TL/Editor: raei
Status: ongoing
Illustrations: none
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In the Abyss, the deepest part of the demon realm.
The deep voice knelt on one knee, head bowed, before the black palace at its very center.
There was a reason this being, one of the Four Great Demons, showed such extreme deference.
Their king resided within that palace.
Their king who had entered the Abyss's palace long ago for 'preparation' and never shown themselves since.
The deep voice had come today to report about the Archdemon of Jealousy Zeloth and the hero.
However-
"My King."
Despite repeated calls, no answer came from within the palace.
How many times had this happened now?
These calls going unanswered.
Sometimes the deep voice wondered:
Perhaps their king had no real interest in destroying this world and dyeing it with evil?
Perhaps the king had already abandoned them long ago?
Though they knew such thoughts were baseless speculation, anxiety still crept in whenever no response came.
"...Then I shall return another time."
Just as the deep voice finished these final words and turned to leave-
-So it has finally appeared.
A voice filled with strange anticipation flowed from within the palace.
* * *
"...do?"
Pride's eyes filled with question as he stood frozen with hand outstretched.
Time had definitely stopped for a moment.
"...What did you just do?"
Ogrit watched Zion, who was now standing, as he voiced this question.
Something felt wrong.
The Heat Heaven Armor covering his entire body.
The spirit horse he had been riding.
The divine sword glowing in his right hand.
All had vanished, leaving him standing bare.
Though his appearance suggested he had given up the fight, Ogrit felt more intense unease than ever before.
'Why...?'
Why did he feel such anxiety when he was the one who had unleashed his power?
A very strange situation.
But Ogrit shook off this unease.
In this world, none could defeat him except the King.
RUMBLE!
Massive soul power began gathering at Pride's fingertip pointing at Zion's heart, converting into demonic energy.
"I'll end this in one..."
Just as these cold words began leaving Ogrit's lips-
SPLAT!
Without warning.
Without any power manifesting.
As if it were simply meant to be.
Pride's entire raised arm vanished.
His gathered demonic energy scattered, losing its focus point.
"...Huh?"
As this idiotic question left Ogrit's lips, still unable to process what had happened- CRASH!
His vision twisted with a tremendous impact.
Pride's form plowed endlessly inward, completely shattering one of the remaining rocky mountains.
"What is this!!"
Only after being driven almost to the mountain's core did Pride finally grasp the situation, warping the entire surrounding space to shake off Zion's hand gripping his head.
Apparently deeming this insufficient, tens of thousands of spectral knights appeared around him, driving their spears toward Zion.
Then Zion slightly raised his other hand that wasn't gripping Pride's head and gently clenched it.
In that moment-
ROAR!
The flying spears and the spectral knights wielding them all vanished completely.
As Pride's eyes widened at this incomprehensible sight- BOOM!
Consecutive Black Star shockwaves erupted from Zion's hand still gripping his head.
Pride's form began plunging endlessly downward through the ground.
"Kuh... AAAAAH!"
Only after permanently sacrificing some of his souls did Ogrit finally break free, desperately creating distance from Zion.
His body was completely mangled from that brief clash.
Though Pride normally despised even a speck of dust on his body, he had no luxury to care about such things now.
"I'll crush you in an instant!"
RUMBLE!
Pride's eyes also trembled uncontrollably as he faced Zion.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
He couldn't regain his senses.
The continuous transcendent strikes and his complete inability to properly react or defend against them.
'We clearly possess the same status!'
During battle, Ogrit had realized Prince Zion before him held the same demigod status as himself.
Though he couldn't understand how Zion possessed such power, nothing else could explain the current situation.
But even so, questions remained.
There shouldn't be such an overwhelming difference between equal demigods.
'Then why...!'
Unlike ordinary combat, battles between beings who had transcended the cycle of reincarnation and fate were decided by clashes between their symbolic qualities and concepts.
Ogrit's qualities were pride and collective.
Yet his authority manifested from these qualities was being torn apart like paper by Zion Agnes's mere gestures.
'That level of authority means he's already...'
Divine status.
It wouldn't be wrong to call it that.
Just what was happening?
Nothing made sense.
Even stranger was how that ominous darkness Zion Agnes wielded felt somehow familiar.
Despite never having seen it before.
But Ogrit could think no further.
CRASH!
His regeneration, already consuming souls, couldn't keep up with his body's rate of destruction.
If the battle continued like this, his defeat was certain.
'I cannot...!'
He absolutely could not allow that.
ROAR!
Something like transparent mist began endlessly pouring from Pride's entire body as he permanently consumed hundreds of thousands of souls to create an opening.
They were souls.
No, masses of souls.
Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands...
The souls of his people who had devoted their lives to him when he was king.
RUMBLE!
Finally, as half the souls within Pride emerged, they began forming an infinite spectral army beyond counting.
A sea of specters stretching beyond sight to the horizon.
The watching people's mouths fell open unconsciously at this scene that transcended even the word overwhelming.
Pride turned to Zion with a satisfied expression as he viewed this sight and his army.
"Now what will you do, descendant of Agnes? Can you handle an army of this scale?"
Even a demigod couldn't possibly handle ten million souls alone.
This was therefore Pride's full battle formation.
The Archdemon smiled at Zion as if shaking off his earlier sense of defeat and despair.
His spectral army slowly began moving in response to his will.
Then-
"Those words."
Zion, who had been quietly observing the army, grinned back at Ogrit.
"I should be saying them to you."
Whether the opponent's numbers were hundreds of thousands or even more.
That wasn't particularly important to Zion.
He could simply cut them all down.
But now he didn't even need to do that.
Just as millions of troops had served him in his past as Emperor-
Armies that served him existed in this era too.
"...What?"
As if Pride's question were a signal-
RUMBLE!
A new army began appearing beyond Ogrit's forces.
The Five Great Military Units, called the empire's strongest armies.
That was their identity.
And as if that weren't the end-
SCREECH!
With bone-chilling cries, the Evil Hand army led by the Witch of a Thousand Killings appeared from the opposite direction, followed by the Border Corps.
ROAR!
Moreover, countless monsters began gradually revealing their outlines from the north.
This was the monster army led by Horrible.
Then-
"Your Highness Zion."
Border Corps Commander Girard walked forward from the perfectly assembled armies and bowed his head.
"Your armies have arrived, Your Highness."
With his words, all the armies began paying respect to their ruler.