028: Demon's World
As they pressed onward, the malicious presence was getting stronger. Mathilda expected this much given the amount of Ancient Mana in the dungeon.
Before long, they finally reached the end of the second floor. Another pair of huge stone doors stood stall before them.
"We have arrived." Said the little succubus. Her voice was shaking.
Darius finally understands what Mathilda was talking about upon sensing the strong malicious presence from the door.
The mana pressure was enough to make the little Succubus shiver in fear by just standing in front of it. Soon enough, Mathilda realized that there's a whole demon's colony on the other side.
She had a hunch that the demons possessed more powerful Magic Tools since they were protected by Arthur, the late king of Lunarian Kingdom who was famous for his invention and revolutionary knowledge. As a Rank 3 Mage, Mathilda couldn't let them slip away, since there was no telling if the demon would stay put and obedient once it learned that Arthur has been long gone.
After a quick deduction, Mathilda came to a conclusion.
"Those demons must have settled in the dungeon for at least a couple of decades after Selena gave birth to Darius, unnoticed by the Mage Association. Damn it! Arthur must have secluded them in this place in spite of protecting both human and demon race. I must destroy them before they find out that Arthur is no longer in this world and wreak havoc in human's realm."
"Don't open the door, w-warchief will be very angry." Said the little succubus.
Mathilda grinned from ear to ear as she heard it. The Warchief title was only given to a Greater Class demon who had killed at least hundreds of thousands of humans during the Holy War and has the equivalent power level as a peak Rank 2 Mage.
"Warchief?" Darius tilted his head. "How strong is he?"
"Very strong. Even with my power level as a Rank 3 Mage, I would find it difficult to defeat a Warchief. Darius, I won't force you to do this. However, if you want to learn how a real Mage fights, feel free to come with me."
Darius rubbed his chin, contemplating for a brief moment. "I'll come with you. Don't worry about me, I won't get killed, just do what you gotta do."
"Atta boy." Mathilda smiled.
When Mathilda tried to open the doors, she was stung by a lightning trap that was installed in the doors' mechanism.
"Urgh!" Mathilda gripped her numbed wrist firmly. It wasn't too painful, but enough to deter her from opening the doors with brute force.
"Are you okay?" Darius asked.
"Yes. Fortunately."
"Let me try."
Thus, Darius opened the huge stone doors after channeling his mana into the door. Strangely enough, the doors' mechanism seemed to acknowledge his presence.
Afterward, the loud clanking noises resounded in the cave from behind the doors, revealing a jet-black portal that would lead them to the demon's world.
"Let's go." Darius said nonchalantly. He couldn't care less about Mathilda's surprised face.
'Wait, does it mean Arthur had predicted that Darius would reach this far?' Mathilda murmured.
Upon stepping out of the portal, Darius was fazed by the vast barren land before his eyes. The dark-ish sky gave out a feeling of impending doom that might come at any given moment. The toxic miasma fumes out of the ground below as they thread the treacherous path atop the hundreds feet tall ridge.
Thanks to the little Succubus' guidance, they were able to navigate safely and avoid unnecessary encounters with the Demonic Beast.
After what seemed like hours, the tall watchtower was visible to their eyes when they finally reached the cliff. Though the size was considerably small to be called a fortress, it still looks quite formidable from afar.
There was a small town just over the wall, bustling with lives and demons activities
Wasting no time, Mathilda cast a levitation magic for the two and flew them onto the village's premises, causing the town folks to fall in a state of panic as they sensed her Mana Field that carries tons of force field in a radius of a few kilometers.
"A Rank 3 Mage?! How did they find this sanctuary?"
"Run! Inform the Warchief! Quick!"
Clamors soon ensued as the ground shook violently, collapsing the stone houses flat to the ground once Mathilda unleashed her Mana Field.
The mothers scooped their children while the men frantically reached for their weapons.
Mathilda transformed her headdress into a black scythe in a single breath. When she was about to swing her deadly spell, Void Slash, her hands were held by Darius
"Let go of my hand, Darius."
"There's no need for further violence. They had not done anything, yet."
His words were like a charm and put Mathilda in her place. She then resigned her intention to cull these demons with [Void Slash] that could slash this place into a half.
A moment later, a fierce-looking demon donned in full-steel body armor rode out of the manor atop his ferocious demonic beast. His sheer demonic aura could be felt even from a distance. The little succubus cowered in fear as the beast roared aloud.
Darius, however, was undaunted. There's no sign of fear in his eyes.
"Stay behind me." Mathilda brandished her black scythe in front.
"Stand down your weapons!" Shouted the warchief from atop his steed. His commanding presence made the Lesser Demons kneeled before his demonic mana field.
Mathilda had expected a bloody fight would occur as soon as the Warchief dismounted from his steed, however, the demon warchief lowered his aura pressure upon acknowledging the white-haired young man behind her.
"Pray tell, human's child. Why do I sense Lord Arthur's presence from your eyes?"
Darius stepped frontward, fearlessly.
"My name is Darius Whitemoon, son of King Arthur Whitemoon!"
After he said this, the whole demon's colony stepped out from their houses. They have heard about the prophecy that their Young Lord shall appear before them and bring salvation.
However, the Warchief was still skeptical. Years of constant anguish and fears toward Mages made him reluctant to acknowledge Darius as his new lord.
"If your claim is true, I, Belial, shall attest your worth with my own hands!"