Chapter 486: Underworld Monsters He could recognize that voice anywhere and even a fool could see that it belonged to Mira. "Mira, it’s me." Azel said calmly. The blade pressed closer to his neck and he felt it break skin drawing a thin line of blood, it was obvious that she wasn’t playing around at all. "Elf... I don’t know who you think you’re deceiving, but my sweet Azel doesn’t have your kind’s ears. Stop speaking in his voice." Her voice shook slightly with anger. She blushed immediately after saying it, remembering the time he, her, and Mynes had slept on the same bed and how his body had felt pressed against hers. Azel softly gave Rene a look and the boy understood immediately. Rene stood up and shifted back a few meters, putting distance between himself and the confrontation. Mira’s eyes tracked him with suspicion. "And you, where do you think you’re—" Azel moved instantly. The sword came down in a killing arc, but he kicked it out of the way mid-swing. The blade spun through the air. He landed on his feet facing her properly. Mira’s face looked awfully pale and dried blood was splattered across her cheeks and neck. Her eyes were unfocused and filled with exhaustion. Her light armor was also torn to the point where he could see one of her breasts through the gap. She looked like she’d been through hell. Which, technically, she had. "I already warned you!" She blurred forward, moving faster than most people could track. Her sword slashed at his face and he took a step back making the blade miss by centimeters. Aura bled into her weapon, making it glow and then she reared back for a thrust, then another, then three more in rapid succession. A flurry of stabs aimed at vital points. Azel moved past all of them with minimal effort, his body flowing like water. ’At least she’s faster than those elves from the trials,’ he thought. She committed to a final thrust and he caught the blade between two fingers, stopping it dead. Even though she was trying to kill him, relief flooded through his chest. She was alive. He threw her sword aside and it clattered against black stone. Mira staggered as the momentum carried her forward, and Azel pulled her into a tight hug. She was completely immobilized in his grip. "Thank God." He said. "I thought something happened to you. I was told today that you died and I didn’t know what to do." Mira froze then listened... It was really him. "Azel?" she whispered. She hugged him back desperately, her arms wrapping around his torso then she started crying. Tears rushed down her face as she pressed into his chest, sobbing openly. "I... I... I..." She choked on the words, crying even harder. They remained like that for several minutes and finally, they separated. Mira used one hand to wipe tears from her eyes, though more kept falling. "Thank you, Azel," she said quietly. Then she looked up at his ears and her expression shifted to confusion. "When did you get elf ears?" Azel cleared his throat. "Apparently, one of my ancestors was an Elf. I awakened the bloodline recently." "I see." Mira reached up without thinking and touched one of them gently. It twitched under her fingers and she laughed, it sounded tired but genuine as well. "It looks really cute on you." The ear twitched again, and she laughed harder before pulling her hand back and Rene approached them cautiously, pulling the last of the straps off his back. "Papa... I feel better than before," the boy said. Mira raised an eyebrow. She knew Azel had multiple women but a son? When did that happen? Azel caught her expression and mouthed silently. ’He’s adopted but don’t say it out loud.’ Rene was insecure about being adopted and Mira nodded in understanding. "Good." Azel patted Rene’s head, then stood up properly and looked at Mira with concern. "Mira... how are you doing? You know your clothes are busted, right?" "I’m not feeling too good... and I haven’t slept in a while" She staggered backward slightly, her balance failing her. "But since you’re here, I can finally rest." Before Azel could react, the woman collapsed. He caught her before she hit the ground. ... Mira’s eyes slowly opened. She was lying on someone’s lap. It was not soft exactly since she could feel the muscles beneath but it was comfortable. Her gaze drifted upward to Azel’s face above her. He was looking down at her with gentle concern. "Mira, you’re awake." He ran a hand through her hair, then turned his head. "Rene, fetch some water from the tent." "Yes, papa!" Wait. Tent? Rene entered a tent that definitely hadn’t been there before and came out with a canteen of water and then he handed it over. Azel raised it above her face. "Do you feel thirsty? Sit up so you can drink." Mira sat up slowly. She was wearing a cloak now... his cloak, probably. She couldn’t feel the uncomfortable bite of her busted armor anymore. The multiple wounds across her body felt... better. They were healed. She took the canteen and drank greedily. The water was cold and clean unlike the rivers of bloody water in this world and she drank until it was empty, then set it aside. "Thank you." She laid back down on his lap, blushing slightly. He’d changed her clothes and treated her wounds like a lover would. "I’m happy you’re fine. Tell me what happened... if you can." He continued running his hand through her hair. The gesture was soothing. "We got sucked in about two weeks ago," Mira began, her voice quiet. "Immediately after the party at your estate. I’d taken a squad of fifty knights with me... all experienced and all capable. We split up. I took the major gate while others handled the minor dungeons scattered across Aegis." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "We were supposed to clear multiple dungeon gates. Standard procedure. We’d done it dozens of times before." Her voice grew harder. "Except every single gate led here to this place... The Underworld itself." Azel’s hand stilled for a moment. "Once we stepped through, the gates sealed behind us completely. It wouldn’t let us back out no matter what we tried. Magic, aura, nothing worked at all." She took a shaky breath. "Then we were immediately swarmed by monsters. Hundreds of them. They were things I’d never seen before." She winced at the memory. "They came from every direction and no formation could hold them back. They didn’t fight like normal monsters... they fought like they were starving, desperate and willing to die if it meant taking one of us with them." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "They ate anyone who fell and tore them apart while they were still screaming, painting the ground in blood. I watched good knights... people I’d trained with for years get dragged into the darkness." Azel’s jaw tightened, but he kept stroking her hair gently. "I managed to break through with about thirty survivors. We ran for hours, maybe days. Time doesn’t work right down here. Eventually we found a relatively safe area and set up camp." She laughed bitterly. "We learned quickly that fire attracts them. Any light source, any heat, brings massive hordes. They don’t care how injured they are, how many limbs they’ve lost. As long as they can still move, they’ll keep coming. As long as they can eat you." Her hands clenched into fists. "But that wasn’t the worst part. There’s one type of monster that uses hypnosis. Mind control. It looks almost human as you can see it’s eyes at first, until you get close then its eyes change and suddenly you’re not in control anymore." Her voice cracked. "I lost fifteen men to it in one night. Watched them turn on each other. Watched them kill their friends, their brothers in arms, while that thing laughed. I had to... I had to put them down myself." Tears slipped down her cheeks again. "The rest died slowly over the next week. The injuries wouldn’t heal and infections spread too fast as well as starvation... one by one until I was the only one left." She looked up at Azel, her eyes haunted. "I’ve been completely alone for five days. No food except raw monster meat, which tastes like rot and makes you sick, no water except what pools in the stone cracks and no light except those distant soul rivers." She gestured vaguely at the blue glow in the distance. "I was starting to think I’d die here. That no one would ever find my body. That my family would never know what happened to me." Azel was silent for a long moment, processing everything. ’The information about this Calamity arrived two weeks late.’ he thought grimly. ’If they’d known immediately, they could have sent reinforcements. Sealed the gates from the outside. Why wasn’t it reported on time?’ "I’m so sorry..." he said aloud. "A hypnosis monster?" There was no Underworld sequence in the game he’d played, so he had no prior knowledge and since Kyone’s blessing didn’t work down here, he needed to prepare properly. He immediately opened the System shop and bought three anti-illusion tags. Small paper talismans that would prevent mental manipulation. He placed one on his own chest, then called Rene over and placed another on the boy’s chest. "I’m sorry all that happened to you," Azel said, looking down at Mira seriously. "But you don’t have to worry anymore. Now that I’m here, I’ll keep you safe. I’ll make sure you can smile again. And I’ll cook you actual good food." Mira blushed deeply, her cheeks turning pink despite her exhaustion then she noticed the third tag in his hand. "Can you place this on your chest area, so it can’t be torn off easily," Azel said. Mira blushed harder but didn’t miss the opportunity. "My hands feel weak right now..." She looked up at him through her lashes. "Can you do it for me?" Azel nodded without hesitation. He snaked his hand through the cloak and into the shirt he’d dressed her in. His fingers found the space between her breasts, and he pressed the tag firmly onto her skin. "Ah!" Mira yelped as her breasts shook from the contact and then he pulled his hand out smoothly. "Thank you," she said breathlessly. Azel stood up and gently placed her head on the mat he’d been sitting on. Then, with a flash of light, he summoned cooking utensils from his inventory. Pots, pans, knives... all high-quality pottery he’d taken from Elun’varis. He really did like their craftsmanship. "Are you planning to cook?" Mira asked, confused. "But there’s no—" "Yes." Azel began setting up the equipment. "Rene, do you think you can use magic now?" Rene had never been able to use magic in the mortal world. But now he felt it... power coursing through his entire body like liquid fire. "Yes, papa! I can use magic now. It feels strange but good." "Good." Azel continued arranging the cookware. "You’ll protect Mira while I cook. Do you need a weapon?" "Sir Alvinus has been teaching me how to use a sword, papa. Can I hold one?" Rene asked eagerly. Azel raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. A simple sword materialized in his hand. He threw it to Rene, who caught it cleanly. The blade was not enhanced with Aurum Hand... the boy wouldn’t need the extra quality for what was coming. It wasn’t like he would be fighting. "Alright." Azel knelt and began lighting a small fire beneath the pot. The moment the flames sparked to life, everything changed. The world seemed to grow darker. It was not gradual but instantly like someone had thrown a blanket over reality itself. Even the flickering blue souls in the distance... the rivers of the dead that provided the only ambient light vanished completely from sight, swallowed by darkness so thick it felt physical. Mira’s breath caught. "Azel, the fire—!" Footsteps. Hundreds of them. Thundering across black stone from every direction, getting closer with terrifying speed. The sound echoed and multiplied until it was deafening. Mira tried to sit up, reaching for a weapon that wasn’t there. "We need to run! We need to—" "Stay down," Azel said calmly, adding ingredients to the pot. "You’re still recovering." Rene gripped his sword with both hands and his knuckles turned white. The boy’s eyes were wide with fear, but he stood his ground between Mira and the approaching horde. "Papa..." "You’re doing fine, Rene. Just stay inside the tent area." The footsteps grew louder and closer. Then Mira saw them. Shapes emerging from the darkness. There were dozens... hundreds even. Monsters of every size and description, some crawled on all fours like twisted dogs while others stood upright on legs that bent wrong. They were converging on the tent from all sides like a c circle of death closing in. One monster... massive and easily the size of a horse broke from the pack. It charged ahead of the others, driven by pure hunger then it leapt. The creature soared through the air, its massive body silhouetted against the oppressive darkness. It’s claws were extended like knives and it’s jaw opened wide enough to swallow a person whole, falling directly toward the tent with enough force to crush everything inside. Mira screamed. "AZEL!" Rene raised his sword defensively, terror and determination mixing on his young face. His hands shook but he didn’t back down. The monster fell closer. Three meters. Two. One. Azel didn’t even look up from the pot where he was stirring. "Spread," he said, his voice barely above a conversational tone. Runes engraved across the tent’s perimeter... invisible until now flared to brilliant life. A barrier materialized instantly, translucent like heat waves, forming a perfect dome over their campsite. The monster slammed into it at full force. CRACK. The impact sounded like a boulder hitting steel. The creature’s bones shattered on contact. It bounced off the barrier and tumbled backward, crashing into the horde behind it. But that wasn’t all. The moment the monster touched the barrier, explosion runes began engraving themselves across its broken body. They were glowing red symbols appeared like brands, spreading across its flesh in intricate patterns. Not just that one monster. Every creature pressing against the barrier... clawing at it, biting it, slamming against it was suddenly covered in the same glowing marks. Dozens of monsters were all marked simultaneously. Conditional magic that triggered automatically... The monsters didn’t understand what was happening and they kept attacking the barrier mindlessly, adding more and more runes to their bodies with each strike. Mira stared in stunned silence as her scream died in her throat while Rene lowered his sword slowly, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. Azel calmly added water to the pot and began dropping in vegetables he’d pulled from his inventory. He hummed softly to himself, completely unbothered by the writhing mass of marked monsters surrounding them. "Blow." BOOOOOM! The explosion was apocalyptic. Every rune detonated simultaneously in a chain reaction of pure destruction. The shockwave rippled outward in a perfect circle, turning dozens of monsters into ash and gore. The blast echoed across the Underworld like thunder, rolling and reverberating off distant stone formations. Monster parts rained down around the barrier... claws, teeth, chunks of flesh but they disintegrated into black ash before they could touch the dome. More creatures charged from the darkness to replace the dead. Azel raised one finger without looking. "Repeat." The barrier pulsed and new runes appeared on the fresh wave of monsters. "Blow." BOOOOOM! Another explosion and another wave of ash. The pattern continued three more times before the monsters finally got the message. The survivors scattered back into the darkness, their hunger finally overcome by self-preservation and silence returned. Azel began chopping vegetables with practiced ease. "So," he said conversationally, glancing at Mira, "what do you want to eat first?"