Syl-Chapter 234: Sacrificial Summoning

"Can you teleport inside?" I asked Vee.

"Nope, I tried already," Vee answered. "[Spatial Sense] shows the entire area as blocked off. I don’t think my [Rift Thread] is getting in."

Despite Vee’s guess, she tried to see if she could penetrate the barrier. Unfortunately, her fears were confirmed, and her thread struck across the barrier, causing magical sparks on contact but otherwise being fruitless in penetrating.

Kaspar laughed mockingly as he clutched his rapidly bleeding arm.

"Any you can do?" I asked Trixie.

Trixie shook her head, "If the demon plays by the rules, no."

"Really!?" Vee yelled. "This is a demon we are talking about. Surely this warrants a bending of these so-called rules?"

Trixie shrugged, "Rules are the rules. Believe it or not, the demons are extreme in their following of them. As much as I like Syl, I’m not about to risk angering the Fairy Queen or the Demon King. Besides, I think you two can handle a demon."

"Wonderful..." Vee groaned.

"Can I go all out?" I questioned Trixie.

She nodded and gave a thumbs-up, "Nobody will see or hear anything going on here."

"I don’t understand how that’s not against the rules, but whatever," Vee groaned again.

The magical ritual finally reached its crescendo, forming a portal interlaced with black magical energy and blood.

"Pay careful attention to what bargain he gives the demon," Trixie warned me. "Some last-second advice. I’ll be silently observing from here on out. Good luck!"

I silently thanked her and stared expectantly at the forming portal. At the same time, I felt like I should get some prep work and began sending [Sub-Cores] into the ground below. I had tried this against the elf assassin rather ineffectively. Still, I’d make enough preparations this time by melting out a sizeable hollow surface below the ground to hold and store an arsenal of slime mass.

I’ll have the upper hand against this demon if I control this entire area. If I’m lucky, it won’t have [Acid Resistance] or something like that, and then if I devour the whole area, I could claim a quick victory. Sure, maybe it’s not the most honorable of victories, but I’m a slime!

The portal finalized itself, and stepping out was a hunched figure. It had elongated arms ending in clawed appendages. Two pairs of leathery batwings adorned its back and two curved horns on its head. Its face was remarkably featureless, with no nose or mouth, and two gaping red holes were where its eyes should have been. It glanced around at its surroundings, a sense of hostility shrouding the area.

An inhuman screech echoed from its mouthless form, causing the human next to it to visibly shudder. Even Vee and myself were not left undisturbed by the strange cry.

"Demon! I’ve summoned you to bargain!" Kaspar shouted, his voice cracking slightly in panic.

Vee fired another spell at Kaspar, but it struck the barrier. The demon’s head swiveled and stared at her.

"Do not interfere!"

The words were thrown into our minds as if we were forced to comprehend them. If [Telepathy] was like a mental handshake, this felt more like a mental hammer to the face.

"Can’t blame a girl for trying..." Vee shuddered.

I sent her some reassurance and continued my preparations.

Kaspar seemed a lot more confident after that outcome and couldn’t help but sneer at us. His sneer seemed so exaggerated that I wondered if he was trying to bait us into attacking and angering the demon more.

"Hold back..." I mentally whispered to Vee.

"Seriously, I wasn’t planning on trying again," she confirmed.

Trixie said to listen to the negotiations carefully. Does that mean if we get into a fight before they are done, it would be unrestricted somehow? How powerful is this creature?

I threw out an [Identify], but it was frustratingly insufficient for the situation.

<Blocked [Summoned]; Demon.>

So its name is blocked, and presumably, its levels and other things are blocked. I can see it’s got an Emblem; I assume that’s to show it’s linked to a Summoner rather than here naturally. If I kill Kaspar, is it forced to go home?

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud cracking noise, like bones snapping. The demon’s form was twisting and churning before our eyes. Kaspar’s confidence visibly dropped, and it looked like he was not expecting this either.

I guess his unfamiliarity with demon summoning is a good thing. Perhaps this is his first time having to resort to this. It certainly feels like a last-resort maneuver.

Bones and flesh continued to contort until the demon looked somewhat humanoid. Its almost features-face ripped apart into a mouth, and even a nose started forming. Its excess flesh began turning into rudimentary clothes, but it kept its wings and iconic horns.

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"You wish to make a deal?" the demon questioned from its newly formed mouth.

"I offer you five years of my life to kill that elf over there!" Kaspar shouted, attempting to sound confident.

The demon’s newly formed face turned towards me, and I felt a scrutinizing gaze look over me.

"Five years?" the demon repeated. "Five years of your paltry life would be insufficient to accomplish this task."

Kaspar gulped, "Ten?"

The demon cackled, a drawn-out cacophony of mocking laughter. Abruptly, its laughter halted.

"Boy, stop being so foolish. If you provide insufficient payment, then this one will clearly claim your life once I am defeated. There is no reason for you to be such a cheapskate."

"Cheapskate? This is years of my life we are talking about!" Kaspar responded, outraged.

"Yes... Human years. So precious and few," the demon cackled mockingly. "Do you not want to serve your Emperor a victory?"

"I do..." Kaspar admitted.

"Surely your Emperor will reward you? Perhaps he knows a way for you to reclaim your lost years. All you need to do is survive this encounter after all," the demon chuckled darkly.

I wanted to object, not liking how these negotiations were going, but I held my tongue. I did not want to risk the demon attacking me for free or perhaps giving the summoner a signing bonus. Wanting to know my situation, I equipped my [Apex Hunter] Emblem.

I had almost expected the cry and feeling of "Worthy!" to echo in my head, but instead, I got a similar feeling when I first interacted with Trixie. It was as if the Emblem itself was unsure how the demon stacked up against me or if its level of deception was too great to overcome.

"Twenty... No! Twenty-five years of my life!" Kaspar exclaimed.

"Deal!" the demon cried out triumphantly, holding out a sinewy hand.

Kaspar grasped the hand, and the magical circle suddenly flared to life again. I watched him visibly wither before my eyes as years of his life were taken from him. On the other hand, the demon became more pronounced, as if his form was being more established.

"A good deal," the demon moaned happily.

Kaspar took a moment to gather his breath, then pointed directly at me, "As per our contract, I wish for you to kill that elf!"

The demon turned to me again, and I could feel the open hostility between us now. It felt like staring down at an angry predator. Oddly enough, now that the deal was finalized, that almost tingly feeling my Emblem was giving me had seemed to stop.

Is it no longer "worthy" anymore? I wondered.

I felt its gaze scrutinizing me more.

"Elf?" the demon questioned.

"Yes, kill the knife-eared bitch!" Kaspar demanded, thrusting his finger at me.

"Just to confirm, you wish for me to kill the one known as Syl?" the demon asked again.

"Yes!" Kaspar shouted, his patience running dry. "Who else would I be talking about!? She’s the only elf here!"

"I ask because that one is not an elf," the demon replied. "But thank you for the confirmation."

Kaspar seemed flabbergasted, staring at me with apparent shock and surprise, "Not an elf? Then what the hell is she!?"

Is this really how my secret gets revealed? Well... As long as I kill Kaspar, it should be fine; Trixie promised to keep the area sealed from spectators.

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"I do not know," the demon replied. "Some form of changeling or mimic creature, but that is not an elf."

"B-but she has the bag? She matches the description perfectly. The elf ambassador even tried to protect her. How can she not be anyone other than who we were looking for!?" Kaspar demanded.

The demon shrugged, "I do not know the answers to your question. Nor do I care. I merely asked and pointed out that it was potentially hindering our bargain. I will kill this Syl individual as agreed upon."

"A skin walker? Some undead parading around her body?" Kaspar began muttering to himself right as the demon tensed and flew directly at me.

As the demon left the magic circle, it seemed to finalize on his body, and [Soul Sight] showed a bonded connection between the demon and Kaspar.

"Wait for it..." Vee whispered eagerly.

I wondered if she had set up traps again. If the demon died by charging recklessly into her death web, I wouldn’t complain, even if it was anticlimactic.

A win is a win, in my book.

The demon suddenly halted its approach. Vee muttered curses, and I realized it must be able to see her traps. Then, it did the unthinkable and raised its limb before making a chopping motion and slicing through the air.

"What!?" Vee screamed aloud. "How!?"

A creepy smile formed on its face as if it could hear her thoughts. Then it teleported and was right before me.

"It has [Blink]?" Vee cried.

Attack! I ordered.

Tendrils burst from the ground around my elven form, trying to converge on the demon. It seemed unperturbed by the circumstances and tried to skewer me with its elongated arm.

Bring it, I’ll eat you alive!

Its arm struck; at first, I thought it would fail to penetrate through my various defensive traits, but then I noted the tips of its elongated nails were brimming in what I knew was Dimension Mana, thanks to being around it so much with Vee.

It went straight through what was supposed to be my body. Kaspar cheered. Vee let out a worried cry. The demon remained unphased. Meanwhile, I smirked as I turned my slimy body into an engulfing weapon.

"An aberration?" the demon questioned as my body-turned-maw and perimeter of tendrils began latching onto him.

I made sure [Acid Slime] was activated and my tendrils were evenly distributed between [Cryo Slime] and [Blaze Slime] as I was unsure what would work on the demon. There was an intense sizzling noise where contact was made, but I quickly noted that it would not be enough to overcome the demon’s natural resistance.

It can never be easy, can it? If I engulf him entirely and crush him in pressurized and dense slime, I might be able to get through.

More tendrils began wrapping around the demon, who remained eerily calm despite effectively being within my mouth. Some tendrils became laced with mithril barbs to further pierce or cut through its defenses.

How do I damage you? I wondered, staring at the bound demon.

My immediate thought was spirit, as the demon seemed to have a body composed of a similar construction as the Undine I had fought.

I began throwing out debuff and affliction spells to see what would stick on the creature, causing it to hum as if it found the situation intriguing. Even when [Mana Burn] landed on it, it seemed perfectly content to let this happen.

"Are you going to just let that monster kill you? What did I pay you for!?" Kaspar screamed.

The demon clicked its tongue in annoyance. There was a rush of energy in its body, and I sensed a large amount of Dimensional Mana forming.

"Watch out, Syl!" Vee cried out.

Thousands of tiny invisible cuts formed around the demon’s body in an outward emanation. I felt my slime and tendrils be ripped apart all at once as if the demon had somehow turned itself into a living blender. Then there was a flare-up of Mana before everything within a 10-meter radius of the demon was suddenly sliced into infinitesimally small portions.

"Hmm? No damage at all?" the demon questioned.

I sighed in relief. Thankfully, none of my cores were within the deadly perimeter of death the demon created. Slime from my underground reserve immediately bursts upwards to continue the attack against the demon.

"Very interesting..." The demon continued to postulate.

"Stop fooling around and kill it, damn you!" Kaspar demanded again.

"Without proper understanding, how do you expect me to vanquish such a strange foe?" the demon questioned as it sliced apart incoming tendrils.

They weren’t entirely destroyed, so rather than halting the attack, it merely delayed it as split tentacle burst forward as two tendrils each now.

"I think I’m beginning to understand what creature I face... Truly fascinating!" the demon joyfully cried out.

I wish I could say the same. I thought bitterly.