Harem Domain: I Fucked The Goddess of Lust, So What
Chapter 33: To The Ground

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: To The Ground

The smell of charred wood and flesh hung heavy over Azrael as he ran through the ruin that was once their home along with the survivors.

Smoke curled into the sky, like vengeful god fingers clawing at the heavens. Behind them, the stronghold of the Sisterhood buckled and finally collapsed, sacred halls laid to ruin.

Azrael didn’t look back. He couldn’t.

He’d turn to ice if he did; his sorrow would eat him whole if he did.

"We need to move, keep moving," Eliza said, her quivering voice supporting a wounded girl.

Azrael nodded, clenching tighter on his sword, though the useless feel of it in his hands made him relax his grip. His system-his only real advantage in this world-was gone. He had tried calling upon it, summoning its power. Nothing.

Why now? Why had it abandoned him now, at such a bad time?

The company moved ahead in a very stumbling gait and with very defeated spirits. All had been taken from them, friends, families, and homeland.

Now they were pursued.

She led them to the ruins of the old temple, threading a path through the remains of shattered pillars and broken statues, blood tainting the sacred ground, bodies of fallen warriors left to rot in the light of the moon.

"Here," she whispered, stopping in front of a cracked stone slab.

Azrael watched as her fingers danced upon its surface, tracing out ancient runes.

It started with a deep rumble and the trembling of the ground. A hitherto hidden passage now slowly revealed itself, plunging deep into the earth. There was the sudden whoosh of stale air thick with the scent of dust, damp stone, and old magic.

"Go," Azrael ordered, firm despite the gnawing at his chest.

One by one, the survivors slipped into darkness.

Azrael was the last to disappear inside, his eyes greedily set on the fortress for one last moment. Everything he knew was ablaze, leaving behind naught but ashes from his past.

His mother was gone.

His home was gone.

His power was gone.

This wasn’t over.

His fists clenched into his sides, he swore vengeance.

And then he was gone into the night.

The tunnel was narrow and dank, its walls lined with carvings outlined in a light that glowed faintly to their passing. Weakly, it pulsed-a dying flame’s flicker.

"We should stop soon," Eliza whispered. "We have been walking for hours."

Azrael knew she was right-their wounds weighed them down, fatigue seeping into their bones.

They finally came into a thick forest from the underground passage. There were tall gnarled trees that seemed to stretch towards the sky, and their twisted branches whispered secrets through the wind.

"We need to keep moving," one of of the girls whispered, glancing around nervously. "Malakar’s forces will continue hunting us."

But then, their bodies let them down: trembling legs and ragged breathing. Of course, they were warriors, but even warriors do have a breaking point.

Then, from thick fog out of the woods, a village emerged.

Abandoned, shrouded in spider webs, empty, soundless streets.

Azrael let his breath hiss out. "We rest here."

The group sheltered themselves in one of the more structurally sound buildings-an old, ivy-shrouded tavern.

Eliza and another girl did a scouting run to make the place a bit more secure, while Azrael stood at the window, peering off into the distance.

His head was churning.

Why would his system leave him?

It had always been there, guiding his growth. Now, when he most needed it, it was silent.

A part of him was afraid it was gone forever.

The thought closed his chest tight.

He squeezed his fists, forcing down anger, grief.

"Azrael," Eliza’s voice finally cut through his thoughts.

He turned to her.

She was faltering, a wave of worry in her eyes.

"What?" he asked.

Before she could answer—

The sky darkened

A chill ran across the village, running chills down their spines.

Then—

A voice.

A voice so strong, so full of ancient rage, the very air shook beneath it.

"Fifty years ago... you all took the most important thing from me."

Azrael’s heart stopped.

The voice was feminine, yet in no way human. It grew across the whole village, shaking the buildings, rattling their very souls.

"You called him the Devil."

The earth quaked beneath them.

You called me the Devil’s Bride.""""

The trees shuddered suddenly, leaves whirling in spirals through the air.

A dread Azrael had never known seeped into his very bones.

Her voice turned glacial.

"Perhaps I was."

A wave of pure malice washed over them.

"You have two days."

Azrael’s breath caught in his throat.

"Say your final goodbyes. Hold your loved ones close. Because in two days..."

A crack of thunder split the sky.

"I will break loose the gates to my husband’s armies."

The voice faded, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Azrael’s hands shook.

A new war was coming.

And this time it was something far worse than Malakar.

"What the hell! Who is that supposed to be now? And we are to pay for the crimes of sons committed 50 years ago, 50?" Azrael lamented.

"My lord! We have just been informed that it is the King who sponsored the attack on our academy and that your friend Adam was from him, too! I verily believe he’s planning something BIG!" added Eliza.

"And yes, the legend goes that some fifty years ago an evil wizard, since he lives off of human blood, some named dracula, was killed here in this city and his bride promised a great revenge like nothing ever seen in human history."

"That man, I’m gonna so cut off his head when we meet face to face," he added.

"Alright wait a minute just wait, so you’re trying to tell me you guys killed a vampire and let his bride go without thinking she’d come back for revenge?" Azrael says.

"Well not if you put it like that! But that’s what they did, and he wasn’t actually a vampire but he drank human blood!" She replied and just then an idea seemed to have gotten into the head of Azrael.

"Hmmm I see, Eliza could you please come with me to the river side I have something important I would love to discuss with you."