A hellish scene awaited Jack and wolf as they left the Centaur realm.
Blood, LOTS of blood, the clanging of weapons, and the drying screams of enraged players. The once peaceful Sprigfield plain had been turned into…a human meat grinder?!
"Woo?!" (What the fuck?!)
The little wolf looked at the scene strangely. Many angry humans surrounded robed individuals that seemed oddly familiar. Also, was that a gigantic blood summoning circle?
About 400 "villains" for 1200 "heroes," maybe?
The outnumbered "villains" were trying to complete a ritual, and the "heroes", a bunch of allied guild, were doing their best to stop the whole thing. Still, the "bad guys" fought tooth and nail.
Jack suddenly felt the urge to facepalm as he listened.
"Die, you bunch of crazy bastards!"
"Crazy?! Hell no! We 100% know what we're doing!"
"Not Crazy?! Who the hell's been kidnapping virgins left and right for their bloody apocalyptic ritual?!"
"Idiot! The historic texts clearly specify that virgin blood is the best catalyst to call upon a demon king! Pfft— Can't believe you don't even know that!"
After a few rounds of "dialogue", it became painfully obvious that there was no reasoning with the cultists….the ones that now were clearly obviously members of D.L.
"Woo!" (Hey, I know that guy!)
"Psst— Just act like you don't know them." Jack sighed as he glanced at their antics. Was there a need for such a show?!
Oh, but it soon became even more embarrassing. As they were slowly but surely overwhelmed, the cultists would irk their killers one last time with their dying breaths.
"ARGGG— Hehe, fool! Arrggg! I'm actually a virgin! One more sacrifice for the Dark Lord! Muahahahaha—aarrrgggg!" They looked so smug too!
As their blo0d splashed on the circle and made it glow brighter, their enemies would sport expressions of horror as they called for healers…for their enemies?!
This was both one of the goriest and silliest fights Jack had ever seen, previous life included. Heck, it almost gave him "Pirate's Watermelon Massacre" vibes.
But then the circle brightness reached an all-time high, and that's when one "hero" unconsciously glanced at the closed portal with worry, only to turn ashen.
He rubbed his eyes a few times in disbelief, his face a mask of terror, finally screaming akin to a pig being slaughtered.
"D-demon KING?!"
That's when the entire battlefield turned silent, all processing the information, only for it to become incredibly chaotic a second later.
"We did it!!"
"I-it's him?! Goddamn!"
"Quick! Protect/Kill him!"
Couldn't everyone just chill for a second?! They had just fought a godly Envoy a few minutes before. Sadly the bloodthirsty gazes couldn't be more intense.
The players had been growing restless with fury thanks to the cultists, and now they finally had one lone target to blame it on. To them, he was the epitome of evil at that moment!
That's when they all charged toward him. Heck, they looked like zombies that had seen the juicy exposed brain of a renowned scientist!
As for the Head Cultist, he was already swaggering over, his face plastered with pride. "Don't worry, my Lord. We'll drive them away!"
-_-
It would have been so much more reassuring if he wasn't missing an arm and an eye! Also, were those arrows sticking out of his back?! Yep, 1..3…5 of them, goddamn!
"Woo?!" (What is happening?!)
The little wolf was utterly puzzled. What was that about succeeded and whatnot?! Also, why were people so angry at them? They had just arrived! Still, it was ready to fight!
— HOWL! —
Moon Moon's eyes shone with bloodlust. Last time it had lost its master to a strange dark creature, but never again! Bring it on!
"Hahahaha, that's our guardian beast! Do you all hear that howl? Brothers, can you feel your bodies growing stronger!"
"YES!!" (So many half-dead dudes!)
"Oh god, this wolf gives a buff?!" Their enemies cried out in horror as the cultists suddenly seemed to be on steroids.
Buff? What buff?! Jack could clearly see that all that had changed was their mental state. His crazy allies were fueling on the placebo effect really hard right now!
But even with high spirits, a couple of men could only do so much against a wave of angry players. No, they had to do something quickly, or they'd all perish here.
More importantly, that one wind gem was the kind that could drop on death!
How much of a pain would it be if someone looted it only to disappear afterward. He really didn't feel like tracking someone for his hard-earned reward.
At this moment, he had no choice but to embrace his Chuuni side. Hopefully, it wouldn't make the situation worse later, right?
Jack glanced at his feet, whispering under his breath. "Psst— Follow my lead, make it flashy." He instructed….his shadow?! In there was a very faint name tag <?!?>.
"Muahahahaha! You did well, mortals, for I have returned! From now on, begins my unstoppable world conquest! Let's begin by wiping the accounts of these foolish players and—"
That's the exact moment that his new ally chose to act. His shadow extended, akin to an ever-hungry monster. Teeth, countless eyes, and extended tongues…well shadows.
"RUUUNNNN!"
That's when the player all seemed to deflate as they ran like the wind. Account deletion?! Holy crap! Could he really do that?! He probably couldn't, but heck they wouldn't take the chance!
It didn't help that a certain Head Cultist was casting ambiance spells to help in the background at Jack's request.
As Jack saw them flee, he kept track of the shadow's status. It had pretty much lost all its powers in the previous events. A shadow illusion was pretty much the limit of its abilities.
They had managed to bluff and…or not!
He suddenly noticed a courageous warrior in full plate, standing straight in the middle of the way with his bastard sword solidly planted in the ground.
"Bring it on, evil demon! I'm not afraid of your malevolent magic!"
This fool was about to blow the gig up! What kind of asshole was ready to risk his account just to prove a point?! Jack couldn't help but grind his teeth in anger.
The players had now stopped fleeing. They were waiting to see that one man's fate before they decided whether to fight or not. He could already predict how things would go:
Warrior Surviving —> Losing all credibility —> Game Over —> All Striking Him —> Annoying Time!
He had to defeat that guy now!…NO, it wouldn't be enough! He needed something that looked way more cryptic and terrifying!
Jack steadied himself, appearing calm as he waved his hand. With the motion, he unleashed the entirety of his dark powers….yet nothing happened— or so it seemed.
In fact, bones gathered underground, taking small but sturdy bony forms. They then began overturning the earth, digging relentlessly.
Undead moles, lots of them, all rushing toward that lone warrior!
On the surface, the gigantic shadow was about to reach the target. "Go on. Bloody eat me, you monster!" The man fearlessly taunted…and the shadow monster complied, devouring him!
— Gobble! —
Oh, there was no audio effect at all….but everyone still heard it, their imaginations vivid. Had anyone been closer, they would have seen the hole opening under him, but none noticed.
"I-it ate him!!" Many Captain Obviouses remarked.
A second later, nervous eyes rested on the people that had the poor guy as a friend. They watched their friend list even more intently than a karate turtle eyed pizza.
"He died! His account is still active!"
"Tell us as soon as he respawns, and we'll charge straight in!"
Many were already drawing their weapons, staring at Jack with evil glances. They'd make him pay for sure if he had been toying with them! Yet….wasn't the Demon King a little too relaxed?!
He hadn't been idle all this time and had been actively praying for once.
'Thanatos, hear my prayer. I'm sending a guest your way. Entertain him for me, will you." It was his only request. How nice of him. Heck, this was pretty much a reward!
But the players on the other side saw it differently.
"Gulp! H-he's not respawning!"
"H-he can really delete accounts?!"
As soon as one arrived at that "clever" conclusion, countless players totally gave up on killing the crazy cultists or their leader. HELL NO!
[Scared an Army Silly! Fear UP! + Soul Power!]
Soul power?! Was this an interaction of his class with his new dark lord soul? Neat! Meanwhile, the allies were exclaiming in awe.
"Wow! Are they all Olympic sprinters?!"
"Haha, as expected of our God!"
"Demon King! Demon King!"
The cultists were already crowding around him in celebration, not understanding how close of a call this had been. Still, this would buy them a bit of time for sure.
[Your Infamy Raises A LOT! Are you trying to traumatize others?!]
[Your Troops Idolize You! Acquired Lord of the Lunatics!]
Actually, perhaps more than a bit looking at the forums…
< HOT NEWS! Demon King back and deleting accounts?! WTF!! >
— AdamSalad: Please, that's obviously fake news!… That's just a Monday for him!
— MonstersFightHim: I was there. I saw it all! Tonight I'm checking under the bed for the Demon King before I close an eye!
— HugeFatBoat: Bruh… I'm really tempted to call BS right now. Then again, it's the Demon King. @Other Towns: You guys taking refugees? Asking for a friend, it's urgent!
There were plenty of similar threads. Oh well, infamy was still good, right? Either way, he couldn't help but increase his pace toward the Pumpkin Farm. Time for a well-deserved rest!
But his good mood was suddenly soured by the Head Cultist approaching.
"Lord, I have news about the Pumpkin Witch. She's gone—"
His tone was way too ominous!
