Chapter 387: Defend the Frostgrave Fortress (7)

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[Choose the character you wish to resonate with...]

◇ Julian Rozenberg

◇ Vanessa Eldrienne

◇ Calyra Arcanis

◇ Rosalin Varion

◇ Silvena D’Elvoire

◇ Loden Armand

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"Vanessa Eldrienne." Ruvian said flatly. (-10,000PP)

The moment her name left his lips, his entire body underwent a subtle transformation, accompanied by the same peculiar sensation he had felt the first time he assimilated with Vanessa’s Bookmark.

Without wasting a second, Ruvian let Vanessa’s Blessing sharpen his senses and began meticulously scouring the fortress for even the faintest trace of demonic scent.

His foremost concern was to ascertain whether an enemy had already wormed its way into their ranks.

He moved through every sector of the fortress, scrutinizing the soldiers, the barracks, the walls, and even those handpicked for the preemptive strike force.

Five minutes later, after carefully pacing himself to avoid overexertion, Ruvian found nothing.

There was no demonic stench among the soldiers.

Some carried traces of Dark Mana, yes, but those were merely the ones tainted by the Nightbloom spores.

Because of that, Ruvian concluded that the Supreme Primordial Demon’s influence had yet to extend into the Northern Region, or perhaps the north simply did not fall beneath its dominion.

Therefore...

’This must be the work of another Sin.’

Another Primordial Demon? If that was truly the case, then which one? Greed was already accounted for.

So what remained?

Wrath? Envy? Pride? Lust? Gluttony? Sloth? And was this Supreme Demon somehow tied to the petty guild that had threatened his father, as well?

Ruvian’s expression gradually darkened.

Any one of them would be bad enough. After all, Morvayne was no longer with him, having been compelled to remain behind and safeguard his family.

There would not be another Archmage at his side this time, either. Even among the officers and elite soldiers stationed at Frostgrave...

The strongest among them only ranged between Grand Magus and First-Class Magus.

That left him with little choice but to make use of every advantage he still had.

Ruvian’s thoughts immediately turned to the academy bracelet stored inside his storage ring. There were still a few things within it that could prove invaluable if the situation deteriorated.

’Seems I’ll need to redirect some of those saved tokens.’

Not long after, Ruvian returned to the eastern observation keep.

Calyra was already there.

It seemed she had successfully intercepted the sealed reinforcement letter, as the very envelope now rested plainly in her hand. (+1,500PP)

*****

[??? POV]

Far away in the northern wilds, many miles from the edges of Frostgrave Fortress, a solitary figure stood on the grotesque crown of a giant Nightbloom Spawner.

But it was not a man.

Tall and broad-shouldered, the creature was vaguely human-shaped, its entire body entombed beneath jagged slabs of black obsidian, like the battered armor of some long-dead knight.

Beneath those plates there was no flesh, just narrow cracks where Dark Mana leaked like smoke through fractured stone. Its head, like a helmsman’s, had neither mouth nor nose.

Two thin slits glowed with a dull golden light.

The creature stood as still as death, its posture stiff and unnatural, its gaze fixed on the distant outline of Frostgrave Fortress.

Yet the eyes staring through it belonged to something else entirely.

Something far, far away.

Through the Voidspawn’s sight, he watched the fortress in silence, studying its walls, its towers, and every flicker of movement along its battlements as though he stood there in the flesh.

The creature was nothing more than his eyes. Just a distant appendage of his will.

After a moment, a low sigh slipped from him. The golden slits in its face dulled for a moment, while its armored head slowly tilted to one side.

’Why in the Abyss am I being sent to attack humans now?’

The creature raised one clawed hand and pressed two fingers against the side of its helm, almost as if nursing a headache.

’My vessel is not even complete yet, and now they expect me to move before I can properly descend. Ah, this is absurd.’

He had been under the impression that they would remain buried in the shadows for longer. They were supposed to gather their strength, finish preparing their vessels, and strike humanity when no one was ready for them.

’Was that not the whole point of skulking around in the shadows like vermin!?’

The Voidspawn’s fingers curled slightly, scraping against the obsidian covering its head. His head slowly shook from side to side, carrying the quiet arrogance of someone forced to suffer the stupidity of lesser beings.

He had been ordered to move against Frostgrave before his preparations were complete. Worse, he had been given barely enough time to question why the plan had suddenly been overturned.

"How irritating. Why did Lucifon suddenly decide on this...?"

The creature lowered its hand and stared toward the distant fortress once more. Its golden eyes narrowed as several soldiers moved along the walls like crawling insects beneath his gaze.

"Right... all of this filth was because of one damned fool who could not restrain himself from gorging on his own greed."

For several seconds, he remained silent.

Then the obsidian fingers resting at his side slowly clenched, smoky veins of Dark Mana bleeding from between them.

"Mamveth, you witless bastard..." His head dipped slightly, followed by another slow shake filled with naked contempt.

"Greed suited you far too well, you impatient filth, because apparently even hiding quietly was beyond that rotten little mind of yours."

If Mamveth had been standing before him now, he might have crushed the fool’s skull himself.

Still, snarling over it would change nothing. An order had already been given, and his pride would not allow him to crawl back empty-handed simply because the timing displeased him.

"Haaa.... fine, if they want that fortress broken, then that fortress will be ground into dust." The golden slits suddenly burned brighter.

For a brief moment, that thought dragged his mind back to the reason they had been forced into this mess in the first place.

Only a few days ago, all seven Supreme Primordial Demons had been summoned before the Lord of the Abyss under urgent orders, for the second time.

Mamveth had been the reason for it.

The Demon of Greed had acted without permission, forcing an incomplete descent into the human world and seizing a vessel before their preparations were finished. Worse still, he had exposed their existence to humanity long before the appointed time.

The moment the truth came to light, even the other five Primordial Demons had visibly reacted, their expressions shifting as they realized just how badly Mamveth had jeopardized everything.

The Lord of the Abyss had been beyond furious.

The pressure filling the castle had grown so oppressive that even Supreme Demons remained completely still beneath it.

The Lord had commanded Mamveth to tell it all, from its first word to its last, nothing left out. But when the report reached the place where Mamveth had been halted by a mere first-year scholar of the Velthia Academy, even the Lord was struck silent for a moment of unnatural length.

His rage stopped short.

He looked surprised.

Then, almost at once suspicion crossed his face.

It seemed that the scholar who had interfered with Mamveth was far more significant to him than any of them had expected. Whatever the Lord had realized in that moment, it was enough to make his attention settle upon that single human with unsettling interest.

And shortly after that brief silence, the Lord had issued Lucifon a new command.

That was how he, Belzebor, the Supreme Demon of Gluttony, had ended up with the filthy task of bringing down Frostgrave Fortress.

More importantly, he was to report anything unusual he discovered. Especially if that troublesome scholar somehow appeared again.

"Well, knowing them... they must be trying to confirm something through this siege. Haa... whatever, I should just finish this damned mission quickly."

Belzebor clicked his tongue.

It was only then that he noticed the soldiers of Frostgrave Fortress shifting into formation, weapons drawn and mana already gathering as they prepared to launch their attack.

Seeing that, Belzebor almost felt like licking his lips.

If this borrowed shell had possessed any.

"Ho~ looks like they intended to strike first."

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[Chapter 387: Defend the Frostgrave Fortress (7)

Plot Points = 297,000