524. Evaporate

524. Evaporate

“What is going on?”

I asked, but no answer came.

Above, the sky ripped open. A white tear scarred the crimson dome of the Netherworld. Black lightning thundered down like a storm— a ceaseless barrage that rained is wrath down to the unchanging terrain. The black pools of Lifeblood rapidly evaporated as the world I had known began to change.

And that was when the ground shifted.

I blinked a few times, processing what was happening. I heard the rumbling, even from a distance. It groaned louder than the cracking thunder. My vision was engulfed with a black light for a moment as a dark bolt of lightning struck the ground, and then I saw it.

In the distance. Towards the horizon that only ever glowed red. Where the sky met the undulating hills. A tall mountain was shredded in half, cut vertically down as a crack continued creeping its way through the Netherworld.

I heard the screeches in the distance. The roaring of [Hellbeasts], and the howling of [Hellhounds]. Their cacophony of shrieks resounded like a deafening chittering. Wild Demons poured down the mountainside as they all fled the cracking earth.

But the tear didn’t stop. It continued to spread. Like roots expanding their reaches through the soil, the earth was shredded open. Entire valleys were shorn through as the single crack became dozens. I watched with bated breath the flight of winged Demons. They took to the skies, only to be struck down by the dark tempest above.

And those that fled on land were chased by the crumbling earth. [Arachnes] and [Gadarenes] were swallowed whole by these dark pits. It wasn’t a mere earthquake— it was a worldquake.

The entire Netherworld trembled as I could only gape. My wings beat slowly behind me. Exhaustedly. I had somewhat recovered thanks to my Skills, but I wasn’t ready for this. I looked on as a flood of Demons poured my way like animals fleeing a wildfire.

But they were wild Demons. Not Humans, Kobolds, Beastmen, or Elves. Not animals. Not even monsters. They were just like Centinels. They cut each other down even as they fled, not moving as a single cohesive whole. [Hellwolves] leapt atop [Djinns], and [Savage Agarats] ripped through [Vampyr Bats]. A towering figure tore through them all.

A Primeval Demon that stood taller than a valley. An [Archarachne] that was accompanied by tens of thousands of [Aranea]. It unleashed a beam of crimson light that shredded through the wild Demons pouring around it. I had to swerve out of the way of the attack as it reached me. It was clearly an apex predator amidst the lower-leveled Demons. And yet, it also fled from the collapsing earth.

I looked on, hearing the screech of the [Archarachne] as a black lightning bolt struck it, and it stumbled. The wild Primeval Demon tripped, falling back. In that moment of weakness, it was consumed by the earth, just like everything else.

I clicked my tongue before turning around. This was dangerous. I faced the other side— where the world still seemed to be barren.

“I have to—”

I started. And my eyes grew wide. [Angelic Premonition] flashed in my head. I saw the world darken before the lightning even fell from the sky. A brief glimpse into the future by a fraction of a moment.

I dove to the side, and the dark bolt of lightning struck the bubbling sea beneath me. I cursed and looked up as I saw shadows passing over. All kinds of winged Demons flocked away from the rumbling earth. They avoided the tempest above as they shrieked and screeched and… circled me?

I looked on as a group of [Savage Agarats] began to fly down my way. I eyed the wild Demons with a frown before I raised my claws and they were lit alight with iridescent color.

[Savage Agarat – Lvl. 135]

[Savage Agarat – Lvl. 138]

…

[Savage Agarat – Lvl. 146]

“Why are you wild Demons so… stupid!”

I yelled as I sent a blast of flames out, completely incinerating the first [Savage Agarat].

They were lower-leveled than me. Very much so. And I knew I could take them on. But they didn’t worry me. I easily avoided these Archdemons even as they dove at me from all sides. I clawed through another, before kicking a third into the rest of the flock.

I backed up just in time for another blast of dark lightning to miss me. This was why I was worried. I felt the intense heat of the lightning even from afar. It obliterated a large chunk of the black sea beneath me, leaving behind a sizzling trail of smoke that rose to the sky.

I cursed as I created a ball of gray flames. The [Savage Agarats] charged my way, and I raised the fiery attack—

Only for a loud crack to reverberate from beneath the sea, followed by hushed hissing. Once again, [Angelic Premonition] saved me. I saw it coming even before I heard. Even before I could parse what it was.

A burning crimson pillar shot to the sky from below. It burst through the black sea, streaking hundreds of feet into the sky. I managed to move out of the way in time, but a splash of glowing liquid dripped against my arms. It burned the dark scales of my hands as I winced, but it wasn’t enough to kill me. It just hurt slightly.

I blinked, watching as this column consumed the [Savage Agarats]. They recoiled and screeched in pain, and when the crimson curtain fell, I saw the Archdemons burning. I looked down towards the source of the hissing.

And my eyes went round.

“That is… lava?”

It poured from the earth as the ground cracked open. The dark sea floor began to rumble, and cracks quickly shredded through the entire span of the ocean. The pool of Lifeblood rapidly evaporated as magma continued seeping out from below.

“Since when does the Netherworld have—”

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But my questions couldn’t be answered as another column of lava shot straight up, nearly engulfing me. I wreathed myself in gray flames and created a powerful armor from the heat. More and more of these magma geysers exploded across the dark sea. But just as I backed away from these blasts, I saw a burning figure lash down at me.

A [Savage Agarat] crashed into my side, snarling as it swiped its claws at my head. [Angelic Premonition] didn’t activate— probably because this threat wouldn’t have killed me. But even while on fire, the Archdemon still clamped its elongated jaw against my arm.

My flaming armor gave way as I felt the edge of its sharp teeth pierce my scales. I clenched my jaw, turning my right arm into a scythe. Like that of a Centinel.

“Get off of me!”

I yelled, swinging up and slashing through the [Savage Agarat]’s skin. It reeled back from the attack, and I pointed as my arm returned to normal. A blast of flames shot out, engulfing the wild Demon. I heard the notification resound in my head before drawing back.