Chapter 343

Chapter 343

"Gasp... Gasp..."

Mason was walking.

His body half-dragged itself, leaking blood through the gaping wounds.

Gurgle...

His upper body, almost fatally injured, was still attempting to regenerate. However, the injuries were too severe for an easy recovery.

"Damn... This is tough as hell..."

Under normal circumstances, his injuries would have been fatal.

But the beastification serum he had taken twice before kept him in this world.

The serum granted him regenerative powers and vitality that exceeded human limits, forcibly healing his injuries and keeping him alive.

After taking a subterfuge pill tucked into his molar, feigning death, and seizing a moment when the guards were lax, he managed to escape.

And so, he arrived

At the dungeon beneath the darkened lake, a source of evil from which monsters poured forth. The Lake Kingdom.

"Haah, Kuh..."

But he had reached his limit.

Though he had managed to arrive at his mission objective, his injuries were too severe. Mason collapsed, unable to walk any further.

Holding his intestines in place through the gaping wounds with trembling hands, Mason searched his pockets.

From his blood-soaked fingers, he pulled out a syringe filled with a blue liquid.

It was his last dose of beastification serum.

Getting shot up twice in one day is insane enough, but three times...

But what choice did he have?

He had come this far, and he was already past the point of no return.

"Ugh!"

Mason jammed the syringe into his neck.

Whoosh!

The serum rapidly flowed into his system, its effects manifesting instantly.

Creak, creeeeak...!

His muscles twisted, his limbs bulked up, and his wounds healed simultaneously.

"Kuh, Ah, Aaaaah...!"

A moment later, when the transformation had completed, what remained was no longer anything resembling a humana hybrid beast.

The serum itself was a synthetic blend of various species, so its ultimate effect resulted in a form close to a chimera.

"At this rate, its not a beast..."Visitt novelbin(.)co/m for the latest updates

Looking down at his grotesquely elongated claws, Mason clicked his tongue.

"...Its more like a monster."

Though his body had healed, his consciousness had become hazy.

Everything felt foggy, unclear. Yet Mason, gnawing on his own tongue, somehow managed to get up.

- Retrieve the Demon King.

That was the mission given to him by his master, Fernandez.

He remembered just that.

Mason was not a man of loyalty, and he didnt necessarily agree with Fernandezs ideals. However.

- Those who gather here in this special unit are those who can only offer their souls to achieve their goals.

Just as he had told Lucas.

The price for his damned soul had to be paid.

"This way... theres already a trap set up..."

Muttering to himself, Mason moved his feet. His legs, now reversed at the joints, struggled to step forward.

Into the darkness.

Deeper into the darkness.

Towards the deepest darkness, where the Demon King resided.

For the fate of the empire, and for the future of all mankind.

***

The very heart of the Lake Kingdom.

Here stood a towering, pitch-black spire emanating darkness like a mistthe Kings Castle.

Gatekeeper demons maintained a constant vigil here, and one by one, the commanders of the Nightmare Legion arrived.

The council in front of the King.

A meeting presided over by the Demon King himself, a council of the rulers of the hell beneath the Lake Kingdom.

Creak!

Entry proceeded in order of rank, from the lowest first.

The first to enter was the Nightmare Legion Commander, ranked 10th, the Goblin God-King Kali-Alexander.

He was exceptionally tall for a goblin, but when compared to a normal human, his physique was clearly diminutive. He wore a leather armor wrapped around his body, a golden cape, and a helmet on his head.

As the gatekeepers saluted in unison, Cromwell, satisfied with her subordinates discipline, strode in with the click-clacking of her high heels.

"Lets do well today, kids. Understand?"

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

After the demonic legions General disappeared within, all that was left was to await the arrival of the last one.

The faces of the gatekeepers were tense as they waited for the final commander of the Nightmare Legion. And soon, he revealed himself.

Thud. Thud.

Dressed in a refined black and white suit, with long black hair carelessly falling over his shoulders

And eyes that shone like golden dragon orbs.

He assumed a human form, but his essence was that of a dragon.

Ranked first the Black Dragon Night Bringer. (TL Note: I debated between calling him Night Bringar and this. Decided to go with this)

His impassive face blatantly conveyed his boredom with the world as he sauntered through the royal path into the Kings Castle.

The gatekeepers, as they had done with previous commanders, tried to greet him, but found themselves speechless.

"..."

"..."

They were choked up by the overwhelming presence exuded by the Dragon King.

Not giving a damn about whether the gatekeepers greeted him or not, the Black Dragon ambled into the Kings Castle and vanished from sight.

As he disappeared, the gatekeepers collectively exhaled in relief.

"His aura is truly on another level every time we see him..."

"Isnt it disrespectful to even categorize him with the other commanders? What criteria does our King use?"

Murmurings among the gatekeepers soon ceased altogether.

Their commander Cromwell, the commander of the demonic guardians, was peeking through the gate.

She let out a disapproving noise, and the gatekeepers immediately snapped to attention.

"Do it right, you slackers. Understand?"

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

"Just try letting Nameless break through the main gate like before and tarnish my reputation. Ill kill all of you."

A cold sweat trickled down the spines of the gatekeepers.

This was a different kind of sweat, one born from the tension of an actual, looming threat.

Cromwell, revealing her fangs, mimed slitting her throat with her finger before disappearing with the click-clacking of her high heels.

The demonic gatekeepers stood their ground without flinching.

After all, this was a routine they had performed ad nauseam over the past several centuries.

***

Kings Castle. Royal Reality.

Once again seated upon his throne, toying with the pieces on a chessboard, the Shadow King the King of all monsters greeted his subordinates with pleasure as they assembled.

"Welcome, my Nightmares."

The Demon King scanned the commanders seated at the table with his eyes and clicked his tongue.

"Unfortunately, our numbers have decreased."

Ranked 9th, Lunared.

Ranked 6th, Orlop.

Ranked 5th, Celendion.

Three Nightmare Legion commanders had fallen, all at the hands of a single human.

The seven remaining Nightmare Legion commanders all knew the name of their adversary.

Ash

The opponent to the Demon King, and the guardian of the human world they were tasked with annihilating.

"Lets cut to the chase. The next Great Offensive is soon."

The Demon King, crossing his legs and interlocking his fingers, spoke in a relaxed tone.

"And this time, we must utterly destroy the humans."

"..."

"Ive pondered quite a while on who would be trustworthy enough to handle this task."

The commanders of the Nightmare Legion quickly exchanged glances.

The Demon King would entrust the annihilation of humans to who?

That would be...

Obviously me, right?

...They all had the same thought.

"The one who will participate in this grand operation is..."

The Demon King slowly raised his hand, sweeping it across the assembled monstrous kings seated at the table,

"You."

He pointed his fingertip at one among them, singling them out.