-The Chaos Queen.
This was the title by which Nikusa Eldrichterror was known. She was a progenitor Eldritch Horror, born before concepts such as time and space even existed. Her reputation as a destroyer was known everywhere, from the golden cities of heaven to the darkest recesses of hell.
It was said she'd been trapped by the very first archangels, but those were just stories that faded with time. Nikusa had simply retreated to a part of hell deemed uninhabitable by normal living beings, disappearing for centuries while she tried to figure out what to do with her infinite existence. She had to draw her own character, and get used to being the queen she desired to be. Secondly, she'd never fought against the original archangels; why would she dirty her hands against such lowly beings when she had a world to discover? Boredom had always been Nikusa's greatest weakness.
Living the life of the Supreme Queen, waited on and revered by each of her servants, was certainly wonderful, but also boring and monotonous. For this reason, she always sought something to entertain herself, whether it was battling powerful beings or causing destruction everywhere. It was inevitable that such a chaotic being would sooner or later clash with the one reputedly the most powerful in Hell: Almodeus Fearterror, the Fear Demon.
Unlike the legends of bards and drunken tavern rats, theirs was not a “no-holds-barred” battle, where both sides gave their all to subdue the other, eventually reaching a ceasefire. A single blow was enough for the two to realize they were evenly matched, or at least to understand that a battle would only bring about the end of the world.
After a single exchange, heaven and earth were shaken by an earthquake so powerful it seemed like the doom’s day was arrived. Reality itself had cracked, threatening to shatter into a thousand pieces like a mirror. It became clear to both of them that they would gain nothing from fighting each other.
Nikusa didn't want to end the world, because then she'd have nothing left to enjoy. Almodeus, for his part, had more than one reason for ceasing hostilities- that he hadn't started in the first place. Nikusa had sought him out, intrigued by the being considered her equal. At first, she thought he was just a demon putting on too much airs- a common occurrence with that species- but one look was enough to understand otherwise.
Almodeus was truly a being to be feared.
After the ceasefire, the two formed an alliance—more of a mutual non-aggression pact. Even though they had never met before, they quickly understood each other, but that made sense; they were both the end of all things.
Nikusa embodied the general chaos capable of rewriting reality itself; a disorder comparable to a black hole that absorbed everything without distinction. Concepts, thoughts, ideals... Everything was devoured by that enormous, absolute void that erased everything.
Almodeus, on the other hand, was absolute fear; a huge black wave crashing into existence itself, stripping it of all possibility of action. By denying the movement of reality, it also denied its evolution, time, space...Every single possibility ceased to exist, leaving only a great hole in the wall. Nothing could survive.
After that pact, the two beings went their separate ways, which however became intertwined again by strange coincidences- such as the great friendship that would arise between their offspring, for example.
Curious how two creatures representing different concepts- yet ultimately reaching the same conclusion- could have met in such a way. The world could have ended the moment Almodeus and Nikusa encountered each other, yet it didn't. It had been quite a risk, nonetheless.
Fate has strange ways of revealing its cards, doesn't it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And who is this?
Gold stepped back slightly, while the newcomer regarded them with her fuchsia eyes. She was a gigantic woman, with pale skin, dressed in a regal white gown, black high-heeled boots and a dark tiara on her forehead, held like a crown.
"Need a hand, Almodea?"
"Nikusa?!?!?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Helping your ass, dear. You're welcome, eh..."
"Yeah, sorry...thanks for the assist, by the way! How long have you been here?!"
Are they...talking? Are they allies?
Gold was undecided. The most logical course of action would have been to retreat. Almodea alone had been able to hold her own against both him and Red—if the newcomer was as formidable as her, then they had no hope of victory. If his companion hadn't intervened, he would likely have fled long before.
Almodea and her behavior had completely terrified Gold, even though he wasn't actually there. His armor was remote-controlled; if it were destroyed, it would be a huge waste, since it was unique, but he wouldn't be physically harmed in any way.
-However...
Her eyes...It was like she was just toying with me. Could she see me through the remote control? Does she know where I am?
As his mind worked overtime to figure out the reason for his anxiety, Red approached him and began whispering in his ear.
“What do we do, Gold? Retreat using the barrier as a distraction?”
“It would be useless. That pale woman managed to get in without me noticing.”
That fact alone had made him realize that Nikusa was at least on par with Almodea. The barrier prevented teleportation and the passage of material objects, passively stealing energy from anyone within it and transferring it to the one who had created the barrier itself.
“So...What do we do? Shall we wait for the others?”
"The others would take too long. We have to flee and regroup."
“Yes, but how? I can't teleport for some reason.”
"It's my barrier's fault. I can use a long-range teleportation spell, but I need time to activate it and retrive energy. We need to keep them busy, and maybe get some information."
Having decided this, Gold didn't ask for a second opinion and turned to the two women, who had approached each other. They were talking as if nothing was wrong—their demeanor was extremely vain, as if there were no danger in being distracted during a battle.
“I think we're off to a bad start. May I ask who are you and what you're doing here?”
“Do you really think I'll fall for this trick? You're just stalling!”
Gold couldn't deny that; it was the truth. However, instead of taunting him further, Almodea began to speak, contrary to what she had previously said. It was increasingly clear that the girl was not taking the two knights seriously.
“I am here to take some humans for our experiments.”
“Experiments? Tell me...What do you know about the voice of the universe?”
“The what of the what?”
Gold understood that Almodea didn't know what had summoned her, and it was strange. Usually, the voice spoke to those it summoned from other worlds. Why had it been different with Almodea? Something wasn't right. That wasn't a normal living being.
"Forget that..."
“You're really weird, you know?”
“How dare you? Do you know who you’re talking to?! He’s the Golden Lyon Lord!”
“I wonder why I'm not surprised by the choice of name...”
“What did you say, foolish girl?!”
"Who are you calling foolish?!"
Gold sighed in irritation. Not only had Red revealed his name, but he was also openly arguing with Almodea, causing her to become more aggressive. She would surely attack them like this, and his energy wasn't enough for long-range teleportation of two people.
This is going to end badly...Red is an idiot.
He mentally chastised himself for giving the Red Dragon Lord's armor to a human. It was an incredible waste, he thought. But it was a former member who deemed him worthy of the armor, and for old times' sake, Gold had agreed. Nevertheless, the argument between Red and Almodea seemed more like a high school girl squabble than anything else.
“I've been kicking your asses all by myself so far! The only reason you're not dead yet is because I didn't go all out!”
“Oh, Come on! If the other one hadn't intervened, we would have already finished you off!”
But you were the one who wanted to escape in the first place...
Gold sighed internally. Everything was getting so awkward—Red had even started stomping his feet like a petulant brat, leaving furrows in the dirt.
“Come on kids, that’s enough.”
The pale woman- named Nikusa- butted in, patting Almodea on the head. Gold didn't know how powerful this monster could be, but it was probably as fearsome as the other one.
“I think you can stop arguing with him, Almodea. I'll take care of those two now.”
“H-How dare you?! Who do you think you are? You came here and you think you're the boss? You're nothing but a monster who thinks she's God!”
“Ara Ara! You're such a loudmouth! Now I understand why Almodea was beating you so badly.”
“We would have eliminated her if it weren't for you! Now you'll meet the same fate as her!”
“Oh, my. You're so boring.”
And she was supposed to put an end to the discussion?
Gold didn't approve of this behavior, but it worked to his advantage. The energy for long-range teleportation was almost fully available—they just needed to buy a few more minutes.
“I think we should stop here. I don't even feel like dealing with someone like you...”
Nikusa raised the right hand, snapping her thick, pale fingers. That simple movement alone was enough to worry Gold. One thing he'd learned the hard way during centuries of battle was that no one ever did anything randomly. Every movement counted, even a mere snap of the fingers. The vocal component wasn't required for magic, but some used it to maintain concentration—the same was true for the gesture component.
What did she do? Did she cast a spell? No… Could it be a summons? But for what?
“You’re out of your mind if you think you can win against us!”
While Gold was on the defensive, Red began shouting at the two women. He had completely lost his mind and was simply venting his anger unconditionally at their opponents, deluded that it would be enough to give him a paltry advantage.
“You really are a child.”
“You are the one who talks?! You act like a Queen, but how do you plan to beat us? With what army, anyway?!”
At that moment, a sound like glass cracking was heard. The barrier had been breached by a mysterious figure, wearing full white armor and with two jet-black feathered wings. A few seconds later, a similar creature did the same. The action repeated itself over and over, until about twenty similar figures had formed a circle around the knights, trapping them in a corner. The barrier had collapsed completely, and the armed women remained static around them, with the sole exception of the first to arrive, who had placed herself between the two knights and the other two female monsters.
They were all women, fully clad in shining armor, armed with various weapons, from battle axes to fencing swords. They were visibly inhuman, given the black wings on their backs.
Gold initially assumed they were Valkyries, but dismissed the idea. Valkyries had white wings, and it was mandatory, as well as a sign of pride for them; it was unthinkable that the women before him had dyed them or belonged to a sub-species.
“Damn! That’s a good army.”
Almodea muttered, placing her hands on the hips. From her demeanor, it was clear she didn't see the new arrivals as enemies; in fact, the girl seemed almost pleased to see them. She was also greeting some of them in a friendly manner, and they returned the gesture in a respectful manner.
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“W-What's happening?!”
Red turned pale at this turn of events; little of his previous fury remained. It was then that the first of the new arrivals raised her battle axe to the sky, followed closely by all the others. Her stern and serious voice echoed throughout the camp.
“Here we are! We are the servants of the Supreme Queen! Esoterica, offer your loyalty to Her Majesty and rise up! Tell them who we are!"
“Those who fight the darkness hidden in the darkness! Those who face the light beneath the light! Those who serve the Supreme Queen with body and soul!”
Led by that song of devotion, the other women began speaking in perfect unison, like a professional choir—as if they were one being. There was no doubt or hesitation in their words, only infinite devotion.
“Esoterica? What the hell kind of monster is that?”
“I have no idea, Red...but they’re not of this world.”
It was clear to anyone that the two knights were at a serious disadvantage. Their opponents seemed anything but weak, and the battle against Almodea had already exhausted them. The only positive note was that their dramatic introduction had given Gold enough energy to launch his teleport. However, it would have been wise not to launch it immediately, as there was a several-second delay between casting the ability and its actual activation. Almodea had proven herself to be fast, too fast to be underestimated.
“Very good! Girls...Take them out!”
The women moved forward after Nikusa's order, ready to pounce on the two knights like vultures on corpses.
“Red, you have to keep them at bay. There are only two of us, and we have to make do-”
“Two of you, huh?”
Nikusa seemed amused for some reason, as if Gold had made a joke. The woman moved her right hand and brought it to her long white hair, moving it with a confident flick.
“What are you laughing about?”
“You're terrible at math. You're the only one here...”
“What are you talking about? Red is-?!”
If the golden armor had been capable of showing emotions, its face would probably have been tinged with despair and confusion at that moment. Red had vanished into thin air, as if he'd never been there in the first place.
“Red? Red! Where the hell-!”
Gold whirled around to face Nikusa, who was staring at him with that amused look. Had it been her? Had she made Red disappear? But how was that even possible? The armor of the Forever Knights was protected by teleportation magic precisely to prevent eventualities like that.
Did she use a skill? Since when exist skills that can teleport others like that?!
He knew of skills that could make their user move, but never ones that could affect other beings in that particular way.
“Red? I have no idea who you’re referring to.”
Nikusa's response was clearly a lie. Her playful, ironic tone had immediately given her away, but she didn't seem to care; she was only interested in rubbing salt in the wound. It was then that Gold noticed, to his great dismay, that the furrows left by Red's bratty behavior moments earlier had completely disappeared. It seemed as if every trace of his presence in that place had been erased.
Could it be that she altered the events? No…It can't be! There must be some trick behind it.
There were spells capable of altering reality to a certain extent, such as divination or illusion, but they didn't reach such a far-reaching extent. It almost seemed as if Nikusa had altered the course of the past events, rewriting the present. But if that were the case, then she was practically an omnipotent Goddess.
It's all a trick, it has to be! Otherwise I wouldn't have the memories of the battle I had with Red.
Gold looked down at his armor. It was visibly damaged, even more severely than he'd expected; almost as if Red had never come to his aid when Almodea had gained the upper hand during the initial stages of the fight. Just thinking about that moment sent a chill down his spine, even though he wasn't even there.
“I say we end this here. Girls! Take him out!”
“Wait, Nikusa! I want to give him the final blow!”
“Oh? Okay, Almodea! Go ahead, it's all yours sweetie!”
Receiving permission from the older woman, Almodea prepared to leap into the attack.
“Ready for round three? K.O. time!”
Using the strength of her great dragon wings, the girl launched herself at Gold with the speed of a bullet, her hands outstretched and ready to pierce him. Seeing her approaching, the knight used his weapons to create a defensive barrier, which softened Almodea's blow.
She seems even stronger than before! Has she regained her energy?
Things were getting dire. Gold was certain he couldn't win a fight against Almodea, even if the other women hadn't intervened. He couldn't win—not in those conditions.
“It’s risky, but I have to do it! Divine Teleportation!”
Using all his accumulated energy, the knight activated an ability, disappearing in a beam of golden light after a few seconds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Damn! He ran away!"
Almodea snorted, finding herself slashing at the air. It seemed the five golden weapons had vanished with their wielder. No trace of the two knights remained on the battlefield, except for the shining pieces that had been torn off during the clash.
“Oh, my! I see you’ve improved a lot, Almodea.”
Nikusa commented with a amused tone, approaching the girl with her usual nonchalant manner.
“Yeah...Thanks to your daughter. I did some training with her in my free time some days ago—”
A grimace of irritation mixed with pain spread across Almodea's face. If she had veins, some would probably have become visible or even popped out. Her voice became that of a war veteran recalling the traumas of the front.
“-Never again...two black holes as bench press or dead lift. Never. Again!”
“Hahaha! My little Hirashi keeps herself busy as always, I see.”
Little? Hirashi is anything but little. She's as tall as you and must weigh much more...
“She never skips a gym day- you could say.”
Almodea's ironic response helped her return to a normal state. Even so, it was obvious she was tired. Her tail was gone, and her wings had shrunk in size. Her gray skin had lost its color and seemed to be turning pale.
“Did those two give you such a hard time? They didn't seem like much to me...”
“Well...you’re OP as fuck, you know? It’s easy for you to talk.”
Almodea replied, huffing.
“Anyway, for your information, they weren't the ones giving me trouble...”
The girl raised her hand to the head, which had begun to hurt again. The fury she'd felt during the battle had distracted her, but now she felt extremely weak, as if she had the flu- something she'd never experienced before.
“I met some humans before...They had this strange object that did this to me.”
“Oh, now I get it! Do you want a hand, or-”
“No! I'm fine! But...thanks for coming to my aid.”
Almodea's gaze shifted to one of the armored women, who had approached her with a worried expression.
“Young Miss, are you sure you're okay?”
“Absolutely, Albedo! Thanks for coming too.”
The winged woman blushed beneath her helmet at that friendly comment. Almodea had always been very friendly with the Esoterica. As Hirashi's sister, they treated the young demoness with great respect and kindness.
“Almodea! I finally found you!”
A voice called to the girl from behind. Her face filled with joy as she saw her father appear out of nowhere, not far from them. He had used some nearby crows as a means of teleportation to get there as quickly as possible. He was still in Amon's disguise, but as soon as he approached, he immediately reverted to his usual form.
"Dad!"
“Sorry for the delay, little spot!”
He apologized, bowing his head slightly.
“Unfortunately, we couldn't find your energetic signal. There was some interference in the area. Can you tell me what happened?”
“Was it the barrier those two used, maybe?”
Nikusa muttered, pointing out her presence.
"You here?!"
Almodeus's jaw nearly dropped when his eyes met the woman's. Normally, he would have been more restrained- but in this case, the concern for his daughter had blinded him to the presence of Nikusa and the Esoterica—until now, at least.
“Yes, me! What a way to say hello to a friend! A beautiful one at that!”
The woman replied to him, in an offended tone.
“Don't be such a spoiled brat. Believe it or not, I—”
A fist flew in Almodeus's direction, catching him square in the face and hurling him against a nearby tree, which crashed irreparably to the ground. The demon immediately got up, massaging his broken jaw, while several teeth fell to the ground like shattered glass.
The wound began to heal shortly after, while Nikusa cleaned her ink-stained knuckles from the punch she had thrown at the other with the casualness of someone asking how the weather is.
“And what was that for?!”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Almodeus! Who do you dare call a spoiled brat, you dickless crow?!"
These two look like a pair of in-laws...
Almodea struggled to contain her laughter. Her father and Nikusa were friends, but they argued often—mostly because of the latter's fiery temper.
It hurts...
While the two giants argued like an elderly couple in a nursing home, Almodea raised her right hand to the forehead, as if checking her temperature.
I have to...keep Dad from seeing me like this. I can't show myself weak in front of everyone...
She felt her energy draining and her eyelids drooping. It was as if she'd been up all night watching a Yuri anime, which was her favorite genre. Almodea began to stagger, moving slightly away from the two arguing to avoid being seen in that state. It wasn't a matter of honor, but of not disappointing her father. She had to be strong, she had to be better than she already was, she had to be more like Hirashi; an unstoppable force, serious and mature. If she were to show herself like that, she'd be seen as just another little princess in need of a knight in white armor to save her—or worse—a prince.
I may be a princess, but I'd rather die than be with a prince...or any man in general.
Luckily for her, the argument between the two in-laws in the background had distracted her attention. Punches were no longer flying, but Almodeus seemed to have a slight advantage in the oral contest.
“Believe it or not, we were looking for you! Hirashi was pretty worried about never seeing you again.”
“Hirashi never worries about anything! Anyway, that doesn’t give you the right to call me a spoiled brat!”
“Wow...You took this very seriously! This is childish behavior!”
"Again?! You dare call me a child? Do you want me to shove your hat up your ass?!”
“Oh, very mature of you...”
Almodea couldn't help but laugh.
They look like a divorced couple...
That kind of scene always amused her, but the headache showed no signs of abating. Her vision began to blur, and her staggering became more frequent, so much so that the nearby Esoterica noticed her moving away. Some were still intent on watching the argument between the Absolute Lord and the Supreme Queen, but Albedo had immediately noticed that Almodea was not well.
Moved by a sense of duty and sympathy- and even affection, she approached the girl, noticing her tired expression. The "A" on Almodea's chest was beating slowly, and it glowed with such a dying light that it could barely be seen from beneath the clothes.
“Young Miss Almodea...Are you not well? Allow me the great honor of being able to help you. I will do everything in my power for your well-being."
“Huh? No…No…I'm fine, Albedo. Trust me, I—”
The girl couldn't finish her sentence. Albedo leaped forward to catch Almodea, who was about to fall forward. She held her tightly as if she were a precious treasure, proof of her great loyalty and affection. Every Esoterica regarded Almodea as one of their mistresses, an honor reserved for few.
“Young Miss? Young Miss!”
Albedo's screams brought the other armored women closer, who immediately began offering assistance, extremely concerned for the young demoness's well-being. The commotion attracted the attention of Almodeus and Nikusa, who stopped arguing to observe the scene.
“Nikusa-”
The first one muttered, a static expression on his face.
“-I want to know what the hell happened here, before I get really angry.”
Ok...he's really pissed off.
Nikusa thought, before dropping the spolied queen act and started explaining the little she knew about the situation. If there was one thing she knew she shouldn't do, it was argue with a furious Almodeus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A real delight!"
Black commented, observing some images produced by a magical sphere. The demon ran a hand through his black hair and continued observing with great interest.
"She faced the Golden Lyon Lord and the Red Dragon Lord alone! What a hell of a demon girl! Unfortunately, I lost the signal halfway through the battle when that black flame appeared out of nowhere..."
He muttered to himself, moving his face closer to better see the image reproduced in the sphere. Black moved his middle finger and thumb simultaneously, zooming in on the girl's face, observing her with great interest.
How could she have achieved such power?
The devil wondered, observing frame by frame what the magic sphere projected. Normally, a demon could not leave the infernal realm without being summoned, and even once the summoning ritual was completed, the demon itself was not free to act as it pleased, but was bound to obey its summoner. The only way a demon could gain absolute freedom was by being given a name—this created a sort of point of contact with reality, allowing it to evolve beyond the level of Archdemon.
Who knows who gave her a name...Maybe her summoner is still alive? It would be interesting to know where they found such a being.
Once they had achieved absolute freedom and evolved, it was standard practice for demons to kill their summoners, since—even though they had lost control over their summoning by giving it a name of its own—the summoners still had the authority to cancel the ritual and send the demon back to hell, forcing it to expend great amounts of energy to be able to re-summon itself.
“She has bright red hair...”
Black wasn't the type to be captivated by women, or any living being in general- but that girl's beauty was something that was simply impossible to achieve in that world.
I had already ruled out the possibility that she was a descendant of Cremesis...But the resemblance to the demons of the Red lineage is incredible.
“I wonder if my brothers noticed this wonderful gem!”
The demon smiled as he thought of the young woman's power. Demons were, by nature, drawn to strength, and therefore tended to be summoned and serve their master faithfully if he was deemed worthy. A clear example were Black's own subordinates, who sought in every way to gain recognition of being important in his eyes.
"She summoned some Succubus...So she's at least at the level of a Greater Demon. However, she held her own against the Lyon and Dragon Lord, not to mention that she killed one of my henchmen who was at the level of an Archdemon. I'd rate her at the level of a Demon Destroyer..."
Demon Destroyer was one of the many intermediate levels, positioned between the Archdemon and the Demon Lord. From what Black knew, Demon Destroyers were extremely rare, as a demon had to reach at least level 56 to even unlock the ability to access that evolution. After reaching the minimum level required, one had to be especially skilled in unarmed combat, something extremely unusual for demons, who preferred the use of magic or weapons.
Black had assumed Almodea belonged to that class since she seemed to fight almost exclusively with her fists- or claws in her case. She used some spells, but they hadn't seemed all that powerful—the ones he'd observed, at least.
But... the fact that she can use magic up to level 6 is already extremely unique. Few demons reach that level. However, she's inferior to me in this regard.
Of the spells the girl used, the highest he recognized was level 6. He was a little disappointed, but considering Almodea seemed to be a physical fighter, Black couldn't complain too much. Besides, he was 100% sure the girl hadn't gone all out in one of her fights yet.
Maybe she's hiding her best for someone her size. Could she use level 8 magic? Maybe even level 10! She'd almost be my equal, then.
Black's golden eyes widened. As he relived for the umpteenth time the massacre Almodea had wrought at the brigands' base, his eye fell on the succubi she had summoned. It was clear that they were not ordinary succubi, and that they had been upgraded up to level 30.
How envious!
He sighed and brought a hand to his face, bitterly.
"If only I had discovered this girl sooner! I could have answered her call when she cast the spell to summon the succubi!"
Actually, he'd tried. Normally, when summoning a demon, you could modify the ritual to request a specific type—like succubus or devils. However, there was also the possibility that a higher-level demon would answer the call, killing all other available candidates at the time.
Being a Primordial, Black had tried to intrude on the summoning ritual when he sensed that the reward for accepting such an invitation was a power similar to the one that had sent a cold shiver down his spine the first time he saw Almodea.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to interfere with the ritual, as if some higher magic prevented anyone other than a female succubus from responding to the summons. He was irritated at first, but when he realized it could have been Almodea herself, he felt a surge of joy. If that girl could repel even him, a Primordial demon to whom the rules of common demons didn't apply, then she was truly exceptional.
"What a pity..."
He muttered to himself.
“But there's no need to be afraid-"
Black reached out toward the image, touching it with his white-gloved fingers. He smiled, revealing his sharp canines, and concentrated on memorizing every inch of Almodea's face in his mind. He would never forget such a demonically beautiful face.
"-Sooner or later I'll meet her, and then I'll see if she's truly what I'm looking for! I'll hear the voice of the universe once again! I'll discover the truth before anything else!"
Black commented aloud, enthusiastically. Realizing he'd lost himself in his theatrics, he adjusted his suit and sat back on the throne, trying to maintain an elegant bearing. If he ever met Almodea and ended up serving her, he mustn't be seen as boring or loud.
Until next time, my dear Almodea...I'll be eagerly awaiting your next move.

