CH 411

Excavation of remains, the meeting of the Demon Kings, and Dragorin hunting… A series of events occurred before I could finish studying Mana.

As a result, I was promoted one level to rank five in the Doom hierarchy, obtained the bone ring, and raised my Power figure to over five hundred. My Power Resistance increased to sixty percent when I wore both Ra’s Sun Cape and the bone ring. I could expect higher figures if my trait Passion, which was reinforced by the Man Who Overcomes Adversity, reached Level 8 or higher, but…

As expected, multiple methods were needed to become stronger all at once. First, I needed to study Mana and used it as a foundation to increase my Power figure. I had to reach a level where I could handle it freely of my will.

Second, I had to unlock the unique power of Doom Entegasto’s ‘King of the Dead’ and the ability possessed by Half of the Great Red’s Heart contained in the bone ring. Third, I needed to continue retrieving the remaining powers from the old War of New Devil.

The problem was Lunea. Ever since it had entered the world of Demon Kings as the messenger of Doom Kaos, it had been trying to restrict my actions. Well…it wasn’t physical pressure, but of course, it was definitely sending messages on behalf of Doom Kaos.

[I will tell you again. I respect that you have defeated two Dragorins, but you might ruin the overall command. It was fortunate that it was Blue and Green. Attacking the Red Dragorin without understanding the queen’s true nature could have been very dangerous. Don’t ask me why because I, Lunea, don’t know. Just accept what I’m telling you. That’s not hard. 

It was the same now, too. Although I wanted to snap at it that I would have avoided the battle if Dragorin Red was among the two I had discovered, the conversation between us was all one-sided.

[By the way, how long will you stay on the mainland? It has already been a day. Haven’t you rested enough? (•́д•̀) Lazy… Ah! I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that out loud, oopsy! It is just a mistake as I’m not used to this way of communication. You understand, right?]

It was a psychological attack. I wasn’t pissed even when the widespread protests took place, but my face unconsciously stiffened when the messages from Lunea came in.

After placing my Life Vessel inside Orca, Yeon-Hee entered as she had returned from doing some personal things. She had changed out of business attire to more comfortable clothes.

She said to my hardened face, “You are still worried about the protests, right? You don’t need to hold back in front of me.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s because of Lunea.”

When I briefly explained the situation, her expression became serious as well. However, she couldn’t provide a solution. Just as Jonathan was carrying out my will, Lunea was delivering Doom Kaos’s will through its own impertinent interpretation. I could remove Lunea to stop it, but then, another execution would take place in the meeting of Dooms.

I couldn’t approach Lunea like I did with Caso.

“I think…umm. It would be better not to delay Doom… Kaos’s orders any longer. I will help you up to that point.”

Even before Yeon-Hee suggested the idea, I was already planning to do that. As long as I was under Doom Kaos, I couldn’t test its patience. The fact that Doom Entegasto had executed Insectum had implications for me as well. I had to hide my claws until I had the power to confront them.

I shifted my gaze toward the tablet PC. The program used by the association’s integrated situation room was running, and the monitor was displaying a world map of Saint Dragorin that was made based on the Awakened’s information.

The Greenwood Continent was where creatures that resembled us were living, and the Elsland Continent was the habitat of the elves and the stronghold of the Lacryma Order. In addition, the Seven Demon Kings’ lands, also known as the Continent of Death, where orcs and dwarves lived, were stretched out across the sea.

When Yeon-Hee touched the Greenwood Continent, the map zoomed in and showed the occupied areas in red. A phrase [Greenwood Occupation Rate: 9.2%] appeared on the top.

“You are looking for the priest who received the direct appointment from the Queen of Elsland, right?”

Yeon-Hee was carefully observing the surroundings of the Lacryma Altar. They were marked with the locations of the Holy Knight families, the estimated positions of each dungeon, and other key points based on the information gathered by the Awakened.

“The command comes with a clue. Although it is a malicious order that makes me kill the Queen of Elsland if she is deemed ‘The Great,’ Doom Kaos believes that she is not ‘The Great.’ In order to approach her safely, we would need to find the priests who have directly received appointments from the queen. If we want to take a more aggressive approach, then we should find an elf slave who had lived in the court of Elsland.”

Then, I scrolled down and zoomed into the castle in Elsland.

It was different from the Greenwood Continent, which was densely marked with dozens of symbols. There was very little known information. Moreover, the most noticeable point was that not a single dungeon led directly into Elsland. I had suspected that the Old One’s protection would be strong in Elsland ever since the situation room program was completed.

I told Yeon-Hee to move a bit away from me and tested my theory out immediately.

[You have activated Gate Formation.]

The destination was the southern part of Elsland, which was the furthest away I could go from the castle.

The space had to be torn open, creating a black void. However, it stopped with a slight movement in the air.

[Time left until Gate Formation: 6 days 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]

[* The power of the Old One pervading Elsland is interfering with the activation.]

As expected…

[Warning: Among the Holy Knights of Elsland, someone has detected the Gate Formation. Keep this in mind when entering.]

The options disappeared, and now I had no choice but to find the priest who was directly appointed by the queen within Greenwood. Then, the problem was deciding where to create the Gate, and I decided that it would be best to support the central part of Greenwood, where the Awakened were fighting.

Only the Barien Empire was under our control. Whether the armies of the countries around the empire were running away or continuing to advance to reclaim the empire’s land, there were numerous battles for the Awakened to fight.

By defeating them and devouring the Kingdom of Atres, another powerful nation in the central region, it would be safe to say that we had conquered the central part of the Greenwood Continent. What would happen after occupying the central region? From then on, we would be ready to advance in any direction.

[You have canceled Gate Formation.]

I picked up the phone and called Lee Tae-Han to ask if there were any corps of the surrounding countries of the Barien Empire that were moving with the Lacryma denomination.

***

It was night there too. The time the gate opened and closed was so short that no one noticed us entering. The sight of the front was reflected in Yeon-Hee’s calm eyes. The neighboring nation of the Barien Empire’s corpses were billeted in the vast plains.

As Lee Tae-Han had mentioned, we could find the flags of the Lacryma alongside the nations’ flags. In addition, it appeared that the Awakened were watching them nearby, as drones were hidden in the night sky. Yeon-Hee had been looking forward, but she then followed my gaze toward the sky and shifted back at me.

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

She asked while being conscious of the drone, “I don’t think we need to call it?”

No one here besides us was aware of the drone.

[* Storage box]

[Xi Wangmu's Ten Thousand-Year-Old Spider has been removed.]

A huge figure with red eyes appeared, looking down at us. Yeon-Hee looked up at the spider with the same gaze she had when she had seen the strengthened Orca, then put the Kciphos down on the ground.

When I nodded, Yeon-Hee pulled out the Clown’s Dagger and wrapped it around her hand. However, it was Kciphos, who had been quietly nestled in Yeon-Hee’s arms, who rushed towards the altar before us. It quickly changed like a Holy Knight awakening as a Dragorin. It drew a trajectory with its red, madness-filled eyes, and the spider hid its trace underground.

Yeon-Hee and I exchanged looks and headed in the opposite direction. The screams that burst out from the Kciphos and the vibrations caused by the movement of the spider underground broke the silence of the night at once. A crackling noise came from the entire area. Right then, magical spheres, which illuminated the night like daylight, soared up.

“K…Kciphos- It’s Kciphos!”

The Demon King, whom they had been talking about, had appeared in person.

[You have used Odin’s Ethereal Animal.]

I flew into the sky, scattering sparks. Then, I turned toward what I assumed to be the commander’s tent. There were no attacks on me until I entered the barrack as I burned the roof.

Neither Yeon-Hee nor I enjoyed the smell of blood like the Kciphos did. They were just enemies, and I was always willing to stop if they showed their willingness to submit and their intention to join my human corps.

There were priests and wizards, but none of their projectiles and magic spells matched the speed at which I flew to the tent. All sorts of noise began to mix from the distance. The sound of Yeon-Hee’s dagger slicing through the wind, the Kciphos stamping on the ground, and the spider spewing flames. Of course, countless screams accompanied them.

Also, in front of me… Saaaak-

The commander confronted me right after arming himself, only to have his throat cut and his fragile barrier shattered like glass. At the moment when I collected the spoils from him, the entire barracks had been burned down.

Although I was titled as ‘Demon King,’ I wanted them to realize that I wasn’t an evil being that thirsted for blood like they had imagined. I threw spoils at the feet of another individual who was in a leadership position. In my mind, my intentions had been made clear.

However, it was true that one commander’s spoils wouldn’t make the entire corps kneel. There were magic spells rushing toward me, and I heard the sound of them calling more soldiers and knights.

Out-of-control phenomena began to fly toward me. Transcendental beings could only be confronted by their similar kinds. If they couldn’t prepare countermeasures, then begging for mercy to spare their lives was a wiser choice. It was time to teach them the obvious fact.

[You have used Devi’s Sword.]

I manipulated it such that it collected all their necks and jumped into them. I would be soaked in blood again, but I was used to it.

Right then, Lunea’s message appeared before my eyes. Ugh… again…

[Wow, I have been waiting for your return. I, Lunea, feel rewarded for my hard work.]

I get it, so shut the fuck up.

Just as I didn’t test the patience of Doom Kaos, it would better not test mine. I was so ready to break into its mainland and kill every single creature there.

[But do you know that? I forgot to tell you earlier, but I can’t delay it any longer. I collected the first volume of the Book of Death back then. If you allow me, then I will use it very well. You took my light, so it’s fair, right?]

The emotions that surged up made my vision blurry.

[Our master also wishes that. Then I will take it as permission and gratefully accept it~ ٩(๑☉ᴗ☉)۶ ]

This motherfucker is….really crazy.

[Surely you are not angry. Anyway, as a token of gratitude, I will tell you what I have learned so far. I was debating whether or not to teach you this, but alright. I, Lunea, always repay what I receive. Listen carefully, Doom Man. I think some of the Old One’s soldiers…have succeeded in infiltrating your mainland.]