A battlefield different from the place where Hela and the Demon Dragon Count had faced each other.
There, too, a fierce war was raging in full swing.
“The abyssal monsters are pushing in again!”
“Prepare to intercept! We have to take down as many as possible before they approach!”
“Matriarch! The vanguard of Dark Nest has begun to move as well!”
The forces of Helheim, firmly entrenched in defense, and the army of Dark Nest, incessantly tightening the reins of their assault against them.
After one bout of fighting ended, Liliana, the Matriarch of the Dream Walkers who had been commanding the reorganization of their formation, furrowed her brow.
It was good that they had occupied the enemy's territory through a lightning-fast operation, but the enemy raids continuing ever since were truly relentless.
“Hoo, those tenacious bastards show no end no matter how many we kill.”
Letting out a short, irritated sigh, she looked toward the enemy lines.
From the several pitch-black fissures that had formed on one side, bizarre monsters with pure white bodies were endlessly crawling out even at this very moment.
“…They look disgusting no matter when I see them. Truly a foul hobby.”
To Liliana, who loved beauty, they were so terrible that she felt nauseous just looking at them.
[Krrrk! Krrrk!]
[Aah…! Hungry!]
[Go, going! Where the smell of blood is!]
Having body parts twisted or mixed together was simply a cute quirk.
From monsters with large eyeballs bearing teeth in place of heads, to massive spheres composed only of heads that rolled around, and even monsters with multiple humanoid upper bodies linked in a long line, moving their countless arms like centipede legs.
Every conceivable combination of body parts became reality and began pouring onto the battlefield.
“It seems they're growing impatient over there too. Seeing how they've become rougher than when they first committed their troops. Well, it's only natural—they must not have expected to be pushed back like this at the moment they thought it was almost over.”
She snickered and slowly stepped forward.
It was a situation where even one more hand was desperately needed, so as a commander, she couldn't afford to rest idle.
Swiiish—!
At her gesture, everything in front of her along that trajectory was torn apart in an instant.
Amidst the debris scattering like flower petals from that overwhelming destructive force.
Liliana gripped the rose-vine-like whip that had returned to her hand once more, and swept her sharp eyes around the surroundings.
A battlefield where life and death violently clashed and exploded, where the most intense emotions in the world surged.
But this place was different in many ways from the battlefields she had experienced to the point of weariness.
Starting from the level of the troop members to the morale of her allies and the state of the war—everything.
‘In this situation, I'm not in a position to complain about it being hard.’
This current situation was an opportunity that would not have come under normal circumstances.
If that person had not appeared, the Dream Walkers would have been devoured by the Abnormals or Dark Nest and torn to pieces sooner or later.
Just like Count Tuma’s “Burning Inferno,” of which only traces remained now.
‘But now, the situation is different.’
A beautiful smile formed at her lips as she gently touched the Queen's Essence she felt within her embrace.
The processing of the essence, which she had carefully carried out since receiving it as a reward, would soon be completely finished.
Perhaps because it was the essence of a direct descendant, the refinement was proceeding faster than she had expected.
‘If I can use this perfectly…’
Then the situation would become much easier than it is now.
Not just this place alone, but all of Helheim would benefit from it.
Naturally, it would be of great help to Hela, their leader who was leading them from the front lines.
‘Well, it's not like I need to worry about her. She always shows more than what is expected.’
Hadn't the achievements of Helheim's army until now been entirely thanks to Hela, their sovereign?
Liliana held absolute faith in their great ruler.
“Victory to Helheim! Glory to Lady Hela!”
And that was the same for all of Helheim's army present here.
“Victory to Helheim! Glory to Lady Hela!”
“Kill all those monsters!”
“Lay down your lives for Lady Hela!”
An army that charged aggressively without caring whether their opponent was a high-ranking demon or a terrible monster.
Closer to fanatics than loyal soldiers, they did not even fear death.
Kwaaang—!
A new wind blew across the demon realm's stagnating landscape.
One that put the brakes on Dark Nest's plan, which had subjugated most of its opposition and was in the midst of consolidating the war situation.
The wind of revolution that overturned the board they had set.
***
A massive explosion erupted in the sky.
Kwaaaang—!
The deafening roar born from the aftershock of clashing, twisting space spread across the entire battlefield accompanied by a powerful shockwave.
The beings on the ground affected by it groaned and busily moved to respond, but the very parties causing that commotion couldn't spare even a bit of attention that way.
Because if they let their guard down even for a moment in this situation, the momentum would completely shift to the opponent.
[The mongrel is still showing off petty tricks! Do you think you are a true Lereye!]
Kurrung—! Bbajijik—!
Along with thunderous draconic words, one of the six eyes shone, and hundreds of lightning blades appeared beside the massive demon dragon.
Attacks containing immense power, and each one several meters in size—a ferocious onslaught.
They didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately fired forth, shredding all space in front into pieces.
“You really have a nasty temper. And could you stop calling me a mongrel? Who are you to shout so loudly when you're an immigrant yourself?”
Before the attack could land, Hela, who had forcibly folded the space under her dominion to move her body, grumbled.
Even if she was a half-blood, it wasn't a particularly special case in demon realm society, where countless lineages of demonkin mixed and lived together.
Rather, Cruishire the demon dragon, a being from the dragons of the surface who had crossed over to the demon realm and settled down, could truly be called the unusual case.
“It seems you broke some rules and fled to the demon realm. No matter how much it's the demon realm, making an escaped criminal your representative doesn't look very good, does it? Is that why you've had nothing to show for it?”
[…I will kill you!]
Killing intent erupted from the monster’s three pairs of eyes.
She had roughly guessed at it, but it seemed she had hit the mark.
Until now, no one would have dared mention it in front of him, but Hela had not a shred of loyalty to consider the opponent's feelings.
“The truth always hurts. Still, one must face reality… Ick!”
Hela, who had been earnestly mocking her opponent, quickly folded one wing and twisted her body.
Immediately after, a strange wave brushed past where she had been.
Hela saw that the mana filling the space along that trajectory had been cleanly erased, and her eyes narrowed.
‘…Truly impressive. I suppose it's not for nothing that he has survived in this demon realm for so long.’
The dragon race was originally specialized in manifesting mysteries, but even that had its limits.
Yet to think he had crossed over to the demon realm, adapted to its atmosphere, transformed his physical body, and even harbored such varied supernatural abilities!
As expected of one called a promising Demon King candidate for thousands of years.
‘Good, very good.’
Hela's lips twitched.
Even so, her sparkling eyes never left the Demon Dragon Count for a moment.
Whether she was provoking, evading, or counterattacking—always.
Kururung—
A strange vibrating sound flowed out near her.
At the same time, the light in all directions refracted, and the landscape of the area began to distort.
The surrounding space under her domination gathered into one and compressed, coming into her grasp.
‘I can't just stay still like this either!’
A move she had prepared while mocking her opponent and buying time.
Hela let out a light laugh and brought down her hand, which held something, like a whip.
And immediately after.
Kwarururung—!
Together with a violent roar like a collapsing mountain, the space where the demon dragon hovered twisted violently.
The sky, the light, the air, gravity, mana.
No, the “world” itself took form and bared its fangs at its target.
According to the will of its master who ruled over it.
A strike not merely capable of cutting space, but of wielding the world itself.
It was a limited strike usable only in this demon realm, where the influence of her position as Demon King had grown stronger—not entirely her own ability. However, precisely because of that, the power it could display was nothing short of transcendental.
[…Not bad. As expected, you are at least at the level to hunt Siphar.]
Of course, that was a story only applicable if the attack had landed properly.
Hela twisted her lips and turned her head to look in the direction the demon dragon had dodged.
He seemed somewhat weakened, but outwardly, he was still intact without serious wounds.
“Hmm, I wondered. As expected, is it future sight?”
[Hmph, do you think this body would fall for such an obvious attack?]
He was trying to change the subject, but he couldn't fool her.
Hela, who had discerned that two of the opponent's six eyes had activated, quietly licked her lips.
‘One is definitely the Eye of Foresight. Still, it can't see that far into the future. At most, a few seconds.’
However, at their level, those few seconds were enough time to decide victory or defeat.
Naturally, it couldn't be abused recklessly, but its existence was unavoidably burdensome.
Moreover, the problem wasn't just that.
‘Even knowing a few seconds ahead, there's no way he could be so unscathed. That was the kind of attack one couldn't avoid even if they knew it was coming.’
A move that gathered the entire space under her domination into one and wielded it.
Since the entire world within the range was both the means of attack and its reach, it wasn't an attack that could be evaded simply by moving one's body.
‘The point of impact stopped for an instant. It didn't seem to be absolute defense or nullification. Is it a time-stopping ability?’
Even if only a very limited range could be stopped for a fleeting moment, the possibilities were endless.
If future sight was added to that, it wasn't so strange that he was so unharmed.
‘The Demonic Eyes are all extraordinary beyond compare. He couldn't have awakened such things through his own power alone. Then, as expected…’
The mind-attacking Demonic Eye that he had first tried and abandoned after confirming it didn't work on her, the Demonic Eye of Elemental Domination that controlled lightning and such, and even the Demonic Eye of Mana Annihilation that had forced her to give up using 「World of the Demon Sky」.
Just like this, the types of Demonic Eyes revealed so far numbered five.
‘To think he possesses such fraudulent abilities and yet couldn't become a Demon King. Just how great were the previous generations of Demon Kings?’
Hela clicked her tongue in inward admiration.
Just how powerful were the people of the past who even managed to subjugate such Demon Kings?
Of course, there was the difference that the Demon Dragon Count, who had been demonized by accepting the demon realm's aura, was stronger here, but that couldn't be used to belittle their abilities.
Even after that, the battle unfolding in the sky above the battlefield did not stop.
A breath flew in from the direction he had dodged the attack, as if it had been waiting.
She tried to twist its trajectory by controlling space, but the opponent's energy already entrenched there interfered with her dominion.
She somehow blocked the attack and countered to break the combo, but she couldn't inflict significant damage on him.
Kwagwagwang!
Flickering flashes and deafening roars that seemed to overturn heaven and earth at every moment.
Occasionally, the aftereffects reached the ground and caused great damage to both sides waging war, but they were so focused on each other that they were unaware of it.
‘…This is a bit tough. Using the Demonic Eyes at the perfect moments is one thing, but he's incredibly skilled in utilizing his abilities.’
In fact, if not for 「Demon King」 and 「Annihilator」, she wouldn't have been able to fight on even terms.
The total amount of power Hela could use was by no means inferior, but there was bound to be a marked difference in the proficiency of their supernatural abilities.
Her opponent was a being who had reigned at the pinnacle of this demon realm, the land of strife, for thousands of years, so that was only natural.
‘Still, the situation isn't bad. Thanks to this, my proficiency is rising quickly as well.’
The fact that she was facing such a formidable opponent triggered various corrections and synergistic effects, including the 「Potion of Growth」, causing her abilities to be rapidly mastered.
So much so that the proficiency she had gained by facing the Demon Dragon Duke was greater than everything she had accumulated from the moment she arrived in the Demon Realm to the moment she reached this battlefield.
On top of that, even at this very moment, her “influence as a Demon King” was continuing to increase...
[...What the hell did you do, mongrel?!]
It was no wonder the Demon Dragon Duke, having noticed that fact, reacted so sensitively.
How could anyone remain calm when their enemy was growing in real time even in the midst of battle?
Had he judged that he could not afford to keep dragging things out like this?
In the end, he activated the final demonic eye he had been saving until the very last.
[Die!]
The demon dragon’s “inverted eye” stared straight at Hella, emitting a violet radiance.
Kiiing—
“Ugh!”
At the same time as a ringing filled her ears, Hella’s wingbeats faltered and her body staggered.
Blood streamed down from both her eyes and the seven orifices of her face.
Only after suffering that blow did she finally understand what ability the sixth demonic eye he had been holding back possessed.
‘The demonic eye of instant death...?’
The worst kind of demonic eye, one that could bring its target to death with nothing more than a glance.
Judging by the fact that he had saved and saved it until now, it seemed to be an ability he could not use recklessly, but its power was beyond question.
‘...Tch. If only the 「Instant Death Immunity」 privilege had activated, I could have completely ignored the damage.’
The problem, however, was that Hella’s rank was so high that even after being struck by the demonic eye, it had not been judged as “instant death.”
Because of that, she had needlessly suffered the reduced damage instead. She spat out the blood surging up her throat, corrected her wingbeats, and regained control of her body.
[Now you finally look worth seeing. This time, I’ll finish you off for certain!]
It seemed to have placed a considerable burden on him as well, so no immediate follow-up attack came, but there was no denying that Hella had suffered the greater damage.
If the fight continued like this, she would inevitably lose in the end.
“Heh.”
But she did not care.
After all, she had just achieved the goal she had set at the very beginning.
A gleam flashed in Hella’s red eyes.
Her tenacious gaze, which had not let her opponent slip away for even a moment throughout the battle, fixed on the three pairs of inverted eyes the demon dragon possessed.
‘With this, I’ve confirmed all six demonic eyes. Those artificial demonic eyes, linked into one through some kind of formula.’
The instant her demonic eye clashed with his at their first meeting, she had instinctively sensed it.
The demonic eyes used by the Demon Dragon Duke shared the same root as her own.
They were the power of the “Demonic Eye Clan,” inherited by the Fourteenth Demon King R’lyeh from her father, the Thirteenth Demon King—and the other half of her, a succubus half-blood!
‘I don’t know how that bastard got his hands on that power, but...’
He had probably extracted the eyeballs of six members of the Demonic Eye Clan and transplanted the mysteries dwelling within them into himself.
There was no need to know the detailed method right now.
What mattered was that not only the structure of his eyeballs, but even the activation mechanism of his demonic eyes, perfectly matched her own.
Of course, even if their roots were the same, she could not imitate an ability merely by looking at it.
And seeing through the insides of an opponent on the level of the Demon Dragon Duke and reading the flow of his energy was out of the question.
But she had one ability that could ignore all those processes and bring about only the result.
《The entity has fulfilled the conditions and grows. Special Skill 「Demonic Eye of Domination」 evolves into 「Seven-Colored Demonic Eye」.》
A skill that allowed her to copy the techniques of an opponent she saw with her eyes.
「Imitation」.