Chapter 412: Fending Off The Demon Invasion

[ 1,754 words ]

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Song and his mother soared through the skies, accompanied by two of Anna’s Egos, each both her and, at the same time, a distinct aspect of her, a fractured piece of her mind and personality. They occasionally displayed variations in her character or embodied one of her emotions.

The two that traveled with them were strikingly different. One was formed of darkness and Demonic Ki, the living embodiment of Anna’s Cursed Seals: Yin. The other appeared as a tall, burly version of Anna with long blonde hair and piercing yellow eyes. She wore armor crafted from white bone and wielded a staff made of skeletons, the manifestation of Anna’s Specialization: Necro.

Song experienced an awkward moment trying to speak with them. They felt both deeply familiar and strangely alien at once. Even the Heavenly Empress wondered silently just how many of these “clones” of herself Anna truly possessed.

“Uh, so how should we address you?” Song asked hesitantly. “I know we’re in a dire situation, but are you two also Anna? Somehow? Like how my Record self was still a part of me?”

“Maybe, kind of,” Yin replied. “But at the same time, not completely. We are Anna yet also separate pieces of her. Technically we are not her while still being part of her. We share everything we see with her, and she can speak through us remotely if she wishes, but we’ve developed our own personalities to some degree.”

“I-Is that so…” Song murmured.

“You can call me Yin,” the Cursed Seal Ego said calmly.

“And I’m Necro!” the other added with a gentle smile. “We all know you, and we are technically Anna, but feel free to call us whatever you like.”

Song was genuinely surprised by how different yet similar they appeared compared to his adoptive sister—especially Necro, who looked like an enormous, muscular version of Anna he could never have pictured, not even in his wildest imagination.

“Then it is decided,” the Heavenly Empress said with a nod. “You are my daughters as well, correct? Yin and Necro, I believe there is a large concentration of demons coming from that portal ahead. I sense something powerful.”

“Yes, certainly,” Yin confirmed. “Among the many cracks, there are larger holes—actual Gates—leading to another world. I don’t know whether it’s our world or another Hell, but I suspect it might be a different Hell somehow connected here. Still, I’m certain Beelzebub was living on Earth, which means the place he came from could be Earth…”

“It’s confusing, I know!” Necro added quickly. “We’re truly sorry, but we’re just as lost as you are, honestly. One of the Gates has already been sealed anyway, and our original body is handling Beelzebub, so we shouldn’t worry about that one. The Heavenly Demon has already moved to another, farther Gate. We must take care of this one.”

“I agree,” the Heavenly Empress said firmly. “Song, prepare yourself. You must quickly adapt to your new abilities; this battle is far from over! Besides these otherworldly demons summoned to buy time, I am certain that thing is preparing something far worse!”

“I-I know!” Song replied, clenching his fists. “I’ll do my best, Mother!”

As the group of four reached their destination, a massive swarm of demons poured from the enormous crack in space. The rift resembled a blazing inferno of purple and red flames, endlessly spawning giant Demons and Demonic Beasts, the smallest stood four meters tall, while the largest towered tens of meters high.

Their appearances varied, but most were humanoid or beast-like, bears and wolves with burning fur, multiple heads, eyes scattered across their bodies, and extra limbs. The demons themselves looked almost human, with skin in shades of purple, red, blue, and yellow.

Sharp black horns crowned their heads. Most had large bat-like wings, long tails ending in vicious points, and razor-sharp claws. They wore bone armor and wielded massive bone weapons, radiating tremendous auras of demonic power, many rivaling the strength of immortals.

Only half a minute had passed since the gate opened, yet thousands had already emerged, all surging toward the seas, and likely whatever remained of the land, toward the two paradise islands guarded by the Venerables and home to the “traitor mechanical trees.”

Song, his mother, and both of Anna’s Egos moved to intercept them as they descended. The thousand-strong force would not be easily halted by four, however, they could slip past from every angle across the sky.

Therefore…

“You will not descend another meter!”

With a furious roar, the Heavenly Empress unleashed her overwhelming Aura of Hope. A radiant light enveloped her surroundings, making her appear as a small star that swiftly expanded across the heavens!

FLASH!

“W-Wha…?!”

“Gryyaargh?!”

“Is that a Celestial?!”

This time the demons could speak. Unlike the more savage insectoids, humanoid demons possessed speech and knew many languages, though the beasts beside them remained as mindless as any animal.

RUMBLE!

The Heavenly Empress’s Venerable Aura created crushing pressure. Her Light of Hope seared every demon that dared touch it. Their bodies ignited with Holy Fire, exploding into ashes one after another.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The demons, who had expected to conquer this world with ease, were halted instantly. The three thousand summoned so far recoiled as their comrades burned and burst apart in rapid succession.

The light was not the same as Celestial power, yet it felt eerily similar, capable of harming them and overwhelming them with the almighty force of Holy Light.

“Oh? They’re dying rather quickly…” The Heavenly Empress remarked, surprised. “It seems the Light of Hope is extraordinarily effective. Why is that? Not even against Demonic Cultivators would it cause them to explode into ashes! Just what are these demons made of?”

“They are extremely vulnerable to Holy and Pure energies and elements,” Necro explained. “There is a race of winged, feathered humanoids similar to our main body. They resemble humans but stand three times taller and possess huge white feathered wings—sometimes many at once. They are called Celestials, the archnemeses of demons. They wield Celestial Holy Light, which can easily destroy them. Their bodies and energies are composed almost entirely of negative power. If they are not strong enough, a powerful strike can kill them instantly.”

“Not all demons are… well, bad,” Yin added. “The main body once met a tribe of surviving demons and helped them endure and fight back in their original world. But the ones we face now are likely barbarians or warriors loyal to a Demonic Throne. Do not feel remorse slaying them even if they speak like us—they have probably already killed countless innocents through their invasions of other worlds.”

“Hmph. If things are going to be this easy, I suppose I won’t need to go all-out…” the Heavenly Empress said.

As she spoke, the demons struck back. Hundreds combined their Demonic Energies and Magic, unleashing a torrent of Blazing Demonic Meteors toward her. This was devastating magic, capable of wiping entire countries from the maps of conquered worlds!

Yet…

The Heavenly Empress’s golden eyes remained steady. Her divine, holy light gathered throughout her body and erupted once more.

“{Heavenly Light of Hope}!”

FLAAASH!

A wave of golden and white purity surged outward. The meteors disintegrated the instant they touched it. Even the pentagrams summoning the tremendous magic shattered.

Crack, crack…!

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

As the pentagrams collapsed, the demons tried to flee but were swiftly consumed by the light, exploding into ashes! From hundreds, their deaths quickly surpassed one thousand, and the slaughter continued relentlessly.

Even the largest and mightiest demons among them were destroyed in moments. The Heavenly Empress’s power had never reached such heights before! After awakening her darker abilities further and battling constellations and countless other foes, her strength had continued to grow through Anna’s sponsorship abilities, her stats rising with every limit she shattered.

“It almost feels like I will soon regain my true power…” she thought briefly as she pressed her assault. “Song, Anna, stay behind me. I think I can handle this one alone. However, Anna, can you prepare a seal to close the Gate?”

“Sure!” Necro nodded.

“Okay,” Yin agreed.

Just as they prepared to act, Song’s eyes widened. Amid the purifying radiance of his mother’s light, he saw something…

FLUOSH!

A gigantic black and red eye emerged within the brilliance, completely unaffected. The eye floated in midair, opening a massive pair of jaws lined with sharp fangs, and began devouring the light itself.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

“Ugh?!”

The Heavenly Empress suddenly felt her power weakening and fracturing. Her hands trembled as a sharp backlash stabbed through her head. She watched in disbelief as her light vanished.

“What in the world?!”

She stared at the enormous black sphere of darkness, a single gigantic red eye at its center and a pair of jaws beneath. That thing had consumed light itself, and her technique ranked among the strongest in existence.

“BURP…”

The spherical demon burped lazily as it turned its single eye toward the Heavenly Empress and Song, wearing an expression of relaxed annoyance.

“Uh-oh, that’s a strong one,” Yin said. “I guess they didn’t just bring jobbers this time… Wait, is it just me or does he look like Pac-Man?”

“It might be quite a challenge, perhaps,” Necro added. “It radiates tremendous power… And I believe that might also be the Avatar of a Constellation.”

“Is it?!” the Heavenly Empress asked as the sphere suddenly doubled in size, overflowing with energy. Golden, circuit-like tattoos spread across its black surface, now five meters wide.

It had not only devoured the Heavenly Light of Hope, it had assimilated its power and incorporated it into its own body!

“It assimilated Mom’s light?! A demon? But didn’t Anna say they were super weak to it?” Song asked, stunned.

“I only said the weakest ones would die easily…” Yin replied. “Demons are extraordinary beings, you see, dear Song. They can evolve infinitely into countless forms, develop any power, and adapt to any adversity, with enough time, resources, and luck.”

“Indeed,” Necro agreed. “That spherical demon is most likely one of them. I have no idea if it has a title or name, though… I cannot appraise it easily, unlike the main body. But based on her knowledge, it is probably at the level of a Death Apostle or higher.”

“Like that fly Anna fought?” the Heavenly Empress asked.

“I would say… perhaps stronger,” Yin answered. “It appears to be the Avatar of one of the Demonic Thrones.”

[The Demonic Throne {The Greed That Consumes Everything} says that their Avatar has been specifically handpicked to completely shut down any attempt at stopping his army.]

“Of course it had to be from this bastard, Mammon!”

“That is indeed a demon he would choose for his avatar…”

Both of Anna’s Egos spoke in unison. Only that raging lunatic obsessed with taking everything from others would select a literal floating ball with an eye as his avatar…

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