Ch 250: Hell and Heaven

"Fireball!" chanted Ichinon, one hand pointed toward a group of three goblins, the other holding an open grimoire.

A spark appeared in front of her stretched hand, growing to the size of a volleyball in the blink of an eye, and propelled itself forward.

It stuck the goblin in the center and exploded, shaving off three quarters of its health, and the other two lost a third of it as they spread out.

"Sun Flare!" shouted Naru, holding her wand with both hands. A beam of light shone from it, causing gradual burning damage. It finished the nearly dead goblin in seconds, while Akira and Tahuya engaged the remaining two in melee.

Seconds later, they were done, and Tahuya complained once again.

"Only four silver coins as loot. We're wasting our time on those low-level mobs."

"I agree they don't give us much Exp anymore." nodded Akira calmly. "But the monsters of the next zone over are a bit too strong for our levels."

Ichinon wasn't so sure. She estimated that they could manage, with some difficulty. And difficulty wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as it would give them valuable combat experience that couldn't be measured in experience points and levels.

"We should ask to switch with the first team! They have a good zone for their level." insisted Tahuya.

"We got it yesterday." pointed out Naru. "We'll have it again in two days, Tahuya. Don't act selfishly."

"I'm just saying…hey, what is that?"

Three people were coming from behind a steep hill, following the road from Calvart to Israphel.

One male with long black hair was dressed like a butler, the second one seemed to be a female knight in black armor armed with a trident.

The third one, who seemed to hold her attention like a magnet, was a woman with neck-length white hair and was dressed in an alluring, black leather outfit that clung to her body and showed off her impressive figure. While the outfit had some metal on the bracers, shoulders, and on the sides of her waist and thighs, and a sword with a sinister-looking guard was sheathed on the left side of her waist, to call this outfit adequate for battle would be ludicrous. She wore a black crown, and a translucent veil partially obscured her face, but Ichinon could still see two red eyes peering at them in turns.

Ichinon glanced at her companions. Tahuya had his mouth open as he stared at the woman's outfit, mesmerized.

Akira was frowning, and Ichinon couldn't guess what he was thinking about.

"Woah." muttered Naru as if to herself. "I wouldn't want to be seen wearing that outfit. But I also sort of want to look at myself in the mirror with that getup on…"

The three NPCs were leisurely walking closer, and when they came within 50 meters, red bars appeared above their heads, designating them as enemies.

"Hellzector Adora."

"Black Knight Anna."

"Demon Lord Rin."

"The Demon Lord!" gasped Tahuya. "Isn't she the last boss? What is she doing here?"

"We should leave, Akira." urged Ichinon.

"Wait." said Akira. "We just got our latest levels half an hour ago. So we're not losing many experience points even if we die. Don't you want to compare our strength with the last boss, so we can get a feel about how long we'll need to train to leave this game?"

"Well… That would be useful to know." admitted Ichinon.

She couldn't refute his argument, even if she wasn't looking forward to the pain of being killed. The game would make her feel only 5% of what would be "normal" for injuries, but still, it was enough to be unpleasant.

"This Demon Lord had heard about so-called Heroes who boldly declared their intent to invade her home and dethrone her and the Demon King." said the white-haired NPC as she came close enough to talk. "But, what a disappointment. You are weak."

"Rin-sama, would you let me fight those insects in your stead?" asked Black Knight Anna, turning to the Demon Lord.

Ichinon nodded to herself as she understood. It must be one of those scripted events where the end-game villain would come and taunt the heroes, send an underling after them, and once the underling was defeated, would find some reason to leave without fighting themselves. This Demon King was only a kind of prop, and the real opponent would be the Black Knight.

She was so confident in her conclusion that she blinked in surprise when the Demon Lord shook her head.

"…No. This Demon Lord came all the way from Infermia to see if the Heroes could offer a worthy challenge. For the crime of looking down on Infermia, This Demon Lord will let them experience the gulf between us."

Demon Lord Rin drew her sword. It had a black, jagged blade with red lines running along its length, a guard shaped like two bat wings, and a red reptilian eye in its center. No one would ever confuse it with a normal or a holy sword, that was for certain.

"As you wish, Rin-sama. It will be their honor to die by your hand." nodded the butler.

The Demon Lord walked toward them, sword lazily hanging from her right hand, its tip almost touching the ground.

"Let's go, everyone!" nodded Akira.

Ichinon nodded and started.

"Poison!" "Binding roots!"

"Sun flare!" chanted Naru beside her.

Ichinon could see the status effects of poison and burning appear under the Demon Lord's health bar, but the bar itself barely moved. The Demon Lord obviously had a lot of Health Points to spare. More importantly were roots sprouting from the ground to ensnare her and make her an easy target for Akira and Tahuya.

Ichinon frowned when the Demon Lord's shadow moved, taking a solid shape, and the roots were severed.

"Sunshine Blaze!" shouted Akira, jumping two meters in the air with his sword held in both hands above his head. It was his favorite move, inflicting a lot of damage on monsters. Akira's sword was wrapped in bright yellow light as he brought it down on Demon Lord Rin, who made a simple side-step while striking the side of Akira's sword with her own black blade, deflecting it with apparent ease.

Akira's eyes widened in consternation, as for the first time since they were stuck into this game world, an enemy actually managed to avoid this attack. Before he could correct his posture, the black blade had already struck his chest twice, taking 90% of his own health away.

Demon Lord Rin seized his right wrist with a steel grip and sent him flying, colliding against Tahuya who was about to make his own attack.

"What an amateurish move." said Demon Lord Rin. "Only rookies jump so high in battle. It makes them full of openings."

"Conflagration!" shouted Ichinon, using her strongest attack with no regard to mana consumption. The sprawled bodies of Akira and Tahuya were just far enough not to be caught in the blast, and the Demon Lord lost… about 5% of her HP.

Ichinon groaned. This spell had cost her a full third of her MP.

"Healing! Holy Salve!" shouted Naru, spamming her two healing spells to let Akira recover. The first let him immediately recover a fourth of his HP. The second would give him significantly more health, but was a regeneration over time.

And Ichinon didn't think the Demon Lord would give them that time, as she closed the distance with them quickly.

Ichinon couldn't even try to slow her down, her Binding Roots skill being on cooldown.

Tahuya screamed as he slashed at her, but the Demon Lord parried his sword with enough strength that it escaped from his hands.

She grabbed his throat with her left hand and lifted him off the ground without apparent difficulty. Six jet black, thin tentacles sprouted from her shadow, and in a blur of movements, Tahuya's chest had been pierced through six times, and he died.

Demon Lord Rin released his corpse. It would disappear after a minute.

"Fireball!" shouted Ichinon.

The fiery projectile was avoided by the Demon Lord as she stepped back, passing in front of her face while her attention was on Akira. The Hero attempted to thrust his sword into the Demon Lord's heart, but as what had happened previously, his attack was once again deflected, and the follow-up counter killed him as well.

"Nonnon, I think we should run!" exclaimed Naru.

Ichinon could only agree. But she wasn't certain they would be able to.

Before both girls could turn and run, the Demon Lord stretched her left hand toward them.

"Hell and Heaven!"

Out of nowhere, steel manacles flew to Ichinon's wrists, closing around them, and jerking her arms to her sides and above her head.

Ichinon gasped as two huge orcs were suddenly standing beside her, holding the chains linked to the manacles.

"Hiiii!"

Naru on the side shouted in fear as the same happened to her, and the ground under their feet changed, becoming a wooden surface and rising. Stone columns rose from the ground as well, red curtains materializing on three sides, and a banner appeared on the fourth, displaying the "Hell and Heaven" words between pink hearts, for some reason.

"Wha-What is this?" fearfully asked Naru.

Ichinon realized that she, Naru, and the four orcs were now standing on a stage, and a crowd of maybe two hundred goblins ghosts rose from the ground in front of them.

"Eeek!!" cried Ichinon at their sight.

The goblins cheered and shouted happily when seeing them.

"Welcome to your execution, Heroes who tried to run." smiled the Demon Lord, climbing on the stage and stopping between Ichinon and Naru. "All the goblins you killed will witness your shame."

"Strip them!" suddenly shouted a goblin, and the chant was instantly taken over by all.

"Strip them! Strip them! Strip them!"

"No… Please… Stop…" cried Naru, her red twin tails waving around wildly as she shook her head.

"This can't be happening." tried to deny Ichinon as Demon Lord Rin grabbed the front of her tunic, and pulled strongly. Most of Ichinon's clothes came apart, turning into shreds on the stage's planks. Only her pale blue underwear and the scarf around her neck remained, and Ichinon gasped.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"Noooooo!" cried Ichinon as she pulled on the manacles, trying to cover herself, but the orcs held firm.

"Fireball!" chanted Ichinon as she targeted the nearest orc, but her magic was unresponsive.

"Please, not this!" shouted Naru desperately as the merciless Demon Lord grabbed her white dress next, and it, too, was shredded, showing off her white panties and bra.

"You need to be punished to appease the souls of the goblins you killed." said the Demon Lord, slowly lifting her hand to Ichinon's bra.

"Nooooo… Don't…" pleased Ichinon, but Rin didn't stop, and as she pulled, the bra came undone.

"Nooooo!" sobbed Ichinon, seeing the Demon Lord throw her bra into the crowd of goblins, who briefly fought for it.

Naru also sobbed when her own bra met the same fate.

"No... not… something… like this." shivered Ichinon, trying to keep her eyes closed to deny reality.

"See how happy they are?" asked the Demon Lord, smirking.

"Their panties! Their panties!" now happily shouted the crowd.

"Please!" cried Naru desperately.

"No way… You got to be kidding me!" sobbed Ichinon, trying to squirm away from Demon Lord Rin's hand, and failing. The demon lord tore her panties away and threw them into the crowd of goblins once more.

"Hyaaaaah!" shouted Ichinon as something in her heart broke.

"No… No… This isn't happening…" repeated Naru to herself as her white panties were torn of her body and thrown into the exultant crowd.

And almost instantly, the crowd of goblins fell silent, all of them gasping at Ichinon. Until one of them shouted.

"She doesn't have any?!"

Ichinon shivered in fear and regrets as her shame was revealed. She suffered from late puberty syndrome, and as a result, she was still bare down there, while Naru had a neatly trimmed patch of red hair.

"So… cruel…" sobbed Ichinon.

Then something else happened.

The manacles holding her captive came undone, and a glowing pink, heart-shaped mark appeared under her navel, and Ichinon felt an overwhelming need to cum.

It was so much worse than the worst itch she had ever experienced, and despite the Demon Lord and the goblins watching, she just couldn't stop her hands from fondling her breasts as she kept sobbing in humiliation.

"Why… Am I… In front of these monsters…" gasped Naru, also masturbating.

"It is alright if you two want to feel good, you know?" said Demon Lord Rin with a gentle voice that surprised her.

"Is it… really okay?" sobbed Ichinon, her mind crumbling in front of the overwhelming pleasure.

"Yes. Once the goblins' souls are satisfied, they will disappear. And this Demon Lord will not tell anyone. So just do it like you usually do."

"Hng!! Aaah!" cried Ichinon as she pinched her nipples. The shame she felt at that instant was so deep that it had transcended, transforming into a masochistic desire for self-destruction, and she masturbated in earnest.

"…This feels… really good!" gasped Ichinon.

"How often do you masturbate? Where do you do it" asked the Demon Lord with a voice that promised no judgment.

"In the bath… or… in my bedroom… ev…ev… every day! Aahhhnnn" gasped Ichinon, only feeling more pleasure after having revealed something so embarrassing. She was now lying with her back against the wood of the stage, one hand working furiously between her legs while the other pinched her nipples in turn.

"And you?" asked the Demon Lord to Naru, who was also frigging herself like mad.

"Ev…every two days…" sobbed Naru… "In my gaming chair… Fuah…"

Naru spasmed as she came, and the goblins cheered like never before. Ichinon also went over the edge and experienced the strongest orgasm of her life, nearly losing consciousness.

When the pleasure receded to a pleasant afterglow, and she became aware of her surroundings again, the mark under her navel had disappeared.

"To think that you can use the same ultimate skill as Hell Shaft-sama." said the butler with a tone of deep admiration. "You really are worthy of the title of Demon Lord, Rin-sama."

"Of course, for I am the Demon Lord Rin, protector of Hellandia."

Ichinon turned her head to see what they were doing. The Demon Lord and the black knights were crouching over Naru, who was awake but unresisting as they cuffed her wrists behind her back with black metal shackles, and fastened some kind of leather harness around her neck and torso.

"This demon Lord has decided." announced the white-haired woman as she turned her attention to Ichinon, who paled. "You Heroes were disappointing opponents, but you have potential as pets. With proper training, you two will become good slaves."

"Nooo…" gasped Ichinon, feeling too weak to resist effectively as she, too, was cuffed and fitted with the black leather harness.

She tried to use her equipment screen to remove them, but the option was greyed out, and read the harness description with increasing horror.

[Cursed Slave Harness: Can only be removed by a Hellzector or higher. Prevents the use of magic and skills. The wearer's respawn point can be changed by the person who equipped the harness on the wearer. (Current location: A cell in Infermia's dungeon.)]

The Demon Lord forced her to her feet, then connected a chain to the large steel ring dangling from the front of the leather harness.

"This can't be…" muttered Naru beside her as she, too, was leashed, both chains held by Black Knight Anna.

"I will be merciful and cover your bodies with a cloak. Your bodies are this Demon Lord's property now and shouldn't be seen by others." nodded the Demon Lord, two black cloaks appearing in her hands. She put one around Ichinon's shoulders, covering her body aside from the open front and bringing the hood over her head. Ichinon did feel a bit of gratefulness for the cloak, although the sight of the chain dangling from the leather harness, snug against her torso and neck, quickly dispelled it.

As the three monsters started walking, and Ichinon and Naru were both forced to follow, Ichinon prayed that some kind of event would happen to rescue them from being brought to Infermia. After a while, a terrible doubt was in Ichinon's mind, and she trembled. What if the game was actually one of those ero-games? What if they were going to experience one of those Bad Ends those games were famous for?

…

Hours later, Ichinon tried to get some sleep. A very detailed examination of her prison cell hadn't given her any way to escape her predicament. There were no secret passages, no hidden weapons.

It had taken hours for the Demon Lord and her retinue to return to the massive black castle with their captives. Being paraded in their… lightly dressed state had been so humiliating. Once inside, the two girls were allowed to wear a few 'clothes'. Stockings, gloves reaching almost up their shoulders, panties, and bra. All made of black latex.

They had removed Ichinon's cuffs, but she couldn't remove the slave harness running from her neck to just under her breasts. It was secured on the back by seven buckles, and the strap running between her breasts had another to adjust its length, but she couldn't undo any of them.

She had tried, a lot. It was like the leather end tips had been glued to the straps, and she couldn't grab any of them to try to undo the buckles.

Exhausted, she tried to get some sleep and forget her situation for a while. Or the terrible humiliation she and Naru had faced before. She still couldn't believe they had both masturbated in front of a bunch of NPCs… Or how good it had felt.

Was she secretly an exhibitionist? It was a question Ichinon was now considering seriously.

Since she was little, Ichinon knew she liked to sing. She was very careful not to let others know about that hobby of hers, and had never tried to go pro as she thought she didn't have enough talent for it, but she had fantasies about becoming a famous singer, touring the world.

It made her wonder.

After a while, she heard some noise coming from the hallway. Someone was coming, and it sounded like that person was pushing a trolley on the stone-paved floor.

Ichinon sat on the bed and waited until the person came into view, stopping in front of the cell's bars with a floor trolley. Ichinon saw two trays on its top, filled with food and water, and guessed that one of them was for her. But her attention was on the tall (at least she would be for a Japanese) NPC standing beside it. From her attire, she was a slave just like her.

Ichinon chided herself for already thinking about herself as a slave.

The NPC woman was really beautiful, with golden eyes and long black hair styled in a ponytail, and a body that would make men drool, especially in her latex and leather slave attire.

"Can you tell me your name?" asked the NPC with a slightly anxious voice, and Ichinon blinked.

"…Ichinon. Ichinon Shizuka."

Ichinon wasn't expecting the reaction that followed, as the woman made a ninety degrees bow.

"Shizuka-san, on behalf of NNT, I wish to offer our most sincere apologies!"

"What!" gasped Ichinon, jumping to her feet.

"You-You're a NNT employee?!"

"Yes." replied the woman while maintaining her posture. "My name is Shuuko Aikawa. I am the Creative Director of Exodius Exodia, the game we are currently stuck in. Once again, I wish to offer our apologies. We are all doing our very best to resolve the issue and release you as fast as possible."

"Aikawa-san, I am extremely furious right now. And I do not promise there will not be legal action later on." said Ichinon with a flat tone that promised there would definitely be such action. "You better explain. And raise your head. Are you too a captive in this game?"

"Yes." sighed Shuuko as she straightened. "I actually believe that this whole incident is an attempt by someone within the company to murder me. I see no other explanation. But I am very sorry that you and the rest of your class got involved."

"…A sabotage?"

"Yes." sighed Shuuko. "Having you students log into Exodia Exodius instead of whatever demonstration you were supposed to receive could be explained away as a simple mistake. Having the log off button unavailable could be a bug. Same for making me able to receive messages from the outside, but not be able to send out any. But all three of those things happening in conjunction with the fourth anomaly? That can only be malicious intent. And since there is no reason that I can think off for someone with insider access to NNT's systems to target your class, it must mean that I am the target."

"What fourth anomaly?"

"That is actually the most important thing you need to know, Shizuka-san, and the clearest proof of sabotage." sighed Shuuko. "The software that would allow our consciousnesses to return to our bodies when we log off is missing, from both the server and the saves. It cannot be restored and need to be remade from scratch. Our technical team is working 24/7 to have it ready and tested as soon as possible, but they warned me it would take months, possibly up to a year."

Ichinon was smart, and she immediately understood the danger.

"Wait, that means that if we defeat the Demon King and reach the Hell Gate, we will not wake up in the real world?"

"Precisely. I have been instructed to do everything in my power to prevent any real person from reaching Infermia's basement. If any of the Heroes touches the gate before the software is ready, the game will end, the server will forcibly log us off before erasing our profiles, and we will all die. Our bodies will remain in a comatose state forever."

"How terrible… And all that to murder you, using our class, and kill us all in the process?"

"This is what I believe."

Ichinon sighed as she sat back on the bed, thinking about Shuuko's story. She didn't necessarily believe it, but it at least offered an explanation as to why the students were stuck for so long in this world.

"Assuming this is true… What happens now?"

"There is… hope." sighed Shuuko. "There is a… third party, one I know nothing about, who apparently was aware of the saboteur's plan and decided to interfere in our favor. Although in a very questionable way. That third party changed a few things within the game. The Demon Lord Rin, as well as Black Knight Anna, were not originally part of Exodia Exodius. It seems they have been added to make it more difficult for the Heroes to reach the gate."

"Those perverted characters!" spat Ichinon. "Their creator must be a pervert as well."

"Tell me about it." snorted Shuuko. "This damn Demon Lord is a serial kisser!"

"You mean a serial killer." automatically corrected Ichinon.

"No, I meant serial kisser." said Shuuko with a humorless smile. "Most of the time, when I protest when she's molesting me, she shuts me up by kissing me. The more I protest, the more she does it, until I'm too out of breath to speak anymore."

"Oh... I sympathize." nodded Ichinon.

"You will surely experience it too, I'm afraid."

"Oh."

For a while, none of them spoke.

"Once again, I apologize on behalf of…"

"Drop it with the apologies. From what you told me, you're a victim just like us. I'll go after my pound of flesh after we're safe outside. The things she did to Naru and I..."

"Adora mentioned that she used the Hell and Heaven skill on you. Its effect is somewhat random, but it always end with the victims being compelled to… seek relief. Nothing that happened is your fault." nodded Shuuko with sympathy.

"Wait, that thing was a part of the original game? And you're its creative director?" asked Ichino, disbelief in her eyes.

"Yes. Exodia Exodius is supposed to have both a normal mode for the general public, and an adult mode. Hell and Heaven is the Demon King Hell Shaft's special ability in adult mode. But Demon Lord Rin has access to it, as well as to the adult store, which had a multitude of clothes and toys. Adult toys. The outfits we're forced to wear are from that store."

"…And she really intends to make Naru and me her slaves?"

"Yes." sighed Shuuko. "I'm in the same boat, even though I have a special character account, and I can't gain levels or revive if I die. If my health bar reaches zero, this is it for me. The third party behind Rin apparently decided that the best way to keep you students from outgrowing the Hellzectors, Anna and Rin, and reach the gate, was for Hellandia to have its own dark heroes to fight them, until my colleagues at NNT are done securing our way out. Which is why she kidnapped you guys. You and Naru are the first she got her clutches on, but you won't be the last."

"That's so messed up." breathed Ichinon, even though she could see the logic.

"It is." agreed Shuuko, turning and taking one of the trays from the floor trolley. There was an opening near the floor to let it pass, and she added a narrow pitcher full of water between the bars. "I am sorry, but I must cut it short. I still have to explain the situation to your friend, and I will be punished by the Hellzectors if I take too long."

She shuddered, before adding in a lower voice. "Or punished by her."

"Yes, I understand." nodded Ichinon. "Can we resume this discussion later?"

"Yes. I should be the one to give you meals three times a day from now on… And if I may make a suggestion… Please go along with her wishes. I know from experience that she can be very convincing and persistent, and the conditions of your stay will improve if you give Rin what she wants. And distasteful as it is, this plan of hers is still our best chance for us all to get out of this mess alive."

"…I will think about it." nodded Ichinon.

"See you later, Shizuka-san. Please tell me if I can do anything to make your stay more comfortable, and I will do what I can." said Shuuko, pushing her trolley deeper In the dungeon.

Ichinon sat in the bed, her arms around her legs and her chin resting on her knees.

She was thinking back about what Shuuko had told her, trying to poke holes into her story. It couldn't be an attempt from the Demon Lord to get her to accept being a good slave. Not with NNT being mentioned. Unless… Was the Demon Lord a real person, and not a NPC as she assumed? Maybe the culprit behind the sabotage? But then, what would be her goal?

In the end, she decided that she would cooperate just enough to get that harness removed and be allowed outside of the castle, and then she would run for it. She would speak about Shuuko's theory to the others, and then they would decide together whether to try to reach the gate, or just wait for rescue from the outside.

But that wouldn't work if, as Shuuko warned her, Rin started going after them like a Pokémon collector.

Her decision made, Ichinon remembered the food. She took the wooden spoon and stared at the stew she had been served. It was still warm. With hesitation, she tasted it.

It was actually more delicious than the food she was served at the inn.

…

Back in Calvart, the members of the 2A guild were in despair.

For the sixth time, Akira and Tahuya related their encounter with the Demon Lord Rin and her minions, stressing how powerful she was.

After the two had revived in the church, they waited for Naru and Ichinon to appear. And grew increasingly worried when it didn't happen.

After ten minutes, They had both gone to warn the first and second groups, and the guild members all gathered first in the church, then the adventurer guild.

Ichinon and Naru were nowhere to be found.

When he stopped talking, Megu looked uneasily around her.

"The Demon Lord can't have a way to bypass our ability to resurrect… right?"

"I don't think so." frowned Asuka. "If she could do that, why not use it on Akira and Tahuya? I think that either Ichinon and Naru managed to run away, but didn't return to Calvart for an unknown reason, or they have been teleported far away, or… they have been captured by the enemy."

"Why would the Demon Lord try to capture us alive?" asked Ririko, alarmed.

"No clue." shrugged Asuka. "And if it was the case, there's a good chance that the girls will manage to commit suicide to reappear in Calvart. I'm hoping they are just on their way back."

"Maybe it's a quest? The Demon Lord captures some of the Heroes, and we have to rescue them?" suggested Yamada.

"Maybe." frowned Akira. "But that Demon Lord is far too powerful. If we have to fight her at our current levels, we don't stand a chance."

"I am going to go to the city's library and try to find anything we can about Demon Lord Rin." decided Uiko.

"I'll go with you." nodded Asuka. "The search will be faster that way."

"Do we reorganize into two teams of five from tomorrow onward?" asked Ageha.

"Wow, that's cold even from you, Ageha." retorted Leonhart.

"Just being practical." shrugged Ageha. "Sitting here worrying about them won't make them return faster if they are on their way back, and if we have to fight this demon Lord, don't we need to become stronger as much as possible?"

"Ageha isn't wrong, even if she's blunt about it. If they really are captives, we need to prepare for rescuing them." sighed Asuka. "I'm still spending time in the library tomorrow."

"Me too." nodded Uiko.

"I will go as well." said Ririko.

"I will train alone tomorrow." decided Akira. "I will gain experience faster alone."

"What?!" protested half of the classmates in shock.

Asuka sighed, seeing the guild's cohesion implode.