Salvos (A Monster Evolution LitRPG)

591. Gathering

Living next door to the Netherfied Lands was said to be a terrible idea. And why wouldn’t it be? First of all, the view was horrible. At night, the sky shone blood-red, casting a menacing shadow over the world. Not only that, but all that was visible for miles on end were the undulating white ridges of the Netherworld.

However, if being surrounded by bad scenery was the worst problem of living in close proximity to the Netherfied Lands, Faith would have gladly dealt with it. Unfortunately, that was the least of her worries because—

“Keep them off the walls!”

She screamed as she raised a ring, unleashing a fireball down into a group of [Hellhounds]. There was a flicker of magic as the enchantment on her ring wore off. Faith cursed, backing away from the battlements, and she took in the scene.

This was the real problem that she had to deal with— the waves of Demons that persistently poured out of the Netherfied Lands.

[Hellhounds], [Hellbeasts], [Vampyr Bats], [Gadarenes], and [Arachnes] swarmed the city by the hundreds. And it wasn’t just those Lesser Demons. Dozens of Greater Demons were mixed amongst their numbers. There were even a handful of Archdemons which could have spelled the end of the small city if they weren’t stopped.

That was why Faith stood out here, even if she was hardly a combatant. Because she had to protect her city. She had to fend off the Demons.

After all, she was the Fallen Queen of Elutra. A disgraced princess who was doing her best to redeem herself and rebuild her kingdom. It wasn’t an easy task. Not when most of her lands had been netherfied or destroyed.

But she was doing her best.

“[Do Not Falter]! This is our home— our lands! We shall not lose against some Demons!”

Her voice echoed throughout the battlefield as her men cheered. She watched as the soldiers standing atop the battlements were emboldened through her magic. They were given a second wind, fighting with a greater intensity than before.

It was a Title Skill. One that was given to her with her Title as the Fallen Queen of Elutra. In fact, she had many Title Skills to draw from, although not a single one of them was extraordinary. However, this was the most she could contribute with her own Skills, unlike others…

“You heard the Queen!”

A single booming voice pierced through the cacophonous roaring. Faith’s eyes darted towards the burly man leading the defenders of the city. A Diamond Ranked soldier— one of her most trusted aids.

He was Gavyn. The former leader of Elutra’s Resistance, and the current Captain of the Army.

Faith looked on as he leapt through the sky, cutting down Demon after Demon with ease. He bellowed a wary cry, rallying his soldiers as he brought down a broadsword into the skull of a [Winged Hellwolf].

“We stand our ground like we always do! Don’t let a single one of these pests through the walls!”

Gavyn landed back down in the battlements as Faith looked on. She was glad to see the morale of her troops refuse to waver. Still, she pursed her lips as she glanced back.

The city was small, and it didn’t have a large standing army. There were over ten thousand civilians hiding in their broken homes, unable to fend for themselves. The Demons were relentless— soon enough, they would seep through the walls and the fighting would spill into the streets. The casualties from that…

That couldn’t happen, no matter what.

Faith reached for a wand at her side. It was the last artifact she had that could be used. Looking up, she eyed the mass of flying Demons. It was only a small breakaway group from the main swarm that had passed by the city.

And yet, they rivaled the city’s standing army in number. Her grip around her wand tightened. She only had a single spell— a powerful spell. It was a High Grade single-use wand. She had to make use of it well.

She looked on as a winged creature shot across the sky. It looked like a crocodile, but with bat-like wings. It was a [Savage Agarat]. The highest-leveled of the attacking Demons. If Faith could take it down, then repelling the rest of the Demons would be much easier.

So she aimed carefully. She made sure she had a good view of the [Savage Agarat]. When she was certain, she unleashed the blast of crimson lightning. It streaked out in an instant, striking the Archdemon as the soldiers around her cheered.

For a moment, she breathed a sigh of relief. But then her eyes went wide as she realized that there was no voice resounding in her head. Nothing notified her of the Archdemon’s demise.

And the smoke cleared as the [Savage Agarat] emerged, its wings shielding its body. Her eyes went wide. She watched as the Archdemon’s wings unfurled, and it escaped from the attack completely unscathed.

“But… how?”

She took a step back. The Archdemon screeched, diving straight down for her. Faith stumbled back with round eyes, only for Gavyn to call out.

“I will protect you, my Queen!”

The Captain of the Army intercepted the [Savage Agarat] before it could reach her. He struck it to the side with his shield, and it snarled at him. But he backed away as the surrounding [Archers] loosed a volley of enchanted arrows at the Archdemon.

It shrieked as it flew back, returning to the rest of the swarm. Gavyn turned back to the Fallen Queen of Elutra and gave her a reassuring nod. She sighed in relief, smiling at him.

“Thank you, Gavyn.”

“It is my duty, my Queen.”

He spoke simply, before turning his attention back to the attacking Demons. Faith looked on as the battlefield raged on. Now, without her artifacts, there was not much Faith could do. While she did have a combat Class, it was neither suited for a warzone nor was it a high enough level to participate in this battle.

Not without needlessly risking her life, at the very least.

She took a step back as she contemplated leaving the battlefield. While her presence alone inspired her soldiers to fight on, there was not much she could do anymore. In fact, since she was vulnerable at her current state, her presence was actually deleterious to the defenders of the city.

After all, not only did they have to fend off the attacking Demons, they would have to keep an eye out on her as well.

“If only Garland were here…”

The Fallen Queen of Elutra pressed her lips into a thin line, before a voice drew her attention from the side. She blinked, watching as a small figure emerged from the nearby tower.

“Perhaps I can aid you, Queen Faith.”

She stared at the figure for a moment, recognizing him in an instant. He wore regal purple robes, and the expression on his face bore the contour of a wizened individual. But that was betrayed by his short stature.

“Emperor Rowyn?”

Her eyes narrowed as he walked up to her, his hands hidden behind his back. He stood at parade rest, surveying the battlefield. Behind him, a young woman hurriedly followed. She had a short sword sheathed at her side, and a bow slung around her shoulder.

Faith glanced between the two before looking back at Rowyn.

“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in the bunker…”

Here he was— the former emperor of the Inoria Empire. Her enemy. But they had become allies after the war between their two nations was revealed to be a ploy by the Demon King. And together, they sought to rebuild their nations together.

They had faced backlash, of course. But why did that matter? Faith was already a disgraced princess, and Rowyn was… a little boy. A little boy that reminded her of her own brother. Which inspired no confidence from their people, even though they had been working to restore that trust.

However, that wasn’t what was important right now. Faith simply wondered what Rowyn was doing here.

“Willow, I told you to keep him safe.”

She snapped her gaze to the woman standing next to him. Willow winced, before shaking her head.

“Emperor Rowyn insisted I let him out. He has a Ring of Greater Protection with him, so he is more protected than you, my Queen.”

“That doesn’t matter— if he’s out here, he’s just a target for the Demons!”

Faith shook her head, but Rowyn nodded sagely.

“Indeed I am, but so are you, Queen Faith. Yet, you still insist on standing out here and fighting for your people.”

Her brows furrowed as she turned back to him. He slowly raised a hand to his chest, looking back towards the small city. It was in a state of disrepair. However, it was safe. For now.

“And I wish to fight for my people as well. I may be young, and I may not be as capable as you, Queen Faith. But can I not try my best to offer my aid?”

As he said, he was young, and Faith viewed him the same way she viewed her brother. Perhaps that assessment would have been true over a year ago, when they first met. However, since then, Rowyn had matured greatly.

Now, he was older. He had learned much during the time he spent in Mavos Academy, and he carried himself with the gravitas expected of a ruler— albeit not an experienced one.

“But how can you help?”

Faith gestured towards the [Savage Agarat] as it shot through the sky. Its gaze was focus purely on Gavyn. He had drawn its attention earlier, and now it wanted to tear him apart. He managed to fight it off each time it got close, but he was gradually being worn down.

If the Archdemon caught him off-guard just once, it was possible that he might not make it out of this battle alive. Faith really hoped that wouldn’t happen. But the worst could always come at any time— she was acutely aware of that.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she thought of Destiny— as she thought of her family.

The fall of her kingdom.

Rowyn strode forward, nodding understandingly. He knew what it was she experienced. Even if his circumstances were different, he had seen many terrible things despite his ostensible youth. So he could empathize with her.

He produced a scroll which shone with a gold light.

Faith blinked, looking towards it with wide eyes. He smiled at her as she whispered.

“Wait, isn’t that…?”

She recognized it immediately— it was one of the famed treasures of the Inoria Empire. Her father had been wary it would be used to tear down the defenses of the Capital City of the Elutra Kingdom during the siege of Ertos. That never happened, and Faith had wondered what happened to it for the longest while.

Rowyn just gave her a mischievous grin.

“Summoning Scroll: Principalities of the Spirit Lord.”

“A Mythical Grade artifact…”

Faith gasped, and Rowyn unfurled it. He took in a deep breath as he stared at the symbols inscribed within.

“For the duration of a single battle, a Sacred Spirit will join the fray, obeying the summoner’s every command. I can end this siege in a single instant, Queen Faith.”

“But it can only be used once—”

She tried to argue, but he cut her off simply.

“And our lives can only be lost once.”

The Inorian Emperor held her gaze as she pursed her lips. He held the scroll up, shaking his head at her.

“I do not wish to let another one of our people senselessly die.”

“That’s…”

She hesitated. And he lowered his head.

“It is my father’s treasure, Queen Faith. I shall use it despite your protestations.”

He strode forward as the fighting raged on around him. Gavyn stumbled back, gulping down a healing potion. Willow helped how she could, loosing arrow after arrow into the sky. Meanwhile, the [Savage Agarat] circled the sky above, its eyes narrowed at the Captain of the Army.

It let out a shriek as Rowyn opened his mouth. He began chanting softly, and the Archdemon swooped down towards Gavyn.

“Oh, Lord of the Spirits, Keeper of Peace—”

And a blast of golden flames shot down from the sky, interrupting his chanting. Faith gaped as the attack struck down the [Savage Agarat] from the air. It fell before the crenellations, charred to a crisp in an instant.

Rowyn paused as he stared at what just happened. Slowly, he lowered the scroll as he tried to work his jaw. The battle seemed to slow at the realization of a third party’s interruption. And it was Faith who mustered up the strength to speak.

“What was that?”

And a golden flaming figure descended from the sky, unleashing a cone of flames in all directions. Faith tried to make out who it was, but the light was blinding. She staggered back from the intense heat, shielding her eyes.

But just as quickly as the flames appeared, they vanished. And Faith blinked as a golden figure stood before her. A familiar face, accompanied by six fiery wings. However, everything else was… different. After all, this figure was made out of fire.

“Hi!”

[Clone of Salvos - Lvl. 150]

Faith just stared at the clone with round eyes. A hundred Demons, many of them above Platinum Ranked in threat… all killed, just like that. The rest fled the scene. They screeched, flapping their wings in a panic as they scattered.

As they seemingly flew in a random direction. The Salvos clone grinned, and Rowyn muttered under his breath.

“Amazing…”

It was a theory— one that wasn’t backed by any evidence whatsoever. But the Salvos clone was certain that the Demons who appeared from the most recent incursion were traveling to Lunaris.

She only had two simple reasons for her thought process. Firstly, the only place to the north that was of any importance was Lunaris. And secondly, for some odd reason, she was also drawn to that location.

It was a sudden, indescribable feeling. The Salvos clone had only felt it when the latest rupture had ripped through the sky, pouring out wild Demons all throughout the Netherfied Lands. And to confirm her theory, she had flown ahead of Edithe to check out Lunaris.

But as she flew across the Netherfied Lands, her suspicions were only confirmed. After all, Demons hadn’t only been spilling near their encampment. They were appearing across hundreds of miles. And yet, they all seemed to be heading to the same destination.

Speaking to Faith, the Salvos clone confirmed it.

“Sure?”

“I am certain. I saw them flying to the north— thousands of them. I do not know what destination they have in mind, but… it cannot be good.”

The Fallen Queen of Elutra gritted her teeth together.

“I see.”

The Salvos clone nodded along, before raising her head. This small city had been under attack just moments ago, but she had defeated the main bulk of the Demons. The rest fled from the scene. And judging by the direction they were flying, it seemed they were also going north.

She needed to investigate further. She needed to confirm her suspicions. With a smile, she turned back to Faith and spoke a single word.

“Thanks!”

“I—”

Faith started, but the Salvos clone took off. The Fallen Queen of Elutra could only blink as the Salvos clone took off into the sky.

Obviously, the Salvos clone was fast. She could have caught the escaping Demons in an instant. The small city quickly grew smaller behind her, but then she slowed. Instead of killing the escaping Demons, she tailed them.

The Salvos clone continued following them, passing just underneath one of the many ruptures in the sky. She had once tried to fly through it— she had thought she could cross into the Netherworld with it, just as the wild Demons crossed into the Mortal Realm.

Sadly, that was not how it worked, much to her chagrin. The Salvos clone continued on without much worry, occasionally dodging an attack from the fleeing Demons, before she finally caught sight of a familiar location just up ahead.

The ruins of Lunaris appeared just as she had expected. The city had been destroyed by the grand ritual, before it was liberated by the United Coalition of the Human Lands. They dispelled the ritual spell, only for Ira to show up and reactivate it.

And now, the Salvos clone knew her theory was correct. Because the ruins of the city were surrounded by Demons.

A lot of them. Not just a few hundred or even a few thousand. There had to have been at least ten thousand of them swarming over the wreck. And at the very center of it all, resting where the deactivated ritual circle lay, was a towering beast.

A creature that bore many heads. The faces of many different beasts, from oxen to wild dogs. It was massive. About the size of a castle. And the Salvos clone slowed when she saw it. Because it was—

[Greater Amaymon - Lvl. 175]

A Primeval Demon.