The Great Demon System

Chapter 386: The Living Nightmare (2)

"I ran through the sacred ground of the castle I had never before trodded on, and as I did, I found bodies on the floor. The more I sprinted through this unknown, expansive land the more bodies I found, each of them still breathing with not even a single hint of blood dripped upon the ground. It was an odd feeling yet it confirmed some of my suspicions. It was clear that whoever did this was not one of those barbarians, their attacks were far too calculated and skilful to be one of those beasts."

"In fact, the only people that I could think of to swiftly eliminate elite guards tasked with such a high order was a sin. Which initially made me fear that two sins had betrayed us. But then as I thought about it in my chaotic mind, I thought that it did not make sense, for why would they spare all of these soldiers?"

"The more I ran and the more bodies I found the more frantic I became and the more my mind began to throb. And that was when I reached the end of the hallway…"

"There, I found a magnificent door of purple and gold beyond a heap of bodies. And for the first time, I heard a struggle."

"Beyond that door were those black shadows I glimpsed from before, I had no doubt in my mind. And as though my body went into autopilot, my legs began to move by themselves, past the bodies and through the open doors…"

"There, I witnessed a massacre unlike any I have ever, nor will ever witness. There was no blood, no damage, and barely any sound. At the center of the still magnificent room was a pile of corpses that littered the ground, yet they could not even be deemed as corpses as they were not dead nor even visibly injured."

"And beyond the mountain were those two figures once again. And I watched as they took out their final targets…"

"That was when their head turned and looked me in the eyes, and I felt like my life flashed before my eyes. My senses were overcome by fear, and I lost my ability to even breathe. Their hooded figures were shrouded in shadows."

"They bore absolutely no intent to kill, yet From their gaze alone, my legs turned to jello, and I could no longer stand, their power was like that of a sin. No! In that moment I felt like they might have been even stronger. They were the strongest beings I\'ve ever laid eyes on, behind you of course lord Avilia…"

"However, that only lasted for a split second before their gaze turned elsewhere, ignoring me as if I were not there or worth their time."

"They turned their heads and faced the altar where floated both the book of resurrection and your necklace side by side. And with no hesitation, they grabbed them both before opening a portal and disappearing as if they were never even there, leaving nothing but fragments of their portal behind…"

"Lord Avilia… Thinking back to that day makes me feel like the worst of scum… I deserve to be executed… I watched motionless, damn near pissing my pants as two unknown figures stole your necklace and the book meant to resurrect you… I was so damn useless… My loyalty was not enough…"

He took a pause in his story as he broke down crying, his body shaking even more uncontrollably than before.

Yet, Avilia did not entertain his display. "Continue your story! What happened next!"

"Oh-Oh! Y-yes! Apologies! I shall continue…" He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath before he returned, reliving his memories.

"Little after they left, I heard sounds from behind, footsteps and screams that I remember vividly to this day."

"It was Gluttony and an army of troops…"

"He witnessed as the necklace that once belonged to you was gone, that along with the book of resurrection, and how I was the only man left standing. He could not believe his eyes, opening a portal was supposed to be impossible other than within the teleporting room of the castle, especially in the sacred hall… He did not stop long to address me, almost as though I was trash… All I did was tell him what happened, and with no hesitation, all in your name, they re-opened the closed portal and dove in after the figures with nothing but determination filling them, leaving me all alone, crying on the ground like a fool."

"But then I looked at my pathetic state with disgust, and thought about all my failures. And as though to make up for my mistakes, or out of pure instinct, I still to this day don\'t know what made me do what I did... I shook myself off before diving into that portal a split second before its collapse."

"And there, to my surprise, I found myself in a void… Nothing but black surrounded me with twinkles from beyond for as far as the eye could see…"

"It was a land I had never even seen nor dreamed of in my life. And considering where I am right now, that place was non-other than the mortal realm, which was never even considered by me at the time due to the taboo."

"That was when suddenly, I heard an explosion, and as I turned my head I witnessed what seemed like a light show far in the distance. But, upon closer inspection, I noticed it was a battle between the new troops and undoubtedly angels, angels that overwhelmed them, and even gluttony seemed to be on his back foot."

"I stood in awe, taking a gulp as I felt my heart race."

"That was when I realized the possibility that it was angels or gods that had stolen your necklace and book, and the guilt buried within me could not bear be kept within my heart. A sense of duty overcame me. I had gone this far on my path to redemption, so stopping now would have been idiotic…"

"So at top speed, I flew towards them and entered combat. But soon after, it was clear that I was no match as I was fatally injured not even a second upon entering. Yet I fought on, willing to go until my death. But, my advances were then put at a halt… Not by me… or an angel No, but by a fellow demon…"

"Rinia Brewer, a dear friend of mine who I once taught how to draw but later joined the army… He pushed me away into a portal he erected. And my fleeting life was saved… To this day, I don\'t know how to feel… Whether I should be happy to live or mad that I did not uphold my honour and fight until the end with my comrades… I felt so useless once again... That\'s how I ended up stuck on this very same planet… But it seemed like I wasn\'t alone, for an angel had been sucked into the portal alongside me…"