A large-scale bombardment had left the invisible cave dweller unharmed. The fact that it was invisible and had next to no presence outside of what we felt from the cave made it even worse. Everyone believed the monster must have been in the cave.
But that wasn’t the case. It was out, about, and murdering.
If a single giant explosion weren’t going to work, then I would hit it with quantity. I had just the spell for that purpose.
“I am going to have the last laugh. [Binds of Nature]”
Trees seeped out of the ground in front of me. Like chains after a criminal, the trees twisted and turned as they tried to capture something no one could see. The trees formed all around the space between me and the broken trees.
And right after, I cast another spell. A gleaming magical circle formed in my hands as another spell activated.
The cave dweller tried to approach. It cut the trees in its path.
[Fire Magic: Rapid Butterflies (Fourth Circle)]
Tens, no, dozens of fiery beads formed all around me as they rapidly danced through the space between the trees. The spell had been honed to perfection with my immense control and training against the Skelians.
The Rapid Butterflies danced through the space and dashed at the spot that had been cut apart. Tiny but fierce explosions blasted through the ground as dust and smoke clouded above the trees. The cave dweller's feet landed on the other side, sending another small cloud of dust up.
“Got you.”
I didn’t have to see the monster if I could tell where it was. Immediately, another set of flames shot out at the spot where the cave dweller landed. It cut through more of the Binds to dodge.
Multiple limbs. A thin elongated body. Probably around three places, it attacks from. I could guess the shape and size of the monster from the fight alone.
Of course, it was foolish to think it could cut off my spell and escape. The slashes that the cave dweller launched would gauge the ground, but it had no leisure to be as powerful as before.
The moment it settled down, another set of flames landed at it. If not me, the other paladins would have absolutely defeated the cave-dweller. They were simply caught off guard.
But right now, the invisible cave dweller seemed enraged. It was rapidly attacking and fighting against the skills instead of stepping back like it would have done. If I had to guess from its body…
“Something like a Scorpion?”
Is that why it was angry? Because I had killed its kin?
That made it useful. Anger too, was a part of battle.
“Come! Use whatever you want!”
I nimbly dodged any aftershocks of its slashes as I sent flames reeling at the invisible enemy. A dance of back and forths, of assaults and dodges broke out between us—and I was the one in the lead.
“W-we found it!” The demon and Skelian 13 shouted from behind. Both of them held a blue stone.
“Fine,” I said. “Come here and fight, 13!”
“What the hell?! Oi, Dark mage, we have to leave right now—”
“13!!”
The Skelian grabbed a sword and rushed over. Both of us were staring at the space in front. Like this, I would only be able to guide it around.
My mana would run out sooner than its stamina, it would be a losing battle.
“You… you fool! You’ll die, there are monstrous knights and paladins here, and you can’t fight an invisible enemy at the same time.”
“Die? That sounds tempting…” I licked my lips and stepped back. I had to end this soon. The binds of nature subtly moved around as they formed again after being cut down. A small space, an opening that led straight from the center to me formed in the path. “I don’t plan to die this time though…”
The cave-dweller’s tactic was to slash and act as if it wasn’t around. It always went for a slash that could deal the most damage.
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But if I could predict its path, and lead it to only one, thin, vertical opening in my onslaught of attacks, its options would be limited. All the mana in my body coursed through my veins and gathered at my hands and feet.
A small mark appeared on the ground across me, the cave-dweller had stepped down—and it rushed at me.
I crossed my arms in front of me, one covered my head and the other my groin. All the mana gathered at the hands.
Pain seared through my skin. Like ripping threads of a cloth, every single cell stuck to another was cut apart from my hands. The mana dispersed, and my skin was pierced through. Blood seeped out from my hands like water from a twisted wet cloth as my muscles were pushed back.
My eyes never wavered.
The impact that pushed me behind lessened. Without hesitating for a second, I stretched my battered hands and wrapped them around the being in front of me.
“GOT YOU!”
I could touch it! The invisible scorpion was in my grasp.
All the rapid butterflies shot at me. They hit the scorpion as explosions pushed us both backward. No amount of pain could make me loosen my grip, I didn’t even feel it. I fell on my back and still kept my grip tight.
“13! Stab this fucker!”
Skelian thirteen flipped its grip on the sword and stabbed the cave dweller. The blade cut through its body and stopped as the tip touched my chest.
My hands fell to the side as heavy breaths left me.
“Man… you dark mages give me the creep…” The demon grabbed its side as it stumbled over to me. I was surprised it hadn’t left yet.
The wariness in its eyes was clear. An injured demon. Some things in this world were common sense, the most common of it all though—was that the Dark Mages were abandoned by the Septet; and the Demons were the enemy of the Septet.
By all means, while someone might not persecute a Dark Mage but only shun them away from their city, if a demon was found, they would be killed by anyone.
Someone cast aside by the gods…
For someone like that, a dark mage was only slightly better than others. For all the demon knew, I could turn on it as well. Being born a demon was the greatest sin one could commit under the Septet.
It displeased me.
“Shit… People are coming here…” The demon said. I pushed myself up and looked around. Footsteps were approaching us from both sides. The Paladins… and…
“Those two monster knights. We have to leave right now.” The demon immediately snatched the Return Stone from 13. Before I could get cautious, he crouched and shoved it in my mouth.
“You’re out of mana right? I’ll start it for you. Meet me outside.”
“Wait… 13, the traces.”
Mana flowed out from both his hands. The blue Return Stones glowed and in moments, I felt my body getting light. 13 had started to set everything I had gathered over time on fire. It tossed my bag that always held the bone ax, a sword, and the necromancy tome over.
“Ah!”
I started to disappear. Right on time, 13 tossed over the Divine Window…
The world turned white.
***
Riziel and Jonathan stood in front of a clearing with their arms crossed. A small gash had cut through Jonathan’s leg while wounds riddled Riziel’s arm.
“Did it escape…?” Riziel posed as she slowly stepped ahead. Her eyes scoured the scene around her. Burning trees and bags and weapons strewn around. It looked like the demon’s work considering its words. But the other sight couldn’t be excused as just that.
A giant block of ice was stuck through the head of a scorpion made of flesh, and traces of an intense, explosive battle remained on the other side. It was on a scale beyond what the demon could handle.
Another monster was here. Someone crazy strong, perhaps someone who could be a threat to them.
“It can be an adventurer…” Riziel remarked.
“Or something worse,” Jonathan added. Now that he was injured, he was far more pleasant to be around. “We have to be careful… there goes my vacation.”
Not long after, another group of people came running from the other side. A few squads of paladins, mages, and priests from the Church of Eos were here.
“Paladins of Eos, we are knights from Crimson under Commander Brown!” Riziel raised both her hands and Jonathan showed them his badge. The paladins acknowledged them and rushed over.
“You’re injured. Priest!”
“Did you guys do this?”
“What happened here—ACK!”
A mage tripped over nothing. All of their eyes went to the ground where the mage fell.
“What is this…?”
“Something is here… it must be the monster! The unseen monster from the cave!”
“Someone killed that being?”
An unseen monster. The paladins seemed to have encountered and run away from a monster. Riziel and Jonathan exchanged a glance and nodded without revealing anything on their faces.
The ‘person’ they could, possibly be up against, was someone who could defeat things that paladins couldn’t. That with a demon, this was the kind of intelligence that made them enjoy this job.
***
[Defeated the First Sin of Sirius]
Those were the words etched on my Divine Window instead of my stats. I woke up in a dark alleyway under the evening sky. The demon sat a few paces away from me, tired.
It had carried me over as soon as we emerged from the dungeon. Since both of us had entered from a different spot, we were also ejected from a different spot. Taking deep breaths, I held the Divine Window up.
“What the hell are you? Does your arm not hurt?”
“It does. I just ignore the pain.”
[Sirius, the Hunting Dog of the Great Hunter Orion had multiple regrets. The first regret was the death of its master. Ever faithful, the hunting dog wished to be by its master's side forever, and so, it created the first level of the Labyrinth]
The gods even knew the reasons behind the labyrinth? Or was something else causing this change in the Divine Window? It was a question I had no answer to. Annoying.
[Made from the flesh of all the beings they had hunted, Sirius created the greatest place from its memories. A place where it could hunt with its master. The scorpion which couldn’t be seen went after Orion to stop him from hunting all life and killed him, thus becoming a regret for the Hunting Dog as it followed its master to the afterlife. You have taken Sirius’ revenge]
[The Labyrinth of Sirius bestows a reward upon you.]
Perhaps it was my imagination. But the star behind the stone seemed to be glowing brightly. The stars that shone before the sun rose and before it set.
The Star of Sirius.
[Acquired: Superior Grade Fire Resistance]
It was a pretty sky.