Chapter 109: Demon Floetta (1)
“……!!”
Nero, without realizing it, hardened his expression and swiftly created distance.
The woman with deep crimson hair, who had suddenly appeared, was grinning even as she looked at Nero, who was fully on guard.
“Heehee.”
While doing so, she was tenderly cradling Black Moon’s severed head and stroking its hair.
It was a careful touch, as if handling an expensive and elaborate doll.
She paid no mind to Black Moon’s expression, contorted in pain and resentment.
Nero suddenly felt goosebumps rise all over his body.
“Hoo-hoo-hoong~”
It wasn't solely due to the grotesque act of hugging and stroking a corpse's head.
Although it wasn't a pleasant sight, Nero had seen countless madmen who had deviated from normalcy in this crazy world.
That much couldn't shock Nero.
‘……I couldn’t sense her presence?’
However…… it was because Nero hadn't sensed her presence at all until her voice directly reached his ears.
Nero Chase was once the most anticipated prospect in Depicio.
Although White Moon had been appointed as the youngest ‘Moon’ to date, Nero might have broken that record.
If he had remained in Depicio.
Nero was exceptionally gifted, to the extent that he received such evaluations implicitly even within Depicio.
Assassination, stealth, detection, torture, espionage…… there was no area in which he wasn't outstanding.
Adding to that the fact that he was a possessor of unique magic, it was an understatement.
Of course, one day Nero successfully broke away from Depicio with the help of a benefactor he happened to meet…… but anyway, she was more skilled in stealth than him?
‘There’s no way, meow.’
Nero was certain.
Because he knew that in some areas, his skills far surpassed those of top-tier Hunters.
Since Hunter ranks were measured solely by ‘combat power,’ each Hunter often displayed abilities that transcended their rank in their respective fields of expertise.
Ah, of course, it should be emphasized that the transcendent Top Hunters were not included in the comparison in the first place.
‘Is that woman a possessor of unique magic like me? ……I need to be careful, meow.’
Nero quickly regained his composure.
This was enemy territory.
It was right not to reveal even a speck of emotion.
“……What brings you here?”
Fortunately, White Moon, Jana’s memories, contained information about her.
An unidentified woman who became an accomplice of Depicio shortly before Jana arrived, calling herself a ‘Demon.’
“Floetta.”
The woman whose name was called grinned.
“Hellooo?”
Objectively, the woman was beautiful.
Beautiful enough to satisfy Nero’s high standards, who had an aesthetic inclination.
Long, wavy crimson hair, vivid green eyes.
A red dress like flower petals enveloping milky skin.
A woman boasting a splendid beauty, as if a luscious rose had been personified.
‘……She looks just like a poisonous spider.’
However, strangely, Floetta exuded a sense of discomfort and tension that surpassed her overwhelming beauty.
As if, if he let his guard down, he would be pierced by a sharp skewer and reduced to mere prey…….
“Me, me, me! It’s me~!”
The woman raised her hand high like a child and shouted.
“I came with high expectations~! Because I heard White Moon had returned! Her soul is white and sparkling, so it’s veeery pretty!”
“…….”
Nero kept his mouth shut.
He instinctively felt that something was wrong.
She narrowed her eyes into crescents.
“But…… where is White Moon, and why is there a cute cat here instead?”
Simultaneously, Nero thrust out the dagger he was holding.
Displaying a technique of dozens of stabs per second, he aimed for Floetta’s vital points.
Kaang-!
But Floetta did not go down easily.
Eight spider-like tentacles, which had grown from her back at some point, blocked the blade.
Dddddk!
Floetta’s spider tentacles, which had blocked the dagger just inches from her face, pushed the blade away after a brief struggle of strength.
During that, because the angle couldn't be adjusted properly and the dagger was deflected, the blade faintly grazed her skin.
A thin line appeared on her white cheek.
“Hee.”
Floetta, licking the blood droplets that welled up with her red tongue, said.
“Hey there, cute kitty. Wanna make a deal with me?”
“……What?”
Nero’s expression contorted as if to say, ‘What nonsense are you spouting?’
“Meowmy, you hate Depicio, don’t you? I’m not particularly interested in Depicio either! So let’s join hands! Hmm?”
Floetta smiled like a flower.
“Want to destroy Depicio together?”
* * *
“Demon? What in the world is that?”
That was Gale’s first remark after hearing the explanation about the newly mentioned enemy, Floetta.
He scratched his head indifferently.
“A new type of villain organization?”
“It could be a minority tribe named Demon.”
The reactions of the others were also clearly bewildered.
It was understandable that it was unfamiliar, as the concept of ‘Demon’ itself did not exist in LAMPAS.
“Hmm, how should I explain this. ……Ah! Right.”
An appropriate expression came to mind.
“Demon worshipper.”
Demon was a word referring to those who revered Demon Kings and demons.
However, there were no Demon Kings or demons in LAMPAS.
Their existence was merely an illusion appearing in a few lines in myths or scriptures.
It had not been proven.
“Are you perhaps referring to…… the Dark Sect, Master?”
Therefore, there was only one most similar approximation that could come to mind.
The Dark Sect.
A heresy that worshipped demons said to have once opposed God.
“Is that person, Floetta, a member of the Dark Sect?”
Nahrhan asked gently.
However, his eyes were as cold as frost.
A rage and hatred so intense it had frozen cold, remained and undulated within them.
The air in the meeting room grew heavier.
An intangible pressure seemed to constrict their chests.
“Ugh!”
A pained groan leaked from somewhere.
Elwin, who reflexively looked in that direction, then signaled Gale and the other Spero members to send the King of Batevil and his retainers out.
He had judged that the elderly individuals would not be able to withstand the subtle anger of a top-tier Hunter.
The Spero members immediately nodded and escorted the King of Batevil and his retainers outside.
Jana followed them out as well.
Glancing back one last time, she closed the door.
“No. It won’t be the Dark Sect.”
Elwin, understanding those feelings better than anyone, quickly elaborated.
To Nahrhan, the Dark Sect meant the same as Familia did to Elwin.
In other words, a reverse scale.
“Demons show similar objectives and similar behaviors to the Dark Sect, but…… they are fundamentally different.”
Unlike the Dark Sect, which had never seen the actual forms of the Demon Kings and demons they so revered.
This was because the dimensional travelers from ‘SoriHeon,’ the Demons, were strongly and closely connected to the demons they followed.
Demons knew demons.
“I don’t know about other Demons…… but at least Floetta, she will have no connection to the Dark Sect. I’m sure of it.”
“……I see. I understand.”
At that, Nahrhan immediately changed his attitude, acquiesced, and quelled the long-held anger he had quietly revealed.
“I apologize, Master. I expressed personal feelings in a public setting. As one who serves a noble person, I have no excuse.”
“Hmm? Ah, it’s alright.”
“Thank you for your broad tolerance.”
Nahrhan bowed his head politely, apologizing for his rudeness.
Then, with a slight curve of his eyes, he said as if it were natural.
“I believe you. As always.”
“……Yeah, thanks.”
As if he wouldn't doubt anything Elwin said.
Elwin also smiled faintly at that heavy trust.
He was both grateful and a little embarrassed that he was trusted so much.
“Anyway, we need to head to the Forgotten Stone Tower as soon as possible. Her abilities are dangerous.”
“Yes. I will operate the airship at maximum speed.”
“Please, Nahr.”
Demon Floetta was one of the main villains in ‘SoriHeon.’
Compared to other Outsiders who might be somewhere in this world, she wasn't a particularly outstanding opponent in terms of combat power, but…….
Now that they had to face Depicio’s assassins, led by the Shadow Clan, and the Gnaude tribe, her value increased exponentially.
‘We’ve got a pretty troublesome opponent.’
This was because Depicio and the Gnaude tribe were highly compatible with Demon Floetta.
‘Floetta’s ability to drain others’ life force with tentacles she controls and make ‘flowers’ bloom.’
To be precise, when combined with her unique ability, it boasted incredible efficiency and versatility.
If they had truly joined forces, not just as a cooperative relationship, and invaded a kingdom unexpectedly, a greater catastrophe could have occurred.
‘Demons can’t cross dimensions, so Floetta won’t be able to use the power of the demon she follows. But as an Outsider, she can also manipulate souls. She might be able to use souls instead of life force as fuel to make flowers bloom.’
On top of that, being a villain with a pure evil alignment, whenever she made a move, results that exceeded expectations often occurred.
‘Perhaps the culprit who proposed the apostolic method of releasing Salamosa into the valley water…… could also be Floetta.’
Elwin touched his forehead.
It was a move befitting the official madwoman of ‘SoriHeon.’
‘To think a villain who should appear around the mid-to-late stages of the story would pop out in the early stages. Of all times.’
But that wasn’t important right now.
‘……Is there no other way?’
If an unexpected variable appeared, he just needed to flexibly change the countermeasures accordingly.
It was a painful blow that the meticulously planned and reviewed plan, gone over dozens, hundreds of times, had become useless.
Ssk.
Elwin took Nexion out from his bosom.
After a brief ringing tone, the other party answered the call.
“Change of plans.”
Elwin said bluntly and briefly explained the situation.
Soon, the person on the other side of Nexion slowly replied.
The voice of a young child could be heard.
[I will follow your orders.]
Zeraphe Gnaude heard the changed plan and information about the collaborator from Elwin.
“……This is a headache.”
He put away the disconnected Nexion into his bosom and stood up.
It was Nero’s Nexion, which Nero had asked him to hold onto beforehand.
Floetta’s abilities, as described by Elwin, were extremely threatening.
“Nero is a high-ranking Hunter, and Hake is also considerably skilled, so they won’t be easily defeated, but…….”
Currently, Zeraphe was deep underground.
He moved by digging underground, freely utilizing tree roots harder than steel.
He had been lying in wait at a slightly distant location to avoid being detected by Depicio assassins, who had keen senses.
But now was not the time to be choosy.
Elwin’s voice echoed in Zeraphe’s mind as he controlled dozens of tree trunks.
-[Floetta is purely evil. A natural-born liar. Even her sincerity is distorted and becomes a lie…….]
-[It’s unlikely you two will lose in a fight, but you could be ‘carelessly deceived’ and put in danger.]
Zeraphe clenched his teeth.
“Damn it!”
Zeraphe, adding even more speed to the tree roots digging the ground, rapidly advanced towards his destination.