Hell Mode: Volume 11, page 18
“Graaaaaaar!” he bellowed, rearing up onto his hind legs.
Ramon-Hamon, who had been grappling with him, now inched back, practically tripping over their own feet.
“This guy is...” Hamon started.
“Even if he’s gotten stronger, he still won’t stand a chance against us!” Ramon shouted, summoning another pair of mana spheres.
Beku’s back legs kicked the ground, and his sharp claws gouged out Hamon’s stomach.
“Graaah!”
Direct hits from the two mana spheres were not enough to stop him. He used his arms to support his body, his legs high in the air as he kicked Ramon-Hamon’s stomach before leaping back. The moment his paws touched the ground, he jumped once more to attack Ramon-Hamon again.
“Graaaaaaaaawr!” he boomed.
He was now on all fours, rushing toward his enemy. Ramon fired mana spheres, but Beku jumped around and dodged the attacks, using his front paws to destroy any orbs hurled at him while he was in the air. He charged ahead and tried to headbutt Ramon with all his might. Ramon-Hamon managed to dodge, but Beku landed a kick on their flank, and for the first time since the battle had started, they were sent flying.
“Graaaaaaar!” Beku roared.
He landed on his four feet and bared his fangs, his scarlet eyes dyed with rage and insanity, while Ramon-Hamon’s four eyes, filled with delight and bloodlust, glared back at him.
“Is this the power of a beast who’s stepped into the realm of the divine?” Ramon wondered. “How interesting.”
“He was drugged the last time,” Hamon remarked. “He’s displaying his true powers right now.”
Ramon-Hamon’s body squelched and creaked as they visibly grew in size.
“We’ll go all out too, Hamon,” Ramon said.
Their body doubled in size, and blood gushed from their four eyes. A vertical tear ran along their shoulders and all the way down to their fingertips.
“Okay, Ramon,” Hamon replied.
Their torn arms turned into a single pair of limbs, and screw-shaped claws sprouted from their fingertips. The Beast Crown Prince pounced, and the Demonic Deity’s newly formed hands clashed with Beku’s front paws.
＊ ＊ ＊
Pelomas turned several corners before finally reaching a door with a sign that read “Teleporter Room.” Though out of breath, he pressed on. He had bumped into several demons on the way here and dodged their attacks without ever stopping. It had been more tiring than running in a straight line. His throat burned, and he was so exhausted that he feared the strength might leave his arms and legs at any moment. However, when he spotted the door to the teleporter room, he knew that he had to stay strong. He raced across the last several meters and burst through the door.
The first thing he spotted was a towering magic tool that stood in the middle of the room, along with several magic circles drawn on the floor surrounding it. When he approached the tool, a voice echoed throughout the room.
“You have reached the Shinorom Research Facility’s Teleportation Device. Where would you like to go?”
This cube was eerily similar to the ones in the Rank S dungeon, but Pelomas shook himself free of those needless thoughts.
“To Prostia Empire, please...” he requested in a hoarse voice, hoping that the device would allow him to leave.
“That is a registered destination. Beginning teleportation. Please step inside the glowing magic circle.”
Pelomas glanced down and spotted one of the many magic circles emitting a pale glow.
“What?!” an elderly voice spluttered from behind. “Stop! Don’t teleport him!”
Pelomas whirled around and spotted Shinorom and his eyeball monster entering the room. The merchant quickly jumped into the circle.
“Please hurry! Teleport me!” Pelomas begged.
The eyeball monster’s tentacles shot out toward Pelomas when the device’s voice filled the room.
“Teleporting to the Prostia Empire.”
A moment later, the tool, Shinorom, and the eyeball monster vanished from Pelomas’s sight. They were replaced with the battlefield on the glowing ocean floor.
Chapter 8: The One Who Protects Prostia
“Ahhh! My merfooolk!”
Holy Fish Macris’s final words echoed throughout the Songstress Contest venue as he received a blow to the head from Bask’s Demon Sword Onuba.
“Took you long enough, Bask,” Kyubel muttered.
Allen heard those words loud and clear. Which means Bask was in charge of defeating Macris, he thought. Was he just searching for the right timing? I feel like all of this is going according to Kyubel’s plan. Unfortunately, he had no idea just what processes, steps, and items were needed to resurrect the Daemon God—he could not tell just how far along the enemies were in their mission. Was the Demon Lord Army done with all the necessary preparations?
The Summoner stepped back and tried to confirm two situations at once. Only around five Demonic Deities are left in the northern region of the imperial capital, but there are still quite a few Rank S monsters. Now that Macris is gone, how long will Royal Guard last?
Forty kilometers north of Patlanta, the Allen and Hero Armies were doing battle with a hundred thousand enemy forces. Thanks to their tireless efforts, along with the support of Meruru and Hero Helmios’s party, they had defeated around sixty thousand monsters. Still, there were thirty thousand Rank A monsters and around two thousand Rank S monsters left, along with some Demonic Deities. Allen and the rest of the Gamers were fighting atop the crystal flower, but he had no idea how long Macris’s Royal Guard would last, and he suspected that this would be a difficult battle.
Allen turned back to the battle in front of him. The scales were not tipped in their favor. Volmaar, Luke, and Sophie were helping Krena and Shia fight Bildiga, and while Krena had received the support of Goddess Falnemes, Bildiga had unleashed his full power. His Endurance was higher than ever before, and he was armed with two pairs of terrifying, scythe-like appendages whose jagged edges could shred his opponents with ease.
Meanwhile, Dogora, assisted by Cecil, bravely fought against Bask. With Macris gone, however, the Greater Demonic Deity was able to focus on one enemy at a time and act more aggressively. As a result, Dogora was forced onto the defensive. Keel was in the back, carefully observing the two teams and healing as needed, but most of his attention was focused specifically on Dogora. The battlefield was a fickle place, so while Keel was making safe bets with his healing magic, he knew that things could change at the drop of a hat.
“Allen! What do we do?!” Shia cried. “Don’t just sit back and watch! Give us an order!”
The Summoner knew that he had to be quick. Shia’s commanded an army before, but I’m the party leader and the commander in chief of the Allen Army. She probably thinks that I’ve got to step up. She was not wrong. Allen was in a position where he had to guide his friends, but every word he uttered carried with it immense weight. He could not speak carelessly. He first needed to carefully formulate a plan.
Plan A: Fight as is
Plan B: Leave for now and command the Allen and Hero Armies to retreat
Plan C: Call Merus and the others over so they can all fight the Greater Demonic Deities together
Plan A meant maintaining the status quo. Unless the battle in the north turned overwhelmingly in Allen’s favor, he could not hope for his friends to come back to help him. The way things were going, his friends might become victims to the Greater Demonic Deities. Plan B could avoid that scenario, but retreating implied that the two million merfolk of Patlanta would be left to die at the hands of the Demon Lord Army, and they would likely be sacrificed for the Daemon God’s resurrection. Even if Allen and the others managed to flee for now, they would inevitably become cornered.
If Allen wanted to prevent the Daemon God’s return, Plan C was his best bet. He could call the main attackers, such as Merus, back to him and defeat the Greater Demonic Deities, but he was not sure that would stop the ritual, and both the Allen and Hero Armies would be devastated as a result. It would be difficult to recoup the losses. Furthermore, if the front lines were to crumble, the surviving monsters would break through and head to Prostia’s First Imperial Army, stationed ten kilometers away from Patlanta. Merfolk would fall victim once more.
As Allen tried to gauge which of these three plans would be ideal, the two battlefields continued their grisly fights, barely hanging in there. Helmios used his body as a shield to protect his wounded soldiers while casting healing spells to close his wounds. The Goddess of Arbitration leaped two and fro, dodging the electricity that sparked from between Bildiga’s horns, and Luke deployed his spirits in tandem with Krena’s swings, hoping to delay Bildiga’s defensive attempts. All the while, Shia kicked the beetle from behind. And still, it was not enough. Spirits were chased away, blades were blocked, and Bildiga’s long, jagged appendages shredded away at the legs that tried to kick him.
Bask was able to move as nimbly as he did above the water and expertly wielded his two greatswords, forcing Dogora to defend himself. He managed to barely evade fatal wounds, but he could use neither Kagutsuchi nor his greataxe to launch any attacks. Cecil’s spells connected with Bask’s back, but he made no attempt to block or dodge them. But despite all that, and despite Kyubel being too busy with his ritual to attack, Allen was still unable to choose between his three plans or think of a fourth.
If Kyubel were to halt the ritual and join the battle, the Gamers fighting at the concert stage would be wiped out. The fact that he had not done so implied that there was something preventing him from cutting the ritual short. Meanwhile, Ramon-Hamon had vanished to presumably run an errand. Just then, a magic circle appeared with a mystical glow, located precisely where Ramon-Hamon had vanished. Crap! Are they back?! Allen internally panicked, cursing the fact that he could not come up with a plan.
“Ramon-Hamon, you guys are late!” Kyubel said excitedly before he stopped himself. “Huh?”
A tattered young man stood there. Pelomas?! He’s safe! And wait, he’s a human again. The merchant realized that Allen was staring at him in awe. He hesitated for a moment and glanced around before he made a beeline for the Summoner. For some inexplicable reason, Pelomas, now a human, did not drown in the deep waters of Patlanta. He seemed completely fine as he raced through the water.
“Bask! Catch him!” Kyubel urged.
“Huh? Who?” Bask replied.
“Don’t you look away!” Dogora roared.
When Bask turned toward Pelomas, Dogora was finally able to launch an attack. He did his best to prevent the Greater Demonic Deity from making his way toward the defenseless merchant.
“Get outta my way, small fry!” Bask shouted.
But the louder he was, the more aggressive Dogora became, assisted by Cecil’s attack spells as they locked Bask in place. All the while, Pelomas kept running, digging around in his magic bag as he did so and taking out a large, sky blue stone around the size of a human head. The defeated soul of Macris reacted to the stone and turned into glowing bubbles that gathered around it.
“Allen! Take this!” Pelomas shouted.
Huh? Me? What even is that? Uh, isn’t it absorbing Macris’s soul?! Allen exclaimed internally. And he was not the only one who was surprised. When Pelomas revealed the stone, which glowed brighter with every step he took, Kyubel raised his voice with shock, sounding more surprised than ever.
“That’s...the Holy Beast Stone!” Kyubel shouted.
Holy Beast Stone? Wasn’t Ramon-Hamon sent to fetch it? And I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kyubel panic so hard before.
“Bask! Kill him!” Kyubel turned to Bask and roared at the top of his lungs.
“Shaddup! I got it already!” Bask yelled back.
The Greater Demonic Deity used the arm wielding Demon Sword Onuba to fight Dogora and the other to fling his orichalcum greatsword at Pelomas. The merchant turned to look at the weapon zooming toward him and determined that he could not dodge it. And at that moment, a certain person’s face flashed across his mind. For their sake, Pelomas had to complete his mission, even if it meant dying.
“Shia!” he yelled. “I met your older brother!”
He hurled the brightly glowing Holy Beast Stone at Allen while Bask’s greatsword careened toward him. Steely! Protect him! Use Sacrifice! Allen Summoned a Stone C directly in the sword’s path and used its Awakened Ability, Sacrifice, right as it was hit. Doing so successfully stopped the greatsword, and it fell to the ground, sticking diagonally into the contest stage. At the same time, the Holy Beast Stone rolled near Allen’s feet.
“Are you all right?!” Allen yelled, turning to his friend while reaching out to pick up the stone. “You’re not a merfolk, but are you safe?!”
“I’m okay!” Pelomas shouted back. “I received Goddess Aqua’s Blessing from Prince Beku!”
The merchant tripped over his own feet, but he managed to leap back to his feet and continue running toward his allies. Allen was still bewildered, but when he saw that his friend was safe, he picked up the Holy Beast Stone.
Vwum. His grimoire suddenly appeared in front of him, and the Holy Beast Stone fell into Storage without Allen directly placing it there. Notifications popped up on his grimoire’s pages.
Wait, what? “Analysis”? That round rock was the Holy Beast Stone? Or is it called that because it absorbed Holy Fish Macris? Allen gazed at the log in his grimoire when the grimoire automatically flipped through its pages and stopped at a certain point to reveal a message.
* * *
Mr. Allen,
We hope this letter finds you well.
It will take a little while before we can finish analysis on the Holy Beast Stone that you entrusted us with.
We deeply apologize for the inconvenience, but we shall bestow some divine power onto Fire Goddess Freyja. Please use her strength to endure until we have successfully analyzed this item.
Sincerely,
Water Goddess Aqua
The Divine Realm Staff
* * *
Huh. It’s been a while since I received a letter through my grimoire, and I’ve got more than a few questions. First, what the hell’s going on? Can’t they be more specific? Although maybe they don’t have the time or leeway to do that. While Allen had no idea what the letter was trying to convey, he presumed that the situation might shift if the gods were able to fully analyze the Holy Beast Stone. In the meantime, they would have to continue their battle against Bildiga and Bask.
“Dogora, Goddess Freyja, it seems you’ve been given some divine power from Goddess Aqua,” Allen reported.
“So it seems...” Freyja mused. “Aqua’s refused to give up the Advent Festival. If she’s been pushed this far, it means that I must use everything I’ve got as well!”
Kagutsuchi burned brighter than ever, and an impressive number of small bubbles formed in the water. Uh, sorry? Is it just me, or did that sound like Freyja’s got a grudge against Aqua?
“What the... Whoa! I feel so powerful!” Dogora shouted. He happily raised his speed and slammed his two greataxes into Bask.
Because Freyja had received more divine power, her disciple, Dogora, had gotten stronger as well. They were in the midst of a battle, but Allen could not help but flip through his grimoire and check Dogora’s stats.
Some of Freyja’s Blessing Effects and Power
Mid: +5,000 All Stats, Absorbs Fire-type Attacks, +30% Skill Damage, -30% Cooldown on Super Skills
Large: +10,000 All Stats, Absorbs Fire-type Attacks (Large), +30% Skill Damage, -30% Cooldown on Super Skills, Unlocks Fire Explosion (Limited)
Thanks to Dogora’s enhanced skills, he could now stop Bask in his tracks.
“Niiice!” Bask cackled as he gleefully swung Onuba. “Now we’re talkin’!”
“What are you doing?!” Kyubel scolded. “Hurry up and retrieve the Holy Beast Stone from Allen!”
Uh, I feel like Kyubel’s kinda breaking character. Is me having the stone cause for this much panic? Just then, Bask locked eyes with the Summoner.
“Yeah, I know,” Bask said.
Oh, crap. Now I’m the target.
“I won’t let you! Fire Explosion!” Dogora roared.
His new skill caused both Kagutsuchi and his other greataxe to glow red-hot, and he unleashed a merciless flurry of attacks that left a trail of white bubbles with every swing.
“Agh, damn,” Bask said, grinning as he used Onuba to parry Dogora’s Fire Explosion. “If things are getting this fun, Allen’s the least of my concerns!”
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Allen spotted three flashes of light beside Kyubel. A figure emerged from each one.
“I-I’m terribly sorry, Lord Kyubel!” the smallest demon cried as he fell out of the magic circle. “The Holy Beast Stone was stolen from us!”
“But it looks like you caught the sacrifice,” Kyubel said.
One of the figures behind the small, elderly demon was Ramon-Hamon, the curious-looking Greater Demonic Deity. In the arms that belonged to Hamon, the right side of the body, was a golden beast.
“Beku!” Shia screamed.
Finally, Allen was able to piece together that Ramon-Hamon was carrying Beku, and that he, the Beast Crown Prince, was the necessary sacrifice for the resurrection of the Daemon God. Huh? Wait, didn’t Pelomas just mention Beku? Did the two of them meet wherever the Holy Beast Stone was?
