Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer
chapter-323

Ashton's footsteps echoed through the winding tunnels of the Abyssal Caverns, his powerful magic illuminating the way ahead. He was on a mission to stop a powerful demon and a group of cultists from performing a dark ritual that would unleash unspeakable evil into the world.

As he descended deeper into the caverns, Ashton sensed a disturbance in the air. He crept forward, his hand gripping tightly onto the staff of Elder Wood. As he rounded a corner, he saw a group of cultists standing in a circle around a large, black stone altar. The air crackled with dark energy, and Ashton knew that he had found the source of the demonic corruption that had been spreading through the caverns.

But then he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see a group of unconscious fey creatures lying on the ground, their life force slowly draining away. He used a spell that will stabilize their condition for now. He did it so that they won't die before he was done with the cultists.

Ashton knew he had to act fast before the cultists could complete their ritual. He charged forward, his magic blasting through the air as he took on the cultists.

And judging by the way how they reacted, they didn't notice his approach at all. This allowed him to injure some of the cultists already but he didn't eliminate them just yet.

Ashton strode forward, his wand at the ready. He faced the group of cultists who were standing in a circle around the black stone altar.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," he said, with a playful smirk.

"A group of wannabe demon summoners. You guys really need to find a new hobby."

The cultists scowled at him, but Ashton remained confident. He knew that he had the upper hand.

"Now, if you'll kindly put down the dark magic and step away from the altar, we can all go back to our lives," he continued.

But the cultists weren't backing down that easily. "We won't be stopped by the likes of you, Magician!" one of them hissed.

Ashton's playful smirk turned into a determined scowl. "Oh, I beg to differ. You see, I have this thing where I eliminate idiots that tend to harm the world." he said, as he sent a blast of energy towards the cultists.

They scrambled to avoid the attack, but Ashton was too quick for them. He continued to send wave after wave of magic, forcing the cultists to retreat.

"Looks like I win this round," he said, with a satisfied grin. "But none of you will get away."

With another pulse of Mana, Ashton sent a strong shockwave that paralyzed the cultists, stopping them from retreating. He didn't show mercy and condensed a ball of white flames that reduced the cultists into ashes before they could even say another word.

Under the heat of the white flames, the demonic energy that had been suffusing the air dissipated, and the caverns were silent once again.

Ashton turned to the fey, his magic now focused on healing their wounds. He knew that they had been the next sacrifice, and it was only by chance that he had arrived in time to save them.

After healing them, Ashton did the same thing to them as he did to the others he met earlier. He summoned a golem made out of earth and mud to carry the poor victims to the safety zone where he left Eira and her teammates.

Upon doing this, Ashton returned his focus to the altar that the cultists were tending to earlier.

As he drew closer, he sensed a shift in the air, as if a great power was awakening. Suddenly, a figure appeared before him, towering over him with its massive frame. The demon was unlike any Ashton had ever seen before. It had dark, leathery skin, sharp claws, and a pair of enormous wings that spanned the length of the cavern. Its eyes glowed red with an otherworldly fire, and its breath came out in great plumes of smoke and ash.

The demon's appearance reminded Ashton of Azazel and Astaroth. That got him thinking that maybe this one and the previous two were part of a unique type of demon.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," Ashton said, with a hint of playful sarcasm. "I didn't expect that an abomination like you would come out of there. At the very least though, you know how to make an entrance."

"And I didn't expect that a mortal would be the one to welcome me upon arriving in this world." The Demon snarled gruffly at him. "Since I'm in a quite pleasant mood, I shall spare your life for now. Leave, and I will pardon this offense."

"Oh, dear..." Ashton snickered. "Am I suppose to be gratified by your pardon? I don't recall asking for it."

"You wanna die, mortal?" The demon snarled once more.

"Well, can you kill me? Excuse me, but I don't think you could."

The demon let out a deep, guttural laugh, its voice shaking the cavern walls. "You think you can defeat me, mortal?" it said, its eyes narrowing in amusement.

Ashton raised his wand, his face set in a determined expression. "I've slain plenty of demons before," he said. "And you're not going to be any different."

With that, the battle began. Azazel lashed out with its claws, sending shards of rock flying through the air. But Ashton was too quick for it. He dodged and weaved around the demon's attacks, sending blasts of magic towards it at every opportunity.

The battle raged on for what felt like hours, with neither side gaining the upper hand. But finally, with a final burst of magic, Ashton managed to deliver the finishing blow. Azazel let out a deafening scream, its towering body falling with a loud thud on the ground.

"Tch. That didn't even make me sweat." Ashton muttered in annoyance. "For all of that bravado, I was expecting more. But it seems that wherever I go, the superiority complex of Demons remains. It's getting old honestly."

He then looked at the demon's corpse and waved his staff.

Ashton concentrated his magic, calling upon the power of the elements to retrieve the soul of the demon that had just fallen before him. With a final burst of energy, the soul was ripped from the demon's body and trapped within a glowing orb that hovered before Ashton's outstretched hand.

He closed his eyes and focused his magic, calling forth a purification spell that would cleanse the demon's soul of any lingering darkness. The orb glowed brighter as the spell took effect, and Ashton felt a surge of energy course through him as the demon's soul was purified.

As the glow faded, Ashton opened his eyes and turned his attention to the orb, using his magic to tap into the demon's memories. He saw visions of the underworld, of the demons' dark kingdom, and the horrors that awaited any who dared to venture there. He saw the demon who had just fallen, and those who remained, plotting their next move in their quest to conquer and enslave the Feykind.

'I see, so the setting here is quite different.' Ashton mused to himself. 'Instead of establishing a Qliphoth network in this world, the Demons linked one of the realms they conquered into this one and infiltrates it by corrupting the minds of common fey folk.'

The Netherworld is what the home of the demons called in this world, and it's a place of darkness and despair, where the very fabric of reality is twisted and warped. It is a realm that lies beyond the mortal world, shrouded in eternal darkness and filled with the echoes of lost souls. The air is thick with the stench of decay, and the very ground beneath one's feet is cold and lifeless.

It is said that the Netherworld is the birthplace of demons, where their foul energies pulsate and coalesce in the gloom. The demons of the Netherworld are creatures of pure malice and darkness, born from the very essence of evil itself. They are the minions of the Dark One, the ruler of the Netherworld, and their purpose is to spread chaos and destruction throughout the mortal world.

This is a place of torment and suffering, where the wicked and the damned are consigned to suffer for all eternity. The souls of those who are deemed unworthy of redemption are consigned to this dark realm, where they are forced to endure the torments of the demons and the eternal darkness that surrounds them.

Few mortals have ever dared to venture into the Netherworld, and those who do rarely return. It is a place of unimaginable horror and suffering, where the very fabric of reality is twisted and warped. To enter the Netherworld is to risk one's very soul, for the demons that dwell within are masters of deception and trickery, and few mortals can resist their dark temptations.

The Netherworld is a realm of darkness and despair, where the very essence of evil itself resides. It is a place of eternal torment, where the wicked and the damned are consigned to suffer for all eternity.