Chapter 455: The Last Fire

Astaroth opened her eyes.

She opened her eyes, but she couldn't see anything. Even lifting her eyelids and rolling her eyes side to side, all she saw was thick darkness.

Twitch.

She tried to move her body, but it was useless. Her limbs were splayed out and restrained. Even when she tried to move her wrists and ankles, the leather-like bindings clamped around them were far too tight.

"...then you're saying it's possible?"

Thanks to the ears she'd transformed into elven ones, human voices came through with perfect clarity. The man who had rescued her, Andaihal, seemed to be in conversation with someone.

"Yes. The Queen herself will perform the purification."

The detestable voice of an elf reached her ears. Astaroth instinctively sensed that the elf, presumably an Elder, was scheming.

"Mmph...?!"

Her mouth wouldn't move. Her lips were sealed shut as if something had been placed over them. Focusing all her attention on the area below her mouth, Astaroth finally realized that something was stuck to her face like a mask.

"The dark elves who were violated by demons in the dungeon require purification. If it were just ordinary contact, that would be one thing, but since 'demonic energy' was injected through violation, corresponding measures are necessary."

That was complete nonsense. Astaroth was appalled that the elf Elder, Nifela, was feeding lies to the humans.

"To purify that demonic energy, we'll be taking them into the forest. However, these are individuals who left the forest of their own will. And we have already chosen to join the Demon King's Army. ...Once you've chosen your path, there's no coming back together without being reborn."

"What happens when they're purified?"

"We don't know for certain, either. Their skin might turn white again, and their hair could return to its original color. The only sure thing is that their ears might grow back anew. That's all."

"Their ears...."

Astaroth realized her mistake. No matter that she had chewed them off herself, the sight of elves with ruined ears had been too ugly to bear.

So she had deliberately made her ears look normal, and to accomplish that, she had repeatedly synthesized elf after elf into her own body. She never imagined that her attempt to look even a little prettier would be caught by Nifela.

'I need to escape.'

She had synthesized elves into her body, but her power as a demon, as a dungeon master, hadn't disappeared. If she returned to her dungeon, she could use the system's authority again, and if she drew up her magic power, she could break free of the restraints and flee.

Just as she focused her mind to channel the magic power within her body:

CRUNCH!

A shock like dozens of needles stabbing into her stomach hit her all at once. Astaroth nearly lost consciousness in an instant. But she barely managed to hold on.

'A lust worm!'

Worthless parasites that even she never used. She never imagined the elves would use one. And the realization that one of those creatures was inside her body, lodged there like a parasite, made her entire body tremble. She was genuinely terrified of where the lust worm had settled.

The lust worm, having entered through her rectum, had its head burrowed into the back wall of her uterus. The moment Astaroth tried to use her magic power, the worm would chew through the wall and bite into her womb.

'Not there!'

Internal organs were obviously important, but for a female dungeon master, the womb was more precious than even the heart. If her womb was destroyed, she couldn't lay eggs even if she received seed. She would have to synthesize countless women into herself, just as she had done to make her elven ears grow back.

Fortunately, as long as she didn't try to use mana, the lust worm remained dormant. That meant she had to escape using only her elven strength.

"...."

It wasn't that she lacked the raw muscle power. She was just worried about being discovered; if she could just tear through the leather, she could escape without trouble.

"Then I'll leave it in your hands. We'll continue clearing the dungeon and rescue the elves we haven't reached yet."

"Yes. May the Goddess's blessing be with you."

Nifela's voice invoking the Goddess was detestable, but with those words, Andaihal's presence grew distant while Nifela drew closer. Slender fingers began toying with Astaroth's ear.

"Do you know who I am? Nifela, the 2nd Elder. Among the elves, there are hardly any my age. Which means I know the faces of nearly all our elves."

She didn't need to brag and explain. Astaroth already knew. She wanted to talk back and sit up, but the bindings only tightened further.

"Don't bother. This is a special leather made from layers upon layers of fire lion hide. It was made for restraining criminals, so you can't tear through it."

Nifela's voice sank lower and lower. The fingers stroking Astaroth's ear began to tremble.

"...I can feel traces of people I know in these ears. Traces of people I recognize remain here. Not the traces of 'one,' but of 'many.' Traces of young elves who lived with me in the forest for hundreds of years, for decades."

She'd been found out. Astaroth's heart dropped, but she feigned composure and tried to shake her head.

"Don't try to make excuses. Whatever your true identity is, you came from the dungeon, which makes you our enemy. The legion doesn't leave enemies alone."

STAB!

Something pierced her shoulder. At the sensation of something like a sharp dagger, the darkness before Astaroth's eyes turned completely white.

"...If you truly are an innocent victim, then someday, you may stab me like this in return. But right now, I want to trust my instincts. You are not one of the people I knew."

Stab, stab! Nifela dug into the inner part of Astaroth's shoulder with a dagger. As if to rob her of all strength, the precise cuts to sever her tendons made Astaroth thrash violently.

Crack, crack!

She didn't care if her wrists and ankles shattered. If she just lay here and took it, it would all be over.

"Don't worry. Even if your tendons are damaged, they'll grow back once you're reborn through Ras. I know it's giving you poison and then the cure, but for now, just follow my lead."

Stab, stab. Sharp sounds began rising from around her as well. It seemed Astaroth wasn't the only one there; she could sense the presence of other elves nearby.

Sob, hic...

Ahh, haahh...!

The dark elves that Astaroth herself had captured and that the incubi had violated began letting out moans one by one. But those were moans not of pain, but of pleasure. For a moment, Astaroth couldn't comprehend the situation.

They were being stabbed with blades, so why were they moaning? Something was wrong.

"Orders from the Legion Commander. The dark elves rescued by the humans are to have their tendons severed so they cannot flee. I'm sorry, sisters. All of this is to help you be reborn, so please bear with us."

Stab, stab. Having mangled Astaroth's shoulders, Nifela whispered low into her ear.

"That is, if you truly are a virgin elf...."

Stab, stab stab.

The forest was filled with nothing but the sounds of blades piercing elven flesh.

***

"Man, look at it burn. Burn more, burn more!"

I slapped Asmodine's ass and cheered on our legion. With each bounce of Asmodine's skin, a red aura rippled outward, spreading across the entire legion.

"Ready, aim, fire!"

Every soldier in the legion poked holes in the slime spheres they'd prepared. After stabbing with a blade or tearing a small opening with their claws, they hurled them like shot puts. Every soldier except the Flare Pantera shooting pillars of fire from the ground threw slime spheres.

Crackle, crackle.

The oil seeping from the slightly opened holes caught fire as it passed through the pillars of flame. The incendiary spheres we'd improvised on the spot struck Lustrilis, positioned dead center of our formation, all across its body.

If you're physically incapable of ranged attacks, just use tools. And by leveraging what you already have, you can launch even more powerful attacks.

"Those of you who've still got strength, throw them like this!"

I took an incendiary sphere from Lune and hurled it in a straight fastball. Launched by an orc's enhanced strength, the sphere grazed a pillar of fire, ignited, and slammed into Lustrilis.

"Strike!!"

CRACK. The bark that hadn't fallen away yet still bore the faces of the synthesized incubi. I nailed one right in the face with a perfect fastball.

"Think you can do that?!"

"""OHHHHH!!"""

The orcs all stepped forward like pitchers on the mound and hurled their incendiary spheres. The no-spin throws flew like knuckleballs, some smashing into faces, others pounding the exposed flesh where bark had already peeled away.

A face shot was a jackpot, but missing was fine too. Even if a wild pitch bounced off the ground, the oil would burst out and spread fire everywhere.

"Heh heh, and it's not just plain oil, either."

Some spheres were filled with nothing but oil, but we couldn't mix oil into every slime sphere. So to add weight and keep the oil from sloshing around inside, we'd mixed in demonic fluid as well.

Demonic fluid burns, of course. The oil-laced demonic fluid clung stickily to Lustrilis's body. Sparks traced the trails dripping down the trunks and set them ablaze on contact.

"The smell of burning chestnut blossoms is something else."

SKREEEE!

Every face across Lustrilis's body shrieked and thrashed. The flames had already spread beyond control in every direction, and the dungeon interior had heated up enough to send sweat pouring down our bodies.

And Lustrilis couldn't escape the pillars of fire. Even as its body burned, it struggled to lift its roots and move, but it couldn't break through the pillars.

"Where do you think you're going? Ever heard of home delivery?"

The Slamia swam through the ground, digging tunnels in advance.

The Flare Pantera waited ahead along Lustrilis's path and blasted out pillars of fire.

Our soldiers outside the pillars hurled incendiary spheres or poured on damage with whatever ranged attacks they could manage.

And I held Asmodine, playing hide-and-seek with Lustrilis inside the pillars when I had enough stamina, then slipping outside when I was too winded to dodge anymore.

Even when Lustrilis chased after me, the pillars of fire on the ground followed. The Flare Pantera spewing the flames must have been getting tired, but after their flashy opening barrage, they'd been setting fires with remarkable efficiency.

"Ah, yes. This is what they call a mobile kiln."

The oil inside the incendiary spheres, the stripped bark torn from Lustrilis; everything fed the spreading flames. No one here could contain this inferno anymore. This wasn't magical fire; it was natural flame.

"Burn to ash and return to nature."

I gripped an incendiary sphere. Unmistakably different from the others, it was a soccer ball-sized slime sphere built just in case for siege warfare.

"I make you all a promise. While you fight to the death, I will hunt down Astaroth, cowering in some corner, and make her bear new life for every one of your lives lost. Lune, the seal."

"Yes."

Lune pulled Asmodine off my cock. Having already come several times, sticky semen dripped from Asmodine's crotch. Lune held Asmodine tightly and stepped back.

SCREEECH...

Lustrilis spread its petals wide and began flailing its roots in every direction. It was clearly a last stand, and its thrashing, pounding roots against the ground, was violent enough to make the flames momentarily die down by half. The faces on the petals twisted into savage expressions, as if they thought they'd seized the upper hand.

"Meri! Halphas!"

"Ready!"

Between the pillars of fire.

Meri, who had been secretly waiting on the ceiling, aimed the Holy Sword downward. Halphas gripped Meri and flapped her wings, clinging flush against the ceiling. The tip of Holy Sword Virgo was aimed at the dead center of the petals: the pistil where I had pulled Asmodine free.

WHOOOOSH!!

The Virginium Shield's blast plunged down from above. The writhing stamen tentacles disintegrated on contact, and the Virginium Shield drove itself into the spot where Asmodine had been extracted. It wasn't merely a concentrated snipe of divine power energy; the Virginium Shield itself descended, pressing down on the petals like a weight.

"Ah, yes. Now that is a true V-beam...!"

Lustrilis's movement ceased. Its body, propped up on roots, collapsed. As expected, the petals where the officers' faces resided, and the dead center of the petals where Asmodine had been; that was its true weak point.

"Everyone, prepare for the final pitch."

I raised the incendiary sphere gripped in both hands above my head. Using the Flare Pantera's pillars of fire as my guideline, I bent my knees slightly, and every soldier in the legion picked up whatever incendiary spheres they had left.

"Your Legion Commander will demonstrate. The left hand is just for support."

I lifted my body slightly and extended my folded arms forward.

WHOOOOSH...

The incendiary sphere arced through the air and passed through a pillar of fire. The slime mass was so large that it only grazed the flame, but that was fine. All that mattered was getting it inside.

"As long as it lands inside the ring, that's good enough."

The incendiary sphere landed on the tip of the Virginium Shield. Rolling along the crescent-moon curve of the labia-like rim, the sphere gradually lost its shape, growing soft and runny.

"The Virginium Shield burns demons... and only demons."

The slime coating of the sphere melted away as it rolled across the Virginium Shield. Naturally, the oil inside flowed downward through the funnel-like Virginium Shield.

"It'll crisp you through to the core. Everyone, throw."

WHOOSH. Incendiary spheres arced through the air and tumbled into the Virginium Shield. Harpies flew along the low ceiling, and the Andras dangling beneath them dropped heaps of incendiary spheres before breaking away. I pressed my palms together toward Lustrilis.

"Fire and Peace. Rest in Peace."

May you be reborn inside Astaroth in the next life and know the agony of childbirth.

"In the name of Ras."

A massive pillar of fire erupted, detonating the inside of Lustrilis's petals.