Three days after private investigations, I held another meeting in my old house in South Jaka. I was wearing my black coat.
Arriving at the house with Momoka, Diko, Besitulars and his gang. I inspected the building. "Surya apparently had still maintained the place." Momoka please cast a protective barrier around the house before you enter.
"Copy that." She said, casting the protective spell.
As an extra, I also called up Illias, Lulu, Trish, Killiar, and Dwargo who were on standby at the Academy. Sadly, I can't reach Raymed or Carmilla as they seem not to be in United Front, but they'll get here eventually.
Upon getting ready for the meeting at the living room table. I opened the mana crystal device as the video holographic conference started.
"Hello, everyone, I figured you are in a secluded space." I said towards the hologram of Illias, Lulu, Trish, Killiar, and Dwargo.
"All clear, Thalamik, we are inside a private room we rented out in United Front." Trish replied.
"Good to hear, I am thankful you guys got my message. Next, I will relay the information that I have gathered on my side. Then, please have each person report on your findings."
All of them nodded.
"Firstly, Raumstar, the politician of Demi-Human, has been pulling her strings even in South Jaka. And her real identity is no doubt that of a Demon Lord Envoy."
At the mention, the faces of every person there started to tense up.
Even after we managed to face 3 Demon Lord Envoys, it wasn't enough to build up our confidence to fight one since the gap in our individual power is so high.
"Raumstar, I suspect, has the actual name of Raum. In Ars Goetia, she is held as the Earl of Hell. Based on the many sources I read about her. Raum is a demon that operates by deceit and lies. She loves to meddle in businesses that aren't hers. But she seems to specialize in one weapon, which I will later mention. Next, I have found that there are many pseudo-artifacts from Australia in circulation in Jaka City. No doubt this is tied to the Intel received by Besitulars." I explained.
"That's it for my part, I will continue at the last. Next, please give us your information, Diko."
"Alright. My information primarily covers the local government based on my investigations with the military association. Some people here, or perhaps people from the government or other higher power, are behind the smuggling of pseudo-artifacts. In accordance to what you have presented, the people most likely did this out of fear. Fear of a war that may come, especially due to the attack on the Lupache region of Vepar and Focalors. Not to mention, the movie we made clearly showed how dangerous a Demon Lord Envoy can be. The perception of the movie is divided into two categories: those who will rely on the heroes and those who will rely on themselves. Hence, it serves as the basis of purchasing these weapons illegally. That's all."
"Thank you, Diko. Next Besitulars, please."
"Okay! Thank you, I got dirt that a bulk shipment will be coming in 7 days. My boys in Australia, who work for the manufacturing company of these Pseudo Artefacts, say they will complete the work and ship it in the next 5 days. Based on what we already know, Raum said that she will give us 14 days to get ready. Big Bro Thalamik's assumption that this was a bait actually make sense. Since that is the time needed to deliver cargo via sea ship. Around 14 days from Australia to here. But the cargo doesn't actually ride on a sea ship."
"I think I know where this is going." Diko said with a hand on his chin.
"The cargo will be transported using a Leviathan..."
The estimated distance from Australia to South Jaka is around 3.000 kilometers.
The speed of a leviathan is... 7.2 mach?
"What is the average speed of a Leviathan?" I asked.
"Ah! The current generation of Leviathan can only move as fast as 71km/hour. Their fuel is food and Mana. But for food, they can eat like a camel and preserve their stamina for a week."
Even if it's not Mach speed, that is still crazy fast, especially in water. The average is only 40km/h for submarines. They also run only on food and can maintain operation for seven days without it.
"Based on the evidence we have, as Big Bro suggested, we can't really take her claim at face value. I agree with Big Bro's estimation that Raum will come as early as that shipment came. That's it for my part." Besitulars said.
"Can I assume that your plan to kill that Leviathan, knowing Raum is travelling with it?" Trish asked.
"Even if I can do that, A Demon Lord Envoy would easily shake it off. If he has an army of merfolk, we will be at a disadvantage. We can't hope to fight them in sea territory." I explained. "Please continue, Momoka."
"From my part, I have found that almost all political leaders of Demi-Humans in Australia are in favor of Raumstar. Nearly everyone agreed that Raumstar's visions of Demi-Humans are to be the top echelon in compared to today's society, seeing Elves as the top echelon. Unlike residents in the African region, being secluded from the United Front's direct influence might have made them a bit chauvinistic compared to other Demi-Humans from other continents. There just might be no way to have peaceful talks once Raumstar has declared war."
Illias sighed, "That Raumstar is really good at her job. Well, she is a Demon Lord Envoy."
"Illias, please go next," I told her.
"Sure thing, as requested, I have practiced the sealing magic spell made by Carmilla's spell weaver. All I have to do next is go there to support all of you. For the notes on how to do the spell, I will send the notes through the banshee you sent us."
"Thank you. Killiar, anything to add?"
"Ms. Celathis had agreed to dispatch volunteers from the academy and gather volunteers from United Front as combatants. But she won't agree to send the second-year heroes from joining due to how dangerous it can be for United Front."
"I see so no one else will join us in our battle." I closed my eyes.
Perhaps that bitch is still angry with me.
Not that it matters.
"Dwargo, how is the weapon production?"
"All is well, Thalamik. My boys will get there in 5 days. Along with our freshly made wares."
"I am sorry for making you do the heavy lifting."
"Hey, no biggie. It's my job as a blacksmith. Just make sure to pay me handsomely again."
"Alright, thank you, Dwargo..." I said before coughing.
I want to puke...
My body doesn't feel well...
"So... my last intel would be. Raum is using the people's fear as a weapon. She incited the people in Indonexta to buy and smuggle weapons. She incited the Demi-Human race using the fear of being second-rate. She used Derashina to incite fear that other races are coming after them. I believe her technique of deceit and bad personality of meddling with others' business stems from her power that relies on fear." I said before coughing again.
"I predict that her cheat skill is to gain power from how many people fear her. As such, we can't let any news make everyone more scared than they already are. But before that...."
HUEK!
I puked.
"Big Bro Thalamik!" Besitulars came to me as I threw up. He held my shoulders as I began to feel nauseous.
"I am... fine. I feel a bit wobbly. I think that's enough for today. Please inform me if there's any more intel I can use to plan."
"Thal, please take care of yourself. Don't be like this." Trish said.
"Thanks, Trish. I am fine. I will rest after this."
Dwargo only stared with widened eyes while Killiar and Illias nodded nervously and both said, "Get well soon." Before ending the call.
"Thal, you are pushing yourself too much," Diko said before coming also to hold my shoulders.
"No, don't worry. I am fine."
"I'll rest here, please gather more intel Diko, Besitulars and Momoka."
"No. I am staying here." Momoka said.
I turned to look at her and ask, "You don't have to"
"I am not doing this for you. I just want to relax too. A bit tired as well."
Diko and Besitulars smiled and nodded.
"Alright, we will be off," Diko said.
As the two left, I tried to stand from the chair before coughing again. Something slid from my nose. I swept it away to see my own blood.
"You are pushing yourself too hard, Master. I know you cast Alterity on the entire South Jaka city ever since we started our meeting."
"How'd you notice?"
"Unlike everyone else, I suck at offensive magic. But I have talent in support magic. I can see your mana roots no matter how much you cloak it."
Indeed, Momoka was right. I expanded my Alterity to the size of South Jaka city, with the condition being that the mana roots would blend with the environment.
"This is the only way for me to win against that Demon Lord Envoy. Even without Raymed and Carmilla, I have to find a way to win." I made an ugly smile at Momoka.
She moved and placed her hands on my shoulders.
I can feel her healing spell coming to my body.
"Then at least, rest for the rest of the day. We can try this again first thing tomorrow." She said softly with her eyes closed.
Somehow, as her healing spell entered my system and regenerated my broken cells, my adrenaline vanished, and my tiredness resurfaced. I began to sit again in the chair.
"Thank.. you..." I said to Momoka as I closed my eyes.
***
Three days later after, learning that the Demon Lord Envoy Belial had taken Princess Derashina, Raymed had already taken flight.
From the misted British Isles, he soared through roaring winds and clouds that flashed with lightning, streaking toward the Bermuda Triangle. The rendezvous point Demon Lord Envoy Belial mentioned.
But his body was close to its limit. The intense mana expended from crossing continents left his vision hazy.
He needed to rest before diving into another Envoy's domain.
So he turned southward toward the South American Continent.
The air was warm when he descended upon the land once known as Venezuela. At the heart of the overgrown landscape gleamed the crystalline bastion known as Wistik Hold, home of Lizwell Von Wistik.
A Dark elf who once is the representative of the Fey that blessed him during his graduation ceremony.
Raymed walked through the fortress's tall gates, where motes of blue light drifted lazily in the air. A soldier announced his arrival.
Inside, Lizwell stood before a suspended globe of light, adjusting its runic rings with a calm, gentle rhythm.
"Welcome to our home, Hero Raymed. What business is there?" Her voice called out to him.
Raymed managed a tired voice. "I presume you've heard news about Derashina?"
"I did. What of it?"
Raymed explained about what had happened in the Great Oak.
"I see.. So Puck was possessed. Is he okay now?"
"I asked the medical professional at that place to take care of him," Raymed answered.
"Then he will be fine. So let me get this straight." She placed her palm over her head. "You're aiming to fly straight into a nightmare. By nightmare, I mean straight to Belial's invitation? You know it most probably is a trap, don't you?"
Her words made him pause.
"My goal isn't to ultimately defeat Belial. But to get out the news that Derashina is still alive and well. If I can do that..." Raymed said.
"Then you'll be able to prevent the war that is almost raging on in Indonexta, right?" Lizwell said.
"Yes. That's my goal."
"Well. That is a perfect plan. Without more wars, the world will be better. Then we can have proof that the perpetrators all along were the demonfolk." Lizwell's lips curved in a small, knowing smile. "Then promise me your best effort, and I'll dispatch some people to look around there if you ever need a signal to get out."
She walked to her desk and retrieved a deep-blue crystal etched with spiral glyphs, its glow pulsing like a heartbeat. "Take this—a Tracker. To make sure we know where to try and find you. If things get ugly."
Raymed accepted it, the warmth of her hand lingering briefly. "Thanks."
Then Lizwell noticed and asked. "New bracelet?"
"Oh yeah, Thalamik made it for me."
He slipped the tracker to his pocket and said, "Thanks for the help, I'll see you soon."
"Safe travel." Lizwell said, half-grinning.
Raymed exhaled a quiet chuckle, stepping out toward the balcony where the horizon was bathed in crimson.
"One more thing Raymed!"
He turned back.
"Don't forget to come home alive," she said, her eyes bright but trembling slightly. "The world still needs its one and only Hero."
He gave a silent nod before spreading his aura as he flew to the sky.
By midnight, Raymed's shadow stretched across the ocean.
The winds howled like wolves.
Ahead, lightning flickered across black clouds.
The Bermuda Triangle was close.
He could feel the air change.
His heartbeat slowed unnaturally, every pulse echoing like a drum in eternity.
Then—
Everything froze.
The wind stopped mid-gust.
Waves halted, suspended like mirrors of glass.
Even sound vanished.
Raymed's breath came out as white mist in a world where time no longer moved.
"…Stopping time? No, an Alterity or is it something else," he muttered. "Is it safe to assume that this is what happened to those trapped in the Bermuda Triangle?"
Looking down, he saw it—a single island in the dead sea, pulsing with red light.
He descended slowly, boots striking still sand that refused to move.
His hand gripped Avalon, the blade materializing in a flash of divine steel.
Then, a shadow rose.
A towering man-shaped figure with obsidian skin and horns curved like a crown of blades. Runes like tattoos on his body with a purple tone. His presence bent the air, his aura devouring color itself.
The Demon Lord Envoy Belial.
Raymed steadied his breath. "So you're the one."
Belial's golden eyes narrowed as he expanded his mana. "You really did come here."
However, as Belial expanded his mana, Raymed didn't seem to be particularly bothered, which made Belial smile. "Interesting. Few can breathe under my aura without breaking apart."
"Must be your hospitality," Raymed said, brushing dust off his clothes.
Raymed looked at Belial dead in the eye and said, "You have kidnapped Ms. Derashina, almost causing a war between nations. I have no reason whatever not to fight you. But, I'll ask this one time."
He raised Avalon and asked. "Will you accept a peaceful negotiation?"
Belial's grin widened. "No."
"Alright." Raymed sighed, eyes dimming to red.
.
.
.
.
"Then die."
His mana erupted, shattering the sea around in an instant.
Belial's laughter echoed through the collapsing air as Raymed charged, Avalon blazing like a comet.
The Devil's Triangle burned white.
As Raymed lunged forward, the world blurred—then pain, white-hot and blinding, tore through his side.
.
He blinked.
.
Four blades had already impaled him.
As if a piano of horror had started.
Blood scattered in still air. "Ghh—!" He coughed crimson, Avalon clattering against frozen sand.
His vision blurred, and in that fractured second, he heard a manic voice echo through the void.
"HERROO, RAYMED!! WELCOME TO HELL!!!"
The voice came from a twisted figure hovering upside down, her long tongue tracing the edge of her blade, eyes gleaming with cruel delight.
A pop-up window appeared.
[Due to current circumstances, Blastur had forcibly started the Heads Up Display]
[Alert: User severely wounded. Mana flow disrupted.]
[Warning: Five Demon Lord Envoys detected.]
[Demon Lord Envoy Detected, True Name: Dantalion]
Behind her, the others emerged.
A demon, flickering in and out of space, leaving trails of burning red glyphs wherever he stepped.
[Demon Lord Envoy Detected, True Name: Seere]
Another one is perfectly still, his hand resting on a carbon copy of Avalon—a mirror of Raymed's own blade.
[Demon Lord Envoy Detected, True Name: Andromalius]
And the crawling shape of a humanoid silhouette splitting into five starfish-like limbs that pulsated, releasing toxic mists across the still air.
[Demon Lord Envoy Detected, True Name: Decarabia]
Raymed dropped to a knee, clutching his wound, his heartbeat pounding in distorted rhythm.
The island began to pulse red faster.
Seere laughed, a booming, monstrous echo that shook the frozen world. "You thought this was a duel, little hero? No, no, no— Why would we fight fair?"
He spread his arms as the sea above them cracked like glass."Did you think the Demon King would send one Envoy to kill a Hero?"
Raymed's body trembled. His sight flickered with static.Then—
A sound in his head.A chime.
[Identified Demon Lord Envoys ability has been found]
[Andromalius – Copy Magic]
[Dantalion – Thousand Minds]
[Seere – Blight Courier]
[Decarabia – Poisonous Field]
[Belial – Destruction Nullification]
[Recommendation: Immediate retreat.]
[Warning: Escape path unavailable. Dimensional distortion detected.]
Raymed clenched his teeth, forcing himself to breathe."…All of them… Demon Lord Envoys…"
I wish Thalamik or Carmilla was here.
I don't think I can beat all of these demons alone.
Andromalius twitched his fingers, and another version of Avalon, "Let's see if you can beat your own weapons."
Seere vanished, reappearing behind Raymed with a flick of his wrist, carving another deep line into his back. "You're too slow."
Dantalion floated lazily above, her voice a thousand whispers overlapping. "He's thinking about his friends Thalamik and Carmilla. About failure. About guilt." She giggled, tilting her head. "So human. So weak."
Decarabia's poison spread like an ocean. The sand bubbled black, each breath Raymed took burning like fire in his lungs.
Raymed slammed his fist to the ground, coughing blood, yet his mana still sparked—flickers of light fighting against the purple haze. He then took out Blastur, holding it in his right hand. "Blastur… give me options."
[Demon Lord Envoys surround you. Either Fight or Run]
"Then I'll fight." Raymed's body convulsed as Blastur's hilt glowed faintly in his hand.The weapon hummed a heartbeat syncing with his own.
Belial smiled. "I see... an Artifact. Then you probably know by now what our speciality is."
Raymed spat blood, smiling weakly,"Yeah…good thing my partner here has that ability." He forced his stance back up, knees trembling, aura beginning to stabilize through sheer willpower. "Five against one. No problem."
He raised Avalon with his left hand, even as blood poured from his wounds.
[Vitality at 48 percent.]
His red eyes glowed through the poison mist.
"I'm not dying here… not until I see them again," Dantalion said. "Wow, just how confident are you?"
Andromalius smirked, raising mirrored Avalon. "Hahaha! Then by all means, fight back."
The next second, eight blades all coated with mana struck at once—and Raymed vanished into a blinding explosion of light and blood.