Hell Contractor: Rise of the Last God

Crane Demon Returns.

"Quakes' companion beast!?!" Ayanda was now more perplexed than before.

Bakasura sighed softly before continuing, "Yes. That old coot sent me in here when he got trapped by the mayor of Neon Bridge so that I can keep an eye on it while he guard's the Spirit Gate that leads into this Void Cube." 

"We're inside a Void Cube? What's that?" Ayanda was confused by the crane's words.

"Didn't you enter a giant cube to get here?" Bakasura asked with a frown strangely forming above it's eyes.

"Yes, I did. Was that the Void Cube?" Ayanda said.

"Exactly. A Void Cube is an object that has been consolidated from a Spirit Gate, trapping within it an entire fabric of space, with it's own laws of time being manipulated by whoever created it. This Void Cube we're in now has an accelerated time factor of 1:100 hours."Bakasura explained.

"1:100 hours... Does that mean that 1000 hours in here is only 1 hour outside?" Ayanda felt his heart rate go faster at the thought of this as he asked Bakasura.

"Correct. This Void Cube was set up in an attempt to break down the restriction's surrounding the ancestral relic, as well as torture Quake mentally. It's probably been over a decade in the outside world, but for him, it's been over 1000 years in solitude. Thankfully this only affects the mind and spirit, leaving one's physical body to age at the original rate it is outside." Bakasura explained calmly.

"Does he want the Spirit beast that's trapped in the temple?" Ayanda asked.

Bakasura was astonished at how Ayanda seemed very innocent and didn't hide how he had figured out that there was a Spirit beast beneath the temple.

"You could say that. The mayor of Neon Bridge assumes that the ancestral relic will grant him unimaginable power, but he doesn't realize that one must meet the requirements to be acknowledged by it. Even someone of Quakes' power wasn't acknowledged, a true Legendary cultivator. The ancestral relic had been safeguarded by Quakes' lineage through the ages ever since the fall of the mighty Dragon Seeker's. All he knew was that he had to wait for the one who was fated to be acknowledged and resurrect the ancestral relic." Bakasura explained.

Ayanda listened calmly, but inside, he was at a complete loss. Dragon Seeker's? Resurrecting the ancestral relic? Ancient Spirit beast? Did all of this mean that he was meant to be the one depicted in the hieroglyphics? The main issue for him now was that he wasn't anywhere near Quakes' level, so just how would he be able to accomplish any of this since he wasn't even able to defend himself against Quake.

"Since you were acknowledged by the ancestral relic, you must release it from the temple and become it's new master." Bakasura told Ayanda in a simple explanation.

Ayanda was still trying to understand whether or not he was really the one depicted in the hieroglyphics, when Basakura opened it's beak to reveal an abyssal void within, and from that void a gigantic demonic troll fell out. This demonic troll was a colossus figure with red skin, bones protruding from it's body and filled with baleful aura which was choking Ayanda, then it suddenly shrunk itself down to become the size of a teenage human boy.

"This is an Awakening Demon. It will fight with you for 2 hours a day in it's current form. Once you can defeat it, it will evolve into the next stage and fight for 2 hours longer than before. By the time you can defeat it's final 24 hour fighting state, you'll be ready to face the Spirit beast which has been sealed under the temple." Bakasura explained to Ayanda before starting to flap it's wings to fly away.

"Wait!!.. How... I'm supposed to fight this thing everyday?" Ayanda was shocked at how suddenly Bakasura summoned this demonic troll and was now about to leave him with it.

"Consider this as a favor, which you'll need to return to Quake someday. If you don't meet him after you come out from the temple, travel to the Banish Empire and search for the 'Crane Demon' there." Bakasura left the temple but his words still rung out inside, leaving Ayanda alone with the demonic troll.

"Brat, put all your worries aside and focus on this Awakening Demon for now. That Bakasura left you with something that can improve your cultivation. Since time is accelerated in the Void Cube, 100 hours will only be 1 hour outside. You'll be able to reach a higher stage in your cultivation within a few days. You can't miss out on this, especially if you want to get out of Neon Bridge alive." Levy told Ayanda in a serious tone.

Ayanda took in a deep breath, and cleared his mind from unnecessary thoughts. Levy was right, as long as he reaches the level required to free the Spirit beast, he may actually become strong enough to take on the people who captured Qiniso and reunite her with Quake. Ayanda wasn't sure if he could leave yet, but it would be a waste of a golden opportunity if he did leave without making any real improvement in his own strength. After deciding on staying and focusing on taking on the Awakening Demon, Ayanda started to circulate his Taboo Slayer Divine Art and combine it with his God Blood Lightning Sacred Art in order to start his attack. The moment Ayanda rushed to the Awakening Demon, it reacted by matching Ayanda's speed and prowess, then began to use hand-to-hand combat skills to pressure Ayanda into retreating. Ayanda quickly understood that he has to gain a better grasp on his own skills and understand all of his sacred art cultivations, in order to bring out all of the attacking skills he can from his God Blood Lightning Sacred Art, Hell Scroll Sacred Art, and Immortal Phoenix Sacred Art to their fullest before he could win.

Bakasura had somehow exited the pond, flying out gracefully while stretching his wings.

"Aaahhhh! So good to be free from that damn well!" Bakasura almost screamed in relief.

"Did you seriously leave the mayor alone with the ancestral relic?" a hoarse aged voice suddenly spoke.

It was Quake, the same old man who had tossed Ayanda into the pond. He was using his scythe as a fishing rod and was peacefully seated near the edge of the pond. After Bakasura had come out, he pulled up the fishing line which magically retracted into his scythe and he walked over to allow Bakasura to land on his shoulder. Just before Bakasura landed, he suddenly shrunk down to the size of a parrot, and suddenly lost most of his grace while seeming exhausted.

"That wasn't the mayor. It was some brat who seemed to have something different about him. He was really weak, but strangely I could sense that there was something powerful yet unknown inside him. His companion beast also felt similar to the Spirit beasts' in terms of aura." Bakasura spoke out loud in a parrots' voice now.

"Is that so... Why do you feel like you've lost some weight?" Quake questioned Bakasura in a serious voice after he took a glance at him.

"I left my Awakening Demon with that brat so he could get strong enough to release the Spirit Beast. Even though time move's faster in here, I didn't realize that it would be 10 times faster down there. By the time I had released it, I was already feeling weaker than I'd imagine." Bakasura said in a defeated tone.

"Hahahaha! Serves you right! You were probably showing off trying to seem like you're invincible. But that's good then, at least that brat can get more powerful and take care of himself in case he runs into any troubles when he leaves." Quake responded.

"What do we do know old coot? Should we stay here until the real mayor shows up? They'll probably have some scheme ready to force you into giving up the ancestral relic." Bakasura was concerned and waited for Quake to tell him what he planned to do.

"For now, we remain here to guard this zone until that brat succeeds. We need to give him as much time as possible, while making those Grey Shadow bastards chase their own tails." Quake replied to Bakasura in a serious tone.

"You still plan on going back to the Banish Empire?" Bakasura asked after a moment of silence.

"I have no choice. I made a promise and I intend to keep it no matter what. It's a pity I wasn't able to find the person I was looking for so far, but I'll have a better chance when I go there." Quake replied.

"Then we'll have to make sure those bastards don't get what they want here so we can set out as soon as we can." Bakasura said with a childish laugh, feeling somewhat gleeful.

At the mayor's estate in Neon Bridge, Rome was waiting for Venus to return while tightening the security measures surrounding the estate as well as closing down certain borders around Neon Bridge. In his mind, since the mayor was trapped in the Void Cube, they would have to prevent this news from leaking out beyond the outskirts and reaching the ears of those who may take advantage of the situation. In terms of Cobra, even though dealing with him had it's risks, the backing from the Grey Bazaar was enough to offer some sort of reliability, but Rome couldn't be too sure of how loyal Cobra would be to his group. For now, as long as Rome can get his hands on Qiniso's research, he would be able to be in more control than anyone else.

Rome was currently in the large dining hall, seated on the side of the table as he sipped on some wine calmly. He had been remaining as calm as he could after he'd finished with his preparations, and didn't bother to check in with the Silver Warrior he activated earlier since he had absolute confidence in it. The Silver Warrior was technically an obsolete model of a guard robot, but the microchip he installed was from a rare assassin type robot that was meant to have been destroyed years ago. Over time, he had re-programmed the microchip in order to have the original commands ben under his control. The ultimate benefit was that he was the only one who could give the Silver Warrior orders, and he had secretly upgraded the Silver Warrior with parts from different assassin type robots that he had to stop from assassinating the mayor. The current Silver Warrior could possibly be as strong as a Legendary cultivator, with the only drawback being the power consumption, which he left at the base level in order to avoid any suspicion to him keeping inside the mayors' estate.

When Venus returned, she was followed inside by a few Palace Guards with stacks of files in their arms, as well as Golden Warriors who were carrying large black metallic boxes which housed computers and data banks. They followed Venus as she led them to the interior where there was a room already prepared for her return by Rome, and once they had placed everything down, the Palace Guards left while the Golden Warriors remained behind to watch over the research. Venus went over to the dining hall to meet with the mayor and Rome, but when she saw only Rome was present, drinking wine all by himself, she had a frown on her face.

"Where is the mayor?" Venus asked.

"He's missing." Rome responded calmly.

"Missing? And you're just getting drunk all this time?" Venus retorted.

"Please. How could I let myself get drunk at a time like this. I had to wait for you to come back so we could go rescue him together." Rome answered calmly.

"So you know where he is?" Venus asked him.

"Yes, but you won't like it when you find out." Rome replied and set down his empty cup before slowly stating, "Cloud Garden."

"What!!! Why is he there" Venus was startled by this.

"The mayor got impatient and took Qiniso inside the Void Cube with him. He probably can't wait to get his hands on the ancestral relic." Rome spoke calmly.

"Did he bring any Golden Warriors with him?" Venus asked Rome hurriedly.

"Of course. But don't forget that he also has Qiniso poisoned. She had been searching for Quake all these years, so there's definitely some type of connection they have. Her being poisoned may be able to force Quake to finally give it up." Rome explained.

"So why didn't you go inside with him?" Venus was somewhat annoyed with how calm Rome seemed.

"Do you think I would've allowed him inside. By the time I noticed, they had already dived in and it was too late. If I chased after them, do you think you'd be able to figure it all out and understand the situation here at the mayors' estate?" Rome questioned Venus in a slightly frustrated tone now.

Venus was agitated, but she also understood where Rome was coming from. The accelerated time in the Void Cube alone makes it difficult to manage, but the key factor would have to be the fact that they have to both go inside now in order to deal with Quake, who was already a headache due to how he's been resisting all these years.

"Fine. Let's hurry inside and make sure the mayor is safe. We'll deal with Quake and the ancestral relic after that." Venus spoke succinctly. She didn't doubt Rome's words since he had to have absolute loyalty to the mayor since he answered to someone that even she was frightened by. The mayors' safety was guaranteed by this powerful backer, and Venus suspected that it may be the mayors' father or grandfather. 

Venus rushed out of the dining hall, followed by Rome who remained calm, but was mentally rejoicing at how Venus wasn't that suspicious or even questioned the legitimacy of his claims. He had altered some of the footage of the mayor and Qiniso entering the Void Cube by destroying the part where the mayor got pushed in as insurance, but since there were some strict measures which prevent the people close to the mayor from prying deeper into the security footage and protocols, Venus would have had a difficult time trying to get down to the actual truth behind what happened. Rome was glad, but also on guard since he knew how merciless Venus could be once she goes on a warpath, and he was currently steering her dangerously close to himself by scheming against her. But once they were both in the Void Cube along with Quake, it wouldn't be strange if an unfortunate "accident" occurred while they encountered Quake, who was more than likely hiding his true strength.

While Rome and Venus were preparing to rush into the Void Cube, Qiniso was silently suffering from the poison that was beginning to flare up. Even though she was doing her best to remain unfazed, the poison was starting to make her bones feel like they were melting, while her blood suddenly felt like billions of razor sharp barbed wire running through her veins. At this point she had fallen off the steel chair and was now gasping for air on the floor., but the Silver Warrior completely remained still. Qiniso's current situation didn't require it to make any moves, since it could tell that her vitals weren't an issue at the moment. So long as she doesn't scream or make an attempt to escape, the Silver Warrior continued to observe Qiniso in order to follow the commands it was given.

Qiniso had been racking her brain trying to find a loophole to exploit from Rome's commands, or possibly find a weakness from the Silver Warrior, but since the poisoned flared up, she was only focusing on not passing out or even losing her life prematurely. She gritted her teeth in pain as she tried to pull herself back up, but suddenly felt a foreign pulse tingling through her body and attaching itself onto her own consciousness. 

"Mmm? Is this where they're keeping you?" a sinister voice spoke to Qiniso telepathically, startling her even though she was weakened.

"Who are you?" Qiniso asked back in a panic.

"Have you already forgotten who poisoned you?" the sinister voice replied rhetorically.

"You!!! What are you doing in my body!?" Qiniso was fuming but couldn't use any of her own vitality to push out the foreign feeling she now had in her consciousness.

"My poison call allow me to invade your body. Right now it's just your mind, but later on I can control your physical body. I wanted to use you so I could kill the mayor and steal the item he's after, but it looks like he was paranoid and left you behind." Cobras' sinister voice spoke dejectedly.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Qiniso replied while she was still in some pain.

"Hmm? What's that?" Cobra asked Qiniso in her consciousness the moment she looked over to the Silver Warrior, but what Cobra had seen clearly was the microchip that was inserted in the tray as it stood there.

Before Qiniso could even respond to Cobra, he chuckled to himself, "So that's why Rome needed spare core processing components for a base microchip. Looks like he's made himself a useful toy. Pity it will only be worthless so long as he keeps it running on low quality power cells, but I guess that's what he wanted." he spoke with his sinister tone.

Now Qiniso realized that she may have an option of escape, but she had to find a way to motivate Cobra in order to have him use some of his craftiness to help her leave this room and find Ayanda.

"I know where the item you're looking for is being kept. If I'm not wrong, Rome should be going there now." Qiniso spoke to Cobra in her consciousness.

"Oh really? And let me guess, you can lead me there right?" Cobra asked cheekily.

"Even better. I can give you the mayor so you can make Rome listen to you." Qinsio responded confidently, even in pain.

Cobra didn't respond right after. He was quiet for a short while.

"How do I know you're not lying?" Cobra asked calmly.

"You'll find out once we're both free from here. If Rome has already set off, then the mayor will be like a chicken in a coop, and you won't need to struggle more than necessary to have him under your control." Qiniso explained.

"The mayor stayed behind? Why did he do that?" Cobra was confused by what Qiniso was implying. He thought that Rome would always stick to the mayor, but it was suspicious that Qinsio wasn't being watched over by anybody important.

"You could say that Rome doesn't know where he is. But I do. As long as I hand him over to you, you must release me from your control and your poison." Qinsio stated her terms clearly.

"Do you think you can negotiate while I have you under my control?" Cobra was starting to get angered by Qiniso trying to negotiate her own escape.

"All of my research has been brought back to the mayor's estate. There'll only be the Golden Warriors to worry about and I can show you exactly where the item is being kept. I'm even throwing in the mayor for you so you can have everything in your hands." Qinsio reminded Cobra as she began to feel that the poison was going to flare up again suddenly.

Cobra was trying to scare Qiniso into spilling the truth, but the more he thought about it, it wasn't a bad proposition. The only thing he was uncertain of is how much of the what Qiniso said was the truth, but since she wasn't near the mayor or Rome, he was in no position to refute her words. Besides, if she really was lying, he could kill her without sparing any effort, but then he could lose a convenient bargaining chip at his disposal. 

"I'm going to use some of you blood to move around. You'll still have some of my poison left behind, but it's just an insurance in case you're lying. Once I have the mayor, I'll release the rest of it and we'll see if I can get the item. If not, then best believe, you're not going to live." Cobra spoke calmly.

Qiniso wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but suddenly she coughed out a large amount of blood which shot out towards the Silver Warrior. This blood had some hints of black, and as soon as it made contact with the Silver Warrior, it got absorbed by it and caused it to short-circuit instantly.