Chapter 286

Chapter 286

Ash felt uneasy. His mouth was so dry from how nervous he was.

The Seal of Contract was a connection to the demon world. It was the same as a contract with a spirit, so Ash knew that danger better than anybody else in the room.

The Seal was an appeal to an unspecified being. Not only was the contractor a kind of sacrifice, but they also needed to prepare specific items as offerings as well.

For example, for the elves’ contract with the fire spirit, they had to obtain flints from the Wolf’s Mountain. Of course, this wasn’t completely necessary, but without the offerings, no one could predict what would emerge from the ashes.

Whooo! Whooo!

“Urk—” Ash moaned softly as the wind raged.

Soon, ferocious demonic power filled the area. Even at first glance, the power that was filling the area was unnatural.

The sacrifice was him, a man who was only nominally a human, and his brilliant red spear was, even in the eyes of an elf like Ash, a rare artifact.

“If a Demon King really appears...” Ash mumbled. He clenched his teeth nervously. No matter how he thought about it, this wasn’t right.

‘I need to put an end to this.’

Ash didn't doubt Joshua, but the stakes were just too high.

This was the descent of a Demon King. This was no longer an issue restricted to the elven clan—it was possible the entirety of middle earth would be soaked in blood.

“Stop....”

“Is it here?” Joshua spoke in a low voice.

Ash’s eyes widened. He suddenly felt a massive presence. He had felt Asmodeus’s might firsthand, so he knew that what he was feeling right now was at least as strong as Asmodeus; no, it might be even stronger.

Kwaaaadik!

With an eerie sound, the very air around them suddenly began to freeze.

The Seal itself turned a forbidding crimson red. Something changed in the middle of the pattern.

‘It’s too late.’

Ash’s face became the picture of desperation.

In the middle of the raging demonic power, a being was slowly coming into existence. Fangs that glistened with an unknown substance, a sharp horn on its forehead, and covered in pink scales that gave it an elegant vibe...

“Huh?” Ash realized something was off and gaped dumbly at the sight.

He looked at the fully formed being in confusion.

Was this how a dragon would look if it were shrunk until it became miniature? It was a tiny pink-scaled monster, not quite one meter in length. It stretched its mouth as though yawning.

“Kyuu?”

“Oh my god—!”

Iceline’s eyes sparkled in that girlish way.

“Hoh... I know that brainless people are the noisiest, but this is seriously not funny,” Theta snarked irately. n0velUsb.c0M

“This is...”

Only Joshua's eyes were narrowed as he stared at the new addition to the group.

***

The sky was pitch-black. Not a trace of blue could be found, no matter how hard one looked. A red moon loomed overhead, shining brightly between the flashes of lightning.

A location like this didn't seem like it would exist anywhere else, nor would anybody ever imagine that it did. It was only normal to feel that way in such a situation. This was a place far from the continent of Igrant.

It was a world inhabited by monsters and demons, where the strong survive at the expense of the weak; it was the Demon Realm.

“Hahaha. Is this not a return of our past glory?”

At the edge of a cliff, a tall half-naked man laughed darkly. He had two horns protruding on the side of his head like a bull. He was a former Demon King, but now, he was merely a 32nd-ranked demon.

“Is your task done, Mr. Asmodeus?”

“Ahh. It’s still very early. The work is... very interesting.”

Asmodeus grinned in response to the inquiry from his red-skinned, bald-headed assistant, who also sported wings and horns. His assistant was a daemon.

“You seem to be in good spirits, sir.”

“How could I not be happy by the return of the greatest Battle Ghost in all of the Heavenly Demon Realm? Hehe...”

The other demon stared at Asmodeus blankly before speaking. “Sir? Then that means...”

“The Sole Darkness has appeared.”

“...!” The daemon’s eyes widened.

“I-is that— is that true?!”

“That’s right. I was unsure at first as well, but now... I’m certain.”

“In the... middle earth?”

Asmodeus nodded in response.

“I just came back from conversing with him. I personally oversaw the contract’s creation.”

The daemon was absolutely shocked by Asmodeus’s statement.

“But why...?” The demon grumbled worriedly. “Sir Asmodeus, if what you’re saying is true, then wouldn’t it be too dangerous? He is the original wielder of the Evil Sin’s power, and if he regained the power of ‘egotism’...”

Asmodeus shook his head firmly.

“That's impossible. As you’re aware, the Demon Kings can’t afford to meddle in the affairs of middle earth. “

“....”

“But then again... who knows what the Demonic Dragon of Lust will do.”

Asmodeus continued with a sly grin on his lips when the daemon remained silent.

“Besides, right now, he’s no different than being sealed inside a piece of metal.”

“If that’s the case, then why did you create the Seal of Contract?” the daemon enquired.

Asmodeus' grin widened.

“It’ll spread the news of his existence throughout the Demon Realm, won’t it?”

“...!” The daemon’s eyes grew big, it seemed like it realized something.

“Demon kings will jump out of hiding like their feet are on fire because of his reappearance. The more mistakes they make because of their impatience, the more intense the rivalry will become.”

“You mean...” The daemon trailed off.

Asmodeus raised a finger.

“Poison will be subdued by poison.”

“...!” The daemon’s jaw went slack.

“After staying in middle earth for a period of time, that was one of the most remarkable things that I’ve heard. I’m not wishing for complete destruction. But if just one of them, especially the one with the power of ‘Rage,’ shows even the slightest gap...”

There was a flicker of emotion in Asmodeus’s eyes for a moment.

“I will make my move”

***

“I just can’t seem to get used to that strange creature at all. I’ve heard and seen records of doppelgangers, but...”

Theta shook his head as he looked up into the air where the pink creature was flying around, going, “kyuu kyuu.”

The fact that Joshua, the concerned party, did not even react to it was astonishing.

“How about you? You were squealing earlier about how you were going to die from cuteness overload, so why are you silent now?”

Theta asked Iceline, but she remained silent.

“Iceline?”

He tilted his head in confusion at the silence, then he turned back to look at her.

He was dumbfounded.

She was bouncing up and down and looked absolutely silly with her mouth wide open. Her face turned pink and then pale, and then the cycle repeated itself. Her attention was squarely focused on one spot.

“Just what on earth are you...”

His eyes followed Iceline’s gaze; he froze.

There was another strange creature, a doppelganger that looked exactly like Joshua, approaching.

‘Two Joshuas!’

Despite Theta’s gaze burning into her, Iceline continued to stare and ‘fantasize.’

***

“Iceline.”

“I, I’m not mentally or emotionally prepared yet...”

The Joshua in her fantasy reached for her hand. It was only natural that Iceline’s face turned red.

Just then, she felt something hard behind her. Iceline’s pupils dilated. Another Joshua, who looked much like the one in front of her, pressed against her. She was trapped between two identical Joshuas.

Her soft body against hard muscles, the contrast of soft and hard... A moan escaped from her slightly parted pink lips.

***

“Ah, I don’t know what I’m thinking!” Iceline buried her face in her hands and collapsed to her knees.

Theta gave her a perplexed look and sighed. “What the hell is she thinking...”

“You said you’ve tried this Tower before, right?” Joshua suddenly asked him.

Theta turned to face him. Ahead of them was an iron door that led to the next level. Theta, being exceptionally perceptive, quickly grasped Joshua's meaning.

“The 30th floor is a strategic battle for a stronghold,” Theta responded. “Leave this one to me. I know an approach that, while time-consuming, will yield the desired results.”

Theta pushed against the heavy iron door.

Creeaaak.

The door opened with a horrible creaking sound, revealing the interior.

There was no need to explain the floor further. The magnificent castle they saw was quite obviously some distance away, and many beasts stood between them and their destination.

“I see; it’s a monster stronghold.”

“That’s not all. Hundreds of wyverns are watching with sharp eyes over there. The 30th floor is not hard for nothing. If I push myself, a day will be enough.”

“But what can you even accomplish with that body?” Iceline questioned Theta as she frowned.

Theta ignored her objection and kept talking to Joshua.

“As you can see, it’s not simply a stronghold. It's an iron fortress defended by monsters with human intellect. If you don't pay attention to the details, you'll never—”

“How simple.”

“...What?”

“Simply put, the 30th floor is cleared the moment we occupy the stronghold over there, right?”

Joshua smiled.

“....” Theta couldn’t say a word in reply.

“A simple yet devastating strategy for storming a fortress has been passed down through the ages.”

“What is it?” Iceline asked with a gleam in her eye. She had the utmost faith in Joshua.

“Human wave attack.”

“Human wave attack?” Iceline repeated, baffled.

Joshua glanced at her before turning to Theta.

“I can’t afford to lose a day here.”

“But...”

“10 minutes should be enough.”

“...!” Theta’s eyes widened.

Joshua slowly lowered his hand to the ground.

“Listen to my command.”

Craaaack.

With that one sentence, the ground split into two.