“It’s sticking! It’s the Glacier Tribe!”
“Those annoying bastards!”
The adventurers pulled back their bows and threw magic spells frantically.
Dozens of demon steeds and wolves, along with all sorts of beasts, charged across the plains. The shapeshifters sticking to their side were met with attacks and collapsed one by one.
“Brothers?! Mother is trapped in the lair!”
Lars, who joined forces with the dragon-man Callegor, relayed the situation to him.
A black cloud descended from the human realm a week ago, attacking the lair, and it brought with it barbaric tribes to wage war.
“Lars, why is the Great Demon targeting the lair?”
“We took out the chieftain of the Rock Tribe and snatched the amulet and storm stone. The Great Demon’s summoning ceremony requires at least 5th tier black magic or sorcery. That guy must be gone.”
“Then in Mother’s lair…”
“It’s the main base of the Heavenly Dragon, so they can use mana more effectively or something. But they’ll still need someone to cast spells. Is it a rendezvous point?”
The mountain peak that served as the lair of the Heavenly Dragon was enshrouded by black clouds. As Lars navigated around to help fight off the barbarian tribes, he realized what was happening.
“That bastard is the spellcaster.”
A military force was advancing from a distance. An army of the undead. It must be the troops of the Four Heavenly King Ritch.
“Are they the Demon King’s troops, as the commander mentioned?”
“It’s too early to engage with them. We wouldn’t even be able to land a hit.”
Lars replied to Tanya. Nevertheless, Tanya seemed ready for a fight, attempting to wrap her sword in her aura. Through her experiences, Tanya had reached a master level.
“Change of strategy. Combat unit! Focus on clearing the barbarians while securing an escape route. Only the chieftain and I will infiltrate the lair!”
Engaging the Four Heavenly Kings without the hero was a suicide mission. Lars did not pursue reckless fights.
[No. 005: Demon King Army Victory 97%]
It was evident from just looking at the status window that they would surely lose if they fought head-on here.
Diving into the black whirlpool where lightning flashed, Lars, Gishta, and Callegor barely held on with the shield that Lars cast, transforming into a dragon form to guide them above the clouds.
“Phew.”
Gishta took a deep breath amidst the heavy gravity acceleration. Lars massaged her shoulder.
“Struggling to hold on?”
“Haha, what weak words!”
Gishta flashed a charming smile.
Her heart, which was turning black, was still beating vigorously.
At least while Lars was beside her.
Upon reaching the lair, Lars and Gishta hid behind a pillar.
However, the one conducting the Great Demon’s summoning ceremony was an incredibly unexpected figure.
Demon King Mephist. The ruler of the Demon Realm had actually come here in person.
‘Oh no.’
Originally, the Great Demon must have been summoned after a long war among the barbarian tribes. They had barely managed to retreat.
The void dimension where demons lived was as vast as the continent, and the black magic they wielded was as powerful as any spell.
A Great Demon at the pinnacle might even surpass a Demon King simply in terms of rank. They were only a subordinate by contract in this instance.
It wouldn’t be strange for the Demon King to come personally to meet her.
—Open the door, chosen one.
The voice of the Great Demon wrapped around the body of the Demon King like a holy entity. Hesitating, the one who was drafting the incantations spoke.
“O Great Demon, how can I trust you?”
—You seek knowledge and have come to this treacherous place. Open the door. You shall find an answer.
“Hmmm.”
Lars sensed the subtle atmosphere flowing between them. The demon race living on the continent and those in the void were fundamentally different species. It was natural that they could not trust each other.
“Lars, should we attack now?”
“Just a moment.”
[No. 099: Time Collapsed 42% → 1%]
‘What? No way.’
Lars predicted the events based on the changing probabilities.
Number 99 represented the bad ending that happens when defeated by magic in the final battle against the Demon King.
Including that, several endings were being deleted. This meant.
‘The Great Demon’s goal is…’
—Bzzzzz!
Casting spells through the Heavenly Dragon’s mana, Mephist emerged calmly from the black mana storm.
Without a chance to respond, the Great Demon stepped forward elegantly, her bright yellow pupils darting around.
She flexed her red-stained fingers a few times before giving a satisfied smile.
Engulfed! In an instant, she scattered blood-thorns in all directions.
“Ugh.”
The next moment, Mephist’s heart was outside his body. He attempted to stop time in order to evade, but it was of no use.
“I shall fulfill the contract, wizard. Your wishes shall be granted.”
“…What wishes?”
“I have a personal grudge. Against the dragon race of the continent.”
Several bad endings were deleted from Lars’s status window. This evidently signified the Demon King’s death.
“Mother!”
The Heavenly Dragon, stripped of mana, was in a state not far from death. Unable to suppress herself, Gishta rushed in recklessly.
“Gishta, wait!”
Clucking his tongue, Lars supported her with a protective spell.
He swung his gigantic axe, aiming directly at the Great Demon’s forehead.
But without any proper resistance, Gishta was slammed against a distant wall, crumbling down.
“Damn it.”
Drip, drip. Appearing pleased as she noticed the blood of the Demon King still vividly flowing down, the Great Demon draped it over her shoulder and faced Lars.
“I’m glad you witnessed my birth, Healer Lars.”
The Great Demon grinned widely. Seeing that smile made Lars’s head ache.
“Haha, looks like you’re mistaking me for someone else. I understand it’s hard for demons to distinguish humans. This is my first time meeting you, Great Demon.”
“Your act is truly pathetic. What are you trying to deceive with such skills?”
“My acting? Hey, I can get eaten over there.”
The Great Demon chuckled, pointing a finger at Lars. He immediately reacted by using [Recognition Collapse Potion]. He defended against the attack using the [Saint]’s authority spell, [Great Shield of the Goddess].
Light and explosions engulfed them both.
“A talent for deceiving goddesses. An interesting man. It’d be a waste to discard you along with the continent.”
“Why, are you planning to wipe out the whole continent?”
“Because of the contract, that’s already a given. It’s also because of those dragons.”
The Great Demon seduced Lars by placing a jewel in his hand.
“It’s the Soul Stone of the Void. It has effects similar to Geass’s vow. If you bring this to me on the day of destruction, I shall accept you as my follower.”
“Not a chance.”
“Think it over.”
As the Great Demon smiled and disappeared into the swirling black storm, she exited the shrine, leading the Demon King’s army westward as her form faded.
“Damn it. Gishta.”
She was the first one Lars needed to take care of. The change in the final boss could be thought about later.
Gishta’s state was not good. Her heart was already pushed to the limit. The curse was visibly corroding her body, spreading blackness through her veins.
If it reached her head, there would truly be no way to help her. The limit was right before them.
“What should I do?”
For now, he would extract blood from the slain Demon King. He had recently upgraded to B-rank in alchemy and partially unlocked the recipe for elixirs. Blood was an important ingredient.
But, he didn’t know what the other ingredients were, so he couldn’t create the elixir immediately. As he desperately contemplated how to treat Gishta, a clear voice rang out.
—Healer.
The Heavenly Dragon finally opened one eye with difficulty.
Lars approached her and assessed her condition. She was on the brink with her mana depleted.
“Are you alright? Your mana is running low. Please don’t push yourself; stabilize yourself.”
—This body is soon meeting its end.
The Heavenly Dragon sensed her final moments were approaching.
—However, it must not be the end of the continent.
—Use everything you can. Give that child my heart.
The Heavenly Dragon spoke decisively. Rather than preserve a useless body, she chose to entrust her hope. Lars respected her.
“I will remember, Mother.”
After preparing the potion to ensure she could rest peacefully, he stored the remaining mana and disassembled her organs to reduce their size. He kept them in a suspended state within an item box.
Lars helped Gishta back to the ground and immediately called for Hugo.
“We talked about the surgery.”
“You mentioned it was a technique used on the chieftain. … You don’t mean to use it again now, do you?”
Inside a building in the Dragon Race camp, the use of disinfectant potions made Hugo’s intentions clear—surgical preparations. Hugo shook his head.
“After that demon woman came down, the Demon King’s army has been charging harder. They’re in combat just 500 meters ahead.”
“So we need to hurry then.”
Without hesitation, Lars put on a mask and grabbed a dagger. In front of him lay the near-dead Gishta and a bag containing the quivering bright emerald Dragon Heart.
Hugo, too, steeled his resolve at Lars’s sincerity and put on his mask.
“Tell me what I need to do.”
“Hold onto the part indicated by the forceps. The potion can only supply blood and oxygen for 20 minutes. Within that time, we’ll cut the heart and all blood vessels eroded by the curse and transplant the Dragon Heart.”
“Let’s do it.”
The two men began the surgery.
Outside, the Demon King’s army, welcomed by their new ruler, was losing control and ramping up their assault.
“We’re going to be overrun at this rate.”
Tanya fought alongside the Dragon Race, adventurers, and the Thunder Tribe at the frontline, but they were gradually running out of strength.
Until now, they had been strategically maneuvering with minimal casualty, but suddenly it turned into an all-out offensive. They must be suffering heavy losses too, yet now they seemed to have nothing left.
Were they truly planning to break through the intermediate realm and invade the human realm? If they considered this their final defense, they could not afford to lose this place.
“Where is the commander?!”
“I don’t see the chieftain either!”
“Aren’t they supposed to be back up top yet?!”
“We can’t hold on any longer; we need to retreat!”
Without their commander, the morale of the Hippogriff combat unit was sinking fast.
At that moment.
—KWAHAANG!!
Lightning struck from the sky.
It was as thick as any substantial building, plunging into the midst of the dark undead army and instantly annihilating them.
“A—lalalalal!!”
A booming voice echoed all around.
The barbarian warrior lady soared into the sky, swinging her gigantic axe.
Unable to contain the surging rhythm of her blue heart, the beat resonated across the plains.
