Chapter 1004: Devilish Filter

Chapter 1004: Devilish Filter

So, MariKha began as she scrunched up her face and conjured a few light projections depicting what she was talking about, starting with the wrinkled and charred husk that had formed the bulk of the horde that Leon and Tiraeses had been fighting in the city, this one is a husk. Theyre basically just the tattered remains of the people in the cities who were sacrificed to the devils. I think. Theyre summoned by the ballbags who watch over the crystals in the cities, and they dont leave corpses when they die, soooo I dont really know what they are, and only heard like fourth or fifth-hand about them from my father.

They struggle to reflect Strong Ashagons blessings on their own, Tiraeses said. Do they have some hidden capabilities they havent yet displayed?

None that I ever saw, Mari replied. Then again, I only ever saw the fuckers when fighting with other Ultians, but I heard some stories of others who had harder times with them. Though I kinda think that those guys were fighting husks summoned by this fucking thing.

Mari switched her projected image to the creature with a circular body, a dozen heads and as many pairs of arms, and scars filled with eyes covering its main body.

Watchers, she identified. They can summon husks on their own, but they tend to prefer fucking with our heads. Worst thing is that they dont use illusions. Theyre strong enough with darkness magic to fiercely defend themselves, but theyre more designed for subterfuge and to knock people off their game. And I do mean designed if what Ive heard is accurate. That arrogant bi er, guest, or whatever, the blond one

Queen Larkoina, Leon offered.

Yeah. Her. I once overheard her saying something about the watchers being created by the devils to keep an eye on the cultists. Ive got no damn clue if thats real, but thats what I heard, hand to the gods.

I believe you, Leon replied with a friendly smile, though at least a part of the expression was due to the relative ease with which he could pronounce azurian.

Mari smiled back. How did you find that thing, by the by? My squad of Ultians had a ton of problems finding and destroying them.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

Leon frowned and shrugged. Its invisibility was rudimentary. Usually with darkness-based creatures, they can hide in shadows, but that can be detected. This one decided to try and become properly invisible, but it was close enough that I noticed where it wasnt. Everything around it was filled with magic power.

It was that fucking easy? Mari said, looking aghast.

I wouldnt say easy, Leon replied. Dont forget that Im a tenth-tier mage. My senses are sharp.

If you say so Mari replied with a frown of her own.

Why dont we continue, unless Melitor, Lord of Memory, has taken any further knowledge of these creatures from you, Tiraeses interjected.

I remember it just fine, guy, Mari shot back. Old Melitor hasnt taken shit from me.

You wouldnt know if he had, Tiraeses coolly replied.

MariKha, Leon sternly said, drawing the young womans attention. This is not you holding your tongue.

Mari scowled but dropped the issue, to Leons relief.

Im done with the watchers, she said a little testily. Theres a bunch more, though. Every city has some new horror to show us. Those flying things that attacked you while the horde was rampaging through the area were new to me.

Leon recalled the perpetually bleeding creatures with eyes in their wounds and darkness for wings that had attacked them and had to suppress a shudder. They werent particularly strong, but they were just viscerally awfulespecially the way the eyes in the bleeding wounds kept moving around, as if the creature wasnt in control over them, unlike the watcher.

Mari continued to explain what she knew about the various monsters she fought against during the push the Kingdom of the Blue Sky made, running through quite a few dark monstrosities, few of whom Leon recognized. Even Xaphan and the Thunderbird, who were quietly listening in on the conversation, had little to add to shine any light on these creatures.

[A Primal Devil makes new creatures according to its current situation,] Xaphan said. [There isnt much planning to itor so I was told by the Prince of Flame. They make whatever they can from what they have to accomplish their tasks.]

Leon filed that information away and continued listening to Maris explanations, though there wasnt much he could use aside from familiarizing himself with what he might potentially see later. As far as he could tell, his lightning would remain effective on all these creatures should they reappear as Mari had last seen them.

When she was finished, Leon nodded back to where the focus had been near where they were resting. When we first faced that watcher, I heard voices. Id thought that they may have just been the watcher until I heard them again when dealing with the focus.

Yeah, fuck those things, Mari stated. Most of them whisper like that. I cant say anything for sure, but I did hear a rumor that the husks inside them arent actually husks. That theyre still the people they used to be, only trapped inside and tortured for years without end, and thats what caused the curse!

[Not too far off,] Xaphan said with some amusement. [The torture is incidental. Channeling the power of the plane through them to the Primal Devil is the point. Theyre still alivethe power passes through them, into their soul realms, and then through a connection forged between them and the Devil. The process, as you can imagine, isnt pleasant.]

Leon had to suppress another shudder. Before he could ask anything new, he felt a flicker of power far above, and when he glanced upward, he sensed that the darkness permeating the environment was starting to clear up, if only slightly. A lighting bolt had flashed through the black clouds above, and a moment after it drew Leons attention, the accompanying thunder resounded through the city.

He grinned, but the power he could sense about to come down wasnt one they wanted to get caught up in. It was going to rain, but rain from those black clouds was going to be dreadfully polluted.

Lets find someplace we can get shelter, he said. The weathers turning, and I dont think we want to get caught up in it

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Brilliant, he whispered. And not just for its use of Primal Devil power.

I know, right? Mari gleefully agreed.

I only have one small criticism, Leon continued as a look of grave seriousness passed over his face, giving Mari pause. The gems used for the batteries are inadequate.

What dya mean? she asked, sounding a little offended. I used the largest and clearest sapphires anyones ever seen on this gods-forsaken plane! There are no better power storage mediums! My dad told me so!

Leon smirked. Your father was a brilliant man if all of this was designed by him, he said. But I have something he never did. With an almost theatrical flourish, he produced a fist-sized storm crystal and tossed it to Mari. It was less than half the size of the sapphires stored in the suits shoulders. That thing by itself would hold more than ten times the amount of power that these sapphires will. Now imagine what a storm crystal of comparable size could do

Storm crystal Mari whispered as she turned the crystal over in her hands, her eyes growing wider as she studied its every gleaming facet.

And thats not all, Leon continued as he conjured a sliver of thunder wood. If youre able to integrate this, you might not even have to stop to charge your batteries.

Maris eyes nearly bugged out of her skull when they landed upon the thunder wood.

I need to study these, she declared before turning away from Leon with the thunder wood and storm crystal in hand. She sat down next to the Ulta suit and conjured a stack of blank paper to jot down some notes as she studied these new materials.

I still have a couple questions Leon began before Mari conjured and tossed him another thick stack of paper, which he quickly realized was essentially the schematics for her Ulta suit.

With childlike glee, he began tearing into the schematics, scanning every page, memorizing every little detail. And his heart sank as he read further. The enchantments in the suit could be potentially reproduced given enough time, but the materials listed and their properties werent familiar to him, not to mention the suit seemed rather light on control enchantments, having surprisingly few placed in the cockpit.

When he asked Mari about this, she seemed a little reluctant to tear herself away from what Leon had just given her, but she told him all she knew about the materials and how to actually pilot the suit.

The materials amounted to a lightweight metal that she didnt know how to make that lowered the weight of the suit enough that the small engine could power it, overcoming the weight-to-power ratio that had prevented the Ravens from making something like the MALLs until Leon came to them with thunder wood.

As for controlling the suit

Its this, Mari said as she indicated the neckpiece with the black crystal on the back she wore. It connects to the matching crystally thing in the suit, and I can pilot the suit like its my own body. Kinda.

Youve got to be messing with me, Leon said in disbelief.

Nope, Mari said with a proud smile. Look in the last section, it lays it all out.

Leon immediately flipped to the relevant pages and began scanning.

Its not perfect, Mari conceded, otherwise there wouldnt be a need for other controls in the cockpit. But as it is, it makes piloting the suit easier than snacking on roast jorgaff. She rubbed her stomach with a hungry look on her face for emphasis. As she spoke, Tiraeses came over, their spirited conversation having drawn his attention.

It uses devilish magic, the monk growled in annoyance as he peered over Leons shoulder.

It uses what it needs to, old man, Mari said. It works and its safe. These suits are what allowed the Blue Sky to survive for so long.

By Mandious, Lord of All in Heaven, standard Ulta suits dont use this devilish magic! Tiraeses cried out.

And theyre inferior for it, Mari stated with a defiant look.

This looks safe, Leon said as his eyes flitted from one rune to the next.

[Its more than safe,] the Thunderbird whispered in awe. [Its revolutionary! Ive never seen a good mind-to-enchantment interface like this before! Leon, you have to get this to Nestor!]

[I was thinking the exact same thing,] Leon said.

His eyes flickered between Mari and Tiraeses as his mind came to a simple conclusion. Marior at least, her knowledgehad to make it back to Aeterna. He wasnt going to kidnap her, but if he had to throw a mountain of treasure and an even bigger mountain of concubines at her to get her to lend his Kingdom her skills, then hed do so.

The things the giants could do with something like this let alone what powerful mages might be able to do

The possibilities had him salivating.

And then his eyes slid past the two and fell back upon the city. The rain was clearing up, but pools of thick, inky water remained behind. They wouldnt present much of a problem to any of them, but simply looking at the city drove the point of the predicament home.

None of this would matter if they werent able to find a way off Arkhnavi. They had to reach Tell Kirin as soon as they could.