[Salvos] 651. Difficult Situation (Patreon)

651. Difficult Situation

***

It was a deal with the Devil if Ultis had ever seen one. Quite literally, too. She had heard rumors that the Enemy of the Demon King was the Devil’s Daughter. Whether that was true? She didn’t know for sure. But she had no choice in the matter in any case.

The only other option was accepting a quick and painless death right at that moment. And even the painless part wasn’t guaranteed. So Ultis made a gambit, if it even could be called that. She decided to accept the offer that Salvos— the Enemy of the Demon King— had given.

Now, doing so would very likely result in the death of Ultis, especially when Regnorex found out. If she drew his ire, she would be as good as dead. But perhaps there was a way to avoid drawing his wrath…

Ultis pursed her lips as the thought crossed her mind. Her gaze focused on Salvos. It was a strange sight to behold. When Ultis had been running from her life, Salvos had been much more terrifying in shape and form.

But right now, Salvos was merely a… normal-looking Demon. Like she was some sort of impish [Fiend], even. Ultis never would have thought that this silver-haired girl walking with a skip in her step was actually the one known as the Enemy of the Demon King.

It was the magic of a [Changeling] to take on the form of another. However, Ultis had never seen one transform into such a massive and different creature. It was difficult for her to comprehend. And despite the carefree demeanor of Salvos, she seemed all the more terrifying because of her shapeshifting abilities.

After all, it was entirely possible this appearance she had taken on was purely a facade. A ruse to get Ultis to lower her guard. Because of that, Ultis didn’t dare even think about scheming right now.

“So… if you just step in through here, you’ll be safe from their trackers—”

Salvos spoke casually, creating a rift in space. She stepped to the side as Ultis stared hesitantly for a moment. Was this a trap? Ultis didn’t know.

“And are you sure we’ll be safe there?”

Ultis asked apprehensively. Salvos nodded, giving a thumbs-up. She was acting like she hadn’t just slaughtered seven other Primeval Demons just moments ago, and she certainly wasn’t acting like she had just been about to kill Ultis.

“That’s right. And we’ll be able to talk more, too. So don’t worry too much!”

“Right…”

Utlis bit her lower lip, shuffling her feet where she stood. She glanced back to the only other survivor of her group of Deathsquad Hunters— Aliq— and he didn’t even look up to face her. His gaze was shadowed over, still reeling from the death of his twin.

“Aliq, what do you think?”

She asked him, but he didn’t respond. All he did was walk past her, nearly knocking her aside as he strode up to the rift. Ultis gritted her teeth, and she watched as he vanished within.

“He seems a bit rude. I wonder why he’s in such a bad mood?”

Salvos remarked casually, and Ultis had to bite her tongue from snapping back with a retort. It’s because of you— you’re the reason why he’s in a bad mood.

Fortunately, Ultis didn’t vocalize that statement. Instead, she took in a deep breath and walked up to the rift. Salvos smiled and gave a half-bow.

“After you.”

Ultis steeled herself, before nodding. She didn’t know what awaited her now that she had decided to help the Enemy of the Demon King. But whatever it was… she hoped this decision was worth it.

And with that, she stepped through the rift.

***

I led the two remaining members of the Deathsquad Hunters to [The World Of My Mind] to avoid being tracked in the Netherworld. Was it a bad decision? After all, I could be endangering Haec and his friends by doing this. And… I also didn’t consult with them either beforehand.

I had done this entirely on a whim when I realized I accidentally destroyed the Tablet of Tracking while fighting the other Deathsquad Hunters. There was no way to find the Demon King’s Domain without some help. So I threatened— or recruited— both Ultis and Aliq to my cause.

Realistically speaking, they didn’t really care about me or disobeying the Demon King. They were probably loyal to him. Either that, or they only cared about surviving. Both possibilities led to the same results— that they would backstab me at the first opportunity they got.

However, as long as they helped me navigate through the Netherworld, that was all that mattered to me. I just had to find a way to convince Haec that this was a good idea.

I took in a deep breath and stepped into my pocket space right after the two Primeval Demons. The instant I entered, I heard screams and shouts erupting from all around me. I blinked a few times as I saw Ultis collapsed on the ground, raising her hands defensively. Aliq stood with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed without backing down.

Before the two of them, Haec was standing tall, a glowing fist raised as he was about to strike them down. Behind him, Bertrugil was backing away nervously, while Taburas and Aemula were preparing for battle.

“W-wait, we were—”

Ultis was stumbling over her words, wide-eyed and in fear. But Haec didn’t care. He took a step forward as he was about to unleash his Skill.

“[Wrath—”

“Alright, everyone— that’s enough!”

I called out, clapping my hands together. All at once, my pocket space rippled. Ultis and Aliq glanced back at me, while Haec stumbled forward as the ground beneath him shifted. The space between him and the two remaining Deathsquad Hunters expanded, separating him from them. His Skill was dispersed, but his fist still struck the glass-like ground of [The World Of My Mind].

There was a loud bang, accompanied by a flash of light. However, I was prepared for his attack, and I had reinforced the walls of my pocket space in time. So there was no hint of even a crack left behind.

Haec raised his head as he frowned at me. He glanced between me and the two Deathsquad Hunters. Ultis crawled back to her feet, while Aliq just uncrossed his arms.

“What is going on, Salvos? Why are they here? We were supposed to kill them all.”

Haec asked as he rubbed his fist. I raised my hands placatingly.

“Yep. That was my plan at first. But… I ran into a little bit of a problem. And now they’re going to be helping us.”

I explained, gesturing vaguely at the two Deathsqsuad Hunters. They turned to me and nodded. But Haec didn’t look too enthused. His brows snapped together when he heard what I said.

“Helping us? Why do we need their help? The only way they can help us is if we kill them— at least we’ll be getting some levels if we do that.”

Haec shook his head, and I pursed my lips. Ultis paled when she heard that. She turned to me with round eyes, so I tried to give her a reassuring nod. Unfortunately for me, my companion wasn’t the only one who was against this idea.

“Wait, you’re recruiting the Deathsquad Hunters to help us? That’s crazy— they’re the ones who are trying to kill us!”

Bertrugil protested first. And he wasn’t the only one. Taburas narrowed her eyes at me as she lowered her clawed hands.

“All it takes is a single moment where we let our guards down, and we’re dead. Maybe you don’t feel threatened by them. But we certainly do.”

Taburas faced me as she spoke begrudgingly. I waved a hand dismissively, trying to ease their concerns.

“It’ll be fine! They’re not stupid. They don’t want to die. And I’ll have my clones watching them the entire time too. So relax, alright?”

“But why do we even need their help?”

Haec asked as he strode forward towards me. Ultis backed away as he got close, but Aliq didn’t budge. My companion continued to press me.

“We set up that trap to kill them and steal their Tablet of Tracking. We don’t need their help for anything.”

“Well… that’s the thing.”

I scratched the back of my head, and Haec furrowed his brows. I glanced between him and the two Deathsquad Hunters. And then I sighed.

“I kind of destroyed the Tablet of Tracking by accident?”

I admitted in a small voice. Haec blinked a few times, and Bertrugil smacked his forehead. Taburas’ eyes flickered, while Aemula just looked confused. I gesticulated wildly, trying to defend myself.

“Look, I didn’t expect their tracker to be one of their highest-leveled—”

“Salvos.”

Haec cut me off mid-sentence. I paused, and he met my gaze. He spoke in a serious voice, gesturing for me to step to the side, away from Ultis and Aliq.

“We need to talk in private.”

Author's Notes:

What thonk?

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