The Chaos Spawn’s Path

Now that she commanded a well-trained Blood Skull Legion, Sovenia’s subsequent progress became considerably smoother. After her fourth battle, she drew cards twice, yet finding none to her liking, she chose instead to charge her ‘Blazing Gold Hammer’ with their energy.

Following a fifth minor skirmish, Sovenia pressed onward.

Sovenia strode at the head of her forces, her Blood Skull cloak trailing behind her. Each step was imbued with a formidable grace, reminiscent of a tiger and dragon in motion, as though she had truly become Jimi the Cruel once more.

Her elven ears twitched, keenly catching sounds that echoed from the depths of the Demon Queen’s Hall.

Boom—

Another deafening explosion reverberated from the distance, causing the entire corridor to tremble as rubble rained down from the ceiling. Sovenia raised a hand, signaling her soldiers to halt, and meticulously pinpointed the direction of the sound.

This was no ordinary magical detonation. She recognized the sound all too well: it was the Demon Queen’s Shadowflame clashing against a force of comparable might. The explosion was swiftly followed by a low, furious roar, akin to a colossal beast thrashing in its death throes.

“Continue forward,” Sovenia commanded.

She resumed her stride.

Behind her, the Black Horn Centurion whispered, “Lady Haelana, that sound—”

Sovenia cut him off. “The Throne Room.”

An absurd sensation stirred within her. The last time her fate had been sealed in that very Throne Room was the day she had attempted to use Wawalde, the hero, to betray the Demon Queen. She had failed then, dying only to be resurrected within the body of an elven girl.

Now, she was returning there once more.

Sovenia harbored a faint suspicion that this entire ordeal might be a scheme orchestrated by the Bird God, purely for their amusement.

Yet, given the circumstances, she had no choice but to push forward.

****

The air within the corridor grew increasingly stifling, the walls scarred with burn marks. Sovenia spotted a still-smoking pool of black blood on the floor, its foul stench of sulfur assaulting her senses.

Another explosion erupted, this time alarmingly closer. Sovenia mentally calculated the distance, realizing they were nearing their destination.

A sense of unease settled in her heart.

The ferocity of the battle far surpassed her expectations. She had assumed the Demon Queen had been gravely wounded during the conflagration, her strength severely hampered. Yet, judging by the raw power unleashed, the Demon Queen’s might seemed barely diminished.

She recalled the Demon Queen, perched regally on her throne, looking down upon her and declaring, “Jimi the Cruel, do you truly believe you comprehend me? I eagerly await your ultimate humiliation; it will be a spectacle I thoroughly enjoy.”

At the time, Sovenia had dismissed the words. Now, however, she began to wonder if the Demon Queen had been concealing her true strength all along, or perhaps harbored some unforeseen trump card.

If that were the case, then her male body’s head, and Wawalde…

Sovenia gritted her teeth, forcefully suppressing the unsettling thought.

A dull ache flared in her buttocks, a lingering reminder of Wawalde’s earlier blow. Sovenia’s expression darkened, and she silently committed the transgression to memory.

Once she reclaimed her head and restored her full power, her first act would be to capture that foolish dog alive, and then…

She did not allow herself to finish the thought.

****

Ahead, the corridor branched into a fork. Sovenia raised a hand, signaling her contingent to halt.

At the junction, a dozen or so demons stood guard, clad in identical black armor emblazoned with the Demon Queen’s insignia. Wielding brightly polished long blades and spears, they assumed a defensive formation, clearly tasked with guarding this specific passage.

Spotting Sovenia’s approaching force, one of the demons bellowed, “Halt! No passage beyond this point!”

Sovenia stopped, her gaze fixed coldly upon them.

The demon scrutinized her from head to toe, its eyes lingering on the Blood Skull banner behind her before a sneer twisted its lips. “The Blood Skull Legion? Jimi the Cruel’s subordinates? You dare show your faces here?”

Sovenia offered no reply, instead assessing the strength of her adversaries.

Ten demon warriors, fully armored and armed with standard weapons, held a tight formation. Behind them, five or six lesser soldiers, armed with bows and short swords, lurked.

While she could undoubtedly win a direct confrontation, it would come at the cost of her soldiers.

The Black Horn Centurion stepped forward, stating in a deep voice, “Move aside. We are passing through.”

The demon burst into laughter. “Passing through?”

“Where do you intend to go? To the Throne Room, to your deaths?”

His companions joined in his mocking laughter.

The demon continued:

“Her Majesty the Demon Queen has already gained the upper hand. Her Handmaiden Legion has returned and is currently assisting her in the battle within the Throne Room. Those traitors and usurpers will soon be torn to shreds.”

Sovenia’s heart plummeted.

‘The Handmaiden Legion has returned?’

That elite legion, predominantly composed of succubi, was supposed to be fighting on the front lines in the human realm. She had originally seized the opportunity of their absence from the Demon Queen’s Hall to secretly provide the hero’s squad with a map, enabling their infiltration and the assassination attempt on the Demon Queen.

‘How could they have returned so quickly?’

Her mind raced, rapidly calculating.

‘How many of the Handmaiden Legion returned? Thirty? Forty?’

They were all succubi, capable of flight, archery, and unleashing Shadowflame magic arrows. These arrows possessed immense destructive power, tracked their targets relentlessly, bypassed obstacles, and crucially, could significantly weaken an enemy’s defenses.

Most troubling of all, the succubi specialized in ranged combat. They could soar through the air, unleashing torrents of arrows from every conceivable angle, making it impossible for enemies to close the distance. Even a top-tier warrior, struck by dozens of Shadowflame arrows, would find their defenses dangerously compromised.

Sovenia had witnessed the Handmaiden Legion’s prowess firsthand. Against an adult silver dragon, a champion fighting for humanity, ten volleys were enough to render its mithril armor and scales vulnerable. After such an assault, even a common archer could pierce its hide with ordinary arrows.

It was crucial to remember that an adult silver dragon was no mere target; it could fly, retaliate, and wield draconic magic.

If they had now joined the battle in the Throne Room, they would undoubtedly tip the scales of victory.

Behind her, the soldiers murmured amongst themselves.

“The Handmaiden Legion…”

“Damn it, how are they back?”

“Shadowflame arrows, those things can even cripple dragons…”

The Black Horn Centurion turned, his voice low. “Lady Haelana, if the Handmaiden Legion truly has returned, then—”

He left the sentence unfinished, but Sovenia understood his unspoken implication.

If the Handmaiden Legion joined the fray, both Skullcrusher and Wawalde would surely perish. The Demon Queen would emerge victorious in this ‘Demon Queen’s Hegemony Contest,’ reclaim her throne, and initiate a brutal purge of all traitors.

Including Sovenia herself.

****

The demons at the fork continued to cackle.

“You traitors, still planning to enter the Throne Room? To your deaths?”

“After Her Majesty the Demon Queen triumphs, all of you will face reckoning! The Blood Skull Legion? Bah! Your master was a coward, betrayed Her Majesty, and now they lie unburied!”

“We are Her Majesty the Demon Queen’s most loyal guards! When Her Majesty wins, we will be her heroes! As for you… hahahaha…”

“Hey, if you want a lighter sentence, turn back now. Her Majesty the Demon Queen needs cannon fodder.”

Just then,

Sovenia’s long ears twitched imperceptibly; she had heard something.

A heavy, rhythmic thud was approaching from the other end of the corridor.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The footsteps grew steadily closer, each heavy impact causing the very ground to tremble. Sovenia recognized the distinctive rhythm: it belonged to the Bicep Demon she had encountered earlier.

She spun around abruptly, issuing a low command. “Retreat.”

The Black Horn Centurion paused, bewildered. “What?”

Sovenia repeated, “Retreat!” Then, with more urgency, “Everyone, fall back with me!”

The soldiers exchanged bewildered glances, failing to grasp the reason for the retreat. Behind their visors, their expressions were grim, their dignity insulted, and a fierce desire to prove themselves by slaying their tormentors burned within them.

The demons at the fork erupted into even louder laughter.

“Hahahaha! See that? They’re running away!”

“Cowards of the Blood Skull Legion!”

“They don’t even dare to fight, they only know how to flee!”

The Black Horn Centurion’s face flushed crimson, and he tightened his grip on his weapon.

But Sovenia had already turned, striding purposefully back the way they had come.

She stated coldly, “Follow me. That is an order!”

The soldiers hesitated for a moment, but ultimately fell in behind her.

Behind them, the demons’ taunts echoed.

“Look how fast they run!”

“True to the Blood Skull Legion, once their master died, they became cowards.”

“Just wait. When Her Majesty the Demon Queen wins, she might show you a little mercy!”

Sovenia led her contingent back to the entrance of a room they had passed earlier. The door remained intact, and though dilapidated, it was still functional.

She commanded, “Inside.”

The soldiers filed in, one after another.

The Black Horn Centurion was the last to enter, turning to Sovenia with a gaze full of confusion.

Sovenia instructed, “Nail the door shut.”

The Black Horn Centurion gaped. “What?”

Sovenia’s voice was firm. “Do it.”

The Black Horn Centurion gritted his teeth, picking up several wooden planks from the floor. A few Blood Skull Legion soldiers joined him, and together, they began nailing the planks across the door.

Outside, the taunts persisted.

“They’ve hidden in a room!”

“Hahahaha, like rats!”

The mocking laughter gradually faded.

For the heavy footsteps were growing ever closer.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Sovenia stood behind the bolted door, holding her breath, listening intently to the sounds outside.

The footsteps ceased at the fork.

Then, she heard a guttural voice, like the low growl of a beast.

“Meat…”

“Fresh meat…”

The laughter from the fork abruptly ceased.

Someone shrieked, “It’s the Chaos Spawn!”

“Quick! Form ranks!”

“Magic! Use magic!”

“Don’t get excited! Big fellow! There’s a bunch of cowards in the room next to you…”

Sovenia heard the clang of armor, the clatter of spears dropping, and the frantic scramble of footsteps.

A deafening roar erupted.

Boom—

The entire corridor vibrated violently. Sovenia distinguished the sounds of magical explosions, roaring flames, and the sickening screech of twisting metal.

“Shoot! Shoot your arrows!”

“It’s unstoppable! It can’t be held back!”

“Help—”

Screams rose and fell, quickly devolving into the sickening crunch of breaking bones and the wet tearing of flesh.

Sovenia leaned against the door, calmly listening to the slaughter unfolding outside.

Behind her, the soldiers stood frozen, some gripping their weapons tightly, others visibly pale.

The Black Horn Centurion whispered, “Lady Haelana, outside—”

Sovenia simply said, “Silence.”

****

The sounds outside gradually subsided.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The heavy footsteps resumed once more, this time receding into the distance.

Sovenia waited a full five minutes, ensuring the footsteps had truly faded, before turning to the Black Horn Centurion. “Dismantle the door.”

The soldiers removed the planks and opened the door.

The junction had been transformed into a slaughterhouse.

Over a dozen bodies lay on the ground, or rather, a dozen piles of mangled flesh. The demon warriors’ armor was crushed into twisted scrap, spears snapped in half, and shields bore deep claw marks. Blood splattered the walls, with chunks of viscera clinging to them.

The air hung heavy with the cloying scent of blood and the acrid smell of burnt flesh.

Sovenia stepped into the junction, her expression impassive as she surveyed the scene.

The Black Horn Centurion approached her, nudging a corpse with his foot. The demon’s face was relatively intact, its mouth agape, eyes wide with terror.

“This fellow was laughing at us just a moment ago,” the Black Horn Centurion remarked.

Sovenia did not respond. She looked up, gazing in the direction the Chaos Spawn had departed.

She heard its footsteps continuing toward the Throne Room.

“It’s heading to the Throne Room,” she murmured.

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances.

One soldier quietly asked, “Lady Haelana, are we… still going?”

Sovenia turned, her gaze fixed on him.

The soldier recoiled under her intense stare.

“Of course, we are going,” Sovenia stated. “The Chaos Spawn will clear the obstacles in our path.”

She quickened her pace, treading through the pools of blood on the ground as she moved past the corpses at the fork. Her gaze instinctively swept around.

Her boots made a sticky sound as they met the blood-soaked floor. On the ground lay a helmet, one she recognized intimately.

Sovenia bent down, picking it up for a closer inspection. It was a hero’s helmet, crafted from steel, its surface marred by numerous dents and scratches, its edges stained with blood, and its faceguard completely detached.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Wawalde had been here, but why was his helmet abandoned?

Sovenia clutched the helmet, her gaze sweeping the surroundings.

There were drag marks on the ground, more bloodstains, and several shattered pieces of armor.

She heard a faint sound.

Sovenia immediately turned, moving towards the source of the noise.

Lying in the corner was a demon, its chest pierced by a spear, blood gushing out. It was still alive, eyes wide open, mouth agape and gasping. This was the same demon who had initially mocked and ridiculed them.

The Black Horn Centurion beside her raised his weapon, preparing to finish it off.

“Stop!” Sovenia raised a hand to halt him, swiftly moving closer. She kicked away the weapon near the dying demon’s hand, her golden eyes blazing as she stared at its face, demanding, “Have you seen a hero? Golden hair, half his face burned, a human who looks utterly foolish?”

The demon struggled to lift its eyelids, looking at her, and mumbled indistinctly, “Who… who?”

Sovenia knelt and punched him directly in the face. “Answer me! That hero, the golden-haired hero, did he pass through here? What happened to him? If you satisfy me, I will grant you release from this suffering, a quick death.”