Chapter 884: Good Morning, Beautiful
The monstrous voice entered every mind at once, causing several Valkyries to grasp their heads and scream while others froze in the air. Their wings locked as Leviathan’s voice almost seemed to crush their minds.
Despite remaining bent above the sea, it didn’t take any action.
Its elongated arms touched the surface while the dark purple eyes across its wings stared at Asmodeus.
Velvet’s heart ached.
Painful thumps continuously beat as she clenched her teeth, resisting the beast’s pressure.
"Move!"
Her roar broke the paralysis affecting the closest Valkyries.
She beat her wings with all her remaining strength, climbing towards the fortress while holding Asmodeus against her chest. His blood soaked through the cracks in her armour, warm against her skin despite the cold rain.
’Please wake up.’
Behind her, the ocean vanished before curling and rising to a massive wave behind Leviathan, who pushed away from the water.
There weren’t any flashy movements or sounds; one minute the monster stood still, and the next it travelled several miles and reached Velvet.
It manifested inches from her, with countless eyes across its black wings blinking out of sync before extending its long arm towards her. The seven curved blades opened and extended towards Asmodeus’s back.
However, Ein appeared between them in a flash of light.
[Halt!]
The movement caused the air to collapse, two immense auras clashing to distort their surroundings.
Leviathan’s body stopped less than a metre from her, trapped inside a distorted sphere that bent the rain into circular streams. Its thin limbs stretched against the gravity field, black armour creaking as the pressure folded inward.
Ein’s damaged exoskeleton flashed.
Silver blood leaked from her nose and mouth.
"Go!" she shouted with her own voice. "Take him away!"
Velvet didn’t argue.
She flew.
Leviathan’s vertical mouth opened.
[KILL.]
Its fingers bent, and the gravity field shattered, leaving Ein’s remaining eye widened as Leviathan’s palm struck her chest.
CRACK!
The pure-white armour collapsed beneath the blow.
Ein shot backwards, her petite figure tearing across the sea before crashing through one of the distant cliff towers. Stone erupted across the fortress, burying her beneath broken battlements.
"....Damn it," Velvet grumbled at the sight of her losing so fast.
Leviathan turned away, as if bored with Ein and returned his focus to Asmodeus.
The wings around its face unfolded wider, exposing the vertical mouth as it followed Velvet through the sky.
Brando’s voice screamed from the coast.
"All units, cover the Emperor!"
The surviving Valkyries formed between Velvet and Leviathan.
There were fewer than half as many as before.
Broken armour covered their bodies. Some flew with only one functioning wing, supported by magic or comrades. Others held shattered spears and cracked rifles, yet none retreated.
A captain raised her sword.
"For His Majesty!"
The formation charged.
Thousands of radiant shots and elemental lances crossed the storm.
Leviathan continued forward.
The attacks struck its black armour, spreading fire, lightning and flashes of white light across its narrow body. Their attacks burst several eyes, tore one of the delicate wings apart, and yet the creature appeared to be calm and did not slow.
Its elongated arm swept sideways, bending the air around its limb, flinging dozens of Valkyries into the ocean. The magic destroyed their armour and snapped their wings as countless bodies vanished beneath the black wave that swallowed their screams.
The remaining warriors closed the gap.
Spears pierced Leviathan’s torso.
Swords cut through the exposed grooves between its armour.
Black fluid sprayed into the rain.
The monster tilted its head as if curious, before the eyes inside its wounds opened.
Dark purple beams erupted at point-blank range.
The formation disappeared inside the light.
Velvet refused to look back.
Each scream made her wings beat harder.
"Asmodeus, please!"
His face remained still against her shoulder.
She could barely feel him breathing.
Her dragon heart burned inside her chest. Heat spread through her veins, consuming what little strength she had left. Grey scales grew across her neck and cheeks as she forced her exhausted wings to accelerate.
The fortress approached as she landed, rolling to the side as Brando stood atop the ruined wall beside Alan and the remaining Demon Knights.
"Bring him here, hurry!" Alan shouted with both arms raised.
A golden barrier spread from the battlements, opening just enough to allow Velvet through before sealing behind her.
She crossed the barrier.
Leviathan arrived a heartbeat later.
Its palm pressed against the golden surface.
The barrier bent inward.
Alan coughed blood.
"Hold!"
"Help the Prince!"
"Pour your energy into the barrier!"
The Demon Knights drove their weapons into the stone as their mana flowed into the formation. Brando planted both feet beside Alan and supported his back before he fell; despite cracks forming across the barrier, it didn’t break.
Velvet slumped herself near the damaged Kraken Slayers, her knees slamming against the stone as she placed one trembling hand against his bloody chest.
"Asmodeus."
No matter how many times she slapped his cheek or called out to him, he wouldn’t respond.
"You normally always wake up after doing something stupid."
Her voice weakened.
"So wake up."
However, there was still no answer.
"...Aunt Velvet." Alan stood beside the pair; he dropped to his knees before reaching out to Asmodeus, his hands flickering with a faint golden light. "I will try to help him..."
"What can a fallen hero do?!" She snapped back before quickly covering her mouth and turning away while gritting her teeth. "....sorry."
"Heh, to see that scary, cold witch being so emotional. My brother is truly a genius at taming scary women..." Alan muttered before placing both hands on Asmodeus’s body.
Ba-Dum!
There was a subtle but powerful beating.
"How...?!"
Almost strong enough that Alana wanted to stop and complain over a beer about how sturdy his damned brother-in-law was.
His hands sank deeper into the golden light surrounding Asmodeus’s chest.
The warmth spread through the torn flesh, slipping between burned muscle and shattered veins as Alan searched for anything he could stabilise.
"What is it?" Velvet asked.
Alan didn’t answer immediately.
His brow creased.
The pulse beneath his palms struck again.
Ba-Dum!
The impact shoved his hands away by several inches, and yet Alan’s lips curled upward as he glanced at Velvet.
"It seems he’s trying to fight..."
Velvet’s eyes narrowed.
"What does that mean?"
"It means he isn’t dying."
Another pulse spread through Asmodeus’s body and spread further than ever before as the blackened flesh across his shoulder twitched and faint crimson veins appeared beneath the ruined skin.
The glow lasted several seconds before turning dark and swirling towards his abdomen.
Alan slowly exhaled.
"Something inside him is rebuilding the damage, but..."
"But what?"
"I don’t understand or recognise this type of energy... it is almost identical to divine energy but somehow different... The energy is so pure that I dare not even touch it with my mortal body."
’Though I want to...’
Just a simple flicker of this aura and the curse eating away at his body screamed in pain, fading into the nether.
’I could live if I were to harness this energy...’
However.
’Asmodeus is my brother... he would share this willingly, so I will wait until that moment.’
Velvet glanced down at Asmodeus.
His face remained pale.
His breathing was shallow, yet his body no longer felt completely lifeless beneath her hands.
"Then stop forcing it."
Alan nodded and pulled his power back.
The moment he did, Asmodeus’s heart struck harder.
Ba-Dum!
A wave of heat rolled across the damaged platform, causing the nearest soldiers to flinch as the red light leaking from the cracks in Asmodeus’s flesh flowed into their bodies... rapidly healing their wounds.
Velvet leaned closer.
"Asmodeus?"
Alan tilted his head.
"What did he say?"
Velvet lowered her ear to his mouth.
"...Ah... nothing...." Her cheeks flushed bright red as she felt a sudden pressure squeezing her thighs. "H-He seems energetic!"
BOOM!
Everyone looked up as the barrier groaned.
Leviathan still pressed one palm against the golden surface, its elongated fingers spread across the light as if testing the strength of the spell. The dark purple eyes inside its wings blinked in different rhythms.
Alan forced himself upright.
"Brando, how long can they hold?"
"Not long."
Brando stood near the centre of the barrier formation, one hand gripping Alan’s shoulder while the other held the small communication device near his mouth.
"Every available unit is reinforcing this section. The outer wall is already gone, and if that thing breaks through, there is nothing between it and the city."
Velvet looked at the broken Kraken Slayers.
Both weapons remained damaged.
One had lost its rear support.
The other still leaned sideways after the misfire, black blood staining the mana circuits around its base.
"Can either weapon fire?"
Brando’s expression darkened.
"Logan!"
A muffled curse came from beneath the wreckage.
Several engineers dragged the old dwarf free from beneath a shattered panel. Half his beard had burned away, and his face looked black with soot.
"What!?"
"Can either Slayer fire?"
However, the moment the dwarf glanced at the weapons, there was a strangely cheeky glint in his eyes before he nodded.
"Of course!"
Brando stared at him for a moment before shouting. "THEN SHOOT THEM!"
"I can only make one shot... just one last shot, Brother."
"Which one?"
The dwarf pointed toward the damaged lower weapon.
"That one."
Velvet’s gaze followed his finger.
"The one covered in corrupted blood with half its protection rings missing!?"
"That one."
"The one that nearly killed Asmodeus?"
"....Lass, you know that wasn’t on purpose—the bastard beast shot beams at us."
Velvet’s eyes became cold.
Logan swallowed as he rubbed his fingers together. "I-I’ll get it ready..."
The barrier shook again.
A crack spread from Leviathan’s palm across the golden surface.
Alan staggered.
Brando caught him before he fell.
"How long?"
Alan wiped blood from his mouth.
"One minute."
"Half that," Brando replied.
The Demon Knights around them continued pouring mana into the formation. Their armour steamed beneath the rain, and several men had already fallen unconscious while still gripping their weapons.
Velvet looked down at Asmodeus.
His fingers twitched again, and finally his eyes faintly opened, before a wide grin spread across his lips.
"Good morning, beautiful..."
Velvet pressed one hand against his cheek.
"You need to wake up."
"Ah... but your thighs are so comfortable, why...?"
Velvet couldn’t help but smile back, her eyes brimming with tears as her heart tightened.
"There you are."
However, the moment she spoke, Leviathan’s fingers pierced the barrier.