Unknowingly, five years have passed since Ashton arrived in this timeline.
A lot has happened since then but some things never changed. Ashton still fights the plague that threatens the world he's currently in, only this time, he was doing it alone for the most part.
At this point, the Fey Race had already noticed the fruits of his labor. They still have no idea that it's being done by him but they are aware that the number of demon sightings were dwindling.
It's already rare to see demons nowadays. Most of the Demon Slaying Squads have been put out of commission due to Ashton's activities. They felt mixed emotions about this. On one hand, they're grateful that the demons aren't so much of a threat to their home anymore, but on the other hand, no demons also mean no work for them.
Without demons to kill, they will be forced to change professions to bring food to their tables.
They have no clue about the little nuances of it all; the hows and whys of the entire situation. All they know is that demons are no longer prevalent around and slowly but surely, the world was turning into a better place.
Throughout these five years, Ashton detached a lot of 'pins' of the Netherworld from Elstar.
He came and went to and from the Netherworld. His abilities made him practically untouchable. His intelligence and powers allowed him to easily dismantle the elaborate plans of the Demons about Elstar and the Fey Race.
Currently, his consciousness was in touch with El-Tree...
He surveyed its appearance and noticed the visible changes that happened to it during these past five years.
Compared to the past, the El-Tree was now healthy. It glowed with lustrous verdant color, filled with vigor and longevity that was once missing from it. The mere sight of it gives hope to the beholder, it was grand, tall, and had an archaic air around it.
Its current state was a far cry from what it was previously.
If he were to be on the Netherworld - which mirrors the Elstar, the El-Tree there would be the exact opposite of this one; withering and on the verge of dying.
The reason behind this was because the El-Tree mimics the state of the world. How it appears to one's eyes reflects the state of the world it's in. Meaning, the healthier it is, the better the state of the world would be.
Ashton's efforts on removing Netherworld's influence from Elstar caused these changes. Without the Demonic Corruption gnawing away at the world's vitality, the more it could focus on recovery. Ashton's mission was to make sure that this world survives and removes the influence of Demons once and for all from this place.
He had killed millions, if not billions, of demons by now. Honestly, he's getting sick of it, but he must endure.
It has become a bit tiresome to deal with but he had grown used to it at this point.
The Demons hate him to the core. Their hatred might as well be etched into their very genes at this point since it's always on sight whenever he arrives at the Netherworld.
Unfortunately for them, no matter how much their tried or how creative they got, Ashton always had the upper hand. They have never managed to scare him, restrict him, or even outsmart him.
Ashton was always five steps ahead of them. And that's something that they truly hated about him.
Yet, even though he's being hated this much, Ashton truly doesn't care. Their hatred couldn't stop him from doing his mission, it's not even enough to cause a reaction from him, much less stop him.
After infusing some White Magic Blessings into the El-Tree of Elstar, Ashton opened his eyes and admired his work so far.
The healthy complexion of the El-Tree was really pleasant to the eyes. The way it pulses with life and hope really lightens his mood.
Nodding to himself, Ashton withdrew his consciousness away from the realm where the El-Tree was and returned to the waking world.
He sighed and dusted himself. He's been sitting like this for a while. Thankfully, nobody disturbed him during his little escapade, or else things might've gotten complicated.
Ashton was in an inn in a rather obscured part of a small town. Not many people come here and for the most part, the citizens here were shady, not that Ashton minds though. It's not like they could do anything to him.
He had forgotten to ask about the name of this town. If he were being frank though, it doesn't really matter to him that much. After all, it's not like he would be staying here for long.
Ashton had long since adapted to the life of a nomad ever since starting this mission. He never stayed in one place for too long. Once finishes cleansing the place with demonic influence, he will leave for the next place right away.
He went out of the room, coming down to the first floor where the innkeeper was around. He had counted the days and discovered that he went past his intended stay. He paid the additional fees and even left a generous tip just because.
After doing that, he hid his face with the hood of his cloak and went out of the inn.
His business in this area was done. The sightings of demons here should dwindle. As for the leftovers, well he'd just leave that to the locals here. The ones left should be weakened demons anyway, if they couldn't deal with it, then they don't deserve to possess the blood of feys.
As he slowly made his way out of the town, Ashton tried to recall where he should go next.
Frankly, he's nearly done with his mission. There are only a few locations in this world where the Netherworld influence still remains. Once he's done with all of them, he just has to deal with the El-Tree of the other side and the Hypogean Race should be expelled from this world.
'Hmmm...'
The corners of Ashton's lips curled ever so slightly as he felt several presences trailing behind him.
He didn't even need to see them to know that they bear nefarious thoughts about him.
'Bandits.' He mused inwardly. He rolled his eyes and continued to walk as if he hasn't discovered them yet.
Things like this happen from time to time. Ashton never really takes it personally though. If anything, this was amusing to him to varying degrees.
He sensed 15 people following him. All of them were wearing black veils that covered their faces but that was useless to Ashton since his senses easily revealed their features to him.
They were maintaining a respectable distance around him while also surrounding him. Judging from how they move, this wasn't their first time doing something like this, that much was obvious. They moved silently and expertly so it was clear that they do this for a living.
Still, Ashton didn't do anything to stop them. He kept walking without a care in the world, watching in mild curiosity as his assailants gradually surrounds him.
Once they entered the 200-meter range from him, a mischievous glint appeared in Ashton's eyes.
Out of nowhere, he began whistling a tune...
All of them heard his tune, they paused for a while and waited. When they discovered that nothing seems wrong, they continued to approach him.
That's when all hell broke loose...
"What the...fuck!?"
One of them a giant teddy bear suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The bear's eyes gleamed menacingly as it swiped a paw toward them.
Another one suddenly felt their body seize in movement, only to discover that they were bound in a tangle of a slimy and, frankly, disgusting array of tentacles. Some of which slithered dangerously close to their private parts.
One saw the dead being brought back to life. One saw their oldest relative wearing a bright pink gown and running towards them with pouted lips. One saw this...one saw that...
Everyone experiences ridiculous things out of nowhere. What's worse is that, the visions seem to be personalized too as they brought out the most horrifying experience ever in their lives.
But in truth, none of those were real. In the real world, the bandits just randomly stopped moving. They just stood rooted in their place with a clouded gaze, experiencing a terrible vision that none of them saw coming.
At some point, Ashton stopped whistling. He wore a smile on his face and continued walking as if he didn't just traumatize 15 fully-grown adults.
'Auditory Hallucinations...they're great for pranks.' He mused with a small smile on his face.
This falls under the Mirage Branch of Magic. It doesn't get used a lot and by itself, it's harmless...well, physically at least. It's one of the fun illusion spells that Ashton uses to mess with people like this.
"That's your punishment for going after me." Ashton whispered softly. "Good luck! I hope that at least one of you manages to break out of the illusion before it's too late."
And just like that, Ashton continued on his way toward the next demon-infested location...
