Chapter 1300: Side - Transcendents
Side - Lucif, Wielder of Diabolos the Demon King Blade
Demon King Asmodeus was locked in battle with a massive fragment of the Evil God.
It seems the other armies are maintaining their fronts as promised. I had suspected a trap when the envoy from the North Conquest Duke arrived, but it appears he spoke the truth.
Who could have thought that Phyllius, Belioth, and the North Conquest Duke would form a united front like this? Well, the plan went awry right when we were about to start.
His schedule called for us to storm the capital city simultaneously once our preparations were completed. Except the capital was completely obliterated before we even arrived.
Moreover, the red metallic golem, presumably the trump card of Raydoss, had been pushed into a corner. Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m
As a result, the North Conquest Duke made a quick change of plans and charged in without us. At least him acting as a decoy allowed us to approach with greater ease.
「Hahaha! Been a while since I had such an entertaining foe! The restriction to avoid collateral damage isn’t half-bad either!」
Asmodeus laughed maniacally as he fought. He must hold back to avoid harming our forces, because I ordered him to do so.
As the Demon King who rules over hell, he has the authority to control his dungeon to some extent. Thus, I was able to evacuate Phyllius’s people into hell and protect them from the effects of the barrier.
Thankfully, dungeons exist in a space isolated from the surface world.
That said, Asmodeus himself is a very dangerous being. He views humans as nothing more than insects and would “accidentally” slaughter them with glee unless specifically forbidden from doing so.
What’s more, he has a charm ability powerful enough to force siblings or lovers to fight to the death.
There was one incident where a thoughtless wielder of Diabolos allowed him free reign over the battlefield. Then, the Demon King decided to turn it into a battle royale that ended in complete annihilation for both armies.
Consider how the most detested ability possessed by the Evil God Fragments is their power to dominate others and drive them insane.
What is so different between Asmodeus’s bewitching charm and the Evil God’s domination? If the Evil God is so vile, what does that make Asmodeus?
No, perhaps it is the Phyllius royal family that is truly the root of this evil. Asmodeus is the symbol of our darkness, as the power we obtained by sacrificing the saintess.
We needed to defend ourselves from our neighbors, to protect our country from hell, and to fulfill the request of the divine blacksmith. Any number of excuses can be made, but it doesn’t change the fact that we committed a grave sin.
So perhaps protecting our citizens is a form of atonement? We must maintain Diabolos to ensure the saintess was not sacrificed in vain? No matter what anyone says, it only sounds like the pitiful excuses of a criminal.
These same thoughts go through my head every time Asmodeus enters my view. The Demon King surely sees right through me, but he only ever wears on that same disgusting smile.
Wielders of Diabolos are chosen from among the descendants of the first wielder. Any son who can fuse with the artificial womb should be acceptable, but...
The divine sword sometimes chooses its wielder directly, as was the case with me. Factors such as mana similarity to the first wielder, or mana compatibility with the blade are often brought up, but I don’t buy it.
Asmodeus simply chooses based on his whims. He wants to laugh as the wielder of Diabolos struggles with their disgust at him. That is what drives him.
「Servants! Hand over your power!」
He’s begun absorbing mana from me as well as the other demons. Here it comes.
「Hahahaha! Drown in your worst nightmares! Final Lust!」
No, just a bit more...! All the mana is being drained from my body! Hang in there... Everyone else is risking their lives too!
「Shimmer of red, strike down my foe! Scarlet Breaker!」
Side - Dimitris the Immovable, Rank S Adventurer
Fuhahaha! Excellent! My fists can reach the Evil God! As long as I have my dragon ki, I can damage its flesh!
The dense cloud of evil energy kept weakening my body and mind, interfering with my muscles and ki. But that’s exactly the kind of thrill I was looking for!
I’ve been dying for this kind of uphill battle, against a powerful foe that shrugs off everything I can do!
Such a wonderful training experience will never come again!
「Nuh! Haaah!」
「Gyarah!」
「Everyone, follow me!」
The North Duke is pretty fired up too! He rallied his knights after cutting down a high-level fiend in a single swing. Such brilliant skills with the greatsword would be equivalent to Rank A in adventurer terms. I have no doubt he’s stronger than Neidhart or the Forrund boy.
Who could have thought such a warrior was hidden in the far north! My only concern is that his skills are specialized in slaying monsters, since he hardly ever fights people.
I suppose his family knew of the eventual revival of the Evil God Fragments and has been preparing diligently for generations. There’s no helping that.
「Fuhahahahahaha!」
「Gorwoooooh!」
「Gworaaaah!」
I continued crushing the fiends spawned by the Tear Gland, all while perfecting my control over ki. The fragment had been releasing pulses of a power similar to dragon ki, and its essence was getting engraved into my body.
My school of martial arts has dragon ki as the most advanced technique, but now I’ve started to grasp something deeper.
With this, I might be able to reach heights that I could never reach before! No, I will make it happen!
Watch the flow of the fragment’s power! Imitate it!
This is true enlightenment. The realm of gods. And with my abilities...
「Fuhahaha! So this is how it’s done! To think, at this age, I could climb another step on the staircase of martial prowess! You have my gratitude, now let me test it out on you!」
I channeled all the dragon ki flowing through my body into my fists. The explosion behind each punch would be enough to annihilate a dragon, and I delivered eight in a single instant.
「Nuoohhh! Eight Legions!」
Eight successive impacts shook the fragment’s massive body, tearing gaping holes into its flesh!
This is the ultimate killing technique I’ve been building up to throughout my entire life! God or not, none shall survive!
The assault of the Northern Knights and Red Knights had left a gap in fragment’s armor, and my strikes landed perfectly in that undefended spot!
「Fuhahahaha! It’s over!」