Mutagen

Diwata Danaya asked everyone present in the throne room. However, none of them were able to answer.

Currently, Diwata Danaya and the representatives of the races in the Stone Fortress were conducting a meeting. They were discussing their future movements to deal with the dire situation that they were in at this moment.

The heavy rain that Mark called upon was still ongoing. Nevertheless, the forest fire that was ignited by magic would not die out that easily. The moment that the fire was put out, however, the Stone Fortress would be laid bare to the eyes of the enemies. Whether it be the infected or the demons, it would be easier for them to attack as they could see the fortress that was embedded on the face of the mountain.

The Stone Fortress, which became the shelter for the survivors of the apocalypse, would be in grave danger.

Their primary line of defense that used the forest as the medium was now rendered unusable. Without the trees, the Tikbalangs would not be able to use their illusion to stop the intruders from going forward. Now, they could only rely on the walls of the fortress for defense.

However, that was not the most pressing issue at this moment. There were also other problems. One was about the food source for the fortress. The people here relied upon the graces they could get from the mountain, whether it be fruits or games. With the forest being burnt, they would have no other choice but rely on other sources. Most likely, they would have to go to other mountains to hunt and gather food. Not only would it be dangerous, but they would have to allocate more people to do the task.

More than everything else, the most pressing issue was about the current enemies that appeared. Of course, it was not about the infected. It was the Demons.

They suddenly appeared out of nowhere and came attacking. No one here knew what the Demons had in mind for ruining their currently hard but stable lives.

The only lead that they had so far was the Fifth Prince of the Black Duendes, Tierio, that was caught by Mark and was forcefully brought back for questioning.

And of course, they would not resort to pacified questioning at this point. Back then, when Tierio came here and acted like an arrogant bastard, they still had no reason to resort to violence. However, now that they lost a lot of people because of the ambush, they would not hesitate to cut off Tierio\'s arms if needed.

Even Diwata Danaya agreed with resorting to violence. Most of the time, she was a peaceful being that disliked it. That was how Diwata\'s were created and raised. However, Tierio already crossed her boundaries. If she could, she would snap Tierio\'s neck herself to appease the souls of the departed.

There was no need to say that the reason that the Demons managed to pull such an effective strategy was because of Tierio and his entourage supplying information about the fortress when they escaped.

Now, they needed to know the reason why the Demons resorted to such means to attack them.

"Diwata, it seemed like we have no other options but to resort to sending our remaining Dryads to recreate the forest."

Hieromano, the King of the Stone Fortress, said as they had no other options.

"It seemed to be the only thing we can do at that part." Diwata Danaya sighed. "Even so, it will take months before we can create a forest to a state where we can use it as a medium for the Tilkbalangs\' illusion. Still, it will take months even if I lend my help. It is better that we prepare other means of protection while the forest is not ready yet."

Everyone agreed with that plan. As said, the residents of the Stone Fortress did not have that many options left.

Still, to be able to recreate a forest large enough for the Tikabalangs to use for their illusion and protect the whole mountain in just several months was a feat itself. Usually, it would take decades to hundreds of years for the same thing to happen naturally.

The only thing left to discuss, aside from the Demons, was food. For the people of the Spirit Dimension, it was a difficult topic to tackle.

Compared to the Mortal World, the Spirit Dimension was very lacking in terms of technological knowledge. Thus, unlike humans, they could not preserve food for too long.

Some tribes knew how to preserve food using a primitive way. However, it was lacking compared to the needs of the Stone Fortress. Also, unlike humans, where the whole settlement managed the majority of the food and distributed it to its people, here, food distribution was minor, and everyone had to prepare it on their own. While it was less problem with the ones in higher positions, it risked more danger.

Moreover, the current food management was only working because they could rely on the Eastern Mountain for almost everything. Now that the forest was burned, they would have no other choice but to travel far to gather food. Searching and hunting individually among the tribes would pose more danger than necessary. Thus, they decided to organize a unified hunting schedule. Those that wanted to find food could go together with everyone.

This move would have both pros and cons. However, the priority was everyone\'s safety at this point, considering that the Demons were also lurking about.

***

While Diwata Danaya and the representatives of the races were discussing their future plans, Mark\'s group was the same.

Well, it should have been that way.

However, before anyone could speak, Mark gave his orders.

"Everyone should prepare." Mark then turned to Teremillio. "You will lead the way. We are going to your Kingdom."

Everyone was speechless.

"But Boss, hasn\'t it fallen from the infected?"

Edzel asked.

"Are you sure about that?" Mark asked Edzel before turning to Pearl that was sitting beside him. "How about you Pearl. What do you think?"

Pearl was surprised to be posed with a sudden question.

"I-I..."

Pearl stuttered. She did not know how to reply at all.

"Take a deep breath. Don\'t panic." Mark said jokingly. "Don\'t worry. I\'m just asking for your opinion. Just straightly say what you have in mind. It\'s not like you\'re going to get killed if you answer incorrectly."

Pearl followed Mark and took a deep breath. She also felt Edzel\'s hand grasping on hers.

And there, she answered.

"I... I think it\'s not true. That prince should be lying."

"And why do you think so?"

Mark asked once more.

"Um... It\'s because of his actions." Pearl recalled the things she witnessed back then. "If their Kingdom had really fallen, I don\'t think that he would be able to act like that. He could still act arrogant, but I don\'t think that he would be able to call himself the Fifth Prince conceitedly without backing."

"Bingo."

Mark smiled.

Hearing that, Teremillio and his wives were enlightened.

Even Teremillio, also a prince of that Kingdom, never called himself a prince needlessly because he already left that place. He was someone without the backing of that Kingdom.

Then, what of a person whose Kingdom had fallen? It was even worse. How could they act as an important person when they had nothing else left? The only thing that could resort to that was either the person was nightmarishly dumb arrogant or someone who did not know how to act their role.

However, Duendes were smart but also simple-minded. Not only the Duendes but many Spirit Races were the same due to lack of experience and knowledge. Even the dumbest royal would not dare flaunt their nonexistent position, especially if they needed help.

The best example of this was Buhawi and Banaya. They were the King and Queen of the Sylphs, whose Kingdom had fallen. Although they were still called King and Queen by the Sylphs, their position was just representatives of their race now. They did not behave arrogantly, considering that they were only seeking shelter at this point.

But Tierio, it was the exact opposite. His claims and actions were too contradicting.

"So, what is your answer?" Mark asked Teremillio. "Do you want to save your mother or not?"

Teremillio\'s eyes lit up. If Tierio was really lying, then it was very likely that his beloved mother was still alive.

"Of course!"

Teremillio regained his lively self. His wives were glad for his comeback. They were also happy to come along and help.

But then, Mark dropped a bomb, making them all frozen.

"By the way, prepare as if we are going to war. You all better think that the Kingdom of Black Duendes is now a lair of Demons."

They looked at Mark, asking for an explanation.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? Remember where Demons came from, right? I don\'t think that there is any passage nearby for them to use, so how can they amass an army like that and plan an ambush? They likely managed to secure a place to stay nearby. Considering the clues we had, there is only one place, right?"

And of course, with Tierio being the clue, there was only one place the Demons could gather.

"Alright, we will prepare."

Teremillio said with a resolute expression. He did not care about Demons or anything. He just wanted to save his mother at this point.

"Good expression." Mark complimented Teremillio. "I just wish that someone else could show that kind of resoluteness and decide to fix his problems."

They were confused as to what Mark was talking about. However, they did not notice that Pefile was choking behind either.

***

And there, they started to prepare. Following Mark\'s instructions, they would leave the moment the sun rises tomorrow.

The interrogation of Tierio also resulted in the same conclusion that Mark\'s group had. The Kingdom of the Black Duendes had never fallen, and it was only a set up for Tierio and his people to gain clearance to enter the Stone Fortress.

And Tierio\'s goal for entering the Stone Fortress was to gather information. The actual reason he tried to enter the inner walls was for the same reason. However, as he was not given access to it, he tried to use his position, and it backfired. Yes, he was both dumb and did not know how to act his role.

Aside from those, there was one thing that was confirmed right out of Tierio\'s mouth.

The Black Duendes formed an alliance with the nearest Demon Kingdom. Everything that unfolded was actually their plans.

As for their goal, unfortunately, even Tierio had no knowledge of it.

In fact, Tierio barely knew anything at all and was just following their father\'s orders. The only thing he knew was that the Demons appeared proposing an alliance.

The alliance was subjected to the current crisis, the apocalypse. Sooner or later, the Kingdom of Duendes would fall. Unlike the Stone Fortress that most races had no problem approaching, the Black Duendes were avoided like the plague.

Unfortunately, just their race alone would have limited ways of protecting their own. They had no choice but to accept the help of Demons. Besides, the disposition of the Black Duendes and these Demons were quite alike, which made the alliance form quickly.

The actual goals of the Demons were still uncertain. However, there was no doubt that they wanted something in the Stone Fortress.

Soon, night came.

Everyone was resting while the lookouts and warriors kept protecting the now vulnerable fortress.

At this moment, someone appeared in the dungeons of the Stone Fortress. Not long after, another two figures appeared.

"So, you actually noticed."

One of the newcomers said to the first person. He was no other than the King of the Stone Fortress.

"I don\'t think that it\'s a surprise anymore."

The other person said. The person was Diwata Danaya.

And the first one to appear replied.

"I just wanted to investigate a bit but it seems like you two noticed me."

He was no other than Mark.

While most people were unaware of the Demon\'s goals, These three people had some clues.

And the clue was one thing that this place had and the others did not.

It was the legend and the reason why this fortress was built in the first place.

***

Day ▋▋▋ - ▋▋:▋▋ ▋▋ - Dungeons, Stone Fortress, Spirit Dimension

According to the legend that was the origin of this fortress, a Demon clad in flames attacked. It forced the ancestors to build this place to hold out until a Diwata came and banished the Demon.

Although the story was passed down, it was but the skeleton of what actually happened.

A Demon that strong could not get banished that easily. For a Diwata to be able to do that, an intense battle between good and evil would unfold. Only when the Demon lost its fighting intent or had been injured to be incapable of continuing to fight was when it would retreat or get banished away.

Besides, there was also the possibility that the story was not true all along. As the legend of the past was being handed to the future, a lot of details would get distorted. Things within the story would change, whether it be unintentional or intentional.

Did the Diwata really banish the Demon? Or was it killed in the first place?

If it was not banished or killed, it could be sealed too. Was it not?

The possibilities were a lot, considering that there was no one alive to tell that tale anymore.

Following the clues, Mark found himself at the dungeons, waiting for the other two that was also looking for answers, Hieromano and Diwata Danaya.

"So, you two knew nothing about this either, right?"

Mark asked the two as they crossed the long hallway of lined up cages.

"Yes, unfortunately," Hieromano replied. "I might be the current king, but not everything of the past was handed down for future generations."

"Why are you two here, then?"

Mark asked another question.

"Is it not the same as you?" Diwata Danaya answered. "For generations, Demons did not attack this fortress. There is no reason for them to do so. But now, an attack came out of nowhere, even utilizing the aid of the Black Duendes."

Hieromano agreed with what the Diwata said. This attack definitely came out of nowhere.

And now, their clues led them up to this dungeon, like Mark.

"But why this dungeon?"

Mark asked.

Actually, the reason he came to this place was purely based on his Otaku instincts. It was a trope for something to be sealed within the depths of dungeons in either anime or novels. There was also a dungeon in this fortress. It was very likely that what he was looking for was here.

Furthermore, when the first time he entered this place, he already noticed the change of atmosphere on every floor of the dungeon. Although it could be attributed to what kind of creatures were imprisoned on that floor, it was still a bit odd that the pressure and atmosphere could get heavier the lower floor they entered.

"You are already here. I don\'t think that it is bad to hide this from you anymore."

Hieromano took a deep breath.

"No one had ever entered the lowest floor of this dungeon. Even I, the current King, never stepped there. Even my ancestors did not pass on any story about entering that place. That is why if there is something that the Demons wanted in my fortress that I did not know about, it would be there at the lowest depths of this dungeon."

Mark\'s eyes lit up as he heard that. It seemed that he was on point in his deductions.

There, the three of them, together with several warriors that served as guards, made their way through the dungeon floors to find the answer they were seeking.

Along the way, Mark even saw the imprisoned Tierio in a small cage. It looked like that he looked fine, but he was drained of his magical energy. There was no way for him to enlarge himself back to human size or even move. It was the torture that he went through, and getting drained of their magical energy was very painful to Spirits and Elementals. When they passed by, the Fifth Prince was unconscious. It seemed that he really suffered.

Nevertheless, in the eyes of Hieromano, Tierio\'s current state was far from enough for their loss. If possible, they wanted to execute this traitor of the Spirit Races.

From the first floor to the second, the second to the third, they continued to travel to the lower floors. Along the way, Mark would look around to see what kinds of creatures he would see on the floors that he had not entered before.

And to say, after the fourth floor, the creatures were already sinister. Fewer cells were occupied, but each one that had imprisoned a strong creature. There was a variety of them from Spirits, Elementals, Cryptids, and even Demons. Each of them seemed to have the strength just a bit below than Diwata Danaya. And if it came to a fight, the Diwata that lacked fighting prowess would definitely lose.

Apparently, these criminals took a lot of sacrifices to subdue. They were those beings that terrorized people in their time.

Yes, in their time. Some of these creatures were imprisoned here for hundreds of years. Some were even more than several millenniums after this fortress was built.

Fortunately, after being imprisoned for too long, most of these creatures had already lost their powers and will to fight. However, their sins were too heavy for them to be let go. A lot of them had sentences that spanned their whole lifespan. If they were immortal in terms of aging, they would be imprisoned here for eternity along with those chains that sealed them.

As Mark and the others passed by, some prisoners would glance at them, but none of them would try to beg for mercy or anything. No one would hear their pleas anyway.

Though it seemed that being imprisoned on this floor and below was quite rare. The last one that was sealed here was about two hundred years ago, and it was in the time speed that the Spirit Dimension had. That two hundred year was probably already more than thousands in the Mortal World.

The scene was the same for the fifth floor, though the atmosphere was heavier compared to the upper floors.

Arriving on the sixth floor of the dungeons, the creepiness and the pressure in the surroundings took a sudden change.

"This place reeked of death."

Mark could not help but say.

"It\'s no surprise. Look."

Hieromano said as he pointed at the cells on this floor. It was not like the ones on the upper floors that were separated with metal bars and seals. The prison cells on this floor were mostly sealed with a strong magical barrier.

And in the prison cell that the King pointed at, a gigantic frog reeking of deadly poison was chained. The visage of the frog was too blurry because of how much poisonous fog was inside the prison cell.

"This is where what we call [Creatures of Disaster] are being imprisoned," Hieromano explained. "Specifically, it\'s those creatures that we can\'t kill because of the repercussions. This frog for example. We call it the [Poison Plague Frog]. Its body is filled with gaseous poison that will kill anyone that made contact with it. In order to seal it, we had to sacrifice a lot of people. Unfortunately, we can only seal and not kill it. According to the records passed down to us, killing this frog will release all its poison in the surroundings. I believe you can understand how much damage that could bring to us."

Mark nodded at the King\'s explanation. Creatures like this were better sealed than killed.

Aside from the [Poison Plague Frog], there were also other creatures of the same category. Most of them were poison carriers, though.

One creature, however, took Mark\'s attention.

"I knew that this will interest you."

Diwata Danaya stood beside Mark as he stopped in front of the cell.

Inside the magical barrier, a black, smoky creature was flying about. It was not only encased by the magical barrier but was also trapped inside a crystal-like coffin.

"It\'s a Formless Demon, isn\'t it?"

Mark asked.

"That\'s right. This one is something I painfully caught myself. I\'m just lucky that it\'s a newborn, but if it\'s left alone, it will become a huge disaster."

That was right. Remembering how the Deity of Bloodshed ended up, Mark knew how much of a disaster a formless demon could be.

As someone who could use Miasma, this creature would really interest Mark.

"I\'ll ask about it next time. We have other things to do."

Mark said as they continued on.

Unexpectedly from the seventh floor, the dungeon was empty.

"We don\'t really use these parts for imprisoning criminals." The King explained. "I wonder if you can feel it. The strange energy on this floor. All those that we imprisoned here either died after a while or got stronger for no apparent reason. The ones getting stronger were mostly demons, though."

And that was where it was getting suspicious. Why could Demons get stronger while being kept in these parts of the dungeon?

They continued on and went further, lower into the dungeons.

On the eighth floor, however, the guards could not keep up with Mark, Hieromano, and Diwata Danaya. The pressure in these parts was far heavier than the floors above. Only those with enough strength would be able to continue on.

The guards were reluctant but they had no choice to obey when their King told them to wait.

Traveling two more empty floors with the pressure getting heavier and heavier, the demonic aura also became thicker and thicker.

And soon, they stood in front of an ancient door that was locked with strong magic.

This kind of magic, however, could not be any familiar to anyone.

"So, this is the place. It\'s similar to your magical energy."

Mark said, looking at Diwata Danaya.

"It is very likely that this lock is made by another Diwata. It is far stronger than I have."

Diwata Danaya replied before looking at Hieromano, who was already struggling.

"Hieromano, I think that it is better for you to return."

"I wish I could, Diwata Danaya," Hieromano replied. "But as the King of this place, I needed to know what was happening here."

Mark commended the King\'s persistence. He was a King, who worried for his Kingdom.

"In any case, the two of you can\'t open this door, right?"

Mark asked with a shrug.

The two could not reply to that. No one was really able to open this place since the start.

"Oh well, I\'ll try to open it. But is it fine to destroy this magical lock?"

Mark said, knocking on the door that actually bounced his fist away. In most circumstances, breaking seals like this was the most dangerous thing to do.

That question made Diwata Danaya hesitate. Hieromano was the same. The two of them wanted to know what was behind this locked door, but it might also be a threat once it was opened.

But without a doubt, the demonic aura was coming from behind the door.

"I wonder if there anyone alive inside," Hieromano said. "If there is, we should drop this idea and return."

Return after going all this way? Mark could not help but question if there was something wrong with this guy\'s head.

"Well, if you worry about something living inside, there\'s none."

Mark replied.

Diwata Danaya took a long pause with her eyes closed. It seemed that she was weighing the situation.

"Please, open it." The Diwata finally decided. "We needed to know the threats we are facing right now, and this might be one of those threats."

Mark smiled as he took his stance. With his two palms facing the magical lock and the magically sealed door, Miasma surged out of his hands.

CRASH!!!

Both Hieromano and Diwata Danaya could not help but retreat as the Miasma, and the door made contact with each other. The two opposing forces caused the whole place to vibrate.

However, Miasma was superior. With a loud crash, the seal was destroyed, and the door lost its magic.

They thought that they could open the door at this moment.

"Whose impertinence hath broken mine own seal?!"

An angry ethereal cry of a woman echoed in their minds.