CH 229

Hell, or the Demon World—there were no other words that could possibly express the sight unfolding before Eugene. The space beyond the wall, the land of everlasting conflict, was perfectly separated from the dungeon where Eugene stood. The frenzied creatures could not see nor feel Eugene’s presence as they engaged in endless slaughter.

Eugene carefully observed the world beyond the wall with cold eyes. He was slightly surprised, but that was all. The evil feast of the monsters did not bother Eugene at all.

“Hmm?” A glimmer appeared in Eugene’s eyes. There were replicas of the black wall that Eugene faced within the evil world where lava and blood incessantly flowed.

‘I can see seven. That means…’

If he concentrated, he could see as far as a large mountain where lava was flowing from. However, it was impossible for the Demon World to be so small, and there was only one explanation for the existence of the black walls.

‘It’s connected to the hearts of other evil lands.’

It was then…

A small ripple suddenly appeared in the smooth black wall as if it had come into contact with a droplet of water.

“…”

Eugene took several steps back. He already had a rough guess. Then, the ripple quickly spread throughout the entire wall, and dozens of swirls appeared on the wall. The black curtain started to sway like tree branches in the wind, and creatures neither liquid nor solid began to crawl through the black wall.

Kyaaahh…

The black figures began to take on certain shapes while emitting weak cries. They were monsters.

‘It’s the ones that perished on the other side…’

The monsters that crawled through the black wall were just like the monsters that had been killed by other monsters and demons in the space beyond the wall. On second glance, Eugene could see that something black was escaping the bodies of the fallen monsters and was crossing over the black wall.

“I see. So that’s what happens.”

Eugene immediately recognized the significance of what he was seeing. He hurled Madarazika, which had been crying with anticipation since a while ago, and swung Wolfslaughter.

Fwoosh!

The dozens of monsters barely managed to take on their proper forms before they were vanquished by his spear and sliced by his sword. After disposing of the monsters in an instant, Eugene remained in his spot as he continued to observe the space beyond the wall. After a long while, another vortex appeared yet again on the black wall, and black figures crossed over before taking on shapes of monsters. Eugene disposed of them.

Two hours passed just like that…

“Hmm. I get it.” He had come to a complete understanding of the black wall, the world beyond, and the relationship the monsters shared. Eugene muttered before turning away without hesitation, or at least; he attempted to turn around.

“Hmm?” He was struck with a sudden, strange sensation. However, it wasn’t enough to make him feel threatened, and as such, Eugene slowly turned his head back toward the wall.

“Hooh?” An icy smile appeared around his lips. All the monsters beyond the black wall had stopped their carnage. Instead, they were staring at Eugene. The sight of countless evil creatures gazing together in one direction, frozen, was truly grotesque and chill-inducing.

An ordinary person would have fainted at this sight. However, Eugene was still relaxed.

Tap. Tap.

He slowly approached the black wall. The hateful energy of evil contained in the eyes of the demonic creatures grew thicker as he walked. In particular, the ones with similar appearances to humans, the ‘demons,’ had exaggerated reactions. Although sound and smell couldn’t be conveyed through the black wall, Eugene could clearly sense the energy of the evil creatures.

It only implied that the same would be true vice-versa.

“Have these little insects gone mad?” Eugene muttered while unleashing the full might of his Fear.

Kwawaaahhhhhh!!!

An Origin’s Fear soared throughout Eugene’s entire figure, similar to a waterfall flowing backward. After a while, the overwhelming whirlwind of Fear swirled against the black wall as if threatening to break it into smithereens. Simultaneously, Eugene swept over the creatures on the other side with his crimson eyes.

The monsters, evil creatures, demons—everything that caught his eye began to run amok. More than half the creatures even fell on their stomachs as they crawled away.

“Cross over if you want to be destroyed, little insects,” Eugene said before withdrawing his Fear. Then, he turned around once more. However, the eyes of the evil creatures still remained fixated on the wall where Eugene was. Hate and hostility were no longer in their eyes—only fear and awe remained—except for a very few of them.

***

“I-incomprehensible. W-what do you mean, ‘demon world’?” Princess Lilisain asked with disbelief. The other elven knights also stared at Eugene with quivering, shocked eyes.

“Yes. Hell, the Demon World, whatever. It was a space where only monsters and demons existed,” Eugene answered.

“Kieeh! It must be the Demon World. There’s also the Spirit World where wonderful, good spirits like myself gather to lead our simple lives. It wouldn’t make sense if the Demon World didn't exist as well!” Mirian exclaimed.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the spirit. There was quite a bit to point out in her words, but it certainly made sense.

“In the end, the heart of the dungeon was a conduit between this world and their world. The monsters we encounter in an evil land are those that have crossed over from that world, and they were only those who had been defeated and killed,” Eugene explained.

“…!”

He then continued, “I don’t know if it’s only the case with the Tywin territory’s dungeon, but the monsters were resupplied about every hour. Between thirty to fifty monsters were crossing over through the passage once an hour.”

“I-isn’t that too many? That’s approximately one thousand monsters every day,” one of the elven knights commented.

Eugene turned his gaze toward the elf and answered, “I left them alone for a while as a test and watched them. Whenever they took on proper forms, they immediately fought among themselves, and the winners devoured the losers. Those who left the entrance intact couldn’t have been more than ten percent.”

“Ah…” The elven knights nodded as if they understood. After all, monsters followed the law of the jungle, just like beasts.

“In addition, the Demon World already has a food chain of monsters. Even if five or six monsters manage to settle in the evil land every hour, it’s not easy for them to fight and beat other monsters that have already adapted to the evil land’s environment. That’s how a similar number of monsters are maintained,” Eugene said.

Princess Lilisain chimed in, “And subjugations are carried out against most evil lands, anyway. Your Majesty is absolutely right.”

She then continued, “According to what Your Majesty has described, the black wall is a channel of evil and the crystalline form of evil. I believe it is crucial for us to either stop or destroy it as soon as possible.”

“I tried, but it didn’t work,” Eugene answered.

“What?” Princess Lilisain and the elven knights became wide-eyed. They were well aware of Eugene’s powers and strengths.

Eugene shrugged. “I tried it as a test, but it didn’t work.”

“H-how could that be…?” the elves muttered dejectedly.

Eugene looked disappointed as well.

“I think we need something other than just physical force to either seal or destroy it. We can look into that,” Eugene said. Naturally, Eugene had no obligation, nor did he have the need to do so.

‘Getting rid of all evil lands wouldn’t be good, would it?’

Elves might not understand, but refined mana stones and other materials obtained from monsters had long become a crucial part of everyday life for humans and other races. Of course, the disappearance of mana stones and other materials wouldn’t cause the extinction of life, but it would have a huge impact. For example, business regarding refined mana stones and monster by-products was already the foundation of the Dukedom of Maren.

So, what if everything disappeared overnight?

Half of the entire population would lose their jobs, and everything would devolve into chaos. In other words, the disappearance of evil lands could very well cause the collapse of civilization and society.

‘Huh?’

Eugene stopped himself. Artificially increasing the number of monsters and strengthening them would bring chaos to the world. On the other hand, destroying or closing evil lands would also cause chaos, if not more chaos than the previous scenario. But now, the former scenario was in progress, and only a few people knew the truth about the hearts of evil lands. If things continued this path and the number of monsters exponentially increased, many people would support the destruction of evil lands under the threat of monsters. Then, the latter scenario would take place.

‘…What a nutjob. No, should I say that they are amazing?’

Eugene could not help but admire them.

Moreover, he became convinced. Vampires were the epitome of slyness, and they were the only ones capable of making and executing such a crazy, creepy, vicious plan.

“Your Majesty?” Princess Lilisain called out.

Eugene gave up on his thoughts and raised his head.

“Let’s get this over with and return to Lord Tywin. And we should return all the evil lands in the dukedom to normal. That’s our priority.”

“Yes, as you wish, Your Majesty.”

The elven knights burned with fighting spirit. They were filled with fear of the newly discovered threat, but also a sense of struggle and mission knowing that they were the only ones capable of preparing for the future.

***

‘Why is he not coming out?’

Camara Tywin stared at the dungeon’s entrance with anxious eyes while biting his lips. Only two days had passed, but it was true that he held high expectations for Eugene. Considering the excellent results Eugene had shown in the past, Camara had been expecting a ridiculous outcome this time as well.

‘No, it’s only been two days. He will definitely come out soon.’

While both anxious and expectant, he took steps to return to his tent, which was located a little distance from the entrance.

It was then.

Rumble…

“M-my lord! It’s opening! It’s opening!” the soldiers roared excitedly. They had been as worried as Camara. Camara Tywin hurried back to the entrance and stared at the huge door while licking his lips.

“Oh! Ohh…!”

Soon, the entrance opened, and Eugene appeared with his knights.

“Your Majesty…” Camara started to run forward while calling out, then stopped.

‘Something’s… different?’

Eugene’s appearance had remained the same from when he entered. However, Camara intuitively felt that ‘something’ had changed about Eugene. It wasn’t just him either. The knights and soldiers of the territory also gazed at Eugene with anxious eyes.

“The dungeon is…”

Everyone jumped as Eugene spoke in a cold voice. The tone was unchanged from before, but the atmosphere surrounding his voice felt completely different.

“Completely subjugated…”

Ohhhhh…!!!

“Your Majesty…!” Camara called out.

“Let’s return to the castle before we talk about the details,” Eugene said.

“…!” Camara stopped himself. He had been in a hurry to ask a question.

He quickly bowed. “I will obey Your Majesty’s command.”

‘I’m certain. Something’s changed.’

Previously, Eugene subdued the others with the unique energy he emitted, but now, it felt natural to revere him. Camara couldn’t quite place his finger on what it was exactly, but he speculated that Eugene had gained a great power in the dungeon.

***

“The dungeon has returned to normal,” Eugene said.

“Do you mean that it should be fine to subjugate it as before?” Camara asked.

“That’s right. We have also blocked the passages built by the monsters to the outside world, so the problem with the roamers should be resolved as well,” Eugene continued.

“T-thank you…”

Truthfully, the dungeon still wasn’t that much of a problem for Camara. He had earned enough wealth to last several years even without having to subjugate the dungeon. However, the increase in number and the extreme aggression of the roamers in the territory were threatening. Camara had realized that it indicated the presence of other passages leading out from the dungeon, but he had considered it impossible to go around and locate the passages one by one. As such, the only realistic solution had been to locate the passages from inside the dungeon and block them, which Eugene had done.

“How could I ever repay this grace…?”

“Be loyal as a lord of the dukedom. That will do.”

“Of course…” Camara had long acknowledged the insurmountable gap between Eugene and himself. He bowed with all his heart. There was no need to worry about the interference and invasion of neighboring lords since he became a lord of the dukedom. As such, Camara welcomed Eugene’s order.

“And one more thing…” Eugene said.

“Yes. Go ahead,” Camara answered.

“The dukedom’s soldiers will be in charge of subsequent subjugations,” Eugene answered.

“…!”

Camara was taken aback and surprised, but for Eugene, the decision was a given. Like it or not, the world had already changed. From now on, battles between humans and monsters would be more frequent rather than disputes between territories and kingdoms. Moreover, the monsters would only grow stronger in the future.

Everyone would eventually have to familiarize and accustom themselves with the new world, and Eugene had to make sure that his army, the troops of the Dukedom of Maren, would be the first to do so.