CHAPTER 136: FLY HIGH, MY LITTLE BIRD

These monsters with intelligence, these beings that were glaring at them, spewing venom at them, and were fighting against their forces with everything they had, were getting pushed back for the very first time.

It was almost like they were feeling something deep within themselves, a threat to their lives.

-Swaaaaaa...

As moments passed, the world around her continued to fill with blood.

As monster bodies covered the ground and the red moon above started dimming, she could feel a unique sensation throughout her body as well.

-Zaaaaaaaa.

The two sensations were different; the monsters were fearful despite the instincts that drove them, while the natives and players could feel a strange, invisible threat.

It wasn’t the same kind of threat that the monsters were feeling. Their numbers and powers might be higher, but these monsters were overwhelmed by the teamwork that the opponents were showing.

It was not that they all were powerful. There were hardly any who were actually strong enough to defend against the monsters by themselves.

But there was something else that tingled the innate senses of the experienced individuals.

{{ "It is finally time, kekeke." }}

As soon as the players felt as if the number of monsters was decreasing, an eerie voice filled the area around them.

This voice, inducing primordial fear within their hearts, sounded playful and cold, almost threatening and sinister.

It was as if some kind of sick serial killer was speaking, but the reality was worse.

{ "Be prepared, everyone." }

Unlike the Mana voice that was ringing in everyone’s heads, the powerful Mana voice that was ringing in the atmosphere was much more powerful.

It shook the entire atmosphere, and while they could not see the owner of this voice before, the source of the sinister voice was right in front of their eyes.

"Ughhhhh!"

"Why... what’s happening?"

"I suddenly feel sick..."

They could tell there was something dangerous about this place now. Even the air around them had suddenly changed.

The players tried to figure out the reason for that at first, but, until Captain Rose moved instinctively and blocked a powerful dark wind blade with her Aura Sword and alerted the rest of them, they could not find the cause of this weirdness.

-SWIIIIIIIIIISH! Clank!

But right after this failed ambush, they became aware of the reason for this feeling; they were aware of the reason for the sudden gust of wind that almost made a few near the apex lose their footing.

{{ "KEKEKE, right. It is you." }}

A demon.

This was the first time they were seeing a real one.

And unlike the demons on the previous floor that only the three of them had seen or the classic demons that were depicted in the folktales, this thing... This being was completely different from them.

{ "It has begun, everyone." }

For the players, this was the clue for the beginning of the final stage.

The demon was here; it was going to be the last threat, there weren’t going to be more than this one in this round, but, being someone from the higher floors, this thing was no ordinary creature or monster.

’Causal Access.’

It was a true threat, and each one of them could tell it by just looking at the ugly appearance of this demon.

===Status===

ID: Kaka (Subordinate of a Hell Ruler)

Age: 366

Title: The Demon who Mastered Darkness (C)

Class: Dark Demon

Level: 120

IX: 21,182,772

_–_–_–

Strength: 69 (Restricted)

Dexterity: 88 (Restricted)

Stamina: 77 (Restricted)

Demonic power: 90 (Restricted)

Darkness: 60 (Restricted)

Corruption: 72 (Restricted)

_–_–_–

Authorities: -

Blessings: Demonic ruler’s origin, Darkness’ attention, Sixth Hell’s grace, Tower restrictions.

Skills: Demonic voice (Lv.8), Stillness (Lv.8), Darkness control (Lv.8), Mind corruption (Lv.8), Nightmare (Lv.8), Demonic instincts (Lv.8), Form Shift (Lv.8), Darkness of the Abyss (Lv.8), Soldiers of Darkness (Lv.8), High Regeneration (Lv.8), (Restricted).

============

[Ding!]

============

[Request: Access to Skill: {Stillness}.]

[Ding!]

[Request denied!]

’Let’s rephrase it then.’

[Request: Access to any random skill of ID: Kaka.]

[Additional Request: Heart of the Demon Who Mastered Darkness.]

[Additional request denied.]

Cost: Win the battle and kill the demon, Use the Skill: {Halo of Pure Light} during the battle, Remind the demon of their dead family, Reveal the true name of the demon to the world, Use a holy item to land the final blow, Get affected by Mind corruption and overcome it without any help, Whisper the true name of the Demon’s master in their final moments and induce fear in their hearts.

============

’It just had to ask for the Skill...’

The demon before them was restricted by the tower’s Laws as well, but since the being had come here through legitimate means, unlike the enchanting demons that they had faced before, the restriction levels were different.

The demon was still the strongest thing they had ever faced. The reason it possessed such high stats was also due to the lower restrictions.

It was also a subordinate of a demon king who, although not part of the seven sins, must be very influential. KiRA already knew who the master of this demon was, as well as a lot more about the demon himself.

’Even for a random skill, the skills that this one has are already pretty useful. The worst I could get would be {Form change} and even that would be useful somewhere.’

The skill wasn’t that useful when it came to disguise, since, despite the name, the skill had different uses.

KiRA was after the ’stillness’ skill that would be far more useful going forward. If he could not get that, he wanted the regeneration skill. He would be happy with those skills, but if that doesn’t happen either, then it’s fine as well.

{ "Everyone, please follow the plan that is just pinned on the forum." }

The appearance of the demon had shocked everyone.

The being floated, a writhing mass of a trashy sludge, pulsing with a life far too bizarre to be understood. Its form had no true shape... it was just a chaotic swell of darkness, as if shadow itself had clotted into flesh.

From every surface, enlarged, sinewy tendrils slithered, constantly shifting, almost unable to stalling.

The demon was not walking. It didn’t speak as it had no mouth. It simply existed in its own shadow, radiating a corruptive presence that seemed to gnaw at the sanity of everyone and everything around it.

A sickly, oily aura clung to each centimeter of its body, poisoning the very air. Those who stared too long at this demon began to notice something growing from the sickly surface of its body— eyes.

Not just one or two, but dozens of moist, lidless, and impossibly deep eyes were growing in its darkness, different shapes and different sizes. They opened without warning, locking onto their victims with a gaze that felt like falling into an eternal abyss...

Some players collapsed, screaming when these eyes gazed back at them, claiming they saw visions—- not of death, but of being unmade. Of becoming part of the thing. Of seeing their own faces reflected in its eyes... only hollowed out and... smiling.

These nightmares, powered by corruption itself, were sweet at first. One would want to live in those sweet dreams forever, despite knowing they were fake realities.

The dreams would corrupt the human will itself, and later on, when the humans had lost all their will to leave the paradise, the paradise would transform into the hell that the demon had actually created.

Once a human is corrupted, they become what the players had already witnessed on the 2nd floor massacre. And no one here wanted that for the people present around them.

Captain Moon had already begun the battle, so the rest of the players followed behind her immediately.

The danger, the threat that this demon posed, was obvious.

They might not have seen the status window of the creature, but as soon as the message of following the instructions in the forum was heard, the various groups immediately ignored everything and followed as the voice in their head was telling them.

{ "We will divide into four areas. The left and right flanks will focus on the upper portion of the demon, and the rest will focus on the eyes that are visible! Do not stare at the Eyes!" }

The one giving instructions right now was Izzy, but she was only relaying the message that KiRA wanted her to say.

He, standing at the front with his twin swords, prepared for the instructions from the people around him. The strategy was already made, so all they needed to do was follow it as closely as he had written it.

His role as a ’wing’ of the flank was clear. All they needed to do now was finish the demon raid. The monsters were also fearing the demon, so, following their instincts, they were going away from the battlefield.

The demon would soon be the only one standing here, floating here, as the players would call it.

The holy power would be the biggest help when fighting against this demon. With the saintess of the association as well as the Holy Swordsman of the north by their side, this whole battle should not be a one-sided beating.

Still, even with the hundreds of players and natives present here, the opponent was not alone.

{{ "Kekekeke...!" }}

The demon was not alone; the darkness that it was made of made him a unique entity. With the {Soldiers of Darkness} skill...

-Ooooooooooong!

The blob of darkness created hundreds of soldiers that shared a part of the demon’s power.

{ "Go! Fight, everyone!" }

The battle began like a comical battle, straight out of the scriptures.

A certain being responsible for the Red rain watched from far above, smiling down at her fellow humans with crossed fingers.

There was faith in her eyes.

And a trident in her hands in case anything goes wrong...