Chapter 37.5:

Meanwhile, in the forest near Dureg

Axel moved forward in short, rapid teleportations, blinking through the dense forest in pursuit of the archdemon Adar and his elusive, red-skinned subordinate. Each blink covered small ground, but their rapidness allowed him to traverse vast distances with ease. His mind raced as he scanned the landscape, his kyanite ring constantly active as he attempted to track demonic presence in the area.

He recalled the events of the past ten days, how he had faced Adar and his forces in Vedem in a fierce battle that culminated in the destruction of the entire village. When he returned to the palace to report to Alaric, he believed that both Adar and his servant were history.

Then, when he was about to head to Lind to reunite with his old friends and Luca, the princess, of all people, approached him. Her request was urgent, and Axel could not decline it. He ended up staying in the palace for an entire week, running a private investigation on the important lead she gave him. The secrecy of her task weighed heavily on him, adding to his growing sense of frustration.

He did not blame the princess, of course, especially considering what she told him, but she did prevent him from coming to Lind and learning of Adar’s survival sooner. After so many days in the palace instead of looking for him, Adar had time to recover his mana, lick his wounds, and prepare for their rematch.

Whenever he tried to contact Annabel, she did not respond, and at first, he assumed that their telepathic connection didn’t cover such great distances, yet now that he was near Lind, for the past three days, he still couldn’t get in touch with her.

In addition to all of that, the red demon’s illusions already seemed to be everywhere around here. Axel spent three days in this forest already, looking for Adar, but each and every time the location to which his kyanite led him was either an illusion, or remnants of Adar’s army. He even had the displeasure of meeting Leon, who he knew was sent by the untrusting Alaric.

His shame of facing his former friends was still haunting him. Seb’s harsh words when they last spoke had stung. And Luca? He was trying to make the boy trust him. He wanted to show him the extent of his powers, so he would trust that someone strong and trustworthy was looking out for him, but now with Adar still alive, he couldn’t face him as well. What kind of a hero was he? Talking big game but can’t even kill the Unyielding Pride of Hell.

He knew that before coming back to the village and facing them all, he would have to deal with Adar. Going to the village without results was unthinkable.

The demons would surely try something, but he knew Annabel was there to protect Luca and the others against them if needed, even if she didn’t respond to him.

Suddenly, he felt a familiar tug, the unmistakable presence of demonic energy nearby. He blinked to a clearing, where demonic sigils glowed faintly in the fading light of evening. His heart raced with anticipation as he approached, but as he reached to touch them, the sigils dispersed to nothingness. An illusion, another clever trick by Adar’s servant, Borlag.

Axel clenched his fists, frustration boiling over. How many times had he been deceived by these phantoms? How much longer could he continue this futile chase? He hadn’t even slept in the last two days. The illusions themselves weren’t complex, yet the sheer number of them in this forest was astounding.

‘There is no way a simple demon could have so much mana.’ He thought to himself. ‘Adar himself has plenty of mana, but he does not possess the ability to create illusions…Could it be that he shared his mana with his underling?’

A hypothesis began to form in Axel’s mind, one that sounded absurd and contradicted everything he knew about demons.

In demon society, power was paramount. Archdemons hoarded their mana, their strength, and flaunted it to show and assert dominance over their brethren. The idea of Adar sharing his own power with a lesser demon was absurd, yet it was the only explanation he could think of. Perhaps Adar was so desperate to obtain the calcite, that he was willing to break this unspoken rule. Could it be that he believed that returning to hell with the calcite is worth giving away his mana, and consequently his own status? It seemed like the archdemon was willing to go far to obtain it.

But something still didn’t seem right...In the demonic language, Adar meant ‘Unyielding Pride’. Why would the pride of Hell share his mana with his subordinate? It doesn’t matter how desperate he is to get the calcite. If there is one thing Axel was sure about regarding archdemons, is that they never went against their true nature. And the prideful one would never resort to sharing his mana, especially with those who he perceives as lesser than him.

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Unless...he had a plan to quickly replenish his mana along the way. This could only mean one thing: A mass soul consumption. He’s planning to teleport a large number of people into his domain in hell, where he will consume their souls and regain his lost strength.

The urgency of the situation became even clearer, and Axel knew he had to change his strategy. Instead of searching for large demonic presences like he did until now intending to find Adar, he needed to locate the edges of the tether – the giant runes that would form the points of the ritual.

He reached out to the ground, and focused, trying to detect the faint senses of demonic energy coming from the ground.

There. He felt three distinct sources. One was distant, likely from within the city of Tehl. Another emanated from the direction of Lind. No. Further than that, from the forest. The third source was closer, much closer, but significantly weaker, perhaps an unfinished sigil. It was just a short distance away from him, and he decided to head there first.

With renewed determination, Axel began blinking rapidly, moving through the forest in swift, precise jumps. Each jump brought him closer to the demonic energy. His mind raced as he got closer to his target. He knew that he had to disrupt two of the three edges to cancel the ritual. He also knew that Adar was likely to be found at one of them.

Suddenly, he felt another presence near him – a human presence. His instincts told him to investigate, and he altered his course slightly, teleporting toward the source of human energy. As he drew closer, the presence became clearer.

Breaking through the underbrush, Axel entered a small clearing and stopped on his tracks. There, tied to a giant tree with a black rope smeared with blood, was a man he did not expect to reconcile with under such circumstances.

“Seb...” he whispered, rushing forward.

Seb, his face pale and strained, lifted his head weakly to reveal a bloody forehead. A faint, wry smile appeared on his lips. “Oh, it’s about time you showed up.”

***

Leia and Den rode their horses through the late evening, the cool air biting at their faces. The forest loomed around them, dark and silent, save for the occasional rustle of leaves. Leia’s heart was heavy with worry for Seb, and her mind raced with thoughts of the demonic sigil they were seeking.

“Don’t worry.” Den said, giving her a reassuring look. “We’ll find Seb.”

“But I am worried.” She replied, her voice tense. “There’s no guarantee that even if we defeat them and stop their plan, Seb will return unharmed. They might’ve left him injured and he’s out there bleeding somewhere, dying slowly...”

“Seb is a resourceful man.” Den said reassuringly. “I believe he’s okay, and that we’ll find him as well as save the village. But first we need to focus on finding the damn sigil.”

“I know, I know.” Leia sighed. “I wish I could’ve looked for it earlier today.”

“It was too dangerous to go alone, and you know it.” Den repeated his morning’s warnings.

“I could’ve gone together with Luca.”

“The kid...” Den shook his head. “He’s a smart one and seems like a decent fella. But I can’t trust him to protect you if something bad happens.”

“Den, I’ve been an adventurer for four years. I’ve faced enough dangers. I’m less confident now, ever since we retired, but it doesn’t mean that I’m afraid of anyone.” She quickly said.

“Den, huh?” he said with a hint of sadness in his voice. “There was a time you used to call me dad, or at least father.”

Leia sighed and wanted to say something, but Dureg came into view.

The small village looked modest, adjacent to a vast field to its south, the faint outlines of rows of grains could be seen in the dim light of the moon. The village itself seemed to have just over ten houses, as it was still very young. It was quiet, with only a few flickers of candlelight visible through the windows of the houses as Dureg did not yet have any sort of lighting. The air was still, and a sense of unease hung over the place. Den and Leia exchanged a glance, both feeling the oppressive silence.

Leia closed her eyes and began to focus, using her fluorite to trace the demonic presence they were searching for. Her senses reached out, and she felt a faint, dark energy pulsing nearby. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked toward the forest on the other side of the village.

“Axel was right. There’s a third one.” She said, her voice steady but tinged with urgency. “It’s close. Just west of the village, in the forest.”

Den nodded, and they urged their horses forward, riding through the village and into the forest. The trees closed in around them, and the darkness seemed to deepen. Leia used her moonstone ring to light up their way as the dark energy was almost pulling them toward its source.

They rode deeper into the forest until they reached a small clearing. But this clearing didn’t look natural. The trees around were cut down recently, the stumps still fresh and the fallen trunks scattered haphazardly, some still bearing their roots.

“This doesn’t feel right.” Leia whispered, her hand instinctively raised, ready to cast a defensive spell if needed.

“We’re close then.” Den said, his eyes scanning the area.

“I feel it there.” Leia dismounted her horse and continued on foot, with Den following closely behind, his hand gripping his sword’s handle, ready to unsheathe it at a moment’s notice.

They progressed forward cautiously, stepping into the clearing. In the center of it, the giant sigil of Adar was etched into the ground, the same ominous symbol they had seen before. But something was different this time.

“It’s the same sigil.” Leia said, examining the symbol. “But where’s the blood?”

Den’s brow furrowed as he looked around. “Looks like it’s incomplete.”

Just as the unsettling realization settled in, a chilling voice echoed through the clearing. “You’re right. This sigil is not yet complete.”

They turned to see a figure emerging from the shadows of the trees. The air around him seemed to grow colder as he stepped into the moonstone light. He stood proudly with his arms crossed behind his back. His skin was a deep, unsettling blue, with horns curling from his head, sharp teeth glinting in the dim light, and dark eyes with red pupils that glowed brightly.

Leia’s breath caught in her throat.

“This must be Adar.” She whispered, her voice barely audible.

Den unsheathed his sword immediately and held it at the ready, his gaze intense.

The archdemon smirked, his presence exuding an aura of dread. “I need blood to seal this sigil. Which one of you volunteers?”