Chapter 333: Savior of Hell (4)

“So there really is something there.”

Henry waited for a little longer, but he couldn’t hear anything. It was a little disappointing because he had put quite a bit of thought into that gift, but of course, that hadn’t been his full strength.

Henry shrugged and finally stepped into the First District.

“Oh?”

Henry was only half a foot over the border, and yet he felt a very strong pressure on his toes. He smiled because he recognized the unique atmosphere of this district.

As he fully entered the foggy and hazy First District, that strong pressure weighed down on his entire body.

The scenery suddenly changed. His vision, which had previously been clouded by the violet haze of toxins, now turned pitch-black like the night. He also remembered this as one of the characteristics of this district.

Having crossed the border, Henry looked up. There was no moon or sun in the sky, just the darkness of space.

‘I’m in the right place.’

Henry cast a spell over his eyes. He wasn’t just enhancing his vision to be able to navigate to the pitch blackness. He used the same spell he had used in the past to defeat the Demon King.

Henry hadn’t used this spell since that one time decades ago, but he nevertheless remembered the exact formula.

Snap!

Henry snapped his fingers and activated the spell, which illuminated his surroundings as though he were in broad daylight.

Having gained vision, Henry spotted a massive, reddish lake in front of him.

‘A lake?

The vast lake in front of him had a dark, murky color, and Henry could tell that it wasn’t dirty water, but blood. The trails of blood from the Second District were flowing into this lake.

After realizing what he was looking at, Henry immediately sensed the pungent scent of blood.

‘How can there be so much blood...? This is the First District...’

This area was completely different from the rest of the forest. One of the differences was that not even the highest-ranking demonic beasts, which were at the top of the food chain in this forest, were found here.

Only the demon races with their own unique identities, who believed they were the chosen ones, could live here in the First District.

Many of those demon races that dwelled here were chosen to serve the new Demon King as top commanders-in-chief, such as the four heavenly guardians and the major general, upon his descent.

Henry frowned at the foul smell that stung his nose and looked around. However, all he could see was blood, just like in the Second District.

If this place really was empty just like the previous district, then where could his Chariot of Destruction have gone?

But just then...

Bubble, bubble, bubble...

The pool of blood in front of him was suddenly shimmering, its surface becoming frothy with bubbles. Eventually, a tiny whirlpool formed among the bubbles, its color similar to that of the lake.

The whirlpool was then spitting out a peculiar liquid that looked completely different from blood. It was black, sticky, and its scent was foul.

Henry looked at the sewage-like ooze and soon realized what it was.

‘Black Amniotic Fluid...?’

Black Amniotic Fluid was one of the worst signs that a new Demon King would appear, and it was currently gushing like a fountain from the lake of blood.

“What the...? Why all of a sudden?”

Henry didn’t understand why this was happening.

The black goo kept gushing and spreading across the lake at a terrifying rate as though it could consume all of it.

Soon, the lake was full of Black Amniotic Fluid.

Even though there was no wind, ripples could be seen on the surface of the lake. However, it was merely an optical illusion that resulted from the unique elasticity of the Black Amniotic Fluid.

Henry frowned even more as he looked at the now completely black lake, which had become even more foul-smelling.

‘Black Amniotic Fluid is one of the worst signs of a Demon King’s arrival, but now that the Messiah is dead, it should be impossible for a new Demon King to appear.’Yôur favorite stories at novelhall.com

Given that the Messiah who communed with the Demon God was dead, there wasn’t supposed to be a new Demon King for at least another few years.

However, the Black Amniotic Fluid was a clear warning that a new Demon King would soon rise. Seeing this foreboding sign, Henry decided to not wait any longer.

‘I must find the Demon Realm Gap.’

‘I guess this is as good as it’s going to get.’

Even though this was the strongest form of anti-gravity magic, the spell only managed to lessen the pressure by a bit.

Henry was disappointed to see that nothing had changed from the past. He was experiencing the same things he had back then.

In any case, Henry stepped forward, and as he did so, the pressure weighed down on him even more, but it was still bearable thanks to his spell.

Henry forced his eyes to stay wide open as he glared at that damned gap that was trying to crush him.He wasn’t afraid, and he continued to move forward.

With each step, the pressure intensified several more times, but Henry covered himself with a thicker layer of mana to reduce the pressure each time it increased in intensity.

Finally, just like in the past, Henry stood before the Demon Realm Gap.

Whoosh-!

At first, it seemed like the wind was pushing Henry ahead, but there was no wind in this forest. The Demon Realm Gap was sucking the air in.

Actually, Henry knew that the Demon Realm Gap wasn’t sucking only air, but also energy like his mana and life force.

It was the Demon Realm Gap that had consumed his Chariot of Destruction!

A tremendous pressure weighed down him, becoming almost unbearable, but Henry didn’t move in the slightest as he stood proudly in front of the gap.

Henry looked determined, staring at the gap as if trying to pierce it with his fierce gaze. He emitted a golden glow.

Up until this point, Henry had only emanated the usual emerald glow as he advanced through the forest. He hadn’t needed to use his divine power because his magic had been more than enough.

But this was different. He knew that he would repeat the mistakes of the past if he didn’t use his divine power from this point forward.

Thus, Henry decided to challenge the Demon Realm Gap again by using the power he didn’t have in the past.

He unleashed all of his divine power, and the pressure that had been crushing him miraculously vanished in an instant.

Henry smiled, for this was a good start.

With his body feeling lighter, Henry proceeded to recite the spell he had developed in the past to close the Demon Realm Gap, chanting runes that were very difficult to pronounce.

He didn’t know if this spell would work this time, but he felt confident for some reason.

Soon enough, Henry finished casting the spell, shooting out a beam of golden light, which was the size of his finger, from his hand.

The beam stretched out to the Demon Realm Gap, coiling around it like a snake. Then, like a thread hemming a piece of fabric, the beam slowly zigzagged around the gap.

Henry broke out in cold sweat.

Reaching the 8th-Circle had given him an ocean-like amount of mana, but even so, he felt dizzy from how much mana he had just spent.

Soon, the entire gap was covered by a golden thread, which shot out to Henry and hardened into what looked like a sturdy handle.

Henry placed both of his hands on the thread’s handle and prayed.

‘This time, please..!’

After becoming the god of magic, Henry had changed the way he prayed in dire circumstances. If before he would pray for some kind of divine intervention, he now only believed in himself.

Indeed, for someone who had ascended to divinity, this was the proper way of praying.

Along with his prayer, Henry pulled on the handle as hard as he could with both hands.

- Khaeeee!

An ear-piercing scream filled the air.

The Demon Realm Gap screamed in agony as though it was a living creature. The shrill scream was so deafening that Henry involuntarily covered his ears, which hurt like hell.

But just then...

Snap-!

The golden threads holding the gap together snapped. And through the gap, a massive hand, much larger than the one of a giant, grabbed Henry in one swift motion.

And then...

Crack!

With an eerie sound, the hand disappeared back into the Demon Realm Gap with Henry in its grasp.