Azulgor's Lair

About 500 years ago, Azulgor's Palace Lair

"Azulgor... Have your isolation scurred up your hatred for humans? I prayed for my premonition to be wrong. As you know, It only occurs for those I cared... Why did you hide yourself?"

The mind dragon scoffed, "They deserve to be perished. It is mercy that they didn't go extinct long time ago"

Agasto couldn't stand it and gouged his eyes, shouted in anger.

"Reveal the imposter that I can't perceive beneath the mind dragon"

Agasto's Domain, Horrific Exchange.

He could gain anything as long as a fitting sacrifice is made by him.

"Bargo, the demon king. Your Domain, Corruption"

Azulgor has been struck by its most lethal attack. The parasitic possession.

He summoned a fire orb which could engulf the dragon and casted at it.

As it went near, it condensed into a mini fire balls and pierced the dragon's eye. It let out a roar.

He restored his eyes and commented, "How Unsightly, To see you like this"

The fire orb was a bait for the demon king to use psychic reversal. Redirects the enemies action back at them. An attack would end up in self infliction. The moment it was activated, the psychic guard lowered and he switched the target to its eye. The reversal had no effect since he had already lost his eyes.

But what lost could be gained. The other coin of horrific exchange.

Unlike other Domains which contained many powers, Agasto had only one which surpassed his peers.

"This blind man wants to know... Where did you sprung from? What is your motive? Answer this and regain your vision once more"

"You will regret this, sorcercer"

"I wasn't talking to you" He zapped the dragon with thunder and kept honing on it.

Bargo's possession struggled for brief moment, it let his clutch on Azulgor. Along with the effect of Agasto's exchange, Azulgor was able to complete a knowledge transfer before it lost control. Memories flooded to him in an instant.

During a time, ancient than the existence of Azulgor, the demon lord once attempted to descend into the world along with its demon realm. It suffered a humiliating defeat to the creatures from that time and Bargo was the major contributor to their loss. The demon lord left him in spite.

Bargo wasn't going to accept its fate. Being weakened, it spent centuries, healing by possessing, living through various life forms. Waited for the right opportunity to summon the demon realm again.

Its prey was Azulgor. The last surviving dragon decided to stop being a weapon to human's irrational conflicts.

Possessing a mind dragon was almost impossible. But that isolation had presented a gap.

Bargo split its essence into microbes and began to slowly invade its palace as to barely escape the radial omniscience.

After a few months, the microbes gathered at the lair without getting detected. They instantly rushed toward Azulgor at a rapid speed.

Azulgor couldn't react and had only one taught, "Even if I abandoned the humanity, I could have cherished my friend... I could invited Agasto to my garden"

Had Azulgor blessed Agasto with long range communication, he could have came to rescue in time.

Now how did the demon king plan to summon demon realm?

Reenactment.

Turning a memory into reality.

The demon king's memory. Its status. The accumulated mana over centuries.

The stage for the demon realm has been set.

Agasto sweated as he underestimated the nature of the threat.

A massive burst of mana poured out from down which shook the foundation of the palace.

Bargo spent part of his mana to possession and had to preserve a chunk to begin reenactment. Even still it didn't feel threatened. But the surge kept rising and slowly distilled pressure at it. Centuries of wait cannot result in failure due to the lack of caution.

It summoned the parasites that were still in the range toward it and amplified his strength.

Agasto stopped his charge.

"Hahaha... Have you realised your limitations?"

Agasto knelt down and grinned at himself, "So it has come to this"

His threat wasn't enough for it to summon every parasite.

A dark aura emerged from him and blazed through the roof, shrieking in wait to devour everything.

Agasto was no different. He hadn't revealed the horrific exchange's most extreme attack to humanity. It would shake their balance.

Bargo remained helpless as the lair transformed into a cage and stung the captors endlessly.

Domain is the life essence of magical beings. This exchange involved splitting that domain, transfer or erase them at will. Azulgor's domain seized and so did for Agasto.

A self sacrifice attack intended for an impossible enemy. He pitied his fate. Bargo's level was higher, so he had compensated by sacrificing all his reserves except for Eye of Governance.

Bargo would simply be killed as being a part of Azulgor... But his caution had left few parasites outside the palace.

As a guard, he left the governance to forbid Bargo from making an attempt.

The regret's wail from Azulgor was kept in the hall to stir Bargo's ancient memories.

It had failed as the few parasites corrupted governance to kill everyone trespasses and be lenient on Bargo.

This is as far he could do. He decided to let his domain disappear. Silently muttered to himself before vanishing, "For someone who hadn't given without obtaining in return... To whoever find this, Please destroy bargo with all you got"

Azulgor's domain transformed into various objects as Agasto phased away from existence.

Taigi startled as the book shuffled to a blank page and introduced itself.

"I am the Book of radial omniscience. No taughts,actions,deceptions can escape my watch. Hmm... There can be exceptions. I also hold the record of Azulgor memories and the time I spent here, witnessing the perished treasure hunters. Despicable Goblins making themselves at home. Now this is very troubling... Taigi and Trebel, prepare for what's to come, I beg of you... End this curse"

I resumed my recording.

Trebel's face tightened as he asked the book a question, "What is the demon king doing now?"

The answer revealed itself.

Grotesque arms sprouted from the back of Taigi forming an exaggerated mouth on the palm.

"Useless Goblins, is that how you seal regret's wail?... Agasto, you monster... I still had to resort using possession...No matter, the time has come"

Moments later, Bargo screamed in annoyance.

"Woman, let me go... This won't change anything"

"Was it you, who hurled the demons to Denburg? You will pay for this"

Taigi's eye became sinister black and blood red tears flowed down. Her strength seizing Bargo's movements reaching toward a monocle.

Trebel casually suggested, "Taigi, Do as I say, let him take it"

Without hesitation, she sighed a breath, the bargo's arm flew and wore the monocle in a stride and chanted a spell for reenactment.

A blinding reddish hue light tore through the roof and reached the sky, dyeing it in the same color.

When the light faded, Bargo laughed ridiculously as if victory was eminent.

The book told Trebel had less than thirty minutes to undo it. He let Bargo had his way to dispense its vast mana for reenactment. Used the gap to store all the remaining objects into the pouch and formed a strategy.

Trebel gave her the necessary drive, "The book also confirmed they will be rendered to nothingness without it"

He dodged as Bargo spat toxic fumes. Misdirected the physical attacks by an inch using a direction board.

This continued until until he had a wide distance.

Fed up, Bargo's speed intensified to close the gap in an instant.

Trebel sensing it seconds before, "Taigi, restrain him"

He summoned a row of marbel floors which stood between them.

Bargo couldn't change directions and crashed into it in a loop as he erected walls and used misdirection.

Bargo lied on the ground, barely overcame it.

Trebel shot syringes up and used enlargement. Bargo's arms caught it effortlessly. He dashed with a syringe to inject it on Taigi. She caught and restricted it.

Truly a battle hardened woman. Trebel commented in admiration. She understood his intention.

"A psychic cleanser?... Pitiful"

Trebel stared at the arm, "When would you understand the concept of bait?"

With a elegant woosh, a crown from the pouch, fell on her head.

Trebel chuckled, " A crown befitting the Queen"

Taigi stared at void in a daze and Trebel flung back to avoid the furious arms.

He wondered ever since she saw her suffer Did overwhelming strength and durability only limit to physicality? What about the mind? He tested his hunch by handing out the crown of mental recovery.

Once the book affirmed his theory worked, he said in a hurry, "Hold him down for fifteen minutes... I will be back" He left the lair to do his bidding.

The parasites that chocked Taigi's mind, squealed and burst, one after the other.

As this continued, she lapsed through a trove of beautiful memories. The forgotten moments of praise,kindness,gratefulness that showered from the people whom she saved.

A glaring flaw she never pondered. Her eyes regained the luster as she poured out the tears of lifelong relief. How long had this demon corrupted her essence?

"Demon king, for a second time, your preparation was awful... Cry about it all you want, there won't be next time"

Its protest was in vain but Taigi could not escape the bounds either.

Trebel returned with a gauntlet made up of dragon head. His mood, broody. Walked, in hope that he never reached her. Yet he had to do it.

He spoke without facing her, "Hold onto me for dear life"

She pulled him closer... Trebel snuck the gauntlet at her.

"Originally it was a resentment breath... Now I have enhanced it with the regret's wail... Countless soul's that suffered from it... It's regret spanning over centuries will rain down at it... Is it possible to get that thing out?"

"I have tried... It's fine"

The gauntlet shimmered as it loaded the attack, the demon arms wriggled pathetically.

"I will join you"

The book wrote its final record.

"Thank you... Humans... Trebel and Taigi... I will humbly accept this history as my last memory"

I saw the book plop to the floor. Seconds before it fired, Taigi clenched my fist, "Soar through the sky, Trebel"

She launched me through the open roof without warning. Flustered, I quickly aimed the gauntlet at her. A terrifying blast commenced, as my trajectory sped up and shot me above the clouds.

I closed my eyes and let the warm sunset wash me as I descended down. I didn't want to see it but I had to avoid the debris... It disappeared. Complicated emotions breezed by as I safely landed on the ground after consuming teleportation tablet within an acceptable perimeter.

I looked at the bracelet in my hand.

A smile surfaced, "Not bad Taigi... I will cherish it"

I slid it in the pouch and declared, "I am done with you brother. I will consider retirement and settle for a calmer life"