flstandardbreds Chapter 211: Malphas
Chapter 211: Malphas
The Red River was not just a name. It was a literal torrent of boiling, crimson fluid that smelled sharply of rusted iron and ancient decay. The massive army of the Howling Keep, now bolstered by 300,000 terrified Demonic Monkeys, set up their encampment along the muddy banks.
Sirius stood beside Adonis. She watched the thick, churning currents with a look of extreme distaste. She crossed her arms tightly, boosting her generous cleavage upward in a deliberate display.
"The current is incredibly fast," Sirius pointed out. "We will need to construct bone bridges for the infantry. That will take at least six hours. Are you absolutely certain you do not want an escort, my Emperor? I could bring my elite shadow-knights. We could flank the outer perimeter of the forest while you move through the center."
Adonis checked the edge of his Violet Chaos sword.
"No," Adonis answered firmly. "Escorts only slow me down. If Malphas specializes in illusions and trickery, bringing a squad of weak-minded soldiers is the worst tactical decision we could make. He would just turn them against me. I will handle this alone."
Sirius pouted slightly and rested her delicate hands on his broad chest.
" You are far too brave for your own good," Sirius whispered, her ruby eyes looking up at him through her long lashes. "Please be careful in there. The Dark Crow’s Sanctuary is a maze of pure madness. Many powerful demons have entered those woods and never returned. They just wander in circles until they starve to death."
Adonis smirked coldly,
"I do not wander, I conquer. Keep the monkeys in line while I am gone. If any of them try to desert, butcher them."
"With pleasure. I will keep your throne warm until you return."
Adonis stepped away from her embrace. He walked directly toward the boiling edge of the Red River.
He then channeled a fraction of his violet Chaos ether into the soles of his heavy boots.
When his boot touched the crimson surface, the boiling fluid instantly froze into a solid, black crystal. Adonis walked across the violent river as casually as a man strolling through a royal garden.
Every step he took created a localized bridge of solidified reality, completely ignoring the chaotic nature of the underworld.
He stepped onto the opposite bank and faced the towering wall of the Black Thorn Forest. The trees were not made of wood. They were massive, twisted spikes of jagged obsidian that bled a thick, tar-like sap. The canopy above was completely impenetrable, blocking out the burning red sky and casting the entire domain into absolute, suffocating darkness.
Adonis stepped into the shadows. The temperature plummeted instantly.
[System Notification: Hostile Domain Entered. Dark Crow’s Sanctuary.]
[Warning: Extreme Mental Interference Detected. Attempting to hijack sensory perception.]
[Status: System Firewall Active. Illusions Nullified.]
Adonis smiled in the dark. The system was functioning perfectly. He could feel the heavy, oppressive magic trying to crawl into his mind, but it shattered against his chaotic firewall like fragile glass hitting a steel vault.
"A mortal man walks into the abyss," suddenly a voice echoed through the dark woods. "How incredibly foolish. Or perhaps you are just tired of living?"
Adonis kept walking at a leisurely pace. He did not bother drawing his great sword from his back yet.
"You must be Malphas. I was expecting a grand greeting. Uranos at least had the decency to charge at me. You are just hiding in the bushes like a frightened child."
"Uranos was a screaming brute with the brain of a rotting fish," Malphas mocked from the shadows. "He relied on muscle. I rely on the mind. You have already lost, human. You took three steps into my domain, and now you are completely mine."
The environment shifted instantly. The black thorns melted away. The dark forest vanished.
Adonis found himself standing in the exact same throne room of the Howling Keep he had left hours ago. The glowing red crystal pillars pulsed softly. But something was horribly wrong. The floor was completely covered in blood.
Sirius lay at the base of the silver throne. Her beautiful wings were torn to shreds. Her armor was shattered. She coughed up a pool of dark blood, reaching a trembling hand toward Adonis.
"My Emperor," Sirius cried weakly. "Help me. He is too strong. He slaughtered the entire army."
Adonis stopped walking. He looked at the dying succubus on the floor. He tilted his head slightly at the right..
"Is this your best effort, Malphas?" Adonis scoffed.
The dying Sirius blinked in confusion. "Adonis? What are you saying? Please, it hurts so much."
"You made a critical error in your calculation. Sirius would never beg for help while rolling on the floor. She is far too vain. She would complain about her ruined makeup first."
Swiiiiish!
Adonis swung his blade, and a crescent wave of violet ether launched forward and cleanly decapitated the illusion of Sirius. The fake succubus burst into a cloud of black feathers.
The throne room shattered like a broken mirror. The dark forest returned, but the red eyes in the canopy looked significantly more agitated.
"You possess a strong will, mortal. But a strong will is just a taller tower waiting to be toppled. Let us see how you handle true despair!"
The forest warped again. This time, the sky above ripped open, and a colossal figure descended from the heavens.
It was a man clad in radiant golden armor, wielding a sword that looked like a captured sun.
"I am Ascalon, the God of Swords!" the golden illusion bellowed. The sheer pressure of his voice cracked the ground beneath Adonis.
"You dare interfere with my divine plan? Kneel before me, filthy mortal, and I will grant you a swift execution!"
Adonis stared up at the massive, glowing god. The cold rage he felt earlier returned, but it was quickly replaced by extreme amusement.
"This is actually hilarious," Adonis laughed loudly. "You have never even seen Ascalon, have you? You are just projecting an image based on the rumors floating around this basement."
"Silence!" the fake Ascalon roared, raising his blazing sword. "Perish under the weight of the heavens!"
"The real Ascalon is an arrogant prick. But he does not glow like a cheap lantern. And he certainly does not yell before he strikes. He is a silent, miserable killer."
Adonis gripped his great sword with both hands. He channeled a massive flow of Chaos ether into the blade.
Buzzzzz!
The violent violet energy condensed so heavily that the surrounding space began to warp and tear.
"If you want to show me a god, Malphas, You should probably make sure the god is stronger than me!"
Adonis swung his sword directly upward.
"Chaos Ultimate!" Adonis roared.
Rumble!
Chaotic destruction erupted from his blade. It completely bypassed the laws of physics and magic.
The violet beam struck the fake Ascalon squarely in the chest.
The golden god did not even have time to scream. The illusion shattered instantly. The entire pocket dimension of blinding light collapsed inward.
The shockwave of the attack rippled through the Black Thorn Forest. Thousands of giant obsidian trees were instantly vaporized. The canopy above was blown wide open, revealing the churning red sky of the 7th Firmament once again.
Millions of shadow crows shrieked in absolute agony as the violent ether burned their feathers.
"My forest! My beautiful sanctuary!" Malphas screamed in genuine panic.
From the swirling clouds of black feathers and ash, the true Demon King finally revealed himself.
Malphas was a monstrous, multi-eyed raven the size of a warship. His feathers were made of shifting, liquid shadows. Dozens of glowing red eyes dotted his massive wings and chest, all glaring at Adonis with pure hatred.
"Impossible! No creature can break my domain of madness with pure physical force! The mind cannot be cut!"
"I just proved you wrong," Adonis smiled ruthlessly, resting his sword on his shoulder. "Your domain is a joke. Your illusions are pathetic. You are nothing but a glorified pigeon playing with parlor tricks."
Malphas shrieked,
"Accursed! I will blind you! I will strip away your senses and leave you to rot in the eternal void!"
[System Notification: Extreme Sensory Deprivation Attack Detected.]
[Counter-measure Deployed: Aura Vision Activated.]
Adonis closed his eyes, and the pitch-black void instantly transformed into a wireframe grid in his mind.
He could see the flow of magic. He could see the millions of shadow crows swarming around him. And most importantly, he could see the massive, glowing demonic core of King Malphas trying to hide in the center of the swarm.
"You cannot hit what you cannot see!" Malphas laughed triumphantly from the darkness.
Dozens of shadow blades shot out of the void, aiming directly for Adonis’s vital organs.
"Chaos Aegis," Adonis muttered.
Bang!
The shadow blades struck the shield and completely shattered, unable to penetrate the absolute defense.
Adonis bent his knees. He condensed an absurd amount of kinetic force into his legs.
"I do not need to see you with my eyes, bird," Adonis stated coldly.
BOOM!
The ground beneath Adonis completely caved in. He launched himself into the air like a violet missile, tearing straight through the sensory deprivation void. He ignored the millions of shadow crows pecking at his armor.
He shot directly toward the glowing demonic core highlighted by his system.
Malphas realized what was happening a fraction of a second too late. The massive raven tried to scatter his body into a swarm of smaller birds to escape, but Adonis was infinitely faster.
Adonis broke through the cloud of feathers. He reached out with his left hand and grabbed the giant raven directly by its thick, shadowy throat.
The violent momentum carried them both high into the red sky.
"Found you," Adonis whispered, eyes cruel.
Malphas choked as his dozens of red eyes widened in pure terror. He thrashed wildly, scratching at Adonis’s arm with razor-sharp talons, but it was like trying to scratch solid diamond.
"Wait! Wait! I yield! I can serve you! I know the secrets of the Golden Light! I know what Ascalon is truly planning in the lower firmaments! I can be your greatest spy!"
Adonis hovered in the air, holding the massive Demon King by the neck. He looked at the desperate, thrashing bird with absolute contempt.
"I prefer to find my own secrets. And I do not employ cowards who hide behind fake faces."
Adonis channeled raw, unfiltered Chaos ether directly into his left hand. The violent energy flooded into Malphas’s body, tearing apart his shadow magic from the inside out.
"No! Please!" Malphas shrieked.
Adonis squeezed his hand closed.
CRAAAACK!
The sound of the massive raven’s neck snapping echoed like a cannon shot across the dead forest. The red eyes all over Malphas’s body instantly went completely dark.
[System Notification: Demon King Malphas has been eliminated.]
[The Dark Crow’s Sanctuary is now under the control of the Chaos Order.]