Dungeon of Niflheim

498 Chapter 498: Head honcho

As all seemed lost; the soldiers falling like flies, the northern wall under heavy siege, the Majors and elite adventurers loosening their grips on their weapons, threatening to drop them to the floor and even their grand commander looking up into the sky with a defeated expression the situation became even worse.

An entity with power eclipsing both Valend and Frostine arrived in a grandiose fashion. Its aura being openly displayed at it made its way onto the battlefield. Both monster and sapient alike froze in place as the creature’s aura pressed down upon them, filling their hearts with fear.

Hamon craned his neck down and locked his gaze upon the creature, his teeth chattering as he tried to get his words out.

“…T…Th...That’s…a demon.” Even Hamon an upper, almost peak B-rank fighter felt his nerves tighten and his heart lurch as he looked upon this creature that he called a demon.

The monster stood at around 3 metres tall and was humanoid in form. Blue skin, bright red eyes, sharp horns protruding from the forehead and shoulders. A toned but not bulky physique adorned in what appeared to be luxurious tight fitting armour of superb quality. Its hands were rather long and sported sharp and long nails that looked more like claws and a large pair of wings the same shade of blue as its skin were outstretched behind it as it floated a few metres off the ground. Face wise it was similar to that of an elf, charming and without blemish yet insidious, almost evil in nature, a stark contrast to Frost’s noble appearance.

Demons are a very, very powerful species that can rival dragons, giants and other high end species in strength. They generally sport rather pleasing and humanoid statures but are superior in every way. Strong physical bodies like that of monsters, masters of magic both in casting and resistance. They are like the perfect fusion of sapients and monsters thus they are incredibly dangerous. Nature wise they are pretty much always evil, lovers of chaos, death and destruction.

It is said that the demons present on Nova were the descendants of the mighty devils and demons of old that were banished to a separate dimension by the creator Gods out of fear for their overwhelming power thus these monsters are quite rare and normally only present in areas with high mana density. Perhaps their only flaw as a species is their poor fertility which keeps their numbers low.

However for one such creature to be a part of the monster stampede things certainly weren’t normal this time around. It had been over a hundred years since the last demon like this one was sighted in the empire and unfortunately it had to be when they were at their absolute weakest.

“Hehehehehehe” A depressed laughter escaped Hamon’s lips as the true futility of their efforts donned on him. He was supposed to go up against that thing, he might as well commit suicide right now.

.....

That demon was at the very least at the peak of B-rank possibly even half a step into A-rank, something far beyond him and his subordinates even if they were in their peak form.

Douglas, Vaccos, Maggie and the other elites that still lived joined Hamon in his depressed laughter which gave Frost the chills. It looked as though all the elites had gone mad in leu of the demon’s arrival.

Normally Valend or Frostine would gloat at this point but under the demon’s presence the two of them didn’t dare utter a single word. A weird silence filled the once chaotic battlefield, the strange laughter being the only thing one could hear.

The demon looked over the state of the battlefield and listened to the strange laughter coming from the sapients standing before him. An evil smile grew on the demon’s lips as he enjoyed such reactions. His disappointment at the fact that the northern wall still stood upon his arrival was erased thanks to such a pleasant sight.

“Kyackkyackkyack how utterly delightful, such pure and tasty emotions.” The demon relished in the flavour, laughing in a bone chilling manner. His species could feel the emotions of others and feed off them. He briefly looked towards Frostine and Valend.

“Though you failed to do what you promised you have succeeded in breaking down their wills to such delightful levels….well done I guess.” He dished out some half assed praises to Frostine and Valend who trembled upon hearing his grating voice before thanking him with bowed heads. This demon was the true head honcho of the stampede, the grand commander and mastermind. Someone the two of them greatly feared as well as respected.

Following his praises two more monsters joined from his left and right. A pair of massive dinosaurs that rivalled Valend in stature yet looked far more menacing. T-rexes, powerful carnivorous dinosaurs that sport impressive biting force, resilient hides and speeds that didn’t match their great size. These two were mid-B-rank at the very least, likely equal to Valend and Frostine in strength though far more bestial in nature. They lacked intelligence.

Hamon’s laughter came to a halt shortly after their arrival, yet the strange smile was still there.

“You must be the commander here, well have you been driven insane by my arrival?” The demon asked in a playful manner.

“.....” Hamon was silent making it appear as though what the demon said was true thus causing his smile to stretch from ear to ear.

Hamon looked at his hands and the inscriptions running across his body before turning around and looking at the few allies around him that still stood. It was clear that the moment this demon gave the order the war would continue and those that still stood wouldn’t be for long. This was an impossible battle.

Hamon’s gaze then drifted over to where Halgrave met his end, he remembered his face in his final moments and his words. There was no fear only resolute determination.

“Hehehehehehehehe” He started laughing once again but it wasn’t depressing, instead it sounded full of life.

“A demon as my final opponent, I could think of no greater glory. What about you guys?” With a smiling expression Hamon turned to Maggie and Vaccos who were by his side.

“Sounds like something for the fables commander.” Maggie replied while tightening her grip around her hammer.

“I’ve never had the chance to cook demon before.” Vaccos’ eyes sparkled at the thought of demon meat.

The smile on the demon’s face gradually started to disappear as he heard the words of the remaining elites.

“I still have a couple spells left; I’d love to see how they fare against a demon’s magic.” Ryuu wiped blood from his lips and stood up straight with his staff primed and ready for battle.

“The Furano house does not give birth to cowards.” Douglas smiled as he cleaned the blood from his sword.

“Guess I’m the only sane one here but what the hell let’s go out with a bang.” Jessie shook her head in dismay before gathering up some courage. She went on her tip toes and planted a kiss on Ryuu’s cheek before returning to her position with a blush on her face.

“Alright no more regrets left.” She announced while refusing to look in Ryuu’s direction. A round of laughter engaged among the soldiers who witnessed her actions as they too prepared themselves for death.

The demon’s expression continued to darken, and his aura intensified, causing many to buckle under the terrifying weight.

Kiba couldn’t fly anymore, his wings refusing to move as if a large invisible hand was keeping him grounded whereas Frost was clutching his chest, his heart strongly thumping away, warning him of danger. The talisman kept in his robes was already being held within the confines of his left hand, to be torn at a moment’s notice. This demon was not something he could remotely survive against even if he was lucky. He was in true danger and only someone like Maya could save him from it.

Thankfully he and Kiba were a bit away from the demon and the main battlefield, their activities taking them to the outskirts.

‘Should we run?’ Frost asked himself as well as Kiba through their soul bond. He’d already done enough for Furano and his friends. His presence could no longer affect the outcome of this war so why should he stay? Just to die pointlessly?

Even if he summoned Maya her prerogative would be his safety and his safety alone, she couldn’t and wouldn’t fight on behalf of everyone here.

“Whimper” Kiba let loose a small whimper, he was terrified and wanted to leave, to go home where it was safe. Frost rubbed the back of his head affectionately before staring at the demon and the T-rexes by his side.

‘Will I even be able to escape without relying on Maya?’ The moment the demon made a move the war would be back on, and he was currently surrounded by monsters including the B-rank minotaur that was still going strong. Kiba couldn’t move well under that thing’s pressure and if he made any movements to escape right now he’d become an obvious target. The hand clutching onto the teleportation talisman tightened as it gradually became his only option.

Unlike everyone else here he had no reason to give his life for the Northrend empire so he wasn’t inspired by their rousing words but instead felt pain. They were his friends, people he’d fought side by side with for the past few days. He didn’t want them to die but there was nothing he could do; his strength wasn’t enough to change that fact.

The demon’s face now appeared to be filled with fury, the ground and air around him crackled from the sheer pressure of his aura.

“How utterly revolting….Kill them all.”