Garami's PoV:

*Ring, ring*

Just as I exited the Shadow Realm, my Dungeon Terminal started to ring. The caller is...

"Ciara, what do you want?" - Garami

["Garami! ...do you sound older?"] - Ciara

"No." - Garami

["Okaaaay...ah! Garami! There's trouble going on!"] - Ciara

"Don't tell me... Did that gecko arrive at the surface!?" - Garami

["Gecko? Oh, the three-headed one? Well, it did appear, and things went so wild that even Alf got out of bed and fought more like a Zombie than a Vampire, and all the local guards were taken out of commission due to various plots, probably from the same source as that "gecko", but that is not a problem anymore."] - Ciara

Huh? Did they defeat that big thing on their own? And from the sound of it, they did so without help from the local guards. How did they..., no, let's trust Ciara on this one. It seems that there's something else going on.

["The real big news is that the gecko's three brothers turned the table on the raid parties that were put together to defeat them!"] - Ciara

"Raid parties?" - Garami

["The contenders of the Festival! Well, everyone except Mira and Noire's group. They defeated their quota of geckos."] - Ciara

Phew. Don't scare me like that...

"Wait a sec, you said "three" geckoes? And they defeated whole raid parties? As in, they've obtained all that EXP on their own?" - Garami

["As expected of the boss. You're catching on quickly. As for the geckoes, they were thrown down to where you are right now."] - Ciara

Hearing that, I looked over the sea, fearing that one of those things could be close by. Then I noticed it. 

"...she was the one who did in the gecko up where you are?" - Garami

["Yes~. And with one swift stroke even~. Unbelievable..."] - Ciara

If it is that person, it is understandable. I ended the call with Ciara after hearing that both Mira's and Revi's groups had returned to the city and that the Lily search party have the chimera in tow was en route as well, even if a little delayed for some reason. All that's left is finding out what is happening in there.

One part of the Demonic Sea was covered in a sphere-like barrier. GM reassured me that anyone could enter or exit the barrier, except the target chosen to be imprisoned inside it. 

After confirming that there was solid ground there, I entered the barrier and was introduced to a strange world. That's right. World. The barrier's master had created their own miniature world. I may not have seen one myself, but I bet this place is similar to the areas used for the 4th and 5th events of the Festival. A pocket space, so to say.

This place is a world of blue. It feels like being inside a circular, blue tower with a radius of around 5 kilometers, despite the barrier only covering a distance of about 200 meters. And this "tower" is huge. I can't see the bottom of it, mostly due to the blue "walls" turning darker the deeper the "tower" goes. It's difficult to see how high it is too, as the walls turn brighter to the point of becoming white the higher it goes. Not to mention, it's too damn high...

There are various "floating islands" connected with bridges made out of bedrock and they all seem to be made of black rocks that have a hint of red in them. Sorta like coagulated blood.

And who went all the way to create this place? And why? 

Let's ask some of the locals~. Like the three-headed gecko that's having its life-blood draining out as it is being impaled on the sharp, spear-like rocks of the floating islands. Or the three-headed gecko that is halfway disappearing as its HP reached 0 already. Or the gecko fighting for its life to escape a certain demonic abomination...

Just as I thought. The culprit of this barrier, the slaughterer of the geckoes, and likely the one who took care of the gecko above-ground, is Filyn. 

This pocket dimension must be one of Filyn's twin-sword God-rarity items. They go by the names of Shul Shagana and Igalima.

It's through the former's ability that Filyn created this place. Shul Shagana grants the user the ability to cut through any materials, while also producing "the material world of the user's mindscape" or so the Kigal-Note explained. Igalima's abilities are more soul-related according to the Kigal-Note.

And are these two swords enough to allow Filyn to defeat the trio of monster geckoes? The answer is: no.

I can guess based on the Identification-result of the dying gecko that these creatures should be considered "newborns". Its level is low, and the gecko fighting Filyn is moving like an amateur, so it's safe to say they lack battle experience. If they were still at Lv.1, then Filyn could bring a good fight to a single gecko if her only strength were those twin swords. 

Not that things are that simple. For both sides.

The three geckoes have just returned from defeating a raid party on their own each, meaning they have graduated from Lv.1. And they seem to have retained the multiple HP-gauges as well, meaning it's like facing 3 raid-class monsters at once.

Alas, Filyn has more than just her divine swords. There is also her Netherworld Mistress class that lets her perform supernatural feats with regular swords, and that ability is NOT weakened from using the God-tier weapons, plus she can bombard the geckoes with Darkness-based magics through her abilities as a Darkness Warlock.

But the worst part is her current appearance.

The normal Filyn has six pale-white wings, black goat horns, and a draconic tail.

The current Filyn, however, sports six jet-black, bat-like wings with eyeball motifs on the wing membranes, six sharp dragon-like horns, THREE draconic tails, and eyes on places where they don't belong. Such as on the tip of her wings, on the ends of all three tails, one nested between her collarbones, and one on her forehead. 

I don't even need to be told off to know what that is. It's her mutation. Something extremely wicked is mixed into the already bad demoness. And the result is horrifying, even if you don't count her Evil Eye-type Extra Skill, [Balor - God of Evil Eye].

The final gecko puts up a valiant struggle to escape, a smart move I want to praise it for despite being just a mass of curses shaped by that Throne, but it's just too weak. Just being glared at by Filyn's eyes is enough to make its limbs combust, wrapped into pieces, or simply rot away. It's so one-sided that I'm starting to wonder which one of them is the real raid boss. 

The gecko seemed to be trying to use several types of skills, but a quick twist from Filyn's wrist was enough to render whatever powers the gecko had into nothing...

She is freaking cutting up the effect of skills. The gecko doesn't stand a chance, even if it should have some miraculous ability that activates when it has low HP. Even the miracle itself would end up being sliced into pieces...

Since the only reason why the last gecko is still alive is that Filyn wants to "play" with it, I sat down and waited for the torture show to finish. Though, seeing the impaled gecko whimpering as it waited for its death is hurting my consciousness...

Feeling bad for it, I threw a Malevolence Zahhak at it to put an end to its suffering. Its HP was reduced to 0, but no level-up notifications came.

Instead, a System Message came up and told me that I had won 1 million Prize Points for some sorta "last attack" bonus. Not sure what that was all about, but I'm happy to get some extra reward. I mean, that gecko could be considered Azi's illegitimate child, right? Enemy or not, seeing it at least not needing to suffer anymore soothes my heart.

It was right then as I mused the idea over doing more good deeds that a System Message...nay, a World Message appeared in front of me. And Filyn. A Message so surprising that Filyn killed the last gecko in a swift cut that didn't even allow the gecko to suffer.

---

Meanwhile, in Solomar's throne room:

Inside the great throne room worthy of the king of demons were two characters reading the hologram-like message in front of them.

"Your Majesty! Does this mean-!?" asked the aide standing a respectful distance from the throne.

"Yes. Wodan did it," replied the man sitting on the throne, the Demon King himself, in a calm and composed tone.

"Thank the demon gods... I feared the worst when Springwood was determined to be KIA..." said the aide with relief on his face.

"Forget about that living doll. He was so drunk on his virtue that he would have followed that greedy fireball if she mentioned she is the real reason why I am sitting here today," replied the King, not bothering hiding his hate for both persons he was talking about, albeit his tone towards the "fireball" contained more thorns than for Springwood, the former owner of [Humility].

"Y-yes. If he were to betray us to follow that girl..." said the aide with a pale face.

"Hmph. Being too humble would lead to a life where you can only do anything if it's for the sake of someone greater than you. What a life. No, it is better to say that he was dead while alive," said the King with a bitter tone, as if he pitied Springwood despite being the one who sent him after the Champion of Darkness in the belief that Springwood would be the one to be killed.

"But now, there are no more jokers on the playing table than I can handle. Where is that greedy fireball now?" asked the King.

"Excuse me...she seems to be heading for the stables where her Fairy Dragon rests. She may be thinking of leaving the country," replied the aide after telepathically confirming the situation with his subordinates. 

"Great. That gives me free hands. Now, Filyn. Are you ready to avenge your father? I am ready, army and everything. This is not the riff-raff selected to distract that fireball, but an army of real champions of my own. Bring your armies, be it adventurers, the Champion of Darkness' monsters, or even your own grotesques. I will accept anything you throw at me. That is the least I can do, as one wearing this bloody crown."

The Demon King talked as if wishing for his monologue to reach Filyn. Alas, even if she could hear him, the Lilith was too panicked to even register those words, as she was shaking a certain Champion of Darkness around to the point of losing consciousness.

---

Kigal-Note/Monsters/Dragons: Gazer Dragon