Chapter 12: Another one

The ruins were eerily quiet. Although the sky was devoid of stars, Amon's vision was as clear as day. He unhurriedly made his way deeper inside the ancient city, passing through broken buildings and cracked roads. His eyes were serene as he scanned his surroundings for any sign of disturbance.

The city was dead, devoid of any sense of life. And while that may have been normal for someone else, it was anything but for Amon. Although years have passed since they managed to close the gate to the abyss, the remnants of monsters were hard to get rid of completely. The Abyssal energy corrupted far too many animals and people over the years, making their job a lot harder.

Monsters now became a normal part of life on the plane. People got used to their existence and learned how to avoid or fight them when necessary. It was not far-fetched to say that there was no place free from the presence of the nightmarish creatures.

It was exactly this that made Amon frown as he walked through the desolate streets. A place like this should have been a haven for the monsters. Yet, for some reason, he was unable to sense any, which only caused him to raise his guard in preparation for any sudden encounter.

His latest scuffle against the strange goddess was still fresh in his mind. 'Perhaps one of her companions?' He inwardly noted. With no way to be sure, Amon continued exploring the old city. He continued like that all the way until the first rays of dawn shone through, causing him to pause and raise his head to the sky.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Amon was about to continue when the tiny summons flapped its wings wildly and began pecking him in the head. "Hmm? What's wrong little guy?" He asked as he gently patted the bird in an attempt to calm it down.

It was then that Marquis's voice was heard, "Hey, are you guys okay?" His tone was full of confusion and apprehension.

"I'm good, but the little fella suddenly started going crazy," Amon replied.

"Same here," Emra added.

"Hana! Shit! Hana, are you okay?!" Hector anxiously cried out.

Amon's steps halted in place as he heard that. Hana was the one who summoned the birds. If they suddenly went crazy, that could only mean ... "Danger!"

"Hector, calm down. Are you the closest one to her location?" He asked. Though deep down, he already knew the answer. For Hector to be so anxious could only mean one thing. He could sense the danger she was facing.

"Yes! But something is interfering with our connection. I can't pinpoint her exact location!" Hector hastily replied.

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"Use the bird!" Emra cried out.

"Even with the damn bird, the connection is still bad!"

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I said I don't like this!" Marquis anxiously cursed out.

"Damn it, Marquis, calm down. Now is not the time!" Amon replied in a stern tone. It was then that Ron finally spoke up.

"Hana is okay. She was ambushed but managed to take care of the attackers." His voice was soothing, causing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief. The birds also settled down obediently and stopped thrashing around.

"Father, what happened exactly?" Amon asked hesitantly.

"Let's wait. We'll hear it from her directly."

Not in the mood to continue exploring, Amon walked over and leaned on a still-standing wall before he sank to the ground. His eyes were alert, as he kept scanning his surroundings while waiting for Hana to update them on what happened.

After what seemed like an eternity, Hana's voice was heard, from the tiny bird. "Hello." Immediately after, Amon finally released the breath he was holding. Marquis was the first to speak, "Finally! What happened? Are you okay?"

Hector continued right after him, "The connection felt like it was, muffled by something. I couldn't feel your presence for a second."

"You guys, shut up and let her talk." Emra silenced them all.

Hana, however, didn't reply immediately. Instead, the birds began to glow. Amon frowned as the light grew brighter and brighter before a strange scene came into view before him. It was a dimly lit cave where the corpses of various creatures littered the ground forming a small hill. In front of it all, Hana was standing with her back facing them.

After a few seconds, she finally turned around to face them, her golden eyes shining brightly with a flash of madness. A shudder ran through Amon's spine as he saw that. That spark, however, went as quickly as it came leaving behind a tired Hana. "It got away." She said before pointing at the monsters behind her.

"It was another humanoid creature that called himself a god. Only he was not alone." She motioned with her head before continuing, "He cast a strange spell that enveloped the whole place in darkness. I think that was what made our connection weaken. My senses also seemed to dull in there. I had to summon Kaida to help me break through his strange domain and deal with his minions." Hana then moved closer to the monsters, giving Amon and the rest a chance to inspect them.

They also looked vaguely humanoid, though their main distinctive feature was their lack of eyes, nose, mouth, or ears. The monsters appeared like a humanoid blob of shadows, with terrifyingly sharp claws, talons, and large wings on their backs.

"Hmm, another strange god," Emra muttered.

"One that's strong enough to survive Hana's Kaida," Amon added in a solemn tone. Kaida was one of Hana's strongest summons, a red dragon. So for this god to survive was a testimony of his strength.

"Did he attack you first? Or did he attempt to communicate like the one Amon met?" Hector asked hesitantly.

Shaking her head, Hana spoke, "He didn't talk. The second he saw me, he cast his darkness spell, entrapping me within."

"What did he look like?" Ron, who remained silent for the most part, finally asked.

"Like his minions, the only difference was a tall shadowy crown hovering on top of his head. And instead of two wings, he had six."

"A cursed angel of sorts?" Amon asked in confusion.

"Hey! Don't compare angels to a monstrosity, like that! Angels are meant to be beautiful well-endowed ladies. I don't make the rules." Hector hastily shot back.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Amon was unable to suppress a chuckle as he answered, "Yes, yes. Beautiful well-endowed ladies. Got it."

"Good~ Now, what should we do? This one is the second god we meet in such a short time."

Amon hesitated before asking, "Father?"