When the momentary confusion faded and Amon pulled his gaze away from the rising smoke, he looked back at Karla just as Lucas and Tekla ran out of the church. The priestess appeared even paler than usual, her eyes wide with worry.
“Karla, thank Lord you are here,” she said, not sparing Amon a glance. “Follow Lucas! We are under attack…”
Even before Lucas stepped into the temple to warn Tekla, I had already willed the Window to move. I split my focus and used Karla’s sight to monitor Amon. However, the moment I traced the disturbance to its source and saw what was happening just a few steps away from Gundir’s smithy, my attention shifted there completely.
Two velmoryns writhed on the ground, bleeding heavily. A short distance away stood five tall figures armored in dark steel, each carrying a different weapon. Their ashen skin was cracked with thin red lines, and their pointed ears had been gnawed short at the tips.
I had never seen such creatures before, yet I recognized them at once.
[Demons - Having adapted to the harsh climate of the Netherworld, demons developed traits that allow them to endure extreme heat and convert part of it into sustenance.]
I was already considering erasing them from existence when I remembered I could no longer intervene in the mortal realm without paying a heavy price. Even so, for a moment I considered accepting the penalty and destroying the five creatures who dared to invade my settlement.
The rage and desire to protect the velmoryns overwhelmed me, and my realm answered in kind as the mist around me began to boil and the entire hall trembled faintly.
What is wrong with me? Why am I this emotional?
The momentary confusion was enough to give me the breather I needed to realize I was being foolish. I knew nothing about these demons, and after taking a closer look at the wounded velmoryns, I saw that their injuries, though bloody, were not life-threatening.
“Bring your Vael.”
The hoarse voice of one of the demons pulled my attention back as I split my focus to search for Vaelari or any nearby healers. The creature had stepped forward, a heavy greatsword resting across his shoulder, his dark blade laid against his iron armor.
Vael? Could it be…
A wild roar drowned everything as Dariel charged like a true beast, his body covered in fur and faint steam of mana rising from him.
His clawed hand struck toward the demon who had spoken. The demon raised his free hand and parried the blow, though black, viscous blood immediately spilled from his arm and ran down to his elbow.
He then quickly shifted his stance and swung the greatsword in a wide arc that forced Dariel back. The motion made it clear he had not intended to cut him down, only to push him away. He then pointed toward the two velmoryns who had been dragged aside by the others.
“We could have killed these two, but we did not. Let us speak with your Vael, Dariel!”
Being called by name by someone he had never seen was enough to calm Dariel’s beastly instincts. The fur along his body began to recede, and his frame slowly shrank back to its normal size.
“Who are you? How do you know my name?”
The demon ignored him entirely. Only now did he seem to notice that the velmoryns had surrounded him. However, he didn’t seem too bothered. His gaze moved calmly across the warriors prepared to strike at a moment’s notice.
His eyes settled on the woman in the white dress holding a long staff.
“So you are the priestess,” he said as he drove the greatsword into the earth and leaned on it.
Tekla did not respond. Her eyes remained fixed on the two wounded velmoryns, now being treated by Vaelari and another healer. Only after Vaelari gave her a subtle nod, confirming their injuries were not grave, did she shift her gaze toward the demons.
“Who are you?” she asked as she stepped forward, gracefully avoiding the blood-soaked mud beneath her bare feet.
The worry had left her voice. With Mirion, Lucas, Karla, and nearly every velmoryn capable of fighting gathered around her, she was confident the demons stood no chance.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
But her greatest confidence came from me.
“Father, please allow me to use Your power if Your children are in danger,” she whispered in my mind.
“You may.”
“Vael Akrion sent us to deliver our Lord’s message,” the demon replied, smiling. The grin on his face widened as confusion and shock spread among the velmoryns.
Yes… they are from the Blue Tribe.
I had suspected it the moment I saw them. Despite the cracked skin and bald heads, most of their features remained unchanged. But it was their presence in Eriavel that confirmed it.
Even if ordinary demons could leave the Netherworld and roam the surface, why would they come here and attract unnecessary attention?
“As you can see, we have embraced our true nature,” the demon continued. “The same blood flows within you. It merely requires a god. One who can awaken it.”
“Why would we want to become like you? Look at you…” one of the velmoryns muttered, but the demon silenced her with a sharp glance.
“Do not let your eyes deceive you, sister,” he said calmly. “We are faster, stronger, and healthier than ever.”
He then produced a dark red orb and dropped it onto the ground.
“Take this, and our Lord will cleanse the elven filth from you.” He stepped back slightly. “We have delivered the message and now we will leave. But remember, Vael Akrion pleaded with Father to allow you to join us and spare your lives. Pl…”
“For fuck’s sake, you talk too much,” Amon barked, his face hidden beneath his cloak.
“Wh…”
“Say another word and I might erase all of you,” he said coldly before turning his head toward Tekla. “Priestess, forgive me, but why do we entertain those who dared to invade Father’s territory?”
Despite addressing Tekla, his true intent was elsewhere.
“Verde, let me kill them. I want to test myself.”
“Spare their leader.”
“You will not get information from them, but fine.”
Tekla knew exactly who Amon was, so she did not object to him taking the lead, but the velmoryns around him watched with clear displeasure. To them, a stranger daring to address their priestess in such a manner bordered on blasphemy, especially when she was someone they loved deeply, almost fanatically.
But their hostility did not last long.
The demon’s patience ran out quickly.
“Had I not been ordered to avoid engaging in a fight, I would have enjoyed seeing how you would ‘erase all of us,’ but…” He turned slightly toward the forest, preparing to leap. “I will leav…”
“You are mistaken about something,” Amon interjected as his right hand slipped beneath his robe, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “It may have been your decision to come, but to leave, you need my Lord’s permission.”
Before the demon could react, Amon drew a wand and aimed it at the ashen creature, who scrambled to raise his blade as he sensed the danger.
Violent mana began swirling at the tip, the silver core growing brighter with each passing moment.
The gathered mana exploded, making a whistling sound, and a large arc of wind shot forward.
“Wind Slash!” Amon roared.
It all happened in less than a second.
The wave struck the demon with enough force to knock the greatsword from his grasp. The translucent arc dispersed almost instantly, but it left dozens of cuts across his body and one deep gash across his chest. Thick black blood quickly covered him.
The display of strength stunned not only the demons but the velmoryns as well. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Amon, who stared at the wooden wand in his hand with a small smile that carried both excitement and faint dissatisfaction.
“That’s one childhood dream fulfilled. Though the spell was weaker than I expected,” he whispered into my mind before raising the wand again.
“Velmoryns!” he shouted. “Destroy those who dared to insult High Father!”
Silence followed. Only for a brief moment.
Lucas moved first. Though Amon held no authority over the velmoryns, his action aligned with Lucas’s own intent, and he followed without hesitation.
A streak of red flashed between the demons. One of the rear guards groaned as his left arm fell to the ground, but Lucas was already striking again.
The battle ended in less than twenty seconds. Karla obliterated two with a single spell, and Mirion and Dariel decapitated the last of the remaining four, leaving only their leader standing - and even he could barely remain upright.
“You were arrogant with this much strength?” Amon said with a faint smirk as a dark mage approached the wounded demon and cast a spell.
Crimson energy coiled around the creature’s head and transformed into runes as if shaping a crown. Already weakened by his injuries, the demon failed to resist the spell and collapsed unconscious.
That was it?!
As the velmoryns exchanged confused looks, realizing they had just defeated the five who claimed to be superior versions of their kind, I found myself questioning something else.
Am I overestimating the Night God? Could it be… No. There must be a reason he sent them here!
I obviously did not believe the nonsense about the Night God awakening the velmoryn blood. If anything, the elven side was the valuable part of it.
Why else would demons go to such lengths to fuse themselves with elves?
More importantly, I knew the Night God was desperate to obtain elven Authority. If he truly viewed the elven half as filth, why pursue it so relentlessly? The simplest explanation was that this slimy deity had lied to velmoryns.
Still, I chose not to rely on that conclusion.
I intended to pull the demon into my realm and interrogate him properly, but before doing so, I wanted to examine the orb the demons had brought.