Chapter 124: Sounding the Horn of Counterattack

The spark of Hermetica... has it extinguished?

Mia ignited the pyre-lamp in her hand. Having once witnessed the extinguishing of a spark, the young girl was no stranger to the darkness before her—though, naturally, she could hardly call herself familiar with it either.

Hermetica was special.

Normally, a spark held an extraordinary allure for high-level demons. However, now that the Deepest Night had descended, Hermetica—deprived of its spark’s protection—exerted only a limited pull on them. While one could not rule out that a natural hatred for the living had driven them to launch an offensive against the lower districts, the sheer number... was abnormal.

There were too many.

In less than half a day, she had encountered several high-level demons in succession. Even if they were merely mindless, frenzied creatures, she remained at an overwhelming disadvantage in a one-on-one fight. The only reason she had managed to retain her combat effectiveness relatively intact after multiple encounters and life-or-death struggles was simple:

She was not fighting alone.

Collaborating with those who harbored hostility—had this been a day ago, she wouldn't have even felt a flicker of hesitation; she would have strangled such a possibility in its cradle. But the current situation had deteriorated to the point where, unless every force that could be united was united, the entire lower district would become a hunting ground for high-level demons. Everyone—at the very least, every ordinary person—would be doomed.

This was something the girl could not accept. Under no circumstances did she wish to see the tragedy of Nathaniel repeated in Hermetica. For this, she would not hesitate to join forces with the duplicitous elements of the Dice House, with the artificial demons she once considered enemies, or even with true demons themselves.

This was her resolve.

The sword-bearer from the Order planted her blade into the ground, using the brief lull in combat to relax her aching muscles and adjust the rhythm of her breathing and heartbeat.

A moment of respite amidst the chaos?

If Amy Ulysses were here, she might have made such a remark, but Mia harbored no such lax thoughts of "taking a break." She simply focused on preparing for the prolonged, high-intensity combat to follow, soothing her body—which was teetering on the brink of collapse—as much as possible, striving to reach her peak state within the limited time available.

Yet, mental exhaustion was inevitable.

In the absence of stimulation, no matter how resilient the girl's will, she could not help but sink into lethargy due to physical fatigue. But she dared not sleep. The old man who called himself Michelangelo had used his influence and leadership to gather the final survivors here, successfully persuading the Dice House and the Home of the Lost to join her in constructing this final line of defense. However, even with everyone giving their all, they could not bridge the vast disparity in strength between them and the enemy. Too many high-level demons had flooded into the lower district. In just half a day, the sector she was responsible for had seen five of them. Although they lacked the intelligence of the serial killer she had encountered previously, they were still incredibly troublesome foes, draining her stamina and spirit.

"Can you still hold on, Mia?"

Beside her, Sashaman, dressed in white robes, asked with genuine concern.

"Yes," the greeting from her companion made the sword-bearer realize her lapse in composure. She pulled herself together again, her azure eyes turning toward the Apostle of the Dice House. Yes, the Apostle of the Dice House—at this point, there was no sense in hiding it, as it would only bind her own hands. The elegant, mature woman who had approached her under the guise of a doctor had confessed her identity the moment they met, inviting her to join the defense line built by Michelangelo. "I’m fine."

A concise reply.

No look of surprise crossed Sashaman’s face. Regarding the girl’s stubbornness, the Apostle of the Dice House merely sighed softly. "Very well, I understand. But please, know your limits. The root of the problem lies in the upper district, in the extinguishing of the spark. If the situation there does not improve, given your current mental state, I fear it will be difficult for you to withstand another wave of high-level demon assaults."

"I know."

Mia bit her lip, letting crimson blood flow—the only way she could maintain the clarity of her consciousness through pain, the only way she could persist in this hopeless battle.

But even so, how much longer could she hold on?

The girl did not know the answer. Or rather, she knew, but refused to admit it.

Because the truth was sometimes far too cruel.

—They were coming.

The sword-bearer had no time to dwell on it. The sense of oppression approaching rapidly from nearby forced her to collect her scattered thoughts. She pulled her silver-white greatsword—nearly as tall as she was—from the ground, fixing her emerald eyes on the distance, waiting for the enemy to arrive.

Then, the wind began to blow.

The trees in the green belt along the road swayed. The turbulent wind, stirred intentionally, caused many members of the patrol squads responsible for surveillance and defense to instinctively shield their eyes with their hands, missing—missing their only chance to witness the god of death that would claim their lives.

It was a hideous, blue-gray monster. Its body was hunched and curled like a child’s, vaguely humanoid, but the massive, barbed bat-wings on its back, the restless, undulating snake-tail beneath it, and a face as terrifying as a demon from hell made it clear at a single glance that it was a monster entirely distinct from humanity, one that could never coexist with it.

—A high-level demon.

Without a moment of hesitation or doubt, before the blood of the patrol members could even spill, the girl had already engaged the horrific monster, which stood half a head taller than her.

She swung her blade—

A strike with the force of a thousand tons descended. The sword-bearer activated her Stigma, enduring the agony in her body to further amplify her strength.

"Boom!"

As expected, the ground surrounding the demonic killer sank under the weight of the blow!

But there was no hint of a smile on Mia’s face; it remained terrifyingly grim. Even without tactical awareness or the ability to reason, the battle instinct lurking within a high-level demon was extraordinary. In that split second between life and death, the bat-winged, snake-tailed demon countered with its claws.

A metallic clang rang out through the sky.

Then, the blood-red pupils of the demon contracted slightly.

—Dash.

Utilizing its chakra, it unleashed its innate ability.

For a fleeting moment, the high-level demon vanished from the sword-bearer's field of vision. When it reappeared, it was already behind her like a phantom, looking down from above. It opened its blood-drenched maw at a nearly 180-degree angle, foul-smelling slime dripping from its jagged, interlocking fangs. It made not a single sound, like the craftiest of predators, snapping its jaws down toward the girl’s head!

*Snap—*

With a teeth-gritting collision, the bat-winged, snake-tailed demon bit empty air.

However, Mia’s situation was equally dire. Although she had sensed the malice from behind in time and managed to evade the attack by a hair’s breadth, the hasty response was far from perfect. It not only caused her already exhausted body to falter but also cost her the precious initiative.

Taking advantage of this, the demon pressed its attack.

The girl, already at a physical disadvantage, was forced back step by step. While it might have looked like she was merely at a slight disadvantage in the clash, only she knew how precarious her situation really was.

She was not swaying like a lone boat in a storm under the demon’s assault; the battle-hardened sword-bearer, even with both body and mind exhausted, was under no immediate threat of defeat due to the dual pressure of death and duty. What truly prevented her from finding peace was the potential for enemy reinforcements—after the spark was extinguished, for reasons unknown, the high-level demons lurking in the Fog Zone had not only failed to leave, but had instead swarmed toward the lower district like sharks sensing blood.

So, time... she could not afford to buy time!

Clearly realizing this and determining that she could not deal a heavy blow to the enemy in a short time, the girl made a decision in that moment.

And so—

"Sashaman!"

No further words were needed. Through their previous collaborations, they had developed a certain level of tacit understanding. Almost the moment Mia’s voice fell, the female Apostle of the Dice House understood her intent and acted without hesitation!

And so, from nothingness, the moment she revealed her hostility, she exposed herself to the high-level demon’s sight.

The bat-winged, snake-tailed demon displayed great caution toward this human who had suddenly appeared beside it. To counter this immediate threat, it even risked taking several slashes from the sword-bearer to pull back and defend—but... it was too late.

Sashaman was like a viper hiding in the shadows; the moment she revealed her presence, the outcome of the battle was already decided.

Blood splattered.

—The poison-tipped, frost-white blade pierced straight into the high-level demon’s body.

It was over.

Another victory.

Yet, watching the cheering crowd, there was no joy of victory in Mia’s eyes, only deep, bone-weary fatigue.

A lucky win this time? But what about the next...

Sashaman’s ability was to confuse the enemy’s five senses to completely conceal her own presence. Thus, by using her assault as a feint, combined with the special poison of the Dice House, they could strike a fatal blow at the critical moment. Several high-level demons had already met their end through their simple, brutal coordination. But the girl would never be so naive as to think that this single trick could wipe out all high-level demons.

At the Order's headquarters during the Deepest Night, countless sword-bearers had warned their successors with their lives:

Anyone who dared to underestimate a high-level demon ended up dying under their own arrogance.

Arrogance—

It was humanity’s first sin.

But even so, Mia had not expected that after its life force had already vanished, the demon that should have been dead would once again open those scarlet, bell-like eyes!

The sudden turn of events made her instinctively raise her sword to defend, but it was... too late.

The claws swung down.

The off-guard Apostle of the Dice House was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing through several houses before her momentum finally ceased, vanishing into a pile of rubble, her fate unknown.

Immediately after, the reborn high-level demon locked onto her with a gaze filled with brutality.

—I will die.

In just an insignificant instant, the girl confirmed that not-so-distant future.

Then, she swung her sword.

Because... failure and death were never reasons to give up the fight.

Even if she were to die—

She would not loosen her grip on her sword!

This was her resolve, the resolve of Mia Wind-Walker!

And then, amidst an incredible, dazzling illusion, she saw light—

The dark firmament was torn open, revealing a massive gap, and an ancient city, as magnificent and vast as the halls of the gods in ancient legends, broke through the void from beyond the sea of clouds!

Descending upon this place—