First Demonic Dragon

Perhaps because of his great desire to improve and atone, Maliketh was the first one to step through the portal and take up the task.

He dropped to one knee in front of Abaddon after taking a moment to note his new appearance.

"…My eyes seem not to have failed me before. The master has become a being of true transcendence in our time apart. This pleases me greatly."

"I am touched by your sentiment." Abaddon sneered.

Maliketh was the servant he would have preferred to come the least.

It wasn't easy to see the face of the man who provided you your very first brush with death- even if it wasn't actually him.

"Abaddon..? What's going on here?" Yemoja finally couldn't hold onto her curiosity anymore and asked the burning question.

Abaddon smiled at her pitifully.

"I'm sorry, Yem. But this little fascination of yours seems to have eaten something he shouldn't have. I'm responsible for extracting it."

"You mean…?"

"Mhm."

Age had instilled Yemoja with a lot of knowledge and wisdom.

She knew what Abaddon's role in the abyss was better than most.

She understood the necessity of the things that he had to do.

But she still had her concerns.

"…Will he be harmed?"

"I-" Maliketh began.

"No." Abaddon placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"You don't need to worry, since it seems the beast has not rooted itself in his mind yet, so we can remove it without consequence as long as he is cooperative. I would not so easily dash away your chance at happiness."

Yemoja smiled brightly and embraced the man in front of her with a warmth unique to her.

Words would not have been loud enough to convey her gratitude in that moment, but this action was just barely sufficient.

"How come you never let me hug you like that??" Nyx interrupted.

"Have you noticed that Yemoja has yet to reach for anything below my waist?"

"A waste of an opportunity if you ask me…"

"Odd how you would pose a question to me and then answer it yourself in the next breath."

"Whatever!"

Abaddon rolled his eyes in mild annoyance.

After releasing Yemoja, she stood side-by side with the kneeling Maliketh in front of the portal to this strange and foreign reality.

Just before they left, he had a few remaining instructions for Maliketh as Yemoja stood around nervously.

"Luckily for you, the creature seems separated at this time and will not be able to pose a fight. Collect it's unclaimed remains first and then you may engage Yemoja's would-be boy toy."

"Hey." She warned.

"Sorry. Husband." He corrected.

Although something told her that he had made that mistake on purpose as one last friendly jab.

"I understand, master. Is there anything else?" Maliketh asked quietly.

Abaddon thought about it for a moment and tapped his foot rhythmically.

"Yes… there is." He realized.

Abaddon held out his hand and a one liter crystal bottle appeared over his palm.

He wasn't as good at making things with Valerie's powers as she was, but with her tutelage he was showing steady improvement. your-NovelFire-story

Although he would probably be a lot farther along if Valerie didn't get too into her sexy teacher persona.

Abaddon removed the cork from the bottle and jammed his finger inside.

He began to fill up the glassware with his own unique five-colored blood.

Gold, black, pink, red, and purple all swirled around in one unique looking concoction.

Once the bottle was filled, he re-inserted the cork and handed it to his hated servant.

"Give this to little Lucia and her family along with my regards… warn them to use this sparingly and only when needed. It isn't to be wasted on drinking."

Abaddon's blood and venom turn beings into Nevi'im, yes. But that also requires manipulation of the soul on his end. It isn't an instant evolution potion.

However, it is an extremely potent ingredient for all manner of spells, ceremonies, or rituals.

It's uses were practically bottomless.

"I understand, master. I will do as you instruct."

Maliketh took the blood filled bottle like it was a sacred treasure.

Abaddon didn't know Lucia's husband at all.

But he knew that part of an eldritch horror had allowed itself to take root within his body.

In the event that the creature instilled the fox demon to be less than cooperative in handing over the addictive power in his body, he was hoping that the blood would act as a catalyst for smoother transferal.

After exchanging a final goodbye with all of them, Yemoja and Maliketh stepped through the foreign portal and vanished from the room.

It wasn't two seconds after they were gone before Nyx gave Abaddon a small nudge.

"So, what exactly did you call me here for, my generous dragon?"

Abaddon led the girls out of the observatory and towards the kitchen where Tatiana's pastries awaited him.

He showed his friend a large, innocent smile that always showed up before he asked her for something.

"I need to ask you for a small favor."

"Oh? Do I have to do this favor with or without my-"

"I need you to teach me what it means to be a primordial god."

Nyx froze in the middle of the hallway; catching Abaddon by surprise.

Her starry eyes contained no small amount of conflict as she seemed to think of a million things at once.

Eventually, she clenched her fists and gave him an answer that he wasn't expecting.

"…No. I will not do that. Not even for you, I'm afraid."

Before he could ask why, Nyx sank into the very shadows at his feet and disappeared.

- Svarga

Monica was at the head of the ten Euphrates who were rushing forward to meet the opposing soldiers.

Evidently, the enemy was not so unwise that they would choose to rush forward and engage them just because of their small number.

If anything, this made them golden army even more cautious.

"Defensive formation!"

Quicker than the human eye could follow, the warrriors on horseback formed a wall of golden shields that seemed impenetrable.

As if that were not daunting enough, the shields began to produce a magical energy that further protected them against harm and bolstered their defenses fourfold.

Monica heard a low grumbling come from underneath her.

Her mount Aszil made a whining noise in response to the plan Monica had just told her only seconds ago.

'Sorry, girl, but thems the rules. You'll have to avoid killing anybody until we get the all clear.'

Monica climbed out of her saddle and placed both feet on top of her best in a crouching position.

She maintained a tight grip on the reigns with one hand while the other held onto her weapon.

Her locust still seemed unbelievably bothered by the lack of potential for snacking on this mission.

She voiced her displeasure yet again with a second whimper.

'I know, I know. Believe me…'Monica smiled as she held out her hand for her brand new three-segmented staff; courtesy of her father-in-law.

'I'm kind of disappointed too.'

Monica shifted her grip on her weapon until she was only holding one end.

Concentrating power into her legs, she leapt off of her mount like a speeding rocket.

Flames sparked at her feet as she sailed towards the impenetrable wall of gold.

Her body spun like a corkscrew in the air; building momentum with each rotation until she reached the wall.

Once she was close enough, Monica lashed out with her weapon and struck the exact center of the barrier.

Her weapon punched through the surface like a bullet; creating a large hole in the structure for cracks to run rampant.

She popped out cleanly on the other side and hee mount soon followed. The pair quickly began wreaking havoc on the exposed soldiers.

Aszil seemed really depressed about the whole 'no-killing' thing, and she was cutting it quite close to show her displeasure.

Whole legs and arms were being torn off as she left her own devastating mark on the battlefield.

Monica quickly landed back on her mount and gripped her reins much more tightly than before.

'I see we're still in need of a bit more training classes together, huh?' She asked dryly.

*Shy whimpering* (Too much..?)

'Yes, girl. Just a little bit too much.'

With the integrity of the shield already crumbling down, the rest of the Euphrates broke through it even easier than Monica did.

Havoc ensued as they overturned all of the odds against them instantly.

Despite their significant and detrimental lack of numbers, it never seemed like they were close to being overwhelmed for even a moment.

Even with their powers, and their best means of attack, all limited.

On the palace floor, Bekka finally dropped down from the wall she'd been sitting on.

Amidst the occasional raining of unconsciousness soldiers and non-important body parts, she actually looked quite beautiful.

As her clawed feet scraped the ground, a golden ceremonial mask appeared over her face; leaving only her full lips exposed.

Holding out her hand, she summoned a dangerously long and sharp sword that was as black as her fur.

She performed a single swiping motion in the air and the entire palace in front of her was cut right down the middle- all the way to the garden outside.

Despite being a harrowing sight for most, Bekka knew what she was really capable of.

'I really have gotten weaker… this honestly feels a little embarrassing.'

Despite her inner monologue, Bekka maintained her regal persona and the natural aura of a leader that she had cultivated ever since her youth.

Indra was standing just two inches shy of the new gash in the floor- mesmerized and horrified by the caliber of enemy that had arrived on his doorstep.

Even from six feet away, Bekka's sword was long enough that she could point it at Indra and have it touch his chest directly.

"As of right now, nothing has yet been done that cannot be overturned. Provided that you tell us where your wife is hiding."

Indra's red face seemed to lose a bit of it's color.

"Make the right decision, Indra, or every soul in Svarga will burn in place of Indrani." Bekka pushed.

Lailah twisted her fingers and glowing runes appeared just over her palms.

A familiar spacial cube appeared around the entire palace; preventing any means of exit or enterance.

The thirty-three gods quickly realized that they could no longer teleport to safety and immediate panic set in for each of them.

They all began hurling obscenities at the ears of their once revered king- his hesitation in saving them coming as too great an insult.

And yet, the Hindu god still looked as if he was no closer to making a decision.

He truly seemed like he was going to let the world burn; making Bekka shake her head in pity.

"Listen to your aides, Indra. Why do you continue to harbor all of this loyalty for a woman who was going to betray you?"

Indra's expression broke for the first time in over five minutes.

Disbelief rocked his mind as he slowly backed away.

"You… What did you say..?"