Blade of the Goddess-Chapter 22 - In the hands of the enemy

A few more days passed by and Zion continued to improve himself. He had broken through to the Proficient Expert stage and was getting used to his strength.

During this time, Aurora visited him a few times and they had a fun time studying. Even Lidia enjoyed her company and started learning runes with them even though she was better than Zion at them.

Currently, they are studying in his room and brushing up on runes and magic circles. Zion was practicing the rune of information. It allowed for information to be stored and transferred, whether it was mental information or physical information.

'If I can master this, sharing my knowledge will be a lot easier. Is this what auntie uses for her mind-reading magic?' He wondered

"I got it!" Lidia shouted with glee as she perfectly drew a teleportation magic circle using the runes of displacement.

"Thanks, Aurora, you're a great teacher." She hugged her.

"N-No, you're just a fast learner, I just showed you the basics." She blushed happily.

"Don't be like that, you're a great teacher, and you're a genius. I mean, you mastered every rune that's taught in school and some that aren't. Don't sell yourself short." Lidia complemented

That's right, out of all known basic and advanced runes, Aurora mastered all of them. She was a hidden genius.

Just then, an owl banged on the window holding a letter in its beak.

Opening the window, Zion let the owl in, fed it something to eat, and read the letter.

"Sigh, I have to go back home. My mother investigated the monster outbreak that was happening in our territory and confirmed that demons were behind it. She wants me there to aid her and my sisters."

"D-Demons?" Aurora was shocked upon hearing what he said. She, like everyone else in the world, was under the impression that Demons couldn't access the middle world.

Some dismissed demons as mere myths, their existence reduced to whispers of a long-forgotten past. After all, the last recorded sighting had been 10,000 years ago, remembered only by the oldest and most enduring races.

This belief was further reinforced by the nature of cultivation, where lifespan is extended with power. If even the long-lived humans had never encountered a demon, then surely they were nothing more than fairy tales. Or so they desperately hoped.

"It's a long story. Lidia, inform her of everything. And I mean everything. I'll be back soon, hopefully."

"Okay, be careful."

"I will, thanks." He cradled the owl on his arm and leaped out the window. At the apex of his jump, the owl morphed into a colossal bird, its wings unfurling to carry him effortlessly toward his home.

---

"Zion should be here soon, so make sure he's briefed on everything. I'll be heading back into the forest as there's something I need to investigate." Zaleena, decked out in armor, spoke to her daughters who were in Reina's lab studying the demon Zion had killed.

"Don't worry Mom, I'll let him know everything," Helen reassured.

"Thank you my sweets." Taking one step, she vanished from the room and appeared in the sky where she then rocketed off into the forbidden forest.

---

Zion made it home and was greeted by the servants and knights. He waved them off and went to where his siblings were.

"Oh, Zion, you're here." Hanna greeted him with a hug.

"So what's going on? Why does mom need me here?"

"I'm sure you read the letter, but demons are the ones behind the monster wave. Mom found traces of a demon there and killed it, but that alerted their higher ups and now the monster wave is going to start in a few hours at most." Reina explained

"I see, and our forces?" He asked

"Our borders are secured, and the forces of Marquis Victor, Viscount Howard, and Count James are all prepared and ready to go. Countess Celeste has also prepared her mages, but her work on the magic circles you left for her in your notes hasn't been completed, and she has only gotten one done so far."

"And what about the monsters? Is their strength still in the realm of our preparation?" Zion asked. Since the demons have been exposed, he assumed they would rather strike with absolute strength with strong monsters rather than wear the duchy down with numbers.

"The monsters have been reported to be stronger than normal. Some are a tier or two higher than previously recorded. Take a look at this." Reina tossed Zion a clear ball that looked and felt like glass.

"What is this?"

"It's an orb made out of pure demonic energy. Mom found this at the monster site, feeding them and turning them into demonic monsters and beasts. Once the demonic energy ran out, it solidified into this orb."

"That's why the monsters and mana beasts are stronger, huh? This isn't good. Combined with the corrupted mana in the area, they wouldn't just be stronger than normal, they'll be more ferocious and in some cases, poisonous."

"That's why our timetable has moved up. This demonic energy gave them the extra juice they needed to mature faster and stronger." She took the orb back from him.

"Mom wants to know if you can use your holy power to stop the demons and monsters." Hanna chimed in.

"I could, but that would be dangerous. I could get caught by the church here. They won't take kindly to an Apostle from another deity being in their land." Zion explained

"I know, and she didn't demand you use that power. She just wanted to know if you could use it if push comes to shove."

"If she's wondering things like that then the situation might not be good. Tell Rebecca to get Project Sunlight ready, I have a feeling I'll be needing it. I'll go to where mom is."

"Got it. We'll stay here and protect the house." Reina said while waving her brother goodbye.

'You just don't want to fight, you lazy bastard.' Zion thought to himself, but he didn't dare say that out loud in fear of his sister beating him up.

---

"This is the last one," Zaleena said as she attempted to cut the demonic orb in half, destroying the source of the monster's enhanced strength.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." An eerie voice came from behind. He was wearing a cloak with a hood, but once he stepped forward, he took it off.

Zaleena froze, not out of fear, but out of curiosity. She put her sword down and turned around to face the demon. He was tall, standing at seven feet. His skin was red with black horns coming out of his forehead. He had wings black as night and a scaled tail that resembled a crocodile's own.

"I take it you're behind this monster outbreak?" Zaleena questioned.

"Technically I'm not behind it but overseeing it." He spoke, his deep voice shaking the air.

"And what's your goal with this? Monster outbreaks aren't something we can't handle. Even your little demonic monsters wouldn't pose a threat to my dukedom, so what is your true goal here?"

"My, my, so many questions. Do you seriously think your enemy would casually spill their plans once asked? That's idiotic." He laughed, appearing behind Zaleena in an instant.

She wasn't surprised or scared, in fact, she tracked his moments and moved her head along with his speed, turning around to face him.

"I can tell you that your son has interrupted our plans and we made sure to deal with him. Unfortunately, he was stronger than we anticipated, and well, here we are. Hastening our plans in order to deal with the western front of the Astir kingdom."

His last words stuck with Zaleena the most. A monster outbreak wouldn't be a problem for her dukedom, however, demonic beasts and monsters would cause more trouble, but with her here, it could be handled.

'This means that the horde is probably a distraction and similar events are playing all over the kingdom. The demons are trying to divide us, and spread our forces thin so we can't help each other.' She concluded

"So what are you after?" She asked

"Oh, did your son not tell you? Or are you just playing dumb?" He chuckled

"The relics."

"Bingo! See, I knew you had it in you."

"Unfortunately for you, we don't know where the relics are, and they most definitely aren't in my territory." She smiled, knowing that they wouldn't get what they wanted. She also knew that the only way to find the relics was through the map and compass, something they didn't have.

"Oh yes I know that, but your son does." He smirked. "And didn't you call him over here? I'm sure he'll have what I'm looking for."

Zaleena couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock. She didn't know how they knew Zion had the map nor how they knew she had contacted them. And now, she just delivered her son into the arms of their enemy.

"Don't be so surprised, we have eyes and ears everywhere. Oh, and it looks like my package has arrived."

Breaking through the treetops, Zion landed next to his mother.

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"Yo, Mom, I got your-"

The demon wasted no time and immediately lunged at Zion.