章 30: How Does It Feel?
The Pandemonium was the hide-out of the witches of Satan. Due to the unrivaled strength of their coven, they managed to punch through the planes and established a base no one would ever find… only witches of Satan like them.
Even if they had different handlers, most witches were too low-leveled to actually traverse to the Pandemonium. Nadin Jaeger used to be this kind of witch before he won Carmina, the white ghost, from a calamity-grade witch he killed. Instead of letting Carmina fade away as a familiar with no master, he took in the young woman he—and even her old master—thought was useless.
However, as she was a good-willed soul that was corrupted, she needed goodwill to upgrade her power… just like how the hellhounds needed to consume souls.
Since Nadin was taking good care of her, she began transforming and attaining her deserved calamity grade. The white ghost could turn into anything and tap into electronics—since that was what Nadin asked her to dedicate her skills.
She ruined the cameras that day and showed false images even after recording, making Montana take the blame. Of course, Nadin had also prepared a mask for himself to meet the CEO—or barge in the CEO's office more likely.
Now that Nadin was on the same grade as Carmina's old master, traversing to the Pandemonium took no toll on her. She was able to transport her master safely, but she was already torn down by seven hellhounds.
She was even kicked by another calamity-grade witch just now.
Mariz was a calamity-grade witch of Satan. She had been sadistic and cruel all her life after being battered from childhood. She didn't see any worth in those who fail their missions. This was why she readily killed Square Hair and was about to kill Nadin as well.
It's just that… she froze in her spot.
"Hey, Vendetta! Don't try to trick me! A royal hellhound?!" She stomped on the ground. "A mayfly witch has a royal hellhound? Was he going to live for only as long as we prepare for the rising?!"
The man called Vendetta shook his head. "I have heard about him before. It seemed that Belphegor made a contract with a human and gifted him with a hellhound as a familiar. No matter what happened before, he's awfully a worthwhile enemy now.
"Nadin, rest and muster your strength." He then turned to the man again. "We will be extracting memories from you later. We need to know what that witch is and how powerful he could be."
"Hmph, it's just a hellhound. We can kill it." Mariz gritted her teeth. "Though I won't shy away from a good fight."
"He's a witch of Belphegor." Vendetta glared at Mariz. "You do realize that a mayfly witch—as you call him—has unlimited resources. Moreover, didn't it bother you that he had a hellhound even if he's not a witch of Asmodeus?"
The woman twitched and murmured to herself before gasping. She then shot her glare at Vendetta. "Asmodeus and Belphegor are working against us!"
Another headshake was his answer to her. "Even if they work together against us, it didn't mean this kind of mayfly witch would exist. I think… that witch's unlimited resource is Hell itself. Whoever was willing to lend him power will grant him a direct tap to their cores.
"That is because the witch was promised unlimited resources after all."
"What?! That's insane!" Mariz was shocked. Something so privileged like that could happen? "How is he not known in the Pandemonium? A witch as powerful as that should have been spoken about!"
"Mariz, are you using your head?" Vendetta had enough of her screeching. "It's widely known that witches of Belphegor all aimed so high and were supported all the way by their handlers. Nevertheless, they would inevitably fail.
"However, it didn't mean that he could not cause trouble for us.
"Witches of Belphegor depended on a biased playing field." He then smiled. "If we want to take him down, we should start with his supply. Without the delivered resource, he wouldn't be able to fight."
Nadin clutched his hand against the ground. "How do we… how do we kill him?"
Vendetta reached out to stroke Nadin's head. "Let's find the real source of his power for a start."
…
Flashes of good memories flooded Noah's head as he felt like he was sinking slowly into a dark void. He could make out silhouettes of two people who smiled at him sweetly and taught him things. Perhaps they were his parents… but he didn't know when the last time he had even seen their faces was.
Fifteen years was too long for him to save the little memory of them that he had. Whenever he thought that he was actually a human born from two more, he often wondered why he failed to even remember their voices and how they call him.
Would they say 'Mon'? Would they call him 'Baby'?
Soon enough, the heat of warm water slathered on his face woke him up. When he opened his eyes, he just had to close them again. A warm cloth was wiping his skin clean, and it was resting on his face as the person seemed to have dropped it.
Light came from outside, and Noah opened his eyes again. At the side, Theresa's face loomed over his. Her eyes then lit up as she beamed at him. She then turned behind her.
"He's awake!"
"Noah!" Luca's voice echoed from a distance. However, his figure quickly appeared on the other side, and he also waved his hand over Noah's face. "Noah, can you hear me?"
"So loud…" Noah closed his eyes again before reaching out his hand. Luca took a hold of it, and he helped Noah up to sit. The witch then rubbed his forehead. "What happened? I remember getting grabbed by that asshole by the face."
"By the face?!" Luca was shocked, as well as Theresa who gasped. As much as they remembered there was an explosion. Did Nadin fire his explosion at Noah's face? How was it still intact?
Of course, Noah was actually grabbed by the other hand.
Shortly, the resident nurse was called to check up on Noah. His body was pretty much without any speck of damage, but he was still tired from the pain. He was asked to sleep through the night. However, he didn't as he continued to sit on his bed.
Theresa had also confirmed with him that all the twenty other witches hiding in the dark were all found and confirmed—or what was left of them. Noah could find the witches in the dark, and so he dealt with them while the others were having a meeting.
Without Nadin and the others noticing, their reinforcement had been transported to the hellhounds' bellies.
Even if they had no soul as the demon handler wasn't killed, the magic in them was enough to serve as food.
In the end, Luca had to go home to check up on Rosanna. Noah told him that the girl had no adult with her so she must be so scared. Then again, the other hellhounds were with her as well. Luca forced himself to ask questions for another day and only went to come to the girl's company for now.
Noah sat on his bed, left alone by everyone. In the darkness of the night, he continued to stare into the wind.
"How does it feel?"
Noah slid his eyes to the side and saw a redhead naked woman sitting down next to him. Her eyes stared straight at his, but her lips wouldn't even curl in a smile. The witch only shook his head.
"Did I fail? What happened to Bomberman?"
"He managed to run back to the Pandemonium." Belphegor only shrugged her shoulders. She then began playing with her hair. "I have to tell you; tonight marked the day you showed yourself as the witches of Satan's enemy. The entire coven will be after you and eventually everyone you love."
"Everyone I love?" Noah echoed and found bitterness in his tongue. Were Laquisha and Rosanna considered his loved ones? Well, he did interact with them like they were his friends. As for Luca… was he really important and more than a plaything now?
Noah didn't even think about Mephisto. Whether he was included or not, the coven would and could never touch him.
A smile tugged on Belphegor's lips. She knew very well that Noah had abandoned the thoughts of having important people or being important to people. No one actually even knew if Laquisha would cry if ever he died—or vice versa.
Right now, she was just taking advantage of his mood to make him feel down and miserable.
"It's like telling me that they will eat my happiness and end up being starved." Noah laughed, but he felt the pain searing from his abdomen. His skin was healed, but the soreness was still there. In the end, he only smiled.
However, it was never with joy.
"If Bomberman has survived, then there's a chance that he will come after me again. Do you think I will be lucky one more time?" Noah took a look at his hands, managing to map the patched skin from that which wasn't burned.
"…I have no idea. All I know is that only one of you will live." Belphegor wanted to continue cursing her pet so he would finally fail.
However, the witch then turned to her; her lips pursing flatly. Noah then reached out to comb a part of Belphegor's blood-red hair.
"I wonder whose blood will color the ground…"
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