The sound of splitting flesh and screams from the mercenaries tearing apart their own eyes and ears filled the air. And then the shuddering humanoid top half of the aborted star-born spider demi-god snarled at us with the countless hair of the multicolored spider stiffening.

Wordlessly Esdeath sent a large spike of ice towards the massive spider demi-god but the ice spike seemingly slowed to a standstill until it stopped and only spun in the air until with a chitter of seeming amusement the starborn of Atlach-Nacha poked the spike of ice and it just fell to the ground.

"He has control over space. Don't bother with magic." Esdeath said as she drew her long rapier from her side.

I took a breath as I saw how on my minimap there were other 'enemies' in the area and Hypno who was registered as an enemy. But whereas the monsters were hiding under the ground, or in the very shadows themselves.

Hypno was all but laid out on the ground with Excalibur Blessing shining brightly as his weak mind was clearly all but failing under the alien logic being shoved into his brain. 'Trash.' I thought with a snort as I took out Kusanagi but didn't draw her from her sheath yet.

Looking around, I saw only Esdeath, Hypno's women who had their own Sacred Gears to enhance their mind and body, the woman who was the child of Angra Mainyu, and the three guards besides Esdeath who had special glasses over their faces, the rest of the guards had basically killed themselves as their minds mentally collapsed at the sight of the star born.

So we had only a quarter of the original forces that had come out for this damned mission now.

The battle began with a cry of desolation from the star-born. Esdeath and her guards then fell upon the monster while Hypnos's women also joined the fight with their sacred gears. and the woman Grimm Grimmoire actually managed to affect the monster with her conjured curses.

I didn't jump straight into the fight thankfully as when the others did, several lesser monsters sprouted up from the ground and without a word, Esdeath's surviving elite guards split off from her to take care of them.

'Kusanagi, should we be circumspect, or try to hit as hard and fast as we can?" I mentally asked my divine sword and there was a split moment of tension as I sliced through a fish-like monster swimming through the ground that tried to jump me.

"Go all in Jake. Dealing with foreign entities isn't something you do slowly lest you be ground down by their alien logic." Kusanagi whispered into my mind.

The sound of a gentle but firm wind pushed through the alien howls coming from the aborted fetus of an elder god and of the surrounding monsters. I slowly drew Kusanagi from her scabbard and with the sound of a feminine sigh and the crushing of velvet, a soft voice spoke out. "Be at rest abandoned one," Kusanagi spoke softly and then I used all my skills and abilities to increase my speed as I dashed forward to dodge a spider leg covered in countless razor-sharp hairs and within a split moment, I reached the humanoid torso and head that was mounted atop the spider front portion.

A sharp wind formed around Kusanagi's blade that had blocked several swirling razor hairs and even though looking into the monster's eyes made my eyes burn and turn red, I didn't hesitate as I brought down Kusanagi in a strong chopping motion and with divine winds at my back and running through the sword. I split the child of Atlach-Nacha in twain with Kusanagi's winds sending a wind blade that sliced through the spider's body as well into the ground.

"Move!" I heard Esdeath yell and then I gagged as literally out of nowhere one of the limbs of the massive spider monster speared me in the chest pinning the flat of Kusanagi against my chest as I attempted to block it.

But I failed and my form was slammed onto the ground by the force of the massive spider leg slamming me downwards. 

My vision went dull and dark due to the great force that had smashed me in the front, to say nothing of my meeting an equally hard impact against the ground and the impact my head faced at cooking itself on the ground. So I was forced to catch my breath for a second.

"Die you monster!" I heard a shrill voice scream and I blinked my eyes open to see Hypno frantically waving Excalibur Blessing at the elephant-sized spider main body that had teleported in front of him and was currently ignoring the attacks from the mind controller's women.

'Soul, life span, and curses don't matter to a being with no concept of a mortal life span and suffering. Their attacks aren't working at even a tenth of their natural level.' Kusanagi whispered into my ears as I staggered to my feet and saw how my attack seemingly did nothing.

I did in fact cut the humanoid torso and head in half leaving purple blood that had sparkling star-like glitter within the fluids pouring out... But apparently, that humanoid section wasn't an important part of the demi-god's body at all.

A loud crunch rang out as one of the legs of the spider-shaped demi-god slammed into Hypno, but rather than parrying it, or likewise just using the force to simply get knocked back... He tried to fully block it and the leg came down mercilessly his sword got smashed into his chest edge side first and I could hear his ribs shattering loudly as he vomited blood as Esdeath slammed a spear of ice into the spider's facial area making it scream as her ice froze dozens of the spider's countless eyeballs mounted on its head.

If this monster wasn't some eldritch abomination I could have been glad that Hypno got fucked up that easily and allow me to possibly kill him afterward to get Excalibur Blessing... But now it was just another sign of how powerful this monster was as its independent legs smashed into and killed the last of Esdeath's guards as I got back on my feet.

'This is bullshit. I shouldn't have gotten involved in this and just worked to get stronger while catching him at some other point.' I realized as this whole venture was at the very get-go insane.

But I was in the shit as it were.

So I took a breath and pushing more of my lifeforce and mana into Kusanagi I dashed forward and hacked through one of the dozen legs on the spider making it scream as purple blood jetted from its wound.

"Keep taking its limbs!" Esdeath yelled and then as she dodged another leg and stabbed into the monster's head, I heard a drowned like scream, and on the end of one of the monster's legs was the form of the child of Angra Mainyu who got one of those legs somehow piercing her entire chest.

And I knew she was all but dead even as her black blood burned the leg she was impaled upon.

I didn't hesitate and continued carving through the monster however I could, divine winds carved furrows through flesh. Esdeath's ice froze chunks and her long rapier carved thin but deep wound channels through the monster.

Finally, at some point its wounds caught up and without any signs of it weakening, it abruptly exploded into a mist of blood that supernaturally sunk into the crevice-filled ground. 

"It's dead," Kusanagi whispered into my ears and I would have relaxed slightly but there was still enemies under the ground beneath us... Waiting for us to relax.

"Esdeath!" Hypno screamed with rage at the cold-looking woman who was drinking some kind of potion without a care at the young man's wrath as he hovered over the pool of blackened blood that surrounded one of his harem members. "You bitch! You told me that you would have it under control!"

Esdeath calmly threw the potion vial behind her and then looked at Hypno and said calmly. "Do not think I do not know what she is as a daughter of the Zoroastrian god of Evil. He won't let her suffering end in a peaceful death, she will be back." 

I took a step to the side of Esdeath and seeing no one else here besides Esdeath, Hypno who had terribly broken ribs as well as those two other women who were both injured as well due to the monsters below us getting their own sneak attacks in during the fight.

"Esdeath I had a question." I started and everyone looked at me. "Why is still Hypno alive when you know he is a child of God who deals in mind control and he tried to mess with our dreams?" 

See I had noticed during the fight that even during it all... Esdeath never fought at her full power, I knew the strength she showed wasn't that great compared to her level. Hell even the 'elite' guards she brought weren't demigods like the ones even guarding the entrance to the Lost City.

There was obviously... Something really fucky going on, as just when I arrived and I showed off that my inventory wasn't contaminated by the astral mana that had infected this area so deeply. A new Star-Born raises their head up from the surroundings.

Esdeath chuckled and actually nodded in appreciation as she spoke with a smile. "Not bad Jake Barris, yes I am well aware of Hypno's status... I mean really, he was basically named hypnosis, and with an Excalibur fragment that increases all-natural abilities and three beautiful women hanging off his every word and action?"

The curvaceous beauty shook her head and stated frankly. "As to why I haven't killed him. Thats simple, I could use a minion that will keep the mercenaries that flooded into the city. In line as well as learning the secrets of the demi-gods and other factions of people that enter the Lost City."

I frowned as Hypno grimaced and barely managed to sit up with his last two women's help. "Why the hell would I work under you, Esdeath?" He spat and my lips twitched as the barely hidden flash of irritation on Esdeath's face.

"You will be a good dog if you want to live. I am a guardian of the very world and keeping horrors you can never imagine from invading said world... My mind after killing and bathing in the blood of dozens of Eldritch demi-gods are immune to your mind control so don't even bother thinking you can buy time to twist my mind as not even your father Somnus can." Esdeath spoke before stepping closer to Hypno and as she all but towered over the trio.

She finished bluntly. "Now heel dog."

There was a moment of tension before without a single word Mamako the milfy-looking older woman swung her lifeforce stealing sacred gear sword at Esdeath. And lazily the ice-wielding woman blocked it but then her eyes widened as from her side a spear of solid darkness from the dead woman's pool of black blood shot through her chest and I could hear her spine crunch with the blow.

The last woman, Irisveil tried to use an alchemical spell glyph to blast some flames into Esdeath, but with the astral mana drowning hers out, she wasn't able to send out more than just a small stream of flames which Esdeath was able to block with a shield of conjured ice.

'Well now... Do I get involved or just let them kill one another?' I thought with a slight frown as a part of me was wondering how important Esdeath was. Could she die without consequences and should I even be bothered with her life when she already stated she was wanting to use Hypno's dream control to consolidate her own control over the Lost City.

But then it struck me... I didn't give a damn about the Lost City, Esdeath, or anything else. All I wanted was Excalibur Blessing so I could actually get some powerful armor from Morgan Le-Fay.

Esdeath was a scary ass woman who I had zero intention of trying to waifu despite how hot she was. So I watched. I didn't interfere as Esdeath systematically tore apart the two women killing them without mercy and then she kneeled on Hypno's chest and began beating him half to death with her bare hands.

It was disturbing to watch honestly.

With zero emotions on her face, her fists came down on the mind controller's face with precision across the cheeks and the front of his head cutting gashes in the thin skin. But... I could see the calculated way she was beating his face in as she spoke like a disappointed dog owner who was just giving their dog a boop on the snoot with a newspaper.

"See what you are making me do Hypno? All you had to do was nod your little head and you could have kept your toys and I wouldn't need to punish you. Now your toys are broken and I need to break you in." She spoke almost with something akin to affection and pity for the poor bastard getting his facial features a free surgery.

"Nyuahh!" Hypno screamed through bloodied lips and there was a moment of tension as his groan of pain spat bloody phlegm onto Esdeath's outfit.

As I saw Esdeath form a handful of ice needles in her hand to show her actual anger at his misbehaving actions having gotten blood and spittle spat upon her clothes. I just walked over and then the instant my hand touched the handle of Excalibur Blessing which was knocked to the side by Esdeath as she began her 'disciplining'. I just tossed it into my inventory before Kusanagi could get jealous... 

And then Esdeath demanded coldly as her beatdown paused. "Jake Barris, what is the meaning of this?" 

I took a breath and I looked at Esdeath with an easy smile as I said frankly. "Esdeath... I am not your toy, do not think to order me around and with magic being so weakened here. I with my own sword am clearly stronger than what you want to display." Then I raised my shoulders in a devil-may-care shrug as I continued. "The whole reason I came here was for this Excalibur... Just think of me taking it as allowing you to break him easier and not having to worry about his strength reaching a level in which it could overturn your leadership."

My fist covered in martial intent swiped outwards at a blur of speed as I blocked Esdeath's sword upon my palm and I closed my fist over the sword tilting it upwards to prevent her from ripping the blade out of my grasp as she stated coldly. "I will kill you right now if you don't give me the sword."

For a moment I wondered if she had some kind of super trump card or something... But in the end, I gained nothing from killing Esdeath. As even killing Hypno beyond the quests I already had after snagging Excalibur Blessing would get the Roman god Somnus after my ass.

Wasn't it poetic justice that the mind controller is enslaved by Esdeath?

I smiled and nodded with Esdeath's form relaxing slightly as she thought I was capitulating to her demands. 

"Goodbye then Esdeath, I hope to never see you again!" I cheered and her eyes became slits as with a pop I teleported away.

I did what not even gods could do, I teleported away from under the light of the Gates of Skye. Or in other words, I teleported back to my territory back in the deep underground subway systems of New York.

"Jake... You played with fire there." Kusanagi bluntly spoke into my mind and I couldn't help a chuckle as I imagined Esdeath standing there like a dumbass and idly wondered if, within her rage, she would kill Hypno after losing much of his current power with Excalibur Blessing taken from him.

I nodded to her words though as I answered with Excalibur Blessing landing in my hands from out of my inventory. "Indeed... That was a bit of a dumb move but I had to get the last words in." 

Excalibur Blessing was a traditional English-style longsword but obviously being far more ornate with the blade and handle being a brightly glowing gold that I could almost hear holy hymns coming from the metal as I moved it through the air.

"Jake! Don't be swinging that... Disgusting thing!" Kusanagi whined pitifully and I couldn't help a small internal chuckle at how adorably affronted the normally prideful Kusanagi sounded.

Even as I mentally dismissed the notification that my skills received a buff from actually being a 'holy' sword wielder capable of wielding the sword I threw the sword back into my inventory as I brushed my hands across my face but as I did so I flinched as my phone which had been silent for the last day due to the Gate of Skye cutting off all signal rang buzzed loudly.

{47 Missed Messages} {8 Missed Calls} {4 Voicemails}

"Whelp... I am fucked." I said with a creeping dread before I scrolled into the messages and breathed a sigh of relief seeing most of the messages were from my kitsune who were sending well wishes and telling me what they were up to. All the missed calls were them testing their phones in making a call on the number they had on hand which was myself.

'Alright, now that I am not going to die via scorned kitsune. I need to get to Morgan, turn in the sword, and then keep my head down and consolidate my stuff. Wait to see if the Jade Emperor ends up shattering the Gumiho realm and if not, work to properly secure it in a few days when the claim goes through.' I thought making up a mental list to do while firmly telling myself to just chill out and enjoy getting pampered by my Kitsune.

 

 

Next 10 chapters are on Patreon and Ko-fi
Hey if you like this and want daily uploads and to read early chapters please drop a tip in my Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/azazyel22926 or https://www.patreon.com/Azazyel and your precious energy stones, it keeps me working on it.
My commission rate is 15$ per thousand words.

Azazyel