[Salvos] 787. Anything To Survive (Patreon)

787. Anything To Survive

***

I flew away as fast as I could from the [Hellevil]. With my increased speed from my maxed out [Divine Essence of the Angelic Devil Princess] combined with [Divine Haste] and [Cluster Time Dilation], I was certain I would be able to get away from the Primordial Demon this time. Especially since with [Angel’s Wings] being maxed out, my flying speed was only increased even more now. 

I glanced back to see if I had made any distance between us. 

Unfortunately for me, my hopes were dashed as I turned around and saw nothing there. Well, I saw the Corrupted Netherskies seemingly converging around the dying Corrupted Hellsky. But that was not what I was looking for. 

I was looking for the [Hellevil], and I found it as I looked towards my front once again. It was floating there just ahead of me like it was bored and waiting.

Oh, right, it has some kind of teleportation Skill that lets it instantly catch up to me, I realized as it grinned at me. I sighed.

“Well, f—”

I started, and the [Hellevil] swung at me with its blazing white strike. This time though, I could actually react to its attack. It wasn’t just a blur that I could only brace myself for. I could see the Primordial Demon’s movements— I saw the way it retracted its clawed hand, ready to swing.

I watched as the white flames sparked and burned even space itself.

And I wasn’t going to just let it attack me as I flew around helplessly, being swatted around like a fly. I swung back with my own claw, unleashing [Divine Strike] combined with [Corrupted Draconic Fury]. 

My attack clashed with the [Hellevil]’s attack, but its attack completely overwhelmed me, pushing me back with the shockwave. If I didn’t have my aura of invulnerability, I probably would have lost my hand from the attack alone.

The [Hellevil] narrowed its eyes, seeing how I was able to fight back this time. But it didn’t pause for more than a moment before it swung at me once again. I managed to counter it once more. However, each time I parried its attacks, I was being knocked back further and further towards the ground.

It was relentless, and I was completely on the back foot. But the fact that I was able to at least fight back now proved to be annoying it more than anything.

It seemed to click its tongue in annoyance after I parried another strike, and this time, it didn’t just swing at me wildly. It disengaged for a moment as it pointed at me. I pointed back at it as I unleashed my maxed-out [Sacred Hellfire] before it could do what it was doing.

The flames erupted on the side of its face, spreading rapidly onto its arms as it recoiled. The attack was actually burning it. The [Hellevil] could not shake the attack off.

At least, for a moment. 

And then it shrieked and the world around it exploded. I was sent flying towards the sky from the blast. It was the same attack that had wiped out the [Hellabomination]. It probably could’ve killed me if I didn’t have my aura of invulnerability.

Fortunately, I did. So all it did was send me flying up into the air. 

But the [Hellevil] wasn’t finished yet. It held up its arms and thousands of flaming weapons formed into existence all around it. Each one brimming with power.

They shot into the air towards me, bombarding me as I tried to get away from the broken sky. The rifts that hovered overhead were much smaller than they were before, almost sealed shut. But they still poured with some corruption that was splitting in two different directions. I didn’t really get to see where they were going, too focused on trying to fly away from the exploding blades flying at me.

I created my own salvo of weapons that hovered around me, but they weren’t there to be a counterattack to the [Hellevil]’s volley of weapons. Instead, they worked as a sort of barrier that protected me, blocking whatever weapon that got close, exploding and redirecting them away from me.

All the while, I began to create a rift that would help me get out of this mess.

“Come on, come on, I’ve almost got it—”

I started as the blasts continued rippling all around me. But then I watched as, from the corner of my eye, the blades that were whizzing past me were striking some in the sky of the Netherworld. They were exploding onto the surface of something that was falling from above.

Something that was rippling the entirety of space all around me. That made it even more difficult for me to open the rift to my pocket space.

Glancing up, I watched as the crimson sky of the Netherworld opened up, and as something tore through space itself. It looked like… a ball of purple flames.

Except it was massive. Many miles across, covering the sky as far as I could see.

Like the moon itself was falling onto the lands. 

And it almost looked like it was being called from another plane.

The [Hellevil] was laughing maniacally as it spread its arms wide, all the while the giant flaming meteor came crashing down towards me. It spun slowly as its surface was blasted by the flying blades, but that didn’t slow its descent.

It caused a ripple in space itself, and it drew me in, a mix of wind and gravitational forces making it difficult for me to escape. I just braced myself as I tightly hugged the Infant Demon, all the while the flaming meteor crashed into the ground, engulfing my vision entirely.

I didn’t know how long it took for my vision to return, but when I got back to my feet, I was standing at the bottom of a massive crater many miles across. The ground was burning with both a mix of white and purple flames. Purple flames on the ground, and occasional white flames burning the space around us. Everything that had been in the area had been completely wiped out.

But I was still alive. And it was all thanks to [My Flames Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends]. The aura of invulnerability had carried me this far. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like it was going to help me survive for much longer.

I gritted my teeth as the aura of invulnerability flickered. Its duration was coming to an end. I needed to escape now more than ever. But before I could even do anything, the [Hellevil] reappeared next to me, snickering.

I tensed as I took a wary step back, but the Primordial Demon did not instantly rush at me. Instead, it just pointed at my aura of invulnerability as it continued to flicker. 

“Me win.”

My eyes widened as I realized it knew that my Grand Skill was going to come to an end. And I wracked my brain about what to do— about how to escape. 

But there was nothing I could do.

I gritted my teeth as a purple glow shone on the [Hellevil]’s fingertips while it just pointed my way. 

I can still fight back. [Corrupted Divine Dragon’s Breath]’s cooldown is coming to an end in a second, so I can fight back.

But then I felt something wiggling in my arms. The Infant Demon I had been protecting all this time lifted her head up in a daze, blinking at me— finally waking back up.

And the realization dawned. Even if I could try to fight back, I couldn’t protect the Infant Demon any longer. It was going to die, and everything I had done here had been for naught.

What do I do…? I asked myself the question as the [Hellevil] just began to laugh, still waiting for my aura of invulnerability to fully fade.

But as the thought crossed my mind, the sky brightened. Both the [Hellevil] and I blinked, looking up to see an iridescent light blanketing us overhead. No— it wasn’t just light. It was a distortion surrounded by an aura of all kinds of colors.

It was—

[-̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ Hellspace - Lvl. -̸͙̍̀͠-̴̛̠͊̀͝-̵̪̱̼͑-̶̰͎͙̉̆͝ ]

“Huh.”

I stared at the giant Corrupted Hellspace that hovered overhead, wondering for a moment where it had come from. Then I remembered the pouring corruption from the rifts above, and the Corrupted Netherskies crowding over the dying Corrupted Hellsky.

Was it possible they all merged with the Corrupted Hellsky to bring it back as a Corrupted Hellspace? I mean, I didn’t notice where the corruption from the rifts were going— they were going in two different directions.

But if I was remembering correctly, one of the trails of corruption went vaguely in the direction of the dying Corrupted Hellsky.

So that must’ve been how it was brought back to life… although as a Corrupted Hellspace, huh?

I stared at the size of the Corrupted Hellspace, and I recalled the Corrupted Hellspaces I had seen down at the end of the world. It was not nearly as large as the one that had given Belphegor trouble, but it was still massive.

It would definitely give the [Hellevil] trouble. And I could tell the [Hellevil] knew that.

The Primordial Demon just clenched a fist, making an annoyed sound. Meanwhile, the Corrupted Hellspace just let out a loud chittering as all around us, space bent and twisted. The burned chunks of space began to tear open, creating small rifts all around us that poured with corruption, only fueling the Corrupted Hellspace even more.

If these two powerful beings clash, I might just die from being within their vicinity. I’m going to have to try to find some way to escape before they do… wait.

Pausing, I glanced towards the side and stared at a rift that had opened up due to the Corrupted Hellspace. It was small, and it was pouring with corruption. But it was a rift nonetheless.

I glanced back at the [Hellevil] and the Corrupted Hellspace as they both readied an attack. The [Hellevil] conjuring a spear made of white flames while the Corrupted Hellspace’s center glowing with a bright light.

Anything to survive, I told myself as I moved.

“Goodbye, you annoying little shit!”

I called out to the [Hellevil] as it blinked and glanced my way. It opened its mouth to say something, but I was already leaping into the rift with the Infant Demon in my hand. 

I didn’t know where this rift would lead me to— it wasn’t a rift I created. It was created by a mix of both the [Hellevil] and the Corrupted Hellspace’s combined damage in the Netherworld’s space. So it could have just led to nothing.

It could have led to the void for all I knew… or the fold between spaces where my dad used to reside.

But I had no other choice.

I vanished into the rift as the [Hellevil] stared at me for a moment, before it was blasted by the Corrupted Hellspace’s attack. And then, all around me, the world vanished. I didn’t see anything. I didn’t hear anything. I was just consumed by the lack of existence.

I wasn’t sure if I would hear or see anything again for a moment, until I heard a familiar voice echo in my mind.

Now Leaving [Nexeus: Netherworld].

But if that was all I heard, I wouldn’t feel the sense of dread that overcame me a moment later. Because I wasn’t just leaving the Netherworld. I was leaving…

Now Leaving [Nexeus].

I was leaving the world.

Author's Notes:

I'm possibly feeling better today? Hopefully being on my pc won't hurt my back anymore.

Read the next chapter here