Chapter 103: The Sacrifice

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: The Sacrifice

Chapter 103: The Sacrifice

Daniel didn’t hesitate.

He sent one of his shadow clones forward, his command instantaneous, his will translating into action without a moment of doubt or deliberation. The clone moved like a blur, its dark form cutting through the air with a speed that was almost impossible to track. It moved like a shadow, its body shifting and flowing, slipping through the space between moments. It moved like death, silent and inevitable, its purpose clear and unwavering. It charged at the elf, its fist raised, its body coiled and ready to strike. Its eyes were empty, devoid of emotion, devoid of thought, devoid of anything but the singular mission it had been created to accomplish. Its purpose was simple, burned into its very existence by the will of its creator.

Destroy the crystal. Stop the ritual.

The clone reached the elf, its fist mere inches from the target, the moment of impact just a heartbeat away.

Then it disappeared.

One moment it was there, its dark form solid and real, its fist extended and ready to strike. The next, it was gone, vanished into nothingness without a trace. It didn’t explode, its body not breaking apart in a shower of shadow and mist. It didn’t shatter, its form not cracking and crumbling into pieces. It just... vanished, disappearing from existence as if it had never been there at all. Teleported away, its body transported across space and distance in the blink of an eye.

Daniel felt it, the sudden absence of his clone’s presence. The connection, the link between him and his creation, was still there, still intact, still thrumming with the faint pulse of shared existence. But it was far away now. Very far away, the distance stretching across miles and miles of space, the clone’s location a faint beacon in the vast emptiness of his awareness.

He closed his eyes, his expression calm but focused. He focused, his mind reaching out, searching for the clone’s location. He sensed it, the faint signal of its existence, buried deep in the wilderness. It was miles away, miles and miles from the clearing, from the fight, from everything. In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but trees and earth and sky.

Daniel frowned, his brow furrowing in annoyance.

He opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the elf. He looked at his dark robes, the fabric flowing and shadowy. He looked at his glowing eyes, the purple light bright and unnatural. He looked at his calm expression, the mask of serenity that hid whatever thoughts lay beneath.

"Teleportation," Daniel muttered, his voice low and thoughtful. "Stage three."

The elf smiled, a thin, cold smile that didn’t reach his eyes. It was the smile of someone who knew something others didn’t, the smile of someone who held all the cards.

Benjamin laughed, a loud, mocking sound that echoed through the clearing. "You figured it out. Good for you."

Daniel didn’t answer. He just watched, his eyes fixed on the elf, his mind working through the implications of what he had just witnessed.

Benjamin turned to the elf, his expression shifting from amusement to cold command. He nodded, a single, sharp gesture.

"Start," he said, his voice flat and authoritative.

The elf bowed, his posture submissive but his eyes gleaming with a dark, hidden light. "Yes, master."

He raised the crystal, the Core of Zariod, holding it aloft for all to see. It glowed with a dark, hungry light, the color deep and unsettling, pulsing with a rhythm that seemed almost alive. It pulsed with power, waves of energy radiating from it and washing over the clearing, making the air feel thick and heavy, charged with something ancient and terrible. It was shaped like a star, but with six pointy sides, the geometry strange and alien, unlike anything that should exist in the natural world.

The elf opened his mouth, his jaw stretching wide.

He put the crystal inside, the dark stone disappearing past his lips.

He swallowed it, his throat working to force the crystal down.

Everyone stared, their mouths open, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing, couldn’t process the horror of what was happening before their eyes.

"What..." Lyra whispered, her voice barely audible. "What is he doing?"

Benjamin smiled, a wide, cruel smile that stretched across his face. "The sacrificial process," he said, his voice filled with a terrible, mocking glee. "To summon the demon lord, a living being must swallow all the cores. Then they must sacrifice themselves. Willingly. Completely. Utterly."

He paused, letting his words sink in, letting the horror of what he was describing take root in the minds of everyone present.

"The elf is doing that now. He is sacrificing himself. For the cause. For the demon lord. For me."

The elf swallowed another crystal, his body convulsing as the dark stone forced its way down his throat. Then another, his face contorting with pain. Then another, his eyes rolling back in his head.

His body was glowing, a faint light beginning to emanate from his skin. His eyes were glowing, the purple light brightening and intensifying. His skin was glowing, the color shifting and changing, becoming something other than human. He was becoming something else. Something more. Something terrible.

Daniel watched, his expression calm, his eyes cold. He felt no pity for the elf, no sympathy for his suffering. He just watched, his cold eyes taking in every detail, cataloging every change, every spasm, every scream.

"Why now?" he asked, his voice cutting through the heavy silence.

Benjamin looked at him, his expression confused. "What?"

"Why now? Why are you doing this now? Why not when you were in a safe place? Why not when you had more time?"

Benjamin laughed, a short, dismissive sound. "Why not?"

"Because it’s stupid. You’re doing this in the middle of a battlefield. In the middle of a fight. In the middle of everything. It’s reckless. It’s desperate. It’s—"

Benjamin shrugged, his expression dismissive. "Doesn’t matter. The ritual will work. The demon lord will come. And he will kill you all."

Daniel shook his head, a small, almost imperceptible movement. "I’m pretty sure the demon lord won’t be on your side."

Benjamin blinked, his expression shifting from amusement to confusion. "What?"

"The demon lord. The one you’re summoning. The one you’re sacrificing your servant for. I’m pretty sure he won’t be on your side."

Benjamin laughed, a cold, mocking laugh that echoed through the clearing. "Of course he will," he said, his voice filled with confidence. "As long as I summon him to kill you, he will do it."

Daniel tilted his head, his expression curious. "Summon? Or reawaken?"

Benjamin frowned, his confusion deepening. "What?"

"Are you summoning him? Or are you reawakening him?"

"What’s the difference?"

"The difference is whether he’s dead or not. If he’s dead, you’re reawakening him. If he’s alive, you’re summoning him."

The elf spoke, his voice strained and breaking. His body was shaking, convulsing with the effort of containing the power of the crystals. But he answered, his voice cutting through the chaos.

"Summon," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "We are summoning him. He is not dead. He was sealed away. A thousand years ago. We are breaking the seal. We are bringing him back."

Daniel nodded, his expression unchanged. "So you’re summoning a living demon lord. A powerful one. One who was sealed away because he was too dangerous."

"Yes."

"And you think he’ll be on your side?"

Benjamin nodded, his expression confident. "Yes. Because I’ll give him fifty percent of the goods."

Daniel stared at him, his expression unreadable. His face was blank, his eyes cold, his thoughts hidden behind a mask of calm.

Fifty percent of the goods.

That was it. That was Benjamin’s plan. He was going to summon a demon lord, a powerful, dangerous, sealed-away demon lord. And he was going to offer him fifty percent of the goods.

That was the stupidest thing Daniel had ever heard.

He was naive, his understanding of the world childlike and simplistic. So naive, his belief in the demon lord’s loyalty based on nothing but wishful thinking. So foolish, his plan relying on the cooperation of a being of pure chaos and destruction. So desperate, his actions driven by a need for victory that bordered on madness.

But Daniel was also happy.

Because if things went the way he was planning, he might be able to make the demon lord join him instead.

He just had to wait. He just had to watch. He just had to be ready.

The elf swallowed another crystal, his body convulsing violently. Then another, his face contorting with agony. Then another, his screams filling the air.

His body was glowing brighter now, the light emanating from his skin blinding in its intensity. His eyes were glowing brighter, the purple light burning with a terrible, hungry fire. His skin was glowing brighter, the color shifting and changing, becoming something other than human, something other than alive.

He was crying, tears streaming down his face and mixing with the sweat and blood that covered his skin. His body was shaking, convulsing with the effort of containing the power that was tearing him apart from the inside. His voice was cracking, his words breaking apart into incoherent sobs.

"It hurts," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "It hurts so much."

Benjamin laughed, a cold, cruel sound. "Of course it hurts. You’re sacrificing yourself. It’s supposed to hurt."

The elf nodded, his head bobbing weakly. He swallowed another crystal, his throat working to force it down. Then another, his body jerking with the effort. Then another, his screams echoing through the clearing.

His body was breaking, the power of the crystals tearing him apart from the inside. His skin was cracking, splits appearing in his flesh and leaking dark energy. His bones were snapping, the sound sharp and sickening in the chaos. His organs were failing, his body shutting down piece by piece.

But he kept swallowing. He kept sacrificing. He kept dying.

For the cause. For the demon lord. For Benjamin.

The last crystal slid down his throat, the dark stone disappearing into his body.

The elf screamed, a raw, primal sound that tore from his throat and echoed through the clearing. It was a sound of pure agony, of absolute terror, of a soul being ripped apart.

His body exploded.

A wave of dark energy tore through the clearing, a tidal wave of power that knocked everyone back. It shattered the trees, the trunks splintering and crashing to the ground. It cracked the ground, fissures opening in the earth and spreading outward. It filled the air with smoke and dust, the debris swirling in a chaotic storm.

Then the smoke cleared.

A portal stood where the elf had been.

It was large, towering over everyone present, its edges shimmering with dark energy. It was dark, the interior a void of absolute blackness. It was glowing, the edges pulsing with red and purple energy, the colors swirling and shifting in a hypnotic pattern. It pulsed with power, waves of energy radiating from it and washing over the clearing. It was a door, a gateway to somewhere else. Somewhere terrible. Somewhere dark.

And from that door, a leg stepped out.

It was red, the color deep and bloody. Scaly, the texture rough and reptilian. Massive, the limb thick and powerful, built for destruction. It was the leg of a monster. A demon. A demon lord.

The leg was followed by another leg, equally massive, equally terrifying. Then a body, hulking and muscular, built for war. Then arms, thick and powerful, ending in claws that could tear through steel. Then a head, monstrous and terrible, with horns and fangs and eyes that burned with hellfire.

The demon lord was coming.

(AUTHOR’S NOTE : and with that we have the end of volume 1 (haven’t given it a name yet but imthe first person to send a super gift in this Chapter gets to pick the volume name).... also thanks for reading this far it really makes me happy. Have a nice day)