Cthulhu.

A Demon of mythical proportions.

The Matron of the Seas. The Terror of the Deep. The Nightmare of all mankind.

Various names have been given to Cthulhu over the years. Some of them had been forgotten to time as the monster's existence spanned generations. An undying creature that never once showed signs of weakness. A Demon that never died no matter what magic was thrown at it.

Just staring into its eyes would drive one mad. No mortal mind could withstand the pressure of the apex being that no one in history could defeat.

Even in the prime of his life, Dracula was unable to touch the level of the Demon Lords. There were multiple instances when a Demon Lord invaded the planet, only to wreak endless amounts of havoc before inexplicably returning. And during those years of mayhem, there was nothing the world's mightiest beings could do but pray for their survival.

The Everwinter House got lucky once. Through a mixture of luck and effort, they were able to repel Cthulhu once and protect their homeland. But it came at a significant cost. Half of the Everwinter House was annihilated, and even more of its members were killed. It took them centuries to recover their numbers.

And now, the tragedy was about to repeat itself.

The Gate continued to pulsate with magical energy, sending fissures all throughout the Everwinter Estate. The Winter Graveyard, a monument that stood for hundreds of years, started to crack like a broken eggshell as most of its protective layers had been breached by the Outer Demons. Now, it was only a matter of time before the final barrier between the Demon Realm and our planet was broken through.

"Why are they so persistent?"

Even Matriarch Innocence couldn't hold back her shock.

It has been years since the Gate had been this active. No, even throughout the long history of the Everwinter House, there has never been a case where the Northern Pole Gate had spewed out a hundred thousand Outer Demons.

Unfortunately for the Everwinter House, none of them forecasted such retaliation when designing the Winter Graveyard. It was purposely designed to keep Cthulhu from invading the world through an intricate array of seals and traps to restrain the Gate from overflowing.

Yet…

"We can't hold it for long, Matriarch! It's only a matter of time before…"

"I know!" Matriarch Innocence shut one of her commanding officers with a glare. It didn't take long for her to bark out her next orders: "All of you to your positions! Elders, save your energy for the Demon Lord! Lieutenants, kill as many Outer Demons as you can! You have my permission to go all out!"

"But what if we cause more damage to the Winter Graveyard?"

"Fuck the Winter Graveyard! They've already smashed our defences! We can't be delusional and bet the Winter Graveyard will hold!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!!!"

The situation was dire. The monolith that had stood for hundreds of years was now facing imminent collapse. And once the Winter Graveyard falls and if Cthulhu manages to invade… It will be the doom of the Everwinter House.

No, not just the Everwinter House. Even I was unsure if I could face up against a Demon Lord like Cthulhu. If the legends were accurate, Cthulhu was on a whole other level than Eyghon, the Demon Lord I defeated.

Eyghon was a machine, a mindless automaton that moved without a will. I only managed to destroy it as I found its core and used the power of pure destruction to cause it to collapse from the inside.

On the other hand, Cthulhu was a Demon Lord who went toe-to-toe with Dracula, Matriarch Innocence and the whole of the Everwinter House. Even then, they could only push it back without causing major damage to it. If Cthulhu emerged… would I really be able to defeat it?

"Brother…"

"Yeah, I know…"

I held my little sister's hands and gave her a soft caress. Yeah, what was I afraid of? Even if I couldn't defeat the monster, I had complete confidence that I could escape. Not to mention, Irina herself was here with me. While she wasn't on the level of Matriarch Innocence, her freezing capabilities were well within the upper echelons of all magicians.

With her by my side… I was invincible.

"Matriarch Innocence, move your subordinates aside."

"Progenitor… Are you planning to help us?"

"Don't misunderstand; I'm not doing it for the sake of the Everwinter House."

I raised my hands and channelled my magic power harmoniously through my veins. Five magical rings appeared above my ring-hand fingers, all connected by chains that traced down my finger bones to my wrist. The rings were imbued with their respective magical powers, each representing an aspect of my power.

"If Cthulhu invades, our entire planet is in danger."

"You're right," Matriarch Innocence smiled for the first time since I'd arrived and did the unthinkable. She bowed down before me. "Nevertheless, your actions will save the Everwinter House, so please… Help us, Progenitor."

"..."

It's funny how life turns things around.

When I first came to the Everwinter House, I was nothing more than a playtoy in the Matriarch's eyes. Now, she looked at me as if I were their only saviour.

Well, since I'm going to play the role of the Lord and saviour… Let's do this with a bang!

Magic power escaped from my veins and powered up two of my rings. Rainbow-coloured light broke free from the ring of creation and melded together with the crimson glow of destruction. Raising my right hand skywards, I mustered up the most potent destructive spell I could think of at the moment.

Dark clouds covered the heavens as thunder crackles could be heard from the distance. With each passing second, the resonant roars grew louder and eventually, the entire sky was covered by a sheet of pure black.

Howling winds broke the sound barrier and blew snow so hard that a blizzard, far beyond that of a regular snowstorm, formed. Even the members of the Everwinter House, who were accustomed to the harsh Winter climate of the North, shivered in fear.

And the final nail in the coffin…

"Red lightning? Is this the Bloodborne House's signature move?"

"No, that's not it…"

The Matriarch corrected one of the Elders who made that assumption. Being one of the greatest Vampires alive and an ancient fossil who fought alongside Dracula himself, it's natural that she could differentiate between regular Blood Lightning and this special technique.

"It's far more destructive… Far more dangerous…"

"Matriarch… This…"

"All of you evacuate! Don't get caught up in the Progenitor's spell!"

Without even batting an eye, the leader of the Everwinter House shouted at the top of her lungs. She used her magic to quickly grab onto her fellow Vampires and drag them far away from the Winter Graveyard. And while saving her subordinates, she melted the ice dome covering the Winter Graveyard, revealing the thousands of Outer Demons and the whirlpool of energy from whence they came.

How astute… Or should I say, as expected of Matriarch Innocence?

She could tell I was attempting to blow the entire arena away with one look. With the ice dome gone and Everwinter members evacuating, I didn't have to worry about anything. All I needed to do was activate my destructive spell.

"Grrkkktttt!!!"

Legions of Outer Demons growled at my person as they sensed the tremendous magic power I wielded. Some of them even attempted to fly to the sky in an attempt to stop my cast. Alas, none of them could even reach the soles of my feet. Why?

"Insolent inferior creatures…"

Before they could make it ten metres up in the air, an icy blizzard fell upon them. Chains and shards of ice pierced through their squishy skulls, immobilising them before they could even move. Multiple Outer Demons perished at that moment, making my job of killing them redundant.

"How dare you raise your hand against Brother?! Know your place!"

Irina spewed her disgust while quickly dispatching elite Outer Demons that caused problems for the Everwinter Elders. She may not be cognizant of it yet, but Irina had assimilated with the jewel far better than the other three girls. Topped off by the fact that she was naturally talented and had easily one of the best Vampire Aspects of all time… Irina was already at an unfathomable level.

I'd reckon amongst the Everwinter House, the number of Vampires who could match her could be counted with the fingers in one hand.

The Ice Empress. That figure came to mind when I saw Irina quickly killing off Outer Demon after Outer Demon. Yet…

"Irina, come to me."

"Yes!!!" ????????????????????аd. ????????????

That all melted away with a simple call of her name. Turning into the lovable sister I knew, Irina flew straight to my left and under the protective barrier of my magic. And with her safety secured, I could now unleash the full wrath of my powers.

"Let's see how durable a Gate truly is…"

The overcast sky was soon overwhelmed with crimson coils of lightning. Millions, if not billions, of thunderbolts, danced wildly, creating an apocalyptic feel. The world shook violently while the skies turned completely red. Clouds dispersed, unable to handle the heat of the concentrated lightning bolts, and eventually, only one thundercloud remained.

At the epicentre of it all… A singular thunderbolt formed.

Channelled with the vengeance of Zeus himself, the most destructive spell I'd ever created to date was born.

"Genesis-Interitus: Wrath of the Heavens!!!"

A crimson zigzag descended from the skies and viciously struck the Gate where it stood. Heat beyond that of the Earth's core melted the snow of the Everwinter Estate, briefly turning the coldest Winter into the heart of the hottest volcano. And as for the Outer Demons that came through the Gate?

They all perished within nanoseconds.

They may have been sturdy, but they couldn't withstand the heat and pressure of a lightning bolt explicitly designed to destroy all life and creation. Even the corpses of the fallen weren't spared as they evaporated into ashes, never to return in any shape or form.

An explosion equivalent to a nuclear blast created a dent in the earth, spewing out dust and smoke into the form of a mushroom cloud. Lightning bolts crackled within the cloud, all while the earth recovered from the strike by sending out earthquakes beyond any seismic scale.

Half of the Everwinter Estate was destroyed just like that.

The Winter Graveyard was destroyed just like that.

And the Outer Demons that invaded our planet… were destroyed just like that.

If it were the perfect story, everything would have ended here. My ultimate spell would have destroyed the portal, and no Outer Demon would ever invade the planet anymore. Cthulhu would have been stopped, and the Everwinter House would have been saved.

But alas… This wasn't a perfect story.

An ominous energy permeated out from the mushroom cloud. Shrouded in billowing smoke, no one could see the transcendent figure that lay within. But I could. I could see it very clearly.

Yellow eyes which seemingly stared into one's soul. Tentacles dropped down its octopus head like a wizened old man's beard. Draconic wings which spread further than a stadium. A monstrous body that was just as big as a mountain. And most importantly…

Magic power, unlike anything I'd ever experienced in my life.

There was no question about it…

As I held Irina by the waist and dragged her into my arms, a horrific monster emerged from the ashes and stomped its authority by making its presence known.

There it was.

Cthulhu had arrived.