Chapter 208

Chapter 206 – Lucifer who Leads Evil – 1

“There’s nothing here.”

“Indeed, there is not.”

Inside the castle, there was nothing. Normally, we would have to fight fiercely against demons that attacked more violently than usual to protect the king.

As I walked around holding the Wingless Nightmare, wondering if the area was empty, Kaiquilia was smashing every demon statue displayed along the corridor.

Elaborately carved demon statues made of some unidentified substance crashed down. Once sculptures, the shards and piles of dust accumulated behind us.

‘…There are no statues of that guy.’

Just in case, I inspected the statues before Kaiquilia smashed them, but like the one I had found inside the Holy Ghost’s castle, there wasn’t a single statue depicting the Creature that Devours the World.

That made it even stranger.

If there were statues placed here and there, I could think that the demons worshipped him instead of Lucifer, but so far, all I had discovered was a single one in the underground of the castle.

“This truly is a place that makes one feel filthy.”

Thud, Kaiquilia’s leather boots stepped on a path made of crimson blood. This was the same path that had been leading from right in front of the city gate.

The blood path stretched forward into the corridor, as if it were pointing the way for us. No matter how far we had walked, there seemed to be no end in sight.

No, since it perfectly matched the route to the final boss from my memory, it must truly be leading us. I just didn’t understand the reason for such a thing.

“Delta. Did you have any knowledge of this?”

“…No, Your Majesty.”

“I expected as much. If this had existed in your knowledge, you wouldn’t have looked so troubled. The only thing you must answer is whether this is the right path or not.”

“Yes. Following this, we will undoubtedly reach that guy’s dwelling.”

“That’s enough. If this is the correct path, then that’s sufficient. You said you had questions for him. If we meet him earlier, we can kill him sooner, so it’s all good.”

The blood path continued for quite some time. After repeatedly going up and down the stairs and turning several corners, we finally found a door leading inside the castle.

Additionally, the blood trail ended precisely at the door leading into the castle. I didn’t know why the blood was left, but the intention was clear.

“You said there was still a way to go.”

“Now that we’ve exited the outer castle, the inner castle where the king of demons resides is separate.”

“Pretending to be a king and building a structure that doesn’t even suit him. How disgusting.”

“The inner castle isn’t as large as this, so we should arrive soon.”

After passing through a garden-like space beyond the door and walking a little further, we could directly enter the inner castle where the final boss of DLC resided.

Having received a definite answer, Kaiquilia had no hesitation. The glowing sword smashed the door into pieces.

As we stepped through the broken door, a sharp, bloody scent assaulted my nose. It was such a gruesome stench that I couldn’t help but frown. The light from the Holy Sword intensified.

“This is…”

I could hear Kaiquilia muttering with confusion.

The place that should have been an open area for the mid-boss battle was filled, with levelled demon corpses, leaving only a narrow path for a single person to walk.

Without exaggeration, the demon corpses stacked as high as the castle walls.

‘…What on earth happened here?’

The demons, who should have protected their king, lay dead, their bodies piling up in the area meant for the mid-boss battle, and their blood flowed as a pathway for us.

I couldn’t make any sense of it.

As I desperately tried to comprehend this situation, Kaiquilia approached one of the mounds of bodies with an indifferent expression and poked it with the Holy Sword.

The nearby demon corpse ignited and began to be purified by holy light. The mountain of bodies briefly swayed, but due to its overwhelming mass, it quickly regained its position.

“The corpses belong to them for sure. They are not illusions or phantasms.”

“That much is clear, but I don’t understand why this was done.”

Even if all the demons of the castle were gathered together, their power difference would be so starkly clear they would be weaker than a single final boss, so using them as meat shields would be far more advantageous than this senseless massacre.

It could tire us out, and if performed well, could even inflict damage.

“What good is it to speculate the thoughts of creatures no different from beasts? Ignore it. We only need to do our tasks.”

Kaiquilia stepped onto the dirt without hesitation.

The weight of one person sank into the ground as if stepping into mud. The sand had turned into mud due to blood.

After confirming that half of the lower part of her boots was submerged, Kaiquilia nervously pulled her foot back. Thanks to the Holy Sword’s effect, her leather boots were still spotless.

“However, it will hinder our movements.”

With those words, Kaiquilia raised her right hand above her head. Sunlight gathered at the tip of the blade. As her master swung her arm down, the sunlight that had gathered in the Holy Sword split the garden.

A vast, sharp curtain rose where the light passed. It looked like a curtain descending from the sky to the ground.

The golden curtain paused for a moment and then slowly widened to the sides. All the blood and flesh in the area where the curtain passed were purified and burned away.

Kaiquilia stepped onto the dirt that had instantly dried up. This time, it did not sink into the ground. She glanced back to see if I was following, gesturing with her eyes to come along.

I obediently followed behind. Even at the moment we stepped into this place, the light curtain continuously purified the bodies of the demons while spreading toward the edges.

Eventually, the mountain of corpses completely vanished, leaving no trace behind. The stench of blood that had been lingering also disappeared.

As the corpses vanished, the entrance to the inner castle, hidden beneath the blood and flesh, was revealed. The door was wide open already. I pointed at it with my finger.

“That’s the place.”

“Finally, I will see that pathetic face. Truly good.”

Inside was quite clean. Outside was drenched in blood and filled with corpses, but here, nothing could be found. Even what should have originally existed was absent.

In my memory, the entrance to Lucifer’s boss room was a place lined with various demon statues on either side. However, now there was not a single thing in sight.

Only a few columns supporting the ceiling. That was all that was visible.

Creeeeak!

As we stepped a few more paces inside, the door closed with a loud noise.

Kaiquilia walked without a care for this fact. Her eyes had long been fixed on the Demon King, and the Holy Sword in her hand shone more intensely than ever.

“I will welcome you, Human.”

A large voice resounded throughout the inner castle.

The demon, whose nickname was ‘Lucifer who Leads Evil,’ looked rather modest; it appeared to be close to my height. It lounged arrogantly on a throne atop the stairs, looking down at us.

Its entire body was covered with strange red wooden roots, and due to this, only its right eye was visible. Every other part of its body, except for its right eye, was covered in those red wooden roots.

“How dare you appear so arrogantly before an Empress. I do not know where you learned such habits, but you will pay for that sin with your life.”

Kaiquilia aimed the Holy Sword at it. Even though the Holy Sword was pointed at a demon, a species akin to extreme poison, it showed no signs of disturbance.

“You, who are blessed by a false god. I have been waiting for you.”

More accurately, it had no interest in the Holy Sword at all.

Disregarding Kaiquilia entirely, Lucifer looked at me with that one visible eye.

As I was ignored by the demon right in front of me, Kaiquilia nearly lost it and tried to swing the Holy Sword, but when I stopped her with my hand, she immediately halted her actions.

Despite how disrespectful it was considering our positions, Kaiquilia obediently followed my words and lowered the sword’s tip. However, her eyes were still filled with rage.

“…Blessed by a false god? What do you mean by that? And what do you mean you’ve been waiting for me?”

It didn’t seem like it would attack me right away, so I planned to try and converse as much as possible. Those were words I couldn’t simply let pass.

“It is literally as I say.”

Once it finished speaking, it stood up from its seat. Just that made the surrounding space slowly start to change. It was a sight I had seen in a cutscene before.

I thought it would eventually be able to hold a conversation, but it merely said what it needed to and finished. There was no time. I quickly whispered to Kaiquilia.

“Your Majesty, this is the situation I mentioned.”

“I am aware. If that thing takes you away, then we will have to fight together; if not, either you or her must fight alone.”

“Yes. Judging by its appearance… it seems I will likely be the one taken.”

The distortion of space gradually grew larger. It was on the verge of swallowing us, more specifically, me. The area around Kaiquilia remained unaffected and fine.

“How unfortunate. I had been waiting for the day when I could rip that apart.”

Kaiquilia genuinely looked regretful.

I wondered if I should have let her attack right when she drew the Holy Sword, but at that time, I had no idea this guy would only finish his words and rush in, so it was an unavoidable choice.

“I will repay even your portion, Your Majesty. If you desire, I will also let you know what words it spoke before it died.”

Understanding my implication, Kaiquilia smirked.

“Already thinking about what will happen after you win. What a truly arrogant attendant you are. Go.”

Just as those words finished, a red light engulfed me. Before I knew it, I had moved to a place that was far more fitting for the description of hell, a space that looked much more horrific than the outside.

Nearby was a bubbling river of blood, and high in the sky were two round, red objects that looked like blood. The air carried an excessively sultry feeling.

As expected, Kaiquilia was nowhere to be found. I had hoped otherwise, but of course, she wasn’t here.

“I showed you my sincerity.”

The direction from which the voice came, I aimed the Wingless Nightmare. The blade, half gold and half silver, emitted holy light.

Lucifer was slowly approaching me, gazing at me with its only revealed eye.

“Sincerity?”

“I cleared the path to me.”

“…Was that truly your doing?”

“That is my sincerity.”

It made no sense. I sighed inwardly.

In the game, as soon as the player transferred to this space, they would rush in, but it seemed this guy had no intention of attacking at all, spreading its arms wide as if preaching something.

Thinking it was going to have a conversation, I soon realized it was simply airing its own thoughts. It was a creature without an answer.

“Since I have shown you my sincerity, it is now your turn to show your faith.”

Its eyes widened.

“False history. False faith. False god. Nothing among them is true. I have opened my eyes. You shall now serve the true god.”

“……”

Floretta was silently praying inside the Sun Cathedral, wishing for the distinguished guests’ safety, and hoping that the god would forgive Floretta for not being able to protect the dignitary.

The prayers continued endlessly. Without a sip of water or a single moment of sleep. She had even told the inquisitor to stay away from the Sun Cathedral for a while.

She felt that unless she did this, she would not be able to suppress her sadness.

“Your Holiness, Pope of the Sun. May I have a moment?”

The inquisitor’s voice pierced Floretta’s ears. It was a voice that should not have been here.

“Didn’t I command that no one should enter or be allowed in the Sun Cathedral for a while, Inquisitor?”

“I know, but I believe this is something Your Holiness must know.”

“…What is it?”

Her green eyes slightly opened. Since the inquisitor spoke like that, it was surely something very important.

“A woman claiming to have been a Holy Knight 400 years ago has appeared, and she said she knows the way to the dignitary.”