Chapter 297

[Translator - Kie]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]

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Chapter 297: Obstacles (3)

***

"So, you're going to retreat, are you?"

Hela muttered under her breath, eavesdropping on the conversation between the Imperial Supreme Sword and the Lord of Eternal Flame.

Despite the vast distance between them, she could hear their words with perfect clarity. That was one of the benefits of being Grandmaster.

"With a hostage by his side, he will not fight. Eos still have a weak heart."

"Unfathomable. Why the weak heart? It's not the behavior of the strong."

The man standing beside Hela spoke. His head was as round as a balloon. It was as if he were carrying a solid mass of muscle on his shoulders.

"Lambda, it's no wonder you don't understand. You were born perfect."

"Then what about that man? Imperfect?"

"Yes, Imperfect. He was born strong but has the heart of a weakling. But don't underestimate him. Even I couldn't surpass his skills."

Though Hela appeared youthful, she was much older than the Imperial Supreme Sword.

However, he quickly caught up to her skills and was now much stronger than her. Truly befitting the title of heavenly genius.

That was why Hela envied the Imperial Supreme Sword. At the same time, she felt a possessive desire.

She wanted to get her hands on his head and toy with it.

“I can't wait to get my hands on that head.”

Hela muttered as she gazed at the Imperial Supreme Sword. Her eyes gleamed with greed.

Suddenly, a flame erupted from the void, and a man emerged from it.

“You're back, sweetheart.”

Hela greeted him warmly, but the Lord of Eternal Flame responded with displeasure.

"I told you to stop calling me that. I respect you as the head of Pandemonium, but I won't tolerate that."

"My dear, were you upset? I'm sorry."

The Lord of Eternal Flame glared at Hela with a terrifying expression. Then, he sighed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Enough. Dealing with you only gives me a headache."

"My Dear, you're so wise. You did well to hold back earlier. If you had fought there, our plans would have been severely disrupted."

"Plans, plans, plans! I'm sick of hearing it. Why are you so afraid of my elder brother? You're both Grandmasters!"

At The Lord of Eternal Flame’s question, Hela smiled and replied.

“My dear, the Imperial Supreme Sword is very powerful. Even I can't fathom it. To capture such a monster, one must plan thoroughly.”

“Are you intimidated by my brother?”

The Lord of Eternal Flames said with a hint of sarcasm.

But Hela wasn't particularly angry. She was too old to be offended by such childish provocations.

"My Dear, have you forgotten? This is Alfheim. If we fight the Imperial Supreme Sword here, the World Tree will do everything in its power to help him. Are you confident that you can defeat the World Tree's blessing?”

At Hela's question, the Lord of Eternal Flame fell silent.

As his head cooled, he realized how ridiculous he sounded.

"Let's go back for now. That guy is calling for us."ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels

"Don't call him so casually."

"That's up to me. Lambda, could you open the door?"

Lambda formed a triangle with both hands. A light emanating from the triangle created a rift in the dimension.

Among the Four Great Demon Kings created by Dorugo, only Lambda and Iota could move between dimensions.

Because of that, Lambda always had to be with Hela.

After all, Hela was Dorugo's most powerful ally.

"Then let's go in."

As the three of them passed through the dimensional portal, a vast and enormous cave appeared.

Inside the cave, countless dark mages were bustling.

They were carving magic circles into the stone floor with hammers and chisels.

The three of them headed towards the center of the magic circle. There, a large altar was placed.

On top of the altar, someone covered in a black robe was overseeing the work.

"Dorugo, I'm here."

At Hela's greeting, the person in the robe turned their gaze. Then, a skull-like head appeared.

"Hela, Leo... Where have you two been?"

"There was a small conflict. I almost ended up fighting the Imperial Supreme Sword."

At those words, Dorugo's eyes flickered.

"The Imperial Supreme Sword? I've emphasized several times that it's not the right time yet?"

"Don't worry. We didn't fight. Your plan won't be disrupted."

"Hela! Are you going to brush that off again? All I asked of you was to prevent any variables until the appointed day! And you couldn't even keep that small condition?"

"Dorugo, you should think before you speak."

The smile disappeared from Hela's face. The atmosphere changed completely.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm not your lackey. I'm only cooperating because I want something."

Her gentleness disappeared and a chilling killing intent swept through the air. The Lord of Eternal Flame standing beside her trembled in fear.

"You insolent woman! How dare you be so presumptuous!"

However, Dorugo was undeterred by Hela's killing intent and spat out his anger.

Dorugo said with an angry face. But Iota grinned and began to massage Dorugo's shoulders.

"Mother, why are you so angry? We just went to look around the island. And we also found some elves and had a snack."

Dorugo's expression softened slightly at Iota's massage. Dorugo said helplessly.

"...Next time, be sure to tell me where you're going."

"I'll keep that in mind!"

The Four Great Demon Kings were created using fragments of Dorugo's soul.

In a way, the Four Great Demon Kings were like children to Dorugo.

Therefore, Dorugo could only be weak to the Four Great Demon Kings, unlike his other subordinates.

"Theta, you should also keep that in mind... Your clothes are different from this morning?"

Theta flinched at Dorugo's question.

"...I changed because my clothes were torn during swordsmanship training."

"Is that so? Don't obsess over it too much. That's not your real strength."

"..."

"Why aren't you answering?"

"No, I will follow your words, Mother."

Theta replied briefly.

Her two eyes were filled with a rebellious light.

***

"...Did you just say 'half-elf'?"

Damien was so shocked that he instinctively asked for confirmation.

During his time as a Death Knight, Damien had frequently clashed with the Imperial Supreme Sword. Because of this, he knew a lot about him.

But hearing that the Imperial Supreme Sword was a half-elf was completely new to him. It was something he had never heard before.

"It's understandable that you wouldn't believe it. I didn’t inherit many of the traits typical of an elf. At best, my vision is a bit sharper, my senses are a little keener, and I recover quickly in the forest."

"Those seem like pretty important traits to have inherited."

When knights talk about elves, those three traits are the ones they envy the most.

Compared to human swordsmen, elves have superior vision, sharper senses, and are practically invincible in the forest.

"You could see it that way. But I didn’t inherit the most important trait."

"Are you talking about spirit magic?"

"You've guessed correctly."

For elves, spirits are an inseparable part of their lives.

They’re companions in life, the most trustworthy friends and the most powerful weapons.

The ways in which spirits can be utilized are countless, even outside of battle.

"And that’s true for my younger brother as well."

Now that he thought about it, the Lord of Eternal Flame had always been particularly obsessed with spirits.

In his past life, he even suffered a severe injury and lost half of his body while trying to forcibly subdue a spirit king.

It was likely that he was tormented by a sense of inferiority, unable to control spirits as a half-elf.

"Is that why, as a half-elf, you came to help Alfheim? And why is your brother in Pandemonium? Why does he harbor such hostility toward you?"

"That’s..."

He began to speak but then looked over at Alfheim.

"It’s about time we head back."

"What? But before that, could you answer—"

"We should hurry back. I have a bad feeling that something terrible will happen if we don’t."

The Imperial Supreme Sword strode toward Alfheim without another word. Damien clicked his tongue briefly.

"Let’s follow him."

Damien spoke to the elves. Then, Sincia turned to Damien and asked.

"What do you plan to do with those humans?"

She gestured toward the dark Knights and dark mages, including Bantadi.

Damien pointed a finger at Bantadi.

“Bantadi.”

“Oh... Lord called my name! Now I can die without regrets!”

“Shut up. I’m giving you an order. Stay around here and wait for further instructions.”

Even though he had arrived at the royal castle, his work wasn’t finished.

He still needed to kill Dorugo and drive out Pandemonium.

These people would be quite useful in the fight against Pandemonium. It would be a waste to kill them now.

“We will follow your orders!”

Bantadi responded loudly. After hearing his response, Damien entered the royal castle of Alfheim with the elves.

“Damien Haksen, this way.”

Following the Imperial Supreme Sword, Damien headed toward the most important place in Alfheim, the heart of the World Tree.

When they arrived, he saw a familiar face.

“Damien Haksen, we meet again.”

It was the elf he had met at the harbor.

***

[Translator - Kie]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]