Free Web NovelChapter 361: Back in Demon territory
Elion floated there for a few seconds, breathing heavily while surveying his immediate surroundings.
The place he had landed in was not a lake, at least not a natural-looking one. It was a wide, dark reservoir surrounded by jagged black stone, with a faint reddish mist crawling over the surface of the water.
Massive cliffs rose on either side, and beyond them, in the far distance, the sky itself looked sickly. The clouds were low and dark, glowing faintly from beneath with a dull crimson light, as though the entire land was being cooked over some unseen flame.
Elion’s brows furrowed as he slowly swam toward the nearest edge, using water magic to push himself forward faster. The moment his hand touched the black stone shore, his fingers slipped slightly. The rock was wet, smooth, and strangely warm despite the cold water around it.
He pulled himself up with a grunt, water streaming off his body as he rolled onto the shore and lay there for a moment, staring at the ugly sky.
Elion clicked his tongue and pushed himself upright, wringing water from his hair before shaking his head like a wet beast.
"Well," he muttered, coughing once more. "At least I didn’t teleport into a demon’s mouth."
His tied hair had mostly come loose, wet strands clinging to his face and neck, and his clothes were thoroughly soaked. The Legendary armour, at least, did not feel too heavy even after being submerged, if that was a thing.
He was certain that ordinary armour would have made climbing out of the water a miserable experience, even though technically, he had never worn one.
He raised one hand and used a quick burst of water magic to pull most of the moisture from his clothes and hair, gathering it into a floating orb before tossing it back into the reservoir. Then he followed with a faint layer of warm fire mana, just enough to dry what remained without burning his clothes.
Within moments, he looked mostly presentable again.
The place, however, looked far from promising.
Elion stood and looked across the surrounding terrain. The reservoir sat inside what appeared to be a massive crater-like basin, with black stone paths leading upward toward broken cliffs.
Strange red veins ran through the ground in places, pulsing faintly like diseased blood vessels beneath the earth. Dead trees stood along the ridges, their branches twisted into claw-like shapes, and beyond them, far ahead, a massive shadow stretched against the horizon.
A castle, or something close to one.
Its silhouette was jagged and unnatural, rising from the distant land like a broken crown stabbed into the world. Dark towers, twisted bridges, and floating fragments of stone slowly circling around the highest spire.
"Don’t tell me..."
He looked down at the formation talisman, or rather, at the burnt remains of it crumbling apart in his palm, then he looked back toward the distant castle.
A long silence followed.
"...Did that thing actually work?"
He had expected to be thrown somewhere wildly inconvenient. A random swamp, the middle of a demon patrol, some abyssal pit, and maybe underwater, which had happened, annoyingly enough.
But somehow, despite that little drowning attempt, the talisman had dropped him within sight of the Demon Lord’s territory.
Elion didn’t know whether to be grateful that it hadn’t been worse or angry. However, even he knew that this wasn’t so bad. However, he also knew that usually, when things worked out too well, something terrible followed.
Last time he had been in this place, after being kidnapped by Zenith, he had not been anywhere else other than the beautiful demon’s bedroom, that prison-like place, and the halls before he was teleported away to escape.
Thinking about the mysterious demon, a smile made its way onto his face. He found himself looking forward to the possibility of meeting her again.
Perhaps they could have a quick fuck, and he could farm a bit more points from her.
He had not thought too deeply about her since leaving the Demon Lord’s castle, not because he had forgotten her, but because every time he tried to think about her actions, the pieces refused to settle properly in his mind.
She had captured him, supposedly helped him, then warned him, only to remain behind to deal with whatever consequences that followed. There was something she knew that he did not, and that had been obvious from the beginning.
But whether she was an ally, a liar, a prisoner, or something even more complicated... He still did not know.
"I really hope you know what you’re doing," he muttered. freёwebnovel.com
A blaring horn suddenly thundered from the distance.
Elion immediately lowered his presence and crouched beside a jagged rock. A few seconds later, winged shapes passed overhead.
Three demons flew across the crimson sky. Their wings looked wide and leathery, and their bodies were armoured in black plates that looked grown rather than forged.
They did not seem to have noticed him, but they moved in a tight pattern, circling the reservoir once before heading toward the distant castle.
Elion’s eyes narrowed, "Patrols?"
They had probably sensed mana fluctuations that came with his teleportation. So the castle was not as unmanned as he had hoped.
Of course.
Why would it be?
Still, there were only three of them, and their presence did not feel too oppressive. They were definitely strong, but their aura did not feel unfathomable. If this was all that remained near the outskirts, then his chances were not too terrible.
He just needed to move carefully.
He sighed and used mirage to change his physical appearance to that of a nasty demon. Most likely, his dressing would be what gave him away if that somehow ended up happening, so he also pulled out dark, tattered cloth that he had brought with him from his storage and flung it over his body. freewebnøvel.com
Elion looked down at himself.
"Convincing enough, I guess."
He briefly closed his eyes and steeled his heart. He had not been entirely confident in this whole thing before.
Now, standing this close to enemy territory, he was even less confident. But there were people depending on his success.
He opened his eyes once again, the deep blue in his irises having gained a sharp glint. Then he slowly began making his way up the black stone path leading out of the reservoir basin.
Elion kept his pace steady, his hood lowered over his face, his shoulders slightly hunched, his gait altered just enough to make him appear less like himself. He copied the rough, uneven stride he had seen from some of the lesser humanoid demons back at the battlefield, adding just enough stiffness to his movements that he looked more like a wandering demon.
A pair of demons passed him on the road not long after.
They were broad, hunched creatures with thick arms, curved tusks, and black iron plates strapped messily across their chests. One of them carried a spear twice Elion’s height, while the other dragged a hooked blade along the ground, leaving shallow scratches across the stone.
Elion lowered his gaze as they approached. His hand drifted near Kurogoroshi, but he forced himself not to touch the hilt.
The demons slowed, and for one uncomfortable second, he thought they had seen through the disguise.
One of them leaned closer, sniffing the air.
Elion’s heartbeat remained calm, though his mana quietly gathered beneath his skin, ready to burst out at the slightest sign of trouble.
The demon grunted and spat a wad of black phlegm onto the ground near his boots before moving past him.
The other laughed in a wet, unpleasant way and followed.
Elion let out a light breath of relief and kept walking.
