857 The Grave Confrontation [Filler Chapter]

[Leonel, Isolde, Roz, Avaris, Lethargia]

BaAmM!

A loud bang of hands on the table brought an abrupt halt to the Ven Faust family's laughter.

Avaris was already on his feet, his anger evident as he addressed the room. "Hoi! What's the meaning of this? Are you making fun of us? Disrespecting us is equivalent to disrespecting Lord Azazel! The punishment is death, you know!"

Isolde sighed, her patience wearing thin. "It would be more believable if you stopped hiding behind me, shaking on your legs," she remarked, casting a pointed glance at Avaris.

"Shut up!" Avaris snapped, his grip tightening on Isolde's clothes in a display of frustration and fear. "My usual illness is just getting on me. I will be fine after a few minutes," he reasoned. "You mean your cowardice is getting to you," Isolde corrected.

The jovial atmosphere vanished as a tense silence settled in the air. Niccoli rose to his feet, his eyes narrowing at Leonel and the others.

"Eek . . ." Avaris muttered, attempting to hide behind Isolde again.

Isolde resisted the urge to smack his head in exasperation. "You're a warlord, aren't you? Why are you so cowardly? At times like this, you should assert yourself as one of the leaders of the Netherworld."

"I'm not a coward. This is just me giving the Ven Faust family a second chance to repent for their mistakes," Avaris defended himself, though his voice stuttered.

"Mistake?" Niccoli's brow furrowed in confusion. "Repent? I don't think you know what you're saying, Avaris. And to hell with Azazel! I'm not scared of him!"

Avaris gasped and recoiled. "You dare talk to Lord Azazel that way? You dare to talk to me that way?! Don't you know who I am?!"

"I don't care who you are! You're reign had already finished! No one fears you anymore!" Niccoli's anger surged, accompanied by a wave of necrotic magic.

"Eek!" Avaris barely managed to hide just in time, while Leonel swiftly brought out his shield and activated his skill [Protect All], nullifying the debilitating effects of Niccoli's magic with a powerful defensive barrier.

"Azazel had become so weak and puny that he needed allies to overthrow the elders. He couldn't do it himself. A weak demon like that doesn't have the right to lead the Netherworld," Niccoli declared boldly, his voice echoing with conviction as he levitated in the air.

"Why haven't I thought of this before?! That's right! I have made up my mind. For my family to acknowledge my strength and the power of the arcane, I will rule over the entire Netherworld. Ahahaha!" he proclaimed with fervor.

"Speaking like a devil in a movie," Roz commented dryly, his tone icy.

"Looks like negotiation didn't work," Isolde chimed in, her expression grim as she assessed the situation.

"You think?" Avaris snapped, and then he shook behind Isolde when Avaris glanced at him.

"Now what?" Roz asked, his face expressionless.

"Now, plan B," Isolde declared, summoning [Isolde 7.0], a large laser gun that required two hands to wield. "Let's put an end to that menace once and for all!"

Roz and Leonel swiftly equipped their weapons and prepared for the impending confrontation.

09:25

"Agreed!"

"Y-you . . ." Niccoli seethed with rage, his form trembling with anger as he thrashed about in the air. "You dare raise your weapons against me?! You're just like them! You couldn't see the grand plans I have for the Netherworld! Everyone who opposes me shall die!"

With a primal scream, Niccoli unleashed a powerful magical force that warped the surroundings. Suddenly, Leonel and the others found themselves trapped in what seemed to be a cemetery, surrounded by rows of burial plots stretching into the distance.

"W-where . . . where are we?" Leonel stammered, his eyes darting nervously around the eerie landscape.

"What's going on?" Roz demanded, her voice tinged with apprehension.

"Damn," Avaris muttered, clicking his tongue in frustration. "We're inside his domain."

"That's right!" Niccoli's voice echoed from above as he materialized, floating ominously in the air. "It would be boring if I killed you right away. First, I'm going to make you suffer. Arise, my legion!"

The earth trembled beneath their feet as the dead began to rise from their graves, their mangled and rotting corpses clawing their way out of the ground. The landscape was soon filled with horrifying scenes of undead horrors.

"Sh-shit . . . I want to log out so badly," Leonel lamented inwardly, his heart pounding with fear. This wasn't what he had signed up for.

"Ahahaha! Try to last for even five minutes, mm-k? I want to watch your suffering a little longer!" Niccoli laughed wickedly before he disappeared into the air.

"Hey! Come back here!" Isolde shouted, but Niccoli was already gone. "Damn that kid."

"Forget about him, we have more pressing matters to attend to here," Leonel said, his voice tense with urgency.

They found themselves surrounded from all sides by hordes of undead. It was like something straight out of those apocalyptic movies.

"This is no time to daze out! Let's take care of them first!" Leonel exclaimed.

Isolde nodded and her grip tightening on the trigger of her gun. This was her first time testing [Isolde 7.0], and she wasn't disappointed by its firepower.

With a steady hand, Isolde aimed and fired, unleashing a powerful laser beam that sliced through the undead like a hot knife through butter. Each shot was like a long blade thrusting forward, cutting down multiple foes with precision.

"Whoa, that weapon is awesome!" Leonel shouted happily, impressed by the display of Isolde's newfound firepower.

Isolde paused, catching her breath for a moment. "I know, but it takes too much mana and fatigue. This gun is so heavy."

"Don't worry, I'll cover for you while you regain your mana and fatigue," Roz reassured her, summoning his monsters into the fray.

Now he could summon ten monsters, all of which he had encountered in his travels. Frankenstein, the undead maid, the monstrous spider, and some abomination with different parts stitched together were among them.

"Urgh . . . no wonder you can stand this sight, Roz. You're one of them," Leonel commented, his tone tinged with revulsion.

Roz ignored him, focusing on commanding his monsters to tear the undead to shreds. The creatures obeyed his commands without hesitation, lunging forward with ferocity to dismantle their enemies limb by limb.