Demon Realm War (2)
“…What?”
Hela’s expression twisted at the sudden news.
While she was frantically trying to manage the collapsing front lines and stabilize the newly incorporated territories, this felt like a bolt from the blue!
“How is that even possible?”
The first thing that came to her mind was a question.
No matter how strong the Dragon Lord was, the Duke of Darkness was not an easy opponent.
He was the leader of a faction that had long ruled the Demon Realm, competing with Crushair.
Yet, for such an existence to fall so easily…
“Insane. No, has he completely given up?”
It meant that the schemes of the Dragon Lord were anything but normal.
“Our contacts with the spies embedded within the Duke of Darkness have all been cut off. It seems that…”
[For now, I shall command the rescue and recovery of all accumulated damages across the front lines and prepare for any eventualities.]
“A report has just arrived from the survivors of Demoniac!”
The foundation of Black Magic is reversing the heavens.
Unlike regular magic that conforms to the laws of the world and uses them efficiently, Black Magic twists and transforms the principles to achieve desired outcomes, even outright defying them.
Naturally, such practices would not benefit the user.
The mental contamination that comes simply from using Black Magic is part of that burden.
However, the heavy toll of Black Magic rewards users with extraordinary and destructive power.
And the method favored by Black Wizards to disperse that immense burden is…
‘The more sacrifices one offers, the greater the value, and thus the possibilities of what can be done with Black Magic become limitless.’
Just like a transcendent Black Wizard about a thousand years ago who, using hundreds of thousands of great sacrifices, including himself, pierced the Abyss.
“…He didn’t only offer his legion as a sacrifice.”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
Siana, who was nearby, questioned curiously at her mutter, but Hela, lost in deep thought, didn’t respond.
Being the self-proclaimed authority on Dark Magic in the dimension, she had her assurance.
‘Yes, if that’s the case, it makes sense that he could subdue the formidable Duke of Darkness in such a short time.’
Most of the toll incurred from the Undead King Hans’ use of Black Magic is absorbed by the “Heart of the Undying.”
Though just possessing that heart comes with enormous risks, so it can’t simply be classified as free.
Without the “Mind Hub,” his existence would have long since been consumed.
For all this time, the Dragon Lord was likely a similar case.
As a mighty dragon, he would easily overcome any typical costs.
But if he is someone who had given up on protecting himself…
If he had offered his followers and his own self, the once-mighty dragon who had lived for thousands of years and was known as the strongest?
“…This just got annoying. I thought it would end easily when the Duke of Darkness came into contact.”
Hela sighed briefly, her face scrunching up.
The result was the chaos happening right now.
This was the prologue to the Demon Realm War.
*
The nature of the war had changed.
From a power struggle among factions vying for the Demon King position—
[Whew!]
[I’m hungry, cold, hungry…!]
[Heeek! Huh? Ack?]
It turned into an extermination battle against the relentless white monsters that suddenly burst forth from nowhere.
“Block them!”
[No matter how many we kill, they just keep coming.]
“Ugh— These monsters have such strong resistance to magic!”
One silver lining was that this incident allowed Hela to gather a significant number of wandering demon tribe members into Helheim.
Though they belonged to various factions for their own reasons, they weren’t fools either.
It was a no-brainer that aligning with Hela was far better than being sacrificed by the Dragon Lord. Thanks to that, Helheim was quickly swelling with requests for allegiance.
Now, there was no force daring to compare.
‘If I think of it this way, this situation might not be so bad. The problem is how to deal with those monsters…’
Just a while ago, there were only monsters remaining in the lands where the Dragon Lord’s army was stationed.
Crushair, the architect of all this chaos, had already vanished without a trace.
Even checking the shrine at the Dark Nest base yielded nothing, as the entrance to the underground ritual room had completely disappeared.
As if it had already fulfilled its purpose.
Or perhaps it had been moved elsewhere.
Yet, there would be limits to those quantities, and she believed they could eventually be dealt with…
Not long after, she realized that was an illusion.
“…Is that so? Was this the plan from the beginning?”
The previous instances of the “Heart of the Undying” and “Seed of Madness” appearing and disappearing were different.
Mysterious life forms pouring out limitlessly throughout the Demon Realm.
Amid this chaos, monsters, devouring victims caught in the whirlpool, began to spread rapidly, reborn as even stronger beings.
It was likely that about 10% of the Demon Realm had already been consumed.
‘Crushair, is this what you wished to achieve with everything you have?’
If the demon lord and the Demon Realm rejected him.
And if he could never become the Demon King no matter what.
Then, would he rather extinguish all beings on this land to make the world his own?
It seemed so.
As Hela thought of the Dragon Lord, who had turned into an invader instead of a competitor for the Demon King’s position, her eyebrows twitched.
‘So he intends to overturn the whole board?’
The competition for the Demon King position had effectively concluded in her victory.
Crushair’s actions were merely a tantrum over his inability to accept defeat.
And that meant…
“This bastard is just throwing dirty water on my feast that’s all set up for me!”
Harsh words slipped from her beautiful lips.
Yet it was true.
As he recklessly rampaged, her hard-earned spoils were getting damaged beyond her control!
Her possessiveness over ‘what is hers’ wouldn’t allow such actions!
“…So you’re coming out like that?”
A chilling glint sparkled in her red eyes.
If he was going to act that crudely, there was no need for her to be courteous in return.
‘I was trying to respond in line with the Demon Realm’s rules for the selection of the Demon Lord…’
If they ignored that rule first, there was no reason for her to hold back.
For a moment, she envisioned Davidson and Hesperon but didn’t flinch.
Everything related to that shrine was practically cheating, so she rationalized it was invalid.
And considering the forces she could seriously mobilize, that was merely trivial!
‘Right, I’m not at fault. From now on, everything that happens is because of you.’
In an unrestricted battle where she could use all her cards…
There was no being in this world that could match her.
*
“Hey! What are you doing…?”
“Wait a moment, you fool! That armband is Hela’s emblem!”
“Eh? S-sorry!”
“This one will be properly educated! Please, do your job without worry!”
In the midst of the battlefield filled with tension from the relentless influx of monsters.
A figure dressed in a black cloak with an armband carefully examined his slowly melting white frame.
[Hmm, I see. Then shall we start in earnest?]
And the moment he lightly set foot down.
He found himself standing in an empty lot.
The coordinate he had checked before starting the task.
From his body, he released a flickering black aura that had meticulously placed barriers around.
The black flames of Black Magic, mixed with pure death energy, quickly engulfed the area.
[Hehehe— if you can hide, try hiding.]
Soon thereafter, an eerie voice echoed from the depths, and a bursting force spread in all directions.
To track the energy of the Abyss that shared the same origin as him.
*
Another coordinate.
A man with an opera mask pulled a small vial from his pocket and poured the contents into his palm.
“…Huh, this seems low quality for its grade. This garbage is supposed to be blood of a dragon?”
He frowned slightly after rubbing the liquid with his fingers…
Lick—
He lightly tasted it and closed his eyes softly.
Blood that Hela had obtained in her battle with the Dragon Lord.
Though it was overwhelmingly tainted with the extent to which he had modified himself, it didn’t matter since the inner power embedded within was the goal.
He was the master of blood.
The gaze of the man, tracing the origin through the medium, turned to one direction.
*
Such incidents unfolded at various locations across the Demon Realm, spaced apart.
Like a detailed investigation with divided territories.
A single creature moved through the sea of white monsters.
“Sniff sniff!”
“Grr— Grr—!”
“Hrumph!”
Three heads tirelessly thrashed about.
The three-headed cerberus busily tore into monster flesh, embodying the wind while looking for scents.
Mystical patterns glowing subtly under the fur enveloping its body.
One eye glowed with a blood-red madness while the other shimmered with a green light, continuously scanning the surroundings.
“Sniff sniff!”
The “Seed of Madness” dwelling within him reacted to the monsters emerging from the Abyss and swiftly tracked their origin.
—The completely devastated base of Demoniac.
The place was now dominated by monsters that had driven out all the existing demons, but currently, there wasn’t a single living being left.
Amid the slowly melting remains of the monsters…
Only a man, holding a dazzling sword and unfurling beautiful wings of light, remained with his eyes closed in silent prayer.
Even the vile energy that had thickly gathered in the Demon Realm dared not encroach upon the sanctified veil encasing him.
The man’s eyes shot open, releasing a golden radiance akin to the sun.
—High in the sky where everything on the ground appeared small.
Gooo—
An entity donned in full-body armor, spewing flames from beneath, gazed down at the earth.
Then, as he slowly extended his only uncovered arm forward, the black-stained bandages wrapped around it unfurled.
The intricate geometric patterns engraved on his skin twisted along with a writhing black dragon.
As the man stared at that seemingly cursed arm, he let out a small sigh.
“…Hoo, I found you.”
[U heeheee——!]
With a short command, the imprisoned souls within were unleashed, and an entity that was once the Demon King was released beneath the purple sky of the Demon Realm.
—And from the last coordinate he had set.
“Sniff!”
A little boy who looked no older than seven, with flowing blond hair, sniffed away his runny nose.
It wasn’t an ideal environment for long due to the inhospitable air, but considering he was no sensitive high elf, a brief stay should be fine.
Zzaaah—!
With a flash of light, a dragon, the size of a mid-sized car, revealed itself.
Next, the dazzling orb in its mouth began to glow as its body steadily grew in size.
‘I don’t know where he originally came from, but…’
Dragons often had a way to communicate with each other, even if they didn’t belong to the same clan.
Communicating was essential to maintain the balance of the world.
Of course, considering that the counterpart was no longer a complete dragon, it wouldn’t be perfect, but identifying the rough location was sufficient.
He wasn’t the only one tracking the current target.
*
With her eyes closed in meditation, Hela suddenly opened them wide.
Then she stood, lightly stretched, and began walking somewhere slowly.
“Hela? Where are you going?”
Siana, busy handling something nearby, hurriedly followed her.
In the chaotic rush from the monsters pouring in, it was only natural for her to react when Hela, who had been cooped up, suddenly showed movement.
Hela, glancing back at her as if it was nothing, calmly responded.
“Tell the kids to hold out as long as they can. I’ll finish things up quickly and be back.”
“…What?”
Seeing Siana blink in confusion at her unexpected words, Hela wore a refreshing smile.
“I found out where he is.”
In truth, looking for Crushair, who was plotting to hide deliberately, was no easy task.
No matter what methods were employed, there weren’t many leads to uncover.
But in front of the coordination of those now scattered across the Demon Realm, all those struggles were futile.
The map of the Demon Realm formed in her mind.
Then, there were six trace results, or rather, with her included, a total of seven results converged into one.
Selecting overlapping parts and complementing the lacking sections, the investigations starting from the seven points converged into one location.
Thus, a single intersection coordinate was derived.
‘Shall I see what kind of mess he’s in?’
It was still less than an hour since Hela had entered meditation and utilized “Entity Convergence.”
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