Mushoku Impact

Staring at the chasm created by Ei's attack, Paul legitimately didn't know what to say. He knew she had performed feats such as splitting an island but knowing something was possible and witnessing it for himself...it just hit differently.&nbsp;
After hearing Xinyan quietly mutter, "Holy shit..." Paul regained enough of his senses to ask, "Did you...did you kill her...?"
Without removing her eyes from the chasm she had created, Ei shook her head and answered, "She's still alive. While I am confident that attack did some damage, her immortality appears to be of a different variety than I am used to..."
Before Paul could ask what she meant, Ei was forced to dodge as a blue mist surged from the glowing, Electro-purple chasm and attempted to strike her in the face. She reciprocated with an Electro-infused slash, but while the energy diffused through the cloud, momentarily stopping it, her actual strike had no effect.
Narrowing her eyes, Ei surprised nearly everyone present by raising her left hand aloft and releasing a terrifying stream of blinding Electro Energy into the sky overhead.&nbsp;
Though he was nearly blinded by the attack, Paul forced himself to look skyward as he recalled the scene of Palpatine using his Force Lightning to attack the Rebels. It was a genuinely soul-shaking sight to behold, but he didn't understand why Ei was exhausting her limited reserves until he saw dark-purple storm clouds beginning to congeal out of thin air.
Voicing the thought that had crossed the minds of nearly everyone, Paul remarked, "We should probably move..."
Without needing to be told what to do, Ganyu promptly changed to her human form to discard her harness before reverting to her Qilin form. She was a little reluctant to part with the carriage and her specially-crafted harness, but such things could be replaced with relative ease. The most important thing was assuring everyone's safety.
As Paul and Party raced off with remarkable swiftness, Moore stared in the direction of their retreat with a stone-faced expression on his face. He wasn't surprised they had left him behind, but it would have been nice if they had at least offered...
Before Moore could think to retreat on his own, the stream of Electro-purple lightning from Ei's hand abruptly ended. The previously bright and oppressively sunny day had become an eerie twilight, the horizon in the distance still lit up like high noon while the sky overhead was as dark as a moonless night, offset by periodic flashes of purple lightning.
With her purple eyes glowing against the backdrop of the darkness she had ushered in, Ei's expression and tone were as frigid as arctic waters as she gazed at the noticeably more petite form of Atofe congealing from the mist. A substantial portion of the Mana constituting her body was trapped in the chasm formed by Ei, so she was nearly a full head shorter than she was previously.
Undaunted by the cataclysmic storm brewing overhead, a gleeful smile developed across Atofe's face as she firmly stated, "You're strong. A lot stronger than I was expecting."
Adopting a marginally more serious expression, Atofe questioned, "But how long can you keep this up? From what I can tell, you're not exactly 'whole' at the moment. At this rate, you'll end up destroying yourself long before you deal any lasting damage to me."
Extending her right hand, Atofe summoned her dark-purple greatsword from the chasm carved by Ei. The latter's speed made it nearly impossible for the two to trade blows, but Atofe was confident she would emerge the victor if Ei kept exhausting herself. Then she could exhibit the true power of her Cursed Holy Sword, Necross.
Maintaining her icy disposition, hand still raised toward the sky, Ei calmly replied, "This form exists to serve and protect my Master. If it is destroyed in that pursuit, then so be it..."
Raising her brows, Atofe was about to ask what compelled someone as powerful as Ei to serve another, but the words never reached her lips as a bolt of actual lightning impacted her from above.
Though the lightning was significantly weaker than the attacks that had struck her previously, barely even damaging her armor, Atofe was forced to grit her teeth as the energy coursed through her body and 'purified' it from the inside.
While Atofe was paralyzed in place, several additional bolts of lightning began striking her at an ever-increasing tempo, pinning her to the ground as hundreds upon thousands of bolts impacted her body like rain.
Unable to even scream, Atofe could only grit her teeth and endure as the armor covering her body melted along with the eyes in her sockets. There was very little an Immortal Demon could do against Lightning Magic other than dodging it. She would typically do precisely that, but, as Ei's previous attacks hadn't done any lasting damage to her body, Atofe had mistakenly resolved herself to tank everything the purple-haired swordswoman could throw at her before returning the favor once she was exhausted.
As Atofe was suffering the hubristic taste of Divine Retribution, Ei turned toward Moore and stated, "This storm will persist for half an hour. Once it subsides, tell your Mistress that the only reason she was spared was due to the determination of my Master. He currently does not view Demonkind as his enemy. She would be wise not to change that."
Finished speaking, Ei dissipated her sword before disappearing in a flash of brilliant purple lightning. With Electro-infused storm clouds overhead, she could effectively teleport anywhere her Diving Lightning was able to reach.
Seeing Ei disappear, Moore's expression turned grim as he observed the continuous stream of lightning raining down from the sky. He wanted to free Atofe from its influence, but his instincts told him he would be struck down the moment he tried. And unlike his great-aunt, he likely wouldn't be able to recover...
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After Ganyu brought them to the edge of the storm clouds, nearly thirty kilometers away from the epicenter, Paul gazed back at the veritable pillar of lightning, muttering, "Well, that could have gone better..."
Not wanting Paul to blame himself, Jean placed her hand on his shoulder and stated, "You couldn't have known how 'demonic' the Immortal Demon King truly was. The important thing is that we all got away."
Suppressing a sigh, Paul shook his head and said, "Truth be told, I'm not that surprised by Atofe's actions. Everything she said about humans and their treatment of Demons is, more or less, accurate. Compared to what 'we' do to her kind, the treatment she affords her captives is fairly tame...not that that excuses-"
Interrupting Paul's response, the sound of a nearby thunderclap startled everyone as Ei appeared near the edge of the storm cloud. In the very next moment, she practically 'flashed' over to Paul before dropping to one knee, lowering her head, and saying, "Forgive my imprudence. While I was ultimately unable to do so, I attempted to kill my opponent..."
Though he was unsurprised by Ei's behavior, Paul was still a little annoyed that she had defaulted to her overly serious, samurai-like personality after months of relative closeness. Thus, instead of simply informing her it was okay, he surprised the buxom Archon by bending down and scooping her up by the pits of her arms and forcing her to stand. Then, with a deadpan on his face, he flatly said, "I told you to stop kneeling to me..." while fixing her somewhat disorderly attire.
"..."
Not sure of how to respond to Paul's words and actions, Ei just offered a demure, "Nn..." before lowering her head to avoid the gazes of everyone present.
Nodding his head in approval, Paul resisted the urge to pat Ei's head as he asked, "How long is your attack going to last...?"
Without raising her head, Ei dutifully replied, "Approximately twenty-eight more minutes..."
"Right..."
Turning to the rest of his Party, Paul surprised nearly everyone by saying, "We're continuing onward to Fort Necross. If we try to escape now, it will make our exploration of the Demon Continent impossible. There's no way Atofe will simply ignore us, so we'll take the fight to her home."
Returning his attention to Ei, Paul asked, "Can you keep fighting...?" in a calm yet audibly concerned tone.
Raising her head, Ei's expression became serious as she replied, "So long as another God-ranked opponent doesn't appear, I can continue fighting indefinitely."
Squinting his eyes and smiling, Paul remarked, "That's great. Because we're going to need your strength if we want to take over Fort Necross before that muscle-headed bimbo recovers."
Without further discussion, Paul ordered everyone to get on Ganyu's back before directing her to race towards Fort Necross. The demonic fortress was known to be impregnable, but without Atofe and Moore to protect it, Paul was confident they could wreak havoc and seize the throne room by the time the immortal duo returned. If Atofe didn't admit defeat after that, they would have no choice but to flee and gather reinforcements...
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Precisely half an hour after it had started, the torrent of lightning raining down on Atofe's body began to dissipate. Once it had stopped altogether, Moore made his way over to the rather sizeable crater that had formed to find a pool of liquid stone and a skeletal, charred-black corpse covered in red hot armor.
As Holy and Lightning Elemental Energy prevented Immortal Demons from dematerializing and dispersing into particulates of Mana, Atofe had been forced to endure the brunt of Ei's attack in her physical form. She was still alive, but every ounce of flesh from her body had been burned away, leaving naught but a child-like skeleton behind.
Without so much as batting an eye, Moore ripped off his left arm before tossing it toward the skeletal remains. His flesh began to char and slough away instantly due to the intense heat, but that didn't really matter. The most important thing was the Mana contained within the limb.
Though Immortal Demons were unable to drain the life of most creatures, they possessed the unique ability to draw vitality from their descendants. The moment Moore's arm landed next to her, a dark-red mist flowed from the cracks in between the charred flesh, flowing into Atofe's skeleton and nourishing her body starting from the marrow.
As if prompted by Moore's sacrifice, Atofe's body began to regenerate at an alarming rate. It didn't even take a full three minutes before Atofe, now in a form only slightly more developed than Kishirika, appeared within the magma pool, seemingly impervious to its heat.
Noticing the condition of her body, an amused chuckle emanated from Atofe's throat as she mused, "Wow, how many hundreds of years has it been since I assumed such a form? I believe the last time was the night before my husband kicked the bucket? Hahahahaha~!"
As this was far from the first time her body had been split in two, both literally and physically, Atofe wasn't concerned by her present state. She also didn't bother to ask if Moore was okay despite the fact he now had a single arm. He would eventually regenerate the lost limb, so the first thing she asked him was, "Where'd that purple-haired monster run off to? We're nowhere near done."
Instead of conveying Ei's words of warning, Moore replied, "I believe she returned to her Master's side. Beyond that, I'm not sure where they went."
Clicking her tongue, Atofe muttered, "Boring..." before rising from the pool of magma. Her red-hot armor conveniently readjusted to her new size, so she didn't have to worry about streaking around naked whenever she took an attack that destroyed either her body or armor.
Just as Atofe recovered her sword, a teleportation circle appeared a few meters away from her and Moore. The number of individuals that could use Teleportation Magic could be counted on a single hand, so Atofe was unsurprised when one of her Heavenly Kings, a red-skinned woman with black hair and glowing red eyes, appeared. She had a red crest carved on her abdomen and an outfit resembling tribal garb, but the first thing Atofe and Moore noticed were her many injuries.
"Bhathia? What the heck happened to you...?"
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Expecting a massive fortress that rivaled the Silver Palace in size, Paul was surprised to find that Fort Necross, once home to the legendary Five Elements Demon King, was a relatively small castle town, smaller than the private estates of most Asuran Nobles.
Surveying the fortress from a distance, Paul noted that it was separated into five sections by thick ramparts that ascended towards a glistening black keep like a set of stairs.&nbsp;
The first three sections of the fortress were an ordinary-looking castle town, the buildings resembling roughshod abodes, while the second and third had markedly more ornate structures, presumably belonging to soldiers and members of Atofe's Elite Guard. As for the remaining two, the fourth section resembled a parade/training ground, while the final section housed a rather imposing black keep, its surface smooth and polished like an eerie black gemstone or some sort of futuristic metal.
While the rest of the fortress, including its ramparts, appeared relatively ordinary, the keep looked like something straight out of science fiction. It was clearly a castle, complete with battlements and several towers, but it also resembled a series of black, predominately windowless skyscrapers that had been merged like a crystal cluster. Stranger still, the keep showed no signs of wear, tear, or even uncleanliness despite existing for thousands of years and enduring countless sieges.
Providing some insight into the fortress's rumored impregnability, Ganyu telepathically informed, ("There are Mana pathways permeating much of the fortress's structure, similar to a living organism. There is a possibility it can defend itself autonomously.")
Lending further credibility to Ganyu's claim, Venti playfully mused, "That would explain why most of the guards are just lazing about. They're all sleeping, drinking, brawling, or playing dice. I can't sense a single person tending their post seriously."
Since she was the only one that could see clearly from several kilometers away, Venti was providing tidbits of information as Ganyu flew around at a safe distance above and away from Fort Necross. The latter was outfitted with a total of 127 anti-wyvern ballistae, a countermeasure against the local Black Drake population, so approaching within eight hundred meters was exceptionally dangerous.
Unsurprised by Venti's remark, Paul nodded and replied, "That sound's about right. Most of Atofe's Elite Guard are hundreds of years old, and their strength is rumored to be around the threshold for a Saint. It would honestly be stranger if they were super alert."
Furrowing her brows, Jean asked, "Are you sure about this, Paul? If that rumor is accurate, we could quickly find ourselves overwhelmed. Saints shouldn't be looked down upon."
Nodding her head in agreement, Eula appended, "At the very least, you should consider staying back with Lilia, Ghislaine, and Ganyu. If we die, it's no big deal; you can always resummon us. If you die..."
Understanding what Eula was trying to say, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he resisted the urge to sigh. He knew how foolish it was to assume people would act and behave a certain way based on his previous life's experiences, but he refused to live the life of a coward. He probably wouldn't be the one to defeat Hitogami, but he would be damned if he just sat back and observed the fight from a safe distance...
"Relax. Unless we go out of our way to slaughter her men, I can't imagine Atofe going out of her way to try and kill me. If she refuses to back down after we seize her throne room, we'll flee the Demon Continent and return at a later date. Worst-case scenario, I'll end up in a tower or a prison cell until Ganyu returns with reinforcements and you girls regain your strength in the IOF."
Unconvinced by Paul's words, Xinyan voiced the concern shared by most of the girls present, her expression revealing her deep concern as she asked, "And what if she decides to follow through on her previous threat? I don't want you to have to experience something like that..."
Closing his eyes, Paul exhaled through his nose before opening them to stare directly at Xinyan as he said, "If she follows through on her threat, I will endure and seek revenge. Others have experienced much worse and survived, so I'll eventually bounce back. After that, she only has herself to blame for what happens..."
Before Xinyan could respond, Paul cast his steely, green-eyed gaze over the rest of his companions and added, "You all entrusted yourself to me when you joined the IOF. To that end, I am prepared to endure as much as necessary to ensure you never have to suffer. If you're worried about my mental wellness, never compromise with the enemy or put yourself in a situation where I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I would rather hate someone for doing something to me than lament being unable to protect the people I care about...never, ever forget that."
Finished with what he had to say, Paul promptly turned away to deter any responses and conceal his awkwardness. Unfortunately, Venti didn't care about his attempts to play off his embarrassment and try to act cool. The moment he turned around, she pounced on him from behind, her massive breasts pressing into his back as she hugged him tightly and mused, "My hero~" before playfully biting the lobe of his ear...
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After learning from Aldrich that Moore had been defeated in an instant, Bhathia and Regas, the remaining Heavenly Kings, were feeling nervous for the first time in centuries. They believed in their Mistress's strength, but Moore was comparable to a seasoned Northern Emperor due to his mastery of various weapons and his ability to shorten the incantations of Advanced and even Saint-Ranked Magic Spells to just a handful of words or phrases.
As not even their Mistress could defeat Moore as quickly as Aldrich had attested, Bhathia couldn't help remarking, "That slimy bastard has to be lying..." while biting the nail of her right thumb.
Responding to the red-skinned woman, Regas, an androgynous man with ashen-purple skin, silvery hair, red eyes, and long, pointed ears, replied, "It matters not. We will remain here and watch over the fortress until our Master's inevitable return."
Though he wasn't a Demon like the majority of Atofe's guards, Regas, one of the few surviving Drow Elves, had near-absolute trust in the abilities of his Mistress. He had witnessed her facing off against Perugius and his allies more than a dozen times during the war, so, while he didn't doubt the veracity of Aldrich's report, he believed that Atofe would, at the very least, return alive.
Shifting her glowing red eyes to her colleague, Bhathia snorted when she witnessed Regas polishing one of his curved, scimitar-like blades. He only ever did as much when he was feeling nervous, so a teasing sneer marred her face as she said, "With our Mistress and Moore away, it's up to you to repel anyone who dares attack the keep. It must be frightening, not being able to hide in the back with your little bow and arrows."
Narrowing his eyes, Regas venomously replied, "I understand you're afraid, but how do either of us benefit from you inciting a quarrel while our Mistress is enthralled with the enemy? Unless, of course, you have betrayed us...?"
With her eyes releasing an intense, fiery-red light, Bhathia levitated from the ground, staring down at Regas as she growled, "You long-eared sack of refuse. You dare to accuse me of treason!?"
Unsheathing a pair of forearm-length daggers that doubled as magical wands, Bhathia was seriously considering teleporting Regas to the center of a Black Drake nest when the sound of an explosion promptly drew their attention. Immediately after that, the sound of an alarm bell echoed from outside as the keep's walls began to glisten with purple and green light, a tell-tale sign the fortress's defenses had been activated.
Unable to conceal the panic in her gaze, Bhathia exclaimed, "The enemy is here!? What about Lady Atofe...!?"
Ignoring his colleague's outburst, Regas unsheathed his second curved sword before sinking into his shadow and racing towards the keep's singular entrance at extreme speeds. There were other ways in and out of the keep, but they involved trespassing a room that suppressed Magic or sneaking in through an underground labyrinth. Neither would result in the soldiers sounding the alarm, so Regas assumed the enemy was attacking from the front.
Seeing Regas 'run' off, Bhathia furrowed her brows and clicked her tongue before crossing her daggers over her chest and teleporting outside, high in the sky and away from any conflict. The fortress would have no way of resupplying quickly without her power, so Moore had ordered her to avoid fighting unless she was certain of her victory.
Upon reaching her destination, the pupils of Bhathia's eyes contracted to the size of pinholes when she saw the state of the courtyard preceding the keep. It hadn't even been a full minute since the explosion that drew their attention, but nearly every member of their Elite Guard had been defeated, their 'corpses' littered about the courtyard or slumped down atop the ramparts they were charged with protecting.
Before Bhathia could fully grasp the situation, a sword-shaped flame more than three meters across and triple that in length barreled toward her with the speed and intensity of a living drake. She managed to slice through it with relative ease, but there were an additional sixteen blades right behind it.
"Impos-"
Unable to finish her utterance, Bhathia's body was promptly enveloped by the rapid-fire Magic spells. Flame Slice was only an Intermediate-Ranked Fire Magic, but it was still a three-verse Spell. Even with Truncated Spell-Casting or Chanting Omission, it wasn't a Spell conventional Mages could cast multiple of. Even if they could, they would utterly exhaust their Mana, leaving themselves exposed and vulnerable.
Unleashing a surge of magical power, Bhathia broke free from the sphere of flames that had formed around her, shouting as she prepared to make her opponent pay for their indiscretion. Instead, goosebumps developed across her body as she emerged to find a laser-like beam of bluish-white flames obstructing her view like a pillar.
Reacting instantly, Bhathia created several layers of Intermediate-Ranked Barrier Magic between herself and the beam of light. They were ultimately unable to stop the beam's passage, but they bought her just enough time to dodge to the side.
Not recognizing the Spell, Bhathia exclaimed, "What the fuck was that!?" as she continued to take evasive action. There were no additional attacks, but she didn't feel safe despite being hundreds of meters in the sky.
Seeing her target flee to the opposite side of the keep, out of her line of sight, Xinyan clicked her tongue and muttered, "I missed..." in an audibly annoyed tone. She didn't know how powerful the woman in the sky was, but she wanted to contribute to the conquest of the fortress rather than leaving everything to Ei, Jean, and Eula.
Having heard Xinyan's remark, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he said, "I don't know about that. Considering how fast she took off, I think you did a good job. After all, if your attack had landed, you may have inadvertently killed her..."
With Paul following his words by caressing her head, a faint blush colored Xinyan's cheeks as she lowered her head and stared at him with upturned eyes. She knew using melded Plasma Magic was a little overkill, but she never had the opportunity to use it as it was too dangerous to use indoors or anywhere near the ground. After all, even the coldest Plasma she was able to generate was around 10,000 degrees, more than enough to ignite wooden structures or set the surrounding grass and trees on fire.
Interrupting Xinyan's presumed apology, Paul moved his hand from her head to her cheek, gently caressing it as Jean and Eula bullied Regas in the background...
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With Ei, Eula, Xinyan, and Jean forming a perimeter around Moore's bound body, Paul asked, "Why did you attack us?"
Seemingly oblivious to his circumstances, Moore maintained an ostensibly calm and composed demeanor as he replied, "It was a trial. Our Mistress, the Immortal Demon King, Atoferatofe Raibaku, has developed an interest in you and your Party. You should prepare yourselves."
"Right..."
Instead of regarding Moore's words as bluster, Paul turned to Ei and said, "Try not to kill anyone once they arrive. Most of Atoferatofe's central forces possess some form of immortality, but it's better to be safe than sorry. We may end up fighting, but we're not enemies."
Since the blast that had drawn their attention had targetted the 'road' rather than the carriage itself, Paul assumed Moore and Aldrich hadn't been trying to kill them. They likely just wanted to stop the carriage so they could pass on their Mistress's words before testing their strength. Unfortunately for them, Ei was more of a 'strike first, ask questions later' kind of person.
Not expecting such a 'sensible' response from Paul, Moore craned his left brow ever so slightly as he remarked, "You're no ordinary human..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Paul replied, "I can't afford to be." before asking, "Are you going to cause trouble if we release you? I'd rather your Mistress not assume we're holding you hostage."
Without shaking or nodding his head, Moore replied, "Your ally has bested me in single combat. Unless ordered to do so by my Mistress, I will stand aside in the coming conflict."
Though he didn't exactly trust the silver-haired Demon, Paul nodded his head before removing Moore's bindings. They were formed using Dendro Elemental Energy, so he could will them away whenever he wanted.
Freed from his bindings, Moore retrieved the lower half of his bisected armor before holding the severed pieces up to the parts that were still intact. To the surprise of Paul and Party, the severed parts seemed to 'snap' back into place as if drawn by a powerful magnet. Moments later, the armor was completely whole again.
Unable to contain himself, Paul remarked, "That's pretty handy..." in an audibly impressed tone. He knew the ashen black armor worn by Atofe and her subordinates had to be special, but the novel and anime rarely went into the specifics of magical items and artifacts that weren't integral to the plot.&nbsp;
Though he understood Paul's curiosity, Moore cautioned, "It's an armor specifically crafted for Immortals. It draws upon the wearer's vitality to enhance their physical parameters, increase its durability, and repair itself. Unless you have a death wish, I would advise against trying to steal a set for yourself..."
While dismissively waving his hand, Paul assured, "Don't worry. I'm not really into the whole armor thing. A breastplate is one thing, but full plate armor? No thanks."
"Hmmm..."
Giving Paul a quick once-over, Moore noticed he was wearing very little protection. He had a gauntlet on his left hand, a mithril undertunic, and a thin breastplate that appeared to be treated with orichalcum. These were top-quality defensive garments against monsters and mundane threats, but they were functionally useless against opponents Saint-Ranked and above.
"You must be confident in your ability to protect yourself..."
Catching Moore a little off guard, Paul shook his head and admitted, "I still have a long way to go." before gesturing to Ei and the others as he added, "Fortunately, I'm blessed to have capable allies."
Recalling how Ei had sliced through both his Saint-Ranked Fire Magic and his body before he could get out a single word, Moore didn't doubt Paul's claim. Instead, he gave the purple-haired Archon an appraising look, his eyes lingering a little longer than they should have on her ample cleavage.
Narrowing her Electro-purple eyes, Ei coldly remarked, "My body is mine and my Master's alone. If you intend to keep those eyes, you will control where they look..."
Immediately averting his eyes, Moore remarked, "It was not my intent to offend. However, your-"
Interrupting before Moore could finish, Ei coldly stated, "I do not require your compliments." as the air began to crackle around her.
Realizing he was up against an uncompromising force, Moore swallowed the knot that had formed in his throat before turning to meet Paul's gaze as he said, "They're a lot more than capable..."
Adopting a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Paul replied, "I am well aware." before asking, "Any idea when your Mistress should be arriving?"
Shifting his gaze to the sky, Moore hesitated for a moment before saying, "With her speed, she should have arrived by now. If I had to guess, she is probably spying on us from a distance."
Instead of looking around himself, Paul looked to Ei, Venti, Ghislaine, and Ganyu, asking, "Sense anything?"
Though Ei, Ghislaine, and Ganyu either shook their heads or replied in the negative, Venti emulated Moore's act of looking skyward as she playfully inquired, "Does she have blue skin, a large horn, bluish-white hair, a large sword, and black panties~?"
Looking skyward, Paul had to cover his eyes to filter out the brilliant white sunlight. Even then, he still couldn't see whatever Venti and Moore were staring at. However, considering his eyes were photosensitive enough to see clearly in the dark, that wasn't too surprising...
Trusting in Venti's eyesight, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he waved towards the presumed direction of Atofe and said, "Yo. Nice to meet-"
Before Paul could finish speaking, a figure impacted the ground like a tungsten rod dropped from orbit. A large explosion of dust and debris erupted from the area where the figure made contact, followed by the sound of several sonic booms and deranged-sounding laughter.
"Bwahahahahahaha! You've finally come, Paul Greyrat and his infamous Party, Einherjar...!"
Following the feminine outburst, a powerful gust swept through the area as a woman with features matching Venti's description swung a sheathed sword nearly as broad as her waist to disperse the cloud of dust. The only notable additions were the diminutive, bat-like wings on her back, the fact her hair was done up in a wild ponytail that fanned outward in defiance of gravity, and her height...
Though he knew Atofe was supposed to be short, Paul was slightly taken aback to see that the legendary Demoness was roughly the same height as Ganyu, approximately 160cm. She was remarkably well developed, but with her thick armor on, she actually appeared more dainty than muscular or athletic...
Recognizing the look on Paul's face, Atofe shouldered her comically large sword and asked, "What? Were you expecting me to be as big as my little brother?"
Shaking his head, Paul replied, "Not exactly...I just didn't expect you to be so...dainty?"
With an overbroad smile that revealed pearly white, surprisingly human-like teeth, Atofe playfully remarked, "Careful, brat. I didn't come here to kill you. Don't make me change my mind."
Though he didn't doubt Atofe could kill him, Paul adopted a smile of his own as he countered, "Shall we make a wager...?"
Narrowing her glowing red, black sclera eyes, Atofe's smile became even more prominent as she inquired, "Hoooo~? What kind of wager...?"
Gesturing toward Ei, Paul said, "If my Kagemusha manages to defeat you, you will welcome us as guests within Fort Necross. If you are dissatisfied with her performance, I will become your captive for the next three years. Deal?"
After mulling over the matter for quite some time, Paul realized that it would probably be best to settle down and train his ass off rather than wandering aimlessly around the Demon Continent. He also wanted to put Kishirika's theory to the test, so even if he had to 'suffer' for a few years, he was willing to swallow his pride if it allowed him to become immortal...
Without needing to consider her response, Atofe replied, "Sure. But if your side loses, I'll be taking all of you as prisoners. There aren't many females around Fort Necross, so I'll have them service my men while you undergo training as my pet."
Though he wanted to believe Atofe was joking, Paul's expression became severe as he stated, "We didn't venture here to antagonize you or become your enemies..."
Shrugging her shoulders, Atofe retorted, "Humanity does much worse to Demons they enslave or take prisoner. At least I offer people the chance to leave after ten years of service. You'll also be well fed and given ample opportunities to escape and grow stronger, so don't bother complaining to me about things like fairness or decency. Power and authority are the only things that matter in this world."
Without further word, Atofe launched herself toward Ei with enough force to cause a mighty explosion. She had yet to unsheathe her sword, but the speed of her movement was fast enough to ignite the air around her body and sheathe, giving her an even more demonic appearance.
Having been on guard the entire time, Ei didn't so much as flinch in the face of Atofe's surprise attack. Instead, she took a single step backward before her entire body abruptly disappeared, reappearing behind Atofe in an instant.
As her flaming sword swept through the area where Ei had been standing a single moment prior, a bemused, "Oh?' emanated from Atofe's throat as a series of purple lines appeared out of thin air. In the very next moment, the world around her began to spin rapidly as her head, leaving behind a corkscrewing trail of blood, spiraled through the air.
Brandishing her sword in a slicing motion, Ei's expression remained a mask of serenity as she gazed back over her shoulder to witness Atofe's body and armor separating like chaff from an aircraft due to her forward momentum. The only thing that wasn't even remotely damaged was her peculiar purple sword, which, despite receiving a cut, only lost part of its sheathe.
Though most opponents would have been killed by such a decisive blow, Atofe waited for her head to stop rolling before adopting a toothy grin and excitedly remarking, "Not bad! You even infused lightning into your attack to make it harder for me to regenerate! Bwahahahahaha~!"
Despite her words, the blood and individual chunks of Atofe's body rose from the ground and started to gravitate toward one another in a ghastly yet impossible to turn away from manner. Paul was briefly reminded of the scene of Majin Buu regenerating as Atofe quite literally turned into a ball of writhing flesh before morphing back into her original form, fully clothed and armored.
While rubbing and popping her neck, Atofe's smile became even wider as she stared at Ei and said, "I love that cold and arrogant look in your eyes. Perhaps I'll make you my pet and let that little boy replace you on service duty? You know what they say, a hole's a hole."
As Ei narrowed her eyes, Atofe extended her right hand toward her sword. In response, it spun towards her like a wayward propeller before stopping the moment she closed her hand around the forearm-sized hilt.
"Unfortunately for you, the lightning infused into your attacks seems to lack the purification properties of genuine Lightning Magic. You'll need to do a lot better than that if you want to protect your friends."
Removing what remained of her sheathe, Atofe held up her oversized sword with a prideful expression on her face as she attempted to explain what made it special. Before she could, however, a bead of sweat formed near the base of her horn, as, for a brief moment, Ei's form appeared to blot out the sky as she sliced toward her with an impossibly large sword...
"This one might hur-"
Interrupting Atofe's quip, Ei released roughly thirty percent of the Electro Energy she had stockpiled over the last year and a half. Paul had told her to try to avoid killing, but Ei would never allow her Master to be captured and subjected to maltreatment. Thus, for the first time since her arrival in the world of Mushoku Tensei, she exhibited her true power as the Electro Archon. As a result, a glowing purple channel nearly a kilometer long was spontaneously formed in the Demon Continent...
...
..
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Chapter 159: MI159: Divine Retribution