Back So Soon?

Number of times König Geistdunkelrustung has resurrected: 1

Geist was met with a now somewhat familiar sight of dilapidated remains of formerly sturdy stonework walls stretching up and crumbling to support what was left of the roof above. The density of the clouds looming overhead, casting a foreboding, yet comforting, gloom over the land, hadn’t diminished, as far as he could tell. The ominous swirling, dark energy within filled the atmosphere with a wrongness that soothed his Corrupted being.

Sitting up, he looked around for any signs of other monsters, but he was utterly alone. “For nearly 50 years to have passed, it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.” He said aloud, standing up.

Seeing his heavily armored, gauntleted hands push off the spikey plates of his grieves reminded him of the other function he discovered his armor had: transformation. From how Inessa and Lylia had failed to notice he was not the being who effectively tricked him into taking his place, he assumed the form he currently presented was similar or identical to the one Nacht had. And for as much as the heavy, spikey fullplate spoke to his inner, edgy, younger self, he didn’t want to continue to be mistaken for the previous Demon Monarch.

“Let’s see… Looks like I have to speak out loud to use the ability of an item. Use: Reshape (Superior).” At his command, the dark metal plates of his armor, which looked durable enough to take a direct hit from a battleship’s main gun without a scratch, warped and shifted, melting into liquid, impenetrable shadows.

He didn’t need to see the transformation as the dark matter rippled and flowed over his insubstantial, humanoid form. The smooth, sleek sheets of ebony metal, as polished as onyx, that formed from the solidifying shadow essence, gave him a much slimmer and lankier profile than the form he had inherited. The spaces between the joints flickered with a dark flame that drank in the light rather than producing any, and the plume from his horned helmet matched the cloak that was still draped around his shoulders.

Looks like I can’t get rid of the horns, or make the armor a less… menacing color. He thought with a weary sigh, reaching up and touching the protrusions from his head that he hadn’t included in his mental image. Wait. Aren’t I supposed to have a tail too? Thinking of the demonic Traits that felt more like an outsider's influence than part of who the world was supposed to work, Geist tried to turn and look at his lower back for the extra appendage.

However, before he could, a bright light appeared at the far end of the room, announcing the arrival of the people who would try to kill him.

Unlike the first time, Geist manifested his weapons as he turned and prepared to defend himself. His main weapon was a huge, long greatsword he had no difficulty wielding with only a single hand, despite how thin he had made his arms look. Though calling it a ‘sword’ was generous, as it was more like a pulsating chunk of dark organic mineral and crystalline substances mixed and dripping a viscous, festering, pus of black, deep purple, and sickly green at the right angle, that dissolved into nothingness before it hit the ground. The edge wasn’t a fine edge that would cleave cleanly through anything in its path, but a jagged, rough, serrated line that would tear and chew into whatever was unfortunate or foolish enough to not get out of the way.

The weapon that formed in his offhand, by contrast, was much more refined but no less menacing. A pulsating, perfectly cut, multifaceted crystal was set in a fitted caging of a bluish-silver metal; offset, progressively smaller crystalline formations nested three layers deep in the translucent material. A thin shaft extended down from the reinforced head of the blunt weapon, no longer than his forearm, to a handed of gnarled, warped, dark wood that fit perfectly in his hand.

Alright, those two probably retired by now, but I’m not going to–

“Use: Micro!” A familiar voice cut him off mid-thought, before the light could fully fade and reveal the aggravated woman who had arrived. However, there was no mistaking the blonde as she stormed over, righteous fury lighting up the golden iris of her unobscured eye.

Lylia!? But she doesn’t look any older! There had been no time to try to resist her spell, so once more he found himself staring up at the holy woman, utterly dwarfed by her now towering figure. How long do people live in this–

“Did I not tell you not to come back for at least a month!?” She shouted, the vibrations of her heavy, rage-filled stomps getting stronger and stronger as she closed the distance. “What are you doing resurrecting so soon? It has barely even been a day!”

“One da–?!” Caught off guard by the revelation, Geist dropped his guard just long enough for her golden sole to come crashing down on him.

[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, activated]
[Dark Magic Corruption: 44/100]

“I was supposed to be leading a serum to reform criminals! I do not have time to waste killing you!” Lylia continued, raising and stomping her foot as Geist’s body automatically reformed just out from under it.

[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, activated]
[Dark Magic Corruption: 36/100]

“Are you some sort of masochist? You must be.” She accused hatefully, glaring down as a flash of light lit up the room behind her, and she slammed her foot down on him again. “Do you find getting crushed like an insect to be so enjoyable?”

[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, activated]
[Dark Magic Corruption: 28/100]

“You ruined my entire day!” As she thrust her foot down once more, a pair of slender arms wrapped around her torso, just under her chest, and pulled her back.

“Whoa, Lia! Easy, girl. Easy.” Inessa said, holding her companion back as she struggled to break free. “I know you’re upset, but if you keep killing Geisty, we won’t be able to get answers out of him.”

Though lacking a physical heart, Geist could feel something pounding in his chest as he caught his breath and his mind raced. “One day? I was only dead for one day? N-No, that can’t be…” The effect of his armor, the thing responsible for his revivals and resurrections, popped up in his field of view, the system navigating to it at his unconscious, unwitting command.

[When Hit Points reach 0, casts "Reanimate" on wearer at double the Mana cost in Dark Magic Corruption. If Dark Magic Corruption value is less than 10, the wearer will remain in a death-like state, regenerating 1 Dark Magic Corruption per year passively.
Once 50 Dark Magic Corruption is accumulated, cast "Revivify" on the wearer.
The accumulation of Dark Magic Corruption can be accelerated in areas of high Dark Corruption.]

“How did I– wh-whoa!?” Lost in thought, the shrunken Demon Monarch was jolted back to his present circumstances as dainty, soft fingers pinched him from either side and lifted him off the ground. With surprising delicacy, he was dropped on Inessa’s palm as she held him up to chest-level.

“Okay, Geisty. Can you be a good… Boy? Girl? Uh, can you be a good demon and tell us how you came back so soon?” The brunette asked, her tone sweet but not without the condescending tone of someone who knew they were in absolute, irresistible control of the situation. “Sorry that Lia was so rough with you, but we weren’t expecting you to come back in one day.” Bringing him closer to her face, she smiled mischievously and whispered to him while glancing back at the fuming blonde. “But just between us, thank you. Her Majesty was making me go to a party I didn’t want to go to, so you resurrecting saved me.”

“I know you love to try new things, but I wouldn’t recommend eating him, Essa,” Lylia said, sighing and crossing her arms as she accepted the inconvenience to her schedule.

“I, I wouldn’t eat Geisty!” The Champion retorted, blushing as she held him out away from her again. “His armor would be too crunchy, and… Hey, Geisty looks different today. Are you still Geisty?” Finally registering the changes to the reduced Demon Monarch appearance, Inessa looked him over more carefully.

“Uh… Y-Yeah, I’m still Geist, I suppose.” He answered, still trying to process what was going on. Just like when Inessa’s sword stabbed him and the brief moments he was in contact with Lylia’s soles, he felt a strange tingling sensation from where his armor contacted her golden glove. As with any wounds or damage he took, it wasn’t painful, just a striking sensation that he couldn’t ignore.

“So, you changed you’re armor? It looks much better than Nachty’s, but still a bit too spikey.” She complimented, licking her lips.

That innocent action, which could have just been a response to the dryness of the air, sat all the more menacing in Geist’s mind thanks to Lylia’s comment. “R-Right? Couldn’t do anything about the spikes and horns. But, you knew it wouldn’t take me decades to resurrect? You just weren’t expecting it to happen so soon?”

“That’s right.” The brunette nodded, getting back on track. “I’m told Demon Monarchs have been resurrecting quicker over the centuries, but even Nachty took at least a month, if not several to half a year.” She explained thoughtfully, glancing back at Lylia. “How many times did we kill Nachty together, Lia?”

“Seven.” She replied sharply, narrowing her eyes at Geist. “Seven times in three years. And since we collected a Mana Crystal from you yesterday, we know you didn’t fake your death.”

“Then… could it be that this area has an abnormally high concentration of DMC? Or is the rest of the world like that?” Too focused on learning the mechanics of his abilities and how often they would subject him to these unfavorable encounters, Geist thought aloud. Looking at the displayed value of his Dark Magic Corruption, it had already climbed to 43 in the short time they had been speaking.

However, in response to his uninformed theory, Lylia heaved a heavy, weary sigh unbecoming of a woman of her station and covered her face with her hand. “Seriously? That’s the reason?” She asked, more to herself than him or Inessa.

“What do you mean?” Inessa asked, also apparently out of the loop.

Lylia just shook her head and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “The Ministry of Magical and Natural Assets’ big project for the past millennia or so. Arrays of purification spells that cleanse the land of Dark Magic Corruption and concentrate it all in the Badlands. It was supposed to minimize spontaneous cases of Corruption. Audrey told me it was finished not long after Oscar Sr. took the position, and since then, only a handful of demons and monsters have appeared outside the Badlands.” She explained, placing a hand on her hip and pointing at the Corrupted being in Inessa’s hand. “But he wouldn’t know that all the Dark Magic Corruption in the world is being drained into this desolate wasteland.”

“All the DMC of the world? And nobody thought that might cause problems?” Geist asked accusingly. He could understand the desire to manage a dangerous substance and prevent unfortunate incidents, but this was more than mismanagement. It was lazy and short-sighted.

“It was only a problem, and a gradual one at that, for the towns and fortresses bordering the Badlands until there was nothing left to be Corrupted.” Lylia shrugged, only able to justify actions that she had no control over thousands of years after the fact.

“Th-That’s right, Geisty. Other than the occasional Golemtide, nobody’s got to–”

“Inessa!” Cutting the brunette off before she could reveal too much sensitive information, Lylia flicked the shrunken greater demon off Inessa’s palm and trapped, but didn’t crush, him under her foot. “He doesn’t need to know about the golems infesting the Badlands. Even if we’re always here to kill him, giving him hope to raise an army is the last thing we need.” She whispered, measuring her tone to sound more concerned than angry.

“R-Right. Sorry, Lia. Geisty is just so, you know, harmless. I let my guard down.” The brunette replied, sticking out her tongue meekly.

Her expression softening, Lylia smiled at her friend and applied her full weight onto the diminutive being under her shoes. “I know he seems harmless to us, but remember, he’s a greater demon at such a level, our Search spells can’t even tell us his level. Anyone but us wouldn’t stand a chance against him.” Turning her attention to the Demon Monarch in question as he reformed from the shadowy wisps that bled out from under her foot, she hardened her gaze once more. “And you would be better off finding a way to stay dead, unless you truly are a deviant degenerate who enjoys being killed over and over again.”

[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, activated]
[Dark Magic Corruption: 51/100]

“Trust me, I’m not enjoying this any more than you are…” Geist replied, bringing up his weapons in a futile attempt to defend himself.

However, a wicked grin spread across the blonde’s lush lips as she raised her foot to stomp the life out of him again. “Oh, for as inconvenient as it is to have to drop everything to come and deal with you, crushing you under my heels is deeply enjoyable.” She admitted, her smile reaching all the way to her eyes, filled with sadistic satisfaction.

“C-Can we truly not coexist?” Inessa asked, her voice growing small and weak. “I mean… I know I shouldn’t ask, but at the same time, Geisty hasn’t done anything. If anything, this makes us look like the bad guys, doesn’t it?”

“Essa…” Only the brunette could get her to hesitate like that. Only she had the right to ask such a question and not fan the embers of Lylia’s righteous fury towards the Corrupted.

“That’s right! I already said I don’t want to hurt anyone. It’s not fair to punish someone for a crime they haven’t committed. Or is being born a demon or monster a crime worthy of immediate death without even trying to work out our differences?” Geist asked, trying to take advantage of the hesitation in Lylia’s action and ride the goodwill in Inessa’s words. “If you attack on sight, of course, demons and monsters will defend themselves, but–!?”

His words, however, only served to motivate the blonde into the comfortable, gratifying action of stomping his feeble body flat under her shoe. “If we don’t, your kind will!” She said, her words dripping with hate as she twisted her foot on his body before it faded and reformed.

[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, activated]
[Dark Magic Corruption: 47/100]

“Don’t talk to me like I don’t understand how your kind thinks.” Dark memories she would rather forget, of the time before she was brought into the faith of the Goddess Lini by the former Saintess, flashed through her head as she stomped on him again and again.

[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, activated]
[Dark Magic Corruption: 40/100]

“Toying with people’s lives.” As she berated the ignorant Demon Monarch, Inessa watched silently from the side, unable to bring herself to act.

And so the hammer of Lylia’s wrath fell once more with a powerful stomp.

[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, activated]
[Dark Magic Corruption: 33/100]

“Manipulating their emotions.” The toxic whispers of a sultry woman’s voice promising safety and comfort lingered in her mind. Lylia grit her teeth and crushed the dark armored being before he could counter.

[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, activated]
[Dark Magic Corruption: 26/100]

“Offering false salvation only to betray, kill, and feed on them.” The echoes of children drawn and deceived, laughing and giggling without a care until it was too late, made her chest tighten. The unfortunate and underprivileged would always be the first victims, already discarded by society. Innocent, vulnerable, and all too disposable.

[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, activated]
[Dark Magic Corruption: 19/100]

It wasn’t the idea of coexisting with demons and monsters that enraged her so. People with classes that granted access to the Taming skill could control and form a bond with animals and nonsentient monsters, so in a sense, there were some who did coexist with some Corrupted. Very specific Corrupted that benefited the kingdom and its people. It was generally frowned upon, and those individuals were closely monitored or already under the supervision of the Council, but as far as coexistence went, there was that.

But it was always, always, done with the Pure exercising control over the Corrupted from a position of power and superiority, never as equals, and the monster could be killed at any time for any reason.

No, it was because the most powerful Corrupted in the land was speaking as if the Pure and the Corrupted were equals and could understand each other that fueled her outrage. And that his words were so nostalgic. Painfully so.

“I know what you Corrupted are like, so don’t you dare speak of ‘coexistence’ to me!”

[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, activated]
[Dark Magic Corruption: 12/100]

Geist was helpless to stop her. The spell reducing his size made escape impossible, and the passive effect of his boots drew in Dark Magic Corruption just fast enough to drag it out a bit longer. Not being able to feel pain was a boon, but her words stung more than any broken bone or open wound could. The raw emotion was overwhelming. He had stepped on a landmine of trauma, and this was the punishment of his ignorance.

[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, activated]
[Dark Magic Corruption: 5/100]

Well, this is a fine mess I’ve gotten myself into. He thought, resolving himself to the more final ‘death’ that would come with her next stomp, not bothering to defend against the impending impact. But I can’t just give up and die. There’s got to be a way for the Pure and Corrupted to live together.

The weight and impossibility of such a task sat on him as heavily as Lylia’s final, definitive denial of even entertaining such an idea.

[Dark Magic Corruption: 8/100]
[Schattenrustung effect: Cast Reanimate, unable to activate]

*****

Unsure of how many lives she would have to trample out of the aggravatingly persistent Demon Monarch, Lylia ended up stomping the empty ground where Geist would have reformed. Instead, her foot slammed into the chunk of silvery-blue crystal that materialized in his place.

“About time you ran out of lives…” She sighed, taking a deep breath to calm down now that her duty was complete. “Having more than ten revives is just obnoxious, right, Essa?” Picking up the proof of who they had slain, the blonde looked at the gold-clad brunette, who was meekly twiddling her fingers with an apologetic expression on her face.

“S-Sorry, Lia…” She said quietly, unable to look at the older woman in the eye. “I shouldn’t have–”

“I don’t blame you, Essa.” She said softly, cutting Inessa off. “Demons are natural manipulators. They’ll say whatever it takes to get you to drop your guard. Even people from this world underestimate them, so you don’t have to feel sorry.” Gently pulling her friend into a hug, she reassured her that everything was fine. “Just don’t listen to him. Don’t pity him. And don’t talk to him. Okay? Without your Divine Artifacts, you’re the perfect target that any demon would drool to sink their claws into.” Giggling at her last statement, Lylia released Inessa and held up the Mana Crystal. “Now, let's go tell the Council the ‘good’ news. I’m sure Oscar Sr. and Mars will be thrilled to learn we will be getting more Mana Crystals now.”

“Yeah, fine. No more talking to Geisty, then.” The brunette said, puffing out her cheeks. “But I’m not that naive. I’ll have you know I was the only one in my family who saw my older sister’s boyfriend for the con artist he was. I’m usually an excellent judge of character.” She added, puffing out her modestly developed chest.

Lylia, however, turned back around and reached out, pinching a part of Inessa’s side that was exposed through the gap where her breastplate ended. She easily caught an excess of squishy, plump flesh between her fingers and giggled again. “I meant it literally. From a demon’s perspective, I bet you have great marbling, thanks to all the extra portions you eat.”

Blushing, Inessa turned away and protected her squishing parts. “Hey, I just eat a little bit more than most people. I’m still a growing girl.” Looking down at her body, her chest in particular, and then to Lylia’s curvaceous figure, she puffed out her cheeks again. “Just you wait. I’ll have a killer body like you in a few years.”

“Sure you will, Essa.” Laughing playfully, the blonde’s earlier mood had been completely reversed, and she winked at her friend. “Then, how about I treat you to some food to help you with your ‘future development’? After we report to the Council, of course.”

Momentarily conflicted, but hunger winning out over pride in the end, Inessa’s eyes lit up at the mention of free food. “Really! Then let’s go!”

Activating the spells granted to them through their divine equipment, the two women left the ruined castle that they now knew they would be visiting much, much more frequently.