Chapter 642: Mountain Destruction

Chapter 642: Mountain Destruction

642. Mountain Destruction

***

Nonnu looked up as he felt the ground beneath his feet tremble. As the lowest-leveled of the Deathsquad Hunters that had been sent on this mission, his job was simply to... keep watch.

Unis and Vul were tasked with setting up a barrier around the perimeter to prevent the Archdemons from somehow escaping. They tasked Nonnu to keep a lookout, because they didn’t believe in his abilities to complete the ritual spell since he was a relatively new member of the Deathsquad Hunters.

Nonnu hated the way they looked down on him. Everyone always looked down on him. But he always proceeded to prove them all wrong. He had once served a [Hellprincess] of the Netherworld— Lucia the Lady of Vanity. She had opposed Regnorex’s rule. And perhaps she would have stood a chance against him.

But she had looked down on Nonnu, using him for menial tasks. So he betrayed her, serving her head to the Demon King. And that was how he became a member of the Deathsquad Hunters.

Nonnu had thought he had finally earned his respect. But now, here he was, being looked down once again by his comrades. He considered betraying them— killing them all, before reporting back to the Demon King alone. That way, he could take credit for defeating the former Heir of the Netherworld.

Unfortunately, that thought could only remain a thought as he looked back at the mountain with wide eyes.

“What is going on...?”

He whispered as he stared at the unbelievable sight. The entire mountain was shaking. It looked like it was trembling— like a powerful earthquake was rocking the region, making it shiver where it stood.

“Unis, Val, are you seeing this?”

Nonnu called out to the other two Deathsquad Hunters with him. But Unis replied snappishly back at him.

“What are you talking about— urk!”

Nonnu blinked as Unis’ voice was suddenly cut off. He glanced back, but only Val was there. Val tilted her head, confused.

“Unis? What just—”

She opened her mouth. And a burning golden tendril shot out of the ground beneath her feet, before dragging her down into the ground. She screamed as she disappeared into the earth. Nonnu’s eyes grew wide, before rushing forward.

“Unis, Val? Where did you go?”

Nonnu came to a halt right before the hole in the ground. He peered into the darkness, but all he heard was Val’s screaming voice beneath. He gritted his teeth as he turned back to the mountain.

“I need to get the others... wait, who are you?”

He came to a halt as he saw a hulking figure standing before him. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the wall of muscle for a long moment. And then the realization settled in.

“You’re Haec—”

But before Nonnu could finish speaking, the former Heir of the Netherworld swung out and bellowed.

“[The Right Hand of the Demon King]!”

***

Ultis felt a sense of relief wash over her as she saw the crimson skies of the Netherworld up ahead. But as she sprinted up to the exit, a sense of dread fell upon her. Because she immediately noticed that there was no barrier there.

Neither Aliq nor Quid seemed to notice it at first. However, as they stepped out of the cavern, calling out for their remaining comrades, they finally realized something was off.

“Nonnu, Unis, Val!”

It was massive. It had to have been at least hundreds of feet in length— maybe even over a thousand, since half its body was still buried within the mountain. It was covered in silver chitin, and it had a hundred spike-like legs. Its eyes were a burning yellow, and it was wreathed in an iridescent aura.

The monster let out a terrible shriek that echoed throughout the quiet Netherworld. It swept its gaze over the vast landscape, before looking down at the three remaining Deathsquad Hunters. Ultis froze where she stood, taking in the sight of such a terrifying yet magnificent creature.

But it didn’t pay attention to her. It caught a glimpse of the giant purple sphere, before looking down at the twins. It roared and dove down their way as they smiled.

And they finished their combination casting of their Grand Skill.

“—To Unleash Hell]!”

They swung out, unleashing the giant purple sphere down into the monster. Ultis covered her eyes as a brilliant flash of light overcame her vision. A powerful shockwave sent her flying back as she slammed her eyes shut. Her ears rang as she waited for the light to vanish.

Her hearing returned, and she finally looked up. And what she saw before her was a pillar of smoke. A massive crater. The twins were standing there, laughing victoriously. Because—

The mountain was gone.

Ultis could only gape at the sight. And while Quid was panting, he was also beaming from ear to ear

“Well, how about that? We blew that fucking monster to pieces!”

“I told you we should’ve started with this in the first place! Honestly, you should listen to my ideas more, Quid.”

Aliq snorted, trying to catch his breath. The twins grinned at each other, but Ultis ignored them. Her gaze was focused only on the clearing smoke. Quid turned to her as he chuckled.

“You can thank us later. Come on, wipe that stupid smile off your face, and let’s go back—”

“No.”

Ultis cut him off as she rose to her feet. She looked past the twins, peering into the clearing smoke. And there, a shadow emerged as she bit her lower lip.

“It’s still alive.”

“What...?”

Quid blinked a few times, and a cacophonous shriek echoed from the center of the crater. The smoke dispersed, before the monster rose out from the massive crater lying where the mountain had been.

The twins looked on in terror as the monster loomed over them. Quid dropped to his knees, whispering quietly to himself.

“Impossible...”

Meanwhile, Aliq was left at a loss for words. For the first time ever, he had nothing to say. Because the monster hadn’t just survived their combination cast Grand Skill.

No— if that was enough, it had also emerged completely unscathed.

Ultis closed her eyes, finally resigning herself to her fate.

“It’s over. We have lost.”

Author's Notes:

What thonk?