Chapter 543: Darkness In Grigor

    Asmodeus stopped his horse.

    Once again, they came across a horrible sight. “What happened?”

    He sat in silence, watching the burning buildings, and a pile of corpses now hissing with smoke, their deaths likely horrific, with none left standing. “How can this be happening in Grigor?” It made no sense; only a few weeks ago did they save this land.

    ‘Did Mephisto have this much influence?’

    “Asmodeus...” Lumina’s eight eyes shimmered like jewels as she pointed to the distance, a flag impaled the corpses. Her graceful voice paused before she continued. “That’s Mephisto’s image...”

    Asmodeus didn’t respond and snapped the reins, rushing to the village wanting to confirm what his mind was already telling him. The air seemed to become more foul; the closer he reached, the scent of death overwhelming.

    The sight was indeed Mephistopheles’ crest.

    “I had almost forgotten they existed...”

    He recalled slaying their pope, killing their saintess, and even suffering a near-death experience just south of Baltimore half a year ago.

    Mephistopheles was an organisation that operated outside the law and sought to control not just one country but all. They were even responsible for the destruction in the Elven forest a few months ago.

    Ultimately, everything pointed back to Mephisto, the god of death.

    “I shouldn’t have lowered my guard!” Asmodeus kicked out, the force shattering the burned wall of the village lord’s building, the rubble flying about.

    “Asmodeus...” Lumina knew not to ask if he was alright; instead, she touched his arm. The guild inside her chest remained; if it had not been for her actions and obsession, he would not be suffering in this world. “I am here.”

    He felt the air shift, her warmth, her desire, and he immediately responded with a fierce and violent kiss... the lips and state of an arachne female different from a human or demon.

    All her fluids tasted sweet, like honey.

    Asmodeus wanted more...

    He had never thought he’d feel this way towards Lumina, both a monster and the woman who caused his parents’ deaths, their relationship starting as master and pet, enemy and sinner.

    And now...

    Now she was so much more...

    “I can never forgive you, Lumi. Do you know that?” His deep voice made her spine quiver as she looked up at him, in her human form, she barely came up to his chest... a sense of fear, and overwhelming strength oozing from Asmodeus.

    “I know.” Her hands were already gliding over the muscles of his chest. “But-” She paused, her words caught. “I love you, even without forgiveness.” He would never say it back... but for her, just knowing he desired her and held her in his heart in some form. That’s all that mattered.

    “Lumina...” Asmodeus slipped his hands across her smooth, chitin plating and smiled. “I cannot forgive you, but I still want you... is this unfair of me to ask?”

    Her eyes sparkled as she reached out and grabbed the sides of his face, pressing her lips against his, her tongue slipping between the gap of his teeth.

    “Unfair? If it means you will keep me beside you. I will be your pet forever, my master. So please...”

    He kissed her back, his large hands running along her petite frame, a body that shouldn’t have aroused him but did.

    ***

    “...”

    A deep pit formed in the ground, all the buildings levelled and crushed into ashes now spread across the pit.

    “Thank you for the help, Lumina.” Asmodeus gazed down as the bodies dropped into the pit one at a time, their bodies burned by his blood red flames, each turning into a flower made of a shimmering red crystal.

    “No... but how are you doing that?”

    “Haha, back in my world, there was a method of taking the carbon from the ashes of a loved one, then using high pressure... we could make diamonds from their ashes.” He crushed his fist, creating immense pressure, forging the flower further. As the petals changed colour, each flower became different and special.

    Lumina watched the demon emperor using his endless magic to process the human villagers into beautiful gemstone flowers, extracting the carbon as it burned, then exerting himself with high-pressure magic.

    “Amazing.”

    “I never knew I could be so sentimental... is it because I became a father?”

    Lumi blushed. “Perhaps.” Her mind wandered to what their children would be like, half arachne and half demon... something impossible, but Lumina knew it would happen.

    ***

    Not long after leaving the village, Asmodues and Lumina stopped again, the sun fading along the horizon while the silver moonlight shone down upon them.

    “The village will be just past these woods, I think.” She pointed towards the gap between the trees, her body gliding forward.

    The area looked familiar.

    In the past, when she wasn’t a goddess or monster, Lumina lived as a hero, someone who fought for Grigor to her last breath.

    “Wait.” Asmodeus suddenly held out his hand.

    “Hmm?”

    “I don’t want to face another disappointment... so give me a second.”

    He climbed from his horse and spread both hands as a flicker of runic symbols formed under his feet, a ring of various words and sigils formed by ancient and demonic language.

    “I will scry.”

    Lumina watched, her eyes shimmering as he closed their eyes and seemed to enter a state of deep thought.

    The magical energy changed, and the air thickened as the energy around them seemed to be pulled in, a swirl of wind forming like a vortex.

    Asmodeus slowly opened his eyes, glowing a faint red, as if light shone from the back of his skull.

    “I... see. There are still people in this village, I can see several children running from house to house.” He then looked up towards Lumina. “They seem to be alive, this time we’re not late.”

    “We should hurry!” Lumina didn’t want Asmodeus to collapse or suffer anymore heartache, but he seemed to smile.

    “There’s no need for us to rush, there is no trace of Mephisto.”

    “I’m glad to hear that, but Lumina it’s moments like this that you should NEVER let down your guard.”

    Asmodeus kicked his horse into action and charged, Lumina right beside him.

    ***

    As they reached the village, Asmodeus dismounted from his steed and confidently walked forward.

    The pair of them took human forms to avoid issues, he would use the name Ryuji and Lumina would act as his wife, a pair of adventurers who made a living slaying monsters and doing odd jobs together.

    “Halt!” An elderly man called out, though in poor health and with barely any mana or fighting strength. “Who are you, state your business.” Yet he guarded the village better than some of the young knights in the capital.

    “Good evening, I am Ryuji, an adventurer... my wife and I wanted to know if we could stay the night.” The two of them looked like humans, their appearances a stark contrast to the old man’s ragged features.

    “Adventurers... I see. Many people like yourselves have passed through, but never for a simple night of rest.” But the old man smirked, his left hand shimmered with a wedding band that the old man’s wrinkled fingers subconsciously rubbed.

    “It’s rare to marry so young, are you sweethearts?” His voice was distant, as if nostalgic, thinking or speaking about himself.

    “We, ahem... are newlyweds.”

    “I see, then it’s the best time... a shame you came to this boring village. Well, come on in, I am sure the village would love to see you both.”

    The gates opened, and buildings, children, families, and people were inside. “Please don’t make trouble, otherwise my wife will have my neck.” He smiled at them with an awkward smile as the old gate opened with a low creak, the rusted hinges squeaking like mice.

    On their way inside, the old man muttered to himself. “I hope they don’t cause trouble...”

    Lumina and Asmodeus both entered the village, looking around. There were several dozen families, but no soldiers and no weapons.

    “Well that doesn’t look right.”

    “No, Lumina, this is normal... at most, there is a village guard at best. This place is lucky, because there is a blacksmith.” He pointed at a shop, where several children ran about, their voices high-pitched and full of excitement, a large man wearing thick leather tongs holding a hammer as he beat against a bar of iron.

    Though he probably only made things like kitchen pans and knives, he was still someone who worked with metal.

    “I see your point, if the village had something worth taking then Mephisto would already be here, this place has barely any crops, no rare metals or resources.”

    They were safe, for the moment.

    “But does he care about that? What if his goal is just chaos, or disturbing Grigor, so they cannot send support to Baltimore?”

    “Perhaps... I don’t know. But we should get some rest and move on at dawn.”

    Lumina changed each day. Asmodeus watched her with a faint smile. At first, she didn’t care about the humans, but now he noticed her asking about them, considering them, and with each day they travelled, she grew closer to his heart.

    They found the local inn and paid for a single room.

    The innkeeper didn’t ask questions as she eyed up the pair, who looked like a couple of newlyweds, and just made a joke and invited them to dinner.