They appeared to be warped chimera created with strong parts of various monsters.
They weren’t fully mature yet, but the magic energy they were carrying in those bodies was already beyond the norm.
And there were hundreds of these monsters.
“…Stampede…”
It was the only way to describe the sight in front of them.
If those monsters got outside… Almana would be destroyed for sure.
But it wouldn’t stop there.
The whole Kingdom of Historia could fall into ruin.
It was a desperate situation… But it didn’t end there.
“Now! Evolve!”
The mages pierced their necks with syringes… And burst.
Only Six retained his form.
“I-I am the only suitable vessel… But that’s fine. It was a success.”
Six’s entire body began to change and grow rapidly.
With cries of anguish one wouldn’t think came from a human being, his blood vessels expanded, and his robe and mask were ripped apart as horns and wings grew.
“Gu… Yogah, Gagooh!”
And finally, with those roars, what appeared was… A monster many times bigger than a person.
Its horns looked like some sort of twisted crown, and its black wings looked sinister, like those of a demon.
It truly looked like a demon king.
The demon king let out a shrill laugh while breathing erratically.
“Fuhyahhahahaha! I reached it I reached it I reached it! It’s me, I am the second demon king!!”
From this demon-like body, an intense pressure was released in the form of magic energy.
“Ku…!?”
Labrys couldn’t take it, and fell to her knees.
She had never seen such powerful magic energy. It was unbelievable.
It very clearly surpassed the amount of magic energy a human could hold.
“W-w-w-w-wonderful! Don’t you find this wonderful!? You may rejoice as well! You witnessed the birth of the second demon king!”
Releasing magic energy was all it took to distort the scenery around them, and to crack and break the floor.
“T-this is a demon king…!?”
It already boasted a hopelessly large amount of power when it was a first-class mage, but now, it was incomparable to when it was human.
This was a disaster.
It was not something humans could simply deal with.
Every few years, a calamity called demon king shook the world, and such a thing was just born right in front of Labrys and Chrom.
Labrys’ face was increasingly painted with despair, but…
“No…”
Chrom shook his head.
“No. That’s not the demon king.”
“Eh…?”
“That small fry doesn’t matter. The problem… Isn’t that former mage, or those chimera for that matter.”
“W-what do you…”
It was then that Labrys noticed.
Chrom wasn’t looking at that demon, or the chimera around them.
His gaze was fixated on the pale-blue cultivation fluid on the floor.
“Fuyahahahahahahahaha! You have a special seat for my presentation! The second act of this calamity is about to begin…!!”
The demon laughed loudly and with a shrill voice.
And then, hundreds of chimera were swallowed by the cultivation fluid.
“Fugyagaga, ha… Ha?”
It all happened in front of the dumbfounded demon.
It sounded as though the cultivation fluid was chewing, as it melted the chimera.
It was as though the cultivation fluid had a mind of its own.
Like it was alive.
“W-what…. Is that cultivation fluid… Alive?”
After it was done eating the chimera, the cultivation fluid zigzagged as it crept on the floor like slime, and rushed towards the demon.
“W-what do you want!? I am a demon king!! All monsters obey me! O-obey me! Why won’t you obey me!? Cultivation fluid like this…!”
The demon shot magic bullets and scattered the cultivation fluid, but it was just too much.
In fact, it seemed the more magic energy the demon released, the more the fluid crept around its giant body.
“…Yes, it really will get eaten.”
“Eh?”
Labrys mumbled, but then she remembered what Chrom told her.
Don’t release magic energy.
She finally understood what he meant.
This cultivation fluid reacted to magic energy and moved towards it.
“S-stop…! Stop it! It hurts it hurts it hurts! Nooo! Stop! Gu, gah, aaaaaaah! No, no no, no no noooo! I don’t want to die! Someone help! Help… Help, Rains…”
The demon’s voice suddenly stopped, as its giant body was buried beneath the cultivation fluid.
All that was left was the uncontrollable cultivation fluid. It all gradually combined into a pile that looked like a giant slime.
“W-what is that…”
The demon was strong, but that was still somewhat understandable.
This cultivation fluid on the other hand, was beyond comprehension.
It devoured that immensely powerful demon in a second.
What was the limit of its power? Did it even have one?
“That’s a demon king.”
“Eh…?”
Chrom finally answered quietly.
“Those mages never expected the cultivation fluid itself to be a demon king. That’s why they didn’t keep it in check… I noticed it too late too.”