The Monster King's Legacy

Chants filled the air, as layers upon layers of telegraphed magic images formed around them. Several different elemental spells descended from the heavens, converging upon the Demon Lord.

For the first time, he raised both hands, magic energy surging through him in a light but potent wave outward, forming a massive black vortex above him. The instant the spells touched it, they were consumed, absorbed into the abyss as if they had never existed.

The vortex then, instead of disappearing, condensed, then exploded outward in a wave of black flames, swallowing everything in its path. Several elven mages were instantly incinerated before they could react, their bodies turned to nothing but ash. Those who were quick enough to cast defensive spells were able to save themselves, but those who were too slow paid the price in full. The elves were not the only casualties, the other suffered as well.

Cervic rejoined the fight immediately, after he had just avoided the flame attack by simply cutting through it with his sword, appearing behind the Demon Lord in a flash. His sword came down on hs enemy, but this time, he enhanced it with his strongest offensive enhancement spell that would work against such a creature of dark energy.

A burst of divine white energy surged through the blade, allowing it to slice through space itself, or at least it appeared like it did. This was a strike meant to cut anything, no matter how resistant, and yet, the Demon Lord caught the blade once more, this time between his palms. The demon lord's hands, from his elbows downward were covered in a thick dark and blackened energy, preventing physical contact with the sword. Surely, something that was meant to cut through anything would be ineffective if stopped from its sides.

Cervic felt it immediately, not only did the demon lord stop his attack, but his magic was being drained. The energy that empowered his sword was being absorbed into the Demon Lord's hands, devoured like a predator consuming its prey.

Before he could react, a gust of wind magic exploded from the Demon Lord's body. The sheer force sent Cervic flying back again, but this time, he managed to stabilize himself mid-air with a twist of his body. He also managed to retract his sword from the demon lord as it lost the divine light surrounding it, returning to its obsidian colour.

He landed beside the remaining human kings, who were preparing their attack.

"We must strike together," one of them said.

Cervic nodded. Individually, none of them could break through. But together, their combined strength might have a chance. The others also joined in, readying their attack in a synergistic manner to complement eachother.

The dwarves, humans, and elves attacked as one, a storm of physical strikes and magical devastation converging on the Demon Lord all at once.

In the face of such an attack, for the first time, the demon lord moved in earnest.

As the attacks closed the distance, the demon lord spread his arms. AT that very moment, the battlefield twisted, gravity itself shifting. Dozens of warriors suddenly found themselves unable to move, crushed under an invisible force.

The Demon Lord clenched his fists, and the ground beneath them erupted, sending massive boulders and debris flying in every direction. His body blurred, reappearing between the human kings, striking with such speed that they barely had time to react.

One king raised his shield, only for it to shatter upon impact, the demon lord's fist connecting cleanly on his body, sending him flying off. Another tried to counter with a spell, but the Demon Lord struck before it could be cast, his fist caving in the man's chest, killing him instantly.

The battlefield was rapidly turning into a massacre.

Cervic fought his way through the chaos, his mind racing. They had only wasted a week at most, but that was enough for the demon lord to gain such power, it didn't make any sense at all how that was possible..

He had always known the Demon Lord would be formidable, but this was beyond expectation. Every move he made was countered effortlessly. Every attack was rendered useless. Not just that, apart from himself, the rest weren't even as much of a threat against such an enemy in any way, at least so it appeared.

In that very moment, one thought appeared in his mind, -Cauldrus should have been here-

The Elven King's absence weighed heavily on him for the first time ever. Had he been present, maybe their chances would be better, even if just a little bit, after all, he was the only one Cervic acknowledged as strong, at his level.

Cervic gritted his teeth. There was no time for wishful thinking.

"This is not enough." He said to himself, holding out his sword as it sizzled out of his grasp, replaced by something else, a different weapon that appeared even more imposing than the sword. In his mind at that moment, it was just he against the demon lord, the rest were just a peck below extras in the battlefield at this point.

…

While the alliance struggled in the demon lands against the demon lord, Cauldrus struggled with his own problems in the elven capital. He needed another way in that didn't involve the barrier.

Luckily, as the king of the elves, there were a lot of secrets that he had access to that even the elders wouldn't know. He knew of a hidden passage, one that had existed for centuries, buried beneath a rocky hill on the outskirts of the city outside the barrier, made especially for such events. It had been something he set up himself long ago, never would he have tought that he would have to use it.

He had also set up a camouflaging formation to conceal its entrance, accessible only to those with the knowledge of the elven kings… which as of now, was he alone.

It took time, but he finally arrived at the base of the hill. Since it had been a while, as he practically had never visited ever since its creation, he needed a bit of time to look find the exact entrance. The overgrown moss and vines hid the stone markings well, but Cauldrus knew exactly what to look for and soon found exactly what he sort. He placed his palm on the faint engraving upon the rock's surface and murmured an incantation in the ancient elven tongue.

It was a rather lengthy incantaion, but half a minute after he started, The air shifted, and runes glowed beneath his fingertips, and slowly, the rock face slid open, revealing a narrow passage leading into the heart of the capital once his incantations came to an end. The moment the entrance was fully revealed, he stepped inside, letting the stone seal itself behind him.

The tunnel was long, its walls carved with ancient markings that flickered with residual magic. He moved swiftly, undeterred by the darkness, until he reached the end. Another inscription awaited him, one last protective array sealing the inner door.

He raised a hand and began deconstructing the spell layer by layer. It took time, longer than expected. The plan behind this design was that even though someone had somehow gained the correct incantation to enter the passage, if they weren't able to deconstruct the spell layer at the other end, they would remain inside and possibly perish.

After what felt like an eternity, the final layer unraveled, and the hidden doorway slid open, Cauldrus cursing under his breath as his own defensive measures appeared to be too solid.

He stepped out, into the elven capital, making his way out into the streets from a lone part of the forests.

The first thing he noticed was the fact that the streets were silent. Not the peaceful silence of a city at rest, but the eerie stillness of something unnatural. The air was heavy, charged with an unfamiliar energy that made his skin prickle almost. Even then, it wasn't foul dark demonic energy.

He reached out with his magic, connecting with the earth beneath his feet, making use of his innate affinity with the earth and nature, something common with the elves, but especially manifested in some of the higher elves, called "nature magic". Though he mainly used ice magic, he could also use nature magic like Ithil and a lot of elves who inherited his innate ability. His energy spread through the earth, connecting with every living thing in the city, and what he sensed made his stomach tighten.

Everyone was unconscious.

Thousands of elves, young and old, warriors and civilians, lay unconscious in their homes, in the streets, even at their posts. Their heartbeats were steady, their breathing normal, but none stirred.

It was as if the entire capital had been lulled into an unnatural slumber.

Cauldrus clenched his jaw, realising that this was no ordinary attack. This was calculated, deliberate, and picking through his brain and memories, he couldn't think of anyone in his elven race who had the ability to do such a thing, at least, not at such a scale. After all, one of the most skilled in this field of magic was not even in the capital and was in the forefront fighting against the demon lord with him just moments ago.

Nothing was adding up.