NOVEL NEXT Chapter 171
Saint Empire, Demon Territory Neighboring Area.
Suddenly, due to the invasion of the Demons, the residents of the village located at the very front of the continent have all become refugees.
Thus, a procession of knights dispatched from the Empire gracefully makes its way toward the village, which has turned into ruins in an instant.
And at the very end of this procession, there was a knight of emerald hue.
“Aria, are you sure?”
“…Yes. I’m sure.”
In response to his question, a silver-haired woman answers.
The ones aboard were none other than the students of Claris.
“Mr. Lev… is alive. There’s an overwhelming dark and black magic… it seems like a demon territory.”
“…Uh-huh, Lev wouldn’t just disappear without saying goodbye…”
Assassination of the Chancellor.
And his true identity.
The disappearance of Lev Denec.
After that, it was all chaos.
The Great Demon invasion began, leaving behind the peaceful midday.
At this point, Aria certainly felt it.
The surveillance magic on Lev had completely vanished.
But now, it’s different.
‘It’s not the time to cry.’
Due to the interference of black magic, she couldn’t clearly see what he was doing, but…
One thing is certain: he’s alive.
Probably near the corrupted sanctuary, somewhere like Pandemonium.
In that moment, a fear engraved in Aria’s mind awakens.
-Brrr…
The shiver of the demon she encountered with Andras and Markosias.
“Aria, it’ll be okay. You’ll be alright.”
“Thank you, Psyche.”
The platinum-haired woman, Saint Psyche, tightly holds Aria’s hand, and the trembling soon stops.
Accompanying Edwin’s party was her, the saint.
And with a single-minded determination to save Lev,
They were planning to sneak into Pandemonium, avoiding the Imperial Knights.
Boom!
Rumble!
At that moment, the ground beneath them began to shake.
“Everyone, hold on for a moment…!”
Stand tall!
With the captain’s words, the procession gradually began to halt, but…
RUMBLE!
?!
Sure enough, the sound shaking the ground was growing louder and louder.
GRAAAAH!!
GYAAAH!!
Then black shadows began to cover the banner of the knights.
GRRRR!!!!
Heeheehee!
Hihihing!
The procession turned into chaos in an instant.
“It’s an attack by demon creatures! All combat positions!!”
*
Supporting Role Quest.
And Anonymous Feedback.
—————————————————
[Supporting Role Quest]
[Main Event 1: Awakening]
[Mission Object: Assist Edwin in his awakening as a supporting role]
[Reward: 100 Supporting Role Points]
[Remaining Time: 11 hours 59 minutes]
—————————————————
—————————————————
[Anonymous Feedback: Is the Flame Demon’s intelligence for real?]
[It’s a B-class named monster but the AI of the Flame Demon, which doesn’t match the nickname ‘Demon’s Snicker’, is acting strangely, targeting the healer first. Changes its mechanics accordingly, linking all areas of the dungeon!]
—————————————————
That jerk of an author, having possessed me, ruthlessly tortured me with nonsensical powers.
It was one of his biased narratives, trying to change the outcome every time I faced a trial.
‘How… how…’
The self-proclaimed Demon King was spitting out this miserable syllable while looking at me.
“What do you mean, ‘what’? I said I’d kill you first when I come back here?”
[!!]
I said that in a monotone voice, then yanked out his big toe with my right hand.
-Pop!
“Gweeeaaah!!!”
“Hmm…”
“You crazy… crazy bastard!!”
“It’s noisy.”
I simultaneously pulled out the other two toes next to the big one.
-Pop!!! Snap!!
“Gweeeaaahhh!!!”
Given that his body was all skin and bones, or perhaps due to my cheat abilities, he barely even struggled.
The stench of the black blood oozing out was nauseating.
I explained briefly for his sake.
“I took all your powers. So now the tables have turned, right?”
…???
Instead of responding, he just stared blankly between the air and me, spitting out blood.
“Answer me.”
It seemed like he had no remaining strength from giving all the cheat abilities to me.
Reluctantly, I pulled out all his toes.
-Pop! Pop! Pop!
“Gweegh, Gweegh! Gweeaaah!!!”
“Ding! Demon King Quest start.”
‘Wha… what kind of nonsense…’
“Try to survive from Lev Denec.”
Finishing that sentence, I injected black magic into him using the [Black Dragon’s Vessel].
SWOOSH!
“Oops! Hah!”
As if his almost dead body was flopping like a fish on a cutting board, it staggered for a moment.
“Huh… Huh!”
Very faintly, vitality could be felt returning to his face.
And as he regained the semblance of an old man, I smiled and commanded him.
“Get lost.”
“Huh…?”
“I’m giving you a chance. Just like how you gave me time to escape, right?”
In his partially manifested eyes, a flicker of hope and fear crossed.
A Demon, more specifically, the Demon King Satan, harboring hope…
That sight was incredibly ugly.
But the ugliness of his author, his developer, who had done all this to me, was far worse.
…!
-Limping…
Not a word was spoken as he dashed outside, limping badly due to his severed toes.
…
There was a reason I let him go so easily.
A sort of insurance against that annoying demon’s technique, the Fountain of Souls,
And maybe there was a hidden scheme left by the Demon King.
“For now, he has two actions available.”
One is to inform his underling Great Demon.
The other is to hunt humans, harvest their fear, and recover a bit.
However, given his state now, the first option is more likely.
“Only one suitable candidate…”
Then, according to the settings of [Hwanseangaka], I have no choice but to connect him to a specialist in killing Demon Kings.
I brought up the cheat’s teleportation status window and mumbled.
“They should meet nicely.”
*
-Limp, limp.
The Demon King, Satan, dashed and dashed.
“Huff! Hah!”
If any Great Demon saw him in such a weak state, it would be enough to incite a rebellion.
“What the hell did you do, you piece of trash reader!”
He had no idea how I amplified the abilities given to me by my creator beyond control.
But now wasn’t the time to think about that.
“Gah! Gah…!”
He, too, was hiding his trump card.
Since he is the Demon King after all.
Even if he’s stabbed by a hero or pierced by a holy sword a million times, as long as he isn’t sealed, his soul won’t perish.
He only leaves his body behind, reincarnating over time.
In that case, Lev Denec’s abilities would… surely perish.
And the way to reduce the time for this revival would… definitely be to sacrifice other Great Demons.
“Wha, what is this…?!”
Unfortunately, this place was hell.
Not just any hell, but colloquially speaking, hell.
Drip… drip…
Inside the Demon King’s castle, it was a living hell.
Mountains of corpses, regardless of demon creatures, demon folk, or demon beasts, and rivers of black blood… a horrific sight lay before him.
“Lev Denec…!!!!”
It was while the Demon King was gnashing his teeth at the thought of this crazy demon.
“Great one… the Demon King?”
[!!]
A chilling, wavering voice.
There was a hint of concern and reverence in it.
…?!
It was a demon with sky-blue hair that didn’t fit the demons.
“Are you all right?”
Normally, given his status, a demon of lower rank wouldn’t even get a second glance from him,
But it was different now.
The Demon King knew this girl well.
Yellody Latashia.
-Pop!
The one who had helped Caeran while he was sealed away among humans.
The Demon King ground his teeth, thinking she was a brat he wanted to rip to shreds…
‘Hmm? No, that’s not right…’
Thinking it over, at this point, she would never have expected that Caeran would one day slay the Demon King.
Moreover, she too had been used by Caeran, after all.
A crisis soon becomes an opportunity.
‘If used well…?’
This girl even gave off a feeling close to that of a Great Demon.
What if she could restore a part of his power, just as she had assisted Caeran?
It would definitely create variables in the current situation.
The Demon King, suppressing the drool that was about to drip, secretly grinned with a smile of triumph.
‘If I charm her well, I might absorb her whole.’
He seductively used his soft voice to entice her.
“Yellody Latashia, I command you. Become my direct subordinate.”
In response to that, Yellody, a beat late,
Answered back.
“Subordinate of the Demon King…?!”
*
What kind of crazy person would want to enter the lair of demons directly?
Historically, the heroes have done that crazy thing.
Exploring the darkest corners of the world, slaying the Demon King.
And this boy, dreaming of being a hero,
Edwin Gwynn…
“Stay calm! Form a line!!!”
“GAHH!”
“Th-there are too many enemies!!”
While the Demons attacked and chaos ensued, he was sweeping the silver sword’s sheath given by Professor Sinatis with his hand.
‘I can do this.’
The Great Demon Belial, disguised as the Chancellor, had orchestrated this and the subsequent events at Lev Denec’s behest.
Surely, his disappearance wasn’t coincidence but necessity.
“There are those targeting Yeriel and Aria. They’re definitely demons…”
Above all, it was a request entrusted to him by Lev himself.
So he must pull himself together.
He couldn’t bear to watch his comrades fall any longer.
Swish!
Just as Edwin drew his sword,
BOOM!
CRASH!
A black bolt of lightning struck the front of the cart he was in.
“Ugh!”
‘What is this?!’
WHOOSH!
As thick black mist enveloped everything,
Swoosh!
Edwin instinctively activated his sacred power.
“Is everyone alright?!”
“Y-yes…!”
“We’re fine!”
As the mist cleared just enough, he could hardly confirm the front.
“Stop, human.”
An ebony spear, pure white feathers scattering among the black wings.
！
“If you do not sacrifice those two, I shall condemn you.”
This wasn’t the kind of being he expected to encounter in such a place.
It was the descent of the Tarchangel, Lucifer.
!!
But that wasn’t all.
Right beside him…
“Kyihihih!…”
With irregular patterns on its wings, a spider-like humanoid…
The one Edwin could never forget, a being that had turned his life upside down.
“Finally found you…”
It was the Great Demon, Baal, who had taken everything from him and turned that fateful day into a nightmare.