Punitive Expedition

Chapter: Suppression

"How long have I been sleeping here, Lerd?" Her enormous body could no longer be contained by the castle, and the evil god Rosa Kevin lay lazily atop her throne, casually questioning her servant—the demon Emonled.

"Ever since I came to serve you, it has probably been over three hundred years, my respected Lord Demon King." Emonled waved his wings. Beneath Emonled lay the unimaginably massive body of the evil god Rosa Kevin, whose cyan-red scales shone brilliantly in the sunlight as her winding, twisted form crammed the entire castle full.

"Has it already been three hundred years?" Rosa barely moved her massive body, a tremor rippling through the ground with every shift. Ah~ Power... power keeps gushing forth within my body! Rosa slid her body forward, and the entire castle instantly collapsed with a crash.

"Are these really the legendary Demon Kings that devoured the seven worlds? They're truly terrifying~"

"With just these mortal bodies of flesh and blood, how could they possibly win against this ancient monster?"

"Could it be that you want to descend to the Mortal Realm to help them?"

"Don't joke around. Aside from mortals, who would go out of their way to provoke an ancient monster? The gods who would do such a thing mostly feel they've lived long enough and want someone else to take their place sooner."

"Alright, it's enough for us to just watch these mortals crusade against the Demon King here," an elder voice said thus. "Win or lose, they bear the bitter fruit themselves; it has nothing to do with us... Besides, aside from elves, the only ones capable of killing ancient beings with divinity are these mortals of flesh and blood."

The gods gathered together, sitting around the magnificent divine hall as they observed the story of the Demon King and the brave warriors through the divine fire, so as to better recount their tale in the future.

The clear sky darkened in the blink of an eye. Several kilometers away came a cracking sound, and the earth began to tremble. Ominous dark clouds appeared in the sky, and the adventurers who had come to crusade against the Demon King were so terrified by merely catching a glance from afar at Rosa Kevin's sky-blocking body that they trembled and scattered in panic, leaving only a few dozen still standing there ready to defeat the Demon King.

"What a bunch of tail-enders," the mage Lilian said, yawning. "I really have no idea what Ocast is thinking, dragging those conceited good-for-nothings into the party to gain experience. In the end, they mixed it up all the way here only for the Demon King to merely roll over, scaring them into wetting their pants and running off."

"Lilian... most of them are just ordinary adventurers. Seeing a monster like this makes running away a given, so don't blame them, okay?" Sister Marian revealed a gentle smile.

"Lilian, don't talk about others. I reckon your own legs were shaking from fright," Hertal the warrior said with a smile.

"As if!" Lilian planted her staff onto the ground. "Hmph... for a big fellow like this, a single high-tier magic spell of mine could take her away, so what is there to be scared of?!"

"Don't underestimate the enemy, Lilian!" Val the bard said with a stern expression. "This fellow is one of the Four Great Demon Kings—the evil god Rosa Kevin, renowned alongside Tarsim, Kalozis, and Myude."

"Is that so? Then she doesn't feel all that strong either... Anyway, it didn't take much effort when I killed Tarsim," Lance the rogue said with a sneer. "With a body that big, her movements must be extremely sluggish. I reckon... her heart definitely belongs to our Red Daggers!"

"Oh, so there are still people left. I thought they'd all run away in fright," Emonled circled above the brave warriors. "Everyone, be careful. Standing before you is none other than the one hailed as the strongest Demon King—"

Swish—before Emonled could finish speaking, an arrow imbued with holy attributes pierced Emonled's skull, and Emonled plummeted to the ground.

"And here I thought the Demon King had sent someone remarkable." The archer Ben stepped out from the shadows within the tree, looking at the fallen Emonled and feeling rather pleased with himself. "Turns out she's so vulnerable! Bah!" Just as Ben prepared to step forward and examine the corpse, Emonled suddenly straightened up from the ground. He pulled the entire arrow out from his skull, speaking in a polite and simple accent: "Your fondness for shooting sneaky arrows, my good sir, truly... matches your appearance."

"Everyone, be careful! Total defense!" Yusmedes gave the order, and everyone present drew their weapons, ready for battle.

"Don't waste your strength. The one you are here to crusade against is not me—it's her!" Emonled cleared a path for the brave warriors. "I merely came to scout... and by the way, to remind you all that you are still at least two kilometers away from the Demon King's castle, so don't be in too much of a rush to pull out your trump cards."

From the center of the castle—at the location of Rosa Kevin's head—came a beastly roar that shook the heavens and earth. Following the end of Rosa Kevin's roar, countless wraiths surged out from beneath the warriors' feet.

"Everyone be careful, prepare holy water!" Yusmedes shouted.

"Everyone, I'll be taking my leave... I hope you all have fun!" Emonled spread his wings and slowly flew up into the sky.

"Her power is even greater than when she was sealed four hundred years ago," Fudora the forest priestess gazed far off into the distance toward Rosa Kevin's Rotting Forest. "Ever since she broke through the seal and fled into our forest three hundred years ago, she has constantly been draining the power of Mother Earth. Now, there isn't much power left lingering in this forest..."

A tiny point of glowing green light emerged from Fudora's aged hands, and accompanied by that speck of light, the trees around Fudora began to wither. Those withered trees slowly merged into one with Rosa Kevin's Rotting Forest.

"Teacher Fudora!"

"Ataira, my disciple, please hand the remaining power of this forest over to the brave warriors. Only in this way can the curse of Lilasa the Webweaver be lifted." The green light slowly flew from Fudora's hands into Ataira's grasp, and as the power transferred, Fudora's voice grew increasingly faint. "My strength is no longer enough to sustain me. The only thing this world can rely on now is you..."

"Teacher Fudora..." Ataira cried uncontrollably as she looked at Fudora's gradually decaying and withering body.

"Hurry and go, Ataira!" Milansa the mage walked in from outside the doorway, covered in wounds and blood. "Lilasa's spider demons have broken through Teacher Fudora's barrier... quickly... take Okasht and leave!"

"Milansa—" Ataira hurriedly supported the gravely injured man, casting purification magic upon him. Looking at her former friend's current miserable state, tears streamed down Ataira's face. "Milansa! Hang on, I'll take you to Misty Spring right now! As long as we get there, you... you can recover! That's right! As long as you drink that spring water, Teacher Fudora... can also survive..."

Ataira turned around to look at Fudora, only to see that kind and amiable teacher had already turned into withered remains, melting together with this forest into the Rotting Forest.

"Teacher..."

"It's already too late..." Crimson-red light spilled from Milansa's crimson eyes, carrying a trace of reluctance. "Whether it's Teacher Fudora... or myself..." Having barely recovered enough physical strength to do so, Milansa pushed Ataira away.

"Even if I drink from Misty Spring, I... cannot possibly survive..." Milansa tore open his clothes, large swaths of black curses eroding his body.

"Lilasa's curse..." Ataira looked at the speck of green light in her hand—that was the hope condensed by the lives of Fudora and this forest. As long as she used this power, she could definitely save Milansa.

"There... there is still hope! As long as—"

"No... I am already finished... Whatever remains can only be entrusted to you..." Milansa pulled Ataira into a tight embrace. The bright red flame energy gradually dissipated; as a fire mage, he knew his time had come. A single teardrop fell from his sharply contoured face, and his crimson-red hair whipped through the wind like flames.

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This was the first and last time he would hold Ataira. Looking at the light of hope in Ataira's hands, Milansa merely said softly, "This light is truly beautiful, yet it doesn't belong to me... much like you... do..."

Milansa gently stroked Ataira's face, wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes. He wanted to share a parting kiss with the girl he had long adored, but that kiss was never meant to be.

Lilasa the Webweaver's spider demons quickly arrived at the scene. Milansa pushed Ataira out of the temple of Ellina, the Goddess of the Forest. The moment Ataira left the temple, Milansa sacrificed his remaining life to summon Kars, the Demon of Fire. Roaring flames separated Milansa and Ataira, while also temporarily blocking Lilasa's spider demons outside Misty Spring.

Ataira clutched the forest's remaining power as she ran toward Misty Spring. Behind her, vast expanses of withered trees were swallowed by flames, and countless monsters pursued her. Ataira knew that no matter how terrified or frightened she felt, she could not stop. This light was the hope to save the brave warriors, the final hope of this world.

Ataira ran and ran, until she reached a pool of spring water. It was a clear pond, and deep within it lay the legendary Misty Spring. Near Misty Spring, the goddess's barrier was laid out; no matter how terrifying the monsters were, they could not profane this spring water.

Unfortunately, with Rosa Kevin's invasion, the forest had begun to decay, and both the power of the spring and the goddess's barrier were fading. The outer edges of the pond had turned into pitch-black, stagnant water... But even so, the absolute center of Misty Spring still retained a sliver of the spring's power, and Ocast the brave warrior lay resting right in the middle of it.

"You really kept me waiting..." Tesla the merchant said, standing on the bank. "We agreed on 100 gold coins after the job was done, so don't you dare renege on the debt."

"Good thing the monsters haven't found this place yet..." Ataira breathed a sigh of relief, turning to look at Tesla. "I'll need some time to lift the curse for Ocast. Can you help me buy some time?"

"No problem at all~" Tesla was unusually forthright. "Just remember to pay extra afterward."

"Thank you!" Ataira jumped into the pitch-black spring water. The sludge-like stagnant water at the outer edges of the spring scorched Ataira's fair skin. Aided by the forest's final power, Ataira quickly began the purification ritual.

At the center of the spring, a tiny point of glowing green light was added, surrounded by soaring flames. Ataira tightly grasped Ocast's cursed arm, and from the depths of the spring, the forest's remaining power swirled around to wash away Lilasa's curse. The flowing water transferred Lilasa's curse onto Ataira, and waves of pain and scorching heat spread across her body.

So this is the curse torturing the brave hero... Ataira stroked Ocast's forehead, unable to help gently kissing his cheek, and a few minutes later, a towering pillar of water surged from the depths of the forest.

So you're over there... Risala wriggled her red-and-blue limbs, crawling rapidly toward the location of Misty Spring, followed by a massive horde of monsters behind her.

"They're here?" Tesla looked to the left, hundreds of dark-attribute energy blasts flying toward him.

"These guys move really fast."

Just as those energies were about to reach Tesla, a barrier of holy light cut off Misty Spring from the outside world. Then countless monsters trampled forward to rush Tesla, Ataira, and Ocast, but upon touching the barrier, those monsters were violently bounced away.

"Long time no see... you all..." From deep within the forest, a spider demon with a female torso walked out from among the numerous monsters. The upper body of that spider demon was an extremely ugly and fat woman, the lower body was a red-backed widow spider, and at the joint connecting her upper and lower bodies grew a bloody maw dripping with venom.

Risala walked unhurriedly up to the barrier and said, "The Holy Wall of the northern Slok Church? I remember they're supposed to not allow selling it to people of other countries, little one, how did you get this boundary?"

"This... you can buy it with money..." Tesla said smugly.

"That's true, the church people are still pretty good at... being bribed..." Risala stroked this boundary possessing holy light attributes, and a brownish substance spread across the barrier.

Click--creak-- A tiny crack appeared in the weakest place of the boundary, and soon the entire boundary was corrupted away.

"Damn it!" Before Tesla could run away, Risala's claw pierced his throat. Venom and curses entwined around Tesla's body, and soon Tesla's body shriveled into a lump.

"Kill them--"

At Risala's command, the monsters rushed forward one after another toward Ataira and Ocast. But before those monsters could touch the two of them, an even more powerful boundary deep within the spring burned these monsters to ashes. That was also the commodity Tesla had sold, the strongest holy boundary—a barrier no matter how strong the monsters were that they couldn't break through. As long as that layer of boundary was set up, Risala wouldn't be able to harm Ataira and Ocast... it's just that the boundary was too small and couldn't hold a third person.

"This is Mitchas's Holy Mountain... kid! Where did you get this from again?" Risala glared fiercely at Tesla, who was already on the verge of death.

"Once opened... this boundary, as monsters, you... don't even think about getting close to that place anymore... You lost!"

"Court of death--" Risala expressionlessly tossed Tesla aside.

The venom and curses caused Tesla's bones and flesh to gradually shrivel. Despite being at the very end of his life, Tesla still told his unfunny dad jokes: "Some people said that me doing business like this and cheating would definitely incur retribution... I said the money I gave was enough and the gods would definitely bless me... It's just... now it looks like I probably forgot to pay the final installment to the gods..."

"Tesla? Tesla!!!" Waking up, Ocast struggled to climb up from the already defiled Misty Spring. He watched that terrifying monster torture his good friend, and fury instantly ignited his entire body. The Holy Sword sleeping deep within the spring likewise responded to Ocast's anger, and massive energy filled this boundary named the "Holy Mountain".

"Don't be impulsive! Ocast! Now is not the time to fight Risala here," Ataira hugged Ocast's arm. "Rosa Kevin will completely break the seal immediately, and we don't have much time left... Ocast... you can't... linger here anymore..."

"But Tesla!"

"There are no buts..." Ataira's tears extinguished Ocast's anger. "Milansa has already left... Master Flandre is also gone... everyone in the forest is... dead. Now, if you don't rush to the end of the Rotting Forest, then the thousands of adventurers engaging... Rosa Kevin will also die! Only you can defeat Rosa Kevin! You can't stay here anymore..."

"What about you..." Calming down, Ocast gripped Ataira's hand tightly and said, "I know you can use the teleportation formation to send me to the Rotting Forest, but what about you? As the caster, you can't leave here. Once I go, then..."

"It's fine... I am the priest of this forest, and I'll be fine... The forest will protect me..." This was the most obvious lie Ataira ever told in her life, as energy used for teleportation surged from Ataira's body.

"Ataira! You--" Ocast gripped Ataira's hand tightly, refusing to let go.

"It's nice to meet you... It's just... it's just..." Ataira sobbed uncontrollably. "I might... not be able to accompany you to the end..." Ataira left behind a faint smile at the very end, just like the one when they first met.

"Ataira!!" A green fluorescent light flashed out from the boundary of the Holy Mountain, and half a minute later, only Ataira remained in the soiled Misty Spring.

"How truly pathetic... As the caster of the teleportation formation, you can't leave..." Risala waved her slender limbs, entwining around Ataira. "Cute little priestess... I think we should have a private chat..."