I Was Called A Demon

“Don’t be too alarmed, but I’m pretty sure we’re being followed,” Long Shiyi suddenly spoke up after already almost an hour of silence from all of them, “I would’ve said it earlier, but they had the decency to stay far enough away that it would be difficult to perceive them.”

“What? I… I can’t sense them,” Huang Su responded.

“She did it again…”

The dragon ignored them, and answered, “Your spiritual perception is still lacking, though it is not your fault. Once you attain divine sense, such simple tricks will no longer be able to fool you.”

“… So, who is it?” Bianca asked.

“I’m not sure, they don’t seem familiar… could be some hidden faction, could simply be someone I haven’t met – quite a few people like that, really – but in either case, they’ve had to get closer in order to follow us through the mountains. It doesn’t seem like they intend to attack yet.”

“But… not the Exarch’s troops?”

“I don’t sense the sigil on them, so I doubt it. This would be a somewhat important operation for that ancient rag, and it doesn’t trust those that lack its mark.”

“Then… who could it be?”

“Don’t know, don’t care… I’d advise you to do the only smart thing, and that is to be prepared. Whoever they are, they may show themselves in time, and it will likely require a fight. At that point, it won’t matter much whether they’re the Exarch’s, or from the so-called Righteous Court – victory will be the only thing that matters,” Long Shiyi said, looking mostly disinterested, almost yawning.

Still, she wasn’t wrong, even if she was somewhat overly casual. Ultimately, it wouldn’t really matter who their pursuers were once the moment came, especially not to Bianca herself – her skills couldn’t be changed or transformed enough to allow her to employ different means against different enemies, so no matter what, she’d go in swinging her sword and either win, or… well, she’d managed to win or get away from most encounters so far, so she didn’t really know what to do if she failed.

Run away? Beg for mercy? Get so angry that her energy would be enough to succeed?

It was hard to say, and she didn’t have any interest in getting into a situation where she’d have to figure it out. So, in the end, the dragon’s suggestion was most suitable, and she decided to adopt it.

More importantly, though, as they ascended the mountain, she was looking out for that faint sense, or any kind of hint that they were near to their destination. Perhaps there’d be another dream, perhaps some other factor would arise… maybe they’d just get lucky and stumble into it without knowing.

In any case, she had to pay attention, and that meant not groping her pet’s ass all the time, since that would just give her a hard-on. Fun as it may be to proudly display her bulge even as Long Shiyi was locked up, it sure had a way of draining away blood from her brain, and she certainly needed any help she could get at times.

She listened and watched and paid attention as best she could… but there seemed to be nothing.

And yet, it felt like they were going the right way. She couldn’t quite figure out why at first, but the longer they went, she started feeling like they were somewhere familiar. They weren’t close enough to Xi Village in order for her to recognise it, so it couldn’t have been some prior trek through the area that she recognised.

Assuming there weren’t any other peculiar factors, then… it had to be the dream she had experienced. What else could it be?

“We might need to turn right here…”

“Why is that, Mistress?” Huang Su asked.

“A feeling. It’s not much, but… if there’s nothing else to guide us, then we might as well.”

“Are you truly… this feels impossible. If it is some archetype of Luck, then it shouldn’t be able to steer events in this manner over and over again!” Huang Su’s tone was starting to drift from her typical calm, “How could we possibly, coincidentally run into some ancient legacy left behind hundreds of thousands of years ago, thanks to a dream you happened to see, as a result of a message that happened to be sent in a most cryptic manner…”

“And that’s how it’s obvious that you’re still young, false phoenix… or from the Western Continent. I hear that things there tend to make sense.”

“What do you mean?” she turned to the dragon.

“Again, it comes back to otherworldly gifts. Whatever their exact origin or source, they keep pouring in alongside the demons. On any typical day, there’s probably a dozen in the Eastern Continent at least, all going about their day, their absurd capabilities often twisting things in all kinds of strange directions. Coincidences and ‘fate’ become far more prominent when there are dozens of people to unknowingly push you towards it.”

“Do you believe everything to be the fault of otherworldly demons?” Bianca had to ask.

“No, but… it’s impossible to ignore the fact that they have a massive impact on our world. So many peculiar powers and skills that cause massive shifts in our continent, at least when they’re used well. Naturally, most of the sects would be led by these otherworldly demons if all of them were capable and effective, but for better or worse, they are not.”

“… Then what do you think about them in general? Out of curiosity.”

“I haven’t met many in person, at least not many that would’ve admitted to their identity. The majority do not appear to be innately malicious, just… foolish. Ignorant. Hardly their fault, though not all are the same. There’s as many varieties of otherworldly demon as there are archetypes.”

“Really?”

“Yep, I won’t list all, but I can go through a few, since you seem interested,” the dragon remarked, “Now, the first is one that is born to a normal family. They grow up like any other child, but they typically have greater intellect from birth, an advantage of an adult mind in a younger body, and will often manage to demonstrate impressive capabilities relatively early on.”

“I imagine they’re hardest to distinguish, since they’d learn everything about the world in the same way any other kid would…” Bianca said, ‘Would’ve been a bit… simpler had that happened to me.’

“In part, but they rarely accept everything about the world right away, not to mention their otherworldly gifts. One of those can allow them to break all kinds of common sense, logic and fundamental rules, assuming they have a powerful gift to play with,” Long Shiyi explained, “Importantly, while I can split the otherworldly demons by the way they appear in our world, it is also possible to do so based on their otherworldly gifts and other categories.”

“Are there many variations of those?”

“As many as there are archetypes… didn’t I say that already?”

“About otherworldly demons in general, but… yeah, I suppose.”

“It is hard to be certain about the specific boundaries of either otherworldly demons or their gifts, in truth. For every demon we identify, there’s probably a dozen that will pass unnoticed.”

“… I see. Well, good to know, though I’m surprised that this much is known about them given that you’ve said that.”

“The benefit of living this long is that I’ve heard all kinds of stories. To most, they’ll only run into one or two otherworldly demons in their lives, and they likely won’t interact much – just as a result of the many humans that populate these lands.”

“Well… hah, I’ll keep it in mind. Sheesh, been a while since I’ve trekked up the mountain – outside of the Reaper’s Grave, but that has stairs,” Bianca let out an exhausted breath, wiping the sweat from her brow, “How high up are we, anyway?”

“We are- ah, look over there!” the dragon was about to answer her, before she suddenly pointed ahead of them.

There, amidst the stones and trees, was a narrow path that had been trodden on before, though not recently. It stood out amidst the seemingly untouched mountain all around them. It was odd, but it was the first thing to catch their attention, and so, even if it wasn’t related to the dream Bianca had seen, it had to be something.

“Let’s go and check it out. Long Shiyi, you go ahead.”

“Really? Do I look like such a good dragon shield for you?”

“Dragon shield?”

“Like a human shield, but since I’m a dragon…”

“Right. Uh, no, I’m just pretty sure you’re still the strongest fighter we have. If there’s any kind of danger ahead, it would be best for us- oh, shit, I just realised!” Bianca exclaimed, “Can’t you sense what’s ahead?”

“No.”

“So… it’s something unusual, right?”

“Most likely. My divine sense just indicates that it’s an empty part of the mountain, nothing of note, but… this path is invisible to me if I shut my eyes… This is either the sign of an otherworldly gift, or, more likely, some advanced array or artefact that is beyond my capabilities. So, either an object that effectively surpasses realms, or something that was made by a seventh realm expert at least.”

“Then-”

“Halt, demons!”

A voice interrupted them, coming from behind them. The dragon didn’t seem surprised – being the one to report the ones following them, she was bound to have been aware of their movements the best – but to the rest of them, even seemingly to Huang Su, it was as if they emerged from nowhere.

Leading a sizeable group was a woman with seemingly perfect features, like a statue carved from marble. She was tall, athletic and with long blonde hair that reached half-way down her back, perfectly straight and shining, though her eyes immediately captured attention, glowing white vividly enough to stand out even at a distance.

“The Righteous Court…” Huang Su muttered, just loud enough for Bianca to hear.

“You demons have gone far enough! Kneel down and beg for mercy, and we may seal you away instead of killing you,” Yi Huang declared, radiating an aura of self-assured righteousness that was almost painful to look at, like trying to stare at the sun.

Those around her were less painful to behold, though they still stood proudly and firmly, their energy at the ready, prepared to strike out at them at a moment’s notice. Among them, a woman that looked towards Bianca with a strange expression, though she couldn’t place where she might’ve seen her before. Still, even if she didn’t remember, the woman clearly had some kind of history with her, judging by that complicated gaze.

“What gives you the right to judge me?” as they were so near to something, Bianca decided to first let them talk – perhaps they’d know something about the area, and reveal it during their reply.

What she didn’t expect – or perhaps had forgotten, as the subject of the Righteous Court had certainly come up before – was that the leader of the group would suddenly start laughing.

“What a choice of words, demon! I am one of the Judges of the Court, not to mention that you are a foul monster that should never have been born!”

‘Rude.’

“For your folly, the sentence will be death!”

“What do you think you’re doing? These grounds are not yours, Righteous Court,” Huang Su spoke up, her tone firm, like one might expect of a leader of a sect, “They belong to the Rivers and Skies, not-”

“Do not befoul the air with your tainted words, phoenix! As a follower of the demon, and one that abandoned her people, you have no right to speak to me!”

“And you are not a member of a proper sect to begin with! You are renegades and vigilantes, hiding from the world because you know that your path is only tolerated when things get dire enough!”

“So? If people are too foolish to see the error of their ways, to realise that the world needs our protection from the scum and monsters that fill it… then they will learn it once that threat is staring them in the face!” Yi Huang proclaimed, “Now, I have wasted long enough. Kneel or die!”

The kitsune gave Bianca a look that said that she had known all along it would be a waste of time. Still, at least they learned that… something.

On second thought, perhaps it was a total waste of time, and she should’ve just gotten to the fun part right away – as she did now, bringing out her sword without further warning, rage infusing it as she suddenly swung at the gathered crowd.

It had been some time since the fight at Long Shiyi’s camp, and so her energy was fully refilled, and more importantly, where the dragon was an opponent she didn’t want to kill – not with her being as hot as she is – something about that Judge just pissed her off.

Perhaps it was that righteous attitude, or the absurd glow around her – whatever it was, it made her quite the prime target. The rest of the Righteous Court also seemed to have the same kind of frustrating, punchable expression, not to mention that they seemed intent on killing her… so she didn’t hold back, and was instead filled with the exact kind of fury and desire that made her energy flare up.

The arc of crimson crackled and burned with such intensity that it seemed to melt the very air, and when it hit, it erupted with a deafening explosion, briefly turning the whole world red.

However, the next instant, the heavenly white light overtook it, piercing through the lingering crimson and illuminating the mountain. The Judge stood unharmed, as did her companions, but a detail was revealed – the faint shadow of a ring behind her, something that certainly wasn’t meant to be present in the realms below the seventh.

“Hahaha! Attacking someone in the Oblivion Halo realm when you’re that weak? Your evil must have rotted your mind, demon!” Yi Huang raised a hand, the light around her intensifying, “It is time for your judgement! Punish Sin!”

In an instant, the skies above darkened, storm clouds gathering seemingly out of nowhere. However, Bianca could clearly see that the Judge’s energy was rushing into the air, condensing into the upcoming attack… she couldn’t tell exactly how it would strike, nor when, and that meant that she was in danger.

She glanced back to the path, now behind them. It was still out of place to her eyes, and seemingly invisible to the spiritual perception of others, and it may have some connection to a person that had once dominated the region with weapons and armour that used dragons as materials. If there was anywhere that might be safe against a seventh realm expert, it would be there.

“Everyone, follow me!” Bianca called out to her companions, and turned on the spot, using her Tormentor’s Strides to skip across to the beginning of the path, with the others following shortly behind.

“She seeks to run! Lei Kai Lian, lead our forces! Ensure she does not run from Heaven’s judgement!”

However, Bianca wasn’t about to look back and check what they were up to. Whether the Judge followed them herself or not, that skill still loomed overhead, and her immense realm meant that she was akin to Long Shiyi in her prime, a force that would only ever let them live if she wanted to.

Where Long Shiyi intended to use Bianca to escape her decline, the Judge had no such cause – as far as Bianca knew – so the only fate was death.

And thus, she ran and ran and ran, shrouding herself in the Abyssal Shield to ensure that she wouldn’t be hit by anything unexpected. The path was initially quite simple, but as she kept going, it suddenly became paved with small pebbles, then with larger rocks, then a full-on stone path. Around her, trees, then a simple fence of sticks and branches, then a full-on wooden fence with large posts and a gate, and then she saw a full-blown pavilion in front of her, though at a glance, it wasn’t quite right.

She saw modern, perfectly flat and clear glass panes in windows, a car at the side, and her planar energy-infused eyes even spotted an electrical socket inside the building.

This wasn’t from the Planar Continents – it couldn’t have been, not with all of those factors in place. Either the building, or this entire place… was from Orbis.