The gateway to the Demon King’s Castle has been opened.
A river stained black.
Rushing towards the archway built above it.
A fierce icy wind radiating the Death’s Disaster struck. Even with extreme cold that seemed to freeze souls like blocks of ice, Edanant dashed through without hesitation, crossing the threshold.
Whoosh!
“Are those the vanguards guarding the Demon King’s Castle? I knew it…!”
The moment he passed through the gates,
Giant statues shaped like dragons stirred.
Defensive magic to repel intruders.
Eight statues flanking the entrance simultaneously spread their wings.
‘Shit! If you’ve taken over the Demon King’s Castle, at least turn off the defense magic…!’
Cursing the Saintess Party’s incompetence that left the defensive magic unattended, he unleashed the Divine Status of Disaster.
Clunk!
Hundreds of muskets aimed their barrels.
Then, as the triggers were pulled, a thunderous gunshot rang out, attacking the dragon statues. As hundreds of bullets collided, the massive figures swayed.
Did I take them down? He didn’t utter the usual cliché.
Glaring at the defense magic that had lost its center and slumped, he prepared for a second volley. Since they were the vanguards of the Demon King’s Castle, they surely boasted formidable defenses.
“…Damn it!”
He let out a coarse curse.
As if suppressing the hazy mist and dust, the giant dragons rose.
Only small cracks appeared.
Despite the hail of bullets, the eight statues remained intact.
Groan.
The highest-level defensive magic granted to an 8th-circle Grand Magician.
The defense magic conferred upon the artificially created dragons was a staggering six layers thick.
The ultimate realm recorded in magic.
If the Grand Magicians from the Magic Tower witnessed this scene, they would praise it as the essence of magic allowed only to the genius mage.
Indeed, it was the mage’s magic.
The six layers of defense magic served as a shield against the hail of bullets.
“Did you prepare this to protect Beatrice? You foolish idiots! Think about the invaders who need to breach the Demon King’s defenses!”
Ordinary attacks wouldn’t pierce through the defense magic.
The Ultimate Magic deployed by the Celestial’s Magician was near disaster for anyone opposing it.
Surely, they would boast the strongest defense.
To subdue the vanguards blocking entry to the Demon King’s Castle, he needed a strike powerful enough to penetrate even the strongest defenses.
Fwoosh—!!!
The giant dragons swung their forelegs and tails, crashing down on Edanant.
In response, Edanant leaped off the ground, reaching the high castle walls.
“I wanted to save this until I met those guys…!”
Ideally, he had intended to use it on the Saintess Party, which had fallen to the realm of death.
But now he had to abandon that plan as he clashed with these mightiest dragons.
It was not the time to hold back his trump card.
He gazed at the dragon, baring its sharp teeth with its mouth wide open.
“Pierce through, divine bow of the sky.”
Particles of disaster gathering from all around surged up.
After going through a cycle of splitting and condensing, the particles took the form of missile launchers.
Anti-defense penetrating weaponry.
Missiles equipped with armor-piercing explosives instead of high explosives aimed merely to destroy.
Though they lacked killing power compared to high explosives, these weapons could disable defenses in a single fell swoop. As Edanant snapped his fingers, energy exploded, launching the missiles.
Zoom—!!
The missiles shot straight and struck the defensive magic shielding the dragons.
The primary explosive embedded in the missiles detonated, rendering the defensive magic useless. Soon after, the secondary explosive detonated, sending a conical warhead blasting through the dragon’s armor.
ROOOAR!!!
The death throes echoed.
Simultaneously, the warhead, having pierced the armor, unleashed tremendous explosive force, ripping apart the insides of the dragons.
“This is the power of modern weaponry, damn nerdy glasses-wearer!”
The dragons that had boasted immense might crumbled into heaps of debris.
Edanant passed through the swirling dust, finally entering the interior of the Demon King’s Castle.
‘The Demon King’s Castle. I’ve seen it from afar before… but it’s the first time I’ve stepped inside.’
The first ornament to greet the intruder, who had ruthlessly smashed the massive vanguards, was a flag bearing the emblem of the Demon King.
A rusty crown.
Two sharp sickles crossing left and right.
The banners hanging around harmonized with the red carpet adorned on the floor.
The great conqueror who had ruled over the continent while opposing the Empire and Holy Kingdom. The grand sight of the imposing Demon King’s Castle would surely have been overwhelming for the Saintess Party on the brink of their adventure’s climax.
“It’s all frozen in the icy cold and bitter winds.”
Yet the awe of the Demon King, which symbolized absolute evil, was buried beneath snow and ice.
The icy wind crafted a permanent eternal frost landscape.
Naturally, there was no way the interior of the Demon King’s Castle, imprisoned by Death’s Disaster, could remain unscathed.
It was hard to believe this was the scene that crowned the work of arts, now in such a state of ruin. As Edanant stepped into the icy realm, he exhaled white breath, truly realizing the Demon King’s fall.
Creeeak—!
As he stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor where the throne room was situated,
A creaking metallic sound echoed.
At the same time, the inner door surrounded by ice flung wide open.
“Edan!”
A woman clad in a black dress appeared.
Her once vibrant hair had turned completely white.
Eyes as black as night radiated ominously.
Despite the dramatic changes to her appearance, it was undeniably the Second Saintess, Beatrice.
Swallowing a heavy lump in his throat at the sight of Beatrice, who welcomed him with a bright smile, Edanant said,
“You’re… not Beatrice. Who on earth are you?”
She was not Beatrice.
And she wasn’t the released Death’s Disaster either.
He had no idea.
He couldn’t gauge her identity at all.
The woman with flowing white hair elegantly approached. A captivating smile bloomed on her lips, like a woman reunited with a long-lost lover.
—
Aldebaran. Altair. Procyon. Heila.
The brilliance of the Creator Deity emitted from the Four Sacred Swords of Extermination swept away the storm of ice.
A radiant beam of light soared.
Seeing this, Ludmilla and Zebeline advanced towards the Demon King’s Castle with their companions.
The sounds of gunfire echoed once more.
It indicated that Edanant, who had entered the Demon King’s Castle first, was engaged in battle.
Facing Death’s Disaster alone was a reckless choice. Ludmilla and Zebeline hurried their steps, eager to join Edanant at once.
—I won’t let them…! I won’t let Beatrice go…!
An undead clad in half-worn leather armor blocked their path.
Soul Cavalry.
Among the undead belonging to the army of death, this being stood at the top tier.
Armed with numerous armaments, the commanding undead barred the intruders from advancing. Feeling the heavy pressure enveloping their bodies, Ludmilla and Zebeline halted, ready to respond.
“That undead is dangerous. It might even surpass me.”
“An undead that rivals the Seven Heroes… seems like we’ve got a formidable opponent.”
It was dangerous.
They had to show no openings.
Their heightened instincts screamed warnings.
Until now, they had faced numerous foes, but never had they felt such a sense of crisis. Thus, Ludmilla and Zebeline aimed their swords at the slowly approaching undead, unleashing their full power.
WRRRL!
The flames of Tyranny that burned constantly through life.
Famine’s lightning that could obliterate a city in an instant.
The raging current of disaster surged toward the undead blocking the castle gates. The swirling vortex of disaster seemed ready to engulf the undead at any moment.
Crack!
The Soul Cavalry drew both the bastard sword and polearm strapped to its back.
“An undead? Not just any simple undead… Could it be a servant of Death’s Disaster?”
Querisa, who was also confronting the undead alongside the Grand Magicians, raised her hand. She aimed to protect her employer as they engaged in battle.
Fwoosh!
From the cold-reinforced air, turquoise flames burst forth.
As a cursed being, the undead were weak against fire magic infused with the Creator Deity’s divinity. Querisa, fully aware of this, attempted to eradicate the Soul Cavalry with large-scale fire magic.
BOOM—!!
“W-What the hell?!”
Querisa screamed.
The flames she had been waiting for suddenly vanished like a candle in the wind upon meeting a strong gale.
Her magical energy had been severed.
Just like how powerful electromagnetic waves could render electronic devices useless, a new magical force had intervened, rendering her magic impotent.
Ridiculous.
To think the Master of the Magic Tower could cancel her power.
What an embarrassment.
To think she would be dispelled.
For a magician, being dispelled was akin to denying the source of their magic, an ultimate humiliation. Thus, Querisa began to weave large-scale detection magic, searching for the one who had humiliated her.
—I won’t let them go…!
Following the Soul Cavalry, a new undead emerged.
Around its neck was an emerald pendant.
A gray robe bearing the emblem of the Magic Tower.
The undead that revealed itself along with the dispel was cloaked in a flame of magical power. The Grand Magicians realized this was none other than the legendary Archlich recorded in ancient texts.
—I won’t let Beatrice…!
With a clatter,
The Archlich, shrouded in magical power, moved its jaw.
“Son…? Is that you, Madbay…?”
Gazing at the now-skeletal figure before her, Querisa released her voice in shock.
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