[Salvos] 788. More Than Clones (Patreon)

788. More Than Clones

***

“How?”

Haec called out as he stumbled back. Hartia just held up his hands, using his [Fractal Barrier] to block a beam of golden light that Safra sent his way. The entire fortress shook as the attack bounced off the barrier and struck the side wall, tearing through the entire structure.

“How is she still alive?”

Haec asked, and Hartia just cursed in response.

“How should I know the answer to that? I should be asking you that!”

“What? What does that even mean? You’re the one who was confident that you could win!”

“And I did— I just didn’t expect her to have a twin! You should’ve told me that!”

Hartia glared back at Haec as the beam of gold light ceased for a moment. The former Heir of the Netherworld bit his lower lip at that.

“But Safra doesn’t have twins. She has clones, just like Salvos—”

And at that moment, Safra leapt forward, flying towards Hartia. The Fairy winced for a moment, thinking that she was coming for him. But she soared past him and went straight for Haec.

The former Heir of the Netherworld realized that a moment too late. His eyes grew wide as he tried to take on a defensive stance.

“For your betrayal, I’ll kill—”

Safra started as she raised a hand, about to reach him. But Hartia yanked his hands like he was tugging an invisible string, and at the very last moment, she swung wide. The collar she had on her wrist redirecting her attack.

Haec took that that opportunity to counterattack, landing a [Consecutive Fatal Blows] before finishing off the flurry with a heavy punch from his [Greater Reapershell]. The attacks caused Safra to rock her head back.

But she didn’t even stumble from it. She just grinned at the former Heir of the Netherworld as he stared at her, standing there unharmed.

“I always knew the potential Regnorex saw in you was nothing more than a mirage.”

Haec gritted his teeth as he leapt back, weighing her down with [Demonic Blight]. She just bared her teeth at him while there was an aura of darkness that seemed to try to restrict her movements. But she barely even slowed— if it was noticeable at all.

However, it served as enough of a distraction for Hartia to attack from behind. He sent a shard of broken space at her as she glanced back with narrowed eyes. She tried to move out of the way, but once again, Hartia restricted her movements by pulling the collar in her hand the other direction.

His attack landed right on her shoulder— if it were Haec who was struck by it, he was sure he would have lost an arm. But the blade of broken space only partially pierced her skin, drawing blood.

She glared up at Hartia as he clenched a fist.

“You’re quite durable, aren’t you? I don’t know how you survived—”

“She didn’t survive.”

Haec called out as he flanked Safra from the other side. The two of them stood between her in the hallway as she glanced between them, almost like a feral [Hellhound] ready to pounce at any point in time.

“These are her clones, Hartia. I thought they’d work like Salvos’s clones, but they do not. These clones are basically real people.”

“What? There’s no way that can be true—”

Hartia started. But then from behind him, a golden hammer flew at him, knocking him out of the air. His [Fractal Barrier] protected him, of course. But he still crashed into the floor from the attack.

Another Safra stepped out from behind Hartia, the golden hammer flying back into her hand. Unlike the other Safra, she seemed quite calm. She just tilted her head, placing her hand on her cheek as she looked between Haec and Hartia.

“Oh my, you got quite unlucky, didn’t you? You killed the nice Safra…”

“Stay out of this. I can handle these two pieces of trash on my own.”

The feral-looking Safra growled as Haec hesitated, glancing between them.

He had known that Safra was capable of summoning clones all this time, but he never knew that they worked like this. It seemed that each clone was fully conscious and capable of 

That was not all, they were all the same level too. Same Subspecies. Although it seemed that they had a different set of Skills each.

What are we going to do? Haec asked as he assessed the situation. 

Perhaps they could bring down a single Safra. Well, they already did defeat one, but that was with the element of surprise. In a fair fight, they could have defeated a lone Safra together.

But two of them?

They couldn’t win. Not alone.

Hartia seemed to realize it too. He glanced between the two Safras who were staring each other down for a moment, then he flew back up as he smiled.

“Ladies, please, I assure you I am more than enough for the both of you.”

As he spoke, he winked at Haec. The former Heir of the Netherworld blinked at that. Is he telling me to go free the Demons here in the fortress?

And as if to answer that question, Hartia just clapped his hands and flew in the other direction, away from Haec as he addressed the two Safras once again.

“Unlike Regnorex, I am not lacking as a lover—”

All at once, both Safras screamed and attacked Hartia, the calm one throwing her hammer as the feral one sent another beam of gold light at the Fairy. 

“How dare you insult our Regnorex!”

Their attacks sent Hartia crashing through the fortress as they gave chase to him. Haec took that opportunity to move. He sprinted through the hallways of the fortress, turning corner after corner as he felt the entire building shake from the battle.

Well, it was more of a distraction than anything. And Haec was certain that Hartia could survive for long enough thanks to his [Fractal Barrier]. So the former Heir of the Netherworld just needed to focus on finding the prisoners who were trapped here and freeing them.

He turned corner after corner, scouring every hallway as best as he could. Most of the rooms seemed to be… recreational. Rather than a place to keep the Demons here in check. There was a large dining hall, a library, a room full of clothing, and even a room to practice painting— although it seemed mostly unused.

Just when Haec was starting to think that there were no Demons here in the fortress, he came across a stairway that was leading down to some kind of cellar. He slowly descended the steps and found a vast damp room that was dimly illuminated by torchlight.

“Hello?”

Haec called out as his voice echoed all around him, and then he heard the clanging of metal chains. Whispers came from the darkness, and Haec narrowed his eyes as he swept his gaze over the room, seeing the gazes of at least a dozen Demons hiding in the shadows.

“Who… are you?”

A weak voice asked, and another joined in.

“What is going on up there?”

Haec could hardly see the figures of various Demons all around him. But that didn’t matter. He could use his [Identification] and see that most of them were Archdemons— they were exactly who he was looking for.

The strongest prisoners of the Domain.

“We’re part of a rebellion against the Demon King.”

Haec spoke as he placed a hand on his chest.

“I am Haec, the former Heir of the Netherworld and now the leader of the rebellion, and we are here to free you from your chains.”

Upon hearing Haec’s words, a susurration swept over the group of Archdemons in chains.

“A rebellion?”

“That’s impossible—”

“That’s suicide, that’s what it is.”

A Primeval Demon slowly stepped out of the darkness— about Level 154. Lower-leveled than Haec who was Level 160 now. He was a [Fiend], just like Haec once had been. But he didn’t have the same aura as Haec once had as an Archdemon.

Instead, the Primeval Demon had a defeated air around him.

“You’re a Primeval Demon, just like me. Do you truly believe you stand a chance against Regnorex? He is a Primordial Demon. You will be slaughtered.”

Haec narrowed his eyes, hearing that. He stared at the Primeval Demon, then looked around at the Archdemons hiding in the shadows all around him.

“If you believe that it is hopeless to resist against the Demon King, why are you still here? Why don’t you go out there and swear your allegiance to him?”

The Primeval Demon just laughed at that.

“Here, we are not forced to fight for a cause that could result in our deaths. We are just left to rot away, being forced out to engage in some dull activities every once in a while. Why should we abandon our guaranteed survival for such a suicidal desire?”

Haec pursed his lips when he heard that. 

“Our rebellion is not a suicidal ideation— we can stop Regnorex. We have defeated the legions guarding the Expanse, and soon we will have seized control of the Encampments too. The Echelon is sure to fall next. And this Esplanade can fall too if you guys just join us.”

Haec proffered his hand to the Primeval Demon, speaking insistently one more time. But the Primeval Demon just stared at Haec’s hands, before barking out a laugh. He smacked Haec’s hand away and sauntered back into the shadows.

“Ridiculous…”

Haec watched the Primeval Demon disappear back into the shadows. He wanted to curse out the Primeval Demon, but the rumbling of the ground all around him as a distant explosion boom reminded him of why he was here. 

So Haec focused as he swept his gaze across the rest of the room, addressing them.

“Do none of you long for freedom? Are you really content with living down here for the rest of your life?”

Haec posed the question to them, and all he got in response were snickers and groans.

“Not again.”

“We’ve heard these kinds of speeches a thousand times.”

“Fuck off.”

The former Heir of the Netherworld gritted his teeth hearing that. He shouldn’t waste more time sitting around here and just wasting his time. Hartia needed his help. So he should rejoin the battle— before the Fairy’s [Fractal Barrier] somehow cracked.

“How pathetic.”

Haec shook his head, turning away from the prisoners of the Esplanade. But before he could return up the stairs, he froze as he saw a figure standing there, smiling at him.

It was Safra the Lady of Glory. But once again, she was different from the others he had seen so far. Not only did she wield a golden sword in her hand, she was smiling so cheerfully it almost crept Haec out. But that was besides the point.

The point was that this was another Safra— a fourth one. And she simply strode forward as Haec whispered under his breath.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”

“Oh, good. None of them betrayed. Yay. I will only have to kill the Traitor—”

She started.

But then a blast of flames shot out from the darkness, engulfing the jovial Lady of Glory and blasting her right out the doorway.

Haec blinked at that as he heard a set of footfalls emerge from the darkness. A crimson-skinned Demon stepped forward, ripping apart his chains as he walked past the staring Archdemons and Primeval Demons in the darkness.

[Hellprince Of Fire - Lvl. 181]

“So you say the Expanse was taken over, huh? Tell me then, Haec former Heir of the Netherworld, did that asshole Naro join you?”

The [Hellprince Of Fire] stood there, his body practically ablaze. A pair of small horns resting on his head like a small crown. White hair and partially blackened skin.

He just bared his teeth as he met Haec’s gaze.

“Or did he really take his sworn allegiance to Regnorex that seriously and get himself killed?”

Author's Notes:

Public chapters will resume this coming week. Sorry for the delays again!

Read the next chapter here