Chapter 579: Mother and Wife II
The mont she shouted, Levia’s attacks beca more brutal and powerful. Her shield slamd into Sheila’s chest with a sickening crunch. “Haargh!” The woman cried out in pain, stumbling backwards from the force of the blow.
Levia took advantage of the opening and swung her sword down, cutting through the armour that protected her opponent and slicing off the humanoid’s arm with a squelch of blood and flesh.
“Hmph!”
The blood from the wound never ca; instead, the black mist that ford the earlier figures poured from the wound and rapidly grew into another arm, but weaker… with less muscle and lacking details like the previous.
“Bitch!”
The woman scread at her with rage burning within her eyes as she attacked again, this ti faster than before. With a narrow gaze, Levia parried every attack until finally breaking through the fake’s guard and striking a blow straight to the abdon with enough force to pierce completely through the body.
“I knew it…”
With a twist of her blade, the black ooze flooded out of the wound, like a waterfall.
“These things are just phantoms…”
She muttered under her breath when she saw sothing strange happen: The blackness seed to solidify montarily, before vanishing without leaving behind any evidence except for so lingering smoke.
What is this? An illusion… A dream…
Levia’s arms dropped as she panted heavily, her chest bouncing with the deep breaths.
“Damn it…”
The surroundings remained dark and featureless after the strange existence vanished. Yet Levia remained trapped here; there wasn’t a staircase or place she could leave, and this put her on edge.
Is it over?
The phantom lost a little too easily, at least that’s what she believed.
Her instincts were proven correct as the room rumbled like an earthquake, and the ground shook violently around her, sending cracks along its surface. A large black figure erged from the darkness. Its shape resembled a snake but with wings like those of a bat and legs like those of a horse.
“Hahaha! You think you can win so easily!” The woman’s voice echoed through the chamber. Her aura was growing rapidly as the darkness faded, revealing a large temple with dozens of pillars, and on each pillar was a human.
Asmodeus, Yumiko, and Velvet were all unconscious; anwhile, Levia found herself standing atop a pillar identical to the others.
“What…!?”
Levia stood motionless for several long monts before realising what had happened.
I broke this monster’s illusion and woke up, but everyone else is still sleeping!?
No! I have to—!
Her body leapt off the pillar with wings spreading from her back. She hovered in front of the other three pillars, her face sweaty from the previous battle; all the wounds and exhaustion from the illusory fight remained.
“I won’t let you harm them!”
“Hahahahaha! Do you think you can defeat ? Little insect! Bow before the phisto!”
A massive shadow lood above her. Its body twisted and writhed like a worm in agony as it slithered towards her, its jaws wide open and dripping black ooze that hissed and popped when they touched the ground.
Poison!?
Leviathan gripped her sword, peeking back at Asmodeus, who looked strange… his face pale and sweat dripping down his cheeks.
***
anwhile, in the illusion domain.
Asmodeus sucked in a deep breath; his chest burned like a wildfire as he used his axe to remain standing. “Haa….haa…. why?” The bodies of Asmodea, Leviathan and Velvet lay on the ground… bloody and carved in two—the wounds matched the shape of his Blood Drinker.
“You know why, since you couldn’t save us, we’ve decided to switch sides!” Yumiko scoffed, her beautiful hair and tails dyed black as she flexed her claws with a sneer.
Yuina remained silent, but her eyes were like pools of emptiness, as if she had lost her emotions or soul.
“Die!”
Clang!
The spear of Vinea stabbed past his forehead, and the force caused a large gash across his temple. His blood splashed along the ground and dripped down his cheek as he struggled to adjust his stance.
In this world, I am not the demon emperor… I cannot even use my Demon King form…!?
“I told you…” Vinea’s voice sounded distorted by the pain. “…You shouldn’t have made us love you if you couldn’t save us.”
“Vinea…” He wanted to scream at her, call out for her to wake up… but his words never reached her ears or his own as the darkness seeped into his mind.
The cold hand of Yumiko touched him and sent a jolt through his heart.
No… that was her claws which penetrated him like a blade, tearing his heart in half and causing his body to collapse on the floor.
It felt as though everything inside him had frozen solid.
On his knee, he looked up at them through bloody bangs, hair matted with sweat.
With each phantom he killed, thier fears, anger, disappointnt and sorrow flooded his chest, painful like rats gnawing at his flesh, tearing apart his heart.
“Ha!” He coughed blood as a kick from Asmodea sent him skidding across the floor.
“Honey!” She spat the word like a curse. “You say it so easily, yet you never even hugged when their blade pierced my chest and they burned for being a witch!” Words of a world that never passed, mories that only he rembered.
How many lives and failures did his soul endure to reach this point…
His aura gathered together, the strange domain stopped him from transforming, restricted him from changing form or resisting at full strength.
Forgive … all of you…
The lights who guide , loves of my life…
My muses…
I am sorry for failing you… dear wives.
Asmodeus closed his eyes.
But I CANNOT fall here!
***
Today I woke up and saw Yukihana…
She sat at the end of the table and kicked her little legs while I ate breakfast.
Her cute little squeaks reminded of you, my dear husband. I miss you so much. It’s been two years, and I still have no thod of returning to you.
In a ssy room, a beautiful woman with matted hair sat at her desk, writing in a diary—walls painted with strange text, theories, and magic circles.
[How to visit another world?]
[Truck Kun?]
[What if everything was a dream?]
Crossed out texts that she must have proven wrong, after being confird at the hospital, her body was indeed no longer a virgin and carried signs of childbirth.
The dical bills and charts stacked up, all confirming the sa thing from different hospitals across the country.
“Is this the end?”
Sohow, repeating the sa days beca too difficult for Yumiko, who couldn’t let go of her past. Her beloved and cute Yukihana would be almost four years old now. Then what about Asmodeus? Did he defeat phisto without ? Or did he find another wife after she left?
These questions plagued her as she flopped on the soft futon.
“Am I crazy, did I imagine everything… These notes, do they prove anything?”
A shadow lingered around her back, leaning on her shoulders, the cute form of Yukihana constantly watching, observed out of Yumiko’s sight.
The spirit tilted its head, the little white hair swaying like the fluff of a bunny rabbit.
“Mommy…”
Yumiko felt like soone was calling for her, so she sat up, her face blank as tears no longer fell, dried red from her constant wailing, pale skin with bags under her eyes. Her once lovely eyes were sunken in, hollowed out by lack of sleep.
“…Yukihana?”
The young spirit froze and turned away slowly, but Yumiko just looked around in a daze.
Why?
That can’t be…
How didn’t she notice this strange creature before?
“Haa… haa…” Yumiko stood up and walked towards the table where she kept her notes. The little ghost followed her, floating after her while making soft noises with her mouth.
She didn’t seem to notice how close the creature got until it touched Yumiko on the shoulder, and that’s when she snapped.
This thing isn’t my daughter!
Wam!
Her body darted away, and a surge of electricity blasted the small creature backwards into the opposite wall.
It crumpled and hit the floor without making a sound, then disappeared into thin air. It left behind scorch marks where it had been standing earlier, and a mont later, the figure popped up closer, pretending to limp as it looked up at Yumiko with empty eyes.
“Mother?”
How did this thing get in here? Did I imagine it? Is this another delusion? What do you want!?
Yumiko felt her entire body shiver. She wanted to scream at it, to yell at the creature, to demand an answer from the apparition.
To take the form of her daughter… “Ah.” A low voice ca from Yumiko’s mouth as she clenched her fists. “It’s you.” She muttered to herself, her voice trembling. “You’re the reason why I can never see them again.”
The spirit tilted its head and approached slowly as if unsure what to say next.
“You won’t get , phisto’s servant!”
Like a scorned beast, her hair frizzled up, her tails and ears fuzzy and crackling with energy as her eyes dripped with blood.
“How dare you… Use the symbol of our love and dearest treasure, to deceive !”
Her teeth beca sharper, more feline, her face distorting like a feral beast, grinding together as she snorted and hissed.
“I will kill you, I will kill you! I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!”
——RAVAGE: FANGS OF THE BEAST EMPRESS
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