Oh no...
OH NO!!!
Hearing what the Archdemon said to Emilia, Mimi remembered now...
One of the most terrifying and infamous abilities of demons—possession!
The process was cruel and horrifying.
First, the demon would lock eyes with its victim. Their demonic gaze would be like a spear driven straight into the soul, rooting the victim in place. Fear would overwhelm them, their body frozen, their spirit stripped of all will to resist.
Then, the demon would open its mouth, and from that abyss, an invisible force would pull at the victim’s essence. The soul would be dragged out screaming, torn from its body, and swallowed whole, becoming a tasty snack. After that, what remained was nothing but an empty shell, a hollow husk without life or purpose.
And finally... once the body was vacant, the demon would seep into it. Like smoke filling a vessel, it would merge with the flesh, moving its limbs, speaking with its voice, wearing the body as though it had always been its own.
For lesser demons, this ability was weak. They could only take control of fragile objects, animals, or lowly beasts.
But Greater Demons and above... they had the power to do this to humans, or even higher beings...
And yet, a human body was never meant to carry such malevolent power. Once possessed, the vessel would begin to rot from the inside. This was because their Infernic fire was all extremely corrosive, and most mortal bodies couldn’t handle it. Slowly but surely, the body would weaken, wither, and collapse into ruin. Before total collapse, the demon would be forced to abandon it and search for a fresh host.
And the stronger the demon, the faster the body would decay. For an Archdemon, the body of most ordinary people would last only a few years at most.
But Emilia... she was no ordinary human. She was a descendant of both the Silvervein and the Arzarenia bloodlines, a vessel far stronger than most.
No wonder the Archdemon was so thrilled when it found her!
....
Oh wait!!!
Mimi suddenly realized something...
If the Archdemon is searching for a new host now, then... where is its old host now?
Her eyes darted frantically around the chamber, scanning every shadow, every corner. Cold sweat rolled down her temple. And then, she saw it!
The old host!
Not a person. Not even an animal... but an item!
Half-hidden behind the Archdemon’s enormous, looming frame sat a crown. It was pitch black, its surface was embedded with diamonds. From its fractured edges, trails of black smoke seeped out, writhing like serpents, and all of them connected directly to the Archdemon’s monstrous form.
The crown itself looked as if it had endured centuries of torment. Cracks ran across its surface like a spiderweb, glowing faintly with embers of crimson light. Shards were close to breaking loose, and every passing moment seemed to push it closer to shattering completely.
Mimi’s heart skipped a beat as recognition slammed into her chest.
She had seen this crown before...
OH RIGHT!!!
In her vision of the Goddess Necrosia!
The Goddess was wearing the exact same crown. Necrosia’s crown!
Her eyes widened.
So... the pull she had felt earlier—it hadn’t been the demon trying to trick her at all.
No. It had been the crown!
The crown itself was calling out, reaching for her, it was the crown’s aura that clawed into her soul, causing that vivid vision!
But then... another terrifying question rose in her mind.
Why the hell... is there an Archdemon inside the Goddess Necrosia’s crown?!
Does that mean... Necrosia is really working with the forces of Abyssia?
Oh wait a minute!
She suddenly realized something else, something that might be of help!
Since the crown and I have some sort of connection... maybe... maybe I can peer into it... check its status... and see what really happened. Right?
There should be some kind of descriptions, right?
Mimi exhaled, forcing her mind to calm down despite the fear instilled upon her, and focused with all her might.
Please! Give me some clue!
And then, to her surprise, it worked!
A glowing window appeared before her eyes:
***
[Necrosia’s Crown of Blacknight]
Rarity: Legendary
Description: A sacred crown once belonging to the Goddess Necrosia. Forged from Ebonstar Aetherium—a divine celestial metal unique to her realm—and infused with the goddess’s own essence. Once a radiant relic of purity and grace, it was later repurposed into a seal, a prison designed to bind a Demon Lord within its eternal flames.
But now, the crown has weakened. The seal is breaking. The demon stirs, threatening to be set free.
****
WHAT???!!
Mimi’s eyes widened in shock.
D-Demon Lord?!
But... isn’t that thing just an Archdemon?! ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net
What the hell is going on?!
Her mind spun in chaos, but then, slowly, piece by piece, the truth dawned on her.
Ah... of course.
It all made sense now.
That monster wasn’t originally an Archdemon!
It used to be a Demon Lord!
Perhaps because of that, the Goddess Necrosia hadn’t been able to destroy it completely, even with her divinity. Its power had been too great, its existence too stubborn to erase. So instead, she had chosen the only path left to her, sealing it away. Locked inside her own crown, the Demon Lord had been chained for centuries.
But time was merciless.
Under the relentless weight of the goddess’s power, the Demon Lord had been crushed down, weakened, forced to wither until it was reduced to its current state—an Archdemon. Yet the crown had paid the price as well. Its once-perfect surface had cracked, its strength bleeding away little by little.
Eventually, the demon managed to break free.
Still, without a host, it couldn’t leave. That was why it remained here, lurking inside the vault, waiting endlessly for its chance.
And today, because Mimi had urged Emilia to find the crown, that chance had finally come.
So that’s how it is!
But... knowing the lore didn’t help her now.
How the hell was she supposed to stop a demon like this?!
She couldn’t do anything!!!
Just then, another line of description appeared on the crown.
Or rather... it came from the small, flickering orb of dark light that hovered beside it, orbiting slowly.
[Necrosia’s Divine Flame]
Description: A sacred flame created and nurtured by the Goddess Necrosia herself, infused with the essence of her divinity. Alongside the crown, it served as the seal that bound the Demon Lord, burning it, weakening it, and forcing it into submission.
The flame is currently suppressed by the demon, its power completely sealed.
Only the Goddess Necrosia, or one who carries a true bond to her, can awaken it again.