Chapter 400

The aerial battle taking place over the Northwood Plains was likewise turning into a chaotic melee. Countless wyverns were intercepted and sent plummeting, but the heroes’ losses were no small matter either. More than anything, what tormented the heroes was the Dispel that Berkis kept deploying. Among the heroes who lost their Phantom Steeds to the Dispels he cast whenever he found an opening, casualties mounted one after another.

Damon and the four Death Knights unleashed attack after attack, but Berkis, who was superior from the outset in terms of flight, dodged this way and that while concentrating solely on intercepting the heroes. It seemed the creature had decided to annihilate the heroes first.

“Damn it. If only Russellant were still alive…”

But Russellant was no longer in this world. The wyverns’ numbers were decreasing at a geometric rate, but the heroes were being consumed in proportion. Most of all, the fact that Berkis remained unharmed placed the greatest burden on the heroes. Urgency showed on Damon’s face.

“He still has the liches left. At this rate, we can’t be sure of victory.”

At present, even if they faced him head-on, they could not dare be confident of winning. That was because Berkis had the ability to erase Phantom Steeds with a single gesture. Since Berkis had been actively fleeing, no proper close engagement had occurred so far, but if they fought head-on, no one knew how the battle would unfold. For that reason, Damon decided to gamble.

“It’s impossible to catch up to Berkis with Phantom Steeds. But if it’s Dark Shades…”

Damon concentrated his mind and drew up the power of darkness. Because he had been using it as lavishly as water all this time, there was not much dark mana gathered in his dantian. Still, he thought he could summon one or two Dark Shades.

“Grand Prelate. I leave the Death Knights to you.”

After entrusting the rest to Shrekheimer, Damon devoted all his strength to summoning Dark Shades. The more he concentrated, the deeper the dark energy surrounding Damon’s body became.

Dark Shades. They were villains of the Demon Realm whose terrifying combat power had long since made them objects of fear to humans. Damon had already summoned two Dark Shades in the Arne territory before. However, even the infamous Dark Shades were of little use against a dragon. With a single gesture from a dragon, they would be forcibly returned.

It was the greatest weakness, so to speak, of demonic beasts summoned from the Demon Realm. But Damon had no other choice, so he had no choice but to summon Dark Shades. At present, the only things capable of matching Berkis’s speed were Dark Shades.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa.

As magic power gathered, a bizarre magic circle appeared in midair. It was a magic circle that summoned Dark Shades of the Demon Realm into the human world. At the same time, an immense energy of darkness was scattered into the air. Of course, there was no way Berkis would fail to notice the sign.

“Hmph. The best you could come up with was summoning demonic beasts?”

Berkis snorted and rearranged his mana without delay. It was magic that would forcibly return any summoned demonic beast that approached him. A moment later, space opened and a pitch-black demonic beast revealed itself.

“Only a Dark Shade?”

A sneer appeared on Berkis’s face. No matter how formidable a Dark Shade might be, from Berkis’s perspective it was no particular threat. Lightly avoiding the Death Knights approaching from both sides, Berkis sharply increased his speed and closed in on Damon.

Because his speed was so great, the Death Knights riding Phantom Steeds could not catch up to Berkis in time. Beside Damon, four Dark Shades were already floating leisurely, their sharp claws gleaming. Perhaps daunted by the fact that they had to fight a dragon, they looked completely frozen stiff. As if there was no need to think about it, Berkis chanted a forced-return spell toward the Dark Shades.

“Return whence you came. Huh?”

Berkis’s eyes flew wide open. Despite his chanting the forced-return spell, the Dark Shades had not disappeared. As if entirely unaffected, the Dark Shades were leisurely flapping their wings.

“What is going on?”

A triumphant smile appeared at the corner of Damon’s mouth.

“Hehehe. There’s no way a forced-return art would work on clones created with Qimen Dunjia.”

The Dark Shades Damon had summoned in the first place were not those. They were clones created through Qimen Dunjia, a technique of the Central Plains. The real Dark Shades were positioned somewhere beyond the reach of the magic’s influence. Damon cast the technique repeatedly and increased the number of Dark Shades. By any means necessary, he had to make it so Berkis could not distinguish the real ones. From four to eight, from eight to sixteen. The number of Dark Shades grew geometrically.

“Mirror Image?”

Tilting his head, Berkis cast Dispel this time. The Dark Shades, already increased to countless numbers, were flying toward him. Something felt suspicious, but against the unfamiliar techniques of another world, that was all he could do.

“As expected.”

Just as expected, Dispel did not work. Enraged, Berkis unleashed direct attacks. The many energy bolts he fired targeted the Dark Shades.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa.

At least three or four were struck, but the energy bolts passed through the Dark Shades as if passing through clouds. Bewilderment appeared around Berkis’s eyes.

“What sort of magic is this? Illusions with no substance whatsoever…”

While he hesitated, the Dark Shades, which had multiplied into several dozen, had already approached close. Not only that, the Death Knights riding Phantom Steeds had also pressed in to within striking distance.

“You fly-like pests.”

Frowning, Berkis spun his body around and deployed Dispel. With a pop, the Phantom Steeds vanished, and the Death Knights once again found themselves flailing their arms and legs as they fell. Shrekheimer, who had been watching, immediately attempted a summons. But as he rearranged his mana, Shrekheimer failed to summon the Phantom Steeds.

“Gah!”

At the energy bolts that flew in at just the right moment, Shrekheimer fled in a panic, and the Death Knights had no choice but to plummet endlessly from high in the sky.

“It will take time to summon them again.”

Wearing a triumphant smile, Berkis deployed a wide-area lightning spell. It was a lightning spell, the exclusive domain of Blue Dragons, but thanks to Berkis’s outstanding magical ability, the mana was rearranged without difficulty.

Pajijijik.

Dozens of strands of lightning shot down from the sky and swept over the Dark Shades. The Dark Shades had already increased to several dozen and were surrounding Berkis without a gap. The lightning attacks passed fruitlessly through most of the Dark Shades, but not through one. A Dark Shade approaching Berkis’s wing was struck by the lightning and screamed.

Kyaaaak!

“So you were the real one.”

Along with that cold shout, an enormous wave of energy pierced through the Dark Shade.

Puh-puk.

The Dark Shade’s body scattered in vain, unbecoming of its notoriety. It had been annihilated in a single blow. At the same time, half the Dark Shades that had filled the air disappeared. Berkis was startled.

“There was another one.”

Just as he was about to deploy lightning magic again, a sharp pain came from the base of his right wing. When he turned his head, he saw a Dark Shade clinging tightly to his wing.

“A worthless demonic beast like you…”

The Dark Shade that had clawed his wing was blown apart in midair by the enraged Berkis’s attack. However, Dark Shades were demonic beasts that secreted a powerful neurotoxin from their claws. Feeling his wing grow numb and tingle, Berkis clicked his tongue.

“Tch. This is the limit, then.”

When he looked around, the battlefield was gradually being settled. The wyvern corps had been almost completely annihilated, and the corps of heroes had also suffered tremendous losses. The Death Knights were once again soaring into the sky on the Phantom Steeds Shrekheimer had barely managed to summon for them.

Once they arrived, the situation would be cleanly concluded. Since his wing was paralyzed, he could no longer evade the Death Knights. Yet not the slightest trace of dismay could be found on Berkis’s face.

“Has the time finally ripened?”

After checking the plan in his head one more time, Berkis folded his wings just like that. The massive body of the Red Dragon was hurtling downward, plunging toward the ground as if shot from the sky.

Dark Mage Volume 15… let’s dive~~ in.

The Path of the Demon King

- The Demonic Dragon’s Aim

- The Battle in the World of Spirits

- The Saintess’s Choice

- The Resurrection of the Great Demon King

- The Marvelous Use of the Sevenfold Forbidden Severing Art

- Neidelhark’s True Power

- Breaking Through the Wall of the Profound Realm

- The Path of the Demon King

- Author’s Note

1. The Demonic Dragon’s Aim

Berkis was plunging toward the ground with terrifying momentum.

The wind pressure emitted by the massive body of the Red Dragon was truly enormous. Several knights, riding Phantom Steeds, closed in on Berkis, but not a single one achieved his goal. With the relatively slow Phantom Steeds, they could not catch up to a Red Dragon accelerating as it fell.

Even so, the knights did not give up and pursued Berkis. The wyvern corps had already been exterminated without a single survivor, and the only enemy remaining was Berkis. Thus, in the knights’ eyes, the resolve to kill the peerless demonic dragon Berkis at this chance flashed fiercely.

“I will make him pay the debt he owes our comrades.”

Berkis fell as if he would crash straight into the earth. However, when the ground drew near, he spread his wings wide.

Kuaaaang!

Berkis’s enormous body surged sharply upward. He had been barely a meter above the ground, close enough that his belly nearly touched the earth.

Because of that, the knights who had been charging fiercely toward the point of impact were forced to come up empty-handed without exception…

Having avoided the collision by a hair’s breadth and flown back up, Berkis lowered his altitude again.

When he reached a point barely ten meters above the ground, he flapped his wings and fixed his body in place. It was a height at which, even if the knights on the ground threw their swords, he could block or evade them without difficulty.

However. It was also unquestionably the most suitable height for the knights diving down on Phantom Steeds to attack him.

“You cannot escape.”

Having confirmed their target, the knights rushed in, each trying to be first. If they could just kill Berkis, every threat would disappear, and so the knights too were desperate.

Though the situation was overwhelmingly unfavorable, a sneer instead appeared at the corner of Berkis’s mouth.

“Now it is time to deliver the final attack.”

Along with that sardonic utterance, mana was fiercely rearranged. It seemed he intended to deploy his final magic using the mana he had gathered while falling.

As it was his final attack, there was no doubt it would be powerful beyond measure.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa.

With Berkis’s body as the axis, fearsome waves of mana spread outward. The waves were so powerful that even the knights, ignorant of mana rearrangement, could feel them.

“Th-this is?”

Damon’s face darkened as he read the process of the mana’s rearrangement. Without even needing to think, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

“E-everyone, take refuge close to the ground! A Mass Dispel is about to be unleashed!”

Mass Dispel. It was a high-ranking spell that cast Dispel over a wide area, one Berkis had used several times until now.

However, the Mass Dispel about to be unleashed this time was incomparably more threatening than the previous ones. Most of the mages were extremely exhausted from repeatedly summoning Phantom Steeds, and the range of the Dispel was also far wider than before.

Moreover, because their altitude was not particularly high, it was even more dangerous. Most of the knights were flying not very far above the ground. If they fell, it was more than high enough to break their necks. Because of that, the knights would plummet to the ground without even a chance to switch to another Phantom Steed.

Damon ground his teeth.

“So he means to be vicious to the very end?”

After roaring, Damon immediately gathered mana. If the Mass Dispel was unleashed at the right time, an unimaginable tragedy was certain to occur.

He had to prepare some countermeasure before then, no matter what. But Damon had no other method. All he could do was summon as many Phantom Steeds as possible and save the knights.

Hearing Damon’s warning shout, the knights abandoned their attack on Berkis and began to descend. However, the Mass Dispel was completed before they could reach safety.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

An immense cluster of light erupted with Verkis’s body as its axis. Everywhere the light touched, it shattered the flow of mana without exception. Once the flow of mana was broken, magic could no longer manifest.

The Phantom Steeds that had been racing through the air with knights on their backs vanished on the spot with a muffled pop. As if they had been a lie.

“Gah!”

“Th-this is…”

The bodies of the knights who had lost their Phantom Steeds began to plummet helplessly. The ashen-faced knights looked around in every direction, but not a single Phantom Steed could be found for them to transfer to.

The air was filled only with knights falling after losing their mounts. Their despairing gazes turned toward the mages on the ground. But the mages, too, were steeped in helplessness. They were utterly exhausted, and with the flow of mana shattered as well, they could not cast magic easily.

A few mages above the 7th Circle barely managed to summon Phantom Steeds, but the number was far too small to carry all the knights.

In the end, most of the knights fell headfirst toward the earth, utterly defenseless. Dull impacts rang out one after another. It was the sound of human bodies striking the ground. Then came the screams of their final moments.

“Aaaaargh!”

The knights who had been flying at comparatively low altitudes were rather fortunate. They could pass off their misfortune with a single broken arm or leg. But the rest of the knights could hardly hope for such luck.

Humans were, by nature, a race that lived upon the ground. No matter how skilled a knight might be with the sword, he could not fall from a great height and remain unharmed.

Soon, a tragedy unfolded there that one could not bear to watch with open eyes. The knights who died instantly with broken necks could be considered relatively fortunate. All around, countless knights lay with their necks twisted or their entire bodies crushed, trembling in the throes of extreme pain. From the start, there had been no chance that they would survive.

The wretched state of their comrades brought a grief beyond words to the knights on the ground. And with it came hatred for the peerless demonic dragon who had caused this.

“You son of a bitch.”

Damon ground his teeth. With a single Mass Dispel, countless knights had been lost in vain; there was no way his anger would not surge. The damage was truly enormous. The Phantom Steeds that the mages, led by Damon, had barely managed to summon numbered only a little over ten. The remaining knights had plummeted helplessly to the ground.

With a heavy expression, Damon looked down below. On the ground, the corpses of knights who had fallen from high in the air and died were strewn about in disorder. Among them, Death Knights in pitch-black armor were staggering to their feet.

The one consolation was that the members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps were safe. The two Phantom Steeds that Shrekheimer had barely summoned were safely lowering the troops to the earth. Seeing that, Damon let out a long sigh.

“At least that is a relief.”

At the decisive moment, Damon had abandoned the Death Knights. As undead, they could be restored later, but humans could not. For that reason, the six Death Knights had not been assigned Phantom Steeds and had been forced to fall helplessly.

Mounted on the Phantom Steed he had summoned, Damon had summoned Phantom Steeds one after another and sent them flying toward the falling knights. The first to be saved was Krovitz.

As if displaying his outstanding skill, he lightly caught hold of the Phantom Steed that flew toward him and mounted it, then headed for the ground without looking back.

“Th-thank you, Damon.”

Krovitz jumped down from the Phantom Steed and bowed his head in gratitude. His face, which had been ashen, only returned to normal after his feet touched the ground.

But only for a moment. When he saw the gruesome corpses of his subordinates scattered everywhere, Krovitz was seized by an indescribable rage. They had been masters of the sword who could never be trained easily. Having lost such brave men so absurdly, it was impossible not to be overcome by emptiness.

The warriors who had barely escaped with their lives landed one after another beside Krovitz. The expressions on their faces were not much different from his.

“We… we’re alive.”

After watching the last warrior descend upon the earth, Damon immediately drew up his dark mana. Now was the time to devote all his strength to dealing with Verkis. His eyes were blazing with fury.

“You vile… I will put an end to your accursed life without fail.”

Though little dark mana remained after summoning Dark Shade, it was enough to restore the Death Knights’ vitality. As dark mana was infused into them, chilling Death Blades rose from the Death Knights’ swords.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

As if there were no need to think, they launched themselves toward Verkis. Meanwhile, Damon hurriedly rearranged his mana. It was to dispel the levitation magic that was keeping Verkis’s body afloat in the air. If he could scatter that magic, the enraged Death Knights would hack Verkis’s body apart without mercy.

Perhaps because he had exhausted all his mana deploying Mass Dispel, Verkis showed no meaningful resistance. Realizing his condition, Damon hastily unleashed Magic Interference.

“Wait…”

At the moment of life and death, Verkis suddenly raised a hand. But Damon did not even pretend to listen.

He could not show an opening to the sharp-minded Verkis. If he gave him even the slightest chance, it would return as a terrible calamity.

Through their fierce battle thus far, Damon had come to feel that truth in his bones. The Magic Interference was ultimately completed, and the levitation magic that had been holding Verkis’s body in the air vanished without a trace.

Bang!

As Verkis slowly descended, the enraged knights swarmed around him like bees. They were ready to drive dozens of longswords into him the moment Verkis came within close range.

Damon watched Verkis’s every movement with glittering eyes.

“This time, I will end your life for certain.”

But Damon had forgotten one thing. He had been so immersed in the close battle that his thoughts had not reached that far. At Verkis’s words, Damon froze like a stone statue.

“It seems you do not wish to save the Saintess.”

In the end, Damon stopped moving. Verkis was an existence that held a weakness over Damon that he could never ignore.

“If you do not release the Magic Interference, you will never see her again.”

The hand he had extended forward trembled, but the conflict did not last long. Damon let out a sigh and dispersed the rearranged mana.

Pop.

Verkis’s falling body stopped descending. It was a height at which the knights’ attacks could not reach.

But a height of about five meters was no obstacle to the Four Great Knights. As if there were no need to think, they bent their bodies and prepared to leap. However, Damon shook his head and restrained them.

“Wait.”

“As expected, your mind works quickly.”

With a triumphant smile, Verkis raised his hand and pointed behind him. It was precisely the place where the Temple of Verhazel stood.

“Would you like to see the hostage?”

Damon’s eyes widened as he instinctively looked that way.

“Da… Daphne.”

There, a being Damon could never forget was looking this way with sorrowful eyes. As if he had completely forgotten Verkis’s presence, Damon stared blankly in that direction.

A tragic girl who had been born in the body of a Saintess, but had been captured by a dragon and forced to remain stone for five hundred years.

Daphne was now gazing endlessly at Damon, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears. Her petal-like lips parted, and a frail voice slipped out.

“Ah… Mister.”

“Daphne.”

Though he repeated her name again and again, Damon could not easily approach Daphne. That was because a gigantic steel giant was grasping her slender body.

The crystallization of the golem technology created by Verkis. The Iron Golem that had destroyed the Bone Dragon Russellunt was gripping Daphne tightly.

The Iron Golem possessed tremendous strength. If it put even the slightest force into its hand, Daphne’s frail body would surely be crushed. Knowing that, Damon could not act rashly.

Verkis’s mocking voice reached his ears.

“If you rearrange even the slightest bit of mana, the Saintess will become a heap of bone and flesh mixed together.”

Grind.

He ground his teeth again and again in unbearable rage, but there was nothing he could do. Daphne was the driving force that had allowed Damon to continue living until now. He could not stand by and watch her die before his eyes. Feeling the strength drain from him, Damon let his arms hang helplessly.

“Grrr…”

Verkis’s gaze now turned toward the Death Knights and the knights. They had their swords gripped tight, forming an encirclement from which there was no escape.

“Have them withdraw as well.”

Damon nodded powerlessly. After making the Death Knights retreat, he looked at Krovitz with an empty gaze.

“Captain Krovitz, I earnestly ask this of you. Please have your men withdraw.”

Krovitz looked back and forth between Damon and Verkis with eyes that seemed to burn. If he followed his heart, he wanted to charge in and hack Verkis’s body apart without mercy. How many of his subordinates had died because of this peerless demonic dragon?

But from Krovitz’s position, he could not act rashly. The most important thing in defeating Verkis was Damon’s aid. Moreover, had Krovitz himself not barely survived thanks to him? In the end, he raised his hand with a reluctant expression.

“We withdraw.”

Though their faces were filled with discontent, the knights silently obeyed the command. Once the knights had retreated beyond a certain distance, Verkis slowly folded his wings. The feet of the gigantic Red Dragon planted themselves firmly upon the earth.

Thud.

A strange standoff began, with several dozen knights surrounding the enormous Red Dragon. The first to speak was Verkis.

“Human lives are stubborn indeed. To think that, after fighting so hard, there are still about fifty of you left.”

At those words, sparks could not help but fly from the knights’ eyes. Verkis was speaking of the bloody battle that had taken the lives of so many of their comrades as though it had been some simple game.

Damon, watching him, spat out a single sentence.

“What is it you want?”

Verkis’s gaze slowly turned toward Damon. But Damon continued speaking without concern.

“I want to know what you’re scheming. If you had fought with all your strength, you could have driven me well enough into a corner.”

Damon glared sharply at Verkis.

“But you did not. While you dealt with me and the Death Knights halfheartedly, you showed an obsession bordering on persistence only when it came to killing the warriors. Just what scheme are you plotting here?”

A fishy smile rose to Verkis’s lips. He had the face of a dragon, yet his expression was astonishingly human.

“How foolish… A conspiracy is only established when it does not reveal itself on the surface. I’m sorry, but I don’t feel the need to tell you.”

“Then what do you intend to demand from me in exchange for the Saintess’s life? My life?”

Verkis slowly shook his head.

“Demanding your life would be too harsh. And a bit too petty…”

Damon felt something surge up from deep within his chest.

“Even without that, you are already more than vile and petty enough. So stop wasting words and state your demands.”

“You have a shorter temper than I expected.”

As though he found the situation before him exceedingly pleasant, Verkis smiled and slowly turned his body.

“If you want to hear my terms, follow me.”

“Follow… you?”

“That’s right.”

Verkis nodded and raised a hand to point at the gathered knights.

“But those hangers-on must wait here. Of course, that applies to those undying wraiths as well.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then all you will obtain are the crushed remains of the Saintess.”

Damon laughed, the muscles of his face twitching.

“Heh heh. So you mean to lure me away and deal with me quietly?”

“Does that matter? In any case, if you want the Saintess handed over intact, follow me.”

As if he had no intention of arguing any further, Verkis moved forward coldly.

Thud, thud.

The direction he was walking was toward the wall of the temple. Damon hesitated for a moment, then finally made his decision.

“Do not go.”

“It must be a trap.”

The voices of the Kasim Mercenary Corps members trying to stop him reached his ears, but Damon paid them no heed.

“You all wait here. In any case, this was my affair from the beginning.”

Watching Damon walk after Verkis, the men stamped their feet in frustration. They wanted nothing more than to follow him, but there was nothing they could do. The iron golem clutching the saintess was glaring at them, and they could not recklessly take a step forward. All they could do was stare helplessly at Damon’s retreating back.

Verkis walked close to where the temple’s wall stood. Damon followed behind him without a word. Though most of it had collapsed, some sections still retained the shape of a wall.

Before it stood a giant iron golem, motionless like a stone statue. Of course, Daphne was held in the golem’s hand. Verkis approached and looked at her face.

“Now it is time to bring this to an end.”

“.......”

Daphne looked at Verkis, her large eyes filled with fear.

“Do not worry too much. At least you will be able to have your wish fulfilled.”

After gazing at Daphne’s face for a while, Verkis turned around. There stood Damon, his eyes blazing. An ambiguous smile appeared at the corner of Verkis’s mouth.

“Has the time come for the two of us to have a quiet conversation?”

Damon said nothing, only glared at Verkis’s face. Verkis continued, unconcerned.

“I will at least give you time to reunite with the saintess. I have no leisure to understand the hearts of insects, but you have more than enough qualification for that. In other words, take it to mean that I do not see you as an ordinary human.”

Damon still did not answer. His reaction seemed to say he had no desire to be acknowledged by the likes of him. He slowly turned his head and looked at Daphne.

“It has been a long time, Daphne.”

Perhaps because he was conscious of Verkis, there was little change in his expression, but the voice that slipped through his lips was infinitely gentle. Whether from overwhelming emotion or not, his body was trembling faintly.

“U-Uncle. Sob, sob…”

In the end, Daphne could not hold back and burst into tears. It was because of the loneliness of being left behind in the world alone. Those she had known had vanished from the world long ago, and only she remained. No matter that she was a saintess with the Mind’s Eye, she was still nothing more than a young girl, and this was undoubtedly a trial difficult for her to overcome easily.

There was only one person who remembered her. Only Damon remained to speak to her, and because of that, she was able to soften her sorrow, if only slightly.

Watching Daphne continue to sob, Damon felt his heart grow heavy.

“Daphne.”

If he could, he wanted to go to her, wrap his arms around her shoulders, and comfort her, but that was impossible from the start. All he could do was helplessly watch Daphne weep.

A moment later, as if hardening his resolve, Damon turned his head and looked at Verkis.

“How about stating your demands now?”

A strange light appeared around Verkis’s eyes.

“If you wish, I can give you more time. You have not seen each other for five hundred years, so do you not have much to say?”

But at Damon’s next words, Verkis was left utterly speechless.

“I intend to speak with her after I dispose of you.”

“What remarkable confidence. You seem to think you can leave this place alive?”

Shaking his head, Verkis composed his expression and looked at Damon.

“There is one thing I want to ask.”

“Speak.”

Verkis raised his hand and pointed at the Four Great Knights standing in attendance.

“Did you use Nidelhark’s Sealing Orb to summon those things?”

“........”

“Those Death Knights are powerful to a degree that cannot be understood by common sense. In other words, unless it was Nidelhark’s true demonic power, Death Knights of that level could not have been created.”

“Must I answer that question?”

“Of course.”

Hearing that, Damon slowly nodded.

“That’s right. That was the very reason I removed Incresia in the first place.”

“So it was as expected. Then where is Nidelhark’s Sealing Orb? Did you store it inside Incresia?”

The corner of Damon’s mouth curled up strangely.

“Don’t you think you have too many questions? How about we stop with this pointless chatter and get to the point?”

“It is something I must know before stating my demands. So answer the question.”

He seemed unwilling to back down until he heard the answer. Judging that he had no choice, Damon slowly stretched out his hand and pointed to his lower abdomen.

“The Sealing Orb is here.”

“Inside your body, you mean?”

“That’s right.”

At the answer, astonishment was plain on Verkis’s face.

“To draw out magical power while holding the Sealing Orb within your body… That is by no means an easy feat.”

“I have no desire to hear praise from the likes of you.”

Damon shot back coldly, but Verkis paid it no mind. He had already fallen deep into thought.

A moment later, a delighted smile rose to Verkis’s lips.

‘This is even better. If the Sealing Orb is inside his body, then the resurrected Nidelhark will be able to seize his body all the more easily…’

Verkis’s aim was none other than the resurrection of the Great Demon King.

The Great Demon King Nidelhark, who had led the army of darkness during the Dark War and inflicted tremendous damage upon humanity. He possessed power more than sufficient to destroy mankind. The third force Verkis had decided to use was none other than the Great Demon King Nidelhark.

Because of his continuing thoughts, Verkis’s mind was turning busily.

During the Dark War, Nidelhark suffered a crushing defeat in the final battle due to Arcadia’s support. Having lost all the forces under his command and been forced to retreat, he fled into the Pelusia Mountains together with the few remaining confidants he had left. His plan was to procure soldiers of darkness from the monster burial grounds beyond the mountain range and dream of rising once again.

Unfortunately, however, Nidelhark could not realize his ambitions. Having decided they could no longer stand by and watch the Demon King wreak havoc, the dragons led by the Dragon Lord Kranus launched a surprise attack on him.

Having lost all his subordinates and exhausted even his magical power, Nidelhark was no match for them. In the end, he was captured by the dragons. Then he was sealed within an orb, becoming unable even to return to the Demon Realm.

Recalling that time, Verkis’s body trembled faintly.

‘Nidelhark’s power is strong. So strong that two dragons died in the process of capturing him… If the sealing spell placed on Nidelhark is undone, he will be more than capable of destroying humanity.’

The dragon who had personally sealed Nidelhark back then was none other than Verkis. Recognized for his magical skill, which surpassed even that of the Lord Kranus, he had enjoyed the honor of sealing the Great Demon King. Verkis’s seal was perfect, and Nidelhark ultimately had no choice but to fall into a sleep from which he could never awaken, trapped within the orb.

Yet now, Verkis harbored the intention of freeing Nidelhark, whom he had personally sealed with his own hands.

‘If he is released from the seal, the first thing Nidelhark will do is seize that man’s flesh. Since he is a black magician, he can never resist Nidelhark.’

What Verkis desired was a second Dark War. All of Truvenia was already plunged into the crucible of war, and every day passed in incomparable chaos. There were no better conditions than these for the Great Demon King Nidelhark to begin moving.

‘While humans and orcs fight each other in a frenzy, Nidelhark will be able to raise an army of darkness without difficulty. If that happens, the situation will become quite a sight to behold.’

Of course, there was no guarantee that Verkis would be able to preserve his life even if Nidelhark awakened. Nidelhark surely bore a grudge against the dragons no less than Damon did. Moreover, was Verkis not the very one who had personally sealed him?

Verkis let out a long sigh.

‘But as things stand, there is nothing else to be done. Do I not have no other choice? Besides, Nidelhark also knows well that if the dragons join forces, even the Great Demon King cannot withstand them. Thus, he will not be able to touch me recklessly either.’

As his thoughts continued, a sullen voice reached his ears.

“What the hell are you doing? Are you playing games with me right now?”

It was Damon’s voice, brimming with rising anger. Since Verkis had shown no intention of stating his demands and had only sunk into thought, there was no way he would not be furious.

Coming abruptly back to his senses, Verkis looked at Damon.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. My demands did not come to mind easily, you see.”

“You damned lizard bastard.”

A harsh curse burst out, but Verkis paid it no mind. After all, Damon was an existence who would soon have everything stolen by the Great Demon King and be extinguished, so he intended to show as much magnanimity as possible. Having organized his thoughts, Verkis quietly opened his mouth.

“I will now state my demand. Whether you accept it or not, it will be realized.”

“Stop dragging it out and say it.”

“My demand is to cast a single spell on you.”

Upon hearing the condition Verkis put forth, Damon’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you planning to use mental magic and brainwash me?”

“Do you need to know?”

“It is an important matter to me. I would rather die than become your puppet.”

At the sight of Damon confronting him with a grave expression, Verkis slowly shook his head.

“For now, no. Of course, I cannot rule out the possibility, but at present, I have no intention of using mental magic.”

“Is that true?”

“It is.”

Hearing the answer, Damon fell into thought. What scheme could Verkis possibly have in making such a proposal? But the answer was something only Verkis himself would know.

And Damon did not take Verkis’s words at face value. Now that he had been driven into a corner, no one knew what decision Verkis might make. It depended solely on the decision of the person in question. Moreover, Verkis was a dragon fully capable of lying in order to achieve his goals.

‘He will undoubtedly use mental magic. That is the only path for him to escape this predicament.’

If Damon were caught by mental magic, the ripple effect would be beyond imagination. Depending on the situation, the Four Great Death Knights, the overwhelming military force he possessed, might move according to Verkis’s intentions.

If he fell under mental magic, he could never disobey Verkis’s orders. The Death Knights, in turn, could not disobey his orders. Because of that, Damon had prepared a certain countermeasure against Verkis’s mental magic.

‘There is no guarantee that the countermeasure I have thought of will succeed. But I will not be taken down easily.’

While Damon was lost in thought, Verkis finally began to manifest his magic.

“I will now cast the spell on you.”

“Do as you please.”

Contrary to his seemingly calm words, Damon was tense to the utmost as he waited for Verkis to unfold his magic. As the blue flash arising from Verkis’s hand slowly approached, beads of sweat flowed down Damon’s forehead without him even realizing it.

Verkis, who was casting the spell, was also in a state of extreme tension. First of all, undoing the seal was not at all simple. Since it had bound the Great Demon King for five hundred years, the level of the seal was unimaginably high, and for that reason, there was no way releasing it would be easy.

But Verkis carefully attended to it and began undoing the seal in sequence. Because Damon offered no resistance whatsoever, the work proceeded relatively smoothly.

‘In a few minutes, the Great Demon King Nidelhark will be revived.’

Nodding unconsciously, Verkis at last entered the final stage of undoing the seal. But the instant he came into contact with the final seal, Verkis’s eyes flew open as though they would tear apart.

“Wh-what?”

Something utterly unexpected was waiting for Verkis.

‘The final seal has already been undone?’

So great was his shock that Verkis froze on the spot. The final seal he had poured his heart and soul into creating no longer remained even as a trace.

Berkis had never even imagined things would turn out this way, and for a moment he could not easily regain his composure. But the situation was what it was, and he soon gathered his wits and began assessing the circumstances.

‘Judging by the situation, the seal was destroyed from the inside. In other words, Naidelhark dismantled it with the pure power of his true self. But Naidelhark has not left his body. The overflowing mana I sense from him proves that Naidelhark still remains within him.’

After turning the matter over in his mind, Berkis at last realized what Naidelhark was aiming for.

The Great Demon King Naidelhark was undoubtedly waiting for the most perfect moment to manifest in the human world. Though he could seize Damon’s mind and body at any time, the Great Demon King was waiting so that he might manifest at the decisive instant.

Upon realizing the truth, a wry smile rose to Berkis’s lips.

‘You’ve grown quite clever. You’re nothing like you were five hundred years ago, when you tried to push through with force alone. Are you waiting for the most suitable time to manifest?’

Since he had broken the final seal through his own power, Naidelhark could manifest whenever he wished. Because of that, Berkis could clearly grasp what he himself had to do. The plan had gone slightly awry, but he was still optimistic about the outcome.

‘Heh heh. If you’re waiting for the right moment to step forward, I’ll make this simple. I’ll create that moment for you. If I attempt to seize control with mental magic, you won’t be able to keep hiding any longer.’

Without further thought, Berkis rearranged his mana. He intended to take control of Damon through mental magic. Though he knew that some strange power was protecting Damon’s mental world, if he used his full strength, it was not something he could not break through.

Since there was no one nearby who could interfere, Berkis intended to use this opportunity to shatter Damon’s mental world without fail.

‘If I brainwash Damon, you will lose the body you were to possess. Then you will have no choice but to manifest.’

Having completed all preparations, Berkis immediately cast his mental magic. A bluish light formed in his hand and shot in a straight line toward Damon’s face.

Fwoooosh!

Due to this unforeseen turn of events, Berkis ended up casting mental magic on Damon. But Damon did not simply let it happen. At first glance, he seemed to be suffering it defenselessly, but he had prepared his own countermeasure. Feeling the strange energy wrap around his head, Damon clenched his molars.

‘As expected, he’s using mental magic. I don’t know whether I can escape it, but I won’t take it lying down. No—if my thoughts are exactly right, I may be able to break through this situation more easily than expected.’

While preparing his countermeasure, Damon silently focused his mind.

Mental magic. It was a true Tenth Circle spell, one that manipulated the target’s mental world and turned them into the caster’s loyal hands and feet.

Of course, if the target was a low-intelligence lesser monster, brainwashing was possible even with lower-circle magic. The fact that a Fourth Circle user could command a lesser monster as a minion through a familiar contract proved as much.

But that was not true mental magic. Mental magic was something that could be used on beings of human level or higher, creatures with intelligence capable of independent thought.

Until now, not a single human had ever reached the level where they could use mental magic on another human being. Even Damon himself could not dare attempt it. For that reason, mental magic had long been regarded as the exclusive domain of dragons.

The reason mental magic had taken its place as a Tenth Circle spell, surpassing other spells with far greater destructive power, lay in the difficulty of its process.

When mental magic was cast, the practitioner used the spell’s power to tear down the wall surrounding the target’s mental world. After that, they created a passage directly connecting the two spirits, and the most important factor in accomplishing this was the practitioner’s mental strength. Unless one possessed mental strength at least several times greater than that of the one being subjected to the spell, one could neither collapse the other’s mental world nor properly create the passage.

From that perspective, dragons could be said to be the creatures most suited to casting mental magic. After all, no human could possibly withstand a dragon’s mental strength.

However, even after collapsing the opponent’s mental world and creating a passage, mental magic was not immediately realized. Only by using that invisible passage to draw out all of the target’s memories, tampering with them, and then injecting them back in could mental magic be brought into effect.

Kasimov, the vice-captain of the Krosen Knights who had assisted Berkis when he murdered Kranus, had also been brainwashed through that very process. Because of the difficulty of that process, even dragons could not cast mental magic on many humans at the same time.

‘I must brainwash this one with particular care.’

Having finished his preparations, Berkis began attacking Damon’s mental world without hesitation. In the current situation, the most important thing was first to destroy the wall surrounding Damon’s mental world.

The wall of the mental world thickened in proportion to willpower. As such, Damon, who had endured countless hardships, was certain to have an incomparably thick wall, and even for Berkis, it was no easy task.

Above all, Damon possessed a strange energy whose identity even Berkis had not been able to uncover. That very energy was defending Damon’s mental world from collapse, and for that reason, Berkis had failed to brainwash Damon in Feldrian. Only once the wall was brought down could he create a passage connecting their spirits.

‘I cannot repeat the same mistake.’

Because of that experience, Berkis attacked Damon’s mental world with even greater persistence. Berkis’s vast mental power was burrowing into Damon’s mental world without hindrance.

2. The Battle in the World of Spirits

When the Kasim Mercenary Corps saw the blue energy extending from Berkis’s hand cover Damon’s head, their hearts burned with anxiety. The situation left them no room for doubt.

“There’s no mistake. That bastard Berkis is trying to brainwash Damon.”

They wanted to charge in at once, but the position they were in was far from simple. An iron golem, clutching the Saintess in one hand, stood between them and watched their every move in detail.

But Krovitz’s thoughts were quite different from those of the Kasim Mercenary Corps. If Damon ended up brainwashed, the most troublesome enemy of all would be born, and so he had no choice but to harden his heart. In any case, the Saintess’s life or death was none of his concern.

Having made up his mind, Krovitz gripped his sword and gave the knights a look.

“Everyone, prepare to attack. If we do not bring him down now, we will never have another chance.”

But there was no way the Kasim mercenaries would obediently follow that order.

Kasim stepped forward.

“We cannot. If we move, the Saintess will die at once. She is someone more precious than life itself to Damon.”

With a troubled expression, Krovitz shook his head.

“There is no helping it. If we stand by and watch, this situation will surely spiral in an uncontrollable direction. As I see it, Damon has no hope at all. If we cannot eliminate Berkis now, it will be impossible forevermore.”

“Even so, we cannot abandon his woman.”

“Of course I do not wish to do this either. But we can hesitate no longer. I will atone to Damon with my life in the future.”

Quietly turning away from Kasim, Krovitz was about to give the order to attack. But before the command could fall, the Death Knights and Shrekheimer flew in like the wind and blocked the way. To them, Damon’s safety was more important than anything else.

“Damn it.”

Krovitz’s strength drained away. Knowing the Death Knights’ abilities, he could not easily give the order to attack.

As he watched blankly, the members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps walked over one by one and took their positions behind the Death Knights. Mitchell drew his sword with a resolute expression.

“We believe in Damon. So please wait just a little longer.”

“There is no time to wait. If even Damon is brainwashed, the fate of humanity cannot be guaranteed.”

With a lonely expression, Kasim shook his head. He too acknowledged that Krovitz’s judgment was correct, but he simply could not abandon Damon.

“We are comrades who have agreed to share life and death. We can never allow anything that would harm him.”

Seeing the look in his eyes, Krovitz realized it was useless to try to persuade Kasim. Moreover, suppressing them by force would be just as difficult. The knights he currently had numbered only around fifty at most, and most of them were injured. With that level of strength, he had no confidence in breaking through the mighty four Death Knights.

Yet he could not simply stand by and watch Damon be brainwashed, so he looked at Heinrich with pleading eyes. Krovitz’s intention was to have those outside the encirclement attack Berkis.

But Gerald and Heinrich quietly shook their heads as if to say they could not do so.

“We are sorry, Commander. We are still members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps.”

Though those words left him deeply disheartened, Krovitz still had no desire to blame the two of them. He knew better than anyone what the comradeship of the Kasim Mercenary Corps was like.

‘Yes. For you, there is no helping it.’

As the strange standoff continued, a gradual change began to take place within the hall.

“Something is strange.”

Berkis frowned. Contrary to his expectations, the process of collapsing Damon’s mental world was going smoothly.

At first, it had not been easy. Since he had trained in high-level magic, his willpower could not help but be outstanding, and Damon stubbornly withstood Berkis’s mental magic for quite some time.

But at a certain moment, Damon crumbled so easily that it felt almost empty. A vacant expression suddenly appeared on his face, and at the same time, every effort at defense vanished in an instant.

Thinking it a good turn of events, Berkis concentrated his mental power even further.

‘I do not know what you are plotting, but it will not work on me.’

Of course, Berkis did not think this was the end. Damon possessed a strange power that defended his mental world.

As expected, the moment Damon’s mental world was about to collapse, that strange power activated. It was the Sevenfold Severance Forbidden Art cast by the Holy Monk of Shaolin. This ancient method of mental restriction waged a fierce, bloody battle against Berkis as he tried to seize control of Damon’s mind.

What was strange was Damon’s reaction. Though Berkis’s mental magic and the Sevenfold Severance Forbidden Art were fighting fiercely within his mental world, Damon did not make the slightest effort to defend himself. Though the pain should have been far from small, he did not appear to be suffering at all. He merely stood there weakly with a blank expression. Like an imbecile.

The Sevenfold Severance Forbidden Art was holding out with all its might, but from the beginning, it was outmatched. That was because its opponent already knew of its existence. Under Berkis’s concentrated mental power, the Sevenfold Severance Forbidden Art gradually lost its strength. At the same time, the wall surrounding Damon’s mental world also grew thinner.

Surge.

When Berkis felt the dark mana dormant within Damon’s body begin to visibly churn, a smile of satisfaction rose to his lips.

“You cannot simply stand by while your host falls into danger, can you?”

If the mental world completely collapsed, Naidelhark could no longer remain in Damon’s body. Without a physical body, even the Great Demon King could not properly display his power.

The humans he could possess were far away. That was precisely why Berkis had lured Damon to a place separated from the humans. Therefore, from Naidelhark’s standpoint, he had to seize Damon’s mind and body before Damon completely fell to mental magic.

‘Do not worry. You must destroy the humans in my stead. Therefore, I have no intention of annihilating you.’

Berkis concentrated his power even further. In order to create a situation where Naidelhark could no longer endure and would have no choice but to manifest, he had no other choice.

But once again, the situation did not proceed as he wished. When the dark mana that had seemed to surge and roil began to show signs of slowly calming, Verkis’s eyes shot sharply upward.

“What? What is going on?”

It looked as though he might burst forth at any moment, but in the end, Neidelhark did not manifest. The dark mana that had been boiling in a frenzy sank down like a tranquil sea, even though the wall defending Damon’s mental world had nearly collapsed.

Verkis, wearing an expression of utter incomprehension, ground his teeth.

“Damn it. Why does nothing ever go as planned? If it’s come to this, then all bets are off. I’ll brainwash this Damon first and think about the rest later.”

As if there was no need to think any further, Verkis focused his mind.

Bang.

The wall defending Damon’s mental world was shattered helplessly by the concentrated force. But Neidelhark still showed no intention of manifesting, even after Verkis created a passage linking their souls.

Growing impatient, Verkis began sucking in every memory that existed within Damon’s mental world.

“First, I’ll brainwash him and seize the Death Knights.”

Verkis intended to brainwash Damon just as he had done with Kasimov. Now that his plan to use the Great Demon King Neidelhark had fallen through, he had to obtain power by any means necessary. At present, the Death Knights under Damon’s command were the beings with the greatest power.

Now that a passage connecting their mental worlds had been created, the next step was no different from eating cold porridge for Verkis. If he absorbed the memories, tampered with them appropriately, and then pushed them back in, Damon would inevitably become his loyal subordinate.

Feeling Damon’s memories flood in through the passage he had created, Verkis wore a fishy smile.

“I’ll let you live only until I achieve my goal. Of course, once you’re no longer useful, you should be prepared to die in the most miserable way possible.”

Having completely lowered his guard against Damon, Verkis began thinking of ways to deal personally with Neidelhark when he finally emerged. His intention was to possess Neidelhark in another human body somehow and let him stir up the world.

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

The memories piled up within Damon’s mental world began to be absorbed by Verkis at a rapid pace. Damon, unable to offer even the slightest resistance, surrendered his body to Verkis.

But here, too, Verkis’s intentions went astray. Verkis’s eyes, which had been focused on absorbing the memories, widened.

“W-what is this?”

The intuition he possessed as an ancient dragon was telling him that the situation was taking an ominous turn. Verkis was already casting mental magic with all his might. If things had gone as expected, every last one of Damon’s memories should have entered his mind.

However, he had obtained almost no memories at all. It was not that he had failed to absorb them; rather, he had absorbed only empty, hollow memories. As if unable to understand the situation, Verkis narrowed his eyes.

“What in the world is going on?”

As Verkis pondered, one experience suddenly came to mind. It was a memory from long ago, when he had captured various kinds of humans to study mental magic and cast spells on them. Recalling that time, Verkis’s expression grew grave.

“That’s right. It was exactly like this when I cast mental magic on an idiot who knew nothing at all.”

He hurriedly looked at Damon’s face. As expected, Damon’s face held only a vacant expression no different from that of an imbecile. Only then was Verkis able to guess the whole situation.

“He stole another human’s body to escape me. If so, separating the body and the mind may not be entirely impossible. In that case, this explains the situation.”

Having grasped the circumstances, Verkis was seized by fiery rage. Damon had evaded Verkis’s mental magic by separating his soul from his flesh.

“Damn it.”

The moment he realized the truth, Verkis immediately withdrew his mental magic. Now that brainwashing had come to nothing, he had to devise another solution.

But in his haste, Verkis failed to notice that he had made an enormous mistake. His greatest mistake was that he had not closed the passage connecting their minds first.

‘Heh heh heh. Have you finally noticed?’

The moment the mental magic was withdrawn, intelligence flashed in Damon’s eyes. Just as Verkis had expected, Damon had evaded the mental magic by separating his soul from his body.

Then, once he became one with his body again, the first thing Damon did was examine his condition. Realizing that the passage connected to Verkis’s mind had not yet disappeared, Damon smiled in triumph.

‘Keukeukeu. The heavens are looking after me.’

Damon urgently unfolded his dark art. It was Soul Seizure, a dark art that momentarily shackled the opponent’s spirit.

Soul Seizure was a basic dark art used when interrogating captured enemies, and it had the drawback of not working on those with deep willpower. However, because its level was low, it also had the advantage of being deployable almost instantly. And when a dark art was cast in a state where their souls were connected like this, it struck directly into the opponent’s mental world.

When something dug into his mental world, Verkis was startled. But that lasted only a moment. Verkis felt fury surge all the way to the top of his head.

“You bastard…”

What was digging through the passage was mental magic of the most basic level. Since he had never dreamed that he would be attacked with mental magic by a human, he could not help but be infuriated.

Although he did not know what kind of magic it was, Verkis realized that its level was extremely crude and focused his mental power.

Crack!

The Soul Seizure that had been wriggling into Verkis’s mental world like a loach scattered helplessly. Since it was an unfamiliar form of magic, he had simply crushed it with force. Verkis intended to follow up with a counterattack and subdue his opponent again, but Damon was not so easy to deal with.

“I can’t give you time to think, can I?”

Through the passage connecting their souls, Damon’s dark arts continued to unfold. Like a flurry of light punches, basic dark arts were cast over and over again. For Damon, once called a master of the dark arts, it was by no means a difficult attack.

But Verkis had to expend several times more power than Damon to defend against the dark arts. Since they were unfamiliar techniques from another world, he had no method other than breaking them by force.

A fierce exchange unfolded in the world of souls. Verkis, a member of a race with powerful mental strength, defended against the repeated attacks without allowing even one to get through. However, he never dreamed that Damon had calculated even that.

“Heh heh heh. Try blocking this one too.”

With a strange laugh, a gloomy energy flew toward Verkis through the passage of souls. As with the attacks so far, Verkis recognized that its level was pathetically low and tried to divert the energy by focusing his mental power slightly. But—

“Hm?”

Feeling the energy suddenly double in strength, Verkis’s eyes went round. For the first time, his defense had failed. Enraged, Verkis focused his mental power even further.

Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble!

The concentrated mental power pressed fiercely inward, as if to mercilessly burst apart the dark art digging into him.

However, Verkis’s defense failed this time as well. As if absorbing the concentrated mental power, the dark art that had dug in swelled to twice its size once more. At the unexpected reaction, Verkis was shocked.

“W-what is this?”

“Surprised? It’s a technique called the Ghost Spirit Soul-Subjugating Art. Zikrate fell to this. Of course, it’s far more powerful now than it was then, so you don’t have to be disappointed. Go on, try blocking it.”

Damon’s oily voice reached his ears. What he had unleashed was the Ghost Spirit Soul-Subjugating Art, the technique he had used to subdue Zikrate. It was a secret soul-binding art of the Demonic Cult that turned the opponent’s power against them to subdue them.

Verkis had no time to respond to Damon’s words. The technique from another world that Damon had unleashed seemed as though it would burrow into his mind at any moment. Because they were spiritually connected, Verkis was forced to suffer even greater difficulty. If not for that, defending against it would not have been this hard.

Even if Zikrate had submitted to this technique, Verkis was a dragon on an entirely different level from him. However, because he had no understanding whatsoever of the structure of the unleashed technique, Verkis could only suppress it with brute force.

But the Ghost Spirit Soul-Subjugating Art was a technique that expanded its strength by turning the opponent’s power against them. As it continued to devour Verkis’s mental power, the Ghost Spirit Soul-Subjugating Art soon swelled to a size that he could scarcely handle.

Having gained power, the Ghost Spirit Soul-Subjugating Art soon began a direct assault on Verkis’s mental world. If the situation continued like this, then contrary to his original intention, he would be the one brainwashed. Realizing that he could not stop it, Verkis screamed.

“I-it was a mistake.”

The greatest mistake Verkis had made was failing to close the passage spiritually linking him to his opponent. Moreover, failing to realize that his opponent’s technique absorbed power and grew was undoubtedly a fatal blunder.

For Verkis, there was no way out. Though it was a technique from another world, the Ghost Spirit Soul-Subjugating Art was an advanced mental magic of sufficient completeness. Unless one knew its structure and formula in detail, there was no way to break it.

Seeing Verkis struggle, Damon wore a triumphant smile.

“I entrusted my body to fate, believing in a threadlike possibility, and thankfully, it worked. If he hadn’t tried to brainwash me, my plan would most likely have failed.”

Damon likewise had no strength left to counterattack. He had exhausted all his power in deploying the Ghost Spirit Soul-Subjugating Art. But Damon already knew well that Verkis could not escape from it. Even at a glance, the Ghost Spirit Soul-Subjugating Art had already grown so powerful that even he could no longer control it.

“I-it’s over…”

Verkis’s face darkened rapidly. The technique from another world that Damon had deployed had already exceeded the range he could handle. If this continued, he would inevitably be caught up in the technique. If that happened, there was a high possibility that he himself would become Damon’s puppet instead.

Finding it absurd, Verkis let out a strained groan.

“Grrr. To think I would fall to mental magic cast by a mere human…”

“This time, I’ll be sure to cook you properly. I’m even considering turning you into a bone dragon while you’re still alive, so don’t worry.”

By now, Damon had clearly regained his composure. Seeing that, Verkis bit down hard on his lip.

“I never thought that I, an Ancient-class dragon, would be defeated so emptily. But I cannot simply submit.”

At last, Verkis thought of his final method. It was a decision made with the resolve that, even if he had to die, he could not be reduced to a human’s puppet.

A portion of his mind had already been encroached upon by the opponent’s technique. The only thing he could now rely on was the Great Demon King Neidelhark, coiled firmly inside Damon’s body. Thinking of that, Verkis shouted.

—I ask this of you, Neidelhark.

Fortunately, the voice sent in the form of telepathy did not reach Damon. Without waiting for an answer, Verkis began the sealing of his soul.

‘It is absurd to give the body of a dragon to a demon king like Neidelhark, but there is no other choice. If he takes possession of my body, he will become explosively stronger. I will be laying the foundation for him to annihilate the humans for certain.’

The sealing of the soul. It was a method only dragons, beings of high intelligence, could perform.

It meant artificially severing one’s soul from the outside and turning oneself into an idiot. If he used this method, he might be able to escape the otherworldly technique that was tightening around him with every passing moment.

But the problem was that a sealed soul could never return to the body again. In other words, the soul would disappear, leaving behind only an imbecilic body.

However, Verkis had already resolved to hand his body over to the Great Demon King Neidelhark. If Neidelhark, who possessed vast spiritual power, obtained the powerful body of a dragon, a mighty Great Demon King unlike any that had ever existed would be born. Believing solely in that, Verkis had made up his mind to burn himself away.

“Kwaoooo…”

A death throe burst from Verkis’s mouth. The process of forcibly severing spirit from flesh was accompanied by unimaginable agony. This was the last sound Verkis, once called the demonic dragon of terror, ever uttered in life.

As Damon’s figure came into his blurring vision, Verkis tried to force a smile.

‘As expected, you’re an a-amazing one… B-but your l-luck ends here…’

With that thought, Verkis’s consciousness plunged into pitch-black darkness. The massive body of the unconscious Red Dragon collapsed helplessly to the ground.

Thud.

The fallen Red Dragon’s body never moved again. For Verkis, the peerless demonic dragon, it was a hollow end.

Damon looked down at Verkis’s sprawled body with wary eyes. He already knew that the Ghost-Spirit Soul Seizing Art he had unleashed had vanished without a trace. And he knew as well that Verkis would never awaken again.

Damon had already obtained knowledge from Verkis’s library that could clearly explain the present situation. According to that knowledge, Verkis had undoubtedly made an irreversible, extreme choice.

“Closure of the spirit? I cannot understand it. A proud creature like a dragon giving up its life so easily… And Verkis, a peerless demonic dragon, no less.”

He shook his head again and again as if he could not make sense of it, but Verkis could not answer his question. He had set out on a path from which there was no return.

Damon stared at Verkis for a while, then suddenly came to his senses.

He had remembered what he had forgotten for a moment amid the fierce, bloody battle.

“Daphne.”

Without another thought, Damon ran toward the Iron Golem.

The Iron Golem stood like an iron wall atop the collapsed temple rampart.

“Damon finally succeeded.”

Seeing that, the members of Kasim’s mercenary corps cheered. The strange standoff with Crovitz had already been cleanly resolved.

They did not know how it had happened, but it seemed certain that Damon had won the battle against Verkis. Otherwise, there was no way he could run toward the Iron Golem so unhesitatingly.

Though the fallen Red Dragon lay far away, every knight present could clearly see its form.

“Damon.”

Mitchell immediately tried to run toward Damon. But before he could even launch himself forward, a powerful hand seized him. It was Kasim.

“No. The Iron Golem still hasn’t been destroyed.”

“But Verkis is dead…”

“Even if the mage controlling it dies, a golem continues carrying out the last order it received. That is exactly why golems are so often used as dungeon guardians. It’s unfortunate, but I don’t think we should leave this spot until Damon takes care of it.”

In the end, Mitchell accepted Kasim’s words. He desperately wanted to go to Damon, but there was nothing he could do. The Iron Golem was still gripping the saintess’s body tightly, so for now they had to act with the utmost caution.

They suppressed their impatience and waited for Damon’s signal.

“Unbelievable.”

Crovitz wore a stunned expression. He had clearly seen Damon fall under Verkis’s mental magic, and yet the situation had flowed in a completely unexpected direction.

“Could Damon have overpowered Verkis with mental magic?”

No matter how much he thought about it, Crovitz could not arrive at an answer. All he could do was watch Damon in silence.

Yet, without him realizing it, wariness toward Damon was slowly growing in his mind.

‘Damon is so strong that it is hard to think of him as human. For now, we maintain an alliance, but if circumstances change, he will surely become a tremendous obstacle in His Highness Ferstein’s path.’

Crovitz had pledged his life in loyalty to Duke Ferstein. Thus, he could not help but instinctively feel wary of Damon, who possessed such terrifying ability and power. Though they were comrades now, if he turned into an enemy, Damon would undoubtedly become the worst foe imaginable.

While Crovitz was turning matters over in his head, Damon had finally drawn close to Daphne. Arriving before the Iron Golem, Damon raised his head and looked up at Daphne. Unlike before, his eyes were filled with a gentle light.

“Daphne. At last, I can save you.”

A film of tears once again welled in Daphne’s beautiful eyes.

“Mister.”

“To think I would meet you like this… Wait just a little longer. I’ll save you.”

Daphne’s face was swollen from how much she had cried. Having watched a gruesome battle unfold right before her eyes, there was no way she could have avoided being shocked.

The countless deaths that had fallen upon the Northwood Plains had dealt her a severe blow in both body and mind. She had cried herself to exhaustion, and now not even tears would come. But the situation had now come cleanly to an end. Verkis, the dragon she had thought invincible, had set out on a path from which he could never return. By the hand of one human named Damon.

Though he had accomplished something no human could possibly achieve, Damon’s face held only calmness. Through that, she could fully guess what kind of life Damon had lived over the long years. The fact that he had struggled for five hundred years to rescue her.

“Now it’s time to deal with this thing, is it?”

Damon carefully examined the Iron Golem’s entire body. Though it had lost its master, a chilling light still leaked from between the Iron Golem’s helm. It seemed it was still functioning.

Fortunately, the Iron Golem paid no attention whatsoever to what Damon was doing. It merely stared blankly at the warriors standing far away. This was the moment Kasim’s prediction proved exactly right. The only human permitted to approach the Iron Golem was Damon alone.

After thoroughly inspecting the golem’s whole body, Damon let out an exclamation.

“There is truly no way to describe it except as a monster.”

The Iron Golem was a war machine fully worthy of the name invincible. Most of the magic circles densely engraved across its body were ones even Damon could not understand. In other words, even Damon could not damage it with magical attacks.

Attacks from human mages would not be able to leave so much as a scratch on the Iron Golem. Damon kept marveling at it.

“Incredible magical defense, unimaginable power—so this is the monster even a Bone Dragon could not stand against.”

But now was not the time to be captivated by the Iron Golem’s power. He was searching for the location of the magic stone embedded within the golem’s body. Only then could he safely rescue Daphne.

However, because the Iron Golem’s magical defenses were so overwhelmingly powerful, finding the magic stone’s location was not easy.

“Wait just a little longer.”

After sweeping a gentle gaze over Daphne once, Damon began casting. His physical condition was far from normal, but Damon drew up every last ounce of strength he possessed. It was all because of one single determination: to rescue Daphne.

Damon had already discarded the idea of destroying the Iron Golem by physical means. If he did that, there would be no way to extract Daphne from the tightly clenched fist of the Iron Golem.

It might not be impossible with the Death Blades of the Death Knights, but there was no guarantee Daphne would not be injured. So Damon intended to directly control the Iron Golem and have it release her.

“If I find the magic stone and manipulate it, I can give orders to the Iron Golem.”

As a master of the 9th Circle, Damon possessed more than enough ability to manipulate the magic stone. Having made up his mind, Damon continued casting search magic, tracking the magic stone’s location.

His efforts were not in vain, and before long he found the place where the magic stone was embedded.

“So it’s here.”

The magic stone controlling the Iron Golem was located in its left side. It was the result achieved after deploying search magic for quite some time. Once he found his target, Damon immediately rearranged his mana.

P-p-p-pat!

Dense sparks rose from the vicinity of the Iron Golem’s side. It was the work of neutralizing the magical defensive barrier surrounding the Iron Golem. Only then could he remove the golem’s magic stone, so Damon carefully and meticulously dispelled the magical defensive arrays one by one.

At first it did not seem easy, but the work proceeded relatively smoothly. That was because the Iron Golem showed no reaction whatsoever. As Damon repeated his casting, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

“If the golem had reacted to me as well, I would already be dead.”

Strictly speaking, dismantling the Iron Golem’s magical defensive barrier was an almost impossible task. Even assuming it did not counterattack, holding down an Iron Golem faster than an ogre and casting magic on it was something even a dragon could not do.

Yet because this ultimate war machine had lost the master who gave it orders, it carried out only the final command it had received. It merely watched to see whether the distant knights approached, while ignoring Damon as he interfered with its body.

“Hoo, this is difficult.”

Wiping away the sweat streaming down like rain, Damon began casting again without taking a moment to rest.

P-p-pat!

The section composing the Iron Golem’s side suddenly vanished without a trace. Through that space, a magic stone glowing a deep blue revealed itself. This was a high-level 8th Circle magic that temporarily moved an object into another dimension.

It was magic he had once manifested in Sebain’s cave, and it was the method Damon had chosen in order not to shock the magic stone. At last, the Iron Golem’s magic stone appeared before Damon. The magic stone took the form of a jewel the size of an adult’s fist, emitting a brilliant light.

Damon carefully stretched out his hand and touched the magic stone.

“This is the most crucial juncture.”

If he erased the command Verkis had instilled and engraved his own command, the Iron Golem would become Damon’s faithful limb, just like the Death Knights. It was the moment he would obtain an Iron Golem of terrifying power, but Damon felt no elation at all. His only concern was rescuing Daphne.

It was the moment that could put an end to five hundred years of waiting, so Damon focused his mental strength to the utmost and began modifying the magic stone. The time stretched on tediously.

But where there was a beginning, there was also an end. Damon barely managed to complete the modification of the magic stone.

“It’s done.”

The moment he finished the work, overwhelming fatigue rushed over him, but Damon paid it no heed.

“Now everything is ready.”

After looking up at Daphne with gentle eyes, Damon spoke to the golem.

“Can you hear me, Iron Golem?”

But no answer came.

“Did I fail?”

Damon felt impatience surge within him. If he could not seize control of the golem, rescuing Daphne would inevitably become far more difficult.

However, when Damon spoke again, the answer he had been waiting for finally came. A heavy voice with no intonation whatsoever burrowed into Damon’s mind in a form much like telepathy.

—Please give your command, Master.

Damon felt the tension drain out of him. It was the moment he had finally made the strongest war machine created by Verkis his own.

His body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, but Damon struggled desperately to keep himself upright.

“I am glad to have you with me. From now on, you must obey my commands absolutely. Do you understand?”

The Iron Golem’s answer came at once.

—I shall keep it in mind, Master.

“What is your name?”

—I am Tantaros.

“Good, Tantaros. Then swear your loyalty to me.”

Without hesitation, the golem bowed its head to Damon. The sight of its steel body moving so fluidly filled Damon with an indescribable emotion.

—I, Tantaros, shall obey Master’s commands absolutely from this moment forth. I also promise to carry out Master’s orders until the moment my life ends.

Satisfaction appeared on Damon’s face.

“Tantaros, I shall give you your first command. Immediately set the woman in your hand down beside me.”

The iron golem named Tantaros carried out Damon’s command without hesitation. Had Verkis seen it, he would have beaten the ground in bitter frustration, but he had already been cut off from the world and could see nothing.

As ordered, Tantaros carefully set Daphne down on the floor. Perhaps because the magic’s effect had worn off, the hole in its side had already vanished without a trace. From now on, no one but Damon would ever be able to see Tantaros’s magic stone.

Freed from her restraints, Daphne could not support herself and collapsed limply on the spot. Having suffered tremendous damage both in body and mind, the moment the tension left her, she could endure no longer.

“A-are you all right?”

Startled, Damon hurried toward her, but he too was just as exhausted, and after only a few steps he fell over.

But when Damon raised his head, what he saw were the eyes of the most beautiful woman in the world. Daphne was gazing at his face with eyes more enchanting than anything.

“Thank you so much, mister.”

With that one sentence, Damon could forget entirely the hardships he had endured for five hundred years. Even if he had suffered more than that, it would have been the same.

At last, he had achieved his purpose. He had proudly accomplished something everyone would have dismissed as impossible. Having overcome all manner of suffering and adversity, now that he sat face to face with Daphne once more, Damon was so overcome with joy that he could hardly speak.

“Daphne…”

Damon quietly reached out and stroked Daphne’s face. Then he gazed into her face as though he meant to take it into his very eyes.

Her bright eyes seemed to hold the Milky Way within them, her nose was finely shaped, her lips like flower petals, and her skin so white it seemed it might come away at a touch. She looked not the slightest bit different from how she had five hundred years ago.

As he met Daphne’s gaze, his heart began to flutter of its own accord. Was this how it would feel to rise to heaven after enduring five hundred years in hell? So overwhelmed with happiness was Damon that even the shouts of the Kasim Mercenary Corps members running toward him from afar did not reach his ears.

“You were amazing, Damon!”

“That’s Damon for you!”

The Kasim Mercenary Corps members were running toward Damon, clamoring noisily. Having confirmed that the saintess had escaped the iron golem’s grasp, there was nothing left to hold them back.

A little distance away, Krovitz was also running over with his subordinate knights, wearing an expression as though he could not understand any of this. To him, Damon must have looked like nothing less than a monster wearing human skin.

“He is a man utterly impossible to understand by common sense.”

Letting the sound of their approaching footsteps pass by him, Damon quietly reached out and cupped Daphne’s face in his hands. Daphne lowered her head shyly, a deep blush rising over her face. As though unable to overcome her embarrassment, she quietly opened her mouth.

“I didn’t know you had gone to such lengths to save me, mister.”

Damon pressed a finger to Daphne’s lips, as if telling her not to say anything. As if to say that if it was to save her, that much was not hardship at all.

Smiling softly, Daphne quietly kissed Damon on the cheek. It was a kiss he had experienced again after five hundred years, but this time too, Damon felt a shock as though hundreds of Lightning Bolts had pierced through his entire body.

“Your kiss is the same as ever.”

In return for the kiss, Damon gently stroked Daphne’s hair.

“My appearance has changed a great deal, hasn’t it?”

Daphne quietly shook her head.

“Your eyes haven’t changed. No matter what you look like, mister, I can recognize you.”

Damon felt his chest grow tight once more. Among countless humans, the only one who truly recognized him was Daphne. If it was her, she would be able to gently soothe his desolate, parched heart.

Damon vowed that he would never part from her again.

“Do not worry anymore. No one will be able to take you away from me. I have the power to ensure that.”

“……”

Damon continued speaking as though in a monologue.

“My fate has now come to an end. I have punished Verkis and saved you, so it means there is nothing more for me to do. Though a small revenge still remains, for the sake of your happiness, I will give it up cleanly.”

Astonishingly, Damon was trying to completely forget his grudge against Sa Junhwan. All because of one woman named Daphne.

“I desire nothing. Power, honor, wealth—such things are utterly meaningless to me. I have only one wish: your happiness. I promise you here and now. I will stake everything I have to make you happy.”

Damon’s eyes shone with firm resolve.

“I have been planning for a long time to make your dream come true.”

At those words, a strange light rose in Daphne’s eyes.

“You still remember what I said?”

“Of course. A fishing village with a view of the sea, friendly villagers… I will build you a small house with my own hands. And for you, I will plow the fields and catch fish. I will remain by your side forever. That is the entirety of my wish.”

Daphne was listening to Damon with her head modestly bowed. Meanwhile, the Kasim Mercenary Corps members had come close. Though they had run over with great momentum, because of the atmosphere flowing between the two, none of them dared to intrude. They merely stood quietly and listened to Damon’s monologue.

His comrades were watching, but Damon paid no heed and continued pouring out the words in his heart.

“To be honest, until now, I never truly knew what love was. But now I do. If cherishing one woman more than my own body, being willing to do anything for her happiness, and protecting her with my life is love, then I think I can say with certainty that I love you.”

At those words, Daphne raised her head and looked at Damon. She seemed somewhat surprised.

“M-mister.”

Damon quietly cut off Daphne’s words.

“That does not mean I want anything from you. If you simply accept my heart and allow me to remain by your side, I will be more than satisfied with that. Come to think of it, I remember what you once said about the meaning of love.”

“……”

“You said that love was not possession, but giving without condition. To be honest, I did not understand it then, but I think I do now.”

Daphne said nothing and simply listened to Damon.

“For you, I feel as though I could give everything I have without any conditions.”

As if asking for an answer, Damon looked into Daphne’s eyes. But this time too, she did not answer and only quietly lowered her head.

Damon rose to his feet. Seeing that Daphne seemed somewhat troubled, he felt he needed to change the mood.

“Shall I introduce my companions?”

With a mischievous expression, Damon grabbed Kasim’s hand and dragged him forward.

“This fellow is Kasim. Originally, he was a country bumpkin, but after meeting me, he became tremendously successful.”

Kasim gave an awkward smile and bowed his head.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you from Damon that my ears are sore, but seeing you in person, you are even more beautiful.”

Daphne widened her eyes and looked at Kasim.

“You… heard about me?”

“Of course. That tactless Damon would start singing your praises as soon as the sun came up. I heard it so many times I thought calluses would form in my ears. Gak!”

With an elegant motion, Damon wrapped an arm around Kasim’s neck and thrust his chin toward Mitchel. Perhaps injured in the battle with the wyverns, Mitchel was covered in blood from head to toe, but he gave her a faint smile. Illumina, with a worried expression, was bandaging the wound on his arm.

“That fellow is Mitchel. He’s the one grinning from ear to ear after winning the love of an elf young lady. He has a bit of a slippery tendency, but he’s useful enough in his own way.”

Having received a strict education from his father since childhood, Mitchel offered a greeting so proper that not a single flaw could be found in it.

“It is my first time meeting you. I am the slippery Mitchel. It is true that I’m grinning from ear to ear, but compared to Damon, I am nothing. I was thinking of trying to stuff that dragon corpse over there into Damon’s mouth, and in my opinion, I think it would fit just fine—kehek!”

For the crime of counterattacking, Mitchel ended up in the same state as Kasim. Damon had wrapped an arm around his neck without the slightest mercy.

“Damn it! Why is an old man so strong?”

“You brat, people are supposed to display monstrous strength in front of the one they love. Keck!”

At their harmless exchange of jokes, Daphne burst into a soft laugh. Faced with her laughter, Damon once again felt his mind go dizzy. Though long years had passed, the impact of her smile had not changed at all.

With Kasim’s and Mitchel’s heads neatly tucked under each arm, Damon stood there blankly staring at Daphne’s face. Only after Daphne, unable to watch any longer, intervened did the two regain their freedom.

“Please stop, mister.”

“A-all right.”

Without a second word, Damon released Kasim and Mitchel. At the sight, the corps members clicked their tongues in amazement.

“H-heavens…”

This side of Damon was a shock to them. Damon, who had poured out biting insults even before the Dragon Lord. Damon, who seemed like he would not be intimidated even before the king of hell himself.

And yet that very Damon had completely fallen into the state of a mouse before a cat in front of one woman. They had never imagined in their wildest dreams that they would see such a sight. But at least they could understand one thing: that Damon loved the girl before their eyes more than his own life.

Perhaps finding their gazes burdensome, Damon continued introducing the corps members.

“Those fellows are Gerald and Heinrich. They’re still fledglings who haven’t shed their down yet.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Damon’s introductions proceeded one by one and finally reached Krovitz. He looked at Krovitz with amusement in his eyes.

“That fellow standing over there trying to look dignified is called Krovitz. I don’t know for certain, but he’s probably thinking he has to get rid of me somehow for the sake of his master.”

At Damon’s words, Krovitz flinched. His innermost thoughts had been seen through exactly. But that did not mean he could admit the truth.

“What an utterly absurd thing to say…”

“I understand well enough, so there’s no need to deny it. Besides, there’s no need to worry. I intend to go into seclusion and not come out into the world. I won’t be appearing before your lord from now on.”

Leaving behind the flustered Krovitz, Damon turned around. But when it came time to introduce Schreckheimer and the four great knights, he could not help but grow quietly worried. He had no way of knowing what Daphne, as a saintess, would think of them, beings of darkness.

But Damon’s worry was nothing more than needless anxiety. Daphne approached them with a bright expression.

“So there are others besides mister who know me. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

However, Schreckheimer and the four great knights retreated as far as she advanced. Perhaps because they were undead, Daphne’s presence seemed extremely uncomfortable to them.

“These bastards?”

Just as Damon’s face began to harden, Schreckheimer respectfully bowed his head.

“It has been five hundred years since we last met. It is a pleasure to see you again, Saintess.”

“I am also glad to see you again, Great Archbishop.”

Daphne called Schreckheimer Great Archbishop without the slightest hesitation. A strange light rose in Schreckheimer’s eye sockets, but he said nothing. At that moment, Damon came to his senses with a start.

‘Right, how should I introduce Yuliana?’

As he introduced the corps members one by one, Yuliana’s figure happened to be nowhere in sight. Remembering that fact, Damon hurriedly looked around. Introducing her could not help but be awkward for Damon.

‘It can’t be helped. In any case, I have no one but Daphne…’

As Damon looked around, he spotted Yuliana crouching behind Mitchel. Seeing her shoulders shaking incessantly, she seemed to be sobbing.

Letting out a deep breath, Damon strode over to her.

“Come here, Yuliana. I’ll introduce you to Daphne.”

But when Yuliana raised her head, Damon found himself utterly at a loss. Her face was a mess of tears.

She must surely have heard every word of his confession to Daphne. If so, there was no way she could be in a pleasant state of mind. Damon’s heart grew heavy, but he forced a smile onto his face.

“After five hundred years of waiting, I have finally won love. So won’t you congratulate me?”

Juliana said nothing. She quietly nodded, then staggered to her feet. But her eyes were utterly unfocused. With only emptiness filling her expression, she merely stumbled toward Daphne.

Just then, Daphne was looking at Juliana as well. Wearing a startled expression, Daphne greeted her first.

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Daphne.”

As if she did not even have the strength to answer, Juliana gave a perfunctory nod. Daphne, too, said nothing more and simply looked back at Juliana. Meanwhile, the members of the unit began whispering in lowered voices. The surviving warriors also could not take their eyes off the two of them.

“They really look exactly alike. Their eyes, noses, mouths—there isn’t a single thing different, is there?”

“No. Their atmospheres are definitely different. Juliana gives off a spirited, tomboyish sort of air, but the Saintess isn’t like that at all, is she? It’s like she’s flawlessly clear and pure, should I say? In any case, their atmospheres are the complete opposite.”

“No one would say anything if you called them twins. As long as you ignored the five-hundred-year age gap, that is.”

Listening to the unit members whisper, Damon quietly walked over to Daphne. One way or another, he had to find a clue to resolving this.

Stepping between the two, Damon reached out and gently stroked both girls’ shoulders. He looked at Daphne first.

“Daphne.”

“Yes, sir.”

“She is one of my companions. Until now, we have worked as one to resolve countless matters.”

Even as he spoke, Damon felt his heart grow heavier. It was all the more so after seeing the blood drain from Juliana’s face the moment he called her a companion.

Damon was afraid. Juliana, having lost her self-control, might possibly interfere. In the worst case, she might even recite on the spot the forced-activation incantation of the Sevenfold Severing Seal that he had taught her.

But that was not what Damon truly feared. There was only one thing: he was anxious that Daphne might be hurt even a little.

As if she understood Damon’s feelings, Juliana composed her face. Wiping away her tears, she forced a smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. You said your name was Daphne?”

A broad smile appeared on Daphne’s face.

“Yes.”

“My name is Juliana. As you’ve heard, I’m old geezer Damon’s…”

She paused for a moment and looked at Damon, but she did not hesitate for long.

“Close companion. Though I say companion, old geezer Damon probably thinks of me as a nuisance rather than a companion.”

There was something deeply sorrowful about Juliana’s appearance as she joked with her swollen face.

“Surely that can’t be.”

“No, it’s true. Honestly, as a troublemaker, I’ve caused him quite a bit of distress. Isn’t that right, old geezer?”

Juliana tossed out the jest and turned her head. Damon, who had been about to answer without thinking, stopped short. Though she was smiling, he could feel boundless sadness in her eyes.

Damon quietly avoided her gaze. Although he had done nothing wrong, it was still not wise to agitate Juliana’s feelings. Damon quietly approached and supported Daphne.

“Judging from your complexion, I think you should get some rest. While I handle the aftermath with my companions, will you wait here for a while?”

“I will.”

When Daphne nodded, Damon shouted and called Krovitz.

“Captain, are there any mages who survived?”

Krovitz answered with a bewildered expression.

“There are a few, but why…”

“Send me one capable mage. He must be at least a master of the 6th Circle.”

“Understood.”

A short while later, Damon had the mage who arrived treat Daphne. Though she had no particular wounds, her body and mind had been greatly weakened by the repeated shocks.

“You must treat her with the utmost care.”

“Y-yes, understood.”

The elderly mage answered, trembling. The other party was a master of the 9th Circle who had fought a dragon in mental magic and won. To a mage, he could only be a figure straight out of legend.

Damon forced a mage onto Daphne despite her saying she was fine. When he gave a glance, Schreckheimer and the Four Great Knights took their stand a short distance from Daphne. They looked ready to protect Daphne with their lives.

Only then did Damon walk over to Krovitz. He was watching the mage treating Daphne with an expression that suggested something displeased him.

‘There are so many injured in far more serious condition… Damn it, is he planning to make soup with the magic he learned and eat it later?’

The situation was enough to make Krovitz anxious. Knights with broken bones and split heads lay groaning all over the place. Even as he watched, one grievously wounded knight breathed his last and dropped his head. With every mage clinging to the task of treating the injured, Damon had taken away a 6th Circle master, so there was no way Krovitz could feel pleased.

But there was one thing he did not know. In truth, Damon was in no position to treat Daphne himself. Though his ability was more than sufficient, he was a black mage who had made a contract with the Demon King. Treating the Saintess with mana mixed with the aura of darkness was out of the question, so he had no choice but to entrust her treatment to a white mage.

When Damon approached, Krovitz hurriedly smoothed his expression. Damon looked at his face with a peculiar smile.

“You seem to have a lot of complaints.”

“H-how could that be?”

He hurriedly waved his hands, but the smile on Damon’s face did not disappear.

“Understand. She is as good as everything to me. If…”

Damon looked at Krovitz with gleaming eyes.

“If anyone lays a hand on Daphne… as retaliation, I intend to kill every human being in the country the culprit belongs to. Without leaving a single one behind, regardless of age or sex.”

As he listened, Krovitz felt a chill run down his spine. In truth, he had considered taking Daphne hostage and using Damon in the war. The destructive power Damon possessed was that immense.

But because of the threat delivered at just the right moment, that thought vanished without a trace. Growing urgent, Krovitz quickly shook his head.

“Just like Damon, Lady Daphne is also the highest honored guest of His Grace the Duke. If such a thing were ever to occur, I would be the first to hold the culprit accountable.”

At those words, the coldness flowing from Damon’s expression completely melted away.

“Is that so? I’m grateful. Now that I know your feelings, shall we go take a look at that bastard Verkis’s sorry state?”

“Yes.”

Krovitz followed Damon without another word.

“We’re coming too.”

Thinking to witness the end of the demonic dragon Verkis, the members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps also followed after them.

They stared blankly at the long, stretched-out body of the Red Dragon. Verkis’s body, contrary to being a demonic dragon of unparalleled infamy, was extremely beautiful. His frame, covered in red scales, radiated powerful strength, and the elegant curves of his body were reminiscent of a work of art crafted by a dwarf’s hands.

“Is it dead?”

“It isn’t dead. But it can never awaken again, so you could say it’s in a state no different from a corpse.”

“What do you intend to do with this?”

A cruel smile appeared at the corners of Damon’s mouth.

“I’m pondering how to ruin it perfectly.”

Though its spirit had vanished and only its body remained, Damon still had no desire to forgive Verkis. His grudge against Verkis was that immense.

Even if he tore the body to pieces, spread it out across a plaza, and made passersby trample it as they pleased, he did not think his resentment would be relieved. After thinking it over again and again, Damon took a deep breath.

“First, I’ll have to move this from here. I plan to take my time and cook it thoroughly, so there’s no need to hurry.”

“Do you intend to put it into Increcia?”

At Kasim’s question, Damon shook his head.

“No living creature can be placed into Increcia under any circumstances.”

“Didn’t you just say it was no different from a corpse?”

“That is not so. It may be unable to move, but its heart is still beating, isn’t it? That is precisely why living creatures cannot be placed into Increcia. If there is even the slightest movement, Increcia cannot store it.”

“I see.”

Kasim nodded as if he understood.

“I intend to move him while he still has breath in him.”

At those words, Krovitz’s face twisted once again. He could not know for certain, but if things went as Damon said, then the surviving knights would have to move the massive body of the Red Dragon.

But the moment his eyes met Damon’s, the dissatisfaction that had appeared on Krovitz’s face vanished without a trace. As if he had read his inner thoughts, Damon let out a faint laugh.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of working your subordinates to death. I have an excellent laborer to move this.”

Having finished speaking, Damon turned his head. Out of nowhere, a heavy roar burst forth from that direction.

Giiing, thud.

Approaching with enough force to shake the earth was a gigantic Iron Golem. As the Iron Golem, over six meters tall, approached while exuding an oppressive presence, the blood drained from the knights’ faces in an instant. An Iron Golem was a monster that instilled tremendous fear through its very presence alone.

Unable to withstand the pressure, Krovitz drew his sword.

Clang.

Kasim, who had been staring blankly at the Iron Golem, shouted as if he had realized something.

“D-did you perhaps obtain the Iron Golem?”

“That’s right. Since I suffered so much at the hands of that bastard Verkis, I figured I should salvage at least something. So I made that thing mine.”

“You truly are extraordinary.”

Kasim’s mouth fell open. An Iron Golem was a military force capable of standing against even the Four Great Knights.

The power Damon possessed had now reached the point where it surpassed that of most nations. If he set his mind to it, destroying a single country would be only a matter of time.

Clatter.

The sword fell from Krovitz’s hand. His bloodless face was as white as a sheet of paper.

‘T-this is a nightmare.’

Watching him with amusement, Damon turned his head and looked at the Iron Golem.

“How does it feel to face the body of your former master?”

Tantaros’s answer was conveyed only to Damon.

—There is only one master for me.

Nodding in satisfaction, Damon gave Tantaros an order without hesitation.

“Prepare to move this. We have a long way to go, so it would be better to make a stretcher, load it onto that, and carry it. Do it at once.”

—Understood.

Tantaros immediately launched himself toward a nearby mountain. His enormous bulk was moving like the wind.

The knights watched the Iron Golem’s back with horrified expressions. Smiling faintly, Damon looked at Krovitz.

“Leave the transportation of the body to him. He’s a strong one, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“U-understood.”

The handling of the dead and wounded proceeded smoothly. The damage was greater than imagined. Four hundred warriors, all of them at least paladins, had come, but the survivors, including the wounded, numbered only about fifty. The rest had all ended their lives on the Northwood Plain.

On the faces of the knights gathering the bodies of their dead comrades, there lingered bitterness alongside the joy of having survived. It was because of their guilt toward their comrades.

This place was a deathly wasteland from which not even souls could escape. The souls of their dead comrades would have to wander here forever, until the end of the world.

The members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps were also among them, lending a hand. As an exception, the Kasim Mercenary Corps had not suffered a single casualty. That was because Damon had placed their safety as his highest priority.

But the losses had been so severe that they, too, were nothing if not heavy-hearted. Even so, it would not be long before they could cast off that weight. Unlike the 1st Heroes’ Division, they had accomplished their mission splendidly. The peerless Demon Dragon Berkis had set out on a path from which he would never return, and the orc tribe, weakened by repeated defeats, could no longer rival humanity.

Thus, the heroes felt their hearts swell with pride and the exhilarating certainty that they could win the war.

The Iron Golem was hard at work fashioning a litter from the timber it had hauled. Once the logs were laid out evenly, the knights wove them together with leather straps.

Before long, a raft-shaped litter took form. When it was complete, the Iron Golem approached Berkis.

*Kraaagh!*

With a surge of effort, the massive frame of the Ancient-class Red Dragon was hoisted aloft in a flash. Though it had once been its master’s body, the Iron Golem shifted Berkis onto the litter with complete indifference, as if feeling nothing at all.

Watching the knights secure Berkis’s body to the litter with leather straps, Daemon let out a long sigh.

*Is everything over now?*

After Berkis was loaded, the remaining space would carry the bodies of the fallen and the weapons they had wielded. The weight was no trivial matter, yet Tantaros was more than strong enough to pull it along.

Once he confirmed that the work was nearly finished, Daemon walked over to where Daphne stood, an ambiguous expression on his face.

*Now is the time to part ways with them.*

Daemon intended to break with the rest of the party here. They had met by chance, yet until now they had fought as one and accomplished countless deeds together. Still, it was best to sever his ties with them at this point.

He planned to take only Daphne and vanish to a place unknown to anyone.

*I suppose I will have little occasion to see them again.*

Though he had resolved to part, Daemon was relatively at ease. The greatest reason was that each member had somewhere to go.

If the mercenary band disbanded here, Kasim would return to Arne, where his beloved wife Matilda awaited him. Michel would seize wealth and honor as a royal guard of Penseulreot. Illumana’s beauty was more than enough to make Michel shine.

Gerald and Heinrich, too, possessed the illustrious standing of Duke Knights. Only Patterson and Jackson still had no place to go, but Daemon was not worried. Given their prowess as Paladins, they would find no shortage of places willing to take them in.

Yet it was not as though nothing weighed on his mind.

*But what of Yuliana?*

Thinking of her unsettled him. But Daemon steeled his resolve. Having rescued Daphne, he could not possibly take her in as well.

*I’ll have to persuade her and send her back to her hometown of Karsel.*

Having sorted his feelings, Daemon trudged over to Daphne. He intended to gather the members there and announce his decision.

But Daemon’s plans were about to unravel in a way he had never foreseen.

3. The Saintess’s Choice

“Wh-what do you mean?”

Daemon’s eyes flew open in horror. It was because of the single sentence Daphne had uttered.

“I’m sorry, mister. I cannot go with you.”

A sorrowful smile lingered on Daphne’s face. Daemon questioned her with an expression of utter disbelief.

“You’re joking, right? Right?”

“……”

“Don’t toy with me. Please—just tell me it’s a joke.”

Daphne quietly stared at Daemon’s desperate face. Deep sorrow shrouded her own.

A moment later, having firmed her resolve, Daphne spoke.

“Mister, there is a path I must walk. I am no less sorrowed that I cannot walk it with you.”

Daemon still could not accept reality.

“Who is it? Who is forcing you? Speak. I’ll smash them to pieces with a single blow.”

Daphne quietly shook her head.

“Is it because I am a black magician?”

“………”

“It was a choice forced upon me, but if that is what you wish, I am prepared to abandon black magic. No—I swear I will abandon it. There is nothing I would not do to stay by your side.”

“………”

“Did you not say you wished to live with me? Not once have I forgotten those words.”

But Daphne remained silent. The longer she stayed quiet, the more Daemon’s heart burned.

Daemon stared blankly at her face, waiting for an answer. He had no idea what to do. A moment later, her lips parted.

“You know well who I am, mister.”

Daemon nodded frantically.

“Of course.”

“To be precise, I am the eyes and mouth of Lord Berhajel, who exists in this world. But He no longer intervenes in the mortal realm. In other words, my work here is finished.”

“Would that not be for the better? Let us live here together. Hmm?”

“I cannot. I must return to Lord Berhajel.”

At those words, something plummeted with a thud in Daemon’s chest. It was a possibility he had never once considered.

With a desolate expression, Daphne continued.

“While turned to stone, I dreamed every single day without fail. Through those dreams, Lord Berhajel taught me many things. As well as what I must do.”

“……”

“He commanded me to return to His embrace.”

“Do not go, Daphne.”

Daemon’s face had gone dark with shock.

“I beg you. Stay by my side.”

“I cannot.”

Seeing Daphne shake her head with resolve, Daemon grew frantic.

“Are you frightened of Berhajel? Is it His vengeance you fear?”

“……”

Watching Daphne fall silent, Daemon slowly rose. Clenching his fist, he looked up at the sky. Fierce killing intent blazed across his face.

“Then I will destroy Berhajel. I felled Berkis, whom I deemed impossible to defeat. Even the Creator Berhajel is not beyond my reach.”

“Please, do not, mister.”

Daphne called out to him quietly. An unknowable sorrow flickered in her eyes.

“I recall what you once said. You promised you would grant me whatever I desired, did you not?”

“Of course. Even if it costs my life, I will grant your wish.”

Daemon tried desperately to persuade her. But hearing what came next, his words caught in his throat.

“Then please let me go. I wish to return to Lord Berhajel’s embrace.”

“Y-you truly……”

The muscles in Daemon’s face twitched uncontrollably. It was plain how great a shock he had suffered. Yet Daemon steeled himself and shook his head.

“I cannot. I can give you anything but that.”

“I beg you, mister.”

Daemon stared at Daphne with bloodshot eyes. A thin, trembling voice forced its way past his lips.

“Have you come to hate me? Have your feelings changed? Is… that… it?”

“……”

“It does not matter. If I can remain by your side, I am prepared to pay any price.”

With a hardened expression, Daemon closed in on Daphne. The gathered members were so overwhelmed by his bearing that none dared speak.

Reaching out, he grasped Daphne’s shoulders, and spoke each word with deliberate force.

“You are mine. No one will take you from me.”

“But…”

“Did you not say that love is not possession? I know this truth as well, yet I cannot help myself. I must keep you by my side.”

At those words, tears rolled down Daphne’s cheeks. Seeing her cry, Daemon felt an unbearable pain in his chest. Her sorrow multiplied and tore his heart to shreds.

But because he could not let her go, Daemon forcibly steeled his heart. Daphne’s choked voice reached his ears.

“This is the first time you have made me sad, mister.”

His heart ached, but Daemon squeezed his eyes shut and endured. Yet Daphne’s next words mercilessly drove nails into his heart.

“I was held captive by the Dragon Lord for five hundred years. And now you, too, would hold me captive once more?”

“D-Daphne……”

Daemon felt his strength drain away. It was as though he had taken a morning star to the back of his head. He wished to protest, but the words would not come.

Looking up into Daemon’s eyes, Daphne spoke with measured clarity.

“If you wish for my happiness, let me go. I must return to Lord Berhajel.”

“……”

“Just as a fish cannot live separated from water, I cannot live apart from Lord Berhajel’s embrace.”

At that, Daemon hung his head deeply. He could no longer press her forcefully.

He quietly considered his own situation. He was a black magician who had sold his soul to darkness, while Daphne was a saintess who served as the eyes and mouth of the Creator. By any common sense, they were an impossible match.

He raised his head and gazed up at the sky. His eyes held nothing but emptiness.

*I had believed we could overcome it……*

Daphne’s voice continued to reach his ears.

“If I remain by your side, mister, I can never be happy.”

The more Daphne spoke, the more Daemon felt nails driven into his heart. Unable to endure any longer, he jerked his head up in a fit. His eyes were burning with tears.

“Can we not go together?”

“……”

“I do not think I can live apart from your side.”

Before long, hot tears were streaming down Daphne’s face as well.

“You know better than anyone that it cannot be, do you not?”

Daemon despaired. He no longer had it in him to hold her back. Keeping her by force was futile.

Above all, Daemon wished for Daphne’s happiness. His honest heart could not bear to see another tear fall from her eyes. He stared deeply into Daphne’s gaze. A choked voice forced its way through his lips.

“Do you wish to go that badly?”

“Yes.”

At her answer without hesitation, Daemon could only scream silently once again. The meaning of life that had sustained him was vanishing before his eyes.

“Very well. I cannot bear to see you cry any longer.”

Daemon wept in silence. A sense of utter powerlessness engulfed his body, his limbs as heavy as lead. His will to live had already slipped far away.

As he sobbed, his shoulders heaving, something suddenly burrowed into his arms.

“Thank you. Mister truly is a good person.”

Daemon quietly wrapped his arms around Daphne as she pressed into his chest. The words “do not go” surged to his throat, but seeing her bright smile, he could not open his mouth.

In the end, Daemon had to speak words he did not feel.

“Farewell. Wherever you are, I will pray only for your happiness.”

Daphne quietly nodded. Pulling away from his embrace, she slowly turned.

“Then I shall go.”

“Wait.”

Daphne’s footsteps stopped dead. Daemon looked at her with desperate eyes—a gaze that seemed to hunger for something.

“I will see you off.”

After a brief hesitation, Daphne nodded. A light of hope flickered across Daemon’s face. His honest wish was to keep her by his side a moment longer.

Turning around, Daphne bid farewell to the members.

“I was truly glad to meet you all.”

Not one of the members could speak. They accepted the farewell only with awkward stiffness. As if sensing Daemon’s heart, every one of their faces was rigid. Who could have imagined that a love realized after five hundred years would shatter so futilely?

Daphne greeted each of the squad members one by one. But not one of them accepted her farewell. Knowing how Damon felt, they could not help but find Daphne endlessly heartless. Only Juliana answered Daphne’s greeting with a bright smile.

“Goodbye, Daphne.”

The hope that she could get Damon back made her feel as though her heart would burst.

‘And thank you, truly.’

Juliana did not voice the rest. Daphne smiled as if she understood, then turned away. As she walked toward the center of the temple, Damon followed behind her like a shadow.

Step, step.

Even as they walked, the two exchanged not a single word. Before long, their figures vanished from the party’s sight.

Once they disappeared, groans broke out here and there.

“To leave like that…”

“What a terribly complicated feeling. A love that waited five hundred years, ending like this…”

Mitchell shook his head, then turned as if something had occurred to him. There stood Illumina, looking puzzled. Mitchell abruptly pulled her into his arms. A flustered voice burst out.

“M-Mitchell…”

As Illumina struggled to get free, Mitchell’s whisper flowed into her ear.

“Illumina, don’t you leave me. If you do…”

“……”

“I’ll die…”

Held in Mitchell’s arms, Illumina did not know what to do. But she did not dislike this Mitchell at all. After leaving her clan, Illumina had slowly been learning what the emotion called love was.

A moment later, Kasim quietly spoke.

“When Damon returns, don’t speak to him unless you must. Just watch over him in silence. He will probably want to be alone.”

Because he had experienced parting once before, Kasim knew well what the pain of farewell was like. At his words, the party grew solemn. Though they said nothing, they desperately wanted to share Damon’s grief. At the same time, anger toward Daphne, who had abandoned Damon and left, welled up in them anew.

In contrast to them, however, a strange expression had appeared on Juliana’s face.

Though the battlefield had been cleared, the warriors showed no sign of moving. They had decided to wait until Damon returned.

A vast hall located at the center of Berhazel’s temple. In the past, it must have been crowded with countless believers, but now only desolation lingered there. The structures, badly collapsed and weathered by wind and rain, even gave off an eerie feeling.

Damon stood in the middle of the hall, staring fixedly at one spot. His eyes seemed crossed by all kinds of emotions, and his lips moved ceaselessly as if he had something to say, but Damon could not utter a single word. Only an empty cry circled inside his mouth.

‘Please don’t go, Daphne.’

Before him, Daphne was kneeling with her hands clasped together. On her softly closed face rested peace and a dazzlingly beautiful smile.

Her happy expression looked as though she had obtained the entire world. Watching her, Damon felt his heart being torn apart.

‘Are you truly leaving?’

The words telling her not to go surged up to his throat, but seeing her overflowing with happiness, he could not bring himself to speak. All he could do was silently swallow his tears and watch her.

Daphne, who had been praying quietly, opened her eyes. Then she showed him a sorrowful smile.

“Sir, then farewell…”

The moment Damon heard those words and widened his eyes, a dazzling radiance wrapped around Daphne’s entire body. It was a light that held heavenly beauty.

“D-Daphne…”

Damon stood frozen, unable to move, and watched. Blood seeped from his clenched fists, but he did not even perceive the pain.

Flash, flash, flash!

The heavenly radiance enveloping Daphne gradually expanded. Since it possessed an attribute opposed to beings of darkness, the moment the radiance touched him, Damon had to feel terrible pain.

Even so, he endured the agony and tried to find Daphne’s figure. But the radiance spread beyond the range Damon could bear.

“Urgh.”

In the end, unable to endure it, Damon staggered backward. The blow was far from light, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Because of the blinding radiance, he could not even open his eyes properly.

To take in Daphne’s figure one last time, Damon forced his eyes wide open. But he could see nothing. The intense stimulus burst the capillaries in his pupils, turning his eyes bloodshot, but Damon glared into the radiance as if he did not care. As if he could not endure his hatred for the radiance that had separated Daphne from him. While Damon glared, the radiance slowly began to fade.

Whump.

After emitting one last burst of intense light like a death cry, the radiance vanished. In the place where the cluster of light had disappeared, Daphne’s slender body lay limp and powerless.

“D-Daphne.”

Damon ran frantically toward Daphne. He reached her in a single breath and lifted her into his arms, but she was no longer among the living.

Realizing that he could not feel her breath, Damon urgently seized her wrist, but there was no pulse either. Only a body from which the soul had departed remained at Damon’s side. Holding Daphne’s slowly cooling body, Damon howled like a beast.

“Aaaaaah!”

The scream continued. Damon had not cried even when he learned of his father’s death. But now, because of one woman, he was losing his reason.

To Damon, the fact that Daphne had disappeared was no different from losing everything he had. In that state, Damon continued to howl. Until his strength was drained and he was utterly exhausted.

Thud.

Damon, who had stopped screaming and collapsed where he was, lifted his empty gaze and looked up at the sky. The desire to live had already vanished from his mind. The desire to live had already vanished from his mind. A spiritless voice slipped through his cracked lips.

“Now I’ll never see Daphne again. A being of darkness like me would never dare go to the heavens.”

At that moment, a voice like a thunderbolt pierced through his mind.

—There is not no way.

Damon was startled out of his wits. There was no one around who could have spoken to him. As he frantically looked around in every direction, that same voice sounded again.

—The heavens’ defenses are formidable, but they are not an impregnable stronghold. If we gather useful subordinates, it is possible to cause quite the uproar. Of course, we would have to worry about the counterattack from the celestial race that would follow soon after…

Damon shouted fiercely.

“Who the hell are you?”

—What an ill-mannered wretch. To dare speak such nonsense to your master…

A voice filled with towering rage rang out. Suddenly, a pain like his intestines being torn apart surged up from his lower abdomen. Unable to endure the agony, Damon let out a groan.

“Guuuuh…”

As Damon’s mind grew hazy from the pain, the bizarre voice continued to transmit itself into his mind.

—The wait has been rather long. But in return, I obtained much. Most important of all is that I found the answer to dealing with dragons. That alone was a sufficiently satisfying time for me.

Damon forced down the pain and barely opened his mouth.

“Who… who are you?”

—Me? Who do you think I am? Quite an amusing question, is it not?

“Cut the nonsense and reveal yourself!”

—Have I not already revealed it? I am your master.

In that instant, a thought flashed through Damon’s mind. The abnormalities that had recently appeared in him and Verkis’s incomprehensible actions. As Damon recalled them, he felt a chill run down his spine.

“Don’t tell me… Naidelhark?”

—Smarter than I expected.

Damon shook his head as if he could not believe it.

“I don’t understand. The Demon King I contracted with is Cherubim. Then why…”

—You fool. Cherubim is my loyal subordinate. Since he is no different from my hands and feet, you, too, can only be my servant.

“I won’t acknowledge that.”

He shook his head violently, but the owner of the voice was not shaken in the slightest.

—In any case, you will meet Cherubim before long. Gedenhide is performing a ritual to summon him to the human world at a certain location.

Damon was shocked.

“Gedenhide? How could something like that…”

—Kekeke. That fellow called Verkis played a little trick to lend me strength. He even released Gedenhide, whom he had taken as a limb. And at the final moment, he even offered up his own body. Quite astonishing. Since it is a dragon’s body, I am somewhat tempted, but when I think of what that bastard did to me, I do not particularly want it. Above all, your body is far more suitable than a dragon’s for realizing my plan.

“S-So that’s why the liches, led by Gedenhide, did not appear in the final battle?”

—Correct. I gave the freed Gedenhide an order to summon Cherubim. By now, he has likely been summoned to the human world.

Damon felt his mind go blank. The thing he had feared had finally come to pass. Damon desperately gathered his senses and continued asking questions.

“Then when did you awaken?”

—What do you mean?

Damon scowled and hurled curses.

“Verkis must have awakened you. That damned bastard. He’s using every trick in the book to destroy humanity.”

—You are wrong. It is true that Verkis tried to awaken me. But I had already awakened long ago and had been watching your every move.

Only then did Damon understand what had happened in the past. That inexplicable urge to kill had been Naidelhark’s mischief.

—I awakened when you lost consciousness after fighting Verkis in Arcadia. Only then was I freed from his seal.

“Then why didn’t you appear earlier? What were you waiting for?”

—I have been observing your actions all this time. The strategies you use were rather useful. To command Death Knights at the front with a human body and dispose of three dragons, no less. No, since you also dealt with Verkis, is it four in all? In any case, I waited until now because I thought there was much to learn from you.

Damon ground his teeth.

“In the end, I was moving according to your intentions. Now that I’m no longer useful, are you planning to extinguish me?”

—You will not be extinguished. You will become one with me. Since you have completed the Contract of Darkness, you cannot avoid it.

The dark mana was gradually slipping out of control. A strange energy crept up and began taking over his body. Despair appeared on Damon’s face.

“So this is how it ends?”

—You have worked hard all this time. Farewell.

Feeling his body slowly go numb, Damon shouted as if in a final struggle.

“Heavens, you are too cruel. Was it not enough to take Daphne from me? Now you mean to take even my soul? ㅠㅠ”

But the damned heavens did not answer. With that cry as the last, Damon’s consciousness was hurled into the pit of darkness.

After that, all that remained was endless darkness.

Mitchell, who had been staring in the direction where Damon had disappeared, tilted his head.

“Didn’t it sound like something just now?”

“Who knows?”

“It seemed like a shout, but it was too far away to make out.”

The squad members waited for Damon while suppressing their impatience. But Damon did not readily show himself.

After they had waited like that for quite some time, a shadow finally appeared. The shadow that walked out from between the temple walls approached the party in a straight line.

“He’s here.”

The party hurried to prepare to greet Damon. Having revealed himself, he was quietly walking toward them. No emotion whatsoever appeared on his expressionless face. Kasim quickly went out to meet him.

“You’ve returned, Damon.”

Damon glanced at Kasim, then turned his head without a word. There stood Shrekheimer and the Four Great Knights. But their reaction was somewhat strange. The way they trembled like aspens made it look as though they were terrified of Damon to the extreme.

But that lasted only a moment. As a strange gleam appeared in Damon’s eyes, the trembling running through their bodies slowly subsided. Damon slowly gestured toward them.

“Come.”

They launched themselves forward without another word. The Four Great Knights arrived before Damon and paid him respectful homage. It was a deference they had never once shown Damon until now.

On one knee, their hands clasped around their swords held upright, the Death Knights bowed their heads deeply. The two who had survived among the Death Knights recovered from the portal were also offering the same salute as the Four Great Knights.

Shrekheimer was no exception. He offered his respects with all the fervor and sincerity of a devout believer facing a god manifested upon the earth. Seeing this, the squad members tilted their heads.

“What’s gotten into them?”

They had never once treated Damon like that before. The relationship between Damon and them had been less that of master and servant and closer to that of comrades, so the squad members looked at the Death Knights’ sudden change in attitude with strange eyes.

As Damon watched them, a smile spread across his lips.

“At last, the time has come.”

He turned his body around. Having finished their salute, the Death Knights sprang lightly into motion and stood in formation behind Damon. Frowning, Kasim spoke to Damon again.

“Are you all right, Damon?”

Damon’s gaze came to rest on Kasim. The instant he met that gleam, Kasim let out a groan and took a step back. There was a strange power in Damon’s eyes, one difficult to dare approach. Yet that power vanished in the blink of an eye.

“What do you mean?”

After hesitating a moment, Kasim spoke again. The only thought in his head was that he had to soothe Damon somehow.

“The greatest blessing humans possess is forgetfulness. Though it may be hard now, with time you will be able to overcome the emptiness she left behind. And do you not have us, Damon? So please, take heart.”

A smile spread across Damon’s lips.

“So you’re worrying about me now?”

“Rather than saying that…”

Damon shook his head as if he found it absurd.

“If you think I would suffer over one foolish little girl like that, you are mistaken. I forgot long ago about a girl who rejected me and chose Berhajel, so do not worry.”

Kasim unconsciously took a step back. There was something not quite right about Damon’s attitude. All the more so because he had clearly witnessed his desperate state just moments ago.

‘Was the shock of Lady Daphne leaving greater than I imagined?’

Seeing Kasim’s head filled with all manner of guesses, Damon grinned.

“What? Are you surprised?”

“To be honest… yes.”

“Huhuhu. Thoughts are meant to change, after all.”

Just then, Krovitz approached Damon. Perhaps because he wanted to return quickly, impatience was written across his face.

“I am glad you have returned, Damon. I think it would be best if we hurried to depart before darkness falls. His Highness Pershtein must be waiting with his eyes nearly falling out for news of what happened.”

But Damon merely smiled faintly and shook his head.

“Wait a moment, Sir Krovitz. There is still something left to do.”

“Pardon? What is it that remains?”

A peculiar smile rose to Damon’s lips.

“Though Verkis has been dealt with, the war is not yet over. As long as the orcs remain, we will have to fight many more battles. Is that not so?”

“That is… true, but…”

Unable to guess Damon’s intention, Krovitz could only roll his eyes uneasily. Damon swept his gaze around the surroundings.

“This is the Northwood Plain, the land of death. As you know, Captain, souls that die here cannot leave this place until the end of the world.”

At those words, Krovitz’s face darkened. Thinking of the dead knights made his heart heavy.

But Krovitz had no ability to save their souls. As he stood there in anguish, Damon made him a tempting offer.

“There is a way to take the souls of the dead knights out of this place.”

“Is… is that true?”

Startled, Krovitz stared at Damon. An ambiguous smile hovered on Damon’s face.

“Judge for yourself, Captain. If we do as I propose, not only can we take the souls of the dead knights out of this place, but we can also obtain powerful warriors to fight against the orcs.”

“What sort of method could it possibly be…?”

Damon slowly turned and pointed to the Death Knights standing in attendance.

“It is simple. We will create Death Knights from their souls.”

Upon hearing the answer, Krovitz was shocked. He had never imagined Damon would make such a suggestion. As expected, he objected strongly.

“That cannot be allowed. We cannot desecrate the souls of the dead knights.”

“Why do you think their souls would be desecrated? In any case, their souls are fated to wander here until the end of the world, never able to leave this place. If so, would it not be better to turn them into Death Knights and allow them to continue the loyalty they could not fulfill in life?”

“……”

“You know well from experience just how powerful Death Knights are, Captain.”

In a subtle tone, Damon began persuading Krovitz.

“If the war continues in this state, the orcs will undoubtedly scatter in all directions and wage guerrilla warfare. They are a race renowned for excelling at guerrilla tactics. If matters develop that way, the expeditionary army will not be able to seize victory easily. But what if we deploy the Death Knights, the finest elite troops, to subjugate the orcs?”

Krovitz nodded without realizing it. Damon’s words had more than enough reason to them.

“If a unit composed of powerful Death Knights is deployed, the orcs will be unable to do a thing. To them, it will be the worst calamity imaginable.”

“But even so…”

“Death Knights can never be created through coercive means.”

Damon extended his finger again and pointed to the bodies of the dead laid beside Verkis.

“To create Death Knights, the consent of the dead souls is absolutely required. If the knights’ souls do not agree, creating Death Knights is fundamentally impossible. Even if hundreds of necromancers were to cling to the task, it could not be done. This is what I think: we ask the dead knights directly for their wishes. Among them, we give another chance to the souls that wish to become Death Knights and continue their loyalty. What do you say?”

Krovitz remained silent. Judging by the way his eyes shifted ceaselessly, he was sunk in grave anguish. Damon smiled as if he understood Krovitz’s heart well.

“First, there is one more thing you must keep in mind. If the dragons break their promise… if they violate the treaty and attack the expeditionary army, how will you respond?”

“But did they not say they would no longer be hostile to humans?”

“They already have a precedent from five hundred years ago, when they wiped out all the humans of Truvenia. There is no guarantee anywhere that the dragons will not unilaterally break their promise.”

Damon extended his finger and this time pointed to Verkis’s corpse.

“The idea that dragons do not lie is already an old tale. Verkis alone has told countless lies and toyed with humans until now. You know that well too, Captain, do you not?”

“……”

“Preparations against dragons must be made in advance when the opportunity is there.”

Krovitz finally made his decision. As Damon said, dragons were always a target that had to be guarded against.

“Very well. Then I will ask you just one thing, Damon.”

“Speak.”

“How many Death Knights can you create here?”

With a satisfied smile, Damon continued his explanation.

“There are many variables in creating Death Knights. The most important is the number of souls that agree to the contract. In addition, the dark mana that can be mobilized is also an indispensable factor. Considering my current physical condition, I cannot say for certain, but I think about ten should be possible.”

Hearing that, Krovitz nodded as if he understood. If it was only that number, it would not pose too great a threat. Damon already possessed forces capable of easily suppressing that much. The Four Great Knights were one example, and the Iron Golems were another.

“I understand. I will follow your will, Damon.”

A smile spread across Damon’s lips.

“An excellent decision. Then I will begin the work now.”

Damon nodded and turned around.

“Wait here. You may be affected by the dark mana.”

“Understood.”

Damon’s gaze turned toward the members of Kasim’s mercenary corps.

“You all wait here as well. It will not take very long.”

“Yes, Damon.”

Damon slowly walked toward the center of the plain. A wide space was essential in order to draw the magic circle needed for the summoning.

Krovitz watched Damon with somewhat uneasy eyes.

‘Surely he is not harboring some other intention? He does not seem like that sort of person, but no one can know another’s inner thoughts… In any case, there is no doubt that he is a dangerous individual we must be wary of.’

Having taken a position a considerable distance from the warriors, Damon clasped his two hands together. Around his body, vast waves of mana began to arise. It seemed he was rearranging mana to summon the souls.

Flash.

A cluster of light suddenly rose from Damon’s clasped hands. The chilling light gradually expanded its power. It was a mass of light so dreadful that the watching knights felt their legs go weak.

A short while later, the light spread in all directions with Damon’s body as its axis.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

The instant the light spread, every one of the warriors had to close their eyes. The intense light stimulated their pupils. Because of the pain, the warriors could not open their eyes for a long while.

The light wrapped around the bodies of the knights with their eyes shut and spread across the entire Northwood Plain. The emission of light continued for quite some time.

They did not know how much time had passed. The warriors waited with their eyes tightly shut for the summoning to end. But in the minds of Krovitz and the members of Kasim’s mercenary corps, one question was slowly growing.

‘Strange. Was Damon’s physical condition always this good? I thought he had exhausted all his strength in the battle with Verkis…’

Damon had fought a tremendous bloody battle with Verkis. If he had been an ordinary person, he would have needed to lie in bed for a full month just to barely recover. Yet no matter how closely they looked, there was not the slightest trace of fatigue on Damon. The knights were beginning to wonder whether Damon might be a superhuman being.

Sensing the light subsiding, Kasim quietly opened his eyes.

“Gah.”

In that instant, his eyes flew wide as if they would tear apart. It was because he had seen what had taken place around Damon. Starting with him, exclamations burst out here and there.

“My god…”

Even Krovitz was glaring at the area around Damon with eyes full of disbelief.

4. The Revival of the Great Demon King

“Huhuhu.”

Damon looked around with a satisfied smile. Beside him, countless shadows stood in ranks, gripping the hilts of their swords.

Helmets and armor of unbroken black. The crest of the Demon King engraved upon their breastplates. The eerie light pouring out from between the face guards of their helmets proved that they were Death Knights.

The number of Death Knights that had appeared was enormous. At a glance, the orderly legion of Death Knights seemed to number well over a hundred as they awaited Damon’s command. When he raised his hand, the Four Great Knights and Shrekheimer quietly approached and took their places in the front row of the Death Knights.

“I could not summon very many because there was not enough dark mana. But this will be more than enough to deal with those things.”

Muttering to himself, Damon slowly began to walk. Behind him, the legion of Death Knights followed in perfect order.

Clank, clank.

Though more than a hundred Death Knights were moving, the sound of their footsteps and armor rang out in unison, as if only a single person were moving. The warriors stared blankly at Damon with dazed expressions.

A short while later, Krovitz’s bewildered voice rang out.

“H-how did this happen?”

“What do you mean?”

“How could so many Death Knights…?”

Damon smiled faintly and met Krovitz’s gaze.

“The souls here harbor tremendous hostility toward dragons. Thanks to Berkis. Most of these souls met miserable deaths because of him, you see. When I told them I would let them take revenge against dragons, they did not hesitate and volunteered to become Death Knights.”

“No matter what……”

Krovitz, who had been shaking his head, snapped to attention. The latter part of Deimon’s words had finally reached his ears.

“You intend to fight dragons—what do you mean by that?”

“Precisely what it sounds like. I mean to use them to hunt every last dragon on the continents of Trubenia and Arcadia. Not a single one will remain.”

Hearing those words, the heroes felt chills run down their spines. A human had appeared in the world proclaiming that he would exterminate the dragons entirely.

Words come easily, but it was by no means something that could be accomplished easily. Dragons were a powerful race capable of reversing a losing war overnight. Their destructive power was overwhelming. No matter how formidable the forces Deimon possessed, there was simply no chance of victory.

Thus, the knights all thought Deimon’s boast was recklessness. Krovitz stepped forward with a stern expression.

“That is impossible. His Grace Duke Perushtein will not permit it either. An attack on the dragons must never happen in the current situation.”

“Why is that?”

“Now is the time to gather all our strength to face the orcs. His Grace has said it will take well over ten years to subjugate all the orcs. So please, reconsider.”

Deimon gazed at Krovitz with an ambiguous look in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible.”

“.......”

“It is only natural that to expand one’s power, one must exploit troubled times. Now, before the orcs are fully subjugated, is the most opportune moment to achieve my goal.”

At those words, Krovitz’s eyes sank heavily. Anyone who could not realize what he meant after it had gone that far was either an idiot or a fool. Tension gradually rose on the faces of the surviving heroes.

“Do you intend to betray His Grace?”

“Betrayal? What a hurtful thing to say. He and I have thought differently from the start.”

Krovitz bit his lip tightly.

“So you finally reveal your true colors here.”

“Perhaps so. In any case, I’m sorry. Since this must not reach Perushtein’s ears, I have no choice but to make sure none of you leave here alive.”

“Are you planning to kill us all to silence us?”

Krovitz retreated, stiff with tension. He had not expected Deimon to move so quickly. Without knowing that, they had given him time to summon the Death Knights—no different than giving wings to his scheme.

Having quietly assessed the number of enemy knights under Deimon’s command, Krovitz’s complexion darkened.

‘I can muster at most barely twenty…… This will be difficult.’

The surviving knights were mostly Sword Masters. Those lacking in skill had fallen away early, leaving only the cream of the crop.

Yet even with them, victory was far from assured. Above all, the surviving knights were men gathered from the royal guard orders of various nations. Those hailing from the Crosen Knights or the Duke Knights numbered at most fifteen, including himself.

Of course, there was no guarantee that the knights from other kingdoms would side with Duke Perushtein. In particular, the Penslotte knights held far friendlier feelings toward Deimon than toward the Duke. Furthermore, the Kasim mercenaries had to be considered enemies already. They and Deimon were an inseparable body.

When Deimon uttered one more thing, the atmosphere took an even more ominous turn.

“Those who do not swear loyalty to the Crosen Empire or Duke Perushtein, step aside. I will not attack those who remain neutral—on the condition that you never speak of what happened here today.”

They had fought together until now, but allegiances split along national lines. As expected, the Kasim Mercenary Corps went to stand beside Deimon. Though the situation was somewhat unclear, they simply could not bring themselves to betray him.

Kasim’s mind was filled with only one thought: to assess the situation and persuade Deimon. He could not understand why Deimon would openly antagonize Duke Perushtein, but for now, there was no other way.

The knights from Penslotte, Tejeros, and Tervia gathered to one side to maintain neutrality. They had no reason whatsoever to oppose Deimon. In the end, only the Crosen Knights and the Duke Knights remained by Krovitz’s side.

“What about you?”

Looking at Gerald and Heinrich standing beside Deimon, Krovitz felt conflicted. As if they had no face to show him, they hung their heads low.

‘You can’t help it. I understand.’

While Krovitz shook his head with a bitter expression, Deimon watched his face with a look of amusement.

Just then, Kasim spoke up from the side. It was out of a desperate desire to somehow persuade Deimon and avoid a fight.

“I apologize, but will you hear me out?”

“Speak.”

“I may be overstepping my bounds, but I do not think it is time to antagonize Duke Perushtein yet. Many orcs still remain in Trubenia. Even if we must fight, it should be after dealing with the orcs first……”

Deimon cut Kasim off coldly.

“It is a relief that you know it is an impertinent thought.”

“........”

“Until now, I have respected the captain’s opinion many times. Is that not so? Kasim?”

“It is.”

“Then can you not follow my will this time? I ask you sincerely.”

Kasim’s lips moved as if he had something to say, but he ultimately could not open his mouth. Until now, Deimon had recognized Kasim as the undisputed captain and had upheld his command in every situation.

Since it was a request from such a Deimon, there was nothing more to say. He knew they should not fight here, but there was nothing he could do. Kasim still believed in Deimon firmly.

‘What in the world is he thinking? We are in a position to follow…… Well, he must have a plan.’

The members, including Michel, also looked bewildered. The fact that they would have to fight the Crosen knights they had crossed life and death with until now was far from welcome.

But there was nothing to be done. They were already prepared to lay down their lives if Deimon asked.

Krovitz stepped forward with a firm expression.

“Do you have no intention of changing your mind? If you wish, we can forget this ever happened.”

“Oh my, I’m so sorry about that. I have no such intention at all.”

Hearing Deimon’s answer, Krovitz emptied his mind and quietly drew his sword.

“I hate myself for having respected you, if only for a moment. Very well. If you wish to leave this place, you will have to step over the corpses of me and my subordinates.”

Krovitz threw his scabbard to the ground. His subordinates were doing the same. It was a silent declaration that they would fight with their lives on the line.

But Deimon appeared completely unmoved.

“Naturally, one must do so to clear a path.”

When Deimon raised his hand, the Four Great Knights swiftly stepped forward. As they drew their swords, the hundred Death Knights also drew theirs.

Cha-chang.

The sound of a hundred longswords being drawn rang out in perfect unison. Kasim burned with anxiety watching this. His chest felt tight because he instinctively realized that humans must not fight each other.

‘Schreckheimer, please talk some sense into Deimon.’

Kasim continuously signaled with his eyes to Schreckheimer, who stood in respectful attendance behind Deimon. But Schreckheimer merely looked away, pretending not to see. It was an incomprehensible action, but even then, Kasim did not harbor the slightest doubt about Deimon.

Finally, Deimon raised his hand. It was the moment the order to attack was about to be given.

“Shall we begin, then?”

Krovitz hurriedly raised his hand.

“Wait. I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“Although we are in a position where we must fight, there is one thing I wish to receive your promise on.”

“Speak.”

“We do not fear death. But please, do not turn me and my subordinates into Death Knights. Even if we become specters wandering this place for eternity, I do not wish to become a Death Knight.”

Staring into Krovitz’s resolute eyes, Deimon nodded.

“I shall do so. In any case, there are more than enough souls besides yours to make into Death Knights.”

“My thanks.”

Krovitz nodded and adjusted his grip on his sword, waiting for the order to attack, when another sharp voice burst forth.

“Who in the world are you?”

It was a woman’s voice, honed to a sharp edge. After Daphne had disappeared, there was only one human woman left among the people here.

The startled Krovitz looked at Yuliana.

“What are you saying?”

The other knights’ gazes also focused on Yuliana. She was glaring at Deimon with eyes that seemed unable to believe what they saw. Her body trembled violently, as if she had received a great shock.

A faint smile bloomed at the corner of Deimon’s mouth.

“What are you saying, Yuliana?”

Yuliana faltered and stepped back.

“You…… you are not Deimon.”

“What nonsense is this? If I am not Deimon, then who is?”

Deimon shook his head as if it were absurd, but Yuliana did not stop pressing him.

“Lies. Deimon’s eyes are drastically different from yours. What in the world is your true identity?”

Tears began to surge from Yuliana’s eyes.

“Y-Yuliana.”

Kasim approached to calm Yuliana down. But she coldly brushed aside his hand.

“I have something to say. So everyone, please listen carefully.”

She spoke, tears streaming down her face.

“Some time ago, Deimon asked me for a favor. It was a favor to prepare for the possibility of his body being stolen by the Demon King.”

At those words, everyone was shocked. Until now, no one had suspected Deimon’s true identity. Even Krovitz had not entertained the possibility that Deimon might be a different being.

Yuliana’s voice, close to a scream, continued to ring in their ears.

“Deimon was a black mage. Therefore, he had long been worried about having his body stolen by the Demon King.”

Deimon listened to Yuliana’s words, neither confirming nor denying them.

“He carried the seal of the Great Demon King Naidelhark within his body. So I told him time and again that he might transform into a completely different being at any moment.”

Yuliana, her emotions rising, suddenly shouted.

“You are unquestionably the Demon King who has taken over Deimon’s body.”

“On what grounds do you think so?”

“A woman’s intuition. A woman is by her very nature most sensitive to changes in the one she loves. Is it not time to reveal the truth?”

Her words brought great change to the chamber. First, the Kasim Mercenary Corps members moved away from Deimon’s side. Because they could not deny the possibility that his true identity was the Demon King, just as Yuliana had said.

The knights who had tried to remain neutral silently gathered beside Krovitz. If Deimon’s true identity was the Demon King, they could not stand idly by either. Since ancient times, the demon race had been the enemy of all humanity.

The heroes said nothing, fixing their eyes on Deimon’s mouth. It was silent pressure demanding that he reveal his identity. The smile lingering at Deimon’s lips grew deeper.

“I had intended to handle this simply, but it seems things have gone awry here.”

Thud.

Those words were as good as Deimon himself confessing that he was the Demon King.

The first to show movement were the Kasim Mercenary Corps members. Kasim, who had worn a blank expression, suddenly came to his senses.

“Now is not the time for this.”

Cradling Yuliana, Kasim moved like the wind. The remaining members, led by Michel, followed suit. They moved toward Krovitz’s side, whom they had been confronting until now. Krovitz, too, welcomed them as if he had completely forgotten what had just transpired.

Shh-ring.

Once they reached a safe position, the Kasim Mercenary Corps members immediately drew their weapons. Seeing this, Deimon shook his head.

“You disloyal wretches. To think those who swore to lay down their lives for me would betray me at the most critical moment.”

Kasim stepped forward and bellowed.

"We swore a solemn oath to Daemon. We owe no loyalty to some Demon King."

Daemon shook his head as if to say that was not the case.

"You are mistaken about something. It is true that I am the Demon King. But that does not mean I cannot also be called Daemon. Because Daemon has already become a part of me—of Naidelhark."

At those words, Yuliana's face turned pale.

"As I suspected......."

As if her soul had fled, she slumped helplessly to the ground. The brief hope that she might win Daemon's love now that Daphne was gone vanished; Daemon had once again disappeared beyond her reach. Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head repeatedly.

"You wretched man. How dare you abandon me and leave....... *Sob.*"

The shock was so great that she fainted on the spot. Daemon swept his gaze over her with expressionless eyes.

A moment later, his gaze turned to the members of Kasim's mercenary band. His sharp eyes swept over each and every one of them.

"Kasim, I remember when I first met you."

"........"

"Though you were merely the captain of a small mercenary band, your guts and leadership were truly outstanding. Most of all, your care for your comrades was so remarkable that it made me wish to become your comrade."

A faint tremor crossed Kasim's face.

"Do you remember? We resolved many things together. During that time, you never once disappointed me. From when you refused to denounce me in Dontrel prison, up until now. I was most grateful when you decided to follow me even after meeting Matilda. And come to think of it, do you know how flustered I was when you uncovered Shurnak's true identity?"

Kasim's body trembled violently with emotion.

"H-how do you know that......"

"Did I not tell you? Daemon has become a part of me. Therefore, no one can say that I am not Daemon. His memories are now mine."

Having finished speaking, Daemon turned his gaze to Michell.

"Michell. Our first meeting was not exactly smooth. Honestly, you were an impetuous child consumed by vanity back then. But I have regretted tormenting you and Yuliana in the mountains to this day. In exchange, I gave you enlightenment and led you to the path of the Sword Master, so do not take it too badly."

Michell shook his head without realizing it. The one speaking to him now was undoubtedly Daemon. At least, that was what Michell believed.

"I do not take it badly. Have you not done far more for me?"

"I am glad to hear you think so."

Daemon looked at the other members. Memories of their time together flowed from his lips like a revolving lantern. Gerald and Heinrich's faces, too, took on expressions of delving into the past without exception.

Thanks to becoming comrades with Daemon, they had been able to become Duke Knights and fulfill long-cherished wishes. Gerald had avenged his household, and Heinrich had earned recognition from his father. None of it would have been possible had they not met Daemon.

Daemon quietly surveyed the faces of the members.

"I am reminded of Helton and Vieri, who died in my stead. They were truly splendid, fine fellows....."

Even as they thought this could not be, the members found themselves nodding along. How could they dare say that someone who remembered even the most trivial details was not Daemon?

Watching this, Krovitz quietly felt impatience welling up. He could clearly sense the hearts of Kasim's mercenaries wavering. Driven to desperation, he was even considering extreme measures.

'Would it not be better to eliminate them before Kasim's mercenaries turn their backs?'

The skill of Kasim's mercenaries was formidable enough to warrant such concern. As Krovitz agonized over this, Kasim conveniently addressed Daemon. His eyes had settled into an unwavering calm, as if he had steeled his resolve.

"Daemon, I simply cannot deny you. You are undoubtedly Daemon."

As though he had achieved his purpose, a smile spread across Daemon's lips.

"It is rather hurtful that you only now realize who I am. Come here, Kasim. Comrades must move together, no matter when or where. The same goes for all of you."

But at Kasim's following words, the smile vanished faster than it had appeared.

"Forgive me. I am sorry, but we can no longer follow Daemon's will."

Daemon, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

"Why have you made such a decision? Does this mean you no longer consider me a comrade?"

"Until now, I have always thought of you as a comrade. But from this moment on, that is no longer the case."

"Why do you think so?"

"We do this solely for Daemon. We are human. But you, Daemon, have already become a part of the Demon King. Therefore, we can no longer remain your comrades."

Having finished speaking, Kasim raised his sword.

"We intend to fight with our lives on the line to stop the Demon King's tyranny. Daemon, please think of us with pride."

The members snapped back to their senses. Thanks to Kasim's words, they were able to steady their wavering hearts.

The members offered Daemon a respectful salute.

"Please understand, Daemon. And please forgive us for having no other choice."

"You may call this betrayal, and we would have no words to defend ourselves. But one thing is certain. We truly cared for Daemon. We shall never forget the grace we received from him, even in death."

The easygoing Patterson continued with his flair for words.

"Perhaps there is still a chance we might become comrades again. That is, if you turn our souls into undead after we die. Captain Kasim or Instructor Michell would surely make fine Death Knights, but I suspect it would be rather difficult for me. Still, for old times' sake, please look after me. I have no desire to become a Ghoul or Skeleton."

It was a situation ripe for uproarious laughter, yet no one laughed. Guilt toward Daemon and worry for the future of the human realm made everyone feel as though their heads might burst. With the Demon King descending upon such a chaotic world, a terrible tragedy was as obvious as fire.

Thanks to Kasim's resolve, Krovitz was able to cast off all his unease. Conversely, the feigned smile vanished completely from Daemon's face.

"Clever as ever, Kasim. I had intended to handle this easily, yet each attempt ends in failure. Because of Yuliana and you. It cannot be helped, then. I suppose only overwhelming force remains?"

The drastic change in Daemon's attitude allowed the members to shed the burden in their hearts. They could now clearly recognize that their opponent was not Daemon, but Naidelhark.

Krovitz, who had been cautiously watching the unfolding situation, bellowed.

"Even if we are severely outmatched, we will not go down without a fight. Naidelhark, the human realm is not so weak that a mere Demon King can throw it into chaos."

"Is that so? It looks rather weak to my eyes."

As if suddenly remembering something, Naidelhark smacked his forehead.

"I see. I have yet to show my hidden power. No wonder that fool dares to boast so loudly. Won't you wait just a moment?"

Having finished speaking, Naidelhark raised his hand. In an instant, the surroundings became dark as pitch.

Kwaaraaaack!

As if responding to Naidelhark's gesture, savage roars erupted from all around. The scene that was revealed shortly after sent the heroes into a panic.

Boom! Boom!

The ground burst open mercilessly. Through the fissures, grotesque creatures revealed themselves. Beings that could not be called mere monsters—they were the monstrosities of the Demon Realm.

Demonic creatures too numerous to count appeared one after another. The heroes who witnessed this were struck senseless.

"Good heavens......"

"They are tremendous. We cannot even count them all."

The demonic creatures, multiplying at a geometric rate, lined up behind Naidelhark one after another. Descending from the sky were Dark Shades, fiends whose very names inspired terror. Some ten Dark Shades surrounded Naidelhark's body without a gap.

What appeared next were monsters that the members had never once seen before. From those bearing the upper body of a mantis upon the body of a rhinoceros beetle, to those that looked like centipedes merged with lizards. All manner of powerful-looking monsters emerged without cease.

They shared one common trait: their massive size and thick shells. At a glance, it seemed conventional attacks would hardly be able to inflict any real damage.

The monsters that had appeared stood behind Naidelhark, beside the lined-up Death Knights. Their numbers appeared to exceed one hundred at the very least.

The heroes gradually felt their spirits wilt. They could not even handle a hundred Death Knights, and now these monsters were joining the fray........ Krovitz gritted his molars until they nearly cracked.

"Just who in the world summoned those monsters?"

Krovitz's question was answered before long. Nearly thirty Liches flew in silently and landed beside Naidelhark. Seeing Gedenhide among them, Krovitz felt his strength drain away completely.

"So they are the ones who summoned the monsters."

Why Gedenhide, who had been the Guardian of Verkis, had summoned these monsters was a mystery. But in this moment, it was not important in the slightest.

'I must inform His Eminence of this......'

But Krovitz instinctively sensed that no one would be able to escape this place. The heroes' faces had long since lost all color. The overwhelming difference in military strength made it impossible to hold out any hope.

To the ears of the overwhelmed knights, a regular, thunderous rumbling was heard once more.

Thud. Thud.

It was the Iron Golem. It walked toward them, bearing a palanquin upon which lay Verkis's body. Though the palanquin must have been tremendously heavy carrying an Ancient-grade Dragon, the Iron Golem showed not the slightest sign of strain.

Having set the palanquin down to one side, the Iron Golem approached Naidelhark. It bowed its head respectfully to the Demon King watching over it.

Kraaaa.

At the sight, the knights felt their spirits crushed once more. Seeing even the Iron Golem pledge loyalty to Naidelhark left no room for doubt that Daemon had become a part of Naidelhark.

The heroes, steeped in despair, waited quietly for their end in resignation. But Naidelhark did not seem inclined to finish them off so easily.

"Hehehe. You are trembling in the fear of death. What ever shall I do? For this is not the end, you see."

Smirking, Naidelhark looked around.

"Reveal yourself."

The moment his words ended, a blinding radiance erupted right beside Naidelhark.

Flash!

The light vanished even faster than it had appeared. And in that spot, a snow-white shadow stood proudly.

Seeing this spectacle, hope bloomed in the hearts of several knights. Because the being that had appeared was an angel of peerless beauty.

The angel, possessing supremely beautiful features and wrapped in snow-white wings, gazed this way with infinitely gentle eyes. Because of this, the eyes of the knights at the forefront grew hazy. They had fallen into a trance at the angel's beautiful figure.

But that lasted only a moment. Naidelhark's voice shattered the atmosphere without mercy.

"Come to me, Cherubim."

The angel approached Naidelhark and offered a respectful salute, crushing the vain hopes of the knights who looked on.

"It is a great pleasure to meet you again, Lord Naidelhark. It has been exactly 567 years."

"So it has, Cherubim."

Smirking, Naidelhark patted Cherubim's shoulder. It was the moment when Cherubim, the Demon King with whom Daemon had contracted, finally revealed himself in the human realm.

Naidelhark looked at Cherubim with a strange gaze. Outwardly, Cherubim bore the perfect appearance of an angel. Save for the Demon King's emblem engraved upon his forehead, no one would have suspected Cherubim was anything but an angel.

And for good reason. She had originally belonged to the celestial race. As a cherub of the second rank, she had once been one of the countless Cherubim who guarded the heavens.

But she was no longer an angel. Having grown sick of the tedious life of the celestial race, she had fallen for Nidelhark’s temptation and become corrupted.

Nidelhark granted his new subordinate a vast amount of dark mana, and at the same time deliberately bestowed upon her the name Cherubim. Behind his choice to give a fallen celestial the name Cherubim—a title symbolizing the cherubim—lay Nidelhark’s intent to insult the heavens, if only slightly.

After that, Cherubim carried out many tasks as Nidelhark’s hands and feet. More a strategist of outstanding intellect than a valiant general, Cherubim rose to become a corps commander leading the Demon King’s army, and established herself as a proud Demon King under Nidelhark’s command.

Recalling Cherubim’s past, Nidelhark smiled faintly.

“So, how stand matters in the Demon Realm?”

Cherubim began to explain in an emotionless tone. Because Nidelhark had been absent for so long, countless changes had taken place in the demon realm kingdom he had ruled.

“The situation is not very good. We were defeated in several demon realm wars and lost no small amount of territory. Lord Nidelhark, your absence was greater than expected.”

At those words, rage surged across Nidelhark’s face.

“Just what bastards stole my territory?”

“They are too many to count. Among them, the Demon Kings who took the most territory were Baal and Wirinom. The eight great Demon King corps commanders, myself included, fought to the end, but in the end we could not defend the territory.”

“That would be so. In a demon realm war, an army without a Great Demon King taking part can never defeat an army that has one. But do not worry. Before long, the human world will fall into my hands. The suffering and resentment of countless dying humans are the source of my power. If I gradually absorb that resentment, my army will soon become invincible. When that happens, unifying the Demon Realm will not be impossible. Those Demon King bastards, Baal and Wirinom included, will pay dearly for stealing my territory.”

“Your words are most just.” - Kim Changhu version ㅡㅡㅋ

When he finished speaking, a grotesque smile formed at the corners of Nidelhark’s mouth.

“But before that, there is something I must do.”

He looked at Cherubim with a meaningful gaze.

“Right now, I desperately need you. That is why I ordered Gedenhide to summon you first above all others.”

Perhaps overcome with emotion, Cherubim answered in an excited tone.

“Please give me your command. I, Cherubim, am always prepared to carry out Lord Nidelhark’s orders.”

“Good. Come to me at once.”

Cherubim approached Nidelhark without hesitation. He seized both of Cherubim’s shoulders tightly as she came near.

Seeing the grotesque expression that appeared on Nidelhark’s face, Cherubim was startled.

“L-Lord Nidelhark……”

“I am sorry, Cherubim. I am in desperate need of pure dark mana. Therefore, I believe I must absorb back the dark mana I granted you.”

Though he said that, not the slightest hint of apology could be found in Nidelhark’s eyes.

Seeing the gleam in his eyes, Cherubim felt chills run down her spine. Dark mana was the driving force that sustained her. To have her dark mana taken away was no different from having her very existence return to nothingness.

Though she was a fallen celestial, it was not as if she had no attachment to life at all. Cherubim struggled desperately to escape Nidelhark’s grasp.

“S-spare me, Lord Nidelhark. I do not wish to be extinguished yet.”

“It cannot be helped, Cherubim. By absorbing you, I can fill the absolute amount of mana I lack. I can also reorganize the Dark Army even more perfectly. So consider it an honor to sacrifice yourself for me.”

“B-but……”

“Do not worry. Through my eyes, I shall let you witness the moment the Demon Realm is united.”

“N-no.”

Those were the last words Cherubim left in the world.

The moment Nidelhark opened his mouth wide, her body was sucked into it as if air were leaking away. Cherubim could not offer even the slightest resistance.

Thud.

All Cherubim left behind was a thin skin. Everything inside her body had been swallowed by Nidelhark without a trace. The only thing that had not been absorbed, her pure white wings, gently settled atop the skin as if mourning Cherubim’s end.

Nidelhark smacked his lips in satisfaction.

“Perhaps because she came from the celestial race, she tastes exceptionally good. Heh heh.”

Even though Cherubim had vanished, the demon realm monsters she had brought with her did not waver in the slightest. To the monsters, Cherubim had been nothing more than a commander. Since they had served Nidelhark’s orders from the very beginning, Cherubim’s extinction had no effect on them.

Rising to his feet, Nidelhark quietly began to walk.

“G-good heavens, he ate an angel.”

The warriors’ gazes, filled with shock, focused on him, but Nidelhark did not even spare them a glance. Nidelhark stopped where the liches stood in formation. His gaze slowly turned to Gedenhide.

“You have carried out my command splendidly, Gedenhide.”

“You honor me too greatly, Lord Nidelhark.”

Gedenhide respectfully bowed. Perhaps because he had witnessed Cherubim’s annihilation, his body was trembling faintly. If Nidelhark so much as wished it, he too could be absorbed at any moment. If there was any fortune in this, it was that, being a lich, his expression did not change.

“I apologize for causing you trouble, Lord Nidelhark. Please forgive me for failing to overcome the mental magic and becoming Verkis’s pawn. If you give me an order, I shall carry it out until my body is reduced to dust.”

“Good.”

Nidelhark raised his hand and pointed at the vast Northwood Plain spread out before him.

“There are countless souls here who hold grudges against dragons. From those who died five hundred years ago to those who died just now, innumerable spirits wander without finding rest. Each one possesses ability more than sufficient to be made into a Death Knight. I will share enough dark mana with you, so turn them all into Death Knights.”

“B-but creating Death Knights requires the consent of the souls.”

A smile brushed past Nidelhark’s lips.

“Do not worry. If you offer them the power and opportunity to take revenge on dragons, the souls will agree without a second word. It is a method used by a fellow named Damon, and its effectiveness was exceptional.”

“U-understood.”

“If matters proceed as expected, I will come to possess an enormous legion of Death Knights. With them at the center, I will efficiently wage the Second Dark War. So enact the grand ritual immediately.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a vast amount of dark mana was transferred into Gedenhide’s body. It was the mana he had absorbed from the extinguished Cherubim.

“Then I shall begin the grand ritual.”

Having received the mana, Gedenhide immediately tried to fly off.

“Wait. It will be difficult for you alone. Take Shreckheimer with you. He too is a lich of considerable ability. If you combine your strength with his and proceed with the summoning, you will be able to shorten the time.”

Nidelhark called forth Shreckheimer and shared dark mana with him as well. Shreckheimer, who had once been the High Pontiff of the Verhazel Order, had passed through being a vampire to become a lich, and finally found himself reduced to becoming the hands and feet of the Great Demon King Nidelhark.

It could only be called a truly strange and unfortunate fate, but he had no way to defy Nidelhark’s command. After all, it was Nidelhark’s mana that had made him into a lich in the first place.

Gedenhide shot Shreckheimer a cold look.

“We have no time. Let us go.”

The two flew off using levitation magic. Some thirty liches followed behind them. Though they had once been Verkis’s guardians, they too, having been brainwashed by Gedenhide, had become perfect servants of Nidelhark.

Having brought the matter to a close, Nidelhark turned around with a triumphant smile.

“Heh heh heh. Once the Death Knight legion is complete, I will no longer need to worry about dragons. I learned from that Damon fellow exactly how to deal with dragons, so they will no longer be able to drag me down.”

Nidelhark’s heart swelled with excitement. This time, he felt certain he could conquer the human world. Five hundred years ago, he had been defeated due to insufficient preparation and unexpected support from Arcadia, but this time, even if he wanted to lose, he could not. The many tactics he had gained from Damon would become the greatest foundation for subjugating the human world.

“That Damon fellow kindly planted a blood worm of subjugation inside the head of the expeditionary army’s commander-in-chief. Simply put, it means I can move the expeditionary army as I wish. On top of that, Gedenhide can command the orc army. I will drive these two groups in a direction that maximizes casualties on both sides. The countless corpses produced in the process will become my army, and the resentment will become the source of the power I can wield. If that happens, a great army capable of overwhelming Arcadia in a single stroke will be created. To control them, I will need as many Death Knights as possible.”

His gaze came to rest on the Four Great Knights lined up before the Death Knight legion. An amused expression appeared on Nidelhark’s face.

“I had never thought of Death Knights as more than commanders of various ranks within my army. Because of that, I focused on quantity rather than quality. But that was a clear miscalculation.”

Nidelhark slowly gestured with his hand. Then the Four Great Knights approached silently and prostrated themselves.

“Within your bodies dwells an enormous amount of dark mana. If used for ordinary Death Knights, it would be enough to make well over two hundred.”

Helbertron answered in an emotionless tone.

“If you require it, please take it back. We exist only to obey Lord Nidelhark’s commands.”

“I have no intention of doing so, so do not worry. From now on, you will face dragons according to my orders. I will attach all the liches, led by Gedenhide, to you. Since you fought alongside Damon several times to hunt dragons, I believe you will do well.”

The Four Great Knights, including Helbertron, trembled. Since they had been created from Nidelhark’s mana in the first place, they could never refuse his command.

“Leave it to us. We will never fail to meet Your Majesty the Great Demon King’s expectations.”

“I trust you.”

Withdrawing his gaze from the Four Great Knights, Nidelhark looked this time at the Iron Golem.

“Hoo hoo hoo. This fellow is quite useful as well. Come to think of it, I received a great many gifts from that Damon fellow, didn’t I? More than anything, the strategies I learned from him were the most worthwhile. Humans truly are quite an interesting race.”

But when he saw Verkis lying beside the Iron Golem, a cruel smile appeared on Nidelhark’s face. That was because painful memories of being sealed for five hundred years because of him surfaced.

“Verkis, for five hundred years, I dreamed only of tearing you apart alive. I truly wanted to dispose of you with my own hands……”

Verkis was now nothing but a body. In other words, he was no longer a proper target for revenge. What lay before him was merely the shell Verkis had used in life. But Nidelhark did not intend to leave even that alone.

“I do find it commendable that, for the single-minded purpose of destroying humanity, you offered me your body. Unfortunately, however, I have no intention of using your flesh. For destroying humanity, Damon’s body is far more useful than yours. Still, it is not entirely useless. I will turn your body into a Bone Dragon. Just as Damon did, I intend to use you as a mount.”

Though he was on the verge of being reduced to a Bone Dragon, Verkis said nothing. His spirit had been completely severed from his body.

Finishing his thoughts, Nidelhark turned around.

“Hoo hoo hoo.”

At last, his attention turned to the warriors. Tensed to the limit, the warriors gripped the hilts of their swords tightly, as if determined to fight until the moment their lives ran out.

Yet even the sight of them steeling their fighting spirit with such fervor was, to Naidelhark, nothing more than a laughable gesture from the start. If he gave the order to attack, the fifty heroes would be annihilated in the blink of an eye. The Kasim Mercenary Corps would meet the same fate.

Though they knew that fact all too well, not a single one of the heroes stepped back. They had already resolved themselves for death.

“It seems it is now time to deal with you.”

The heroes said nothing. Naidelhark snorted as if they were absurd, and when he raised his hand, the Death Knights moved in perfect order.

Clack, clack, clack.

The sound of footsteps, as if only one person were moving.

The legion of Death Knights approached within a stone’s throw of the Hero Corps and raised their swords in unison. At the very front, the Four Great Knights who had spent long years with Damon glared at the heroes, emitting an eerie glow.

At the sight, the members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps felt a deep sorrow. Until not long ago, they had been their closest comrades. Reliable companions who had served as sparring partners and rushed first to save them whenever they fell into danger. Though they were Death Knights, symbols of evil, no one had denied the fact that they were comrades.

But now they were merely the loyal puppets of the Demon King, no longer comrades at all. If an order was given, they would not hesitate to drive their swords into the bodies of the Kasim Mercenary Corps. A forlorn smile formed at the corner of Kasim’s mouth.

“To think we would end up fighting like this… Truly, fate is cruel, Helbertron.”

Helbertron said nothing, merely glaring at Kasim.

“I sparred with you many times, but it seems things will be different this time. To be honest, I have no confidence I could last more than a minute against you. I could not withstand you even in sparring, so in a real battle there is no room for further thought, is there? Even so, I intend to do my best. So, for the sake of old times, I hope you will end it cleanly.”

But Helbertron gave no answer this time either. He had now become Naidelhark’s faithful limb down to the marrow of his bones.

Mitchell, too, felt anguish. Helbertron, Reindelph, Frimberg, Saramis. Until yesterday, they had been comrades more trustworthy than anyone. From now on, they were enemies who had to cross blades with them. Enemies whose power was enough to make one shudder.

The heroes, including the members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps, tried to quietly meet their end. But Naidelhark did not seem inclined to finish them off so easily.

“Do not be too tense. I have no intention of sending you off simply.”

At those words, Krovitz shouted in rage.

“We are honorable knights. Do not toy with us—end this at once!”

“How impatient. I still have something left to do.”

Naidelhark smiled faintly and turned his head. Where his gaze fell, Juliana stood with her face gone deathly pale. She had been unconscious in Kasim’s arms, but had awakened just moments before. As if she had decided something, she was biting her lip tightly.

Naidelhark looked carefully into her eyes.

“I have something to ask you, Juliana.”

“……”

“Do you still love me?”

Juliana’s eyes widened at the absurd question.

“Don’t say something so ridiculous. What reason would I have to love a Demon King?”

Her response was sharp, but Naidelhark was not shaken in the least.

“You still do not know the truth. I am the Great Demon King, and I am also Damon. Everything that belongs to Damon is mine as well. In that sense, you cannot help but be a special existence to me. You are the second woman to have given me her heart even after seeing my true form.”

“……”

“No, now you have become the only woman. Daphne abandoned me and returned to Berhazel’s embrace.”

As he finished speaking, Naidelhark’s form slowly changed. The appearance of a handsome blond young man vanished, and the incomparably ugly figure of an outsider was revealed. It was the appearance of Dokgo Seong, the cult leader of the Apostates.

After becoming one with Damon, Naidelhark could now even manifest the Art of Bodily Transformation.

“Da… Damon……”

At the sight, Juliana’s eyes trembled faintly. Her heart was being shaken severely.

Naidelhark did not miss that moment and began to coax her.

“There is no need to deny your feelings for me. Though I never expressed it, I was truly grateful to you. Born ugly, I suffered countless scorn and coldness, and only two women have ever given me their hearts. Of them, the only woman who did not abandon me is you.”

Naidelhark raised his hand and pointed at Juliana.

“I will now accept your love. Come to me, Juliana.”

But Juliana did not move hastily. She could not tell at all whether the one before her was Damon or Naidelhark. Naidelhark, however, paid it no mind and continued beckoning.

“To be honest, I do not wish to cast you aside. No one has felt the pain of being abandoned as keenly as I have. So come to me. I do not wish to inflict such pain upon you.”

All manner of emotions crossed Juliana’s eyes. Watching her, Kasim quietly tapped her shoulder.

“It must be painful, but please endure a little longer. He merely shares Damon’s memories; fundamentally, he is a different being.”

Despite Kasim’s comfort, Juliana’s turmoil did not cease. Her gaze remained fixed upon Naidelhark’s face, as though she wished to carve the image of the man she loved into her eyes.

Kasim continued trying to persuade her.

“Naidelhark is surely doing this because he wants something. You must not fall for his temptation.”

Just then, Naidelhark’s furious shout rang out.

“Then, Kasim, do you wish for Juliana to die together with you?”

“……”

“If she does not come to me, nothing awaits her but death. If you do not want that result, do not interfere.”

At the repeated rebuke, Kasim quietly closed his mouth.

Naidelhark’s words were true. If Juliana did not succumb to the temptation, all that would remain for her was a miserable death. The Great Demon King had no reason to keep her alive. Without another word, Kasim stepped back.

‘Perhaps that would be better. At least she will not die……’

Having dealt with the nuisance so easily, Naidelhark looked at Juliana once more.

“I will give you one final chance, Juliana. If you wish to obtain love, come to me.”

At last, Juliana’s lips opened.

“If I go, will you let me be with Damon?”

“Of course. A human life is not even a hundred years at most. If you come to me, you will be able to be with Damon forever. I intend to make you a Demon Queen and keep you by my side.”

Hearing those words, Juliana hesitated no longer.

“I will follow your will.”

She slowly moved her feet and headed toward Naidelhark. The knights watched her with sorrowful eyes.

They desperately wanted to stop her, but regrettably, they had no justification. Even if she stayed, what awaited her would be only a miserable death.

The situation was proceeding in an utterly despairing direction. The Death Knights created by Gedenhide and Schreckheimer were still joining their ranks one by one even at this moment. The total number of Death Knights had now easily surpassed two hundred.

The souls of the knights wandering the Northwood Plain numbered fully twice that, and if all of them agreed to the contract, Naidelhark would come to possess a mighty Death Knight legion composed of four hundred.

When Juliana approached, Helbertron and Reindelph stepped forward to receive her.

“Traitors……”

Juliana glared at them with displeasure, but they showed no change in expression. Their reaction was as though serving Naidelhark was only natural.

‘There is nothing to be done.’

Letting out a long sigh, Juliana followed their guidance and advanced before Naidelhark.

“There is one thing I want to ask.”

“Speak, Juliana.”

“Was the reason you tempted me perhaps because of the forced activation spell Damon taught me?”

“……”

“Did you force yourself to tempt me because your life would be in danger if I recited the spell?”

Naidelhark smiled calmly.

“You still do not know Damon well, do you? Damon is not such an easy fellow.”

Juliana’s expression changed abruptly.

“Then did he teach me the spell falsely?”

“It was not false. But one element absolutely necessary to activate the spell was missing.”

Naidelhark gave her a wink.

“That spell only takes effect when recited while drawing up internal energy—in other words, refined mana. Damon deliberately told you the spell with that in mind.”

Juliana shook her head fiercely.

“Lies. I can’t believe you.”

“Everything I say is true. If you had recited the spell, I would never have forgiven you. That would have been no different from Daphne abandoning me and choosing Berhazel. But you did not recite the spell. Because you did not want Damon to suffer because of it. Is that not so?”

“……”

Naidelhark slowly rose to his feet.

“Now I will repay your love.”

“What are you going to do to me?”

“I intend to make you a Demon Queen and take you as one of my wives. If that happens, you can be with Damon forever. As I said, I am Naidelhark and also Damon. From now on, without being bound by lifespan, you will be able to remain by Damon’s side forever and enjoy pleasure and eternal life.”

“That does not sound like such a bad condition.”

“But for that, something is necessary.”

“What in the world is that?”

Naidelhark quietly signaled with his eyes. Then one of the Dark Shades standing behind him approached. The Dark Shade gripped the longsword it had been holding up in both hands and gently drew it.

Shing.

The blade, containing the energy of darkness, gleamed ominously. The Dark Shade placed the longsword at Juliana’s feet. Naidelhark continued with his explanation.

“To become a Demon Queen, you must first cast away your human flesh. This sword is a demonic sword containing the essence of dark fighting aura. Stab your heart with this sword.”

“What did you say?”

Juliana was startled. There was no way she would not be shocked when he was telling her to take her own life. Naidelhark continued speaking without hesitation.

“It is a process you must undergo in order to transcend human limits and enjoy eternal life. Cast off that useless human flesh. In return, you will be given a future beyond imagination. Even the honor of remaining forever by the side of me, Naidelhark, who am Damon and also the Great Demon King. So I hope you will make a wise choice.”

Leaving Juliana to hesitate, Naidelhark turned away. The number of Death Knights had already swollen to nearly four hundred.

Astonishingly, almost all of the souls wandering this place had chosen the path of becoming Death Knights. Their deep grudge against the dragons had made them willing to enter the Demon King’s command.

The Death Knight legion, standing in orderly ranks behind the Four Great Knights, together with the army of monsters, slowly made the hearts of the heroes go numb. Naidelhark finally resolved to deal with the heroes.

“While you cast away your human flesh, I will deal with them. It will not take long.”

At his command, the army of darkness began forming a battle formation. The Iron Golems stood at the very front, and the demonic monsters supported them from behind. The Dark Shades floated in the air, waiting only for the moment to drive their claws into the heroes’ hearts.

However, the Death Knight legion, the most powerful group, did not seem likely to join the battle. The same was true of the liches, with Gedenhide at their head. That was only natural, for the roughly fifty heroes who remained could be dealt with sufficiently by the Iron Golems and demonic monsters alone.

“So the final battle is about to begin?”

The heroes tensed sharply and waited for the fight to begin. There were no tactics or strategies. Their fate was to fight with all the strength they had, then perish in a desperate, glorious end.

Naidelhark, who had been watching the army of darkness complete its preparations for battle, left Juliana with his final words.

“I will return after I deal with them. If any of your human flesh remains by then, I will no longer be able to accept you as my demon queen. In that case, I intend to kill you myself.”

At those words, Yuliana’s trembling stopped. She looked at Neidelhark with eyes that had sunk into stillness.

“I’ve made my decision.”

“.......”

“I will not become a demon queen.”

At Yuliana’s bombshell declaration, Neidelhark’s eyes went round. It seemed he could not understand her choice.

“How foolish. To cling to a mere life and throw away the chance to enjoy eternity.....”

Yuliana cut him off.

“I’m not clinging to my life. Instead, I intend to choose another path.”

“What plan is this?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? That you and Damon are the same person.”

“Of course you did.”

“Then I’ll choose the path of being killed by Damon’s hand. I don’t think entrusting my life to the one I love is such a bad thing.”

Having finished speaking, Yuliana approached Helbertron, who stood beside her.

“Helbertron, would you lend me your sword for a moment?”

But Helbertron merely stood there without the slightest movement. Until Neidelhark nodded.

“Lend her your sword.”

Only then did Helbertron unfasten the longsword at his waist and hold it out to Yuliana.

Shing.

Drawing the longsword, Yuliana walked quietly toward Neidelhark.

“Kill me with this sword. Then it will be good for both of us, won’t it? I’ll be able to entrust my life to the person I love, and you’ll be able to get rid of one troublesome person who knows your secret.”

“.......”

“I have no interest in being a demon queen or in eternal life. I only want to gain Damon’s love. I’m going to gain that love by entrusting my life to his hand.”

Neidelhark glared at Yuliana with eyes that said he could not understand. To him, Yuliana, who abandoned eternal life and chose to die as a human, was utterly incomprehensible.

Shaking his head, Neidelhark finally accepted the sword Yuliana held out.

“Very well. If it is death you want, I will grant your wish.”

The moment he accepted the sword, his movements stiffened for an instant. It was because of a thought that flashed through his mind.

‘The Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art.... Damon was pathologically afraid of that mental restriction.’

Of course, there was no way Neidelhark did not know of the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art.

The ancient mental restriction art that had bound Damon for so long, the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art.

Neidelhark had absorbed everything Damon possessed. There was a high possibility that the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art had been absorbed as well. But Neidelhark was not at all worried about the existence of the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art. Damon was merely one among the hundreds, even thousands, of beings he had absorbed over countless millennia.

Moreover, it was doubtful whether the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art would even work on a Great Demon King who possessed a mental structure of a level incomparable to that of humans. Yet when he actually tried to kill, he could not help feeling uneasy.

‘It is a spell art I have never once encountered before......’

That uneasiness was precisely why he had tried to make Yuliana into a demon queen. Her profound love for Damon had been nothing more than an excuse. The greatest reason he had tried to make her into a demon queen was that she knew the incantation that could activate the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art. Only by making her into his fervent follower could he feel at ease.

And so Neidelhark could not help hesitating for a moment. Yuliana, who did not know these circumstances, continued to urge him.

“What are you doing? Hurry and end it.”

In the end, Neidelhark steeled his heart.

‘There is no way I, a Great Demon King, would be bound by some mental restriction art made by a mere human. On the path I walk from now on, countless human corpses will pile up. I am a Great Demon King who gains strength by absorbing their pain, despair, and resentment. Starting with this girl, I will boldly cast off everything that makes me uneasy.’

Neidelhark raised the longsword and placed it against Yuliana’s chest. The blue blade touched the vicinity of her heart, but Yuliana showed not the slightest fear. Rather, with a smiling face, she stared straight into Neidelhark’s eyes.

She seemed about to say something, but before her lips could part, Neidelhark put strength into his hand.

Shhk.

The sharp longsword pierced straight through Yuliana’s chest without hesitation. Blood spurted like a fountain, wetting Neidelhark’s face.

A stinging pain spread from her heart.

Though her consciousness grew hazy, Yuliana tried to bring a smile to her lips. But as time passed, her body slipped more and more beyond the control of her mind. Feeling Damon’s face gradually grow blurry, she gathered the last of her strength and shouted.

“I loved you. Damon, truly.......”

Yuliana could not finish her words. As she collapsed on the spot, a smile still hung on her bloodless face. That was her end.

“Yuliana!”

At the same time, a fierce shout burst from where the warriors stood. Mitchell’s eyes were opened so wide they seemed about to tear. As if his soul had left him at the death of Yuliana, with whom he had shared joys and sorrows for so long, he sank down on the spot.

The faces of the members were filled with stunned despair as well. Yuliana, whom they had sent away in hopes of somehow saving her, had been brutally killed before their very eyes.

Yuliana, the princess of Carsel who had happened to meet Damon and begun a forbidden love, thus brought her life to an end. Yet the last words she left behind still lingered, reddening the eyes of the Kasim Mercenary Corps members. However, Neidelhark did not manage to hear her final words.

“Waaaaargh!”

A scream full of agony burst out. The instant he burst Yuliana’s heart, an immense pain had surged into Neidelhark’s mind. It was an intense pain unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Neidelhark’s eyes bulged as though they would split.

“C-could it be the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art?”

Because of it, Neidelhark felt his mind go blank. He had not known that the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art would activate even on him, a Great Demon King. Nor had he ever dreamed that the pain would be this powerful.

Unable to endure it any longer, Neidelhark clutched his head and began rolling wildly across the ground.

(Ah, my fingers hurt too ㅡㅡ; I’ve already been typing for six hours, sniff ㅠㅠ)

5. The Subtle Uses of the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art

An incredulous light appeared in the eyes of the warriors, who had been taut with tension.

“What? Why is he doing that?”

“Did he eat something wrong?”

It had been a moment of absolute crisis. The instant the Great Demon King gave the order to attack, they were certain they would bid farewell to the world, so they had already steeled their hearts. Yet the Great Demon King had suddenly staged a bizarre show, clutching his head and rolling on the ground. ㅡㅡㅋ

“The Great Demon King is feeling pain....”

They shook their heads as if unable to understand, but no one knew the reason. For Yuliana, the only one who knew the secret, was no longer of this world.

But the reaction of the Kasim Mercenary Corps members was different. They were staring at Yuliana’s limp corpse with bloodshot eyes.

“Grrrgh.”

Their faces were all twisted with unbearable rage. The moment blood gushed from Yuliana’s heart, the Kasim Mercenary Corps members had blindly tried to attack the monsters blocking their path. They could not possibly stand by and watch the death of Yuliana, who had been their comrade.

What stopped them was Kasim’s single sharp shout.

“Stop. If you go out like this, you’ll die a dog’s death. If we are destined to die anyway, we must inflict even a little more damage on the enemy. So wait just a little.”

Even in a situation engulfed by rage, only Kasim maintained a cool reason. Hearing those words, the members were barely able to regain their senses.

As Kasim said, if they wanted to eliminate even one more monster, the surviving warriors had to gather together. Only then could they exhaust even a little of the Demon King’s power.

Among them, Gerald’s eyes in particular were shining with a terrifying light.

Grit.

Yuliana, whom he had loved, had met her death right before his eyes. Even so, the reason Gerald was able to maintain his reason was because of his endless hatred toward the Demon King. Also, the incomprehensible situation that followed Yuliana’s death kept all of them from acting rashly.

However, Mitchell still had not come to his senses. His reaction showed that he simply could not accept Yuliana’s death.

“Kuaaaagh!”

Neidelhark was now writhing in extreme pain. The pain inflicted by the activated Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art was beyond imagination. It was the price of having underestimated the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art.

The power of the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art was so strong that even a Demon King would not dare look down on it. This ancient mental restriction art cast by the holy monk of Shaolin had the characteristic of growing endlessly along with the ego of the subject. The stronger the subject became, the more the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art developed as well.

Damon had lived a life of misery that no other human could have endured. Accordingly, the current Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art had grown beyond the level of the restriction art originally cast upon him, to the point that it had established a realm of its own.

Even Damon himself did not recognize its true power. Therefore, even Neidelhark, who had taken everything Damon possessed, could not have predicted its power.

Until now, Damon had several times harbored murderous intent. Each time, without exception, he had felt immense pain and had to faint. Damon was accustomed to pain, but the pain the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art inflicted directly upon the mind was incomparable to anything physical.

This time, however, he had not merely harbored murderous intent; he had committed murder directly. As such, the pain inflicted upon his mind was so intense that it could not be compared to anything before.

Because he was a Demon King with a mental structure far superior to that of humans, he could not help being even more sensitive to pain inflicted directly upon his mental world. For that reason, unlike Damon, he also could not faint. He had no choice but to twist his body and endure the pain in full.

“Th-the world...... such pain e-exists.......”

Regret surged over him like a tide. He could not bear the regret of the decision he had made only moments ago, when he had underestimated the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art.

“Krak?”

The monsters watched Neidelhark, who was twisting his body in agony, with perplexed eyes. They did not know why the Great Demon King was suffering, and they were in no position to help him, so they could only watch helplessly.

Contrary to his expectation that it would gradually improve, the pain from the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art amplified as time passed. He was using all his strength to endure the pain, but it was futile. At last, Neidelhark was seized by the fear that if this continued, he would ultimately meet his end.

“I-I, to this paltry pain......”

Neidelhark was the lord of the Demon Realm who had reached this position after overcoming countless hardships and battles. But the pain tormenting him now far exceeded the range he had ever imagined.

Compared to the pain tormenting him now, even the hundred tortures of purgatory were nothing more than child’s play. It was to the point that he had never even imagined that such pain could exist in the world. Remorse appeared on Neidelhark’s face as he floundered like an insect.

“It w-was a mistake. I-I should not have accepted e-everything of Damon’s.”

If he had known that the pain of the Sevenfold Severing Restriction Art would be this great, Neidelhark would have seriously reconsidered absorbing Damon. To think he had to pay such an enormous price for a single mistaken judgment......

At last, Neidelhark made up his mind.

“I-if this continues, I will never escape this state. Somehow, I must separate him and myself.”

Since he was able to absorb other beings, separating them again was not impossible. The problem was that Neidelhark had absolutely no experience separating a being he had once swallowed.

Until now, there had never been any need or reason to do so. The beings he absorbed had fused with Neidelhark without leaving a trace.

But Damon was different. To Neidelhark, Damon was poison itself.

“Grrrrgh......”

Neidelhark was now in such a desperate state that he could not think of anything else. In order to escape the pain assaulting him moment by moment, he felt as if he could do anything.

Even as his consciousness grew hazy, Neidelhark focused his mind with all his might. To escape the pain, there was only one way.

"Th-that bastard's remnants must be eliminated. I must separate my body while leaving behind everything he possessed. Only then can I escape this agony. I cannot live in such pain forever."

He had to expel the Daemon he had absorbed. If he did not, he would likely suffer the pain of the Sevenfold Severing Alchemy forever. Unable to die or even lose consciousness...

Nidelhark, growing desperate, began the work of separating Daemon using every ability at his disposal. Even in extreme agony, the Demon King's brilliant mind was working smoothly.

"First, I must cut away Daemon's consciousness."

After separating the fused consciousness and pushing everything he had absorbed back inside, Nidelhark even began restoring Daemon's flesh—which had been absorbed into him—to its original state.

But here, Nidelhark encountered an unexpected obstacle. Only the memories absorbed from Daemon could absolutely not be separated. No matter that he was the Demon King, separating memories that had become completely mixed together was impossible. Doing so would inflict tremendous damage upon his own mental world.

But since he could not leave Daemon's memories behind, Nidelhark chose to replicate them instead of separating. He decided to copy and transfer all of his own memories intact, excluding those related to Daemon. (What, is this a computer hard drive? Pfft. It's not even ghost imaging.)

Even so, it was not entirely without obstacles. The most urgent matter in the current situation was another suitable physical body for him to transfer into. Nidelhark, engrossed in his work while wracked with pain, urgently looked at the demons.

"Br-bring me a human bastard. Th-there is no time..."

Nidelhark's intention was to hastily capture a Hero and seize his body.

But he soon realized there was no need for that. He had the powerful dragon's body that Berkis had bequeathed. The body of an Ancient-class Red Dragon was an excellent possession target incomparable to any human; moreover, since its soul and flesh were severed, there was no obstacle whatsoever to dominating the dragon's body.

Whether due to pain or pride, Nidelhark's face twisted bizarrely.

"K-kuk. I d-did not wish to move according to that bastard Berkis's designs, but it cannot be helped. F-for now, escaping the pain is the priority."

Since taking Daemon's body had turned to naught, the next best option was to possess Berkis's body. If he did so, he could become several times stronger than if he possessed a human's body.

Having steeled his resolve, Nidelhark ordered the Iron Golem to bring Berkis's body over.

*Thud. Thud. Thud.*

The Iron Golem approached Nidelhark, dragging the litter upon which Berkis's body lay. If he separated Daemon's body, he would likely no longer be able to control the Iron Golem.

But there was nothing to worry about. If he had Shrekheimer or Gedenhyde do it, they could remodel the Iron Golem again.

"I must separate all of that bastard's things and instantly possess Berkis. Only then can I escape the damned Sevenfold Severing Alchemy."

If things proceeded successfully, the Sevenfold Severing Alchemy would be left behind with Daemon. In that case, Daemon alone would have to bear the full brunt of the pain it inflicted.

'With a human body, he cannot possibly overcome that agony.'

No doubt, Daemon would not last long due to the pain. But that was none of Nidelhark's concern. Daemon's utility value had already completely vanished. Whether the bastard suffered or not was of no consequence to Nidelhark whatsoever.

With the single-minded desire to escape the agony, Nidelhark plunged into the final stage. Because he was so impatient, he even had to abandon a considerable amount of magical power.

"It's a waste, but it cannot be helped."

He would lose much as the price for separating the absorbed Daemon again, but there was no other way. For Nidelhark, escaping the Sevenfold Severing Alchemy that was creeping up on him moment by moment was more important than anything.

"Now."

Confirming that Daemon had been perfectly separated, Nidelhark attempted to transfer into Berkis's body. Having done this innumerable times already, the transfer was carried out instantaneously.

*Srrrr.*

Through Daemon's seven orifices, a hazy energy escaped. The energy, like gray mist, transformed into a streak of light the moment it escaped and shot toward one side of the hall.

There, Berkis's body lay upon the litter. The gray streak of light disappeared into Berkis's body through his nostrils in the blink of an eye.

*Flash.*

Even though something had entered, no change occurred in Berkis's body. But that was only for a moment; the gigantic Red Dragon's frame began to twitch faintly. Its writhing appearance, as if struck by lightning, was utterly grotesque.

Shortly after, his tightly shut eyelids began to move slowly. A horrifying gleam flowed from eyeballs in which no whites were visible.

"Huhuhu. It is a success."

Nidelhark, having taken Berkis's body, let out a bizarre laugh. He could no longer feel any pain. He had finally escaped the shackles of the Sevenfold Severing Alchemy. Moreover, the immense power surging from the Ancient-class Red Dragon's body captivated him completely.

"Am I the first Demon King in history to seize the body of an Ancient-class dragon?"

Dragons were the strongest creatures in the human realm, without peer. As such, a dragon's flesh was indisputably the finest possession target for a Demon King who had descended to the human realm.

In such cases, one had to be prepared for the dragons' thorough retaliation, but because the reward was so certain, many Demon Kings had targeted dragons and succeeded.

However, all of them had killed Wyrm-class dragons and stolen their flesh. Ancient-class was, he swore, the first time.

"I've received a fine gift from that bastard Berkis."

Nidelhark laughed bizarrely and stretched.

*Snap.*

The leather straps binding his body snapped powerlessly. Since they had only been meant to secure the body to the litter, they could never withstand the strength of a mighty dragon.

Nidelhark stood firmly upon the ground and carefully gauged his newly acquired body. Powerful strength was felt from the muscles throughout his body, and from the Dragon Heart, mana surged out to a degree that was difficult to withstand.

More than anything, what delighted Nidelhark was that the pain caused by the Sevenfold Severing Alchemy had vanished without a trace. It was such a terrible memory that he shuddered involuntarily.

"It was a pain I did not even wish to think about."

Breaking off his words, Nidelhark inadvertently turned his head. The body he had occupied until moments ago—that is, Daemon's flesh—came into view. At the horrific sight of Daemon, limbs hanging limply and convulsing incessantly, Nidelhark shook his head.

"Pitiful fellow."

But Nidelhark soon lost interest. Though he briefly considered killing him to relieve the pain, Nidelhark had no such compassion to begin with.

He was the Demon King who drew power from human suffering and hatred. Turning his head, Nidelhark's gaze fell upon the Heroes huddled together.

"H-heavens..."

They were staring at Nidelhark with eyes full of shock. They could not help but be astonished that Berkis, whom they had believed dead, had returned to life. A cold smile rose on Nidelhark's face.

"It seems I have extended my life somewhat through an unexpected turn of events. But such fortune shall not come twice."

He had already made up his mind. His newly decided plan was to kill them all and then use their remaining souls to create Death Knights once more.

It did not matter if they did not agree. He could simply turn them into undead Dullahans or Specters, which did not require consent. To firmly dominate the human realm, his preparations had to be perfect. He could not afford to repeat the mistake from five hundred years ago.

"Thanks to that bastard Daemon implanting the Blood Worm of Subordination, I can move the Supreme Commander of the Subjugation Army as I please. Furthermore, Gedenhyde holds authority to command the great Orc army. I shall move these two and lead the war into a chaotic battle impossible to predict an inch ahead. If I use the astronomical vengeful spirits born from it to continuously expand the army of darkness..."

Nidelhark smiled as if pleased by the very thought. He had deviated slightly from the original plan, but he could easily overcome that much.

"The revealed forces are overwhelmingly advantageous to the humans. I had intended to reduce that advantage by using Daemon's status, but unexpected circumstances caused that plan to go awry. I have no choice but to take the next best option."

He intended to entrust Shrekheimer with a crucial role. If he disguised him as Daemon and had the Death Knight legion, including the Four Knights, join the Orc army, he could balance the two races to some extent.

What Nidelhark desired was for as many casualties as possible to occur on both sides. Having finished his thoughts, Nidelhark gave Shrekheimer an order.

"Immediately flay Daemon's face and the skin of his entire body."

"Sk-skin, did you say?"

"Indeed. You shall wear the flayed skin and play the role of Daemon. In any case, you are a lich with nothing but bones left; with a few magical treatments, you will be able to impersonate him perfectly enough that no one will suspect a thing."

Shrekheimer approached Daemon without further hesitation. Daemon's body, still collapsed on the ground, continued to convulse, perhaps because his breath had not yet ceased.

Withdrawing his gaze, Nidelhark's attention finally turned to the Heroes.

"I must first cleanly eliminate those who know Daemon from this place. At the very least, I cannot allow Shrekheimer's identity to be exposed."

Nidelhark raised his hand. At that, the demons standing idly began to step back. Their place was filled by the Death Knight legion that had marched in orderly formation.

*Clank. Clank.*

At their forefront stood the Four Knights, emitting horrifying gleams. A satisfied smile rose to Nidelhark's lips.

"I had wished to avoid using the Death Knights as much as possible, but I can delay no longer, so it cannot be helped. These ones will handle it as swiftly and cleanly as possible, will they not?"

Having finished speaking, Nidelhark turned. If it was a legion of four hundred Death Knights, they would annihilate about fifty Heroes in mere minutes.

Without doubting this fact in the slightest, Nidelhark turned his head. He first looked at Shrekheimer to check if Daemon's skin was being properly flayed. In that instant, his eyes flew open as if torn.

"Wh-what?"

Something completely unthinkable was happening there.

"I am ashamed, Daemon."

"Do not blame yourself, Grand Prelate. I too have bitterly realized that one cannot resist the Demon King's command."

The one conversing with Shrekheimer with an emotional expression was Daemon. He, who should have been having his skin flayed alive, was standing perfectly intact.

Even more astonishing was that he was no longer feeling pain. Only his deeply contorted face and the blood-tinted stain at his lips hinted that he had been engulfed in extreme agony until moments ago.

Daemon, having shaken off the remnants of pain, slowly turned his head. When his eyes met Nidelhark's, he gave a faint smile.

"You seem quite surprised, Nidelhark."

"H-how did this happen?"

So great was his shock that Nidelhark was even stuttering. He had never dreamed that Daemon would escape the pain of the Sevenfold Severing Alchemy. It was a completely unexpected variable.

Daemon, watching Nidelhark's flustered appearance, shuddered as if the thought alone was horrifying.

"I have experienced it so many times, yet I never grew accustomed to this damned pain. You must have struggled greatly as well? I understand, indeed."

Nidelhark roared in a fury.

"I ask how the pain disappeared!"

Daemon raised his index finger and shook it slowly.

"How impatient. Is it not a simple matter? You are the one who killed Yuliana. But since you have left my body, would the Sevenfold Severing Alchemy have any reason to inflict pain upon me any longer?"

“Impossible. The moment I killed that wench, you and I were one. Then how...?”

“We were one, but now we have separated into two. Remember this. The Sevenfold Severance Forbidden Art is a forbidden art that cannot be understood by ordinary common sense. Even I still do not know the true profundities of the Sevenfold Severance Forbidden Art.”

As though he had forgotten how to speak, Naidelhark remained silent. A moment later, light flared from his eyes.

“Amazing that you escaped that accursed restraint. But the decisive mistake was that you should never have come back to life.”

“Are you saying I should have kept quiet until I was flayed alive?”

“That is right. In return for causing me trouble, I shall grant you the most dreadful death. First, I will give you a small taste of pain. Ordinary humans seem to react quite sensitively to the deaths of their comrades.”

Having finished speaking, Naidelhark issued an order to the Four Great Knights.

“Wipe them all out. Do not leave a single one alive.”

But Damon was not shaken. Rather, he was looking at Naidelhark with pity in his eyes.

“You fool. Do you think the Death Knights will obey your orders?”

Naidelhark replied as if it were not even worth concern.

“I am the lord of the Demon Realm. No being of darkness can refuse my command— Huh.”

Naidelhark was startled. Contrary to his expectations, the Death Knights did not obey his order. Seeing them standing blankly as if they had never received any command, Naidelhark wore an expression of utter incomprehension.

“Do you dare refuse my command? This is an order. Kill them at once.”

Naidelhark gave the order again, but the Death Knight corps did not budge. They merely stood there like stone statues, rooted to the spot.

As rage began to surge within Naidelhark, Damon’s smooth voice slipped into his ears.

“You left quite a lot behind in my body. Far too much for a gift in exchange for having possessed my body, even briefly.”

“.........”

“To think you left behind half of the source of magic power... You must have been in quite a hurry.”

“Wh-what did you say?”

Startled, Naidelhark hurriedly examined the state of his body.

“Th-this!”

In an instant, his expression hardened gravely. Just as Damon had said, only half of the source of magic power remained.

The source of magic power.

As the words implied, it was an organ that generated pure dark magic power. (It wasn’t exactly Evangelion’s S2 engine, either ㅡㅡ;) Among the countless beings of the Demon Realm, it was also an organ that only a Great Demon King could possess.

With the dark magic power produced there, one could command subordinates and create soldiers, so it was an indispensable part of a Demon King. Even a Balrog, a being whose pure combat strength was said to surpass that of a Demon King, did not possess this source of magic power. Only a lord of the Demon Realm could possess the source of magic power.

To think he had left behind half of such a precious organ... Naidelhark felt a chill run down his spine.

“How could such a thing...”

As Naidelhark carefully thought back over the separation process, he realized that it had all been because of the Sevenfold Severance Forbidden Art.

Because he had attempted to separate in haste while his mind was wavering under the influence of the Sevenfold Severance Forbidden Art, he had made such an absurd mistake. Having never once experienced separating from a being he had absorbed, Naidelhark had not even imagined it.

“I see. So that is why the Death Knights did not obey my command.”

Only then could he grasp the present situation. If it was true that Damon held even a portion of the source of magic power inside his body, then the demonic beasts and Death Knights would recognize Damon as a Demon King, just as they did him.

If so, the situation was grave. Whom the gathered demonic beasts would follow now depended solely on their own free will. In other words, the time had come for the demon soldiers to choose the Demon King they would serve. However, Naidelhark was not worried in the least.

“It was a somewhat large mistake.”

Letting out a low groan, Naidelhark took one step toward Damon. Killing intent streamed from his body in waves.

“A mistake need only be corrected. I will kill you here and now and retrieve the source of magic power.”

“That won’t happen. Once was enough.”

Naidelhark roared in fury.

“You dare oppose me?”

Damon nodded as if there was nothing to think about.

“Of course. Having obtained that precious source of magic power, it would not do for me to be taken down so easily, would it?”

Naidelhark sneered coldly.

“You fool. Do you think that just because you obtained the source of magic power, you can dare use it?”

But at Damon’s ensuing answer, Naidelhark had to freeze once again.

“Why wouldn’t I? Thankfully, you left even your memories intact. My head feels as though it will burst because of it, but at the very least, I learned exactly how to operate the source of magic power.”

“.......”

“Do you think that is all? Everything about the Demon Realm kingdom you ruled. The organization of your subordinates. The conflicts between Demon Realm kingdoms. Even the memories of the beings you absorbed are all inside my head. It is more than I deserve as a gift, but considering what you did to me, I shall gratefully accept it.”

As Damon finished speaking, killing intent gradually began to rise from his entire body.

“And you killed Yuliana. That child you mentioned was the only woman who knew my true nature and still gave me her heart. For that reason, I intend to make you pay the price for her life without fail. Thanks to her sacrifice, I regained my body like this and even obtained the source of magic power, so I believe I have more than enough ability to avenge her.”

At those words, Naidelhark gave a bitter smile.

“You fool. Do you think you can defeat me, who has taken Verkis’s body?”

“Why not? I, too, have lived through countless battles. And I have many allies.”

Having finished speaking, Damon turned his head. It was toward the place where the Death Knights stood in attendance.

“Helbertron, Reindelph, Primberg, Saramis. Come to me. I desperately need your strength. If you and I join forces, there is no being in the world we cannot defeat.”

The moment Damon’s words fell, the Four Great Knights launched themselves forward. Moving like the wind, they stood respectfully behind Damon.

“It is good to meet you again, Damon.”

“I will fight for you until my body is ground to dust.”

“I consider it an honor to fight alongside you.”

After each of the Death Knights spoke a word to Damon, they began to emit thick Death Blades. Damon’s expression twisted miserably.

“You damn bastards... You don’t even dare talk back to Naidelhark, but you go around speaking informally to me...”

“It cannot be helped. You are the one who made us that way.”

Damon grumbled with his face scrunched up, then turned his head.

“You ill-mannered bastards. Fine, then.”

Quickly fixing his expression, Damon shrugged at Naidelhark.

“As you know, there are two Demon Kings here. In such a situation, demonic beasts and undead must choose for themselves which Demon King they will serve. For now, the Four Great Knights have decided to follow me.”

Before those words had even ended, an eerie voice came from behind him.

“The same goes for me. It is an honor to be able to offer my loyalty to you, Damon.”

It was Shrekheimer’s voice. A smile spread across Damon’s lips.

“Now it has grown to five. Then shall we begin choosing sides in earnest?”

Fury rising to the top of his head, Naidelhark glared fiercely at the Four Great Knights.

“As beings of darkness, you dare betray me... I cannot forgive this.”

But the Four Great Knights met Naidelhark’s gaze without the slightest hint of being cowed.

“We have merely chosen the Demon King we will serve.”

Thanks to the source of magic power, Damon had now risen to a rank that nearly approached that of a Demon King. Since they had already made up their minds to serve him, the Four Great Knights could meet Naidelhark’s gaze without difficulty.

“This is no time for this. First, I must gather my subordinates.”

Desperately calming his agitation, Naidelhark looked toward the place where the demonic beasts were gathered.

“Come to me. My faithful subordinates.”

The monsters from the Demon Realm obeyed Naidelhark’s command without the slightest hesitation. Two hundred Demon Realm monsters lined up in perfect order behind Naidelhark. A satisfied smile hung on Naidelhark’s lips.

“Now the advantage has reversed. These have been my faithful subordinates since the Demon Realm. Five traitorous dregs are something they will smash apart in a single blow.”

“Sorry, but there are not only five dregs.”

The moment Damon’s words ended, the Death Knight corps began to move.

Clank, clank.

The Death Knights, who had been marching in perfect order, were astonishingly moving behind Damon. Judging from that, it seemed they had decided to serve Damon.

Only two Death Knights stood in attendance beside Naidelhark. They were the survivors among the ones gathered at the portal. The Death Knights gathered from the Northwood Plain, beginning with the Four Great Knights, had all sided with Damon.

“This...”

Watching that sight, Naidelhark felt as though his blood had gone cold. If the entire corps of four hundred Death Knights had gone over to the other side, this was no ordinary problem.

“H-how can this be? They were summoned with my magic power, so why...”

Damon’s mocking voice slipped into his ears.

“You idiot. These men agreed to become Death Knights with the single-minded resolve to take revenge on dragons. Did you think such men would choose you, wearing Verkis’s shell?”

“........”

“These are not souls steeped in evil and desire. They are noble souls who burned themselves for the sake of revenge. Sorry, but it seems you chose the wrong body to possess. To think you lost four hundred Death Knights in exchange for obtaining a single dragon’s body.”

“Keugh...”

Looking at the corps of four hundred Death Knights lined up behind Damon, Naidelhark let out a low groan. The strongest group in the current situation had become his enemy.

He wanted to immediately withdraw the dark magic power and return them to their original form as wraiths, but he could not. Because Damon also possessed a source of magic power, Naidelhark could not act rashly.

Moreover, Damon’s words made perfect sense. There was no way souls who had chosen the path of becoming Death Knights out of endless hatred for dragons would look kindly upon him, now that he had taken Verkis’s body.

Having finished speaking, Damon looked at Naidelhark with relaxed eyes.

“Now the situation has reversed. Those demonic beasts look formidable, but don’t you think my army is not something to be looked down on lightly either?”

While Naidelhark stood there blankly, the division of sides was proceeding with increasing urgency. As expected, Gedenhide stood behind Naidelhark with the thirty liches under his command. Two Death Knights and thirty liches were a force that could never be taken lightly.

Even so, Naidelhark ground his teeth.

“I did not expect the situation to unfold like this. But do not misjudge. Across all generations, the Demon King who has waged the greatest number of Demon Realm Wars is me. Since ancient times, the outcome of a Demon Realm War is most greatly influenced by the ability of the Demon King commanding it. Therefore, you can never handle me.”

“Heh heh, sorry about that, but I, too, am thoroughly seasoned when it comes to fighting. And there is another force that will lend me its strength.”

Having finished speaking, Damon turned his head. His gaze was directed toward the warriors gathered together.

“You guys...”

Damon’s face suddenly softened. Seeing those familiar faces again filled him with fresh emotion.

“Kasim, do you recognize me?”

Kasim quickly stepped forward. Since he had been silently listening to the conversation between Damon and Naidelhark, he had grasped the situation to some extent.

“Are you Damon?”

“That is right. Not Naidelhark, but Damon for certain.”

After hesitating for a moment, Kasim broke into a smile that covered his entire face.

“I am more than glad to see you again, Damon.”

“As am I. Kasim.”

Damon nodded and continued speaking.

“I will not speak at length. From this moment on, the Kasim Mercenary Corps will begin its true duty: the hunt. The target this time is not a dragon, but a Great Demon King wearing a dragon’s skin. He will not be easy prey, so steel yourselves.”

Kasim nodded without the slightest hesitation.

“A flawless quarry. Understood.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Kasim roared like a thunderclap.

“At last, the time has come for the Kasim Mercenary Corps to show its worth. Our prey is the Great Demon King Naidelhark and his underlings from the demon world. Fight with all your might!”

“Waaaaaa!”

The members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps raised the swords in their hands, murderous intent streaming from them in waves. In their eyes flashed the resolve to make someone pay, without fail, the blood price for Juliana.

It went without saying that Mitchell and Gerald stood at the very front. The two of them had taken Juliana’s death especially hard. Mitchell had grown up with her since childhood, and as for Gerald, who had secretly loved Juliana, there was no need to even mention it. They were both determined to sever the Great Demon King’s life here and now.

Damon, who had been watching them with a faint smile, turned his gaze to Krovitz this time. Once again, Damon did not speak at length.

“Will you fight against the Great Demon King?”

A smile appeared on Krovitz’s lips as well.

“If you would allow me to lend a hand, I would consider it the honor of my life, Damon.”

When Krovitz’s order fell, the knights under his command also raised their swords with joyful expressions. Unlike a moment ago, new hope was blooming on their faces.

They were still fighting against the Demon King’s army, but now they had gained countless allies. It was an undead army composed of Death Knights, but so long as Damon controlled them, they were without question dependable comrades.

Clang, clang.

Under Krovitz’s command, they began to move in perfect order. Their target was the line of Death Knights they had been facing off against until now.

Watching the scene with a satisfied expression, Damon then turned his gaze toward the Iron Golem. In the battle to come, the Iron Golem would be indispensable.

“Tantaros, come here.”

—I shall obey your command.

With a deep, heavy bass voice, the Iron Golem came pounding toward him. As if unwilling to let it pass so easily, two demonic beasts blocked its path. One was a monster shaped like a gigantic woodlouse covered in sharp spines, and the other had the body of a helmet beetle with the upper torso of a mantis attached to it.

They were enormous enough to rival the Iron Golem, but Tantaros did not stop running. Two long scythes flew toward him. It was an attack swung by one of the beasts, but unfortunately, Tantaros did not fall within the trajectory of the blades.

Whoooosh.

Tantaros used his unique ability to fly and lightly evaded the attack. Soaring into the sky, Tantaros plunged straight down toward the ground.

Crunch.

A gigantic steel foot crushed the upper body of the mantis-shaped beast outright. Black blood sprayed in every direction, sending a foul stench into the air.

When one of its companions abruptly died a miserable death, the woodlouse-shaped beast suddenly curled its body into a ball. The spines jutting from its spherical body sliced sharply through the air. Having become a giant spiked ball, the beast began spinning at terrifying speed and charged toward Tantaros.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

It looked as though he would be run over and flattened at any moment, but Tantaros was not shaken in the slightest. After waiting for the beast to draw near, Tantaros drove the tower shield in his hand slantwise into the ground. The shield, planted at a forty-five-degree angle, could deflect any attack into empty air.

Kwang!

As expected, the beast struck the shield and was flung into the air. In what was practically the same instant, a massive great axe bit into the beast’s body. Tantaros had simply swung the great axe without hesitation.

Thud.

Black blood gushed thickly. The beast’s body, split apart in vain, collapsed weakly onto the ground.

Kyaaaaaak!

At the sight of blood, the beasts began to run wild in madness. Without even looking at them, Tantaros launched himself forward. As befitted the masterpiece Verkis had created with all his heart, he had dealt with two demonic beasts as easily as a bit of exercise after a meal.

Standing in the direction the Iron Golem was running was Damon. As the Iron Golem approached, a smile appeared on his face.

“Now the Great Demon King Slayer Corps is complete. Hunting the Great Demon King should prove rather entertaining, no?”

Naidelhark, who had suddenly been reduced to prey, ground his teeth.

“Impudent human. Do you wish to die?”

But the forces under Damon’s command were not so trifling that he could act rashly. Naidelhark sensed it instinctively. This battle would be the most arduous of his entire life.

Just as two tigers could not coexist on one mountain, one of the two had to die here. Only then could the half-formed Demon King be born whole as one. Because they shared memories, both of them knew this fact well.

While Damon and Naidelhark glared sharply at each other, the armies on both sides slowly began to reform their ranks.

This was a battle that would end only when one side was annihilated. The Death Knight Corps and the beasts knew that well. They knew that only if the Demon King they had chosen achieved victory would they avoid extinction.

Spewing out eerie Death Blades, the Death Knights took the lead. In the center of the front line, the heroes gripped their swords and let their eyes gleam. The beasts, too, raised their war cries and roused their fighting spirit. The liches, led by Gedenhyde, had already risen into the air and completed their preparations to pour down magical attacks.

After confirming that the preparations were complete, Damon climbed onto Tantaros’s shoulder. Since Naidelhark had taken possession of Verkis’s body, it had to be assumed that he now possessed the ability to fly as well. The liches, too, could fly freely while unleashing magical attacks.

By contrast, among the forces Damon possessed, the only being capable of flight was the Iron Golem. That was precisely why Damon intended to fight while riding on Tantaros’s shoulder.

The Four Great Knights pressed close behind him. From this moment on, they would have to face the Great Demon King. Bone Dragon Russellant had been removed and the Iron Golem Tantaros had joined in his place, but they had fought in coordination for so long that there would be no issue in matching their movements.

Of course, no one expected an easy victory against the Great Demon King Naidelhark. The armies on both sides, composed mostly of beings of darkness, slowly closed the distance.

Kyaoooo!

As the beasts let out roars as though to set their fighting spirit ablaze, the Death Knights, not to be outdone, spewed out Death Blades. After a suffocating moment of tension passed, the decisive battle finally began.

Boom, kwa-boom!

The battle that unfolded on the desolate Northwood (heh, not Willamette --;;) Plain was fiercer and more惨 than any battle that had ever occurred in the human world.

6. Naidelhark’s True Power

The beasts’ pincers, spines, and gigantic tails lashed savagely in every direction. Not to be outdone, eerie Death Blades burst thickly through the clouds of dust. It was a desperate battle so fierce that the heavens seemed startled and even the earth seemed to faint.

The source of magical power had been split in two due to an unforeseen event. Because of that, the army of darkness, which had been forced to divide into two, slaughtered each other ferociously. It was a merciless exchange of attacks and defenses with not a single retreat anywhere. Everyone was seized by the madness of battle and paid no heed whatsoever to their own bodies.

The demonic beasts led by Naidelhark possessed combat power beyond imagination. Shells so thick and sturdy that swords could not pierce them, tremendous brute strength, and—contrary to their somewhat sluggish appearance—movements that far surpassed even ogres, famed for their agility.

On top of that, most of them carried deadly poison in their spines or blood, making them extremely troublesome monsters for humans to face. However, the main force fighting against the beasts was not human. They belonged to the same lineage of darkness, but their nature was entirely different: beings that moved yet were not alive, undead—and among them, Death Knights, who proudly stood at the very peak in combat power.

Originally, Death Knights were beings created from the souls of fallen knights, but these were different. They were souls that had burned themselves with a pure desire for revenge against dragons, and thus they could not help but be that much stronger.

In the air, a dozen or so Dark Shades and liches were pouring down fierce supporting fire.

Boom, boom-boom!

Dark Shades were demonic beasts that ranked at the top even in the demon world due to their powerful combat ability and outstanding intelligence. They were adept in all kinds of magic and possessed claws sharp enough to tear even steel to shreds, but putting all of that aside, the Dark Shade’s greatest strength was undoubtedly its poison.

Its deadly toxin, which could paralyze the entire body with even a graze, included a life drain function and could rapidly age an infected opponent. There were even records from the Dark War stating that a single Dark Shade had annihilated five hundred soldiers, making it an extremely powerful demonic beast.

However, even a Dark Shade with such terrifying infamy could not show any noteworthy performance against Death Knights. Poison did not work on them at all, and since they even possessed magic resistance, the only advantage a Dark Shade had over a Death Knight was simply its ability to fly.

Knowing that fact, the Dark Shades were focused solely on supporting fire while roaming through the air. The liches led by Gedenhyde were the same. If they were struck by a Death Blade, their bodies would be smashed apart on the spot, so they only poured concentrated fire from beyond the reach of the attacks.

Boom, boom!

Magical attacks delivered amid a melee were extremely effective. Under ordinary circumstances, Death Knights would have evaded them with quick movements, but while locked in fierce combat with the beasts, they could not easily avoid magical attacks.

Most of the attacking liches were above the Sixth Circle. Even Death Knights, with their excellent magic resistance, could not avoid receiving a tremendous shock if struck head-on.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-boom!

One Death Knight, hit by the Fifth Circle spell Explosion, staggered backward. In that instant, the tail of the beast it had been fighting sliced through the air like the wind. It was a beast shaped very much like a scorpion. Exploiting an opponent’s opening was already instinct for demonic beasts.

Thud, thud!

The body of the Death Knight, pierced through by the sharp tail, was violently shaken in midair. If it had been an ordinary human knight, the poison would already have killed him, but this was no Death Knight.

After swinging its sword and cutting off the tail, the Death Knight’s body was flung helplessly to the ground. In that instant, an immense force came bearing down upon the Death Knight. It quickly rolled aside, but unfortunately, it was a step too late. Something pressed down hard on the Death Knight’s body.

Crack!

The Death Knight’s lower body was crushed to pieces in vain. A gigantic elephant-shaped beast had been waiting and had stomped on him without hesitation.

Even though its lower half had been completely destroyed, the Death Knight did not die. Like an undead that would not die unless its entire body was shattered to pieces, the Death Knight instead drove its longsword deep into the foot of the beast that had attacked it. The longsword, filled with Death Blade, pierced the beast’s hide and split bone and flesh.

Kueeeeeek!

The enraged beast stamped its foot wildly. It continued until the Death Knight beneath its foot was reduced to powder. The Death Knight, its helmet flattened as well, had no choice but to meet its end.

However, the beast that had extinguished the Death Knight did not escape unharmed either. Since they had been outstanding knights in life, the Death Knights would never let the one who killed their comrade go.

Nearby Death Knights gathered with fire in their eyes. Before long, the elephant-like beast was surrounded by three or four Death Knights. And then it met its end. As punishment for extinguishing one Death Knight, its entire body was hacked to pieces by Death Blades and divided into dozens of chunks.

The situation was unfolding into just such a chaotic melee. Because both sides were made up of beasts and undead with tenacious vitality, scenes of them attacking the enemy even with only part of their bodies remaining repeated endlessly.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-boom!

At the center of the battlefield, the leaders of both sides were engaged in a grueling close battle. Damon, mounted on Tantaros, and the Four Great Knights were fighting the fiercest battle of all against Naidelhark.

Naidelhark’s assault, having taken over Verkis’s flesh, was terrifying. He was lavishly unleashing the mighty power that poured from that enormous body. Since the attacks were far from easy to deal with, Damon scowled and grumbled.

“Damn it! This bastard is even worse than Verkis.”

Though he possessed a dragon’s body, Naidelhark’s attack pattern was utterly different from that of an ordinary dragon. For one thing, dragons relied primarily on magic. Using the infinite mana that flowed from their dragon hearts, they indiscriminately hurled high-circle spells, and only chose physical combat with their bodies as a last resort.

Naidelhark, however, was different. He was making effective use of the strength in his powerful, massive body to engage directly in close combat. In a sense, this should have been advantageous for the Death Knights. After all, they possessed the Death Blade, a secret technique said to be unable to fail at cutting anything.

Even so, the situation was unfolding in a direction no one had expected.

Gagagak!

The longsword that struck one of Naidelhark’s feet bounced away in vain. Even though the Death Blade was thickly gathered around it, the attack had not worked at all.

The knight who had launched the attack was Primberg. Considering the power contained in his Giant Killer, it was a truly absurd result.

Yet this failure continued to repeat itself. He had already been struck dozens of times by the Death Blade, but not even a scratch appeared on Naidelhark’s body. The blackish energy that wrapped Naidelhark’s body without a single gap did not allow the Death Blade to invade in the slightest.

“Heh heh heh. If you thought I would be anything like a dragon, you were mistaken. I am Naidelhark, the Great Demon King who adorned countless Demon Realm Wars with victory!”

Together with a low sneer, his enormous tail was swung. The Death Knights scattered, throwing themselves away to evade the attack. They knew that if it landed, they would be crushed without a trace.

Tantaros had already experienced Naidelhark’s might enough. Because he had trusted in his strong steel body and fought at the very forefront, Tantaros was already battered beyond recognition. One arm and one leg had been torn off, and his enormous battle-axe had long since been shattered.

Peopeok!

The moment the great axe struck Naidelhark’s body, it crumbled powerlessly. A weapon without aura was not even permitted to touch Naidelhark’s body.

The following foreleg attack tore off Tantaros’s right arm, and as he hastily retreated, he was struck by the tail, causing even his leg to be split in two.

In the blink of an eye, Tantaros had suffered grave wounds that left him near death. Considering the defensive power of an iron golem whose entire body was made of steel, it was unbelievable. Damon recoiled in horror.

“T-this is a monster.”

Damon likewise had no means of acting. His specialties were interference and attacks using magic. But magical attacks did not work on Naidelhark’s body at all. No matter what spell it was, it was blocked by the blackish energy covering Naidelhark’s body and simply dispersed in vain. Moreover, since his opponent did not use magic, Damon’s specialty of magical interference had no chance to exert any power either. Damon had to keenly feel the fact that his abilities were completely ineffective against his foe.

Naidelhark was not particularly proficient with magic. The only wide-area attack he used was the killing ray fired from his eyes. But that ray attack contained a terrifying level of power. Even the Four Great Knights did not dare meet it head-on and had to evade with all their might.

Even as Damon watched, rays once again blazed from Naidelhark’s eyes. The blackish ray narrowly grazed past Reindelf’s body and struck the ground.

Hwareureuk!

The earth struck by the ray vanished as it was, and in its place, a pit roughly four meters across was gouged out. Its power was so great that even Damon, watching, felt a chill run down his spine.

“Damn it. Isn’t this even worse than Hell Fire? What the hell is it?”

Naidelhark turned his head slightly and glared at Damon. Deep mockery was gathered in his eyes.

“It is called dark battle aura. A magical barrier made from it is impervious to both magic and physical attacks. Do you think that is all? When dark battle aura is used for attack, it displays power beyond imagination. I admit that you have obtained knowledge. But even if you died and came back to life, you would never be able to wield dark battle aura. For this is an authority that only a Demon King can use.”

But Damon had no time to answer. From Naidelhark’s two eyes, beams of light were fired once again.

The beams flew straight toward him. Tantaros hurriedly thrust out his shield. He had held it at an angle, intending to deflect them.

Kwa-kwang!

Half of the shield vanished without a trace. The great anti-magic defensive formation drawn on the shield had shown no effect at all. If he had not blocked at an angle, even the left arm holding the shield would have been blown away. Damon once again felt his heart turn cold.

“That was a great anti-magic defensive formation installed by Verkis, an Ancient-class...”

Naidelhark wore a fishy smile.

“Heh heh heh. This is no ordinary magic. If dark battle aura is mixed into magic, its power defies imagination. But you will not even be able to imitate it. Even if you obtain knowledge, that does not mean you can use it immediately. Even if you were to find the method, it would be the same. To wield dark battle aura freely requires a time longer than a human lifespan.”

“Grr!”

Damon ground his teeth. Naidelhark’s words were undeniable fact. Damon was already feeling the dark battle aura.

The alien energy that had gushed up like a fountain from the source of his magic power the moment the battle began. It was completely different from the mana of darkness. Two opposing kinds of energy were surging up at once.

He could tell without needing to ask that this was the dark battle aura Naidelhark used. Unfortunately, however, he could not use it. In his impatience, he had tried operating it the same way he handled the mana of darkness, but the dark battle aura had not budged an inch. It was truly agonizing that such vast energy was pouring forth, yet he could not use it at all.

As Naidelhark had said, even if one obtained knowledge, time for training was absolutely necessary to make it completely one’s own. But there was no way Damon had such time.

“The power of a Demon King truly lives up to its name.”

When he turned his head, the fiercely contested battle situation entered his eyes at a glance. Unexpectedly, the Death Knight Corps was struggling bitterly.

Their land forces were overwhelmingly strong, but Naidelhark had many flying monsters. The Death Knight Corps was pinned down by their concentrated fire and could not display its full power.

Only Shrekheimer was fighting fiercely, but he too was in just as precarious a state. Because Gedenhide was desperately chasing after him, he was occupied entirely with evading. Urgency spread over Damon’s face.

“I’ll have to help them first.”

Since magical attacks did not work anyway, he had to find another method. In the fight against Naidelhark, there was nothing he could do.

“Since I can’t take Naidelhark down, I’ll have to cut off his limbs first.”

Though he was no match for Naidelhark, Damon was still a powerhouse with tremendous abilities. If he added his strength, he could sufficiently turn the tide of battle in their favor.

Damon’s plan was to annihilate all of Naidelhark’s subordinates first, then use the Death Knight Corps to deal with Naidelhark.

“I’ll have to hurry.”

Having settled his thoughts, Damon gave an order to Tantaros. Though one arm and one leg had been torn off, Tantaros still retained his ability to fly. Tantaros’s massive body rose into the air and flew off like the wind.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Naidelhark, having seen through Damon’s intention, exerted his strength and shook off the Four Great Knights. He charged forward to prevent Tantaros’s escape, but his path was soon blocked. At Damon’s command, ten Death Knights had stepped in front of him.

Kwajik!

At Naidelhark’s attack, two Death Knights were blown away without a trace. However, the remaining Death Knights did not waver and calmly blocked Naidelhark’s attacks. The Death Blades on their drawn longswords were blazing fiercely.

“Damn it...”

Since these were attacks he could not ignore, Naidelhark had no choice but to draw up his dark battle aura and defend his entire body. Having barely bought time, Damon rode Tantaros and left the battlefield at high speed.

“First, I need to create something to hold the Dark Shades and liches in check.”

A tremendous energy was boiling inside Damon’s body. From the source of magic power, the mana of darkness and dark battle aura were being generated endlessly. It increased exponentially, so Damon’s body was taut, as if it would burst at any moment.

It was an amount difficult for a human body to endure, so he had to consume it by any means. For that reason, Damon intended to use the mana of darkness to create undead capable of checking the Dark Shades and liches.

If he did not hurry and consume it, his body might explode, so Damon grew urgent. Even if he could not use dark battle aura, he could fully wield the mana of darkness.

“There are at least over a hundred magician souls wandering here. If I use them to create Dark Hoods, I should be able to check those bastards to some extent.”

A Dark Hood was an undead whose form was that of a pitch-black robe floating in the air with nothing inside. Created when the soul of a magician who died leaving behind resentment combined with the mana of darkness emitted by a Demon King, it was, unlike a Death Knight, a low-ranking undead.

It could not speak, nor could it think independently. It could not cast particularly high-level magic, but in terms of the rapid-fire rate of its spells, it was unrivaled. That was the Dark Hood.

Since Dark Hoods could pour out basic spells such as Fire Ball, Lightning Bolt, and Magic Arrow in uninterrupted succession, they would surely be able to play a sufficient role in the present situation. For that reason, Damon had thought of creating Dark Hoods.

Having finished thinking, Damon released the mana of darkness without hesitation.

Papapapat!

The mana of darkness that had filled his body was emitted in all directions. A bizarre voice burst from Damon’s lips.

“Rise, souls heavy with resentment. Rise and lend me your strength. The target upon whom you may unleash your grudges is here.”

The moment Damon finished the incantation, something black began to gather and swell in midair. The blackish energy gradually formed into a shape. It was identical to the robes magicians liked to wear. However, the inside was empty.

An empty robe floating in the air. That was the Dark Hood.

Since they were relatively low-level undead, the summoning process was extremely simple. However, Damon had not thought he would be able to create them this easily, so he cried out in astonishment.

“Is it because the magic power generated from the source of magic power is extremely pure?”

But the situation was not lenient enough for him to take his time. As the Dark Hoods appeared, the Dark Shades charged this way like arrows. It seemed they intended to deal with them before a sufficient number could gather.

However, Damon was not about to give them an opening.

“Eat this, you bastards!”

Three or four shots of Hell Fire burst out like fireworks. It was an attack made with the consideration that since the Dark Shades possessed powerful magic resistance, half-baked spells would not work on them.

If struck by Hell Fire, even the most powerful Demon Realm creature had no choice but to be annihilated. Thus the Dark Shades scattered, throwing themselves away to evade. Taking advantage of that opening, Damon repeatedly summoned Dark Hoods. In the blink of an eye, twenty Dark Hoods had gathered.

“Go. Go and blow my enemies away in one shot.”

Damon sent every Dark Hood that had been created into the battlefield. Of course, he did not expect the Dark Hoods to annihilate the liches. He had merely sent them to cause the enemy a little confusion.

With a faint thread of expectation, Damon continued summoning Dark Hoods. He had to consume even a little more of the mana of darkness.

“Three Dark Hoods together are only just enough to handle one lich. But they are beings with innately powerful magic resistance, so they should not be defeated easily.”

After pouring out his dark mana like water, Damon was able to summon no fewer than eighty Dark Hoods. Only after deploying them all to the battlefield did Damon move back toward Naidelhark.

Vwoooong.

Tantaros flew to one side of the battlefield, emitting a tremendous roar as it tore through the air. When Damon looked toward Naidelhark, his face twisted.

“The situation is the worst it could be.”

Of the dozen or so Death Knights he had sent in to hold him back, only one remained. The Four Great Knights were fighting with all their might, but they were far from enough to handle Naidelhark. They were, quite literally, barely managing to slow him down.

As Damon watched, the last Death Knight was struck by Naidelhark’s tail and blown away without a trace. The Great Demon King’s combat power was terrifying. Even so, Damon’s response had also been appropriate. With the Dark Hoods joining the fray, the overall tide of battle was slowly improving.

Papang, papapapang!

The Dark Hoods’ magical attacks poured down in rapid succession, leaving no room to catch one’s breath. They were like a flurry of light jabs, but that alone was enough to disrupt the liches’ spellcasting.

Casting magic required a high degree of concentration. Yet because the Dark Hoods kept stirring up chaos, the liches could not easily focus their minds.

Of course, the liches were not being harmed by the Dark Hoods’ magical attacks. Low-level magic could never pierce the shield of a high-level mage under any circumstances.

Kiaaaah!

Only the Dark Shades were rampaging madly, beating down the Dark Hoods. Possessing powerful resistance to magic, the Dark Shades paid no heed to the Dark Hoods’ attacks. Even if struck head-on, they would suffer almost no damage.

However, the Dark Hoods’ speed was fast enough to rival the Dark Shades. Ignoring the Dark Shades, the Dark Hoods darted swiftly across the battlefield, targeting only the liches. They devoted themselves solely to disrupting the liches so they could not launch magical attacks. That was the order Damon had given them.

As a result, the ones who gained strength were the Death Knights. Once they were able to face the monsters to their hearts’ content without being hindered by the liches, the battle began to tilt sharply.

No matter how strong the monsters of the Demon Realm were, they could not face two or three Death Knights at once. Having been outstanding knights in life, the Death Knights knew how to fight effectively. While one Death Knight blocked a Demon Realm monster’s attack head-on, the other Death Knights burrowed into the monster’s weaknesses.

In the midst of the frantic battle, once their legs were cut off and longswords were driven into their vital points, the monsters could no longer hold out. The fallen monsters met an even more miserable fate. To make sure they would never rise again, the Death Knights chopped their entire bodies into dozens of pieces.

The more the monsters fell one by one, the stronger the Death Knight Corps became. The Death Knights who had brought down their opponents joined other fights without the slightest hesitation.

The two hundred monsters were collapsing with unexpected ease. There was no way the Great Demon King Naidelhark would fail to notice such signs. After unleashing a series of powerful attacks and forcing the Four Great Knights far back, he glared at Damon.

“You are a clever one. To summon Dark Hoods even in the midst of all this and overturn the tide of battle—what astonishing judgment. If you were not someone I absolutely had to kill, I would almost want to take you under my command.”

A smile appeared at Damon’s lips. It was filled with ample confidence.

“Did I not tell you before? I, too, have fought plenty of battles. Though I admit you are strong, if all your subordinates are annihilated, there is nothing you can do. One hand cannot block many. In the end, you will be surrounded by the Death Knight Corps and meet a wretched end.”

Naidelhark let out a silent sneer.

“The wars of the human realm are very different from the Demon Realm War. You will suffer miserably for overlooking that fact. From now on, I will show you my true might.”

“I thought you had already shown all your might?”

“Until now, I was merely playing. But seeing my army being pushed back, I can no longer remain idle.”

The moment he finished speaking, an immense energy spread from Naidelhark’s body. It was so fierce that even the Four Great Knights could not endure it and were forced to step back. Damon’s face stiffened as he retreated unsteadily.

“W-what in the world is this…?”

A bizarre sight was unfolding before his eyes. Naidelhark, wearing Berkis’s shell, was suddenly transforming.

Kwaaaak!

With a grotesque roar, Naidelhark’s body swelled rapidly. Like a balloon, it inflated to roughly twice its size in the blink of an eye.

His crimson body turned pitch-black, and sharp-looking spines jutted out from his hide. The spines rising neatly along his backbone were longer than the lances of most knights.

Changes occurred in his face as well. His fangs and claws grew long, and a chilling light began to rise in his eyes. His horns stretched out and twisted like those of a water buffalo, while new horns sprouted from the bridge of his nose and the corners of his mouth.

Naidelhark’s transformation had happened in an instant. Once it was complete, no trace of a dragon’s form remained. A demonic dragon that might have existed only in the prehistoric age was staring at the group with a terrifying gaze.

Berkis, who had been called a demonic dragon in life, had become a true demonic dragon after death.

“Hehehe. Now this is starting to feel like a fight.”

Naidelhark leisurely looked over the Death Knights. Damon, enraged by that attitude, shouted fiercely.

“Even if your body has grown a little larger, you are still nothing but an oversized lizard. Face him as you have until now. If you hold out just a little longer, the Death Knights will wipe out the Demon King’s army and join you. Take heart!”

“An oversized lizard, you say… Not a very pleasing thing to hear.”

A cold smile hung at the corner of Naidelhark’s mouth. He stared at the Four Great Knights charging toward him, then finally launched himself forward.

Shuuuk!

His massive body seemed to suddenly stretch long, then split the air like the wind. It was a phenomenon caused by his movements being so incredibly fast. His target was Raindelf, who was running at the very front.

Startled, Raindelf hurriedly dodged. Befitting a Grand Master-class Death Knight, he slid smoothly to the side with movements as natural as flowing water. However, Naidelhark’s speed was too fast for Raindelf to handle. He appeared at least three times faster than before his transformation.

Bang!

Something was struck by Naidelhark’s body slam. It was the shield Raindelf had been holding, and the steel shield coated in dragon bone crumbled like sand. It was crushed to pieces the instant they collided.

Because he had urgently changed direction at the critical moment, Raindelf was unharmed. The evasive ability that had minimized the damage with a single shield clearly showed why he was called Grand Master-class. But Naidelhark’s attack did not end there.

“You have enough skill to be insolent, but no longer.”

With a roar, the next attack followed. Naidelhark’s movements as he charged in were several times faster than Raindelf’s as he tried to evade.

Sensing that he could not avoid it, Raindelf launched a counterattack, but unfortunately, he was inevitably one step too late.

Kwakwang!

Raindelf’s body, struck by Naidelhark’s body attack, flew through the air. The sturdy body of the Death Knight had already been smashed to pieces. At the decisive moment, he had emitted Death Blade and wrapped it around himself, but it was no match for the dark aura enveloping Naidelhark’s body.

Raindelf flew nearly two hundred meters before crashing into the ground, and no further movement could be seen from his body. Having dealt with Raindelf with ease, Naidelhark did not hesitate before pouncing on Saramis nearby.

Puhak, puhak!

Saramis evaded while emitting Death Blade in succession, but Naidelhark pursued him tenaciously, like a sea serpent hunting prey. His speed was incomparable to what it had been until now.

Realizing that he could not shake him off, Saramis gave up on fleeing and swung his sword ferociously. But there was no way to throw off Naidelhark, who was vastly larger and far faster than he was. He swung his sword with the ferocity of one prepared to perish together with his foe, but the moment he collided with Naidelhark’s body, Saramis’s resistance was futilely broken.

Papak!

His beloved sword, Frost Soul, shattered powerlessly. Even though he had raised Death Blade, it could not overcome the dark aura surrounding Naidelhark’s body.

Naidelhark opened his enormous maw wide and bit down on the waist of Saramis, who had lost his sword. It happened before Saramis could even pull himself away.

Ujijik!

As he slowly applied strength to his teeth, the armor crumpled helplessly. Saramis desperately drew up Death Blade to resist, but Naidelhark’s teeth were already imbued with dark aura.

As the sharp fangs dug into the armor, the light shining from Saramis’s eyes began to fade. Seeing this, Helbertron charged in, emitting a chilling gleam. He could not simply stand by and watch his comrade Saramis be destroyed.

But before he could fully reach Naidelhark, Saramis’s upper and lower body were torn apart. The instant Death Blade shattered, he had been split in two by Naidelhark’s sharp teeth.

Saramis’s upper body, severed around the chest, sprawled limply across the ground. The same was true of his two legs, cut off around the knees. The portion of his torso inside Naidelhark’s mouth was already being chewed to pieces.

Kwajik, kwajik!

Primberg rushed in and retrieved Saramis’s severed upper body. Though the light in his eyes had almost gone out, Saramis had not yet been extinguished, thanks to the tenacious life force of the undead.

Even after seeing Primberg retreat while holding Saramis’s remains, Naidelhark paid him no mind, as if it were nothing worth caring about, and focused on savagely chewing the part still in his mouth. A moment later, Naidelhark spat out Saramis’s pulverized remains.

“Disgustingly tasteless.”

At that moment, Helbertron began his attack. The Death Blade emitted from his body was wrapped completely around him.

Shuak!

Helbertron unleashed fourteen sword strikes in an instant. On Leherte Saber, the Death Blade he had drawn out with all his might blazed fiercely.

But his sword struck nothing. Despite the disadvantage of possessing a massive dragon’s body, Naidelhark had easily evaded Helbertron’s attack, even though Helbertron was Grand Master-class. Sensing danger, Helbertron instinctively twisted his body.

“Your reaction is slow.”

With a cold, fishy sneer, something flew toward him with tremendous force. It was Naidelhark’s tail, studded with sharp spines. Its power and speed were completely different from before.

Fortunately, because he threw himself aside with all his might, Helbertron barely managed to block the first attack.

Kwareung!

But the tail attacks continued one after another, so fast that even Helbertron could not properly distinguish them. A powerful chain of strikes—smashing, whipping, and sweeping down. Helbertron threw himself about with all his strength, but he could not escape.

Realizing that he could not dodge, Helbertron’s gaze darkened bleakly.

Kwajijik!

His left arm fell away together with his shield. It was the result of twisting his body with all his might to avoid a fatal wound. Yet Naidelhark’s tail was ringed with spines that emitted a blue light. When those spines caught him, his dragon-bone armor was gruesomely gouged out.

Gagagak!

There were even places where holes had been punched clean through. If he had been a human knight, he would have died instantly from such wounds.

Possessing the tough body of a Death Knight, Helbertron attempted a counterattack even in that state. Concentrating every ounce of power he could draw into Leherte, he struck Naidelhark’s tail with all his might.

He simply ignored the attack bearing down on his back. It was a blow into which he had poured everything.

Kwaang!

The dark aura coiled around the tail scattered. Scales split open, and black blood spurted out. But that was all. As the price for launching his attack, Helbertron was forced to witness the massive tail piercing through his abdomen.

It was not something that could ever be described as a simple penetrating wound. The spines jutting from the tail had pierced through along with it, tearing Helbertron’s entire body to shreds.

The arm that held the Lehert Saber fell away, and his legs were no different. After allowing that attack to land, all that remained of Helbertron was his head and half his chest. Helbertron, the strongest of the Four Great Knights, had been rendered powerless in an instant.

The wound that had appeared on Naidelhark’s tail healed over smoothly, as if it had never been there. The attack Helbertron had launched at the risk of his life had come to nothing.

“To think you dared wound my body……”

As if he would never forgive it, Naidelhark raised one massive foot and made to stomp down on Helbertron’s twitching head. Even for a Death Knight, if the head was destroyed, it was the end. Helbertron’s life seemed certain to end here.

The one who saved Helbertron in that critical moment was Primberg. Like a Death Knight who still followed a knight’s oath even after death, Primberg did not abandon his comrade under any circumstances.

Whoosh—Primberg flung himself forward and snatched up Helbertron’s head. Perhaps because his only thought was to save his comrade, he paid no heed to his own life. By the narrowest of margins, Naidelhark’s huge foot stomped down on that spot.

“You rat.”

A furious roar rang out, followed by a thunderous boom.

Puh-puhk!

Primberg’s body floated up into the air. His shield and lower body crushed into a gruesome state, Primberg was sent flying helplessly. Naidelhark, enraged by his missed stomp, had kicked him away outright.

Primberg, who had been in a hurry to retrieve Helbertron’s head, had no time to defend himself. All he could do was curl up and minimize the impact.

The place struck by Naidelhark’s foot was around the knee. But because of the dark fighting aura coiled around Naidelhark’s foot, everything below Primberg’s waist had been crushed.

After flying for a long distance, Primberg tumbled to the ground in an unsightly heap. Fortunately, Helbertron and Salamis’s remains were still clenched tightly in his hands. In that state, Primberg shouted toward Damon.

“Damon, restore us at once. There is no time.”

Though he had not yet lost his fighting spirit, Primberg already understood that there was no chance of victory. Of course, if Damon supplied them with dark mana, restoration was possible. But that would require some time. In such a state, with their bodies so horribly shattered, the restoration would take even longer.

However, there was no way Naidelhark would give them that opening. Even if they somehow restored their bodies, they still had no chance of winning. They had been crushed in an instant even when all four were whole; charging in again would not change anything.

Even so, Primberg did not intend to give up. They were Death Knights who did not know how to retreat or surrender.

“What are you doing?”

Damon heard Primberg’s cry, but he had no room to respond. Though he had clearly witnessed the Four Great Knights being gruesomely defeated, Damon had been driven into a state where he could not even lift a finger. The extreme pain arising within his body kept him from coming to his senses.

“D-damn it…… For something like this to happen……”

Damon’s body was swollen like a balloon. His eyeballs bulged, and blood showed at his nose and mouth. An enormous pressure was being exerted from within his body.

The blood vessels throughout his body swelled, and his muscles repeatedly relaxed and contracted. The pain of an unprecedented force swelling without cease, bloating his body—because of it, Damon could do nothing at all.

In such a situation, sending dark mana to Primberg was a distant impossibility. Seeing Naidelhark approach, Damon’s eyes darkened with despair.

“I-I see. It was dark fighting aura.”

The energy swelling inside his body as though expanding was dark fighting aura. Immediately after summoning more than eighty Dark Hoods, he had hurried back to the Death Knights. The only thought in his mind had been to support the Death Knights somehow.

Though he could not support the battle or join it directly, he still had a role of his own. He had to keep replenishing the Death Knights with dark mana so they could restore their wounded bodies as they fought.

But the moment he arrived on the battlefield, his plan scattered like foam. It was because of the dark fighting aura explosively swelling inside his body.

Damon had consumed a large amount of dark mana to summon the Dark Hoods. As the dark mana drained away like an ebbing tide, dark fighting aura leaking from the source of magic filled the space it left behind. And then it began to multiply without end.

The dark fighting aura that filled Damon’s body in an instant continued multiplying endlessly, as if even that were not enough. If Damon had not drawn up the little dark mana he had left to protect his body, the swollen dark fighting aura would already have made his body burst apart.

Amid the extreme pain, Damon struggled desperately to remain conscious.

“A grim price…… for breaking the balance.”

Damon had a vague idea of how this had happened. Within his mind were the vast memories Naidelhark had left behind.

According to them, this was a phenomenon caused by the balance between dark mana and dark fighting aura being broken.

Dark mana, which created and controlled the undead, and dark fighting aura, which formed the foundation of the Demon King’s power—according to Naidelhark’s memories, the balance between these two elements must never be broken under any circumstances. If it was, even a Great Demon King would not escape unharmed.

And Damon, in summoning the Dark Hoods, had thoughtlessly shattered that balance. As the price, Damon was now in a state where he could not move a single finger.

“Heh heh heh.”

Naidelhark looked at Damon writhing in agony with eyes full of satisfaction. He already knew clearly what this phenomenon meant.

“Did you think a mere human body could withstand dark fighting aura?”

Damon’s fate was now completely in Naidelhark’s grasp. If he so much as moved a finger, Damon’s life would end at any moment.

Yet Naidelhark did not do so. He intended to make Damon pay properly for having been insolent to him.

“The pain will not be slight. Try enduring it until you die.”

As Naidelhark finished speaking, a flash of light burst from his eyes. That flash struck Tantaros, who had been standing motionless, squarely in the chest.

Kwa-kang!

The thick armor plate burst apart helplessly. Tantaros’s body, having suffered a fatal blow, tilted and fell. The mighty iron golem had lost its combat ability in a single strike. Though it had not been completely destroyed, it would be unable to move for some time.

Naidelhark had acted to ensure Tantaros could not possibly take Damon and flee. Though the golem possessed a restoration function, repairing a wound of this extent in a short time was impossible.

Naidelhark had his own reasons for not destroying Tantaros completely.

“There may come a time in the imminent Dark War when I will need an iron golem.”

After casting a satisfied look over Damon, who was suffering in agony, Naidelhark turned away. Damon called out to him urgently.

“W-wait.”

Naidelhark’s expressionless eyes turned toward Damon. His voice emerged in broken fragments from the pain.

“K-kill me. If you do, you can use the Death Knight Legion as your subordinates again, can’t you?”

Naidelhark gave a thin smile and shook his head as if there was nothing to consider.

“I have never left alive a single one of those who opposed me. They are no exception.”

“You’ll need their strength…… in the Dark War that is soon to come, won’t you?”

The smile lingering at Naidelhark’s mouth deepened.

“Right now, keeping you from escaping your pain is far more enjoyable to me than gathering them up. Do not worry—even your soul will not remain safe. I will drive your soul deep into purgatory and inflict endlessly recurring torment upon it. Do you think that is all?”

After speaking, Naidelhark slowly extended his hand and pointed toward the battlefield.

“The dead girl’s soul is in my grasp as well. This is sacred ground where Verhazel’s power reaches. The souls of humans who die here can never leave this place, no matter what. But I have the ability to draw the souls here elsewhere.”

“E-elsewhere?”

“Where else would it be? The Demon Realm. I will carefully gather the souls of you, your companions, and Juliana, and take them to the Demon Realm. Then I will nail them into purgatory and cook them for endless eons. Do you understand?”

A light of extreme rage rose in Damon’s eyes, twisted with pain. But because of the unbearable agony, he had no strength to answer. Through his eardrums, which had burst from failing to withstand the pressure, Naidelhark’s sneering words seeped in faintly.

“Juliana and those companions of yours will suffer forever in purgatory because of you. Kha ha ha ha!”

Leaving those words behind, Naidelhark launched himself away without hesitation. He intended to personally deal with Damon’s companions and the Death Knight Legion.

Even as he watched, Damon could not move an inch. His resistance against the dark fighting aura that continued to multiply had already reached its limit.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kang!

One corner of the battlefield, where Death Knights and demonic beasts were tangled together in combat, erupted outright. It was because Naidelhark had charged in without the slightest mercy.

Three Death Knights and two demonic beasts engaged in close combat in that area vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye. In launching his attack, Naidelhark did not consider the safety of his subordinates in the slightest.

“Heh heh heh, I will sweep them all away.”

With a grotesque smile on his face, Naidelhark began smashing the Death Knights at random.

No one could withstand the dark fighting aura wrapped around his body. Anything that touched the dark fighting aura could not remain intact. Swords, shields, armor—even the tough bodies of the Death Knights.

Puh-puh-puh-puhk!

Naidelhark swept through the formation of the Death Knight Legion as though it were empty ground. Nothing that stood in his way survived. Even unlucky demonic beasts caught in his path were no exception. Whatever blocked him, he simply smashed apart.

Naidelhark’s eyes, as he repeated this indiscriminate destruction, had already become stained with madness. It was a battle in which the true nature of the Great Demon King Naidelhark was laid bare.

Even so, the Death Knights did not retreat a single step. Though their opponent was irresistible, they charged without hesitation, and even as their bodies broke apart, they poured out attacks.

But they were no match for him. The moment they attacked Naidelhark, the Death Knights’ swords and bodies crumbled without a trace. Nothing could endure the dark fighting aura surrounding the Great Demon King’s body. And yet the Death Knights continued to swarm toward him like moths drawn to flame.

“G-good heavens……”

Seeing that sight, the heroes were overwhelmed and froze in place. Their reaction was quite different from the Death Knights, who offered up their lives without feeling.

The heroes had held at least some hope as the tide of battle slowly improved. But with Naidelhark’s entry, the situation reversed in the blink of an eye. They had never dreamed the Great Demon King’s power would be so immense.

Overawed by Naidelhark’s majesty as he advanced, smashing apart everything that blocked his way, the heroes began cautiously withdrawing. But none of them knew that this would only hasten their deaths……

“So the detestable humans were gathered here.”

As if he had been waiting for it, Naidelhark rushed toward the heroes. The retreating heroes had entered his sight all at once.

He had already marked the humans as his highest-priority targets. His intention was to kill every human present here and even violate their souls, adding to Damon’s suffering. The Death Knights charged in to block his path, but it was not enough.

Puh-puh-puhk!

The moment they touched the dark fighting aura, the Death Knights’ bodies crumbled like grains of sand. Having shattered the Death Knights’ battle line in a single breath, Naidelhark charged recklessly into the midst of the heroes.

What followed was a one-sided massacre.

7. Breaking Through the Wall of the Profound Realm

“Grrrgh…”

Damon was shedding tears of blood. He had never imagined he would regret provoking Naidelhark this much.

“If only… if only the Sevenfold Severing Binding Art hadn’t been undone… If I’d just died quietly…”

If he had, perhaps the worst could have been avoided. At the very least, Juliana and his companions’ souls would not have fallen into Naidelhark’s grasp.

The guilt of having stepped forward for nothing and ruined everything rotted his heart black. When he thought of the souls of his closest comrades suffering for eons, it felt as though the heavens were collapsing. And yet, there was no way out.

The dark fighting aura, proliferating with every passing moment, had already reached the limit of what Damon could endure. If things continued like this, he would not be able to hold out any longer, and his body would burst apart.

If that happened, everything would be over. If he were annihilated, the released dark fighting aura and the source of magical power, having lost the vessel it relied on, would return to Naidelhark. Having gained the Great Demon King’s knowledge, Damon knew that fact all too well.

“I… I judged too hastily.”

The root of the disaster was that he had rashly acted simply because he had obtained the source of magical power and the Great Demon King’s knowledge. The source of magical power was never something a human body could withstand to begin with.

Looking at the result laid bare before him, all of it had happened because of his misjudgment. If he had not stepped forward and had died quietly, not only would his companions’ souls have remained untainted, but the Four Great Knights would not have died either. Of course, they would have remained as the Great Demon King’s subordinates and descended upon humanity as a tremendous calamity.

Under the mounting pressure, Damon’s eyes bulged out.

“I… I never thought the dark fighting aura emitted by the s-source of magical power would be this vast…”

Damon had already swollen to three times his normal size. Despair had long since settled in his eyes.

“Is this the end?”

At that moment, a thought flashed through Damon’s mind like lightning.

“What if I operate the dark fighting aura according to an internal energy cultivation method…”

Judging from his experiences so far, dark fighting aura was utterly different in nature from mana or magical power. Damon had already realized that circulation and breathing exercises were impossible with the magical power of darkness. But he had never tried to operate dark fighting aura like internal energy.

If he did that…

The moment his thoughts reached that point, Damon immediately began circulating his energy. It would have been impossible with his original body, which had lost its dantian, but the body he now possessed was Alkaris’s to begin with. Since a dantian existed, circulation was possible.

“Let’s try it.”

Since he had no other choice anyway, Damon chose the strongest internal cultivation method remaining in his memory: the Thousand Child Blood Demon Art.

A cursed demonic art deployed using the vital blood of a thousand boys and girls. It was a body that had never once circulated energy before, so he was not confident it could withstand it, but there was no other way.

Ruuumble!

When he opened his blood vessels and meridians, the dark fighting aura that had filled his body surged in like a flood. There was no need to force his internal power through a full circulation. As long as he opened the path, the dark fighting aura rushed in on its own.

It was the first moment in history that dark fighting aura, the authority of a Demon King, moved according to a human internal cultivation method.

The first place Damon guided the dark fighting aura to was the Yeomcheon acupoint. For martial artists who cultivated internal energy, this was the first acupoint they activated.

Damon, too, had entered the path of an internal arts expert by first opening the Yeomcheon acupoint. Because he had started late, he had gone through many trials and errors. As a result, it had taken him a full two years to activate Yeomcheon.

From a common-sense perspective, there was no one who began energy circulation for the first time and immediately activated the Yeomcheon acupoint. But Damon pushed ahead with what seemed impossible without hesitation. He had been driven to the edge of a cliff.

Here, Damon realized that the nature of dark fighting aura was somewhat different from internal energy. Dark fighting aura was violent, rough, and powerful. Only by condensing internal energy roughly a hundredfold could it barely compare to dark fighting aura.

Bang!

As if proving that fact, the dark fighting aura subdued Damon’s Yeomcheon acupoint in an instant. Something utterly unbelievable had occurred.

In the case of internal energy, one activated the Yeomcheon acupoint using surplus true qi generated in the process of circulating the energy accumulated in the dantian through one full cycle. One needed sufficient internal power—at least twenty years of refined true qi—to even attempt to activate Yeomcheon.

That process was not easy either. If one failed to guide the true qi properly, one would immediately fall into qi deviation, so tremendous effort was required. Yet Damon had activated Yeomcheon with extreme ease. The vast dark fighting aura born from the source of magical power had subdued Yeomcheon in the blink of an eye.

The second was the Seungjang acupoint. Damon had already driven every precaution he should have observed during circulation and breathing from his mind. What Damon feared now was not something like qi deviation. He was forcing an extremely reckless circulation for the sole purpose of preventing his companions’ souls from being defiled.

He paid no attention to pain. Having already endured the extreme agony of the Sevenfold Severing Binding Art, the pain of energy circulation could not hinder him at all.

Bang!

The Seungjang acupoint collapsed powerlessly. Under normal circumstances, he should have lost consciousness at this point, but Damon’s mind was endlessly clear. That was because the magical power of darkness, another authority of the Demon King that he possessed, was protecting him like an iron fortress.

If dark fighting aura possessed an aggressive nature, the magical power of darkness, by contrast, possessed the ability to heal the body and restore the undead. This second authority of the Demon King, capable of restoring even completely destroyed undead to their original state, healed Damon the instant he suffered damage during the circulation process.

Wounds that formed in his meridians vanished as soon as they appeared. Having broken through Seungjang, the dark fighting aura headed like an incoming tide toward Damon’s Janggang and Daechu acupoints.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The moment one opened these two acupoints, Janggang and Daechu, one could step into the realm of an internal arts master. As such, it could be called a very important moment.

In Arcadian terms, it was the moment one could become a Paladin, a realm in which one could control mana.

Papapapat!

The rough and violent energy of the dark fighting aura pierced through meridians where internal energy had never once passed without the slightest hesitation. Any obstructing parts were expanded mercilessly. In the process, several meridians ruptured, but no problem occurred. The magical power of darkness connected the ruptured parts as if it had been waiting, and the wounds healed in an instant.

The dark fighting aura that surged forward like a raging wave activated both the Janggang and Daechu acupoints without exception this time as well. From the impact, a spray of blood burst from Damon’s mouth like a fountain.

“Puaaaah!”

Originally, he should have stopped circulating his energy here, but Damon did not. No, it would be more accurate to say he could not. Damon had no ability to control the torrent-like flow of dark fighting aura. He could only barely guide it along the path it had to take.

The first place the wave of dark fighting aura stopped was Damon’s Baekhoe acupoint. Baekhoe, the final gate of the Governing Vessel located at the crown of the head, was not as easy as the acupoints thus far. The wave of dark fighting aura faced fierce resistance here for the first time.

Here, Damon came to know one fact: the dark fighting aura had inherited the personality of its original master, Naidelhark, exactly. In the sense that it smashed through everything that blocked its path, dark fighting aura and Naidelhark were no different at all.

According to Damon’s experience, dark fighting aura and internal energy were fundamentally different in their attributes. When internal energy encountered firm resistance, it automatically changed direction. It moved in search of a place with comparatively less resistance.

Controlling that and returning it to the proper path was circulation and breathing, and that process was never smooth. If one failed, one would immediately fall into qi deviation.

But dark fighting aura was not like that. When it encountered resistance, the dark fighting aura boiled as if in extreme rage. Then it crashed into Baekhoe once again. Endlessly, without giving up until it broke through.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As Damon had no ability to control it, he could only wait blankly for Baekhoe to open. His body no longer swelled. That was because the dark fighting aura pouring from the source of magical power was circulating through the meridians of his entire body the instant it was generated.

The dark fighting aura that had already escaped the meridians remained silently still within Damon’s body. As he waited with bated breath, thunder suddenly exploded inside Damon’s head.

Crash!

At last, Baekhoe had collapsed.

The moment the acupoint was activated, Damon felt his mind go completely white. Under normal circumstances, he should have fainted. If he awakened from that, he would enter the peak realm. In Arcadia, it was the realm known as Master. But in Damon’s case, he did not follow that procedure at all. First of all, Damon did not faint. That was because the magical power of darkness dwelling in his body protected him from losing consciousness.

With the opening of the Ren and Du meridians, Damon’s dantian expanded so that it could store far more internal energy. It was incomparable to before. In a sense, it would be more accurate to say that it had been forcibly expanded by the dark fighting aura. To activate the Ren and Du meridians while maintaining one’s sanity like this was nothing short of a miracle. Having achieved that miracle, Damon used all his strength to redirect the raging flow of dark fighting aura toward the Life-and-Death Gateway.

The Life-and-Death Gateway, the gate to reaching the transcendent peak realm. If even this place were activated, Damon could reach the same realm as the Four Great Knights, including Helbertron. In other words, he would ascend to the Grand Master class.

It was by no means an easy acupoint, but the Life-and-Death Gateway was ultimately fated to submit. The wave of dark fighting aura never gave up on forcing its way through under any circumstances, and when its power proved insufficient, it even began drawing in the remaining dark fighting aura that filled Damon’s body.

Whooooosh!

Damon’s body, which had swollen as if about to burst, gradually began to shrink. The dark fighting aura spread throughout his muscles, blood, and cells converged one after another toward Damon’s Life-and-Death Gateway. The wounds caused in the process were cleanly healed by the magical power of darkness.

The dark fighting aura generated from the source of magical power was no exception. Literally all the dark fighting aura existing within Damon’s body had been concentrated to pierce through the Life-and-Death Gateway. And at last, it achieved its purpose.

Crash!

Damon’s Life-and-Death Gateway was pierced open. Originally, it would have been normal for him to faint, and in that case, his body would automatically begin rebirth. Rebirth was the process of expelling all impurities from the body; it meant changing the bones and casting off the old form, and through it, one transcended the human realm. But Damon did not faint this time either. The process of rebirth was also skipped. That was because, thanks to the magical power of darkness, all impurities had already been removed from his body.

Even so, there was no doubt that Damon had reached the transcendent peak realm. Except for the fact that he had used dark fighting aura instead of internal energy. Damon had finally reached the level he had possessed when he was in the Central Plains. It was precisely the transcendent peak realm.

The circulation did not end there. Naidelhark had already trampled the Four Great Knights, who had reached the transcendent peak realm, as if toying with them. To stop him, Damon had to become stronger.

In order to prevent his companions’ souls from suffering, Damon was making a desperate effort. What influenced that decision was the fact that even at the transcendent peak realm, he still could not control the dark fighting aura smoothly.

‘If I fight in a state where I can’t properly control the dark fighting aura, it’ll only be one defeat after another.’

He drove the storm-like flow of dark fighting aura toward the next gate. If he stopped circulating here and guided the dark fighting aura only along the paths already opened, he would surely settle into the transcendent peak realm. But if he did that, not only would he be unable to defeat Naidelhark, but controlling the ever-increasing dark fighting aura would remain a distant prospect.

Therefore, Damon used all his strength to guide the dark fighting aura to the next gate. Concerns about qi deviation did not exist in his mind.

That was a realm Damon had never reached before. It was the very entrance to the path leading to the Profound Realm.

The Profound Realm, the realm Yeongho Myeong was said to have reached. Damon had no other thoughts whatsoever. He devoted everything solely to guiding the dark fighting aura.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The dark fighting aura surged without hesitation toward the wall of the Profound Realm. As if it knew that breaking through the gateway would not be easy, it seemed swollen with rage.

The wall of the Profound Realm was a barrier exceedingly difficult to reach by ordinary means. No matter how much internal energy one accumulated, it was the same. Until now, there had been those in the Central Plains who had amassed internal energy beyond imagination. If one used an internal cultivation art such as the Great Art of Star Absorption, it was not at all impossible.

They gathered internal energy by any means necessary. And they challenged the wall of the Profound Realm. Damon of the past had been no different. Though it had not been by his own will, the Heavenly Child Blood Demon Art, refined from the vital blood plundered from a thousand boys and girls, had made him explosively stronger.

But the Profound Realm did not open its path to any of them. No, even the realm of the Transcendent Peak was not an easy wall for them.

Damon, too, had only managed to enter the Transcendent Peak because he had gained enlightenment by chance. Those who failed to do so had to suffer the agony of their cultivation dispersing and withdraw vainly into the back pages of history. It was because of the fatal weakness that their internal force was not pure.

However, the situation Damon now faced was different. The dark fighting aura that was rampaging through Damon’s blood vessels, ruthlessly churning them, was an incomparably pure energy. It was on an entirely different level from the turbid true qi gathered through the Great Art of Star Absorption. Even the pure internal energy of Daoist or Buddhist arts could not compare to the purity of the dark fighting aura.

Dark fighting aura was the authority possessed by a Demon King. Damon was using this characteristic of the dark fighting aura to forcibly break open the path to the Profound Realm. He paid no heed to enlightenment or anything of the sort.

“There is only one path to choose.”

That was how desperate Damon’s heart was.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—bang!

Waves of dark fighting aura like raging billows hammered against the gateway to the Profound Realm one after another. Even when pushed back, the waves of dark fighting aura did not give up and charged again. Every trace of dark fighting aura within Damon’s body was concentrated there. It was repeating an endless challenge to make its master into a superhuman.

No sound reached Damon’s ears. He was staking everything he had to enter the Profound Realm.

Once, and then once again.

The steadfast wall slowly began to crumble.

Before long, the dark fighting aura was beginning to resemble its new master. Like Damon’s personality that knew no surrender, it did not despair and continued hammering endlessly at the gateway. As if weakening the wall even a little were its supreme task.

Had it struck more than a thousand times? At last, a crack appeared in the wall of the Profound Realm. The dark fighting aura reflexively burrowed into the weakened part.

Craaaack.

The crack gradually widened. The dark fighting aura tenaciously tried to force its way into the fissure. Perhaps because it had assimilated to its new master, the dark fighting aura never let go of a weakness once exposed.

In the end, the wall of the Profound Realm could no longer endure and collapsed. The sound of the wall of the Profound Realm crumbling rang out far beyond Damon’s body.

While Damon was circulating his energy and regulating his breath, the situation was worsening to the utmost. Half of the Death Knight legion had already been annihilated. It was the price of recklessly charging at an enemy they could not resist.

Only about ten heroes remained. All the others had met gruesome deaths at Nidelhark’s hands. When Nidelhark suddenly leaped into the battlefield and began crushing the Death Knights with overwhelming power, the heroes lost their will to fight before long.

“G-Good heavens…”

He was not an opponent they could possibly face. Among the heroes, one or two began to slip away from the battlefield.

It was not because they feared death. Rather than die a dog’s death in vain, they thought it better to retreat and inform the command of the punitive army that the Demon King had descended.

Until a moment ago, they had not even been able to think of escaping. They had been surrounded by monsters so tightly that not even water could leak through. But now, the circumstances were somewhat different. First of all, many monsters had lost their lives fighting the Death Knight legion. That had thinned the encirclement somewhat, but there was another reason as well: Nidelhark.

When Nidelhark approached, the monsters in that direction retreated like the ebbing tide. Even the monsters of the Demon Realm were attached to their lives. Nidelhark smashed anything that blocked his path, whether Death Knight or monster, without concern. The only reason was that they were in his way.

Thanks to that, the encirclement loosened. In addition, the fact that the liches led by Gedenheid were too occupied fighting Dark Hood to pay attention also played a large role. If they were going to escape, now was the perfect moment. Krovitz finally approved their decision.

“I permit it. Retreat as best you can and inform the leadership of this fact.”

Once the decision was made, about twenty heroes sheathed their swords and retreated. They were composed of knights with outstanding skill and swift bodies who had not been wounded. But Krovitz did not retreat with them.

“I will remain. I have a duty to command and protect my remaining subordinates.”

The knights, moved by Krovitz’s resolve, became solemn. They could not help but be touched by a superior who willingly chose the road to death for the sake of his men. But they had no time to linger.

“Captain. Then please take care of yourself.”

They suppressed their presence as much as possible and slipped away from the battlefield. But from the beginning, it was impossible for them to avoid Nidelhark’s notice.

“Not a single one of you will leave this place.”

Nidelhark stopped slaughtering the Death Knights and hurled himself forward like the wind.

“No!”

Krovitz hurriedly gathered the knights and blocked Nidelhark’s path. However, with a single leap, Nidelhark lightly vaulted over them. And then he did not descend to the ground again.

Whoosh!

Nidelhark spread his wings wide and began to glide like an arrow. If news of his descent were conveyed to the command of the punitive army, it would disrupt his plan, so he had no choice but to hurry.

Krovitz and the remaining knights stared at his back with blank expressions.

“Scatter!”

As the Great Demon King approached, the heroes instinctively scattered in all directions. Even if only one survived, they had to deliver this news to the leadership of the punitive army.

But the place they fled across was the endlessly vast Northwood Plain, and there was nowhere to hide themselves. There was no way to avoid Nidelhark as he plunged down from the air.

“You dare try to ruin my plan. I will not forgive you!”

Red beams shot from Nidelhark’s eyes.

Crackle!

There was not even a scream. One hero struck by the beam turned to ash on the spot. Only his blackened longsword was hurled helplessly to the ground.

“Graaagh!”

Another hero who was caught up to was once again seized by Nidelhark’s sharp claws and torn to pieces. It was no different from the sight of a field mouse fleeing from an eagle’s talons. In a place without cover, a field mouse could never evade an eagle.

The heroes who had chosen to flee ended their lives one after another at Nidelhark’s hands. The terrified heroes desperately threw themselves forward, but it was useless. From the beginning, they were outmatched if they hoped to shake off the pursuit of the flying Nidelhark. The only reason their time to breathe was extended slightly was that they had scattered in all directions.

Ironically, not a single hero who decided to flee survived. On the other hand, the knights who remained prepared for death were still drawing ragged breaths. Yet their fate, too, was no different from a candle before the wind.

Thanks to Nidelhark’s attention turning toward the heroes, the collapse of the Death Knight legion was delayed somewhat. Using that gap, the Death Knights once again reorganized their battle lines. But there was no hope.

The members of Kasim’s mercenary band also had no thought of retreating. They had already steeled themselves to bury their bones here together with Damon. Moreover, they had already seen the blood of two of their comrades.

“Aaaaargh!”

The moment Jackson’s body, surrounded by monsters, was torn to pieces, the members of Kasim’s mercenary band gave up on escaping. Having promised to be together with their comrades at the end, they all resolved to die gloriously here.

In any case, they had no intention of leaving Damon behind. But the battle was deteriorating so urgently that even firm resolve could not overcome it.

As Nidelhark roamed freely across the battlefield, smashing whatever he encountered, Heinrich caught his eye. There was no way Nidelhark would leave him alone after spotting him by chance.

“Khahaha! I’ve found one of Damon’s companions here.”

Without hesitation, Nidelhark pounced on Heinrich. Heinrich evaded with all his might, but he could not escape the grasp of Nidelhark, who had even felled the Four Great Knights with ease.

As if he could not simply let himself be taken, Heinrich attempted to attack, but the instant his longsword touched the dark fighting aura, it crumbled like a biscuit. At the pain of his body being crushed alive, Heinrich screamed until his throat seemed to burst.

“Uaaaaaagh!”

Blood and chunks of flesh scattered in every direction. The moment he collided with Nidelhark’s body, Heinrich’s body burst apart as it was. That was Heinrich’s end.

Heinrich, who had met Damon as an apprentice mercenary and become a Duke Knight. Though he had barely achieved his long-cherished wish of being acknowledged by his father, he had to meet a futile end here. And at the hands of the Great Demon King, no less.

“Heinrich!”

Gerald, driven out of his mind by the death of his close friend, shouted Heinrich’s name until his voice cracked. As if there was nothing to think about, he tried to rush toward Nidelhark.

But before he could go far, Kasim seized him. Gerald struggled to break free of his grip.

“Let go of me!”

“Stop. You’re no match for him. It would be better to take down one more monster instead.”

“B-But…”

“Heinrich probably would not want even you to die a dog’s death.”

Kasim continued speaking with a resolute expression, but his entire body was drenched in blood as well. He had already lost the ability to fight. While surrounded by monsters and fighting desperately, the right arm that held his sword had been torn off. Mitchell had rushed in and saved him, but now he was in a state where he could never swing a sword again.

None of the other members were unscathed either. On Mitchell’s back, Illumina hung limply. Blood was streaming down her back, as if she had been struck by the claws of a Dark Shade.

From the claws of a Dark Shade, a poison that drains life force is secreted. If she had been human, she would have rapidly aged because her life force had been drained, but because Illumina was a long-lived elf, there was no great change in her appearance. However, since she had lost consciousness, it was obvious that she could no longer fight.

Mitchell had bound her tightly to his back. It was also a silent declaration that, whether they lived or died, they would share the same fate.

“No one can separate us now.”

Patterson, too, was covered in wounds from head to toe. Despite the惨状 before them, they never lost their will to fight.

Coincidentally, the sound of Damon breaking down the wall of the Profound Realm rang out at that very moment.

Rumble!

Crunch.

The sound of bones being crushed came from Nidelhark’s hand. It was the end of the last remaining hero among those who had fled.

Nidelhark tossed aside without regret the remains that could no longer be called human and turned his body. Coincidentally, at that moment, the sound of the wall of the Profound Realm collapsing pierced his ears.

“Wh-What?”

Startled, Nidelhark turned his head without realizing it. And soon his eyes were stained with astonishment.

“How can this be…”

Nidelhark shook his head in disbelief.

What had just happened could not possibly be explained by common sense.

When the first explosion occurred, Nidelhark had thought that Damon’s body had been unable to withstand the swollen dark fighting aura and had burst apart. But that was a clear misconception.

“How can this be…”

Damon’s body, which should have burst into pieces, was perfectly intact. His appearance, which had been swollen to the limit, had also returned to what it had been before. And the black haze-like energy enveloping Damon’s body—Nidelhark knew better than anyone what it was.

“That’s dark fighting aura that has been perfectly contained, isn’t it? And it looks even purer than my own dark fighting aura…”

At the unbelievable sight, Nidelhark opened his eyes wide in astonishment.

Damon swept his expressionless gaze around him. His body had undergone many changes. The most striking was the overwhelming pressure he exuded, as if he could force all under heaven to kneel.

The immense aura rising from him in strands was so intense it could choke the breath from anyone who looked upon it. The dusky dark fighting aura flaring around him like a halo heightened the atmosphere even further.

By contrast, his sunken eyes were filled only with stillness. They lay submerged like a tranquil lake.

With Damon’s appearance, the fierce battle in the hall fell into a lull. Part of it was because Nidelhark, who had been commanding the monsters from the front, was keeping silent, but the greatest role in halting the battle was played by the sheer presence of Damon, who had appeared out of nowhere.

A quiet silence unfolded in the midst of the ferocious melee. At last, unable to endure it any longer, Nidelhark stepped forward.

“What in the world happened?”

Damon gave no answer. His attitude suggested that he felt no need to reply. Slowly, he turned his head and swept his gaze over the battlefield.

In that instant, his eyes flashed. He had caught sight of Reindelf sprawled off to one side of the battlefield. With the armor over his entire body horribly crushed, Reindelf was convulsing faintly. Even at a glance, one could tell his life force was hanging by a thread. A short distance away, Primberg, whose lower body had been crushed, was staring this way while clutching the remains of Helbertron and Saramis tightly in his arms. Judging from the way the light in his eyes had grown noticeably dim, he seemed to have suffered no small amount of damage. A faint smile appeared at the corners of Damon’s mouth.

“You’ve all worked hard. You’ve become battered to pieces keeping my command.”

“……”

Primberg, the only one still capable of moving, said nothing and simply stared fixedly at him. Damon quietly raised a hand and extended it toward them.

“I will provide you with dark magic, so restore your bodies for now.”

No sooner had Damon finished speaking than the bodies of the four knights trembled as if struck by lightning. Dark magic had seeped into them without their even noticing and filled their entire forms.

The dark magic that quietly permeated them was incomparably pure. Even Nidelhark’s true demonic power could not have been purer than this.

Chrrrrr.

The crushed armor slowly began to regain its original form. The glow spilling from between their helmets gradually grew more intense.

At the same time, the fragments of the four knights’ bodies that had been scattered messily across the battlefield vanished where they lay. The missing parts began to form upon the limp bodies of Helbertron and Saramis.

Sssssss.

Helbertron’s body, most of which had disappeared, slowly began to be restored. Saramis was the same. The armor they had worn over their bodies was not regenerated, but the basic armor that had been formed when Damon created them had perfectly regained its original appearance.

Primberg’s crushed lower body, too, returned to normal as if nothing had ever happened. Beside him, Reindelf was struggling to raise himself. From the way he staggered, he was still far from normal, but his horribly crushed body had already been partially restored.

All the while, dark magic continued to be supplied. With dark magic, no different from the water of life to the undead, as their foundation, the four knights slowly began healing the wounds they had received while fighting Nidelhark.

As Damon watched them with expressionless eyes, an angry voice once again pierced his ears.

“I asked you what happened.”

At those words, Damon slowly turned his head. Nidelhark, enraged to the very top of his head, came into view. It was only natural that he would be angry, since Damon showed no intention of answering the question of him, a Great Demon King, and instead kept feigning distraction.

A gentle smile appeared at the corners of Damon’s mouth.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. I wasn’t ignoring you on purpose.”

At Damon’s nonchalant reply, Nidelhark grew even more furious.

“It seems you have not yet had enough of a bitter taste. Otherwise, how could you…”

Before Nidelhark could finish, Damon cut him off.

“I’ve had enough of that bitter taste, so don’t get angry. I have no desire to taste any more of it.”

At Damon’s shameless attitude, Nidelhark finally lost his self-control.

“You bastard!”

A crimson beam of light shot from Nidelhark’s eyes. It was the terrifying murderous ray that had destroyed Tantaros and reduced several heroes to ash. The beam struck Damon squarely in the chest before he had any chance to evade.

Kwa-rung!

Nidelhark flinched in surprise. Despite a direct hit, Damon had not been harmed at all.

The instant it struck, the dark fighting aura gathered over Damon’s chest abruptly deepened and scattered the murderous ray Nidelhark had fired. In other words, Damon had skillfully used dark fighting aura to block the attack.

Nidelhark’s eyes widened as if he could not believe it.

“How can you use dark fighting aura…”

Damon quickly cut off Nidelhark’s words.

“You mean, how can I operate it?”

“……”

“It wasn’t that difficult. When I used it the same way as protective gang qi, it was simple.”

“Nonsense! Dark fighting aura is not a power that a mere human can use. This is an authority that only a Great Demon King may wield!”

Damon shook his head as if that were not so.

“That didn’t seem to be the case. Perhaps I am the first among humans to discover the fact that dark fighting aura can be operated in the same way as internal energy.”

“Wh-what did you say?”

“As you know, I was once a martial artist who had reached the transcendent peak. So it would not be an exaggeration to say that the method of operating gang qi is practically ingrained in my body. Though, because this is a different body, I had to begin breathing and circulating energy again from the start, it was not that difficult to reach a road I had already traveled once.”

“……”

The smile on Damon’s lips gradually deepened. Along with it, the dark fighting aura surrounding his body flowed out even more densely.

“Thanks to you, I learned something useful. The fact that dark fighting aura can be used for the same purpose as internal energy means that I have regained the martial arts of my past. For that, I sincerely feel grateful to you. You allowed me to walk once more the path of a martial artist, which I had given up on long ago.”

Even as he spoke, dark fighting aura flowed endlessly from Damon’s body. At first it was as hazy as mist, but it continued to thicken.

Before long, the dark fighting aura transformed into the shape of armor gleaming with black luster, wrapping Damon’s body without a single gap.

Sssssss.

It looked as though he were clad in black full plate mail. Watching him, Nidelhark was trembling without realizing it.

“To think he can give dark fighting aura such a definite form…”

Nidelhark did not know. During his time in the Central Plains, Damon had been a transcendent master capable of using gang qi freely.

Though long years had passed, the experiences of that time remained clearly engraved in Damon’s mind, and his practical combat experience was more than abundant—overflowing, even. The Heavenly Son Blood Demon Art, which unleashed unprecedented colossal power based on vast internal energy. This cursed demonic art was finally manifesting upon the continent of Truvenia.

Damon had now transformed into a superhuman capable of freely unleashing the Heavenly Son Blood Demon Art. The only difference was that he operated dark fighting aura instead of internal energy, but in terms of power, it would be even more superior.

Damon slowly flexed his fist.

“Regrettably, I no longer need the spiked gauntlets. Since I’ve reached the realm I dreamed of, there is no reason for me to use weapons anymore.”

Sssss.

Suddenly, black beams of light surged from the ends of Damon’s fists. The black beams, growing in an instant, transformed into five blades formed of gang qi. They were weapons of aura, formed by projecting his own internal force outside his body, and they clearly proved that Damon had reached the Profound Realm.

Masters who had broken through the transcendent peak—that is, the Transformation Realm—could emit gang qi of a certain length from their weapons. The higher their achievement, the longer the gang qi became. Unlike the peak realm, where it was merely condensed into a weapon, they could give aura a definite form and emit it.

But the Profound Realm went even further, allowing one to give shape to gang qi in empty air, where nothing existed. In other words, it was a realm in which weapons were no longer necessary.

Chwa-chwa-chwa!

The blades of gang qi grew to a little over one meter in an instant. A total of ten aura blades formed from both fists. Their shape was quite different from ordinary spiked gauntlets. Rather, their overall form resembled the tiger claws Damon had favored in the Central Plains. No, aside from the fact that they were composed of pure gang qi, they were identical without the slightest difference.

Looking down at the blades, from which black sharpness flowed in waves, Damon let out an exclamation of admiration.

“They’re far stronger and sharper than the gang qi I raised with internal force. I might end up completely falling for the utility of dark fighting aura.”

At Damon’s attitude as he muttered to himself and turned the gang-qi tiger claws this way and that, Nidelhark’s anger finally exploded. He was not merely insulting a Great Demon King; he was outright ignoring him. It was only natural.

“You bastard!”

For an instant, Nidelhark’s body seemed to stretch out, and then he pounced upon Damon like a thunderbolt. His speed was so great that it would not be an exaggeration to say he had already closed in before Damon the moment he launched himself.

“I’ll smash you to pieces.”

As if there were no need to think, Nidelhark lashed out at Damon’s body with a forepaw. Dark fighting aura rippled blackly from the long-grown claws. However—

Whoooosh.

Nothing met his forepaw. He had struck only empty air.

As Nidelhark looked around in bewilderment, his eyes flew wide open. Absurdly enough, Damon was perched atop Nidelhark’s forearm, with an utterly leisurely air.

“You wretch?”

Nidelhark struck at Damon again with his other hand. The attack was so fast it was difficult even to properly distinguish, but Damon was not caught this time either.

Kicking off as if springing away, Damon dashed up Nidelhark’s arm without the slightest hesitation. He was advancing toward Nidelhark’s chest at a speed like a black typhoon sweeping through.

“What!”

Startled, Nidelhark twisted his body and retreated. He had not imagined Damon would be this fast at all. Thus, that was the only way he could respond.

But Damon had already nearly reached Nidelhark’s chest.

“Shall I give you one blow as a greeting?”

Leaping into the air, Damon fiercely drew dark fighting aura into his fist. Though Nidelhark was in the midst of retreating, Damon was advancing as well, so the distance between them did not widen. Every action was carried out according to Damon’s precise calculations.

Arriving exactly near the abdomen, Damon immediately threw his fist. At some point the blades of gang qi had disappeared, and the dark fighting aura he had drawn up to the limit covered his entire fist.

Kwaang!

The instant dark fighting aura collided with dark fighting aura, a tremendous roar rang out. The impact was so powerful that even the monsters nearby could feel the vibration.

Feeling a tingling pain in his lower abdomen, Nidelhark’s brows jerked upward. He had already reached the peak of rage.

“You rat-like bastard!”

In that instant, a second impact was transmitted. This shock was somewhat different from the one just before. The moment they collided, some sinister energy pierced through the dark fighting aura and dug into his belly.

Puh-seok.

At the same time, he felt as though something had shattered inside his stomach. Just as Nidelhark, thinking little of it, was about to launch an attack, a tearing scream rang out.

“Kyaaaak!”

The scream came from Gedenhide, who stood a short distance away. As if struck by lightning, Gedenhide was trembling like an aspen. Beside him, three or four liches were the same.

Gedenhide, who had sent countless people to the afterlife. It was an empty end that did not suit his towering infamy in the slightest. Seeing that, Nidelhark snapped fully to his senses.

“Was what broke just now a life force vessel?”

He hurriedly threw himself into motion. Judging by the situation, it seemed Verkis had stored the liches’ life force vessels inside his stomach.

Since he could not afford to lose any more liches, Nidelhark had no choice but to shake Damon off somehow. Damon, on the other hand, was wearing a smile of triumph.

“An unexpected gain. I never thought I’d be able to dispose of Gedenhide so easily. To think he swallowed the Life Force Vessel—Verkis put his head to use, did he? In that case, I can’t leave the remaining liches alone either.”

Damon hurriedly launched himself forward. If a Life Force Vessel shattered, the lich would be annihilated on the spot. He could not let this chance to deal with those troublesome liches so easily slip away, so Damon drew up his dark combat aura and unfolded his movement art.

Papapapat!

Damon’s body followed close behind Naidelhark like the wind. His speed was easily more than twice Naidelhark’s. It was the first time in history that a lightness technique using dark combat aura had ever been displayed.

Lightness techniques were, at their foundation, movement arts executed based on internal energy. Naturally, the deeper one’s internal energy, the faster one’s speed. For that reason, in the Central Plains, practitioners were often made to demonstrate their lightness skills in order to measure their attainment in internal energy. There might be some differences depending on the particular technique learned, but if one’s internal energy could not support it, superiority and inferiority would quickly become clear.

In that sense, Damon’s lightness technique, supported by the nearly limitless dark combat aura within his body, had already proven its might. Naidelhark also employed dark combat aura, but compared to Damon, his efficiency was bound to be markedly inferior.

Damon’s eyes flashed sharply.

“The Central Plains’ methods of circulating internal energy have been perfected over long ages. In other words, if we’re handling the same amount of dark combat aura, I can use it far more effectively.”

Damon was already right behind Naidelhark’s head.

Sssssss.

Drawing up a blade of gang qi, Damon struck hard at the nape of Naidelhark’s neck.

Bang!

Dark combat aura collided violently, scattering dense sparks. Startled, Naidelhark stretched out his tail and swept it around, but Damon’s body was already no longer there.

Damon slipped aside, transformed the blade of gang qi into a hook, and thrust it straight forward.

Clang!

The curved hook wrapped squarely around Naidelhark’s neck. It could not dig into his neck because of the dark combat aura, but that was not what Damon had been aiming for.

As Damon put strength into his arm and applied rotation, his body swung around in a circle to Naidelhark’s front. He had appeared directly before him. Seeing Naidelhark flinch in surprise, a satisfied smile hung on Damon’s lips.

“Sorry, but it can’t be helped. From my standpoint, the liches have to be eliminated.”

His fist, imbued with dark combat aura, split the air. The fist spun forward too fast to be seen and struck Naidelhark squarely in the abdomen. It had happened in the blink of an eye; there had been no time to prepare.

Kwa-bang!

Sparks flew, and the dark combat aura covering his abdomen visibly thinned.

“Keuk……”

Astonishingly, Naidelhark bent over in pain. Even though the blow had not landed directly on his abdomen. The reason was fajin.

A high-level internal energy technique that struck the outside and destroyed the inside—fajin. On top of that, it had been infused with coiling force that utilized rotational power. Since the force had driven straight into his internal organs, there was no way it would not hurt.

But Damon’s intent was not merely to inflict pain on Naidelhark. Under Damon’s successive attacks, the Life Force Vessels stored inside Naidelhark’s body began to shatter one after another.

Crack!

The force that pierced through the dark combat aura and drove into Naidelhark’s internal organs lightly shattered the Life Force Vessels that held the liches’ life force.

Kiaaaah!

Each time a Life Force Vessel broke, three or four liches clutched their heads and screamed. Their convulsing bodies turned to dust in sequence.

During that brief instant when Naidelhark froze from pain, Damon unleashed no fewer than twelve attacks. It was enough to shatter every Life Force Vessel gathered inside his belly.

Bang, kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

When Damon’s chained assault ended, not a single lich remained. In other words, every Life Force Vessel had been destroyed. The attacks had been so fast that Naidelhark could only stand there blankly and watch the scene unfold. But only for a moment.

“You bastard!”

Consumed by rage, Naidelhark stopped his attack and slammed bodily into Damon as he withdrew.

Kwaang!

Damon’s slight body flew away helplessly like a kite with its string cut. Naidelhark did not miss the chance and caught up to Damon at once. His eyes were blazing with fury.

“I’ll grind you to powder!”

Claws grew long from Naidelhark’s forefeet. The claws, shining sharply with dark combat aura, savagely tore toward Damon’s body.

Chang!

But the attack was futilely blocked. From Damon’s fist, a blade of gang qi had already grown. An attack using dark combat aura had been stopped by a blade of gang qi.

Despite his overwhelming disadvantage in raw power, Damon was not pushed back. That was because he had diverted the tremendous force carried in Naidelhark’s claws to one side. It was a defense that fully revived the experience he had gained in the past as a supreme master.

With claw and blade pressed together, Damon wore a sardonic smile.

“Think of it as me letting you land one blow because I felt sorry. As the price for wiping out thirty liches, it’s cheap. Very cheap.”

Unlike his slippery attitude, Damon’s eyes had settled into a cold calm. At the thick killing intent rising from those eyes, Naidelhark felt a chill run down his spine.

“Y-you bastard……”

A human who had taken a full-force body slam and remained unharmed. The thought flashed through Naidelhark’s mind that this was not an opponent he could take lightly.

As if he had guessed that thought, the smile on Damon’s lips deepened.

“Even you, a Great Demon King, can’t escape the mold of a typical villain.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If you’d finished me off properly when you had the chance, wouldn’t none of this have happened? Villains usually seem to have that tendency. Though I suppose I can’t say I fall outside the category of villain either.”

“……”

“How does it feel to get hit from behind because you were acting pointlessly relaxed?”

Grit.

Naidelhark ground his teeth. To be honest, he had nothing to say. Just as Damon said, if he had ended it cleanly when he had the chance, he would not have fallen into this situation. He had delayed in order to inflict even a little more pain on his opponent, and in doing so had created an unexpected formidable foe. There was no way he could feel at ease.

‘I never imagined he would grasp how to use dark combat aura in such a short time.’

But Naidelhark still did not know the exact truth. Damon had already reached a level where he could handle dark combat aura even more skillfully than he could.

Staring intently at Naidelhark, Damon slowly raised his hand.

“Is it time to settle this?”

Clang!

The roughly two hundred remaining Death Knights raised their swords as if responding to Damon. The Four Great Knights, who had finished restoring their bodies, also approached while emitting Death Blades. Damon gave them separate instructions.

“You deal with the Dark Shades. I’ll hand over control of the Dark Hoods to you. If you use them well, wiping out the monsters shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“What do you intend to do about Naidelhark?”

“I’ll take him.”

“Understood.”

The Four Great Knights nodded and walked toward the place where the Dark Shades floated. The roughly twenty remaining Dark Hoods began to gather at their command.

The Death Knights standing in formation slowly emitted light from their eyes. Now the final duel remained for them. But the outcome of the war did not depend on their strength.

The victory or defeat of Damon and Naidelhark, the two Demon Kings who had awakened at the final moment, would decide everything.

Kyaaaak!

A death cry rang out, and black clots of blood sprayed in every direction.

Chiiik.

Seeing the scattered blood ignite the moment it touched the earth made it clear it was no ordinary blood. Above it, a single massive bloodshot eye was gleaming. The eye, opened wide as if in disbelief, had already lost the light in its pupil.

“I, I…… this Na-Naidelhark?”

The owner of the voice muttering in disbelief was none other than Naidelhark.

The lord of the Demon Realm, who had obtained the body of the demonic dragon Verkis and sought to conquer the human world. A Great Demon King expected to have no enemy who would dare oppose him, thanks to seizing the body of a mighty dragon. However, Naidelhark was not invincible.

Countless grotesque wounds gaped open across his powerful body. They looked as if dozens or hundreds of longswords had hacked him to pieces. The dark combat aura that had protected his body had vanished without a trace. It was said that ordinary weapons could not pierce dark combat aura, but against the one thing stronger than it—an even stronger dark combat aura—it was insufficient.

Naidelhark’s condition was grave. The tendons and meridians of his limbs had all been severed, and even the muscles of his tail had been cut, leaving him unable to swing it anymore. Beyond that, countless wounds were carved all over his body.

The most critical wound of all was the one at his neck. More than half of his neck had already been torn away, and his source of power, the Dragon Heart, was plainly exposed to the outside.

But what had driven Naidelhark into a corner was not the wounds. A black energy, as if five streams of light had been condensed together, was gripping the Dragon Heart without the slightest gap.

Flash!

The energy rippling with a black sheen looked incomparably sharp. It was a blade formed from the condensed essence of dark combat aura.

That was not the only thing threatening Naidelhark’s life. Five other blades had dug into Naidelhark’s jaw and were pressing steadily against his brain. If Damon put even the slightest strength into them, Naidelhark would immediately find himself losing both his brain and his Dragon Heart.

A Great Demon King completely subdued by a human. Naidelhark was now experiencing firsthand something that should not have happened, and could not have happened.

“Kr으으으.”

Naidelhark’s head, convulsing without cease, slowly turned toward the owner of the blades. Even now, a faint light of disbelief flowed from his eyes. It seemed he simply could not believe he had been defeated.

“H-how……?”

“You don’t seem to believe it.”

Damon’s face, too, was clearly marked by exhaustion. Thin streams of blood flowed from his nose and mouth, and his sunken eyes spoke plainly of his current state.

But his gaze remained sharp. An energy like a blade itself was bursting from his eyes.

Damon’s body had undergone many changes. The most noticeable was the aura blades that had grown long from both of his fists. Before, they had been only about one meter long at best. Now, they were over ten times that length. That meant Damon’s skill in handling dark combat aura had matured to an even greater degree.

Though the dark combat aura extended more than ten meters from his hands and was suppressing Naidelhark’s body, it had not lost any of its luster. Thus, after a desperate battle lasting half a day, victory and defeat had been decided.

The goddess of victory had ultimately smiled upon Damon. In a way, this may have been an inevitable result. Because Damon handled dark combat aura far more skillfully than Naidelhark, he grew stronger the more he fought. The minute differences between internal energy and dark combat aura that arose during the process of circulation were trivial problems he could overcome in the midst of a close battle.

The greatest reason that decided victory and defeat was Damon’s practical combat experience. Because he had ample real battle experience from countless fights against masters of the Central Plains, Damon was able to seize victory at the final moment.

Damon recalled the desperate close battle with Naidelhark that had just unfolded.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

The Heavenly Blood Demon Art, strengthened even further by the power of dark combat aura, fiercely pressed Naidelhark. That immense power was more than enough to shatter the magical barrier protecting Naidelhark’s body.

It had been a clash between dark combat aura that was more refined and tempered, and dark combat aura that was not. The result was obvious. Meanwhile, Naidelhark’s attacks could not pierce Damon’s defense at all. That was because an extremely refined dark combat aura was enveloping Damon’s body like full plate mail.

Moreover, for Naidelhark, who had expended a considerable amount of dark combat aura in his battle against the Four Great Knights, it had been a hopeless fight from the very beginning.

The battle between their subordinate forces had also been decided long ago. Around Damon stood roughly one hundred and fifty Death Knights in orderly formation. The monsters of the Demon Realm, including the Dark Shades, had been cleanly annihilated at their hands.

Much of that was thanks to the Four Great Knights, who had worked effectively in tandem with the Dark Hoods to annihilate the Dark Shades. There was no way the Dark Shades could withstand the Death Blades the Four Great Knights swung as they kicked off the Dark Hoods and leaped through the air.

The Death Knights, too, used their numerical superiority to carry out murderous encirclements, efficiently exterminating the monsters of the Demon Realm. The Demon Realm monsters, now reduced to barely fifty or so, could not even put up a proper resistance and collapsed to the earth one by one. With Gedenhide and all the other liches wiped out, there was no one left to hinder victory.

The result was an overwhelming victory.

Thus, the battle between the two Demon Kings that had unfolded in the human world ended in Damon’s triumph. He had defeated the Great Demon King Nidelhark and all the forces under his command.

Damon looked around and let out a long sigh.

“Phew.”

Though he held Nidelhark’s life and death in his hands, there was no particular expression on Damon’s face.

“How does it feel, Nidelhark?”

“........”

“I will annihilate you now. It is the price for killing Juliana, Jackson, and Heinrich, so do not feel wronged.”

“Hu hu hu. To think you would annihilate a Great Demon King merely because he killed three humans…”

Nidelhark had only just regained his composure. Though he had been defeated in an absurd manner, he had no intention of bending his pride as a Great Demon King. There was also a reason for that. In the human world, a Great Demon King was fundamentally immortal. Even if he suffered damage, he would not die. He would simply be forcibly returned to the Demon Realm.

Nidelhark’s demon palace, located in the Demon Realm. In a certain place beneath it, Nidelhark could be born anew. It would merely take a considerable amount of time for him to revive.

In Nidelhark’s eyes flickered the light of a vengeful obsession, swearing that he would surely take revenge.

‘It is infuriating, but it cannot be helped. I will build my strength and repay him without fail. If my power is not enough, then even if I must borrow the power of another Great Demon King…’

Whether or not he knew Nidelhark’s thoughts, Damon continued speaking coldly.

“I have no intention of taking my time like you. Do you know why?”

“......”

“Because I have a great many things to do. Then go.”

Puhak!

With a chilling sound of flesh being torn, a mass of blood burst forth. Mixed within the spurting streams of blood was vivid, milky brain matter. It was caused by the five black blades that had pierced up through the crown of Nidelhark’s head. Damon had released his dark fighting aura in a straight line through the hand pressed against Nidelhark’s jaw. With his other hand, he was already tearing out the Dragon Heart.

Crunch.

The dragon’s source of life was ripped out by the roots. No matter how great a Demon King he was, he could not endure any longer after sustaining such a wound.

Kwaoo!

With a death cry, Nidelhark’s massive body shuddered violently. The last sensation Nidelhark felt was the strength draining completely from his entire body. As his consciousness plunged into the abyss, Nidelhark’s body slowly toppled to the side.

Thud.

That was the end of the Great Demon King Nidelhark.

The Great Demon King Nidelhark, who had been captured by dragons during the First Dark War and sealed away for five hundred years. Having awakened from his seal, he had intended to dye the human world in blood once again, only to be driven into a situation where he was forcibly returned to the Demon Realm by Damon, an existence he had never imagined. No one could have predicted that his end would come to this.

Damon gazed with indifferent eyes at Nidelhark’s cooling body. What followed was a time of quiet silence.

No one opened their mouth. The Death Knight corps stood silently in formation, waiting for Damon’s orders, while the Four Great Knights and Shrekheimer merely let their eyes gleam impassively.

Just what was Damon thinking as he stared at Nidelhark’s corpse? Even the heroes who had barely survived did not dare open their mouths. The truth that had been revealed had been a tremendous shock to them as well.

“Uuugh.”

The only sounds that occasionally leaked out were the pain-filled groans of the wounded. After a while, someone broke the silence.

“Congratulations on your victory, Damon.”

Damon’s head turned slowly. Where his gaze came to rest, Kasim stood with a haggard appearance.

A wretched figure with his right arm severed. Unless he learned left-handed swordsmanship, he would never again be able to hold a sword. Even so, joy flickered across Kasim’s face. It was an expression sincerely congratulating Damon on his victory.

Seeing that, a smile spread across Damon’s lips.

“As expected of the captain. To think you would be the first to congratulate me.”

Kasim gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

“To be honest, I still do not understand what happened here. It feels as though I am still wandering through a dream.”

“I suppose it would. Even I can hardly recognize it as reality.”

“In any case, it seems certain that the Great Demon King is dead. Then have we survived?”

“Most likely.”

Damon nodded silently. Because he had experienced so much in such a short period of time, his mind was in turmoil. Even the fact that he had defeated Nidelhark did not feel real at all.

Only the energy of the dark fighting aura rushing like a raging torrent through his blood vessels allowed Damon to recognize reality. Yet even though he had fought an intense battle for half a day, he felt no fatigue whatsoever. The dark magic power filling his body had already completely healed every wound across his body.

As he sensed the alien energy, a smile formed on Damon’s lips without his realizing it.

“In any case, it seems certain that I have become a Demon King. Come to think of it, my life has truly been bizarre beyond measure. To think I started as the cult leader of a heretical sect, then became a guard of Feldrian, a lich of Berquis, a black mage, and ultimately a Demon King.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

Damon stared intently into Kasim’s eyes.

“I am no longer human, Kasim.”

“.......”

“Because that foolish Nidelhark left the source of magic power inside my body, I can never become human again.”

“T-then…”

“To put it simply, think of it as me having become a Demon King. Though an incomplete, half-formed Demon King.”

Kasim had already vaguely guessed the situation through the conversation that had passed between Damon and Nidelhark.

Even so, he could not help being astonished. Throughout all of history, there had never been a case of a human becoming a Demon King. And had he not defeated Nidelhark, one of only sixteen Great Demon Kings in the Demon Realm?

He was desperate to ask what had happened, but Kasim did not rashly open his mouth. In this world, there were clearly things one ought to know and things one ought not to know.

As though he understood his feelings completely, a smile spread across Damon’s face.

“Gather the people first, then treat the wounded. I have something important to say to all of you, so rest until the battlefield has been cleared.”

“Understood.”

Kasim turned away without another word.

While the heroes rested, Damon ordered the Death Knights to clear the battlefield. There was no need to bury the corpses of the Demon Realm monsters. What they had to do was recover comrades who were not completely dead.

Even if only part of the body remained, as long as they were not completely dead, they could be restored to their original state by injecting dark magic power. That was the greatest strength the Death Knights possessed.

While the Death Knights scattered in all directions to search for survivors, Damon walked toward Nidelhark’s corpse.

Step, step.

Strictly speaking, it was not Nidelhark’s corpse. Nidelhark’s spirit had already been forcibly returned to the Demon Realm, and what remained was only Berquis’s utterly destroyed body.

But Damon had no intention of leaving even that alone. Because of Berquis’s schemes, he had suffered far too much pain.

“Because of you, I lost both women. Daphne was someone who would have left in any case, but Juliana was not. If not for your tricks, Juliana would not have died.”

An indistinct light wavered in Damon’s eyes. It was guilt toward Juliana.

The second woman, after Daphne, to give her heart to him.

The self-reproach of not having been able to protect her stung his heart. He could not regret enough having ignored her and made her sad until now.

“If I had known this would happen, I would have accepted that child’s heart…”

But there was nothing to be done. Juliana was already dead, and her soul would have to wander this place for eons to come. However, Damon had no intention of standing by and allowing that.

“Juliana, because of your sacrifice, I was able to escape Nidelhark’s clutches. And I was able to defeat him and become a Demon King. All of this was accomplished because of you. Therefore, I do not intend to leave you here.”

After finishing his words, Damon slowly chanted a spell. Then, beside him, space opened wide. It was the magical treasure vault, Increcia. Damon glared at Berquis’s corpse with cold eyes.

“First, I intend to make a Bone Dragon from your body. Considering what you have done, do not feel too wronged. Though your soul has departed, your body will serve me for the rest of its existence and atone for the sins you committed.”

Increcia, which had appeared in midair, easily swallowed Berquis’s enormous corpse. Damon turned away without even watching.

The place he headed to this time was where Tantaros lay sprawled. It seemed as though he merely glanced over it, but Damon grasped Tantaros’s condition at a glance.

“Fortunately, it has not been completely destroyed.”

Damon quietly formed hand seals. He intended to restore Tantaros. Drawing in the mana nearby and rearranging it, Damon injected it into Tantaros.

Papapapat!

The wounds carved all over Tantaros’s body began to recover at incredible speed. The rate at which the destroyed parts were restored was unbelievably fast.

Though he had become a martial artist who had surpassed the wall of the Profound Realm, Damon was still a Ninth Circle archmage. In other words, his abilities as a mage had not vanished.

Damon had now become a superhuman who had solidified an absolute position in both martial arts and magic. It was a realm far beyond the category of human.

Before long, Tantaros rose in perfect condition, as if it had never been destroyed. Then it bowed its head respectfully toward Damon.

—It is good to see you again, Master.

Damon also nodded silently.

“It is good to see you as well, Tantaros.”

—Please give me your orders.

Damon nodded and continued speaking.

“There is something I want you to do.”

—You need only command me.

Damon slowly stretched out his hand and pointed to Berhazel’s temple.

“Smash that temple to pieces. Bring it down completely, so not a single foundation pillar remains.”

—Understood.

Tantaros immediately began to move. For an Iron Golem that possessed tremendous strength, destroying a temple was an extremely simple task. Even so, Damon wore an expression that suggested he was still not satisfied.

He turned his head. The Death Knights, led by the Four Great Knights, were searching for surviving comrades. Damon summoned more than half of them.

“You join in as well. Not even a trace that the temple ever existed must remain.”

Following Tantaros, nearly a hundred Death Knights were deployed in the destruction of the temple. A firm resolve flashed across Damon’s face.

“If we eliminate the temple and then completely erase Berhazel’s authority acting upon this place, the souls will be able to be released freely.”

Thanks to obtaining Nidelhark’s memories, Damon had come to know many things. The first among them concerned human life and death, and reincarnation.

“Juliana, though I cannot revive you after you have already died, I have no intention of leaving you be and pretending not to know. A human soul is bound to reincarnate. Somehow, I will find a way and watch over you. Even if your memories of me will already have disappeared.”

Berhazel was a Great Heavenly God acknowledged by all. He was not an existence that even a Great Demon King on Nidelhark’s level could dare approach.

But Damon had confidence in himself. Berhazel had already lost interest in the human realm. Therefore, the authority Berhazel could exert here was surely exceedingly faint. For the Damon of now, erasing Berhazel’s authority could never be a difficult task.

Kukung.

Berhazel’s temple was crumbling helplessly under Tantaros and the Death Knights. It was being trampled down utterly and completely.

Damon, who had been watching the sight with numb eyes, turned away. He still had work left to do.

8. The Path of the Demon King

“The casualties?”

“The surviving Death Knights number 152 in total, including ourselves. Aside from them, there are exactly 56 who can be revived. The rest have had even their souls completely annihilated.”

Hearing Shrekheimer’s report, Damon nodded.

“So the Death Knights we can deploy total 208... For the price of dealing with two hundred monsters from the demon realm, the losses aren’t as great as I expected.”

“They were all Master-class. If Nidelhark had not intervened, the damage would not have grown to this extent.”

“I suppose so. They are ones who became Death Knights solely out of bitter vengeance against dragons. Since their souls have not been corrupted, they cannot help but be strong.”

Damon nodded and promptly rose to his feet.

“Gather the injured Death Knights in one place. I plan to restore them after first settling matters concerning the humans.”

Until just a short while ago, they had been his comrades, yet Damon calmly referred to the heroes, including Kasim, as humans. At those words, Shrekheimer’s eyes gleamed as if slightly surprised.

“What do you intend to do with them?”

“Why? Are you afraid I might kill them?”

“......”

“Don’t worry. Even if I have become the Demon King, they will forever be my comrades.”

Having finished speaking, Damon strode off. Shrekheimer stared endlessly at his back. At the newly born Demon King who had once been human.

“Are you all right, Captain Krovitz?”

When Damon approached and greeted him, Krovitz rose from his seat. Countless wounds covered his entire body, but fortunately, he did not seem to have suffered any fatal injury. It was only because his swordsmanship was so outstanding that he had survived that hellish scene in such a state.

As if reflecting his feelings, Krovitz looked at Damon with a complicated gaze.

“You have come, Damon.”

“I have. But the casualties... are tremendous.”

Damon frowned and trailed off. The state of the hero corps was so wretched it could not be put into words. They had set out in imposing fashion with four hundred elite knights, yet only fifteen remained. Even among those survivors, most had lost arms or legs and were in a horrific state.

Most of the four hundred heroes had been buried on the Northwood Plain. Even Duke Perstein, the supreme commander, likely had not known that such a result would come about.

With a heavy expression, Damon’s gaze fell on Kasim and the others. Mitchell was holding the awakened Illumina tightly, and fortunately, she did not seem to have suffered any grave injury.

Patterson was pressing down on his bleeding side. Beside him, Gerald’s face was utterly bloodless. It seemed he had still not overcome the death of Heinrich, his close friend.

‘Well, they were that close...’

Damon sighed and shook his head. He had read the curiosity in the eyes of his comrades.

“You must all be curious about what happened here.”

“.......”

The gazes of the unit members focused on Damon all at once. Not a single person opened their mouth, but it was clear they were waiting for an answer.

“First, there is something you must know.”

The members quietly watched Damon’s mouth.

“From now on, Nidelhark will never again stain the human realm with blood.”

A faint tremor spread across the faces of the members.

Nidelhark. What a terrifying name it had been. From Nidelhark, who had slaughtered the retreating heroes as if swatting flies, they had felt a fear that made it seem they could never possibly oppose him. And now such a dreadful existence had disappeared from the human realm...

Kasim quietly opened his mouth.

“Then is Nidelhark dead forever?”

“No. The body he possessed was destroyed, so he was merely forced to return to the demon realm.”

“In that case, could he not aim for the human realm once again? The Demon King is an existence that can never die in the human realm. Therefore, it is certain that he will revive someday.”

Damon firmly shook his head.

“He will not revive. Because I plan to cross over to the demon realm and annihilate him for certain.”

The heroes listening were startled. The idea of crossing into the demon realm and killing a Demon King in the midst of revival did not easily sink in.

“I-Is such a thing possible?”

“Of course it is possible. Because the authority of the Demon King dwells within my body.”

“.......”

“As you have likely guessed, I have become the Demon King. From the moment Nidelhark left the source of demonic power inside my body.”

The members were at a loss for words. The absurd event of a human becoming the Demon King had taken place before their very eyes.

Damon began to explain to them, one by one, all that had happened. The first thing he explained was the Sevenfold Severance Restriction Art, the ancient mental restriction law placed upon him. When he revealed that because of it he could not kill no matter what happened, the members nodded as if they understood.

“S-So that was it.”

“No wonder...”

After that, Damon began to unravel the tangled story between himself and Nidelhark. From Nidelhark’s mistake in leaving the source of demonic power inside Damon’s body in order to escape the pain of the Sevenfold Severance Restriction Art, to how Damon grasped the method of using dark fighting aura and turned the situation around.

The heroes could not speak in the face of the earth-shattering story flowing from Damon’s mouth. They had never dreamed that such a thing had happened.

But they had no choice but to believe it. Without Damon’s explanation, there was no way to explain what had transpired. After briefly laying out everything that had happened, Damon quietly hardened his expression.

“In that way, I was barely able to force Nidelhark back to the demon realm. But that does not mean everything is over. Nidelhark will someday revive and attempt to take revenge on the human realm. Therefore, I intend to go to the demon realm and finish him off for certain.

“........”

“It means I will become a complete Demon King. If I go to the demon realm, kill Nidelhark while he is reviving, and absorb the source of demonic power within his body, I can be reborn as a perfect Demon King. If that happens, the human realm will no longer have to worry about the descent of the Demon King.

At that moment, Krovitz opened his mouth. To be honest, he could not trust Damon, who had become the Demon King. Perhaps for that reason, his face was full of distrust.

“But now that you have become the Demon King, there is no guarantee your nature will not change. Therefore, there is no assurance that you will not set your sights on the human realm again.”

He had spoken honestly, prepared for anger, but Damon instead smiled.

“You fool.”

“.........”

“Even Nidelhark could not overcome the Sevenfold Severance Restriction Art. Then would that not be the same for me as well?”

When those words ended, the heroes’ faces brightened.

“T-Then...”

“That’s right. Even if I become a perfect Demon King, I still cannot kill. How could someone like me ever think of setting my sights on the human realm? Since I cannot kill even a single human, conquering the human realm would be impossible, would it not?”

The heroes nodded as if it made sense.

“That is true.”

“But eliminating Nidelhark will not be an easy task. In the Demon Palace of the demon realm are the eight great corps commanders under him. Mm, since Cherubim has been annihilated, I suppose it would be seven great corps commanders. In any case, Nidelhark’s subordinates and countless armies of darkness are there. Only by killing them all can I annihilate Nidelhark in the heart of the Demon Palace. Even if I succeed, the matter will not end there. Even then, it is questionable whether the existing Great Demon Kings will acknowledge me as a Demon King. In the worst case, I may have to wage war against them all over again. So do not be too optimistic...”

“I believe in you. Damon, you will certainly accomplish your will.”

“Kasim, you overestimate me too much.”

“Are you not Damon, who defeated a Great Demon King with a human body? You are, in both name and reality, a superhuman. Now that you have even become the Demon King, what is there left to fear?”

Damon, who had been silently looking at Kasim, smiled brightly.

“That sounds plausible enough. Good, Kasim.”

“Please speak.”

Damon looked over the faces of the members one by one and continued speaking.

“As of today, the Kasim Mercenary Corps is disbanded. From now on, each of you must walk your own path. To be honest, I would very much like to stay with you, but I have no intention of taking you as far as the demon realm.”

A smile appeared at the corners of Kasim’s mouth.

“We also do not wish to go to the demon realm.”

“I like your honesty. In any case, our connection ends here. Thank you truly for trusting and following me until now.”

The members rose one by one and bowed respectfully to Damon.

“Meeting you was the greatest fortune we ever had. Though we may never meet again, we will never forget the days we spent with you.”

“You brats... The same goes for me. You were truly excellent comrades.”

Damon nodded and looked at Kasim and Mitchell.

“I suppose there is nothing to worry about with you two. Gerald will become one of the Duke Knights... Sir Krovitz.”

“Please speak.”

“Please take good care of Gerald.”

Krovitz, whose expression had softened somewhat, waved his hand as if telling him not to worry.

“Do not worry. If not for you, Damon, the human realm would have fallen into great chaos. I, too, would have died and become a wandering specter roaming this place. So, on my honor, I will raise Gerald into a fine Duke Knight.”

“I ask it of you.”

Damon nodded and looked at Patterson.

“Come to think of it, you’re the only one with nowhere to go. Why don’t you follow me? You said earlier that you hated becoming a ghoul or a wight, didn’t you? Fine. I’ll make you into a useful Death Knight, so come with me.”

Patterson’s face instantly turned pale.

“A-Are you serious—?”

“I was joking—heh.”

At the words that followed without the slightest change in expression, Patterson was finally able to calm down. Though he could not stop the others from bursting into loud laughter.

“I never had any intention of doing that in the first place. I’ll probably miss that tongue of yours.”

Kasim approached with a smiling face and patted Patterson on the shoulder.

“I will take responsibility for him. Last time I saw, the Arne territory seemed to be lacking guards.”

At those words, Patterson’s face twisted once again.

“How can such a thing happen in this world? I may look like this, but I am unquestionably a paladin who can control mana. To use such talent as a mere territory guard—how does that even make sen—”

“Before we left Arne, I secretly asked Matilda for a favor. I asked her to look for a lovely bride candidate...”

At Kasim’s following words, Patterson did not even listen any further and thumped his chest heartily.

“Hahaha! I was joking. Once a captain, always a captain. I shall serve you forever with loyalty.”

“I knew you would.”

The group burst into laughter once again. Damon, too, wore a pleased smile.

“I think I will miss you all. Then make your preparations now. I will take you directly to the main camp myself. I also have something to ask of Duke Perstein.”

“B-But isn’t spatial movement impossible here? With Russellant destroyed, how will you...”

Kasim’s eyes widened, but at Damon’s next words, he was struck speechless.

“Have you already forgotten that the Iron Golem has the ability to fly?”

“I-I see.”

“Wait just a little. After I restore the wounded Death Knights, we will depart.

“Understood.”

The restoration of the death knights did not take very long. That was because an immense amount of dark mana was seething within Damon’s body.

Now that he could wield dark fighting aura, the total amount of mana Damon could use had increased markedly. Quantity was one thing, but the dark mana, purer than before, was more than enough to restore the death knights to their original forms.

Srrrrr.

The death knights, of whom only parts such as a head or chest remained, were regaining their original appearances. Restoring some fifty death knights took no more than half a day.

With matters proceeding smoothly, Damon took Verkis’s corpse out of Increcia. He intended to take this opportunity to turn him into a bone dragon for certain.

“This place is Northwood, a land of extreme cold. The chill here is sufficient to create a bone dragon. It would be better to complete it here.”

There was another reason he was hurrying to turn Verkis into a bone dragon. Though Tantaros had the ability to fly, it was entirely due to flight magic. Thus, in Northwood, where the flow of mana was extremely irregular, its flying ability was bound to be greatly diminished.

Moreover, Damon had to visit not only the expeditionary army’s main camp but also Arcadia. He had to bid farewell to Theodore, the regent. For long-distance flight, a bone dragon was far superior to Tantaros.

“There is also something I must ask of him…”

Having made up his mind, Damon began creating the bone dragon without delay. It did not take very long to turn Verkis into a bone dragon. There was enough dark mana and enough cold.

During that time, Damon summoned Shrekheimer and gave him a certain order.

“Shrekheimer, find the summoning site where Gedenhide called forth the cherubim. It is a place where considerable mana is seething, so it should not be too difficult to locate.”

“Do you intend to use the magic circle in reverse to go to the Demon Realm?”

Shrekheimer and the Four Great Knights already knew Damon’s purpose well. The Four Great Knights in particular even felt a certain thrill at the prospect of invading the Demon Realm kingdom ruled by Naidelhark.

That was only natural, for undead such as death knights could hardly ever go to the Demon Realm. Even when a Demon King who had descended failed to achieve his goal and returned to the Demon Realm, the undead were usually left behind in the human world. In such a situation, they were now to cross into the Demon Realm while commanding a large legion of more than two hundred death knights, so how could they not be excited?

Seeing that, Damon nodded.

“That is right. Do not worry in the least about the method.”

“But taking all of us to the Demon Realm will not be an easy matter.”

Damon waved a hand as if telling him not to worry.

“There is Increcia, is there not?”

“But whether Increcia can be opened in the Demon Realm is unknown…”

Shrekheimer stopped speaking and quietly closed his mouth. He had remembered that Naidelhark’s knowledge remained intact inside Damon’s head. With that knowledge, there should be some way.

“Understood. I will carry out your order.”

“I leave it to you.”

It took only three days for the bone dragon Verkis to be completed. Considering that it had taken a full six months to turn Russellant into a bone dragon, it was an astonishing speed.

“Excellent.”

Damon looked at Verkis with a satisfied expression. Verkis still retained the form Naidelhark had transformed into. He looked not like a dragon, but like a demonic dragon from hell.

There were eight horns in all, sprouting from either side of his head, the bridge of his nose, the corners of his mouth, and his lower jaw, and his body, too, was covered in countless thorns that gleamed sharply. The horns growing along his spine looked as if they could shred even steel plates to pieces. On top of that, his body was far larger than before.

Though Verkis had been a red dragon in life, the body that had been made now gave off a dark crimson hue. It was because he had been influenced by Naidelhark’s mana. Damon, who had been watching him expressionlessly, smiled at the corner of his mouth.

“How does it feel to have become my slave, Verkis?”

But there was no answer. Verkis had now become a perfect bone dragon. He could only carry out orders; his ability to think had vanished without a trace. Damon stared at Verkis for a long while, then gestured.

“Everyone, board.”

The warriors came over, supporting their wounded comrades. After watching them board Verkis for a moment, Damon turned his head. Verhazel’s temple had already been destroyed without a trace, and the magic circle built into the temple floor had also been invaded by Damon’s mana and lost its function. Tainted by dark mana, this place could no longer be called a holy ground.

Just a short while ago, Damon had clearly witnessed it: the wandering spirits that had roamed this place regaining their freedom and vying with one another to ascend.

After becoming a Demon King, Damon could clearly see things he had not been able to see until now. Among the ascending spirits, Juliana’s soul was surely mixed in as well. Damon murmured desolately.

“Since you were killed by the hand of a Demon King, you probably could not go to heaven. If you are in hell, then looking after you should not be too difficult. Do not worry, Juliana. I will surely eliminate Naidelhark, become a complete Demon King, and then take care of you forever.”

Determination lingered on Damon’s face. In a way, this might have been fortunate for him. After Daphne left, Damon had lost his purpose in life. His heart had been empty and hollow, and because of that, Naidelhark might have been able to take control of Damon with ease.

But not anymore. Damon now had a duty to look after the woman who had been the only one not to abandon him, and who had saved him from Naidelhark.

Damon intended to repay his guilt toward Juliana and return her kindness by watching over her when she was someday reincarnated. Until the moment he could lighten the burden in his heart. As he continued thinking, Damon suddenly grumbled.

“Come to think of it, I still have a debt left to repay. In the Central Plains, that is. Heh heh heh, Sa Junhwan, you truly are unlucky. You will have to experience the Demon King’s vengeance yourself. I hope you do not die before I find you.”

Recalling once more the grudge he had tried to forget, Damon drew a cold smile. His nature of never forgetting a debt once incurred had not changed even after he became a Demon King.

“Once I get rid of Naidelhark and become a complete Demon King, the first thing I should do is cross over to the Central Plains.”

Having finished his thoughts, Damon turned his head.

“Then shall we depart?”

The death knight legion, beginning with the Four Great Knights, had already entered Increcia. Only Shrekheimer and about twenty death knights remained here. They would stay at the site where Gedenhide had summoned the cherubim and guard the magic circle until Damon returned.

Once everyone had boarded, Verkis raised his long neck and let out a roar.

Kwarururu!

With a roar far more powerful and bizarre than Russellant’s, the bone dragon Verkis spread his wings wide. His wings powerfully wrapped around the air, easily lifting the enormous bone dragon’s body into the sky.

“Now, let us go. To the expeditionary army’s main camp.”

In an instant, Verkis soared into the distant sky and began flying southwest at terrifying speed, leaving the countless corpses of warriors and monsters behind in Northwood.

After a full day of flight, Damon arrived at the expeditionary army’s main camp and was warmly welcomed by Duke Perstein.

Left agape by the unbelievable events that had taken place in Northwood, Duke Perstein repeatedly bowed his head and expressed his gratitude to Damon. After all, if not for Damon, a tremendous catastrophe would have befallen the human world.

To think that a great Demon King of the Demon Realm had been rising up without anyone realizing it… Not a single member of the expeditionary army’s leadership had even guessed the truth.

There, Damon dropped off the surviving warriors, Crobitz, and Gerald.

“I have dealt with Verkis, so everything I had to do is finished. The Kasim Mercenary Corps has already been disbanded. I intend to leave as I am.”

At that, Duke Perstein urgently stopped Damon.

“P-please wait a moment. There is one thing I would like to ask of you, Damon.”

A puzzled look appeared on Damon’s face.

“Something you wish to ask of me, Duke… Do you not already have countless knights under your command?”

“An unexpected variable has arisen. Therefore, I believe I must borrow the strength of the death knights you possess for a short while.”

“Explain it first.”

Duke Perstein began explaining the state of the war. But Damon listened only halfheartedly. In any case, now that he had become a Demon King, news of the human world held no interest for him whatsoever.

However, at Duke Perstein’s next words, he felt his ears prick up.

“So, you are saying a great hero of the orcs has been born among the defeated soldiers?”

“That is correct. The creature has gathered the remnants of the orcs and is carrying out thorough guerrilla warfare. Among the orcs, he already reigns as a being no different from a god. Because of his elusive guerrilla unit, the two corps assigned to the north are struggling bitterly.”

“How absurd. If you dispatch an order of high-ranking knights and have them assassinate him, it would be resolved simply enough…”

Duke Perstein made an uncomfortable expression.

“We have already sent several knight orders. But every last one fell into his traps and was annihilated. It is true that we underestimated him somewhat because orcs are lacking in intelligence, but his instinct for avoiding danger is, in a word, heaven-reaching. Moreover, along with his unique cunning, his martial skill is so outstanding that he would not lose even in a one-on-one fight against a paladin. I do not know where he obtained it, but because he possesses an axe against which Aura Blade does not work, nearly twenty high-ranking knights have lost their lives at his hands. Because of that, despite repeated defeats, the morale of the orcs has not fallen at all—”

Damon quietly cut off the duke’s words.

“So, what did you say his name was?”

“It is Turka. Among the orcs, they say he is called the Second Outlaw of the Wilderness.”

Damon could not help but laugh bitterly. Of course there was no way he would not know Turka.

The young orc warrior of the Chugar tribe whom he had encountered by chance while escaping Verkis’s lair. The immature fool who, because of Damon, had harbored a futile delusion and chosen for himself the path of a wandering orc was none other than Turka.

And yet he had gained power and earned the name of the Second Outlaw of the Wilderness…

“I thought he would die wandering the wilderness, but it seems he has overturned my expectations and grown splendidly. The more I think about it, the more amusing it is.”

Having finished his thoughts, Damon rose as if there were no need to hear any more. Of course, he had no intention of laying a hand on Turka. The remaining battle was something humans and orcs had to resolve entirely on their own.

“I refuse your proposal. From what I can see, that is a problem you must resolve, Duke.”

“B-but…”

“The transaction between us ended a short while ago when I removed the blood parasite of subordination. I will be going now.”

Damon rose and moved toward the bone dragon without hesitation. Kasim, Patterson, Mitchell, and Illumina were watching Damon from atop Verkis’s back. They did not intend to remain in Truvania.

Left with no choice, Duke Perstein hurriedly erased the disappointment from his face and followed behind. When he saw Verkis, a peculiar light appeared in his eyes.

“To think you turned the demonic dragon Verkis into a bone dragon… You are truly remarkable.”

“If I had my way, I would have liked to make him into something beyond a bone dragon. In any case, there is no longer any need to worry about Verkis.”

Having finished speaking, Damon launched himself into the air. As soon as Damon boarded, Verkis took flight, and Duke Perstein watched the scene with regret in his eyes.

“If I had the strength of four Grand Master-class death knights and a bone dragon… Hoo, what a shame. If Damon helped me, establishing an empire would be far easier. The more I think about it, the more regrettable it is, but it cannot be helped. For now, I should be satisfied with the fact that Damon is leaving this place forever.”

In a way, it was actually fortunate for the duke that Damon had become a Demon King and was leaving for the Demon Realm. After all, he would not have to make an enemy of the tremendous military power Damon possessed.

The ways of the world could not be seen even an inch ahead. Duke Perstein gazed up at the sky where Damon had vanished, his eyes filled with bittersweet emotion.

Damon had set out on another long journey. Spreading his enormous wings wide, Berkis flew toward Arcadia at terrifying speed.

The sea, seen from atop the bone dragon, was utterly tranquil. With the Dragon Lord’s magic undone, the waves were calm. Thanks to that, Berkis was able to arrive in Arcadia two days ahead of Russellant.

The party, having accomplished the unprecedented feat of crossing the continent in only eight days, headed first for the Kingdom of Carcel. They planned to drop Mitchell and Illumina off there. When they arrived near the Kingdom of Carcel, Mitchell’s expression turned troubled.

“At any rate, I am worried. How am I to inform His Majesty the King of Carcel of Yuliana’s death…”

Kasim continued with a grave expression.

“It would be better to tell him the truth.”

“That she died heroically as a member of the Kasim Mercenary Corps while fighting the Demon King—is that what you mean?”

Damon’s expression was not particularly bright either.

“If I cross over to the Demon Realm, I intend to do my utmost to look after Yuliana’s soul, so do not worry too much.”

“Understood.”

Mitchell nodded, then leaped down from Berkis’s back together with Illumina.

“So this is goodbye to you as well, Mitchell.”

“So it is.”

As Mitchell looked at Damon, a strange emotion wavered in his eyes. After a moment, Mitchell bowed respectfully to Damon. It was the salute of a knight to his lord.

“As I told you before, meeting you, Damon, was the greatest fortune of my life. I will never forget you, not for as long as I live.”

“You rascal…”

Damon nodded silently and waved his hand.

“Go on, then. You must show your father your lovely bride-to-be. I’m sure he will be very proud of you.”

At those words, a blush spread across Illumina’s face. Mitchell gently patted her shoulder. Through the bloody battle on the Northwood Plains, the two lovers had grown much closer. Damon quietly turned his head.

“I’ll be going now. Stay well.”

“Yes. Lord Damon, may you also achieve what you desire.”

Receiving Mitchell and Illumina’s send-off, Damon soared powerfully into the sky. Until Berkis’s figure disappeared beyond the heavens, the two lovers stood there gazing endlessly into the air.

After parting with Mitchell, Damon headed straight for the Arne Territory. Berkis’s speed was so great that they were able to reach the Arne Territory before a single day had passed.

This time as well, Damon dropped Kasim off on the outskirts of Arne. Seeing Kasim linger with regret in his eyes, Damon smiled.

“You should go now, too, to the place where your wife is waiting for you.”

“I ought to, of course, but it feels somewhat sad to send you off like this, Damon.”

“It may be sad, but what can be done?”

Damon gave him a slight look.

“Do live a long life. If I achieve my purpose in the Demon Realm, I’ll come visit you once. So you must be alive until then.”

“B-but it won’t be easy for you to come to the human world, will it?”

“Don’t worry. I’m planning to ask Theodore for one favor. That fellow will take care of it properly.”

A clever idea had occurred to Damon. But it was the sort of thing Kasim could not be allowed to hear. Putting the thought aside, Damon smiled faintly.

“Then farewell. I was happy to have met you.”

“As was I…”

Without the slightest hesitation, Damon flew up into the sky. Left behind, Kasim and Patterson fixed their gazes on the heavens, just as Mitchell had, until the bone dragon’s figure disappeared.

Arriving at Felzentin, the capital of the Empire, Damon quietly infiltrated the imperial palace. Befitting a martial artist who had reached the Profound Realm, he was able to meet Theodore, the regent, without being discovered by anyone.

After spending a day at Theodore’s mansion and sharing many conversations, Damon left the place without lingering regret. What conversation passed between the two was known only to those involved.

After that, Damon’s figure vanished without a trace from both continents, Arcadia and Truvenia. Only a report reached Duke Perstein from the knights who had gone to subjugate the defeated remnants of the orcs, saying that a gigantic bone dragon had flown in the direction of Northwood.

That was the last sight of Damon.

Damon had crossed over to Truvenia after losing his power and had been forced to endure all manner of hardships. After many twists and turns, he obtained the source of mana and became a Demon King.

Now he departs for the Demon Realm to become a complete Demon King. Whether he will truly be able to become one, no one knows.

No one but himself.

Dark Mage, Part 1—The End