Part 3
Eliza licked the blood from her stained hands, her breathing fast, her body trembling with ecstasy.
In front of her, Yamato's body remained impaled by the crimson spears. The blood continued to drip—warm and slow.
It looked real. It was real.
"What a magnificent feast…" she murmured in a trembling voice, running her fingers across her lips. "Such a shame… I wish I could feast on blood this good every day..."
Silence wrapped the chamber. The field of roses began to wither, as if its purpose had been fulfilled.
Then, behind her, something echoed.
Clap.
A slow, precise clap. The sound repeated across the hall.
Clap. Clap.
Eliza spun around. Her smile froze, and her eyes flew open in shock.
Yamato was sitting on her throne. The same throne of obsidian and blood crystal that had once held her regal figure. Now it seemed different. Not because of its shape, but because of who now sat upon it.
His legs crossed, one hand resting on the arm of the seat, the other still closing after the clap.
His presence turned that throne into something new.
It was no longer Eliza's—it felt like it had never been.
"Nice try," he said, in the same calm voice as always. "I'll admit, your technique is visually stunning."
Eliza took a step back.
"W-What…? You were…! I killed you! I felt your blood…!"
"Yes, of course," Yamato nodded, unmoving. "The blood was mine—but the body wasn't."
Eliza looked toward the center of the field. The spears were still embedded in what was now a shell of nanobots… slowly dissolving into metallic dust.
"An illusion…" she murmured.
"I'd say it was more of a decoy. And you… fell perfectly into my trap."
Eliza tightened her grip on the scythe. Her fangs reappeared, but her body… no longer moved as it had before.
"This doesn't make sense… You should be dead…"
"Still don't get it?" Yamato interrupted, standing up calmly. "Though I don't really expect you to. Sometimes, I don't even understand it myself."
He paused. Brushed a bit of dust from his shoulder.
"Having such overwhelming power is… confusing. But believing you're exceptionally strong… and then being fooled so easily… That must be even more disorienting."
Eliza remained frozen. Every fiber of her being screamed. But her body didn't respond.
"It was fun while it lasted. But you're no longer being evaluated, Eliza."
His eyes became hollow. Unshakable.
"You're being judged."
A chill ran down her spine. For the first time in millennia… she doubted she'd survive.
"Don't mock me…" she whispered, her voice barely clinging to the remnants of arrogance.
"You never stood a chance."
"I… I'm far stronger than you. You can't beat me with… with cheap tricks," she insisted, trying to regain composure.
But her words were no longer a declaration. They were denial.
"Care to bet?"
In a blink, Yamato appeared in front of her.
"You bastard—!"
Without letting her finish, he clenched his fist and struck her straight in the face. Eliza flew backward, smashing through part of the wall and crashing down violently.
She coughed up blood as she hit the ground.
"What's… happening?" she whispered, staring at her blood-stained hand. "I'm bleeding…? That's impossible…"
"Tell me, Eliza. What drives you?"
She looked at him in disbelief. Everything inside her screamed that this wasn't normal.
This isn't right… why is he so strong…?
"You damn son of a—"
Yamato grabbed her by the face, covering her mouth firmly before she could finish.
He lifted her with one hand, as if she weighed nothing.
"I've already heard everything you had to say. Now it's my turn."
With a single motion, he hurled her into her own throne. The impact shattered it to pieces.
"If you swear to follow me… I'll spare your life."
Eliza rose from the rubble, her body trembling.
"I'd rather die than kneel before a filthy human. After all, heroes were summoned to annihilate us."
"You're right…" Yamato replied, emotionless. "But what if I also want to destroy the heroes?
I left my humanity behind a long time ago."
She looked at him, confused—feeling something beyond hatred.
She activated her Scope again. The stats hadn't changed: Level 1, Human Race, Hero, Standard Stats.
"No way…" she murmured. "How can you be this strong? Hero blessings aren't absolute. I've killed countless heroes in my lifetime…"
"Perfect," he said with a smile. "I love it. Kneel before me… become my herald in fixing this rotten world."
"I already told you…"
"You still don't believe my words?"
Slowly, Yamato removed the ring from his finger.
The one that concealed his aura.
"What about now?"
The atmosphere shattered in an instant.
Eliza's face froze. Fear carved itself into her features like stone. She understood immediately.
He wasn't human.
He was a cosmic aberration.
Someone like Nebel.
"Why…? Why, why, why…?! Why do I feel a presence like Nebel's inside a human?!" she screamed, losing her composure.
Yamato stepped forward.
He gently took her chin, as if she were something precious he didn't want to break. He forced her to look up.
"Because we want the same thing: to straighten humanity, destroy the heroes… And return this land to its original glory."
With that, his appearance shifted. The illusion faded.
And what Eliza saw… wasn't human.
It was the Void.
"Join me, and let's crawl out of this wretched pit," Yamato said as Seiryu returned the scythe to him. "Let's bring the darkness to the surface."
With a simple motion of his hand, the nanobots surrounded Eliza—healing her wounds and restoring her clothes, as if nothing had ever happened.
"And if I refuse?"
"Hmm… looks like the new recruit has spirit."
"You're… Aoki?" Eliza asked, noticing the demon's aura beside him.
"That was my name. But Lord Yamato gave me a new one… a new form. A new rebirth."
"If you refuse," Yamato added without hesitation, "you'll end up like Aka. I'll erase you from existence this instant."
Eliza swallowed hard.
There weren't many options left.
It was life… or oblivion.
"What must I do, my lord?" she said at last, kneeling before him.
"Just follow me. Walk beside us. I'm not replacing one set of chains with another. I want you to help us achieve a goal. Think of it as your freedom."
She looked at him, surprised.
"I'll be able to leave this dungeon? Keep my name and my freedom?"
"Of course," Yamato replied. "As long as you don't interfere with my plans, you'll have complete freedom."
He paused for dramatic effect.
"But you'll still be one of my Heralds. If I need you… you'll be there. Understood?"
"Yes, my lord. I'll follow you anywhere."
Yamato raised his hand and closed his eyes. A dark aura began to flow from his fingers, surrounding Eliza in a spiral of dense mist.
"Darkness that consumes all… break the chains that bind this vessel. Let her walk within the shadows, unshackled…"
"Void Disruption!"
The invisible chains tying Eliza to floor 799 became visible for an instant, shuddered… and shattered into a thousand fragments of light.
"It can't be… Yoru's curse is gone… I'm no longer bound to this place…" she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Yamato gently patted her head.
"Welcome to our cause. And sorry about earlier… I had to see if you were trustworthy, or just another mouthpiece."
"Master Yamato!" she cried, throwing her arms around him.
For the first time in centuries, her smile was genuine.
At last… she was free.
Yamato didn't respond. He remained calm, his expression showing not even a trace of empathy.
"Tch, what a vulgar woman… Don't cling to the master like that!" Seiryu protested indignantly.
"I'm a woman, I do what I want. Béh," Eliza replied, sticking out her tongue.
Yamato rolled his eyes and kept walking, now with two idiots hanging from his arms.
"What a lovely little family… can I hug you too?" said Nebel in his mind, mockingly.
"I guess I deserve that for talking too much…" Yamato replied to himself.
"Look on the bright side. We're not so alone anymore."
"Yeah. I wish I'd met them sooner… they don't seem like bad beings at all," Yamato said.
"They're demons, and yet they act better than my classmates ever did…"
"Don't get all sentimental," Nebel cut in. "As we keep climbing, there'll be more like them. More like us. And…"
"And?"
"Don't you dare do that dramatic pause crap, it drives me nuts," Yamato growled, raising an eyebrow.
"You'll see. On floor 500, I've got a surprise waiting. I promise—you won't regret it."
As Yamato walked on without flinching, Eliza and Seiryu argued behind him, bickering about what they'd do first once they escaped the Abyss.
For a moment, he couldn't believe how much Eliza's personality had changed.
But in a way, he understood how she felt.
Five thousand years locked up and chained in this dungeon… was far too long to endure alone.
Nebel understood it too.
Something like a smile tugged at Yamato's lips.
"We'll crush everything that stands in our way," he murmured.
"I can't wait to see Valdheim fall into our hands," Yamato added. "So let's take our time."
"We are the darkness that approaches."
"Yes, master," said Eliza, resolute.
"Yes, my lord. We're ready for anything."
And so, after pushing open the door that led to the next floor, they continued their ascent toward the surface.
They were like a devastating force—the darkness that consumes all—
And if anyone stood in their path…they'd better be ready. Because they would let nothing, and no one, stand in their way.