Chapter 192: Let’s Enjoy A Few Games, Shall We?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Thaas was not dead, yet 1 .
Although his heart—which was his most important organ—had been decimated, the Demon Lord's soul still very much existed in this world—in the realm of Isythre… right next to Baiyi.
From what Baiyi knew, only special classes of souls could still converse with the living once they are ejected from a body, and even then, that would be all the soul could do. Their existence was so passive that they not only posed no threat to the living, they were even susceptible to common exorcism techniques such as the Soul Banishment technique.
Therefore, Baiyi was puzzled when Thaas, who wore a devilish grin, made no move in response to his attack. 'He had no reason to do that, unless—'
Baiyi's thoughts were interrupted when he felt his entire consciousness suddenly get overwhelmed by a blanket of darkness. He seemed to have been moved to a black abyss that reminded him of the Void.
"Did I just… fall for his trick without noticing any sign?" Baiyi muttered in disbelief. He peered at his limbs, then at his body, and saw that his Specialized Encasement Shaping Spell had been dispelled. He had no recollection of doing that, especially not in a situation as uncertain as this.
"This isn't an illusion technique either," Baiyi deduced as he scanned his surrounding. "Is this a sort of soul-based attack?" He wondered, and reached out to the other Voidwalkers. He was relieved when he realized that he could still contact them despite his new situation*, so he poked the Lich directly using his mind; this fella was only one amongst them who was an expert in this. [*TL: (more quietly) Aww, come on…. I kinda wanna see you in an even more challenging state…]
"This looks like a secret technique designed especially against souls. Part of your consciousness was yanked from your armor and cast into this unknown dimension. My guess? Your armor is still at where you were before," The Lich explained briefly. "See, soul-bane techniques are inconspicuous by nature. They don't do flashy visuals, save for the emissions of unique magical vibrations. I believe that humans who had their souls banished before should get what I was talking about, yes?"
"Thaas was originally a Soul Eater, after all. They are a special species that live by consuming souls. Other demons may consume one or two souls out of pure gluttony, but Soul Eaters actually absorb strength from the souls they have devoured," The Devil added. "He had been the Demon Lord for such a long time, people had forgotten who he had begun as…"
"So, in other words, he ate me?" Baiyi replied, amused. "If he could actually do that to me, well… Things have just hit the fan, haven't they?"
As if to confirm his foreshadowing, a monstrous presence suddenly formed in the middle of that endless darkness, and it hurled itself before Baiya, whose grey sorcerer armor, back in reality, fell to the floor with a clank after it lost its host.
"Heh heh heh…" The behemoth's gaze locked onto the Soul Armature, like a cat watching its prey.
"Oh. So this is your true strength, huh." Baiyi scanned the presence before him briskly, gauging its difference. It was apparent that this monstrosity was far more powerful than the Thaas he had met before. If this consciousness's power was considered to be at the level of a Demigod, then the Thaas who Baiyi had faced previously would be depreciated into a measly, Advanced-level fry.
This should be the rightful power of a being who bore the title of the Abyss Lord.
"You're clever," Thaas' consciousness spoke in a baritone different from the voice his host had emitted. "That pathetic body was too frail to contain my true power. However, this is different. Now…Let's enjoy some games, shall we?"
Baiyi was unfazed. "Where is this?" He replied calmly.
"You're in my Soulscape!" The consciousness bellowed. Beaming in the confidence of a secured victory—or maybe it was just the nature of a predator playing with its prey—Thaas, surprisingly, refrained from immediately attacking. He explained patiently to Baiyi, "This is an eminent territory! This is a land where none shall disturb! Here, I am God! I am the alpha and the omega—"
"Oh, don't bullshit me," Baiyi waved his hand in dismissal, interrupting the Demon Lord's grandiose speech. "This is just a slightly peculiar micro realm. You somehow found it and used it to hide your soul. No wonder, despite your heart being in the Church's possession, your soul can never be banished; you found yourself a nice little hidey-hole."
Baiyi paused and thought for a while, before muttering, "I see… So it was here all along. Attaching yourself behind the border wall of another realm does make you much harder to find."
Thaas did not, in his wildest imagination, expect his opponent to unravel his tricks so easily and quickly. "You… Not only do you possess more knowledge on the science of realms than most, but you also possess this incredible power…" An unsolicited wave of wonder washed over him. "I dare not think of you as another common man, Mortal, for you have piqued my curiosity! Tell me your name and your true identity, and I shall grant you a swifter death as a reward."
Baiyi ignored him. He continued his examination of the newly found surrounding in his characteristic calmness, seemingly unaware of his predicament. He turned his inspection to his body and complained, "Oh come on! So now my consciousness is disconnected from my body, too*?"
[TL: Never mind, I don't fight demons and yet this always happens to me. I am always Away From Keyboard in real life, apparently.]
Baiyi's lack of response to Thaas's attempt at engaging him in a conversation was starting to get to the latter. However, the Lord of the Abyss was able to keep his rage under control because he had assured of his victory in this battle — which, incidentally, also inculcated in him the feeling of being high and mighty. He swallowed his anger and said, "Since you have asked so sincerely, I guess I have no other choice but to graciously and kindly explain! This place used to be some sort of prison that contained who-knows-what, but that thing had somehow broken out of their prison through a crack. I discovered this place one day, and that was how I turned it into the hiding spot for my consciousness. Just as you've said, outside this micro realm is a limitless void; an absolute territory of darkness and chaos that isn't governed by any law or order. Even we demons do not dare imagine the horrors poised by that place where no one could ever survive! Naturally, because of this, no one would think to look at the little micro realm that is closest to the void."
After Thaas' clarifying speech, Baiyi was finally able to nail down the main gist of his current predicament. He looked at the Abyss Lord and calmly said, "Thank you so much for your gracious explanation. You may now claim your reward — a swifter death..."
"Hee hee hee! What a funny little fry. At this point, you still manage to harbor some hope of turning the tides around!" Thaas replied in amusement. "Don't tell me you're foolish enough to hope that someone would come to save you, or that your tiny soul can somehow rival me, the Lord of the Abyss!"
The demon's consciousness prepared to hurl itself at Baiyi. "I will crush your foolish hope proper!"
However, only after the slightest of movements, the Abyss Lord was forced to stop because his eyes had witnessed the abrupt appearance of a planetary being behind Baiyi.
It was the original manifestation of Baiyi's consciousness. With the link to reality severed, and the Void itself being so close to where they were, he gained the capability to freely draw in parts of his consciousness to this micro realm until the realm showed signs of bursting.
"What… What are you?!" Thaas whimpered, shivering in fear as his eyes were treated to the leviathan before him. The Abyss Lord was supposed to be the cat and Baiyi the mouse, but now, the cat had realized that it had been playing with an elephant all along.
The grey armor and the leviathan, who both hovered before the demon, spoke in unison with the same deep voice, "Let's enjoy some games, shall we?"
Back in the reality, the demons were still going on a rampage, tearing apart everything in their sight. They had not recovered from their previous hysteria despite their Abyss Lord's disappearance. The casualties and collateral damage continued to rise at an alarming rate, but the demons' loss of coordination in their attacks had also benefited key areas where the demons had previously struck their hardest blows. With the pressure of their assault divided, the defense teams at these key areas were able to stand their grounds for far longer time than estimated.
After Baiyi's last physical attack shattered the shield barrier, the original purpose of these key areas was finally being fulfilled. The backups outside the barrier finally got wind of the city's situation; thus, reinforcements moved into the city in droves.
The first to enter the warzone, straight from the Church's innermost circle, was a band of men in snowy-white armor; their heads donned special helms with a pair of miniature wings adorning its side. These were the Knight Templars; the core and the most elite protectors of the Church. They were the absolute last line of defense, not mobilized even when the Templar Fort was in danger.
However, with the stench of evil emanating from Arfin City, even the Pope no longer hesitated to deploy the best of his best.
Hence, this band of 200 holy warriors sang hymns as they charged into the ongoing battle and cut through the demons, with no visible signs of being slowed down. They cleared the churchground almost instantly, and just as quickly as they had arrived, they left to cleanse other areas.
Father Weasel finally had some breathing room to put his theurgical prayer on his own wounded head. Standing before him, the "Dole Family's Fine Jewel"—the Butterfly Saint of Swords, Lady Undine—was panting.
The girl was no fool. Right at the beginning of the demons' attack, the Butterfly Saint of Swords swiftly led her family's offensive power to join the church's defense. Her judgment proved to be correct, as the public would most likely flock to the church for sanctuary.
"I wonder if they were safe, " Undine's said, glancing in the direction of the Academy, and her heart swelled in anxiety.
The aristocrats were not the only ones who had risen to the occasion. The common men had proven themselves to be just as useful; such as two body-builder-like men who were painstakingly carrying every injured on a stretcher and taking them to the church for healing. Their backs were drenched with sweat; their faces were darkened by black soot, and their clothes were in tatters.
Nevertheless, someone still managed to recognize them despite their looks. "Hey! Aren't you Howls the Iron Smith?"
"What Iron Smith?! It's Iron Ax to you, punk! Howls the Iron Ax! Never saw me in the arena before?" The man whose public identity had been exposed retorted in dismay.
"Not now, man! A lot of people are still counting on us!" His companion, formerly-known-as Dougie the Shredder, and now Dougie the Butcher of Pork, snapped impatiently behind him.
"Of course, of course. When the city is in peril, it is up to I, Iron Ax, to save her!" The iron smith said proudly, wiping his forehead. Then he turned to his friend and went back to work.