Chapter 30: Who is the real monster?
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Hope this one isn't too confusing...
=3=

// The Threat //

All my plans and pursuit for immortality only to end in vain.

"How did my possession turn to such a hideous form!"
"HoW DiD THiS HaPpEn!?"

A monstrous lich with a form of multiple heads of the dead around its body appearing as a lump of flesh had appeared. Soldiers of the castle have attempted to slay the creature but to no avail, they were overwhelmed by the undead it had conjured and the magic it possessed.

Their bodies are now controlled by the lich as they walk alongside it.
Its sludge-like body moved with a slow movement as it follows the path where the royal family had fled.

"The body...
I must...
Retrieve it...
Return...
To... my... original... host..."

As the lich continued to move onwards the cries of help of the many souls around it continue to beg for their end.

"It hurts..."

"It Burns..."

"Somebody..."

"Save... us..."

"End us..."

"SILENCE!" the lich cried out.
But the many ghosts of its victims continued to mourn and cry and weep for an end.
It groaned as it continued its onslaught, the many soldiers within the palace were mostly beaten down by the undead horde or crushed by its magic.

It places its hands on its face as it grieved at its failure.

[For many years...
I have cultivated the art of immortality...
Undeath, was the only way to prolong my existence.
Possessing many able bodies for decades!]

[But how on earth did someone.
Of this time and age be capable of breaking the century curse I had studied for many decades!]

[HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!?]

As it smashes the ground with its gigantic hands as it propelled itself forward, it slowly dragged itself towards the direction of his curse.

"I... must... repair it..."

"Return the curse to its original shape."

"Kill every mortal in this place, and pursue my research using the wealth of this country."

In my life as a mortal the many research I have made, turned me into this existence.
I pursued the secret of magic, which held the path to ascendance.
I hunted down many children of the wide array of talent but they soon reached their end as their lives became a sacrifice for my sake as my power continued to grow.

Among them, however...
I found an interesting child...
A young boy capable of possessing other beings temporarily, cursing them.
It was then, I used all of my knowledge to research it.

Befriend him, understand him, teach him the ways of magic.

Later on, I chose to use that child's body as a host to become a part of a greater existence.
His anguished face as he understood what he will become, was perhaps something I lavished most.
But, there was a problem, the child was bright and had used the possessed creatures he had made before in one final attempt to stop my experiment.

Using that opportunity, he then tried to possess my body in an attempt to escape his destiny.
But his naivety, believing he will succeed was his ultimate downfall.
Because...

I have already studied his way of thinking.
Predicted his moves and every step.

But before he had fallen to my spell, he then chose to curse himself.
It was a malicious curse where his own body will perish as I tried to claim it.

He gave me a wicked smile as he said.
"You wanted this body, then come and take it!"

It was then my path to become a lich were carved open as I turned his body as my own!
A being that will never perish no matter how long time had passed.

A lich...
Though to my surprise...
Undeath was no consequence as the power I wielded were transferred to the host.
However, the curse had placed on his own body, damned me into an undead.

Never able to feel pain, nor lavish in taste, only to slowly rot away as I moved on from host to host.
I needed to study this type of curse, it was specially made by his own hands.
Which is why, I pursued the rich folks, nobles, dukes and many others.

Finally, I reached the point where I needed more.
I needed an enormous wealth when I discovered that the only way to break it.
Was to purchase a certain object of an extinct race!
Which was known as the white dragons.

The church heralded a relic well kept and guarded.
A scale of their race which is now worshipped as a holy relic of an ancient past.
I needed wealth, power and strength to claim it as my own.

"Damn it all!"

I discovered it all too late.
Dealing with the mortals have become extremely hard, the moment I was cursed.
The moment they saw my undead shape while I wore a mask it always ended poorly.
I cannot hide my scent, nor can I hide my rotting flesh as I move from body to body.
It became a cycle where It took me years to invented magic to keep my body from showing any signs of the dead.

Because of this, the curse of that child is not something I will forget!

I intended to take control of the Roswell family.

But as soon as my informant managed to gather news of a queen of Bristle coming here.
I soon partake that their country is undoubtedly greater than this.
Planning my attack, and aiming for the queen without severely harming her current state.
I threw a knife embedded with all my existence within it.

All it required for the curse to trigger is merely a short contact of her flesh.

I succeeded but the soldier's vanquished me the moment I appeared.
Truly, I will make this country pay for what they have done.
Was my greatest vow as the last moment of my body fell.

"Soon..."

As it dragged its hulking mass towards the knight quarters.
It then saw the knights had begun its operation to flee from the place.
The Queen carried by the King along with her siblings.

Finally, the large creature shouted.

"Return!...
Her!...
To...
MEEEEEEEEEEE!"  Its voice echoed with a large screech as the undead guarding him had charged toward the knights with murderous intent. It then conjured magic as the knight's blocks every attempt, buying time for their escape. A clash of magic and strength as a large mass of monstrosity slowly whittled them away, forcing them to retreat.

"I will not fail here!
There is much more power to obtain from this world!" It cried out with aggression.

As it dragged it's massive body in pursuit.

________________________________________________________________________________
// The Chase. //

Leanne's family were running with the knights while they draw attention.
But the undead in front of them was slowing them down with Lana on the lead carving a path with the knight commander.

Estel was carried by Lance on his back, persistent to his desire to keep her safe.
With Leanne worriedly asked.

"Brother, isn't it wiser for you to participate in the front lines?
I can carry her for your sake."

He then retorts.
"With a weakling like you, who avoided physical activity like a plague.
I highly doubt you will last." He then snorted as he said.

"The next thing that will happen will be Roland to be the one carrying you."

Roland then said.
"Sis... he has a point."

Leanne felt annoyed but she understood.
It was hectic with a terrifying creature coming right after them from behind.
Any delays would turn their situation even worse as they put their lives on the line.
[I hope Caillou is fine...]

Caillou separated from the group the moment he had safely escorted everyone towards the queen's chambers. He had to command certain servants under the queen's command with Leanne's instruction. But was struck with surprise as the undead had come to attack the palace.
With an emergency occurring without prior warning he chose to help evacuate the servants to escape with great efficiency, he had no time to spare to reach Leanne as he himself is in a troublesome situation as the horde of undead continued to pour around the place.

________________________________________________________________________________

// Saved. //

While the royal family continued to flee, the knights came to a surprise as the large hulking mass were smarter than they had expected it to be.

It proceeded to crush the walls of the palace to quicken its chase with relentless fervor.
With its hulking mass and large limbs, continued to smash the place. The knight that was buying time were smarmed with undead horrors as they were determined to follow it.

Only to be left in a critical situation where they underestimated the numbers that had been called forth. Surrounded and at odds, they readied their swords as they used magic and might to cut down whatever came at their sights, as they soon took wounds from being bitten while some were possessed by specters.

However...

A fierce howl echoed within the halls behind them.

As they turned believing it was their end, the large mass of undead and possessed knights rushed towards the direction of the howl instead.
The voice of an angry man then echoed.

"Kneel."

A powerful force of gravity then pushed the undead along with the possessed soldiers downward crushing pulling them down to the earth as they made a painful crushing noise. The undead then slowly turned to dust, leaving only the possessed soldiers left on the ground.

Meanwhile, the knights were frozen still from fear and confusion, raising their swords toward the figure.

As the voice of a young woman then complained.

"Look's like some of them were possessed.
How awful are the warriors of this place?"

A beautiful young woman with a black dress and red rose design appeared before them.
Her crimson eyes gazed at them with a worried expression as she asked.

"Are all of you alright?" as she said these words, they felt hope.

Then the silhouette of a shadow knight then appeared from the shade behind her.
As they were then stricken with fear due to its fierce and terrifying design.
The shadow knight then spoke.

"They are fine,
We need to pursue that lich.
Before Estel falls victim to one of these undead." as they continued their march towards the broken wall in pursuit of their goal.

The knights were puzzled about their appearance.
But soon rushed towards the possessed knights only to realize, they were still alive but parts of their body were broken by their attack, they soon fortified their position in case more undead arrive in hopes of rescue.

As Esla and the shadow knight captain continued to run onwards.

"I never knew our roar could be used to draw in the undead."

"All I did was a howl, there is nothing special about it.
Aside from the fact, these things are drawn to sound."

"They are?" she asked with a puzzled expression.

"You didn't realize it?
It's obvious how they are quietly attacking anyone who screamed."

"So... that explains why there is so many undead heading this way."

Esla were now crushing their head as they run forward,
With The knight captain sweeping them with his lance as though they were light objects.
"You should take this as a lesson, you might fight something that requires attention." as he lectures her she then groaned.

"But there's rarely anything out there that can hurt me aside from our own race." she then shrugged after she threw a zombie towards a large number leaving a crater in the palace walls.

"Which is why you should reconsider that there are also threats aside from our race that could harm you. There is nothing wrong with being observant, you might find someone out there that could pose a challenge to you."

Esla exhaled as they soon saw the figure of the threat they were pursuing.

_______________________________________________________________________________

// This thing is Ugly! //

As they reached the figure, they had discovered that the royal family were cornered by it within the gardens.

With no escape in sight only a corner of the cliff beside them,
their expression pales as the large mass continued to draw closer to them.

Esla then nodded to her knight captain as he charges forward while she protects the VIP of the castle. The Shadow knight captain then unleashes its dark wings as it charged toward the large mass as he enveloped himself in dark flames.

In a few seconds.

The creature was knocked away from them as the shadow knight captain body dragged it's hulking mass away from them. But it was in a few moments that he was also knocked away by its hulking limbs.

Blown towards the garden floors as he crashed into the fountain.

"Do not Intervene!
Demon Fiend!" It cried out to him.

But the S.knight captain then stood, as though he hadn't felt pain.

"Oh...
A lich that can talk.
How rare...
Looks like you did quite a lot of unsightly deeds I presume." he said with a chuckle.

The lich then hissed at him, with a furious tone as it responded.

"Your kind does not meddle in the human domain,
What pushed you this far away from home?
The fate of this country is destined to fall today!"

He then placed his hand on his helmet and pulled his helmet as bits of dirt that slid fell on his shoulders, as he placed it gently down to the earth, as he then told him.

"This country is temporarily under our protection,
You and your ass just chose the wrong timing...
And now is destined to get destroyed by this elder dragon." with calm words,
he then swiftly shapeshift his body into a black elder dragon in a few seconds.

His armor was made to detach itself the moment it is pushed away from his body to quicken transformation while also preventing it from being destroyed, while simultaneously turning every part of himself into a dragon.

He then said these words.

"Prepare to be burned foolish one.
You have made a poor choice of revealing yourself now!"

A battle between a black dragon against a hulking lich.
As the two began their duel.
Esla had already conjured protection around the royal family as she began to converse with them.

________________________________________________________________________________

// Wild day huh? //

Esla who had a barrier set up then spoke to them.

"I don't know what you guys did...
But whatever that ugly thing is.

It is totally not our fault, alright?" Leanne family swiftly nodded to her in response.

The King and the knights were gazing at the battle between the two giants.
Meanwhile, Leanne who gazed at her...
Then noticed, Estel description of her.
She then asked in a whisper.

"Are you... perhaps Esla?"

Esla's eyes went wide open the moment she heard her name.
"You... met her?
Where is she!?" with a swift turn she shook her shoulders.

"Oww! Oww!" unable to stop her hands she had forgotten that she was dealing with a human.
As the knights and everyone turned towards them.

"I'm so sorry,
I forgot how you people are quite fragile." they then nodded to watch the fight.

Leanne exhaled as she then said.
"Extreme strength, huh..." then pointed out the direction where her brother carried her.

"Eh?" Esla had a puzzled expression on her face.
______________________________________________________________________________

Notice:
Estel right now was deeply asleep, the moment they were about to move.
She never woke no matter how much they tried.
It was then decided to have Lance carry her, as time was of the essence with the threat were closing in.
_______________________________________________________________________________
While Esla gazed at her,
she saw her silver hair and calmly sleeping face even amidst the chaos she was in.
She then approached Lance only for him to feel unease at her gaze.
"What do you want?" he asks.

Leanne then spoke formally to him.
"Lance, that person is her sister."

"Eh?" With a stupid look on his face, he then glanced at the silver-haired girl on his back.
And then turned to the black haired woman in front of him.
"That's impossible!
Wasn't she supposedly from Carona?"

Leanne at this moment had no choice but to explain to Lance privately away from her father.
Ronald himself was surprised and amazed to discover the princess of the demon-king were right under their noses.

Lance on the other hand.
On the other hand, had a face with a pale expression on his face as he understood.

He moved Estel to Esla's arms.

"She's as light as ever,
Thank you for keeping her safe." She said to Lance,
but he simply nodded with a disgruntled expression on his face.

She then proceeded to lay her to the ground as she caressed her face with worry while turning to the battle unfolding between the giants.

Lana then asked Leanne.
"Is it really fine to tell her everything like that?"

"Estel trust her more than anyone else in her country.
Didn't she told us, it's fine to tell her."

Lana gave Esla a wry smile, while she gazed at her with a worried look.
She then asked.
"Are you two perhaps her friend?" Leanne and Lana gave a nod.

"Can you tell me how you two met?" with a curious expression on her face.

Leanne then calmly spoke to her.

"She's... an awfully strange person when we first met.
Though, she did some unreasonable things most of them are usually harmless."

"What kind?" Leanne and Lana turned to one another as they then said.

"A lot, of unreasonable things a princess would never do."

Esla then chuckled,
"It's not surprising though...
In the castle, she was confined in a single place.
Most of her friends and people who worked with her betrayed her.

She became isolated and afraid while keeping a smile she never abandoned." Esla said with a pained expression with a drop of a tear falling from one of her eyes.

"So... what she said were true," Lana said with surprise.

Esla nods while wiping her tears.

"Then you should be aware that Estel doesn't wish to come home." Esla then chuckled.

"We came here to see...
If she was still alive.
I'm so glad." as tears began to flow, she hugged Estel in a tender embrace.
Though her consciousness is completely out-cold, her armlet could cleanly felt her emotion.
Leanne and Lana were a bit amused as she was not completely abandoned after all.
As she wiped her tears she then spoke towards the both of them.
"Though, looking at how she made friends here.
It's quite a surprise, to see her with the very princess of this nation herself."

Leanne then gave a wry smile as she said.
"She had quite an elegant movement to her, that we ended up taking her in."

Esla chuckled once again.
"Indeed... she worked quite hard.
Though, I once believed it's her calling to become one."

As she then raised her head up towards the sky.
"Sadly... they never noticed her,
Only to reject her very existence.

Our family loved her, because of her understanding nature.
Though my father is a complete coward that doesn't seem to do anything about it." She complained.

Leanne and Lana had a sad look as she said those words.
Then Leanne asked.

"You... you are aware that Estel hated her father?"

"It's not a surprise, after what had happened before she was whisked away from us.
Though, I will respect her wishes if she desires to remain here.

As the princess and future queen of the demon-kingdom, this...
I swear to you."

As she said these words, Leanne felt at ease that Estel no longer need to fear her own race from forcibly taking her away. But she then said.

"However...
We cannot allow Estel to remain here without any protection,
So we are building a gate-way here so we can visit her at any time."

"Eh?" Leanne and Lana had a surprised expression as they soon asked.

"What is a gate-way?" Esla had a curious expression as she asked.

"Ah... that's right, you're people don't have much knowledge regarding magic yet.
Then imagine a place where you can instantly move from a vast distance to another.

It requires experts of our kind to make and rarely used since most demon-kins flew and lived in our kingdom without relying on it too much-"

While she explained.

The battle between hulking mass was being dragged to their place.
As the large creature began to mow towards their direction,
Everyone panicked as they rushed to flee from where they were, only to be blocked by some kind of barrier.

"Ahh! We are going to get crushed." one of the knights cried out.

But as it's hulking body reached them, the barrier did not waver nor did it even budge.
The mass fell off the cliff, as the black dragon followed it as it fell.

However, Esla continued to talk as if nothing was happening.

"Aside from my parents who often used it for vacations."

Leanne and Lana nodded to her as they were both stricken with fear,
As the barrier which surrounds them were way stronger than they have imagined it to be.
Everyone within it was gasping and shaking as though they were having a heart attack.

But Esla then asked.

"Why are all of you shaking like that?"

Unaware of what fear was...
All of them could only look at her as they then thought.
"The demon-kins are fearsome!"

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