The Great War of the Demon Realm (2)
“...What?”
Hela’s face hardened at the sudden news.
She had been fully occupied with keeping the various front lines from collapsing and bringing the newly incorporated territories under control without incident, so what in the world was this bolt from the blue?
“How is that even possible?”
The first thing that came to mind was a question.
No matter how much stronger the Demon Dragon might be, the Dark Abyss Duke was no easy opponent either.
He was the head of a faction that had reigned at the summit of the Demon Realm for ages, competing with Krushire.
And yet, for such a being to be defeated so futilely...
“He’s insane. No, has he completely given up on everything?”
That was how abnormal the Demon Dragon Duke’s scheme had been.
“All contact with the spies we planted under the Demon Dragon Duke has been cut off. It seems...”
[I’ll order them to first repair the accumulated damage across every front as much as possible and prepare for any eventuality.]
“An urgent report has arrived from a survivor of Demoniac!”
The foundation of black magic was defying heaven.
Unlike ordinary magic, which obeyed the laws of the world and made efficient use of them, black magic twisted and transformed the laws of nature to obtain the desired result—and even directly rebelled against them.
Naturally, such a thing could hardly have a positive effect on its user.
The corruption of the mind caused merely by using black mana could also be considered part of that.
But in exchange for such a heavy burden, black magic bestowed powers that were just as extraordinary and destructive.
And the method black magicians most often used to distribute that enormous burden was...
‘The more sacrifices offered as payment, and the greater their value, the more limitless the things one can accomplish with black magic become.’
Much like how, roughly a thousand years ago, an transcendent black magician used not only an enormous number of living sacrifices—enough to fill several great cities—but even himself as a sacrifice to bore a hole into the Abyss.
“...He didn’t sacrifice only the legions that followed him.”
“What? What do you mean...?”
Siana, who had been standing nearby, asked in confusion at her muttered words. But Hela, already lost in thought, did not answer.
She could be certain of it, for she prided herself on being the greatest authority on black magic in the dimensions.
‘Yes. If that was what he did, then I can understand how he managed to subdue the Dark Abyss Duke, an opponent who was by no means easy, in such a short time.’
Most of the price incurred when the Immortal King Hans used black magic was borne instead by the 「Heart of Immortality」.
Of course, possessing that heart itself entailed an enormous risk, so it could hardly be called free.
If he had not possessed the 「Mind Herb」, his very existence would have been devoured long ago.
The Demon Dragon Duke must have been a similar case until now.
An ancient dragon of his caliber could have easily overcome most prices.
But what if, having given up on everything, he had even abandoned protecting himself?
What if he had sacrificed not only those who followed him, but also himself—the supreme ancient dragon who had lived for thousands of years, the only Demon Dragon in the Demon Realm, and the one who had once been called the strongest of all?
“...This has become troublesome. I thought it would end easily when the Dark Abyss Duke approached me.”
Hela let out a short sigh and frowned.
The result was the chaos unfolding now.
The prologue to the Great War of the Demon Realm had begun.
***
The nature of the war had changed.
It had been a struggle for supremacy between factions, each vying for the throne of the Demon King—
[Skreee!]
[Hungryhungrycoldhungry... .]
[Kihik! Urk? Eh?]
—but had transformed into a war of extermination against white monsters that tore through space and surged forth without pause from somewhere unknown.
“Hold the line!”
[No matter how many we kill, they never seem to end.]
“Grr—As expected, those monsters have far too much resistance to magic power!”
There was one piece of good news: this incident had allowed Hela to take in a considerable number of demons who had lost their center and been left wandering, bringing them into Helheim.
They had belonged to various factions for their own reasons, but they were not fools.
It went without saying that joining Hela was far better than staying with the Demon Dragon Duke, who would obviously use them as sacrifices. Thanks to that, Helheim was able to swell in size in an instant as requests to defect poured in from every direction.
By now, there was no faction that could even dare compare with it.
‘If you look at it that way, perhaps this situation isn’t so bad either. The problem is how to deal with those monsters...’
The place where the Demon Dragon Duke’s army had been stationed until recently was now filled only with teeming hordes of monsters.
Krushire, the root of all this and the one who had initiated the grand ritual, had already vanished without a trace.
Hela had even visited the temple at Dark Nest’s headquarters, just in case, but the entrance to the underground ritual chamber had already disappeared without a trace.
As if it had already served its purpose.
Or as if it had been moved elsewhere.
Still, there had to be a limit to their numbers. Hela thought that if they continued killing them, they would eventually reach the end—
But before long, she realized that was a misconception.
“...I see. Was this the objective from the beginning?”
It was different from the previous occasions, when the ‘Heart of the Immortal King’ and the ‘Seed of Madness’ had emerged and quickly disappeared.
These bizarre life-forms poured endlessly from somewhere unknown, flooding the entire Demon Realm in the literal sense of the word.
As they devoured the victims caught up in the chaos, the monsters evolved into even stronger beings and began spreading rapidly, as if they intended to cover the entire world.
It already seemed as though they had swallowed ten percent of the Demon Realm.
‘Krushire, was this what you wanted to accomplish, even if it meant sacrificing everything you had?’
If the Demon God and the Demon Realm refused to acknowledge him—
If that meant he could never become the Demon King, no matter what he did—
Then he would rather exterminate every being in this land and make the world itself his own. That was what Krushire seemed to be saying.
Hela’s brow twitched as she thought of the Demon Dragon, who had ceased to be a rival competing for the throne of the Demon King and had instead become an invader of the world.
‘In other words, you’re going to overturn the entire board?’
In truth, the competition for the Demon King’s throne had practically ended with her victory.
Krushire was merely throwing a tantrum because he could not accept the result.
And that meant...
“That bastard is dumping sewage all over the feast I’ve prepared for myself?”
Crude words burst from her lovely lips.
But that was precisely what he was doing.
By pointlessly going berserk, he was damaging the spoils that should have come wholly into her hands, wasn’t he?
For someone as possessive of ‘what was hers’ as Hela, such conduct was utterly unacceptable!
“...So that’s how you want to play it?”
A cold gleam flashed in her red eyes.
If he was going to play dirty, there was no longer any need for her to maintain her courtesy.
‘I was going to deal with him according to the rules of the Demon Realm as much as possible, since this was still a contest to select the Demon King...’
But if he was going to ignore those rules first, she no longer had any reason to hold back.
For an instant, the faces of Davidson and Hesperon flashed through her mind, but she did not so much as blink.
She rationalized that everything connected to that temple was practically cheating in the first place, and therefore invalid.
Besides, considering the forces she could seriously mobilize, wasn’t that merely a minor indulgence?
‘Yes, that’s right. I did nothing wrong. Everything that happens from now on is your fault.’
If this became an unrestricted contest, with no restraints and every possible move at her disposal—
Then there was no one in this world who could stand against her.
***
“Hey! What the hell are you—”
“Wait, you idiot! That armband bears Lady Hela’s emblem!”
“Huh? I-I’m sorry!”
“I’ll make sure this one is properly educated! Please go about your business in peace!”
In the very center of a Demon Realm battlefield steeped in tension because monsters kept surging in at every opportunity, a figure wearing a pitch-black robe and a deeply pulled-down hood slowly straightened after examining the white body melting away before him.
[Hmm, I have a rough idea now. Shall we begin in earnest?]
The instant he casually took a step—
He was suddenly standing alone in an empty clearing.
It was a set of coordinates he had checked in advance before beginning his work.
Thoroughly surrounded by barriers, his body began to emanate seething black energy.
Black mana that blazed like dark flames, mixed with the pure aura of death, covered the surroundings in an instant.
[Heh heh heh—If you can hide, then by all means, try.]
Immediately afterward,
together with a sinister voice that seemed to echo up from deep underground,
an explosive momentum spread in every direction.
He was tracking the Abyssal energy that shared the same source as himself.
***
At another set of coordinates,
a man wearing an opera mask took a small vial from inside his clothes and poured its contents into his palm.
“...Hmm. Its quality doesn’t seem particularly good for its level. To think this is dragon blood.”
He lightly frowned as he rubbed the liquid between his fingers...
Lick—
Then he casually licked it and slowly closed his eyes.
The blood Hela had obtained during her battle with the Demon Dragon Duke.
The degree to which he had modified himself was so extreme that the blood was horrifically contaminated, but that did not matter, since the power residing within it was not his objective.
He was one who ruled over blood.
Having traced its source through the medium, the man’s gaze turned in one direction.
***
Such events unfolded throughout the Demon Realm, each at a certain distance from the others.
It was as though a territory had been divided up and a meticulous investigation was being carried out.
A creature moved through the white monsters as if they were no obstacle at all.
“Sniff sniff sniff!”
“Chomp—chomp—!”
“Snort!”
Its three heads moved busily without pause.
The three-headed hound raced like the wind, repeatedly taking bites from the monsters’ flesh and sniffing at it.
Beneath the fur covering its entire body, mysterious patterns emitted a soft glow.
The blood-red madness flickering in one eye and the green radiance gleaming in the other ceaselessly surveyed the surroundings.
“Sniff!”
The 「Seed of Madness」 dwelling within its body reacted to the monsters that had come from beyond the Abyss, rapidly tracing their source.
—The completely ruined headquarters of Demoniac.
It was a place occupied by monsters that had driven out every existing demon, but not a single living creature remained there now.
Hwaaak—
Amid the remains of the monsters, which were slowly melting away,
only a man remained, silently praying with his eyes closed, a radiant sword in his hand and beautiful wings of light spread behind him.
Within a sacred barrier that even the dense negative energy pooled throughout the Demon Realm dared not approach,
the man’s eyes flew open, and a golden radiance like the sun burst forth.
—High above, where all things on the ground appeared small.
Gooooo—
A being clad in a full-body suit that belched flames from below gazed down upon the earth.
Then, as he slowly extended the only limb not covered in metal—his right arm—the bandages wrapped around it, stained with black blotches, gradually came undone.
Geometric patterns densely engraved across the skin.
A writhing black dragon.
The man stared at the arm, which looked cursed merely to behold, and let out a quiet sigh.
“...Phew. Find him.”
[Kraaahhhhh—!]
At the brief command, the dark soul imprisoned within was released, and the being who had once been the Demon King emerged beneath the violet sky of the Demon Realm.
—And at the final coordinates he had set,
“Sniff!”
A blond child who looked no more than six or seven years old sniffed back his runny nose.
The air did not suit his body at all, making it no place to stay for long, but he was not a High Elf, sensitive to his environment, so spending a short while here should be fine.
Flash—!
In a burst of dazzling light, a young dragon the size of a midsize car appeared.
Then, the brilliant orb held in its mouth began to glow, and its body gradually grew larger.
‘I don’t know which clan he originally belonged to...’
Dragons possessed a certain degree of mutual understanding even when they were not of the same clan.
Communication with one another was essential to preserving the balance of the world, after all.
Of course, things would not be perfect now that the other party was no longer a complete dragon, but merely determining his general location would be sufficient.
He was not the only one tracking the target.
***
Hela’s eyes flew open as she emerged from her quiet meditation.
She rose from her seat, casually stretched, and began walking somewhere.
“Lady Hela? Where are you going?”
Siana, who had been busily taking care of something beside her, hurriedly followed.
With monsters pouring in one after another and everyone frantically occupied, Hela had suddenly begun moving after shutting herself away without a word. Siana’s reaction was only natural.
Hela glanced back at her and answered nonchalantly.
“Tell the others to hold out as long as they can. I’ll finish this quickly and be back.”
“...What?”
Seeing Siana blink blankly at the abrupt remark, Hela gave her a refreshing smile.
“I found where he is.”
In truth, finding Krushire, who had deliberately hidden himself, was no easy task.
Whatever method he had used, even after employing numerous means, there was very little they had been able to discover.
But in the face of the coordination between those who had scattered across the Demon Realm and begun tracking him in their own ways, it was nothing more than a futile struggle.
A map of the Demon Realm appeared in Hela’s mind.
Then six—no, seven tracking results in total, including her own, were combined into one.
Overlapping areas were selected, while missing pieces were supplemented by one another, and the investigations that had begun at seven separate points converged upon a single location.
The one intersection point calculated from it all.
‘Shall I go take a look at what sort of sorry state you’re in?’
It had been less than an hour since Hela had entered meditation and used 「Individual Convergence」.