Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest

Elayne.

He did not recognize the name at all. Thanatos fell silent for a long moment, glancing around at the others present in the dimly lit chamber. No one else seemed to know it either, apparently.

Naturally, of course he did not know her by that name. He had only ever known her as Yggdrasil or Planta.

And never would he have imagined that something as simple as not knowing her true human name would leave him so completely in the dark at a moment like this.

”Who is this Elayne?” he asked, his voice rising with growing anger. ”I do not recognize her, nor do I know of her. Are you mocking me?”

”Elayne...” Clotho narrowed her eyes in concentration, searching through the threads of fate she could still perceive. ”Wasn’t she... the vessel of... Yggdrasil?”

”Ah!” Thanatos gasped as the realization finally struck him like a physical blow. ”So that was her human name?!”

”HAHAHAHAHAHA!” The Demon King of Swarms threw her head back and laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the vast hall. ”To think you would not even bother to learn her true name, you absolute fool! But is it truly her? There must be countless women named Elayne in this world!”

”That is... impossible! I killed her myself! I destroyed her soul into countless pieces!” he roared, his fury exploding outward in a wave of dark energy. ”Her corpse was left soulless, abandoned to rot in the Netherworld and be consumed by maggots!”

BAAAM!

He smashed his fist down onto the heavy desk with tremendous force. Nether flames surged across his body as pure rage consumed him completely, casting flickering shadows across the walls.

Then his burning gaze fell upon the empty seat where Jester had once sat.

Jester had been a powerful Sorcerer of Chaos, the one currently teaching him how to control that dangerous and unpredictable element. His sudden death was a heavy and painful blow to their forces.

”...None of this makes any sense,” Thanatos sighed at last, his voice lower and heavier with frustration. ”Whatever remains of her has already been turned into the Qliphoth. She... she should not exist anymore...”

”Well? She does exist! Or maybe she does not?” the King of Swarms laughed again, clearly enjoying every second of his frustration. ”Foolish, foolish Thanatos. You fail once more to see what is right in front of your eyes. One of your subordinates is already dead. How many more must fall before your own head finally rolls?”

”Tsk! SILENCE!” he roared, slamming his fist against the desk once more. ”You have neither the right nor the authority to speak to me in such a tone!”

The other Death Apostles turned their angry gazes upon her at once. She fell quiet for a moment and gave a small nod of acknowledgment, though the mocking glint in her eyes never faded.

Yet she was not finished.

”Hm? You are all looking at me with such anger, as if I could not simply kill every one of you with a snap of my fingers,” she laughed lightly, her voice dripping with casual menace. ”But I am only playing around... Why are you so on edge? What has happened? I thought you claimed your little pet project was progressing smoothly?”

Thanatos remained silent for several long seconds. He groaned under his breath before finally sitting back down in his seat, the flames around him slowly dying down.

”Jester’s death is a severe blow to our forces,” he admitted with a heavy sigh. ”I was truly delighted that a Player of his caliber had chosen to join us... Well, it no longer matters. He is dead. We must find the one responsible for this, whoever she may be, and eliminate her without mercy. Initiate a full-scale chase across all territories. I want that zombie woman dead!”

”Understood. Please leave it to us,” several of the Death Apostles replied in unison before vanishing in sudden explosions of swirling shadow.

As Thanatos sat in silence, lost in dark thoughts, he turned his gaze toward Clotho once more.

”Is it truly possible that she is the same woman? The Vessel of Yggdrasil that I killed with my own hands?” he asked, still struggling with disbelief. ”Can you not see something more, Clotho?”

”No, my King...” Clotho shook her head slowly, her expression regretful. ”This... is the full extent of my abilities.”

”TSK!”

The Demon King of Death rose from his seat and walked toward a portal of swirling shadows that he summoned with nothing more than a single thought.

”The cold war we have been maintaining with the Noble Races of the Netherworld will soon come to an end. Oberon, and all the rest of you, prepare the armies for the proper moment. We will crush them completely.”

As he disappeared through the portal, the twin Demon Kings of Flood turned their attention toward the Demon King of Swarms.

”I-Is it really acceptable to speak to the King in such a rude tone...?” the more timid of the sisters asked nervously.

”You are overdoing it...” the bolder twin sighed, offering a quiet warning.

”Hmph. And what would children like you even know?” the Demon King of Swarms laughed, her voice full of disdain. ”Men... are unreliable, and you both know it well, do you not? That man is far too emotional. Above all else, he is mad and broken. I cannot trust him, nor can I rely on him as heavily as the rest of you do... Huhuhuh. But perhaps... these recent events... can be turned into something beneficial for me.”

The twins exchanged uncertain glances, a clear hint of fear visible in their eyes as they wondered whether they should continue listening to her dangerous words.

”You two...” she continued, her voice lowering into something more inviting and persuasive. ”Why not join me instead? I know full well that you already hate him. You only obey him out of fear, correct? Let us work together. I treat my girls fairly.”

The twins looked at one another once more, silently considering her offer before they both sank into a shimmering pool of water and vanished without another word.

”We will consider it.”

A faint voice echoed through the empty hall before fading away completely.

The Demon King of Swarms remained alone in the vast chamber. A light, calculating smile played across her lips as a dimensional portal filled with countless horrifying insects opened before her and carried her elsewhere.

”Yes... you would do well to consider it carefully... I swore long ago that I would never kneel to any man again. Thanatos, your so-called ’Eternal Kingdom’ is nothing more than an illusion and a fantasy. You will soon learn exactly why.”

-----