Demigod Class Ascension Chapter 10: The Vessel Of {Hell}

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A giant icicle formed from Will’s Ocean Hand Skill, piercing the monster’s eye with great precision and speed, freezing the massive eye and shattering it into frozen pieces. The agonizing scream of the “Vessel of {Hell}” reverberated through the caverns, a haunting combination of several voices merged into one. 

“GUUAAAAHHH!” 

As the thing screamed, Will quickly stepped back, exhausted. His coat rapidly activated its ability as he imbued his Mana into it as quickly as he could, just before the monster could retaliate in agonizing anger, its various fists rushing toward him, engulfed in crimson flames. 

“ROOAARR!” 

The roar of a lion echoed from the coat as it suddenly came alive, the very essence of the Chimera temporarily revived through the {Awakened Beast} ability. Giant claws tore through the monstrosity’s arms—human arms wrapped together—splattering blood and flesh everywhere.

As this happened, the creature’s jaws ripped through flesh, helping Will hold back the monster from overwhelming him, even though its crimson flames were burning him. He enveloped himself with his Ocean Hand Skill, using cold oceanic water to fight against the flames, barely keeping them from burning him completely. 

“HAAAH!” 

With a roar, Will kicked the thing away, releasing a shockwave of divine power from his blow, sending it flying and trying to remain calm. The creature’s screams made his mind spin, his nose and eyes bleeding. He knew that if this continued, he would die. 

“I have to kill this thing quickly!” 

He used Sacred Healing to keep himself from dying while Vivian caught up to him, her magic rapidly generating dozens of hands made of spiritual light using the blessing Will had granted her. 

“I’ll hold it down. Smash it with everything you’ve got, Will!” 

“Okay!” 

Will nodded. It was a better plan than what he had in mind, so he agreed without hesitation. The two confronted the beast as its monstrous mass struggled to heal, still covered in ice that made it harder for the thing to produce its painful flames. 

“There!” 

Vivian unleashed her magic at full power, spending nearly all her Mana. Several hands made of light reached the Vessel, pinning it to the ground and stopping it from moving. These hands also burned its flesh and weakened its flames—it seemed particularly vulnerable to light rather than water. 

“Now, Will—” 

“GYAAAAAH!” 

However, Vivian cried out as she heard the monster’s scream again, her eyes rolling back, nearly passing out on the spot. She gritted her teeth, her Mana flowing through her body, barely keeping her awake. 

“Aagh!” 

“Vivian!” 

Will couldn’t just go to her aid; the entire plan would have been for nothing if he did! He looked forward, furious. His eyes shone bright blue as his hammer and axe overflowed with his Pseudo Divine Weapon Skill Aura, glowing intensely. 

“DIE!” 

With a furious roar, Will rushed forward like a monster himself, his weapons smashing the creature’s entire body relentlessly, spreading frost and phantasmal flames that weakened the monster, drained its life force, and paralyzed it with ice. 

“GYAAH… GAAAHHH…!” 

The thing kept screaming as Will started bleeding and healing himself constantly, roaring as loudly as he could to keep the voices from destroying his mind. He swung the hammer deeper into the creature, forcing it to release its powerful crimson shockwave, destroying a large part of the monster’s internal body.

Then, the axe absorbed the leftover divine power he had, rapidly taking the shape of a trident and piercing through the monster’s wounds, reaching deeper until it hit a crystallized core, shattering it. 

BOOOM! 

The thing exploded at that moment, flames engulfing everything. Will was sent flying away with Vivian, but a light barrier appeared just a second later as Ralph managed to save them in time. 

“Is that blasted thing dead or what?!” John asked, coughing. “Lass! Are you okay?!” 

“I-I’m fine…” Maria muttered, looking dizzy. “What about Mister? And Vivian?” 

“Right…!” John ran toward the two of them, finding Will barely awake, on the verge of passing out, while Vivian seemed unconscious. 

Ralph was healing both of them. Vivian had barely stabilized, while Will quickly ate the blue berries he had stored and some monster meat to recover his stamina and Mana.

Slowly, he felt slightly better, glancing at Vivian and using Sacred Healing on her without hesitation, helping her recover faster. 

“That was really fucking dangerous… What was that thing?” Evelyn asked. “I… I barely remember anything. It didn’t die from my arrow?” 

“No…” Will said. “Vivian and I had to finish that thing off… I hope we don’t find more of those; they were strange. Stranger than any monster.” 

“They were… made out of people, right? Out of their corpses…” Ralph felt like he was going to puke. “What sort of sick madman would make things like that? Did those little Imps really do it? They don’t strike me as very intelligent…” 

“Hm, it said they were vessels of… Hell? Whatever that means…” John said. “Probably something to do with these ‘Domains’ that govern this dungeon or something?” 

“…Yeah,” Will nodded. “It wasn’t a normal monster…” 

Will quickly realized what they had just faced as Cube decided to explain things to him once he noticed they had stabilized enough. 

“Yes, Master, it seems that what you fought was indeed a Vessel,” Cube explained. “After further studying it, I’ve concluded that it was a Demonic Vessel made using humans as sacrifices. The Imps alone wouldn’t be able to do this without proper guidance, however…” 

“Guidance?” 

“Yes, I would assume there might be an Apostle of Hell in this Dungeon,” Cube said. “Whoever this Apostle is, they have told the Imps to gather humans and use them as sacrifices to create makeshift vessels to hold a fragment of {Hell} within them.” 

“And… this ‘Hell,’ who is that? A God?” 

“I wouldn’t say that the Domain of ‘Hell’ is divine… It is the complete opposite, demonic. There are several sides to Ascended beings. Among them are the Divine, who embody elements of Nature, the Demonic, who embody elements of Fears, and many more…” Cube continued. “I would assume that Hell is one such Demonic Entity, a High Demonic Domain, the embodiment of ‘Hell’ as all humans and other intelligent beings know and fear it across the Universe.” 

Will remained silent while listening to Cube, realizing that the thing they fought might have been a piece of such an entity. That they survived at all was already impressive. 

“I believe this is happening because every Divine and Demonic Domain is aiming for a piece of this new, fresh world,” Cube said. “Some are using roundabout ways to bypass certain rules, such as creating this Dungeon and then making one of the monsters inside their Apostle, ordering the Apostle to create vessels for this Domain so they can expand organically through means they wouldn’t usually be allowed to.” 

“So they’re just violating rules and doing as they please in the end? Incredible…” Will complained. “If I wasn’t a Demigod myself, everyone here would have died… Do normal people even have a chance against these things?” 

“I wouldn’t know… Perhaps if they were high-level enough… and at least Tier 3, with a group of at least four,” Cube continued. “But yes… You’re so strong, you were the only reason you all survived, Master. However… the rest of your allies still helped immensely, and you alone might not have been enough to defeat it.” 

“…I know,” Will nodded, closing his eyes and meditating, but then he opened them again as he saw a message appear in front of him. 

[You and your Team have slain [Aberrant Vessel of {Hell} (Tier 3: Level 5)]. You have earned Bonus Experience for slaying a Lifeform above your Tier and Level. You earned 600 Tutorial Points.]

[You have earned Bonus EXP from your Divinely Blessed.]

[Level Up!]

[Special Class: {Demigod} has reached Level 19. Stat Points have been allocated; you gained 1 Free Stat Point.] 

“Hmm, another level. I’m only one away from advancing to my next Tier, finally… Huh?” 

However, that wasn’t all the surprises that killing such a being gave to Will. 

[You have slain the Vessel of a small fragment of a Demonic Domain.]

[Because you’ve destroyed the Vessel using your Divine Power, you have assimilated the {Demonic Domain Fragment of Hell}!]

[The fragment is incredibly small, but the power it contains is genuine. To advance your {Demigod} Class, such materials might be needed.] 

“Wait, what? Hey, Cube, is this for real? And why is the System suddenly being so interactive?” 

“That’s because it is a Divine System, Master. It is personally tailored for you and has a more advanced artificial intelligence. It will give you answers and tips whenever they’re needed instead of leaving you in the dark, like the normal system does,” Cube explained. 

“Hmm…” 

As Will nodded and felt “something” inside his body—or rather, his soul—he closed his eyes, aiming to examine it more closely. It was like a strange, distorted, glitching flame, constantly releasing pixel-like colors and distortions, no bigger than the palm of his hand.

This was likely the “fragment” of the Demonic Domain of Hell, which Will dubbed in his head as “Demon Gods” for lack of a better term.

But that wasn’t all. 

[Congratulations! You have completed another Hidden Objective: Slay the Vessel of a Divine or Demonic Domain: 1/1!]

[Please choose your Reward.]

[+5 Two Random Stats.]

[+New Skill.]

[+New Trait.]

[+90% Skill Mastery.] 

“Can you guys see this?” Will asked. “I completed an objective regarding slaying a Vessel… Did any of you get it?” 

“I did…!” Evelyn said. 

“Me too…” Vivian had already woken up, speaking with a weak voice. 

“Vivian! Are you okay?!” Ralph asked. “Ah, I didn’t get anything myself.” 

“Me neither… nor Maria, I believe,” John said. 

“Nuh-uh…” Maria added. 

“Looks like only those who dealt damage to the thing count as having slain it,” Will concluded. “By now, you should have completed a few more objectives too, right?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Ralph nodded. “Though it’s frustrating I can’t get some of what you got now…” 

“If we find another one, make sure you hit it somehow,” Will said. “Though, I sure hope we don’t find another…” 

“What should we choose, Will?” Evelyn asked. 

“I’m also curious what you think… Is a skill better?” Vivian wondered. 

“Hmm,” Will remained silent. “Traits are great passive effects that are always active, so they’re among the best you could get. But a skill can also expand what you can do in battle… So it depends if you’re confident enough with what you have or need more skills. If you’re content with what you have, a Trait might always be better, if given the choice.” 

“Hm, I mean, I’m fine with what I got after your blessing,” Evelyn said. “I’ll go for a Trait…” 

“Me too,” Vivian nodded. 

Like that, all three of them chose Traits, obtaining new passive abilities that might help them survive better in this apocalypse.

Once Will chose the Trait Card, it merged into his body, suddenly helping him feel more at ease for some reason. 

“What is this? It’s like my head cooled down a little…” 

The fear he felt before wasn’t gone, but it suddenly felt like he could handle it a little better. 

[You have obtained the Trait]: [Calm Mind (C)] 

“Calm Mind? Is this why I felt strangely better mentally? It’s useful, but what else can it do?” 

[Calm Mind (C)]

A Trait given only to warriors capable of keeping their cool in intense, bloody battles, and always remaining as rational as possible, or at least trying their best to do so.

Increases Concentration and Fear Resistance by 50%.

When Focusing on a task, you’re 20% better at doing that task.

Increases your Ability to Memorize by 100%.

When Focusing on a battle, your Senses Stats increase by 20%, and your Pain and Fear Resistance increase by a further 30%. 

“Not bad at all, probably just what I needed… I obtained Calm Mind. What did you get?” Will wondered. 

“I obtained something called… Uh, ‘Mana Battery,’” Vivian said. “It pretty much lets me store unused Mana over time, so I can have a large reserve if I rest or don’t fight for a while.” 

“And I got this… Tracking Missile. It grants all my projectiles a tracking ability, and they’re faster!” Evelyn seemed excited. 

“They’re great Traits. That should make you much stronger…” Will nodded. “See? They’re great.” 

“They sure are…” Ralph said. “Damn it, now I want one too…” 

“Um, Mister! I can see something in the distance…” Maria pointed at the area where the Vessel had died. There didn’t seem to be much left there, but Cube quickly told him what was there. 

“Ah! It seems the Vessel dropped a couple of items! It would be a good idea to grab them, Master. However, when the Vessel died, a lot of miasma was released. I would suggest not letting anybody close to it other than you,” Cube said. 

“Maria, don’t go there; it’s dangerous!” Will quickly stood up, stopping her from taking another step. “Let me take care of this.” 

“Huh?” Maria was confused. “Ah, Mister Branchy, don’t!” 

Maria suddenly panicked as the magic branch, which also worked as a staff, grew a bit crazier and began absorbing the blood and miasma from the floor. 

“Hm, looks like it’s feeding on the miasma and cleaning the place…” John said. “How strange. Is that branch really safe?” 

“Mister Branchy is a good guy! It’s safe,” Maria nodded. “He’s just feeling hungry…” 

“Cube?” Will asked. “Do you think that thing will turn into a monster or something?” 

“I wouldn’t know. That is a special type of tree that only grows at night and disappears once the day arrives, but it seems that the branch you kept, which can indeed be used as a magic staff, has bonded with Maria,” Cube said. 

“Bonded?” Will was confused. 

“The same way a Beast Tamer would bond with a beast and tame them… Maria, as a Druid, has naturally bonded with the branch, breathing new life into it. It should be safe,” Cube said. “I can detect the branch has a bond with her. Even if it turns more monstrous, it will aim to protect her. That’s how Druids are. They usually ‘tame’ magical plants and carry them along with them through clothes, or sometimes even merging with them, becoming half-human and half-plant.” 

“I see… Well, I guess it’s safe for now,” Will said, walking toward the center of the mess, where pieces of red crystal were scattered everywhere. As he stored them inside his Bag of Holding, he learned they were called {Demonic Vessel Crystal Core Shards}, useful items for Alchemy or even weapon creation. 

“You could probably create a Demonic Weapon or Armor with that, Master… They possess immense power but usually carry a curse as a drawback. They’re powerful double-edged swords,” Cube said. 

“Interesting…” Will nodded. “And now this…” 

Will saw several Demonic Coins, some food and water, and also… something else, another item. It resembled a glove but was made of crimson steel, embedded with a yellow and red jewel. 

“What is this? A gauntlet? Only one?” 

“Indeed!” 

[Demonic Hell Gauntlet (B Grade)]

[Weapon Type]: [Magic Armor] [Demonic Weapon] [Gauntlet]

[Weapon Requirements]: [Warrior: Brawler-type]

[Weapon Parameters]: [Physical Attack]: [2200] [Magic Attack]: [1200] [Physical Defense]: [1000] [Magic Defense]: [1000] [Durability]: [5000]

[Weapon Bonuses]: [+15 Strength] [+10 Vitality] [+10 Magic Power] [+10 Magic Defense] [+5 Agility] [+5 Dexterity] [+5 Senses]

[Weapon Skill]: {Unleashed Hell}: [By infusing Mana and Lifeforce into the Gauntlet, the weapon will release powerful Infernal Explosions against foes, increasing Damage by 20% with each blow for a maximum increase of 200%, which will accumulate over time into an Unleashed Hell, consuming all surroundings in the burning flames of Hell, dealing up to 300% Magic Damage. Especially effective against Demon-type foes but consumes Weapon Durability and user’s Lifeforce.]

[Weapon Description]: [A hybrid-type of Equipment that both protects the user and can act as a weapon, made specifically for Brawler-type Warriors, boosting their ability to fight with their fists even further. Unleashed Hell offers a powerful magical explosion attack. However, it consumes both the weapon’s durability and the user’s lifeforce.] 

“…” 

Will’s eyes widened as he held the gauntlet, quickly equipping it without thinking further.

It was simply perfect for him!

Lifeforce drain? It didn’t matter if he used his Will-o-Wisp, draining the lifeforce of his foe and recovering it quickly…

The drawback was practically nonexistent, aside from the Durability lowering with each Unleashed Hell, but he was sure he could come up with something to fix that later. 

“Yeah, you were right. This is amazing, Cube.” 

Will smiled, packing the coins, food, and water into his inventory while drinking some fresh water from the bottles that dropped as items, feeling refreshed and with his Mana recovering even faster.

At the same time, Maria’s “Mister Branchy” continued drinking all the blood and miasma it could find until it closed its eye in satisfaction. 

“Looks like he ate everything!” Maria said to Will as she walked to his side. 

“I can tell. It was a pretty hungry one, huh?” Will said. “Alright, I think we’ve rested enough. Shall we continue? We should end this quickly…” 

“Looks like you’re more confident than before. I spy a new item over there~” Vivian said with a teasing smile. “But yeah, let’s go… I know we just almost died, but that’s how life is going to be from now on. We have to keep moving.” 

“I guess so…” Evelyn nodded. “As long as you let me stay in the back, I’m fine with that.” 

“Me too…” Ralph said. “But I’d better go to the front anyway. I have a shield, after all.” 

“You’re really quite something. Any other person would simply walk back home after that whole ordeal…” John said, sighing. “Alright, let’s go. I have to find those people or at least know their fate.” 

“Hm,” Will nodded as the group quickly resumed their exploration, drinking water from the bottles and eating the snacks provided by the dropped items, helping them keep up with the demanding dungeon’s difficulty.

They quickly took the second route, walking through another empty corridor, this one with no Imps whatsoever. When they reached the open area, however… 

“Gryaaak!?” 

They heard an annoyed and shocked shriek as they saw a group of a dozen Imps living inside that hole. They were in the middle of a feast, eating the remains of some humans. John panicked, thinking the worst. 

“You damn monsters!” 

He pointed his gun at the Imps, who were caught off-guard, shooting at their bodies several times. A barrage of bullets engulfed them in explosions of Mana, blowing them up one by one. The Imps panicked; some tried to run away or hide but were caught in the barrage of bullets until John exhausted his entire Mana.

The remaining Imps ran toward him, trying to stab his legs, only to be stopped as Will punched one down, making it explode into pieces, while the second was pushed into the ground by Ralph’s shield and then had its head hit several times with a metallic wand until it died.

The third and fourth that survived quickly tried to hide beneath their beds, only for Evelyn to lure them out by walking there and then take one down with her tracking arrow, while the fourth was killed by Vivian’s Magic Hands, strangled to death. 

[You and your Team have slain [Imp (Tier 2: Level 1)] x13. You have earned Bonus Experience for slaying a Lifeform above your Tier and Level. You earned 325 Tutorial Points.]

[You have earned Bonus EXP from your Divinely Blessed.] 

“John, are you okay?” Ralph asked as he saw John gasping for air, his face red. 

“S-Sorry… I… I couldn’t control myself…” John muttered, beginning to cry. “T-The children… Are they them? Please show… show them to me…” 

Will looked back at John, pushing the corpses toward him. The cop looked at the bodies with a painful yet experienced expression. He had seen bodies like this many times before, but nothing this gruesome. 

“I-It’s not them… Ugh…” 

John walked away, quickly vomiting in the corner of the room. The rest barely managed to hold back from doing the same. Maria wasn’t allowed to see the corpses, staying outside with Ralph. 

“Mister Branchy, you’re hungry again?” 

However, her branch tried to get inside, pushing her toward the room, only for Will to stop it, grabbing the branch and glaring at it. 

“Don’t try to do as you please. You’re protecting Maria, aren’t you? If I see you acting on your own again, I’ll make sure to burn your body to cinders.” 

“M-Mister, he’s fine! Please trust him…” 

“…” 

Will let go of the branch, which shook itself annoyingly, glaring at Will with its single crimson eye before closing it. Will knew that this thing could end up causing a catastrophe if it went out of control, which is why he decided to keep it in check without completely taking it away from Maria, as it could offer a way for her to fight and also a guardian to protect her. 

“Let’s keep moving.” 

Once they stored the Imps, they continued moving. The drops this time were just water and food. At the third route, they found no Imps but… their corpses, dry, mostly bone and skin. 

“Wait, what? Corpses?” Vivian asked. “What happened here?” 

“They seem as dry as mummies…” John muttered. 

“Hm…” Will didn’t even try to touch them but suddenly stepped back. “Wait…!” 

He felt something within these corpses, which numbered in the dozens. 

FLASH! 

Suddenly, their empty eyes glowed brightly with blue and red flames as the corpses stood up one by one, reanimated through some wicked necromancy. They started moving slowly toward them. Will quickly realized more were coming from where they had come, digging through the walls, ceiling, and floor. 

“They’re skeletons?! Wait, maybe zombies?” Evelyn asked. 

“That doesn’t matter right now!” Vivian said. “Evelyn, start shooting your arrows! Don’t panic!” 

“R-Right!” Evelyn nodded as she started firing several arrows one by one, which tracked the Undead Imps and blew them into pieces of bone. 

At the same time, Ralph imbued Holy Light into his wand, hitting the Undead Imps with it and cracking their skulls with ease while using his shield for defense.

Will didn’t hesitate to try out his new gauntlet, infusing some Mana into it and grinding through dozens of Undead Imps at once. Pieces of bone and shattered demonic cores exploded in his path as he single-handedly cleared the path ahead while the rest mostly focused on their backs. Ralph’s Holy Barrier protected them from being ambushed from below the ground or above.

John was too tired to help, but he kicked the Undead Imps that got too close. He was still plenty strong as an Awakened with all the Strength and Vitality Stats he gained with each level.

Maria, on the other hand, only observed, although as she did, she noticed her Darkwood Tree beginning to tremble, expanding its branches into sinister-looking claws. 

“You want to fight, Mister Branchy? Okay!” 

Maria stepped forward as the claws of her Darkwood Branch started grabbing the Undead Imps and crushing their skulls, devouring their cores one by one.

As it ate more, it grew larger, suddenly sprouting thorny vines that stopped the Undead Imps from getting any closer, making them fall to the floor by tripping and then trapping them. 

“We’re almost done!” 

Will rallied everyone, using his Commanding Rally Ability within the Axe he had forged to boost everyone’s strength, making them more energetic. Ralph ended up using a spear to stab anything that got too close, assisting however he could, while Maria took the spotlight, her “tamed plant” becoming more bloodthirsty with each kill.

After ten gruesome minutes, they were done… 

[You and your Team have slain [Undead Imp (Tier 2: Level 4)] x47. You have earned Bonus Experience for slaying a Lifeform above your Tier and Level. You earned 705 Tutorial Points.]

[You have earned Bonus EXP from your Divinely Blessed.] 

“What the hell was that?! There were too many!” Evelyn said. 

“It sure gave us a lot of EXP, though…” Ralph said. 

“Probably was this Apostle…” Will said. “But where did these corpses come from? We’ve been picking up the ones we’ve slain this entire time… Unless that Apostle just killed its own men to do this?” 

“If they’re such horrible monsters, I wouldn’t put that out of their possible options,” John stated. “There’s more food and water over there, and coins… Let’s collect them all. These are precious things.” 

“John, can’t you buy a Bag of Holding by now?” Will asked. 

“Wait, you’re right!” John nodded as he did just that, and then Maria did the same. She also had enough Tutorial Points, thanks to Mister Branchy. 

Like this, once they stored anything valuable, the group continued moving forward, reaching the open area, and there…

They saw something strange: a giant crimson crystal glowing brightly, releasing a bizarre crimson and black energy while being connected to fleshy, tendril-like tentacles linking it to the floor and ceiling. 

“What the hell is that thing?” John asked. 

“I don’t know, but it’s… weird!” Evelyn said. “We should destroy it!” 

“That’s… That’s a Melancholia Crystal, Master!” said Cube. “It is a Demonic Artifact made by crystallizing agonizing souls and miasma together… I see why there were so many corpses around. The Apostle must have created this using those Imps.” 

“Hmm…” Will nodded. “Then should I smash it?” 

“Definitely! This is one of the main ‘batteries’ of this dungeon. If you destroy it, the Apostle will weaken, and the monsters may also stop appearing in such large hordes,” Cube said. 

“Alright, let’s destroy that thing. It’s dangerous. It’s probably what’s making this Dungeon spawn so many monsters,” Will said. “Although hunting is good so we can grow stronger, there’s a limit to everything. This place has to go.” 

As they stepped forward, the crystal suddenly let out a powerful shockwave. 

TRUUUM! 

“Ugh?!” 

“Agh!” 

Will and Ralph resisted, using their Auras and Barriers, while everyone else behind managed to hide behind their large backs, barely surviving the powerful shockwave. 

“I see what’s going on…” 

A tenebrous voice echoed from the crystal as a mass of crimson flames, shadows, and screaming souls manifested from the artifact, taking the form of a demonic spirit. 

“You’re the insects disturbing my dungeon and getting in the way of my plans…” 

“It can speak?” Evelyn panicked. 

“Who are you?!” Will asked. 

“Oh? Well, well, so it’s you… The one we were told to kill on sight. The filthy offspring born from those Ancient Gods, the traitors who destroyed the Tower of Babylon!” 

“What?!” 

Will was shocked as he heard those words. Whatever this thing was, it instantly knew he was a Demigod. 

“I’ve been waiting for you to take the bait. I’m happy you’re here! I’ll make sure to kill you no matter what and harvest your Divine Inheritance all for myself!” 

The voice thundered with authority and demonic power as diabolic souls manifested from the crystal, fusing and solidifying into an aberrant monstrosity. 

[The [Melancholia Crystal] has summoned the [Lesser Spawn of {Hell} (Tier 3: Level 10)!]

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