Chapter 61: The Void Within and the Witch’s Tantrum
Location: Base of the Black Spire, The Former Veil
The quiet crackle of a newly built campfire did little to warm the heavy atmosphere enveloping the Demon Lord’s vanguard. Kyouya Kusanagi sat on a conjured block of ice covered by a heavy wolf pelt, his posture perfectly straight, his expression an unreadable mask.
Across the fire, Sofia Vileblood was speaking. Her voice was gentle, careful, as if she were trying to coax a frightened animal out of a cage, though Kyouya looked anything but frightened.
"You defied the Goddess Kamiya's summoning," Sofia explained, her crimson eyes locked onto his, searching for any flicker of recognition. "Your original status was pretty low compared to a globin. Because of that, you were cast into the deepest layer of the Abyss. You survived using a unique skill, consumed everything in your path, and eventually broke the world’s System. You found me in the white void, Kyouya. You pulled me out when I was lost."
Kyouya listened in silence. He analyzed her words, comparing them to the strange, anomalous data still running through his mind. His original cold tone, a defensive mechanism from a life he only half-remembered, remained intact.
"I understand the sequence of events as you describe them," Kyouya replied, his voice flat, analytical, and devoid of warmth. "If you possess the ability to view memories, then your testimony is logically sound. However, I must confess a discrepancy."
"A discrepancy?" Sofia leaned forward, hope sparking briefly in her eyes.
"Yes. You mention this Goddess, Kamiya. You speak of her with profound disdain, and you imply that my actions were driven by a desire to tear down her System." Kyouya tilted his head slightly. "But I feel nothing. I harbor no hatred toward this Goddess. In fact, I feel completely indifferent to her existence, this world, and the concept of revenge."
Sofia exhaled a long, shaky breath, her shoulders slumping. The absolute void in his eyes was more painful than the physical wounds she had endured against the Brume Whale. Behind her, Scarlet bit her lip, gripping her sealed scythe tightly, while Sylas, Xaroth, Malakor, and Zephyra exchanged uneasy, silent glances. General Vane simply stared at the fire, still wrestling with his own returning memories.
Kyouya’s internal monologue, however, was far less composed.
Why is she looking at me like that? Kyouya thought, a flurry of flustered confusion hidden behind his stoic face. Who are these people, really? Why does a being as powerful as a 'Demon Lord' look like she’s about to cry over a high school student? Logically, I am a stranger to her now. Yet she cares with an intensity that makes no sense.
"If I may, My Lady," Sebastian interjected, stepping out from the shadows. The silver-haired butler adjusted his pristine gloves, his demonic eyes shifting toward the colossal black tower looming above them. "Wallowing in what is lost will not aid us. The answers we seek—to the Goddess’s nature, and perhaps to Lord Cain’s... to Kyouya’s missing memories—likely reside within that structure."
"You are right, Sebastian," Sofia said, regaining her regal composure. "We breach the tower."
"Proceed with extreme caution," Sebastian warned, his tone unusually grave. "This specific region of the Eastern mountain pass was not merely guarded by the Brume Whale. In ancient texts, this territory was known as the Immortal Witch’s Area. I have... a past with that witch. She is an entity of extreme danger to both humans and demons alike."
Malakor crossed his massive, armored arms. "Dangerous? In what way?"
"She possesses no grand ideology," Sebastian replied, his gaze darkening. "No desire to conquer, no allegiance to the Goddess or the Abyss. She simply hungers to become stronger. She hunts the powerful solely for the thrill of the kill and the consumption of their strength. If she discovers we have slain her neighbor, the Whale, she will undoubtedly turn her sights on us."
Kyouya frowned. "So, we are walking into a trap, flanked by a hostile entity, with no strategic fallback?"
Suddenly, a sleek, blue holographic interface flickered to life directly across Kyouya’s vision.
[System: Host vital signs stable. Skill: Absolute Gluttony (Cooldown State). Level: ERROR.]
Nova? Kyouya thought, recognizing the familiar, synthetic hum in his mind. The amnesia had seemingly left his AI system completely intact.
<Affirmative, Host. My data matrices are separate from your biological memory core. Though you have managed to delete your own identity, my functions remain at optimal capacity.>
You seem... annoyed, Kyouya noted.
There was a brief, digital pause in his mind.
<Do you remember giving me a name?>
Kyouya searched the foggy abyss of his mind. No. I don't.
<...Idiot. The next time you attempt a mathematically suicidal maneuver like absorbing thousands of conceptual soul-eaters, do not expect me to calculate the survival odds for you. I will simply let you fade.>
Before Kyouya could process the AI's surprisingly emotional response, Sofia stood up, her crimson cape billowing in the cold wind. "Prepare yourselves. We are entering the tower to get our information. And if this Immortal Witch decides to interfere, we will eliminate her just as we did the Guardian."
Location: Esterfield City - The Adventurers Guild
Miles away, the atmosphere could not have been more different.
The heavy oak doors of the Adventurers Guild rattled as a sudden autumn gale swept through the tavern hall. The city of Esterfield, previously oppressed by the creeping dread of the mountain fog, was celebrating. The mist had vanished overnight, and the local mercenaries were in a state of absolute conviviality. Ale flowed like water, and the roar of laughter shook the rafters.
At the center table, surrounded by a dozen burly, half-drunk mercenaries, sat Gemina.
She looked every bit the picture of an elegant, enigmatic enchantress. She wore a sweeping, midnight-black dress fashioned from an impossibly fine, silk-like fabric. Whenever she moved, the skirt billowed and split into sharp, wing-like sections, revealing glimpses of fitted leather combat boots underneath. Long, silky ash-white bangs draped heavily over the right side of her face, completely obscuring her right eye. Only her left eye was visible—a bright, vibrant emerald green that seemed to hum with gentle warmth and healing magic.
"I’m telling you, Lady Gemina, that Lindwurm almost had my head!" a scarred vanguard roared, slamming his empty ale mug onto the wooden table.
"Oh, my. How terribly frightening," Gemina chuckled, her voice a melody of pure, comforting sweetness. She leaned forward, resting her delicate chin on her hand, offering the tavern a brilliant, captivating smile.
To the public, she was an angel. She laughed at their boisterous jokes, poured their drinks, and nodded with perfect empathy. She was the beloved jewel of the guild.
But beneath the table, hidden from view, Gemina’s fingers were tightly gripping her glass. Her knuckles were white, practically vibrating with a dark, electric tension.
So weak, she thought, her internal smile twisting into something monstrous. Every single one of them. Pathetic, fragile meat. If I snapped my fingers, how many seconds would they survive? Three? Maybe two if I use a blood-boiling curse?
She took a slow sip of her wine to suppress the sudden, violent urge to turn the tavern into a slaughterhouse. She kept these fools around for one reason: they were her hunting dogs. They were loud, messy, and brought the best rumors about powerful monsters and legendary warriors.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the guild entrance.
A high-ranking party of bruised, bloodied adventurers stumbled through the doors. They were panting heavily, dragging a massive, severed reptilian claw behind them. The tavern fell dead silent. The air instantly grew heavy with the residual, oppressive mana of whatever apex monster they had just barely managed to slay.
As the oppressive magical pressure washed over the room, the lower-ranked adventurers around Gemina shrank back, shivering in instinctual fear.
But Gemina didn't flinch.
Instead, a sudden gust of wind howled through the open door, whipping through the tavern and violently blowing back Gemina’s long, sweeping bangs.
For a fraction of a second, the veil dropped.
Beneath the ash-white hair, her hidden right eye snapped open. It was a brilliant, predatory crimson red, its pupil instantly sharpening into a vertical, reptilian slit. The eye practically burned in the dim light, locked onto the severed monster claw with a terrifying, unhinged hunger. Her polite, gentle smile cracked into a wide, ecstatic, ear-to-ear grin.
Oh, her mind screamed with pure, euphoric addiction. Now THAT looks like a real fight.
Before anyone could look her way, Gemina smoothly brushed her hair back into place, burying the crimson eye once more in the shadows. When she turned back to her trembling table, her emerald eye was wide with innocent wonder.
"My goodness," Gemina gasped softly, her voice perfectly mimicking a fragile, frightened maiden. "What a terrifying monster. Wherever did you find it?"
Before the scarred vanguard could answer, a sharp, telepathic ping echoed in Gemina's mind.
<Master. We have a severe problem.>
Gemina’s internal smile vanished. Her expression flickered with genuine annoyance for a microsecond before the mask returned. She stood up gracefully, smoothing her midnight dress.
"I am so sorry, gentlemen," Gemina said, her voice dripping with artificial regret. "I must take my leave. My family... especially my little brother, is awaiting me at home. He worries so if I am out late working."
"Aw, leaving already, Lady Gemina?" an adventurer whined.
"Duty calls," she offered a final, radiant wave, gracefully weaving through the crowd and stepping out into the chilly city streets.
Location: The Esterfield Forest Outskirts
The moment Gemina stepped past the city gates, her surroundings distorted. Space folded around her, and she reappeared deep within the dense, ancient forest miles outside the city walls.
The sweet, innocent maiden was gone.
"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!"
Gemina shrieked, violently stamping her leather combat boot onto a massive boulder. The stone cracked and splintered under the sheer, unmitigated force of her physical strength.
Nearby, a puddle of blue slime trembled furiously before coalescing and rising into the shape of a short, young girl with soft blue hair and wide, terrified blue eyes. This was Sulia, her familiar and subordinate.
"M-Master, please calm down—" Sulia squeaked, shrinking back against a tree.
"Who dare?" Gemina hissed, pacing back and forth like a caged predator. "Who DARE take my Victim?!"
She stopped stomping and raised her hands to her mouth, biting down hard on her own knuckles in a fit of absolute, manic frustration. The wind breezed softly through the forest, blowing her hair back, leaving her crimson, reptilian eye exposed and glowing with malice.
"I have been preparing for years!" Gemina muttered around her bleeding hands. "I studied that stupid fog! I developed the anti-infrasound wards! That Brume Whale was MINE to devour!"
"Gemina-sama, please stop, you're bleeding!" Sulia cried out.
Gemina paused. She pulled her hands away from her mouth, staring at the deep, ragged bite marks she had inflicted upon herself. Blood dripped down her pale wrists.
She took a deep breath. Her crimson eye narrowed.
"Five... four... three... two... one."
A sickening, wet squelch echoed in the quiet forest. The torn flesh on her hands writhed, knitting together at a terrifying speed. The blood evaporated into red mist, leaving her skin pale, flawless, and completely unscarred. The Immortal Witch flexed her newly healed fingers.
"Report, Sulia," Gemina demanded, her voice dropping to a deadly, cold whisper. "Who killed it?"
Sulia swallowed hard, holding up a magical projection crystal. "According to my reconnaissance... the Whale was slain by a unified force. Over two hundred non-human troops, utilizing advanced magi-tech artillery."
Gemina raised an eyebrow. "An army?"
"Yes. Led by six individuals exhibiting extreme power signatures," Sulia continued, her blue hands shaking. "Theoretically... based on their mana density and visual characteristics, they match the profiles of the Six Demon Generals."
Gemina’s emerald eye widened, while her crimson eye twitched with excitement. "The Demon Generals? But they ceased their attacks on humanity months ago. Rumors said the Demon Lord had vanished."
"There is more, Master," Sulia whispered, her voice dropping to a frightened squeak. "Above the six Generals... there were two other beings. Their power signatures were entirely unquantifiable. One female, who drained the Whale’s life force directly. And one male... who unleashed an attack of pure absolute negation."
Gemina went completely still. The manic fury melted away, replaced by a deep, dark, overwhelming thrill. A flush of color rose to her pale cheeks.
"Two beings?" Gemina purred, her voice trembling with dark euphoria. "Stronger than the Demon Generals? A male and a female... Two Demon Lords?"
She turned toward the distant, jagged peaks of the Eastern mountains. The fog was gone, and she could faintly feel the lingering, violent mana of the battle that had taken place.
"How incredibly greedy of them," Gemina smiled, her crimson eye flaring with a terrifying, predatory light. "To steal my prey. Well, if they want to play hunter... we shall see how they like being carved up. Come along, Sulia. The Immortal Witch has a new appetite."
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