Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

---Y-City, The Scene---

The handsome, slender man clicked his tongue.

“Then there is no more need to wait,” he said and rose from his seat.

They had spent the past 30 minutes listening to reports and updates on the situation from the war front. In coordination with the Tuatha De and the Cultivators, they had attacked Tree Stations 8, 9,10, 11, and 12. It ended with slowly losing contact with them all, starting with TS10.

The frown had yet to leave his face. It was hard to believe that they had been repelled, across the board. Before losing connection, the initially positive reports had turned to talk about unexpected resistance. Demons, Vampires, Deities, and of course those damned trees.

He didn't expect those seemingly hasty-built checkpoints along the way to be so heavily fortified and manned. Especially TS10, their main target. He couldn't help but suspect his allies to have held back. There was no way the tree station could have resisted if the Tuatha De had gotten involved with the same force they had shown in Agra.

However, he couldn't change it now. Whatever happened in TS10 and the other Tree Stations, he already accepted that their plans had failed. He wanted to avoid it, but he needed to ascend for his plan to come to fruition.

“We will put Plan B into motion,” he said controlled.

“But Master, if we do that-?” the court seamstress tried to intervene.

“We still have Delta. If we want to build our eternal kingdom, sacrifices are necessary. I thought you all understood this?” he spoke grimly, no more the relaxed young master, but a strict leader. His court nodded grimly, some with a conflicted expression.

Atop the headquarters of the Scene, four figures had assembled before an opulent throne in a luxurious throne room. The room was covered in magic circuits. Intricate and complex markings covered the floor, walls, and ceiling, all unifying in the throne.

The others had left to ensure the smooth progression of Plan B. Forming an alley, they waited for their leader. Soon the King, wearing a regal attire made from fine fabrics and a long red mantle, entered the room. With slow, deliberate steps he walked up to the throne, creating an elegant and noble scene.

“All preparations are complete, your highness,” the bouncer wearing a black pinstripe suit reported.

“Then activate it.”

Following the command, Y-City was thrust into chaos.

…

---Y-City---

“A skill that blocks the manifestation of the divine. Very interesting, but not enough.”

The human-sized fairy mumbled, crouching beside a rapidly healing body at the bottom of a vast crater. She had met a tricky opponent herself while looking for her comrades.

“I admit it, you are strong. But what can you do? We are immortal. No matter how often you beat and freeze me, you can't kill me! You will tire out, just like the little cat boy, then I will drag you back, just like him,” the deformed man said, his voice brimming with insanity.

Fin looked down at the tanker/brawler with a special suit and legendary boots. It had been a good fight, battling him and she had learned quite a bit from it, but now her eyes turned cold. Originally she had wanted to see how often he would stand up again, but now?

“I guess I don't have any more time to play, let's end this. You guys are a little too confident. The world is vast.”

With that, she stabbed something that looked like a long hairpin with a coin at the end in his chest. His eyes widened as the coin started to glow in a demonic light, which wandered down the shaft. An immense pain overcame him, as his chest filled with heat and the light drew an intricate net across his body. Fin watched him twitch and gurgle with concern and fascination.

“W-What is this?! What is happening to me?” he pressed out between clenched teeth, as he tried to resist the pain. His body was covered in lines burning a bright reddish gold and they kept glowing brighter.

“...I don't know? Seth told us to use those if we meet someone we can't beat to death. Something about sacrificing you to a demon?” she answered playfully.

“Wha-Aaargh!”

It was already too late for any last words. The man was swallowed by the light, so glaring even Fin couldn't look into it. When the light finally grew dimmer, the man was gone. In his stead stood a handsome man, wearing his suit and items, but with a pair of black feathery wings on his back.

“I'm Abalam, a Follower of Paimon and Master of 10 Legions, have answered your call. What is your wish, Summoner?” the asked coldly, his dark voice echoing through Fin's mind.

The fairy stared at the demon that had appeared for a moment. She had a hard time believing that what Seth had said was right. Once again, she had to remind herself not to underestimate Seth, but now came the hard part.

How did she make the most out of the demon's presence? Seth had explained that the needle would sacrifice the immortal and theoretically summon a demon equivalent to the strength of the sacrificed soul cluster. Now, she had to word her request correctly.

“Can you find Mike and save him from the people who are similar to my sacrifice?”

Abalam closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't ask who Mike was or what she meant with the “ones like her sacrifice”. Seth had said that strong demons possessed a kind of omniscience that allowed them to know things pertinent to the summoner's request.

“I can,” he finally said, simple and concise. Fin almost cheered, since that meant Mike had to be alive, too. On the other hand, it meant he was actually caught...

“Then do so. Save Mike and bring him to me. Also, kill all the minions of the Scene you come across.”

When she added the last part, it was the first time the demon smiled, albeit coldly.

“I shall fulfill your request with glee,” he said and vanished with incredible speed.

The reason Fin didn't go to save Mike, too, was because she was worried about the System Church. She doubted she was the only one who had met an opponent, this meant the Scene knew they were here. If they really wanted to end them, they would also have to get rid of the system church, where the rest of their group was waiting.

While the demon went in the opposite direction, Fin rushed toward the base of the System Church. She was about halfway when her concerns were doubled by the sudden changes in the city. Crimson magic circuits, wide as streets, suddenly started covering the city and horrendous monsters appeared. It wasn't like the monster invasion from portals or dungeon breaks. Blood-covered skeletons and massive fatsos suddenly started flooding from the very bowels of the city.

Pouring from manholes and basements, they broke into buildings and started attacking the people of Y-City who had stayed in their houses, apartments, and homes up to now. What was going on? Had the scene lost their mind and started even killing their own people?

“Fu--!!” Fin cursed under her breath and she started fighting her way towards the System Church, trying to help the people along the way the best she could without slowing down. If this was the situation in the city, what would the church look like, one of their prime targets?

As much as she wanted to hurry, these grotesque monsters were stronger than expected. The adventurers that had been assembled in Y-City, the center of the district, were by no means weak, but they could barely hold up against the flood of beasts. Fin tried her best in passing, but a half-hearted attack could not finish off these beasts.

The worst was, that they were multiplying on their own, any dead adventurer was gnawed clean to the bones and joined the ranks of the bloody skeletons, while the skeletons gorged on their bodies and grew flesh the more they ate, becoming fatsos in the process. While the skeletons were tough but manageable, the fatsos were incredibly tanky and fast. They could swallow people whole, only to spit out a bloody skeleton moments later...

Gritting her teeth, Fin ignored the surroundings and rushed towards the church. As she had to choose who to help between her friends and strangers, she chose her friends. She came to a stop, taking a deep breath. She had arrived at her destination, but things did not look good.

From afar she already saw a dome, like the arena her opponent used. This dome encompassed the church building and its vicinity. Fin could only stop at the edge of the arena and observe the scene inside as the dome locked her out. She could not interfere from the outside.

The barrier surrounding the church's skyscraper was already broken and massive holes and blasted into the structure. She could make out a few duels, while the church staff was forced to fight against the abominations. Usually, the strategy of the church was to flee in the moment of danger, using the Pathworks. Since they were fighting, it meant even the escape through a Pathwork portal was currently blocked.

“Damn it!” she cursed, punching the dome's barrier with her skills. She tried to break it with force but didn't succeed. She was forced to watch until the dome disintegrated...

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