Salvos (A Monster Evolution LitRPG)

576. The Great

His name was Venas. He was a Primeval Demon— the second final evolution for a Demon. That meant that he stood near the peak of all Demonkind. Very few creatures in the Netherworld rivaled his strength, and even fewer surpassed him in power.

One of such Demons was Regnorex himself. The Demon King. A Primordial Demon who had ascended into godhood, reaching Level 200 and beyond.

He had entrusted Venas with a very important task. It was a sign of the Primeval Demon’s capabilities. He had been assigned the job of a Deathsquad Hunter. To trek the wilderness and find the traitors. The renegades. The fugitives. The deserters.

Those who abandoned the cause of the Demon King. Those who were foolish enough to flee the safe haven of the Demon Kingdom.

Normally, Venas was dispatched to dispose of low-leveled fools— typically the ones who had recently been inducted under the rule of the Demon King. It wasn’t a laborious task, but it was quite tedious to say the least. After all, he had to scour the Netherworld for these runners. And they never made it easy for him to find them.

But once he managed to fully track them down, killing them was easy. It took less than a moment. Although… sometimes, he would toy with them a little, just to have a little bit of fun in his monotonous job.

Because it was mostly dull. Even Archdemons barely put up a fight, despite thinking that they stood a chance against the Deathsquad Hunters. The only time there was any actual danger to Venas was when he encountered high-leveled wild Demons.

Depending on the current cycle of the Netherworld, the chance of encountering one that could pose a threat to him could be nigh impossible. But during Revelation… it was incredibly dangerous. Even for him.

Even for a Deathsquad Hunter.

Venas prided himself in his strength. He was Level 188. Very close to Level 190. And close to being a Primordial Demon himself.

But even he wasn’t safe when wandering the wilderness during the destruction of Revelation. Those beings that could pose a threat to him were driven out into the surface. And the sky itself crackled with a black lightning that threatened even the Demon King. So the Deathsquad Hunters had to tread carefully to survive this chaotic landscape.

Venas looked down to see his comrades scouring the scarred earth down below. They traversed the cracked crevices while he flew overhead with his wings spread wide. He stuck to the very fringe of the ravine so that he could dive down if he spotted any wild Demons he could not handle. As their tracker, he was designated to guide them to their target.

And according to the Tablet of Tracking, he knew that they were getting close. Maybe. It wasn’t an accurate tell of the location of its targets. However, it would lead him in the right direction. So Venas knew that they were on the right track.

He looked back down at the four figures down below, before looking at the stone screen that glinted with five dots at the very center. And at the edge of the tablet were four glowing dots clustered together. But the positions of their target didn’t change— not until they were in range of the Tablet of Tracking.

This was what his job entailed. Venas found it tiresome more than anything. Nevertheless, it was a great honor to serve as a Deathsquad Hunter— it was a sign of his strength. It was proof of the trust that Regnorex had in him.

Venas knew this. But he still found it incredibly dull. He shook his head as he let out a sigh. They had been traveling for a while. Even as Primeval Demons, they could not press on forever. Not when there was always the risk of being attacked by wild Primeval Demons… or something worse.

And right as Venas was about to lower the Tablet of Tracking to tell his comrades to rest, he paused. He [Keen Senses] perked up as he raised his head. He slowed the beating of his wings as he looked up with a frown. He stared a distance mountain range. It was so far off, he could barely even see the tall, undulating natural formation.

But something was wrong. He sensed that there was something amiss. He blinked a few times, before he finally saw it.

A purple glint. A soft glow that was barely visible with the help of his enhanced vision. He watched as the beam of light cut across the landscape into the distance. For a moment, nothing happened as he tilted his head.

“What was—”

And then he saw the explosions. The barrage of blasts that ripped across the mountain range. His eyes widened as he saw the mountains in the distance erupt into dust and smoke.

A large section of the mountain range was reduced into rubble. All from a single beam of light. Venas tried to process it. He took in what just happened. And he knew what was the cause of the blast.

“A Primordial Demon…?”

He asked no one in particular. And in response, the answer came as the deep groan of the explosion. A powerful shockwave came next, followed by the rumbling earth. Venas steeled himself against the whipping winds as he looked back down at the Tablet of Tracking.

And he realized that his target waited for him in the direction of the destruction.

Haec looked up as he saw the flash of light. His eyes narrowed, before he caught a glimpse of the purple glow. The realization of what was happening settled in, and he spun around in an instant.

“Get back!”

He shouted as he swept Taburas off her feet. Aemula and Betrugil both blinked, taken aback by his sudden reaction. But he sprinted past them as they slowly reacted.

“We need to get out of here—”

Haec continued, but his voice was drowned out by the deafening explosion. The deep, thundering echo of the explosion nearly knocked him off balance. But it was the tremor that shook the earth a moment later that made him slow down to steel himself.

He raised his head as the violent shaking continued, and he heard the ground crack open. He looked up just in time to see the cliff wall collapsing— large chunks of rubble falling down into the crevice below. He gritted his teeth, turning back to face Betrugil and Aemula.

And he lowered Taburas t othe ground.

“Brace yourself!”

He called out as he raised a fist. And he closed his eyes as he clapped his hands together—

I saw the attack coming from a hundred miles away. And yet, it reached me in an instant. My [Angelic Premonition] barely had time to warn me before the blast of purple energy tore through the landscape.

[The Great Agarus] had been standing atop a tall mountain. But as it swept its gaze towards me, somehow spotting me even from this vast distance. Perhaps it was because of my Divine Essence. Or maybe it was simply because I had noticed it with my [Manifestation of the Old Gods].

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. Because the attack tore apart mountains— it split the ocean of lava, before reaching me. I couldn’t even teleport away if I wanted to. It happened so fast.

And I did the only thing I could do in response.

“[My Flames Shall Burn Until—”

The purple beam struck me as the aura of invulnerability came into existence just in time. I closed my eyes as my vision was engulfed with a blinding light. I found myself being thrown back by an intense force. I tried beating my [Angelic Wings] to get ahold of myself, but I continued shooting straight back as the purple beam swept me away.

It was so overwhelming. I could sense the power pouring out around me. But even as the gray flames coating my body sparked out, [My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends] never gave out. It held up against the attack from [The Great Agarus].

And soon, I found myself being restored to reality as my vision returned. I was no longer violently tumbling across the sky as my aura of invulnerability screeched in my ears, protecting me from the blast. But instead, I was lying at the center of a massive crater.

Just ahead of me, I saw the ocean of lava rippling from the aftershocks of the attack. I looked down at myself as I tried to get back to my feet. I was standing on solid ground. I was—

I blinked. I had been thrown back across the ocean of lava in what felt like a single moment. I patted myself down, before looking back up.

“Huh.”

But I survived. I wanted to sigh in relief.I didn’t think I could survive. I knew that [My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends] wasn’t impervious to all attacks. It had been overcome twice before. And I feared that this would have been one of those times.

Fortunately, it wasn’t. My aura of invulnerability somehow held up to the attack. I smiled at myself, before my eyes flickered. [Manifestation of the Old Gods] was still active. And from the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a figure wading through the ocean of lava.

[The Great Agarus] was swimming its way across the vast crimson body, making its way towards me. I stared at it for a moment, and I watched as it unhinged its jaw again.

“Oh no.”

It wasn’t going to stop until I was dead.

And another purple beam shot out.