Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer

With firm eyes and a blazing fighting spirit, Ashton proceeded to do what he was meant to do.

Ashton descended into the Netherworld, his eyes scanning the landscape for any signs of demon activity. The twisted spires of dark rock jutted from the blackened earth, casting deep shadows across the barren wasteland. The air was thick with the stench of sulfur and decay, and the distant screams of tortured souls echoed through the darkness.

His powers hummed at his fingertips, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice. He moved with grace and precision, his steps surefooted and confident as he navigated the treacherous terrain.

For hours he wandered through the Netherworld, his senses sharp and alert for any sign of danger. But the demons seemed to have retreated deep into the shadows, cowering in fear of the Archfey's wrath.

"Oh, come on you guys. I know you all sensed my presence. Don't tell me that you're being shy now?" Ashton sneered as he walked the corrupted lands of the Netherworld.

If he had come here before he became an Archfey, he would've undoubtedly been swarmed by now.

This behavior really shows the awful irony of this race, they bully the weak and fear the strong.

"Well, if you're not coming, then how about I give you a reason to come?" He said as he nearly arrived at his destination.

After walking for a bit Ashton came upon the edge of the core location. He could feel the weight of it pulling at his magic, threatening to drag him down into the darkness forever. But he pushed forward, his determination unwavering.

The Netherworld mimics Elstar in size. Ashton had been calculating his steps the moment he came here and from his estimations, where he's standing should be equivalent to the core area of the Forest of Hallucinations if were to be on the other side.

Ashton spreads his senses to look around and hummed after a couple of seconds, thinking to himself:

'Yeah, it's as I expected. This is indeed possible.'

He had sensed the connection of the Netherworld to Elstar. And in his mind, the former seems to be 'pinned' to the latter through a mysterious method.

Ashton knew that if something would've happened to these 'pins', chaos would truly ensue within the Netherworld, but he was also sure that if removed this pin, then the demons would have no way of ever hoping to send some of their minions to the other side.

The idea was simple really. Detach the Netherworld from the Elstar. After that, rehabilitate the world through magic. After that, then mission complete! It's that simple!

That being said, he could only detach the Netherworld piece by piece. And judging from what he knows about the Hypogeans, there's no way that they would just stand by and watch all of this happen.

Still, since he doesn't have obstructions now, then they can't blame him for taking advantage of the situation.

With a deep breath, Ashton focused his magic on the ground beneath his feet. He felt the earth tremble beneath him as his power surged through the ground, breaking the connection between this area of the Netherworld and the Forest of Hallucinations.

The rocks around him began to crack and split apart, the ground shaking violently as the Netherworld slowly detached from Elstar. Ashton's eyes narrowed in concentration as he pushed harder, pouring every ounce of his power into the task at hand.

The demons, sensing the impending doom, began to howl in terror. But Ashton was relentless, his magic now a blinding light that enveloped the entire area.

"I told you to come earlier and you didn't come. Well, it's too late now. If you wanna blame someone, then blame yourselves."

He erected a barrier around him, one that he made casually but because he possessed an incredible level of strength and expertise in magic, the barrier was unbreakable.

The demons tried to hit it with all their might yet they failed to even leave a scratch. They continued howling like maddened animals, throwing everything they could at the barrier but not even a crack could be seen.

Meanwhile, Ashton who's inside the barrier sneered in disdain while mostly focusing on what he was doing.

Detaching this piece of the Netherworld demands labor. He can't afford to make a mistake here since that would risk damaging Elstar in ways that he couldn't imagine right now, and frankly he didn't want to be responsible for that.

Elstar already suffered enough from the hold of the Netherworld. Ashton didn't want to worsen its suffering even more by being careless.

Threads of magic came to life around him, forming mystical ribbons that resonated with the world. They blended into their surroundings and turned into forces that loosened up the pin placed in this area.

Slowly but surely, cracks started appearing in his surroundings. This was the sign that this piece of the Netherworld was breaking down.

Winds howled and the corrupted earth of the Netherworld trembled. The Demons howled in mania and fear from what was happening around them.

Ashton could feel the laws of the world around him turning fragile. But even so, he could feel that the Netherworld was resisting his efforts.

Unfortunately for it, Ashton had become too strong and his will was incomparably firm. He was determined to do what he had promised to himself, and not even the hatred of this world could stop him from doing what he wants.

With a final surge of power and a loud grunt, he severed the connection between this piece of the Netherworld from ElstR, and the two worlds were torn apart.

The ground shook violently beneath Ashton's feet, and he stumbled backward, almost losing his footing. He looked up to see the Netherworld slowly fading into the distance, its twisted spires and shadows disappearing into the void.

Before he knew it, he was back at the Forest of Hallucinations.

He then sensed something happening around him. The Demons who didn't manage to return to their home emitted a pitched and wretched cry before turning into ash. Their remains were then carried by the wind, disappearing forever.

Ashton let out a deep sigh of relief, his body shaking with exhaustion. He had accomplished what he set out to do, but at a great cost to his own strength. He collapsed to his knees, his eyes closing as he struggled to catch his breath.

'That was harder than I initially expected.' Ashton grimaced.

Although he's already an Archfey, what he did demanded a lot from him.

That being said though, at least he already experienced it once. Even in his blurry consciousness now due to exhaustion, he could tell that there were many ways where he could improve.

If he were to apply what he learned, then he had no doubts that he would be able to save time and energy the next time he did something like that.

On that note though, Ashton had a wide smile on his face knowing that he did it.

Not a trace of corruption could be felt around him. Not a trace of demons either. Even the faint threat of demons in the air vanished along with the detachment as well.

With this, Ashton can safely say that the Forest of Hallucinations and the Mistwood Kingdom itself were now free of demons.

And since he already reinforced the space around here along with being extra careful on the process of the detachment, there's little to no chance of the Netherworld ever returning here.

At least, that's what he believes. He can be wrong, and that's fine. But since he could do it once, then he could certainly do it again. He won't stop until these invaders are completely gone from this world.

Ashton can already tell that whoever was running the scenes behind the Netherworld's operations would now be looking for him. He could already sense their hatred of him because of what he did, and honestly? Ashton couldn't be bothered to give a damn for now.

Oh, they'd be on guard, that's for sure. But would that stop Ashton? Of course not. He already succeeded once and he's confident that he could do that again.

'Whew...' Ashton released an exhausted sigh.

But even as he rested, Ashton knew that there would be more battles to come. The demons would not take kindly to the loss of their realm, and they would seek revenge.

Some beings in that place are stronger than Demon Emperors out there. He doesn't know much about them for now and he doesn't know how many they have, but he knows that they're dangerous and that he needs to be careful around them.

But for now, Ashton allowed himself a moment of rest. He had done what he needed to do, and he had saved Elstar from the darkness that threatened to consume it. He closed his eyes, the weight of his task finally lifting from his shoulders, and let himself fall into a peaceful slumber.

As he slept under the shade of a tall tree, a couple of animals appeared around him. Crowding him or seemingly protecting him as he sleeps, doing their best to not wake him up accidentally.

This might be considered as their repayment for his efforts to save their world. It's a small gesture but one that Ashton would surely appreciate if he were to be conscious right now.