A Dark Fantasy Spy

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The butterfly led us to the southern district.

Flapping its wings gracefully like leaves swaying in a gentle breeze, the butterfly’s form stood out even in the thick darkness.

As the butterfly flew on the gentle winds, it suddenly slowed its pace when it reached a certain point.

It then circled in flight and softly settled on Francesca’s shoulder, as if it had accomplished its task.

“There it is.”

Francesca pointed at a building in front of us.

There stood a department store.

The broken windows, peeling paint, exposed rebar, and cracked concrete revealed the scars of time, with weeds and vines growing wildly. The place where the sign had fallen only bore the faintest traces of letters.

The building, which must have served countless customers in its heyday, now bore the unmistakable marks of decay.

It was a stark contrast to the grandeur that once shone in its past. The nameless ruins that had been a department store symbolized the plight of people caught in the turmoil of five years of conflict.

“Is it true that a demon is here?”

“Yes.”

“What do you think, Camila?”

“It feels very ominous. I want to get out of here quickly.”

“Considering how you’re saying this, it’s certain. Alright. Everyone, get ready.”

A short while later,

“Let’s go in.”

Four people entered the ruins in pursuit of the demon.

—

When I set foot in the looted department store, the first thing that came to mind was the ring I had visited in Beijing, the second time.

The locations were different, the scales were different, and the worlds were different, but the ruined Orventzku bore an uncanny resemblance to the basement I had used back then.

The interior of the department store reeked of decay. Mold, caused by the temperature difference between the outside and inside, was the source of the smell.

As we stepped over the debris of the shattered front door, the group grimaced. Yet, no one stopped to cover their noses or utter nonsense about how dirty it was, insisting we leave immediately.

“There’s only one entrance—the front door.”

Based on our reconnaissance from outside, the entrance we could use was solely the front door.

While blueprints indicated the presence of a back door, side entrance, employee-only entry, and a path leading to the underground parking lot, they were all blocked by clutter and planks.

Perhaps, after the department store had closed, those who had taken refuge here had taken these measures to block the wind.

I picked up a piece of something resembling charcoal that had fallen on the floor and marked our current location on a simple layout of the department store.

“Let’s remember this position and move. For now, let’s secure large items.”

“Agreed.”

I decided to lead the way. Camila stood behind me with her rifle. She pointed out the location that felt most ominous with her finger.

“That central area looks the most suspicious.”

“Lucia, please cover the blind spots from behind Camila. Francesca, let us know if anything pops up from the rear.”

“Understood.”

“Stay alert and let’s move.”

With our formation set, we began to step into the interior of the department store.

The ruins kept their silence, bearing the scars of war.

Glass shards littered the floor, and dark stores stretched out beyond the shuttered doors. Torn tents, which were presumably abandoned by refugees, and spilled camping gear were scattered everywhere.

Given the size of the tents, it seemed dozens of civilians had taken refuge in this section alone. The tents now stood empty.

The sound of dripping water from a frozen pipe echoed loudly inside the ruins, which were as quiet as a grave.

Despite the noises of combat filtering through the broken windows, the department store, now a ruin, remained eerily calm as if the chaos outside was none of its business.

In the continuous, ominous silence, we diligently carried on our search.

And, at last, the moment we reached the very center of the department store, which had a gaping hole above and below, we finally faced the creature.

In the central plaza, overlooking all the floors and stores of the department store, stood the demon.

The filthy ruins were littered with countless corpses of varying ages and genders.

As we entered the plaza, silently gazing at the mountain of bodies, the demon, which had been crouched at the top, turned its head to stare at us.

“… Customers have arrived.”

Its lips curled into a long, sinister smile. The traces of past feasting gleamed ominously on its crimson fangs in the darkness.

The demon’s chilling smile grew wider as it rose to its feet.

Its body, occupying the space of a exorcist priest, appeared larger than any average adult, especially with its lanky, emaciated limbs, making it seem even taller.

Standing above the mountain of corpses, the demon began to move slowly. Using the layers of corpses as a platform, it slowly descended to the ground, its forked tongue flicking as it spoke.

“You’ve made it this far; how impressive.”

Its refined noble tone dripped with an aura that felt not only crude but dangerously so.

Plodding forward, the demon stopped midway up the mountain of corpses. Tilting its head to one side, a crooked grin spread across its face.

“How foolish to still be thinking of fighting. Such vanity is inherent in your nature. You take on more than you can handle and end up failing without any means to fix it. After all the warnings, you still didn’t listen… Truly a flock of ignorant monkeys.”

“…….”

The demon, still wearing its sickening smile, lifted its face to gaze at the sky.

The night sky, with light flares fading to nothing, was as deep and dark as an abyss.

Puffing out its ribcage to show off, the demon inhaled deeply and let out a breath that reeked of decay—though we were quite a distance away, the foul stench tickled our noses.

After that breath, the demon began to scrutinize the faces before it.

“A little saint and a magician… How curious that a priest and a magician are together; this will be worth watching. You are the descendant of those who are called archmages among humans, aren’t you?”

“…….”

Francesca, without a word, drew her rune sword. One hand held the sword while the other kept the potion vial tucked in her pocket.

Lucia, like Francesca, lowered her stance preparing for a fight. Her right leg was poised to leap at any moment.

The silver knuckles glittered ominously in the moonlight, shimmering as they reflected the engraved small crosses. The purple sash wrapped around her neck fluttered gently in the breeze.

Despite having seen the opponent preparing for battle, the demon remained utterly composed. Its smile unyielding, it began to prattle on again.

“What a truly fascinating combination. And, strangely—there are even some odd folks among you.”

Its black eyes briefly glanced over Camila and me.

Feeling that chilling gaze, Camila startled and summoned flames. The flickering flames danced threateningly, but the demon showed no reaction whatsoever.

“At a time like this, I would love to offer you mercy and send you back. Unfortunately, my patience has run thin, and I can’t come to that conclusion. What can I say? You brought this upon yourselves.”

That gaze, reminiscent of one observing an unfortunate child, seemed to ask, “What are you going to do about it?” It was blatant contempt.

In the face of an enemy, the demon nonchalantly began to look around.

“By the way….”

Then, with a tone of curiosity, it casually asked a question.

“That angelic messenger didn’t come with you, did she? I heard she was in Orventzku.”

“…Angelic messenger?”

At Camila’s muttering, the demon’s mouth twisted into a wide smile.

“I’m talking about Veronica. The angelic messenger, the vulgar gunslinger, the bullet markswoman. I was hoping to meet her again, but it seems I shall be disappointed.”

“…….”

“But that’s fine. She should be here today as well.”

The demon, standing tall among the corpses, placed its hand on the ground and crouched. A sound like something snapping echoed from its back, bent like a hunchback.

Simultaneously, the demon’s skin began to swell like water boiling in a pot.

Its gaunt spine quickly extended, gradually growing longer.

It had begun to bulk up.

Lucia widened her eyes and gritted her teeth at the sudden growth of the demon.

“This is bad…!”

The demon’s body grew with a series of sound effects, like cracks.

“If I kill you, that messenger will come rushing to find me in a frenzy.”

The demon, still crouched and grinning, began to raise its head, locking eyes with her.

“I can’t help but wonder what face she will make at that moment.”

Turning like lightning, Lucia shouted in a panicked voice.

A sharp sound like paper crumpling struck my eardrums. Before I had time to react, I realized I was holding a Bible.

“No way!”

As I turned to look at the demon, there was a twisted, grotesque mouth that stretched open.

The long jaw descended to almost touch its chest. Unlike its emaciated limbs, its chest and back swelled with immense size.

The mouth opened wide enough that it could easily swallow a normal child, swirling with green smoke inside like a maelstrom.

While something strange was unfolding, the saint, without any hesitation, ripped the Bible.

– Whoosh!

The torn pages scattered like single leaves. Each page was saturated with divinity.

The pristine white paper was like a luscious lily. The waves of lilies created by the saint scattered like cherry blossom petals.

When the red smoke began to pour out from the demon’s mouth, a remarkable thing occurred.

The holy pages that had been floating in the air began to rush towards us as if attracted by a magnet. Just as the red smoke was about to collide with us—

The pages, filled with divinity, densely blocked our view, and at that moment, Lucia shouted to us all.

“Don’t let them fall!”

And then—

– Kwaaa!!

The collision of the red maelstrom and the pure white barrier erupted.

—

After quickly ordering the knights and inquisition officers to evacuate civilians, Veronica rushed swiftly towards the southern district with the Imperial Army Combat Magician.

– Whoosh!

The sound of the air slicing through captured both ears. Like a ship braving a storm, the white cloak and fascinator flapped wildly in the wind.

“Ugh!”

Veronica let out a scream as a newspaper carried by the wind slapped against her face.

Just as the startled imperial magician tried to check the saint’s safety through wind goggles, Veronica flung the newspaper off her face.

“Ahh! My eyes…!”

“Oh no…!”

The newspaper randomly hit the eye of the following battle magician from the Magic Tower. It wasn’t a life-threatening strike, but since he wasn’t wearing wind goggles, the pain was acutely felt.

Veronica looked at the flustered magician from the Magic Tower, who followed along saying she would support Francesca, as he dabbed at the tears flowing from his eyes while controlling his broom.

After confirming the magician’s condition and letting out a sigh of relief, the saint whipped her head around to face forward. She questioned the battle magician of the Imperial Army.

“Can’t we go any faster!?”

“This is the maximum speed! Any faster, and the broom can’t handle it!”

Contrary to public perception that most magicians fly through the air on their own, most war magicians cannot use flight magic unaccompanied. Therefore, most of them rely on magical tools that guarantee stable output to execute flying spells.

Examples include clouds from the East, carpets from the Mauritania Continent, and the quetzal from the Nauatl Continent.

The most commonly used tool across the continent is, of course, the broom.

Just as a driver’s skills and a car’s performance determine the limits of speed, the proficiency and specifications of the broom dictate the limits of flight magic.

In other words, no matter how skilled a magician may be, if they ride an inferior broom, there will always be an insurmountable limit.

That was why combat magicians were unable to increase their speed.

Ultimately, Veronica let out her frustration, exclaiming,

“Damn it, supply us with better brooms!”

“We’re almost there! Just a few more roads to pass, and we’ll be at our destination!”

It was at that moment.

One of the battle magicians from the Magic Tower, who was flying ahead, suddenly shouted with a panicked voice.

“W-Wait…?”

“What’s up!”

“N-No, something is right in front of us—”

Crash! The sound of snapping branches hit everyone’s ears. The broom of the lead magician had already been smashed at the front.

Fortunately, only the handle section was damaged, so it didn’t affect maintaining the flight magic, but speed was a problem.

The rapidly flying magician continued moving forward, propelled by inertia, and soon collided with something in the air.

– Bam!

The magician flying low lost consciousness from the blow to his head. His neck was bent downward, and as his center of gravity shifted forward, he fell towards the ground.

Witnessing the sudden death of their comrade, the remaining magicians hastily tried to brake and scanned the surroundings.

But they were already at peak speed, and a broom does not stop immediately just because you try to brake.

One by one, the hurried magicians collided with whatever appeared in midair.

Veronica stared blankly at the sight resembling a chain collision.

In the fleeting moment, she caught sight of a green barrier shimmering in the distance.

Was it an attack from the demon? Or was it magic?

Countless assumptions swirled in her mind, but she had no time to think deeply.

“Look out!”

“Ahh!”

Realizing the Imperial Army magician had failed to reduce speed, Veronica quickly jumped off her broom, landing on a nearby rooftop.

During that time, the weight change stabilized the flying magic technique, and the magician tried to halt with a risky turn, but the tail of his broom collided with the green barrier.

The damaged broom began to lose its effectiveness, resulting in the magician spinning around alongside the broom that had turned back into a wooden stick, spiraling down onto the rough asphalt.

“Ugh…!”

Veronica landed forcefully on the ground.

Rolling on the uneven concrete surface, her body suffered numerous abrasions, but that wasn’t what mattered.

Immediately springing to her feet, Veronica looked around, remembering the battle magician had said there was a department store nearby.

She dashed across the rooftops, peering at every tall building. Finally, she spotted the one that most closely matched Colonel Frederick’s description.

To be precise, it wasn’t a ‘building’, but a ‘ruin’.

“What kind of department store is that…?”

Either way, she had confirmed the position of her destination. The saint raised her divinity to heal her minor injuries, then checked her weapon before attempting to head down the stairs.

To be precise, she was ‘about to’ go down.

As Veronica turned the doorknob of the staircase, a sound coming from behind made her halt.

Gingerly, she turned her head, concentrating on the sound in her ear, and lowered her body to sneak a glance down over the rooftop railing.

As the unseen ground scenery fell into view, Veronica’s face hardened.

Kneeling on one knee and gazing outside through the gap of the railing, Veronica muttered in a voice full of panic.

“What on earth is that…?”

—

A frail fist sliced through the wind.

Lucia crossed her raised arms to take a defensive stance. The demon’s punch, launched from above, struck her forearm with tremendous force.

– Thud!

Although she successfully blocked the attack, it wasn’t without damage. The crossed arms snapped back, and her body was thrust backward from the recoil. The soles of her shoes scraped viciously against the ground.

“Ghh…!”

Lucia took the hit, but she remained safe.

Although her arms had fallen defensively apart, her stance remained solid. Whether forgetting the pain or refocusing her mind, she shook her head and prepared to attack.

The demon, having seen the clenching fists of the saint, charged forward without hesitation.

As if to promise to crush her throat, its five sharp fingers dug in with considerable strength when the demon reached within striking distance.

– Whoosh!

Just then, a sharp wind strike flew through the air.

The demon’s eyes widened in surprise as the deadly wind narrowly missed its vital spots, though it twisted its body just enough to avoid taking a fatal blow.

The bloody wind grazed its thin thigh, leaving a wound.

“Grrr….”

The demon searched for the source of the attack, which had left its blackened gaze roaming about.

Trying to locate where it had come from, all of a sudden, its glowing blue blade was to be seen, identifying a sorceress with purple hair caressing the sharp blade.

Francesca suddenly spoke.

“Hmm… I was a bit tense when I heard it was a demon, but you’re not as strong as I expected.”

Clenching her knuckles tightly, Lucia chimed in.

“It’s just a lower-ranked demon.”

“Oh, so it’s a minor one?”

“You could say that, but be careful.”

Lucia’s blue eyes chilled down as she glared, emphasizing her words.

“Regardless of whether it’s high-ranking or low, a demon is still a demon. Never let your guard down.”

“If the saint says so—”

Francesca raised her rune sword while grinning.

“Then we have to give it our all, right?”

The blue wind streaked through the air once more.

The wind-slicing blue strike quickly headed for the demon. Managing to evade quickly, the demon screeched, launching itself off the ground before it could escape.

– Crash!

The sound of shattering glass rang clearly.

Black shards shone on the floor of the central plaza.

Shattered glass and potion-soaked weeds grew wildly as the demon was struck, being sent flying further and further away.

Seeing this, Francesca picked up the remnants of the potion bottles she had just smashed.

“How dare a bug like you—!”

Infuriated, the demon swung its legs in retaliation.

The fleshy black mass rushed through the air much faster than the wind cut through the blue strike, raining down on Francesca.

“Administrator…!”

“I’m alright!”

Narrowly dodging the attack, Francesca flipped her weapon and raised her voice.

“Assault now!”

The blue strike began to pierce through the air.

Despite having been launched in a wobbly position, its accuracy and power remained tremendously high.

Lucia slammed her fists, striking through the air and landing hits on the demon. Each blow by her knuckles ripped off chunks of flesh like peeling rotten bark from a tree.

A vein popped in the demon’s forehead from the unexpected attack.

“I’ll tear you apart!”

Just as the demon was about to unleash an obscene curse, two gunshots rang out across the ruins, silencing it.

– Bang! Bang! Bang!

– Rat-a-tat-tat!

Camila and I unleashed a hail of gunfire at the demon. The blessed bullets shredded its emaciated body into pieces.

The moment the bullets struck the ground, flames surged forth to engulf the demon whole. The fiery blaze aimed to roast it alive.

As Camila controlled the fire, the blue strike and white fist dashed toward the demon.

Slamming a potion vial that I pulled out from my pocket onto the ground, the floor began to rise dramatically as roots sprouted. The rapidly growing plants reached toward the demon.

Someone was leaping across using those vines as stepping stones.

– Whoosh!

Legs arced like a crescent moon.

The white robes symbolizing adulthood fluttered against the rough wind, and Lucia’s spinning strike aimed at the demon’s abdomen.

As her foot traced its trajectory, a white halo followed behind.

The demon, not allowing even that one attack, attempted to cast a strange incantation, pulling nearby junk to form a shield.

– Kwaang!

The impact between Lucia’s spinning kick and the collection of junk sent shockwaves reverberating.

The divine force surrounding her was unable to reach the demon’s hair even as it flared up, only managing to penetrate the fragile part of the shield.

Barely any divine essence trickled down to tickle the demon’s face.

It seemed even that minuscule divine essence provoked a reaction.

“Ugh….”

The demon, feeling the biting sensation, squinted while a smile emerged on its face.

—

The demon’s grip tightened, and slumping around, it prepared to retaliate.

“Grhh….”

Roaring like a mistreated beast, the ravenous demon flung its arms outward. The thick, gelatinous mass struck down under a heavy fist force.

“Let me crush you!”

With that, powerful knocked waves began to rattle around, sending tremors throughout the ruins.

“Get back!”

A commanding shout from Francesca prompted us all to evade from the dangerous locale.

In the seething atmosphere, the surroundings trembled like an earthquake.

The ground rumbled, and the walls shook.

The ominous creaking of the iron framework seemed likely to snap any second, and concrete from the ceiling spilled like dust.

Then came the next wave of attack.

– Kwang! Kwa-kwa-kwang!

Not lifting its fists, the demon crashed with full force, essentially sweeping and obliterating everything around it.

“Eeeek!”

Camila let out a terrified scream, throwing her rifle aside, rolling headlong across the unruly ground. If someone from the Middle Plains’ demesnes or sects had seen this, they would surely be tsking and declaring her “just another careless human!”

After picking up the rifle Camila had dropped, I hastily gathered the remaining ammunition and started running in the opposite direction.

– Whoosh! Bang!

The sound from behind sounded like the destruction of buildings during an earthquake.

I couldn’t recall exactly whether it was Haiti or Turkey, but I had once heard such sounds when dispatched with the fire rescue units and special forces for security during a severe earthquake.

“Hagh! Hagh….”

After heaving heavy breaths and briefly turning around to discern the situation, I continued my rush.

– Crash! Bang!

The massive pile of flesh was demolishing the central plaza with overwhelming force.

The monster was uprooting whatever it could find; as it swung its arm, the flowers planted in the beds were uprooted and crushed indistinguishably.

It wasn’t just the tiles that sparkled before, but rather it was crushed to bits and destroys as debris shot up.

Wherever the monstrous mass passed, nothing remained, leaving nothing but haunting marks of destruction.

What terrified me the most was that the demon was merely swinging its arms without extraordinary skill, and that enormous limb was pursuing me, pinpointing my every move.

“Why is it targeting me!?”

I fled, deftly avoiding obstacles, just like a stock character from a mobile game trying to avoid the chasing enemy.

Even as I ducked into stores circling the plaza, the demon didn’t lose track of me. Its outright revulsion had evolved into something the size of a small bus, crushing down everything that stood in its way.

– Kwang! Kwang!

Wherever the arm passed, only grotesquely excavated ruins remained.

The ground protruded grotesquely like clay pushed down and lifted up in one stroke. Walls, pillars, and concrete pieces were strewn about with dust settling.

Where this abomination left its trail, clumps of slime and bloodshed gushed forth claiming all it touched.

The last pillaged store seemed to have been an animal habitat; it didn’t seem to be a veterinary clinic. Perhaps the refugees had reared animals like rabbits here for consistent meat supplies.

The demon’s blood and flesh spilled from its body soon reached out to the creatures held inside their cage.

The severed blood and flesh from the demon tainted the space, instantly rendering it uninhabitable.

Without stopping there, the demon continued pursuing me relentlessly.

Was I merely a game character resembling a mole to it, or was I just the easiest target to catch? I couldn’t tell, nor did I want to know.

Pressing my front hard with adrenaline, I yelled desperately,

“I’m sorry, can someone help me out?! I’m not on a freaking bus, just do something!”

Perhaps my plea reached someone.

A scream erupted from the pursuing demon.

– Whoosh! Whoosh!

The blue wind strike struck the abominable limb of flesh, and the white fist gathered like a tail to jump at the wriggling mass.

– Kwang!

Pulling out my fist smeared in demon blood, Lucia took a deep breath as the white light emitted from her palm cleaned off her now tainted silver knuckles. Just like that, the filth that had splattered on her face and hair vanished.

Instantly back to her original self, Lucia took another deep breath, tightened her grip on her knuckles and swung with precision.

With glistening knuckles glowing with divine light, she struck the bizarre mass of flesh below the demon’s abdomen.

With a magnificent explosion of radiance, the divine force detonated, piercing through the flesh, cascading outward.

As the demon’s head reared back, its mournful scream began to echo.

– AAAAAAA!!

A howl that cannot be expressed in human language resounded throughout the plaza.

It sounded both like a male’s voice and a female’s. Sometimes it echoed like a hoarse voice from an elderly man, then morphed into a child’s whimpering noise.

“Ugh…!”

Covering my ears in agony, I awkwardly leaned against a stall to keep myself upright.

At that moment, just beyond, Camila sprinted toward me, waving her arms furiously.

“Come quick! This way!”

“I’m coming!”

The demon screeched and flailed as it writhed in pain.

The grotesque mound of flesh reeled, and the very heart of the demon, now laid bare, began to churn and foam.

At that moment of desperation, I clenched my fists.

The tides of fate began to change as the piles of bodies began merging into a single unit.

Slowly, the demon despaired and disappeared, consumed by ravenous flames. The only sound remained the crackling of the fires that threatened to consume all.

The demon superstar began to feed upon everything in its path.

“Help me, help me!”

I screamed into the void as the last remnants of hope faded from my grasp.

Before the full horror of the event could engulf my awareness, a noticeable figure flickered between the flame and shadow, coiling like a serpent.

It was the last flash I saw before everything faded away into oblivion.

—

Gritting my teeth, I concentrated; my eyes slowly flicked open.

Once more, I found myself in the world of chaos. The market felt ever so briefly alive.

Lucia, Francesca, and Camila huddled together as another figure ambled forward.

Among them hovered butterflies—more than one rose above.

“Everyone…?”

I blinked in disbelief at the sight.

Lucia, injured but smiling warmly, stood beside Francesca, who appeared stunned yet captivated. Camila was beside her, too battered to stand but somehow still upright.

A thread of brilliance enveloped them all.

“Is this…?”

“Sorry, but this can’t be.”

The unmistakable voice belonging to a woman gently echoed through the chaos, breaking through the haze around me.

“Do you think fire can be wielded so recklessly?”

Her presence pulled me forth as if my strength had returned. A colossal surge cascaded around me.

“…”

A pillar of bluish flames, azure and ethereal, rained down from the sky, illuminating the hearts of many, and the fire did not burn away but purified.

Volcanic energy radiated as the blue flames enveloped the flesh-skinned demon, twisting upon itself as it spiraled down.

Laughter filled the room as the woman with sapphire eyes took command, her mesmerizing hair floating gently around her as her magic graced the ground.

In her wake, the masses of darkness that once roamed were disarmed.

What remained was merely dust, dissolving into peace within her spell.

“That’s my name—take it well for I am not so easily forgotten.”

The legendary mage that lit a path had arrived to end this chaos.

“Oh, Alexandra Smirnov… the North Duke.”

The truth spread through the air like the fragrant scent of blossoms in spring.

—

Episode 12 – The Strongest Sorcerer of All Time – END –