HPDBC Chapter 85: Skopio (2)
Chapter 85: Skopio (2)
*BOOM*
The northern side door was the first sound.
*BOOM*
The western side door resonated with the same sound as the first.
The air changed following a serious echo of impact, commands were raised to carry it across stone and wood.
It moved through the corridor in a thick current, slipping past the edges of the prayer hall and brushing against the edges of alertness rather than striking them directly.
One of the knights near the corridor entrance felt eerie from its presence. It’s not usual they make contact with Demon-contracted individuals after all.
His posture adjusted, making a slight turn of the head.
The mana lamp above him cast a steady circle of light that ended a few steps into the corridor.
For a moment, nothing occurred. Then suddenly...
The stone floor of the west hallway shook.
The first man in a black cape wasn’t just simply running. A second, the hallway was a long stretch of empty shadows. Next, he was simply displaced....he appeared so fast, standing right in front of the knights, that they didn’t even have the chance to perceive him.
Deep, bleeding red energy leaked from the gaps in his black cloak. It looked like thick, dark smoke. It didn’t drift; it pulsed.
The lead knight tried to raise his heavy sword, but he was too slow. The man in the cape moved with terrifying speed.
He just stepped in and drove a fist straight into the knight’s throat; his hand pierced the knight’s throat clearly.
There was a sickening crack of bone and steel. The knight didn’t even have time to gasp. His body hit the floor like a sack of stones, his armour clanging once before falling silent.
A second man in a black cape stepped over the body, his eyes glowing with that same dull red light.
Inside the prayer hall, the air turned cold. The smell of iron and that strange, burnt-red energy filled the room. The mana lamps on the walls flickered, dying out one by one.
"West side! They’re through!" "Hold the door! Don’t let them--"
The knights were panicking. They had been watching the north, but now the threat was coming from the side. They tried to turn, their heavy boots scraping and sparking against the stone. But as they moved, their solid wall of shields fell apart. Small gaps opened up, and that was all the men in black capes needed.
It was a slaughter. The contracted men moved through the knights like they were walking through tall grass. They didn’t use flashy moves. They used short, brutal strikes. A hand slammed into a helmet, denting the steel and knocking the man inside unconscious. A dagger found the soft spot under an arm. Every move was made to finish the job and keep moving toward the centre of the hall.
The sound of the struggle was ugly. It was the sound of metal grinding on metal and men choking on their own breath. It echoed off the high ceiling, drowning out the prayers of the frightened.
The Monastery Father ran out from a side room, clutching a heavy iron candlestick like a club. His face was pale, and his hands were shaking so hard he almost dropped it. He looked at the blood on the floor, then at the knights falling in the West.
"What in the name of the goddess is happening here..." the Father yelled, his voice breaking. "The west corridor is gone! They’re inside! The sisters and the nurses are still in the south wing—I have to get to them—"
"Father." Ymir’s voice was quiet, but it stopped the priest in his tracks.
"The knights can’t hold them, we need to—"
"Just sit down father, calm down. There’s nothing to worry about, " Ymir said.
Father turned to face the white curtains where the saintess was, and where he heard Ymir’s voice from.
"Wh-?" The Father gripped his candlestick tighter.
"Just get your ass—I mean, just go back into your chambers, Father, it’s all under control," Ymir repeated.
The Father looked at Ymir’s back, swallowed in fear. ’What is under control?’ he thought.
"You don’t believe me?" Ymir questioned.
He didn’t wait for a response; instead, he clapped once.
*CLAP*
His dark aura with a faint violet hue surged in a dense, explosive manner, so that the father saw the reality itself cracking like it was a mirror, as cobwebs of crack appeared in his vision.
"How can someone fall for this measly illusion? Seriously?" Ymir murmured.
The shards of reality fell and disappeared with a glistening glow in a very slow movement, and everything was fine.
The knights outside, the knights within the corridors, literally not a single man injured.
"What- wh-what is this?" the father fumbled in his words, he couldn’t understand what had just occurred.
*Clap*
*Clap*
*Clap*
*Clap*
*Clap*
Ymir looked in the front, and Violet, too, opened her eyes. In front of the closed gates of the prayer halls, stood a man with emerald eyes and a long black coat. His complexion was fair, and he had the same energy as the demonic individuals in the illusion.
"That was indeed impressive, Prince. I mean, I have to admit, I thought why do I even need to plan all that strategy if there are some mere knights and magicians, but... Goodness, I didn’t expect you to make me reconsider adopting the strategy once again," Vael spoke.
Ymir looked around, and the holy knights were still under the influence of the aftermath of illusion; their brains were asleep, even while standing still.
"Who are-"
"For goddess’s sake, go back inside your chambers, father. Do you want me to pick you up and drop you on the bed, or do you just want to stay here and die by his hands, because I won’t stop him from killing you if you keep ignoring my words?" Ymir cut the father’s words off and pointed at the chambers.
"And you call this impressive? Breaking this illusion is impressive? A rather mediocre one, too. I’m slightly offended you even thought it would work."
"No wonder the mortals slave demons with contracts, you guys are fucking disgrace..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Not a single person in that room countered that argument...