novelraw Chapter 218: Demon Gate (Two-in-One)
Chapter 218: Demon Gate (Two-in-One)
"This way, Jasmine."
And outside the Nari Lake royal forbidden area, Fisher, covering his lower abdomen, was leading Jasmine constantly moving downwards towards Klein Mountain. Jasmine, following behind Fisher, looked at the wound on his lower abdomen and couldn't help but say with some worry,
"Fisher, your wound..."
Fisher's movements didn't stop in the slightest. He merely shook his head, rapidly observing whether there were Elizabeth's soldiers blocking the way below.
At the distant vault of heaven, a beam of golden light slowly spread along the horizon. Before long it had already arrived in midair, flanking from both the ocean and behind the Nari Lake, wrapping up the entirety of Saint-Nazareth.
Fisher, possessing a deep understanding of magic, recognized at a glance that powerful military blockade magic. Just as Elizabeth had said, the army had already surrounded the entirety of Saint-Nazareth.
"Elizabeth promised to give us twenty minutes to leave, but according to her character, it's highly possible that in ten minutes, or even five minutes, she will begin taking action to catch people. She is someone who would break the rules even when playing hide and seek, and also wouldn't believe I could smoothly escape Saint-Nazareth."
Jasmine evidently also saw the spectacular, massive magic completely wrapping Saint-Nazareth in the distance. But having just woken up, she was still a bit doubtful,
"But, why... does Her Highness Elizabeth want to catch us, did we commit some crime? Clearly it was Black who..."
Fisher didn't mention Jasmine almost having her head chopped off by Elizabeth like a fish on a chopping board, nor did he mention Elizabeth being the mastermind behind the scenes. Now wasn't the time to talk about these things; they had to seize all time to leave here.If truly given half an hour Fisher might still have time to return to his rental house to grab [The Undoer], and then find an opportunity to escape Saint-Nazareth. But if Elizabeth truly took action to catch people in five minutes, Fisher also couldn't guarantee whether they could escape in the end.
But at the very least he had to let Jasmine smoothly leave Saint-Nazareth, because Fisher believed Elizabeth truly would beat Jasmine and take her back to make soup.
"Let's not talk about this for now. Go this way, there seem to be soldiers below."
Fisher's body had the Dragon-kin's bonus. Merely during these few minutes of fleeing, the wound at his lower abdomen unexpectedly began healing anew. The Eimhart hiding within his trouser pocket, sensing it was already safe, also flew out at this time, but still maintained his shrunken appearance, causing him to speak with a "buzz buzz buzz" sound like a fly.
"Scared this book to death, scared this book to death. I just felt there was a kindred nearby... a conscious relic! Moreover, her temper is extremely bad. I struck up a conversation with her, but she ignored me..."
"..."
Fisher didn't reply. Jasmine behind him, however, looked rather anxiously at that book floating in midair and said,
"Mr. Sir Book, the entirety of Saint-Nazareth is now locked down. Do you have any way for us to leave here?"
Sir Book blinked his eyes, raising his head to cast a glance at the magic in the sky. He already had an answer in his heart. Just as he opened his mouth, Fisher running ahead also simultaneously spoke the answer along with him,
"Serpent's Head Street."
"Oh, exactly, it is Serpent's Head Street... wait, you also know a pair of Demon sisters live there?"
"Demon sisters?"
This time it was Fisher's turn to be doubtful. He fundamentally didn't know what things lived within Serpent's Head Street. But the wanted pirate Alajina back then exactly left Saint-Nazareth through Serpent's Head Street. She told him deep within the Snake Head Tavern there were people providing this kind of service; at the time he didn't ask carefully.
But as a Naris person he knew, deep within Serpent's Head Street was a subterranean river connecting to the ocean. The terrain was extremely deep and gloomy; even the authorities hadn't explored clearly what exactly was within, let alone those gang members. The people able to provide services there weren't ordinary people.
Moreover, later when Eliog came to Saint-Nazareth she also told Fisher she came by boat from deep within Serpent's Head Street. This further corroborated there might still be a glimmer of survival there.
Therefore Fisher was putting all his eggs in one basket, gambling that there was a method to escape Saint-Nazareth. This was also a method out of having no other methods.
Facing Elizabeth's pursuit, seeking anyone for help right now would be bringing disaster upon others; Fisher didn't intend to seek others for help.
"Exactly. Deep within Serpent's Head Street live two Demon sisters responsible for guarding the gate. Legend has it in ancient times, the underground near every human settlement had entrances leading to the Demon Dynasty. Demons snuck into human society through those entrances to carry out acts of bewitchment. The Demon Gods, however, worried humans would enter the Abyss through those entrances, hence familiar Demons were dispatched to guard each entrance..."
"Because directly going to harvest Fallen Self-Nature, this kind of dirty work, is generally loved by Little Demons and familiars, especially familiars, this kind of middling Demon. And the vast majority of more powerful Demons generally won't easily leave the Abyss. They are already so powerful that they can perceive it when humans chant and call upon them. Compared to extracting Fallen Self-Nature, I am more willing to call their method of eating, sacrificing..."
As Sir Book spoke, Fisher thought anew of the pillar of fire he saw at the illusory place before Eliog came to the rescue. The humans kneeling and worshipping before the pillar of fire seemed to be making sacrifices to Eliog.
"But since the Demon Dynasty fell, and the true forms of the 72 Demon God Pillars were locked beneath the Abyss, these entrances were all entirely abandoned. However, near Saint-Nazareth there oddly remained two gatekeepers... Of course, I haven't truly seen them either, it's what the tales of anomalies in the library said. Who knows if this is true? Since being caught by that bad Demon and having several pages torn, I've had an extreme loathing for this kind of creature."
Wait, are you sure it's loathing and not fear?
Jasmine listened absorbedly, but the speed of fleeing wasn't slow in the slightest. In less than a few minutes, they had already arrived beside the Klein River.
Exactly, the two of them were going to follow the old tradition of escaping via the river again. Otherwise, relying on running they absolutely couldn't outrun those soldiers; only relying on the little underwater motor Jasmine could they achieve a latecomer's overtaking.
Fisher and Jasmine had just prepared to enter the river, when above Nari Lake behind them squad after squad of soldiers wearing golden armor jogged down. Simultaneously, quite a few messengers made of gold consequently ascended into the sky, flying toward various places in Saint-Nazareth. Obviously, it was to notify all the city's soldiers to catch Fisher.
Fisher lowered his head and cast a glance at the time, seven minutes twenty seconds.
Mhm, sure enough, as he expected...
"Jasmine, I'm counting on you."
"Mhm!"
Jasmine nodded in the water. She gently gripped Fisher's hand. After the two of them simultaneously entered the water, the Eimhart floating on the surface of the water but blinked his eyes,
"Wait, according to the transac... Ahhh!"
Eimhart was still worrying about matters after he soaked in water. But before his words finished speaking, the Fisher in the water grabbed him down into the water with one handful. Jasmine also gently flicked her tail, leaving the spot like an arrow and swimming downstream.
Although Xi Yate was taken away by Elizabeth, Fisher wasn't worried Elizbaeth would harm her. Having Pandora she could easily judge she didn't have a relationship with him.
The river water of the Klein River was still so cold, so fast. It was merely that last time Fisher swam with Jasmine he was unconscious. At the time he felt the swimming speed of Whale-kin in the water was actually extremely fast; now in a clear-headed state, this feeling was even more profound.
The little fishes, waterweeds and other scenery at the bottom of the water rapidly swept past. The oncoming water current struck Fisher's face until it was sore and astringent. Although he could breathe in the water, he hadn't obtained the ability to survive in the water. If Jasmine knocked him out and dragged him back to the bottom of the sea, he would very likely be crushed to death by the water pressure.
The Fisher in the water narrowed his eyes, allowing Jasmine to carry him forward. Before long they had already arrived at the urban area.
The river water in the urban area was a bit shallower, but due to Anna's march, the surrounding vibrations were extremely intense.
"Rumble!"
In the next second, right when Fisher wanted to look through the water surface to see what the situation outside was, a deep red giant lightning longspear fiercely pierced through the sky all at once, dyeing the entire vault of heaven gloomy.
"Killing Dragonspear... has Teacher returned?"
Seeing the true appearance of that destruction magic, Fisher lastly also set his mind at ease, no longer worrying about the situation within Saint-Nazareth, focusing entirely on the major matter of escaping before him.
Following the Klein River repeating the previous escape route, but unexpectedly, the way was blocked at a place approaching Serpent's Head Street.
"Fisher, the river ahead has stopped flowing!"
As mentioned before, many of Saint-Nazareth's rivers would discharge through Serpent's Head Street. To control the water flow, Naris people set up restricting water sluices at Serpent's Head Street. The water sluices now were abnormally closed; without thinking one knew it was done intentionally by someone.
At this moment, both banks of the river were entirely soldiers wearing golden armor patrolling along the river. Obviously, Elizabeth had long anticipated they would escape from the river, so she deployed in advance.
"Let's go ashore, entering from the main entrance of Serpent's Head Street!"
Fisher gently patted Jasmine's fish tail. The Fluid Sword in his hand extended anew. Waiting for Jasmine to nod, he fiercely leapt out from the water, facing the soldiers on the shore head-on.
"It's Fischer Benavides, quickly go notify Her Highness!"
"Catch him! Only catch him alone!"
But in midair, the mercury sword blade in Fisher's hand fiercely congealed, turning into a massive hammer shape. He didn't smash toward those soldiers, but smashed toward the open space between them.
"Quickly dodge!"
The soldiers beside dodged one after another. After Fisher's attack landed, dense cracks constantly transmitted, until the road aside the river bank entirely collapsed. The soldiers standing beside momentarily unable to dodge consecutively fell toward the river below.
Serpent's Head Street often had disputes. The New Party undertook the task of repairing the adjacent roads, and then the quality turned out not so good.
And the soldiers still standing aside consecutively erected long spears, preparing to use Thunder Chain Magic to catch Fisher. But the Jasmine in the water also came ashore at this moment. With a sweep of her large tail, she swept down the weapons of those soldiers one after another,
"Don't stop, we have to leave quickly."
Fisher harbored absolutely no desire for battle. Watching a breakthrough point scattered open in the encirclement, he brought Jasmine and ran toward the direction of Serpent's Head Street. There was still a distance from here to Serpent's Head Street; the two of them still needed to run an entire street.
"Quickly catch them, we found Fischer Benavides!"
But on the street behind, the soldiers coming for disaster relief one after another received transfer orders and moved toward this side. For a time, wearing golden armor soldiers were everywhere on the roads from all directions.
Fisher and Jasmine constantly dashed madly forward. There were soldiers pursuing and intercepting behind, and at the entrance of Serpent's Head Street ahead there was a large crowd of evacuating masses leaving here under the guidance of a New Party official,
"Stop! Listen to my command! Walk slower! Hey, I know... those with children watch your children!"
Standing within the crowd, Fisher saw at a glance the man taking the lead constantly reaching out to direct and shout. Right at this moment he wore a white shirt. That usually somewhat feeble face was right at this moment also covered in sweat.
The New Party parliament member named Tlander, although he had done basically no good deeds on normal days, at least now he was still standing at the front lines of work.
Seeing no colleagues willing to come over to help the masses near Serpent's Head Street, he alone ran over, preparing to lead the nearby workers to leave.
As he directed and directed, distantly he heard the sound of armor colliding in the distance. Panting he raised his head and looked, only to see Fisher and Jasmine constantly dashing madly in front of the soldiers.
"Fisc- Fisher?"
Tlander opened his mouth, exchanging a glance midair with that dripping wet Fisher. He cast a glance at the soldiers constantly approaching behind, and after hesitating for a second, abruptly shouted loudly,
"Everyone! Everyone! Her Highness the Crown Princess' soldiers have come over to help you with disaster relief! Don't move first, listen to the soldiers' arrangements, and evacuate with them to a safe location!"
"Her Highness the Crown Princess!"
"Her Highness Elizabeth's soldiers?"
The title of the Crown Princess was still exceedingly resoundingly renowned. Although many masses feared those soldiers gripping weapons, because of Elizabeth's title, they probingly began crowding toward that side.
Fisher cast a glance at Tlander with gratitude. But after Tlander nodded at him, he abruptly saw the Jasmine he was leading behind him. He silently raised his middle finger, and then worried the soldiers would discover him playing dirty, hurriedly scrambled into the crowd.
And the soldiers behind watched helplessly as Jasmine and Fisher squeezed into the crowd, extremely angrily shouting loudly,
"Move aside first! Everyone! Move aside first! We are catching a very important criminal!"
"Hey, don't squeeze!"
"People behind are squeezing!"
But it was easy for the crowd to squeeze over, wanting to retreat backward however would be troublesome.
The disappointed crowd in front began retreating backward, but the people behind who hadn't heard were still squeezing forward. For a time, everyone was stuck at the entrance of Serpent's Head Street.
The soldiers also couldn't use weapons to clear a path, able only to watch helplessly as the fish in hand ran further and further away.
"Damn it! Which beast was it?!"
"Don't let me catch that bastard!"
Fisher was already unable to hear the soldiers' angry roars. He and Jasmine squeezed into the Serpent's Head Street located underground all at once. Rapidly going downwards along the steps, he was nevertheless given a fright by the scene before his eyes.
Serpent's Head Street was originally situated underground, and most architecture were self-built unsanctioned buildings. Having gone through the stir of the matter this morning, the houses inside collapsed those that would, the crowds ran those that would. Fisher even saw situations of committing crimes in broad daylight, chasing people to chop with raised knives.
Under these circumstances gangs certainly couldn't serve as official personnel; their deterrence fundamentally couldn't stop this kind of chaotic phenomenon. And the official personnel basically completely ignored Serpent's Head Street, otherwise Tlander wouldn't have ran over alone to evacuate the masses. Therefore right at this moment Serpent's Head Street lost its past restraints, falling into boundless chaos.
The street's ground was torn asunder and in pieces. There were also several collapsed corpses on both sides of the street; not killed by the disaster, but murdered by people.
Fisher narrowed his eyes. He suddenly remembered Old Jack's tavern was nearby, and Jasmine also remembered here. At the time Old Jack even held a gun to help him deal with Black's pursuers. Thus he thought of confirming Old Jack's safety first.
The two of them walked to the front of Old Jack's tavern, only to see the glass at the entrance fully shattered open. The tables and chairs inside tidied up neatly by Old Jack were also scattered all over the floor.
Fisher frowned. Just as he prepared to open the door, a gun barrel abruptly extended out from inside,
"Don't move!"
"...Old Jack?"
Hearing Fisher's voice, that gun barrel retracted from the crack in the door. The door leaf opened, revealing Old Jack inside dangling a cigarette. Upon his body were also sticking three shivering squirrel girls,
"Woo woo, Fisher, just now there were many bad guys wanting to come over and rob."
"Yeah, the basement also collapsed."
Dangling a cigarette, Old Jack sized up the devastated Serpent's Head Street outside. After spitting a mouthful of saliva he cursed,
"Saint-Nazareth is already looking like a battlefield with Schwari. Before it was that neither human nor ghost monster, now it's even better, the entire urban area has had such a huge mess. I think Dexter truly should apologize with death..."
Fisher felt that if Dexter's ghost knew under the springs, he would definitely thank Old Jack.
Old Jack cursed a sentence or two. Looking at Fisher before him, who was also in an extremely sorry state, he raised his eyebrows and said,
"What about you, how did you become like this?"
"It's a long story. We must leave Saint-Nazareth now. Since it's confirmed you're safe, then we will bid farewell."
"Leave Saint-Nazareth? Oh, the outside is blockaded by the army, it seems we indeed can only come here to try our luck... Wait a moment, I'll take Karma and them to leave Saint-Nazareth together with you."
"Together with us?"
Once this sentence came out, Fisher cast a glance at the Old Jack before his eyes. To tell the truth, Old Jack was already old. Leaving together with him was extremely dangerous. In the next second he was preparing to open his mouth to advise him a bit, but after taking a fierce drag of his cigarette, Old Jack interrupted his words,
"My tavern is ruined, there's nothing lingering for in Saint-Nazareth either. The only thing I can't let go of are these three. They stay in the basement every day accompanied by rats; over a long time I'm truly worried problems will arise with them..."
"As long as we're together with Grandpa, anywhere is fine."
Old Jack had thought of letting these three still young squirrel girls return to the Southern Continent, but they were still too young now, unable to care for themselves well yet. But no matter how, it was better than staying in Saint-Nazareth's basement.
The words had already reached this point. Fisher cast a glance at the situation outside, knowing there was already no time for nonsense now,
"Okay, then whatever you want to bring, quickly, we don't have much time."
Those three squirrel girls hugged Old Jack, extending their heads out one after another to exchange glances with the Jasmine beside Fisher. Additionally, another thoroughly washed clean rat scurried out from the top of one little girl's head to exchange glances together with her, giving Jasmine a fright.
"What is there to bring? Only a gun, bullets, a little money and these old bones of mine is enough..."
Carrying the double-barreled firearm in his hand, Old Jack walked back behind the bar counter. He pulled out the quite a few stacks of Nario saved up over this period of time, handed them separately to the three little girls on his body to safe-keep respectively. And then, he walked out of the shop, closing that wooden door that was about to fall apart, and lit another cigarette. This was considered ready, no different from when he came to Saint-Nazareth to strive possessing nothing back then.
Coming clean, leaving also clean... Oh, except for the addition of three cute granddaughters.
Fisher also wanted to be as unrestrained as him when he left, but this of course was unrealistic. In his rental house there was still that amiable Ms. Martha, and the work manuscripts he left behind over so many years...
But the situation was thus; he had to leave here.
Thinking up to this point, he no longer hesitated, leading Old Jack and Jasmine continuing to head deep within Serpent's Head Street.
"Eimhart, which way to go?"
Because the Sir Book in Fisher's embrace soaked in water once, his mood was extremely terrible, but hampered by his transaction with Fisher he also had no choice but to fly out and speak up. As a result, the squirrel girls lying on Old Jack saw this scene and even reached out to touch him,
"Enough, you three brats, don't touch me... The book only says to head towards the deepest place able to be reached, but how exactly I don't know, have to go to the scene to see."
"I've heard people from gangs say before, there have once been quite a few people coming up from under the Soul-Extinguishing Cliff..."
Old Jack stayed in Serpent's Head Street for a very long time, obviously knowing from time to time people would come from deep within Serpent's Head Street. While running, he guided the way for Fisher.
During the process of running, the street paved by stone bricks beneath their feet slowly changed. The surrounding environment became increasingly dark and gloomy. They had already skipped past the gang that took root and sprouted upon the cliff before. The Soul-Extinguishing Cliff they were going to this time was still quite a bit deeper.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
And the further back they leaned, the more distinct the sound of falling water currents deep within became. In the surroundings there were also illumination stones left behind by people who had come here in the past. From the dark rock walls, a path to death leading to the depths was revealed.
"It should be here."
Fisher sized up the path before his eyes, yet only saw that path seemed to be wrapped by a bizarre water vapor. The illumination came to an abrupt end here, revealing the pitch black of the path ahead to be even more profound.
Old Jack held the gun, unconsciously swallowing a mouthful of saliva, seemingly somewhat uncertain.
But Fisher already had no route of retreat. The soldiers in the distance definitely entered Serpent's Head Street; if he didn't leave anew he would be caught by Elizabeth.
He took the lead to walk forward. At the instant of entering that path, a bizarre gloomy coldness transitorily assaulted. When Jasmine and Old Jack behind stepped onto the path they also had distinct reactions. Old Jack and those three squirrel girls furthermore started trembling in body.
"It seems a little... amiss."
Within a patch of darkness, their group slowly moved their paces forward. Old Jack took a deep breath. Just as he opened his mouth, he abruptly heard a familiar person behind him calling him,
"Dad! Dad! I'm here!"
He was slightly startled. Holding the firearm he turned his head to look, yet only saw his son, wearing a pair of glasses and dressed in Royal Academy graduation robes, looking at him in the distance. Old Jack blankly distracted, but having just taken a step, half a foot had already stepped off the path. That sudden feeling of weightlessness scared a chill down his spine. He hurriedly hugged the squirrel girls in his embrace and retreated a pace or two back.
He lowered his head to look, the three squirrel girls in his embrace were also dizzy and confused, constantly mumbling something,
"Candies... so many candies."
"Fisher! There is something weird here!"
Fisher suddenly turned his head, yet only saw Jasmine seemed to have seen something within the darkness. She also blankly extended a hand towards a patch of dark abyss. At the corner of her eye, a crystal teardrop dropped along her face,
"Aunt..."
Fisher hurriedly reached out a hand and grabbed the Jasmine behind him, pulling her to lean back to the road,
"Jasmine! Over there is a cliff!"
Old Jack and Fisher, two people who had awakened, all leaned against the edge of the cliff. Fortunately the bizarre situation here wasn't severe, but the further forward they walked, the weirder the ability to tempt became. Old Jack even saw two women wearing not a shred of clothing waving at him in the distance.
"Hehe..."
"Come play, Uncle."
And Jasmine saw mountain-like food in the distance. She swallowed a mouthful of saliva, but still shook her head throwing that thought out of her head.
But Fisher walking in front was considered calm. But before long, the darkness and fog before his eyes slowly dispersed apart, revealing ahead was dark and gloomy like an abyss. The distant water currents became closer and closer with their constant advancement. Waiting until the fog dispersed, Fisher only then abruptly discovered their group had already stood upon a not-too-spacious small island.
He frowned, looking toward all sides. Their group unknown when had already walked from the Serpent's Head Street above to here. Only to be seen around the small island was entirely wrapped by rapidly galloping water currents. Naris' nine rivers converged here, therefore the water momentum was exceptionally fierce. Standing here, unexpectedly there was a delusion of being engulfed at any time.
They all at once walked from that path on the cliff without any sign to the bottom of the estuary cave possessing a height difference of several hundred meters from there...
And Fisher turned his head to look, only to see ahead of this small island quietly stood a massive stone gate seemingly made of a material like obsidian. That stone gate merely possessed the shape of a door; from bottom to top upon the door frame were engraved densely packed symbols. Every single symbol was mutually independent and entirely different. Counting carefully, those Sigils were unexpectedly seventy-two.
And at the left and right sides of that door frame, quietly sat two beautiful young girls whose appearances were exceedingly similar.
Those two young girls dressed lightly and cooly. Behind them a tail in the shape of an arrow similar to Eliog's yet much shorter drew a semicircle beside them.
Their hair was one black, one white. On both sides respectively grew a pair of curved horns like an antelope's. Those horns were slightly short, coordinating with their quiet sleeping faces it conversely appeared exceptionally seductive.
Those were two Demons!
"Heavens, I told you, near Saint-Nazareth there's a door leaf leading to the Abyss! It's merely that this door leaf has been closed for too long, but who could have thought unexpectedly there are still two Demons who haven't left land to return to the Abyss..."
Old Jack looking at those two Demons didn't feel unfamiliar, because he had seen Eliog.
Right at this instant Sir Book opened his mouth, the human voice seemingly like a match simultaneously ignited the tails of those two Demons before his eyes. Two fireball-like flames lit up in the darkness, and they consequently opened eyes resembling tongues of fire.