Chapter 873

"Hah!"

The sound of steel and fel-forged weapons colliding echoed through a special floor deep beneath Gospel.

There were no laboratories here. No storage facilities. No sensitive equipment.

The entire level was practically empty, with nothing separating one end from the other.

Its sole purpose was training.

This was where the newly created Demonheart soldiers were forged into weapons.

Gideon Malick had originally sent five hundred people to Evenson for enhancement. Evenson had promised a fifty-percent success rate.

He had kept his word.

There were now exactly two hundred and fifty Demonheart soldiers.

A number that was, in Evenson’s opinion, a perfect monument to statistical wisdom.

Since completing their transformation, the soldiers had endured an almost inhuman training regimen. Blood, broken bones, and occasional brushes with death had become routine.

More than once, they had privately wondered whether their instructor, Katrina—better known as Peggy Carter—had some kind of personal grudge against them.

Then, a few days ago, the hellish training had suddenly stopped.

They had been told to rest.

Naturally, none of them knew how.

After months of being pushed to their limits, suddenly having no one screaming at them to work harder was almost uncomfortable.

So they continued gathering in the training hall every day, organizing light sparring sessions on their own.

Today was no different.

Most of the soldiers had paired off with opponents around their own level and were exchanging blows across the vast chamber.

The weapons in their hands gave off a faint green glow.

It wasn’t paint.

Each blade had been reforged using demonic materials.

In the past, the Eredar twins and Evenson had regularly summoned fel-powered demons—Felguards, Wrathguards, and similar creatures—to fight the soldiers or launch surprise attacks against them.

Real combat training.

Those who killed their assigned demons earned an opportunity to have their weapons reforged.

The process wasn’t free, of course.

They still had to pay a processing fee, but the weapons were also quenched in demon blood during the reforging process.

The result was a collection of genuine magical weapons.

Their exact abilities varied.

That wasn’t even the frightening part.

Two hundred and fifty heavily armed, partially demonic warriors charging across a battlefield with green-glowing weapons was enough to make even Superman reconsider his career choices.

Among all the groups sparring across the training floor, one particular fight stood out.

Jaliya.

The strongest of the Demonheart soldiers.

The first person to be elevated beneath the High Lord Katrina.

And currently, she was fighting five opponents at once.

The five soldiers attacked simultaneously from different directions.

Their movements were fast and coordinated.

Jaliya barely seemed to notice.

She wielded two demonic blades, parrying attack after attack with almost effortless precision. Every strike that should have landed was turned aside with a sharp metallic crack.

But Jaliya wasn’t merely defending.

Every block created an opening.

Every opening became a counterattack.

One of the soldiers suddenly thrust his blade horizontally.

Jaliya leaped.

Her boot came down directly on the incoming weapon, pinning it beneath her foot.

Before the soldier could react, her knee slammed into his face.

He went flying.

Another fighter immediately capitalized on the opening and charged.

His heavy strike came down with enough force to shatter bone.

Jaliya caught it on her blade.

The impact threw him off balance.

She stepped inside his guard and swept her weapon across his chest.

A long but shallow cut appeared across his armor.

The soldier immediately retreated.

They were sparring, after all.

Jaliya had deliberately stopped short of a killing blow.

But if she could cut his chest, she could just as easily have reached his heart.

Continuing would have turned training into an actual fight to the death.

Five opponents had already been unable to overwhelm her.

Now two were out.

The remaining three didn’t stand much of a chance.

Jaliya sighed.

"This is getting boring."

The fel tattoos across her body suddenly flared.

Black smoke exploded outward.

Within seconds, it swallowed her entire body.

The smoke wasn’t ordinary darkness. It was composed of shadow magic, enough to interfere even with supernatural vision.

The three remaining soldiers froze.

Their target had simply vanished.

One of them suddenly felt an arm lock around his neck from behind.

Before he could react, something burning-hot sliced across his lower back.

Another soldier felt his legs swept out from beneath him.

A long, narrow demonic blade passed within an inch of his throat.

The two men looked at each other.

They understood.

They had been killed.

Jaliya’s shadowy veil dispersed.

Only one opponent remained.

He was still desperately searching the room.

Then a rush of wind came from above.

He looked up.

Jaliya had spread her wings and was already descending.

"Damn—!"

She slammed into him in a burst of fel energy.

He raised both blades and tried to block.

It wasn’t enough.

Jaliya smashed through his guard and drove him into the floor.

By the time his vision cleared, two demonic blades were crossed around his throat.

Jaliya released him and stepped back.

"You’re all hopeless."

The five defeated soldiers looked thoroughly miserable.

Jaliya, however, immediately switched from mockery to instruction.

"Your first priority in combat is maintaining your balance. Every attack must leave you capable of recovering your footing."

She pointed toward the spot where the first soldier had fallen.

"And if you lose sight of your opponent, don’t stand there staring into empty space. Either retreat immediately or attack the entire area."

She looked at all five of them.

"Remember this: hesitation gets you killed."

The five soldiers nodded vigorously.

If we’re fighting you, hesitation gets us killed.

But apparently charging in confidently gets us killed too.

They wisely kept those thoughts to themselves.

"Make the most of this training," Jaliya continued.

"You all know what this period of rest means."

She slung her weapons across her back.

"The calm before a storm is always the quietest."

Her expression hardened.

"I think our final test is coming soon."

The moment she finished speaking, the training hall’s intercom crackled.

"All trainees are instructed to return to their quarters, rest properly, and prepare yourselves. Your graduation examination will take place tonight."

Jaliya’s eyes brightened.

"So it’s finally here."

She ran her tongue briefly across her lips.

"Now that’s something worth looking forward to."

Evenson was looking forward to the graduation examination too.

Perhaps a little too much.

Unlike the soldiers, however, he was nervous.

He knew exactly what this examination meant.

"You’re certain you want to do this?" Sacrolash asked.

There was genuine concern in her voice.

"We’re excited about the idea, but it isn’t something we absolutely have to do."

Alythess nodded.

"If we go there, things will only become more dangerous and complicated. We won’t be able to help you this time."

She sighed.

"You can still change your mind."

"Come on."

Evenson shrugged.

"The decision has already been made."

"Decisions can be cowardly too," Alythess muttered.

"We’re warlocks. Changing direction when the situation gets dangerous is practically part of the job."

Evenson smiled.

"I know you’re worried about me."

He gave both Eredar twins a reassuring look.

"But everything we need is in place. The odds of success are actually pretty good."

Two days earlier, Macna and Ash had returned with the San Venganza contract, now packed with the souls of the town’s damned.

Evenson had immediately sent Gnos to begin the preparations.

According to Agatha’s intelligence, there were approximately one hundred thousand hostile demons inside the Rift of Fel.

That figure referred specifically to the warlike factions serving the Rift Lord, Haelmondas—Felguards, Wrathguards, and other combat-oriented demons.

For the past six months, Evenson had been using those demons as the raw material for his Demonheart program and as live opponents for the soldiers’ brutal combat training.

And Haelmondas himself had made things surprisingly easy.

The demon lord had little interest in administration.

Most of the Rift’s day-to-day affairs had therefore fallen to his lieutenant, Agatha.

She had used various excuses to execute another group of demons.

Then, under the pretext of military restructuring, she had forcibly scattered the remaining troops across the outer edges of the Rift.

The Rift of Fel was technically a fragment of another world, but it was enormous—roughly the size of an American state.

That meant the distance between the various outposts was substantial.

Some were even isolated floating islands suspended far beyond the main landmass.

Without a functioning teleportation gate, getting back was impossible.

And Agatha controlled the gates.

The result was a devastating reduction in Haelmondas’s actual military control.

The female demons of the Rift—including Doomguards and Succubi—were overwhelmingly loyal to Agatha.

The Gan’arg laborers and overseers answered to Gnos.

The Felbats’ matriarch had been won over with food.

And the wild imps?

Most of them had been used to bribe the Felbat matriarch.

It was a perfect demonstration of the importance of infiltration.

The war hadn’t even started, and Haelmondas had already lost control of most of his own territory.

But there had been one final factor that convinced Evenson to move forward.

Frigga had delivered the promised reinforcements.

They were all women.

Judging by their equipment and organization, they were members of the newly formed Valkyrie Corps.

Sif was leading them.

She had only recently returned to Asgard, but apparently her extensive experience with Earth made her the obvious choice for another deployment.

Frigga had sent them secretly.

The Bifrost was far too conspicuous, so the Valkyries had first been transported to another world.

From there, they rented a starship and jumped to the vicinity of the Moon.

With the ship’s stealth systems running at full power, they entered Earth’s atmosphere undetected.

They didn’t land in the United States.

Instead, they touched down in Mexico.

After changing their clothes, Sif had produced a rather suspiciously large gold bar and used it to hire a smuggler.

According to the reports, their journey through Mexico hadn’t been entirely peaceful.

Apparently, one particularly unlucky detergent merchant had looked at a group of women traveling alone and decided they would make excellent human cargo.

His plan had ended badly.

Very badly.

The Mexican government had apparently come within inches of declaring the day a national holiday.

The Valkyries numbered only around one hundred.

But Evenson noticed something immediately.

Every single one of them had at least one patch of green somewhere on their bodies.

Fel corruption.

They were all enhanced Valkyries.

Considering the amount of fel-tainted blood Evenson had originally left with Frigga, she had probably squeezed every possible advantage out of it.

Asgardians were already an extraordinarily powerful species.

After surviving a transformation involving fel magic, their combat potential was terrifying.

By nightfall, all two hundred and fifty Demonheart soldiers had assembled in the training hall under Jaliya’s command.

The Valkyries arrived at almost exactly the same time.

Before entering, every Demonheart soldier received three Healthstones, three healing potions, and one Soulstone.

Evenson had made sure the preparations were thorough.

If they were about to launch a major raid, then preparation mattered.

Use the damn Healthstones.

Don’t forget who gave them to you.

And please don’t die at the first sign of trouble.

The moment Jaliya entered the hall, her attention was drawn to the Valkyries.

They wore armor and carried spears and shields.

Every one of them radiated strength.

But one woman stood out.

Sif.

Jaliya studied her carefully.

I probably couldn’t beat her in this form.

Then she smiled faintly.

Probably.

If she transformed, however, the result would be very different.

Sif was studying the Demonheart soldiers in return.

Now she understood why Evenson was willing to interfere in so many dangerous situations.

He had an army.

And not merely an army.

A powerful one.

Her gaze settled on Jaliya.

That woman would be difficult to defeat.

Under normal circumstances, at least.

If Sif unleashed her full power, however, the result would be obvious.

Neither woman spoke.

They simply stared at each other.

Then, perhaps recognizing a fellow warrior, they smiled.

The tension disappeared.

Jaliya’s attention was soon drawn elsewhere.

"Finally."

The voice came from above.

She looked up.

Her instructor was sitting atop a massive doorway.

Katrina.

Or rather, Peggy Carter.

The door itself was enormous—more than twenty meters wide.

It had been carved from black stone and covered in elaborate ornamentation.

Two statues stood on either side.

Both depicted hooded figures in robes, each gripping a massive two-handed sword.

Above the doorway, carved into the center of the frame, was a monstrous dragon’s head.

Beside it stood Evenson, already dressed in his warlock robes.

The Eredar twins stood nearby in their humanoid forms.

"You still have much to learn."

Katrina’s voice immediately silenced the room.

The Demonheart soldiers straightened.

Jaliya did the same.

She understood that Katrina was speaking on behalf of their two mistresses.

"You have now seen what I saw."

The words immediately brought back memories.

Every Demonheart soldier remembered the moment of their transformation.

The vision.

The horror.

The realization of what was coming.

"Our enemies intend to invade our world."

Katrina’s voice carried across the chamber.

"They intend to wipe out every living thing."

"They will slaughter your families."

"They will burn your homes."

"Many have already tried to stop them."

"They failed."

The soldiers listened in silence.

"You once gathered together because you believed in something."

"You joined an organization because you wanted to serve a higher purpose."

"And what did your leaders do?"

"They schemed for power while ignoring the true threat."

"They abandoned you."

"They betrayed you."

Her voice hardened.

"That is why you became what you are now."

"You were left with nothing except rage and determination."

"So you learned to turn suffering into strength."

One by one, the Demonheart soldiers dropped the illusion magic concealing their true forms.

The changes were striking.

Some had developed thick, hardened patches of demonic armor across their skin.

Others had grown black spikes from their arms and shoulders.

But every one of them possessed horns.

Some were short.

Others were long and curved.

Their horns were the clearest sign of their deep demonic transformation.

They were also proof of their strength.

Peggy herself had none of those features.

That wasn’t surprising.

She was the handcrafted, premium version.

These soldiers were the mass-production model.

There was bound to be a difference.

"So you understand."

Katrina’s voice became cold.

"Destroy the enemy."

"Any sacrifice is acceptable."

She stood.

Then brought one hand down.

That was the signal.

Evenson immediately stepped forward.

He pulled out a handful of Soul Crystals and crushed them between his fingers, releasing the stored fel energy over the great doorway.

The effect was instantaneous.

The dragon’s head came alive.

Green fire erupted from its mouth.

The empty center of the doorway twisted into a vast green vortex.

A portal.

A direct connection to the Rift of Fel.

The gateway to war had opened.

"But..."

One of the Demonheart soldiers stepped forward.

He looked toward the Eredar twins.

Then dropped to one knee.

"We’ve merely traded one secret organization for another."

His voice was steady.

"Other than gaining power, how are we actually different from before?"

Jaliya slammed one of her blades against the floor.

"Watch your mouth."

She glared at him.

"You dare question our masters?"

A low laugh came from above.

Katrina stepped forward.

"Enough."

Her enormous wings suddenly unfolded behind her.

The soldiers stared as she leaped from the top of the doorway.

She landed directly in front of the questioning soldier.

"We won’t hide behind schemes like Hydra."

"We won’t sit behind walls like S.H.I.E.L.D. and wait for someone else to attack."

"We won’t live as prey."

Her wings spread wide.

"We will take the battle to them."

"We will bring the fire into their world."

"We will hunt them."

The words ignited the room.

Jaliya raised her weapon.

The rest followed.

Two hundred and fifty Demonheart soldiers roared as one.

Evenson watched the mood build.

Good.

They were ready.

He stepped toward the portal.

Then turned to face the army behind him.

"Now."

His voice carried through the chamber.

"Follow me into the abyss."

The Eredar twins immediately shifted a few steps to the side.

They were careful to conceal something behind them.

A magical array.

Evenson’s escape portal.

He had prepared it beforehand.

Of course he had.

He was a warlock.

If he was going into battle personally, leaving himself an emergency exit wasn’t cowardice.

It was basic professional competence.

He’d already committed to fighting.

There was no reason to be stupid about it.