Salvos (A Monster Evolution LitRPG)

589. Faulty Connection

The night was young and cold. A powerful gale blew across the desolate white landscape, sweeping up scattered bits of rocks and debris into the sky. They rained back down into the ground when the air stilled. Fortunately, there weren’t very many travelers crossing through this barren place. So most would be spared from this rocky rain.

It was the Netherworld. But it wasn’t the Netherworld either. In appearances alone, it bore quite the resemblance to that hellish landscape. A pure white surface blanketed in rubble and corpses. A familiar scene.

But in reality, it was a scene that was set in the lush and vibrant Mortal Realm. The reason why such a scene existed here was because this plane had been infected. And that wasn’t in a figurative sense.

It was in a literal sense.

The Netherworld had partially leaked here into what was once a grassy flatland. The nearby forests were replaced with undulating mountaintops that stretched across the horizon, and the closest towns had been reduced to rubble.

The remains and wreckages of the former great Inoria Empire would have been left in this wasteland to rot away, forever untouched. Or at least, that was how it was supposed to be.

But then the world changed.

The sky was overcome with a dim crimson glow. The ground shifted, before cracking open. Ravines and crevices scarred the earth, unfurling across these netherfied lands like a spiderweb.

Lava poured out of the earth as dark lightning crashed from the sky. It was like a mana storm in the sense that the ambient magic in the air increased. But its effects were very different. Never before seen in the Mortal Realm.

This terrifying phenomenon sent the Human lands into disarray. They did not know what caused this sudden magical disaster. And what was worse was what came alongside the shattering earth and the tearing sky.

Demons poured out from the sky en masse. A countless number of them. They fell through these white cracks that seemed to permanently mark the crimson sky, appearing whenever a dark lightning bolt fell below.

The Human lands immediately rallied whatever forces they could. Adventuring companies were recruited to deal with this problem. Those who weren’t busy fighting off the Elven invasion to the east were sent here to the Netherfied Lands to stop these waves of Demon attacks.

And that was why she was sent here too.

Her name was Salvos. But she wasn’t actually Salvos. Even if she looked just like her.

She was a clone. One made out of gold and silver flame. She had long flaming hair, and three pairs of wings made from fire protruding out of her back.

An identical twin. Except for the fact that she was made out of fire. Even the Skills she used were the same that could be conjured by the original.

Only the Grand Skills were out of reach. Every other Skill including [Salvo of Vanity] was usable. Which was especially odd.

Because ordinarily, she would only be limited to summoning as many clones as the original could summon. However, right now, the Salvos clone observed that was able to summing five clones on command.

Five more clones. Regardless of when the spell was cast.

She wasn’t able to summon the full ten. Or rather, the full nine, since she was one of said clones.

But she wasn’t limited in her [Salvo of Divinity] either. Not in the usual sense that if the original had six clones summoned, then she could only summon another four. It was like summoning five clones was a limit the Salvos clone had gained for herself.

Perhaps there were other explanations for it. Maybe the original had never used the Skill once ever since teleporting back to the Netherworld.

The Salvos clone wouldn’t know since their shared senses had been cut off since then. It was just like when the original had entered the fold between the planes to speak with their father for the very first time.

However, even back then, they were still connected. There was still a thread of mana that seemed to cross through the Nexeus so that the clone would still be aligned with the original’s essence.

Even if the clone couldn’t draw from the original’s power, and even if there was a discrepancy in the levels between them. It was still evident that they were connected.

But now, the Salvos clone wasn’t so sure about that. Her connection with the original had grown remarkably thin. Which was alarming in itself

Unfortunately, that was not all. There was something else. The clone started to notice how she replenished her mana on her own. Previously, past clones would slowly fade away over time without drawing from the original’s power.

However, this Salvos clone was certain that she wasn’t going to fade away any time soon. Her connection with the original was only growing thinner.

And she wondered what those implications truly meant.

Shaking her head, the Salvos clone turned around and flew back to camp.

A shooting star fell from the sky. One that was wreathed in gold and silver flames. Well, it looked like a shooting star, but it was anything but that.

A tired redhead watched as the Salvos clone descended from the sky, landing towards the very center of the encampment. The nearby adventurers groused and looked up. Many of them had been stationed to keep watch, just like her. But they had fallen asleep while standing after many sleepless nights.

However, Edithe Dawnrise stayed awake. Because she was a Diamond Ranked adventurer— one of the few who were present in this encampment. That meant she was amongst the highest-leveled of those around.

That didn’t necessarily mean she was in charge. Not when the rest of her company were stationed here with her, and she was not even the leader of her own company. She shook her head as she strode forward, calling out to the flaming figure.

“Salvos!”

The Salvos clone landed at clearing between the tents before turning to the redhead. She tilted her head curiously as Edithe cleared her throat.

“Or, uh… Salvos clone? Clone? What do I call you again?”

Edithe scratched her cheek uncertainly. And a figure strode up to her from behind.

“It’s been months, Edithe. And you still haven’t decided what to call her yet.”

A relatively young man chuckled as he placed a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. He had slick blond hair and pale blue eyes. He was the leader of the Valiant Dreamers Company. Her company.

He nodded at her with a grin on his face as she sighed.

“Well, calling her the Salvos clone sounds weird. And just calling her a clone sounds disrespectful.”

It was a little bit odd to see him act so casually around the Salvos clone. When he first found out that Salvos had been a Demon, he had been quite unsettled. He was shocked to find out that someone he held in such high-regard was actually… his sworn enemy.

After all, he was a Vampire— even if he wasn’t raised as one, he still remembered his lineage as a Demon Slayer.

Because of that, he had actively avoided the Salvos clone at first. He was distrustful of everything that Salvos had ever done— he had even gotten mad at Edithe for keeping this a secret from him. However, over time, it seemed that logic prevailed.

He realized that there was no reason for Salvos to have helped Humankind as much as she did if she intended to harm them. She had saved his life many times, and she had been the reason why the Demon King’s plan hadn’t even come into fruition in the first place. He had also come to accept the simple reason why Edithe couldn’t divulge the truth to him too.

And now, he held no hostility towards the Salvos clone. Edithe was glad to see it. To accept Salvos for being a Demon— it was something many struggled with.

However, Hadrian overcame it. He just nodded casually at the clone without shying away.

“Why not call her by her name— Salvos?”

“I don’t think she likes that either…”

Edithe murmured. She turned to face the Salvos clone, and sure enough she harrumphed.

“Hmph!”

As a clone made out of magical fire, it was a surprise that the Salvos clone could even make any sound with her mouth. Her speech was limited, sure. But even now, Edithe found it rather impressive.

“Anyway, while she is a clone of Salvos, she’s not really Salvos either. So…”

Edithe waved a hand dismissively. But the Salvos clone crossed her arms and spoke simply.

“Am!”

“What about a nickname? Like… Sally?”

Hadrian suggested. Edithe sighed, massaging her temples.

“That won’t work—”

“Maybe…”

The Salvos clone murmured, and the redhead blinked. She looked at the flaming figure, taken aback.

“Seriously?”

Edithe stared for a moment as the Salvos clone just shrugged. Hadrian shook his head as he glanced towards the nearby onlookers, before looking back at the Salvos clone.

“Let’s figure this out later. For now, did you find anything out there?”

He peered at her curiously. Edithe narrowed her eyes, before the Salvos clone answered.

“Nothing.”

“No Demons tonight? That is… odd.”

Hadrian placed a hand on his chin. For the last few weeks, the influx of Demons that descended from the sky had been worse than ever. This encampment was stationed towards the northwestern edge of the Netherfied Lands.

Normally, this section had far fewer skirmishes with the Demons pouring out into the Mortal Realm. A few dozen at a time at most. And once every few days.

Meanwhile, the northern tip of the Netherfied Lands was swamped with constant Demon attacks. They fell into the earth every single day. All across the sky. It was hard to stop them from spreading into the nearby kingdoms.

But that was mainly a problem for those neighboring nations to deal with. Especially the Vaun Qieur Empire itself which bordered the southeastern side of the Netherfied Lands. Adventurers like the Valiant Dreamers and the various other volunteering companies were stationed towards the northwest because the two nations that had once been located here were gone.

Nixa and Elutra. The former had been destroyed by a rampaging Primeval Demon, and the latter had been fully assimilated by the Inoria Empire.

Now, only the remains of the former Elutra Empire remained in these lands— they were led by the Fallen Queen Faith El. However, their numbers and forces were meager. So that was why they were supported by these adventuring companies.

Or at least, the few that volunteered themselves to aid with the containment of the Netherfied Lands. Most of the main adventuring companies had gone to the eastern border to fend off the Elven invasion of the Human lands. Compared to such a wide-scale assault, dealing with a handful of Demons wasn’t very high on the priority list.

Not that there should be any Demons left… Edithe’s brows furrowed together.

Even without a grand ritual— with no source for this magic— a seemingly constant deluge of Demons poured forth into the Mortal Realm. There was no explanation for this phenomenon. Even the highest-leveled [Space Mages] from Mavos Academy couldn’t figure out how or why this was happening.

No one knew whether it would stop tomorrow, or continue for the foreseeable future. All that happened was… one day, the ground of the Netherfied Lands cracked open and the sky darkened before flashing bright. And now, Demons rained down from above.

A seemingly ceaseless number of them. And the problem only seemed to grow worse. But hopefully… the worst had come and gone, and things would soon calm again.

“No skirmishes today. Let’s just take it as a good sign and get some well-deserved rest.”

Edithe nodded at Hadrian as she drew back. It was getting late— they had stayed up well-past midnight anticipating another incursion. But for whatever reason, today there was none.

The Salvos clone tilted her head, and the leader of the Valiant Dreamers Company smiled.

“Right. Let’s—”

He started, but then the Salvos clone raised her head in alarm. Edithe blinked as a dark flash overcame the world. In the distance, she spotted black lightning bolts falling from the sky as the crack in the crimson dome flickered.

“We spoke too soon, didn’t we? Fuck…”

Edithe whispered as she watched the dark figures descending moments after. Her lips pursed together, before she turned to Hadrian. She nodded at him, and he closed his eyes. He drew his blade and strode forward as he called out, waking up the encampment.

All heads turned to him as his voice boomed out, and the outpouring of Demons continued to fall upon the Mortal Realm.

“Another incursion has breached the sky! Hundreds of Demons descend upon us! Ready your arms, adventurers!”

There were more Demons than ever— a greater incursion than any Edithe had seen since she came here. Their numbers only continued to grow larger as she raised her staff warily.

And the Salvos clone took a step forward, her body wisping with her gold and silver flames.

“Let’s do this.”

She spoke a full sentence— a rarity for the clone. Edithe blinked for a moment, before steeling herself. Her staff wisped with ice and flame as she spoke in affirmation.

“Right. Let’s go.”

And with that, another skirmish began here in the Netherfied Lands.