed the knife back on his belt, then took out his gun.
Body-enchanting magic focuses on the muscles and bones. But the organs cannot be strengthened. So blame yourself for having your legs so spread out.
Darius aimed his gun and-
-POW!-
With the silencer on, a bullet shot out right between the man’s groins, making his breath cut short as he wasn’t even able to scream from pain. His face turned white, then bloody red, the veins on his neck bulging as he screamed but with no voice.
"...ah... aaah...!"
His voice recovered, and he fell on his knees while holding onto his bloody groins, trying his best not to just pass out from pain.
Inhale~!-
Having a moment to breathe, he breathed in hard, and just as he was about to scream-
"AA—agh!"
He opened his mouth wide, and then another bullet went through his open mouth and out the back of his head. Because of the strong shock, his concentration broke and the enchanting faded, making for another bullet to easily penetrate his forehead, killing him instantly.
A superhuman has ridiculous vitality, so even though I shot his genitals and busted the cerebelum from through his mouth, there were still slight chances he might’ve been alive.
"….."
He got outside the window, and the woman, who had her forehead bruised after being dropped like that, stared at Darius with wide open eyes, wondering whether he was a friend or foe. Unable to control herself because of fear, she begged in a hushed voice as she trembled uncontrollably.
"P-please… help me…!"
"… Understood. I will help you in a bit."
Darius went to her and helped her with a first-aid that he carried around, then had her wait for a moment while he got rid of the bodies. He searched through their pockets, and after finding their phones, he smashed them, then quickly hid the corpses inside the building, dragging them to the upper floors to be harder to find. He made sure not to stain himself with blood, but at this point he was unable to get rid of the blood on the ground, just taking some dirt and trying to make it as blurry as possible. He also hid the broken phones inside a building, then quickly took the woman on his back and left the scene.
"T-thank you, sir…"
"Don’t talk. Focus on holding on. We might meet more bastards, so just in case, brace yourself."
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The woman nodded, and Darius continued to move forward carefully but faster, since the woman seemed to have a severe contusion at the back of her head. He wasn’t sure how severe it was, but if the cranium was cracked, then she might risk a cerebral attack and death. And the fact that there was miasma all around made it even more urgent. He wanted to get away from there in less than 5 minutes, or she'd end up intoxicated with miasma.
Although it doesn’t matter if just another person dies…. "Drop by drop, the ocean’s born", so I’d rather evade that possibility.
Even though Darius wouldn’t mind having 1 or 2 people die as collateral for taking out members of the cult, he’d rather not exchange innocents for bastards every time he needed to take them out. Otherwise, rather than save humanity, he would just end up rushing the end.
Thankfully for the woman, they met no more dangerous people on the way and reached the entrance to the fortified city with no further dangers.
Now how do I enter without attracting attention?
Because he couldn’t trust anyone from the Blue Spark at this point, he had to find another possibility to infiltrate without attracting their attention. But then someone known appeared.
Brat, get here!
At the entrance to the gate, Darius saw Yoko strolling the area while scolding the mages who were sleeping on duty. Finally having some hope, Darius quickly kicked a stone that went flying straight to her head, then hid behind a wall.
"Kya?! W-who did that?!"
She looked around confused after a rock struck her head, but saw nothing.
Although a rock wouldn’t be able to harm a mage, the fact that someone threw a stone at her made her furious, dashing around like a tiger searching for her prey. After a bit more looking around, she saw the legs of a woman behind a wall.
"Aha! There you are, you rascal!"
She ran there, and just as she arrived, her face paled at the sight of an injured woman who was sweating profoundly.
"M-medic! Someone call for a medic!"
.
"…."
On top of the 3rd floor, Darius looked bellow at Yoko, who tried to carry the unconscious woman as gently as possible while also shouting for help from the other Blue Spark soldiers. As he expected, the gatekeeper's face froze after seeing the woman, and he quickly checked his phone, making Darius’ eyes turn sharp while gazing at him. He took more pictures of him and his colleagues' faces and saved them in a separate folder.
For now, they won’t be able to make any moves on her, but after things calm down, it will be just a matter of time. I better finish this from the roots.
.
Returning back to the main path, Darius went towards the main base of the Southern City, which was quite similar to the base for the Elite Soldiers of the Main Army, giving him an easier time to infiltrate without anyone detecting him. Already knowing where the person he was searching for was standing, he went towards a bigger tent that was set at the edge of the danger zone.
I might have to borrow some of my former authority now.
From inside his backpack, he got a little badge, which he pinned on his shoulder, the badge being a replica of the Elite Main Forces he was part of.
Normally, whenever someone went into recognition outside the base and into neighboring cities, they would wear casual clothes but with the badge on their shoulders, especially when needed to meet someone who lived in a city.
He went out of hiding and then started strolling around casually, completely relaxed, while still covering his face with the black mask.
Some soldiers looked questioningly at him, but after seeing the badge on his shoulder with the symbol representing the Elite Main Forces, everyone turned their heads away.
Darius was part of the Main Army of humanity, which was also the last resort of The Lords who ruled humanity.
They were a group of elites trained not only against monsters and demons but also against other humans, especially rebelling mages. Although Darius was only a soldier, with his badge only having one copper band, he was still feared as part of the internal forces of humanity, also known as The Royal Guards. (Copper was for normal humans, silver is for mages, and a golden badge represents the Spirit Wielders.)
"S-sir. Colonel Ray said, Let nobody inside. I apologize, but I need you to-"
"…"
A guarding soldier gulped in nothingness as he kept eye contact with Darius, trying not to just evade his eyes.
Not wishing to hear more, Darius just interrupted him and said in a deep voice,
"I don’t care what he said or what he’s doing. Tell him that I’m here with an important message from my general; otherwise, his position's under threat."
"Y-yes sir."
The soldier said no more and just entered. The next moment, a clattering sound made Darius raise an eyebrow, followed by the comments: Shit! If he’s from the main forces, then just invite him in! You moron!
Afterwards, the soldier rushed outside and quickly invited Darius in.
Inside the huge tent, a tall man with a wide mouth and thick moustache smiled widely as he welcomed Darius in. However, even though he was smiling, his eyes were sharp and hostile, disliking how Darius behaved.
"Welcome, soldier of the Main Forces. May I ask what the message is about, and... if you have anything to prove your words?"
He didn’t even bother hiding the contempt in his tone as he asked the last part of the question. However, Darius’ eyes flashed with a sharp glint and he sighed once, relaxing for a moment while coming closer to the office.
Prove my words... He’s either a moron for not recognizing the badge or a hidden genius for recognizing a copy of a badge. But since I know Set to be an idiot, I believe it’s the first option.
Darius simply sighed, then casually walked inside. He took the papers that Ray had in front of him and, nonchalantly, as if he were owning the place, looked through them while baffling the colonel.
"W-what do you think you’re-"
"Alright, drop the act, Set."
"?!"
Set froze in place, confused by how Darius found out about his true name, but decided to remain calm while observing Darius as he continued to read through his reports. Not bearing the silence anymore, Set asked again while trying to focus on the mana around him, him being a mage under cover.
"Sir, may I know who you are…? And especially your reason to be here?"
"I’m here with a message, indeed."
Darius then raised his eyes from the reports and gazed at Set, a mocking grin visible underneath his mask.
"However, it’s not from some idiotic general, but from the Head Priest of the Northern Gate."
"…"
Set remained motionless for a moment, but then his eyes turned serious as he asked in a deep voice,
"Got any proof?"
"What. You want me to carry some badges of our cult around? Are you that dumb?"
"…"
"Just know this: the cult is greater than what a colonel like you knows. You think that if your brother's some priest of the cult, you’re suddenly some huge shot? Better know your place, moron."
The more Darius spoke, the whiter Set’s face became. He couldn’t tell Darius’ rank inside the cult, but based on his knowledge of the internal affairs of the cult, he was in a higher position than him, inevitably making him gulp drily and quickly fall on one knee, sweat filling his forehead.
"I-I welcome the child of the rift! Please excuse my insolence, great one. But may I know by what rank I should call you?"
"Someone like you doesn’t need to know my rank. There are a few things that fools like you don’t need to know."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
Set said nothing more as he kept his head lowered while staying on one knee. His mind was racing, but the more he thought of it, the more he felt his back turn cold.
My brother's indeed a priest of the cult, but I never knew there were more ranks within the priesthood except for the priests that governed over the four main cities of humanity's frontier. The Northern priest sent someone who plays the role of a soldier inside the main forces. But he might be a huge entity in the ranks of our cult. And the fact that one of the greatest priests sent him can mean two things… There are either more ranks I’m unaware of between the priests, or there are many more ranks in the first place that low-rankers are not and should not be aware of… I heard before that the cult is huge and hides many secrets open only for those worthy of the rift’s guidance, but I never expected its might (the cult’s) to be this great.
Seeing Set imagining things on his own without needing to do anything himself, Darius smirked and then got down to the subject.
"Now that we’re clear on our standings, let me tell you about your mission."
"Yes?"
"I want you to bring with you a squad of your most trusted companions and enter the danger zone through the hidden path. There, continue forward until you’ll enter the next city that’s nearest to ours. After doing so, be sure to identify and eliminate the cult’s betrayers. Make sure you bring an ample number of men. This mission isn’t simple."
"Betrayers?"
Set raised his head shocked, and Darius’ sharp eyes made him lower his head again.
"I won’t repeat myself. Some priests and colonels of similar ranks as you decided to betray the cult, thinking that if they get to absorb miasma on their own and not lose themselves, then they’ll be able to gain more power, such as dethroning the great four priests."
"T-take control of the miasma? So that’s possible!?"
"Take a look at this."
Darius then took out a blueprint from his pocket and showed it to Set. It was a badge that purified the wearer and consumed the miasma before it could corrupt the wearer.
Being from the future, Darius knew of such technology that was based on godly knowledge, as the goddess herself helped the heroes advance technologically and rise in power quicker than ever, helping them against the demonic followers’ forces.
After he was corrupted, Darius tried to purify himself, but because the corruption was finished, the badge no longer had any effect as the corrupted individual was creating miasma on their own.
And now, in the present, Darius had in mind the creation of such a device, but first things first, he needed to get rid of some obstacles and get himself inside the ranks.
Seeing the blueprint, Set remained completely stunned. Although it was a rough sketch, it wasn’t something one person could come up with on a whim. Now he was more than sure that Darius was one of the demonic followers’ higher ranks. He looked at Darius with respect and then asked unsure,
"I-I can tell this is an extraordinary piece of technology that your highness showed to me, but… I-Is it really fine to show such a thing to… a [Colonel] like myself?"
"Obviously, you’re not worthy. But I’m showing it to you because the higher ranks are trusting in your abilities just that much for some reason. Be sure to hold onto it well, as I need you to identify the object in case they have any. Remember, this is a secret mission, and nobody must know of it, not even those of higher rank than you. If anyone else finds out, then we might risk disclosing our plans to the rebels and only risk further discord between our own ranks. We cannot allow this, understood, Set?"
"Y-yes! I will be sure to bring honor to the rift’s children!"
Hearing the word trust, Set suddenly felt more inclined to believe in Darius’ words and follow his every command, making Darius laugh inside.
"In that case, I won’t be holding you anymore. Be sure to depart the moment the weekend comes. Based on our intelligence, they will arrive in the city of Athena, the one inside the Danger Zone, by the end of the next Friday. You have enough time to group up your people without any of the three powers of the humans’ camp to find out. Now, get to work."
"Yes sir! I won’t let you down."
After leaving the tent, the soldier outside was instantly summoned in by a loud roar, jolting after hearing his own name called just after Darius left the area.