NOVEL NEXT Chapter 57
Chapter 57
“Cancel all patrols in the border zones during the dawn hours. There’s no choice but to accept a weakening in security. Instead, observe the area from a distance using magical tools at the same time.”
Belial had no choice but to take extraordinary measures.
This was due to the same shocking report received yesterday. Reports indicated that the personnel who patrolled the area this morning had vanished, leaving only their helmets behind.
Even increasing the number of personnel led to the same results. Now, measures had to be taken, if only for the sake of the soldiers’ morale.
Upon hearing Belial’s command, Eris bowed her head and complied. After she left to inform the soldiers, Belial, left alone, let out a deep sigh.
Even his investigations into the upper floors yielded no unusual findings. No one from the 68th floor had ever crossed over to commit such acts. Yet, the soldiers continued to disappear.
Just the fact alone was chaotic. Additionally, what the man who had always meddled in Belial’s affairs said, although he was not currently visible, further confused him. Had he just clearly revealed the truth, it might have been easier, but the man who claimed he would investigate had shown no intention of returning.
“A Massu, huh….”
Massu. At first glance, this term appeared to refer to various creatures that lived within the Demon World, but in fact, it did not. This term strictly referred to “beasts that inherently contain and generate magic power within their bodies.”
Belial did not know everything about their ferocity, but he was somewhat aware. They hunted and devoured souls that had fallen into hell, inevitably clashing with the demons who inflicted punishment upon those souls.
However, they do not back down. The strength of demons, who are superior beings of the demon race, is comparable to that of the Demon King, yet they often emerge victorious against demons.
The fact that such monsters had descended into his tier was absurd, and to be honest, it was hard to believe. However, the possibility that the man’s words were false was low. There was no reason for the man to lie to him.
“Could it really be Seere von Debata…? Is it the work of that child?”
At first, Belial considered that the most likely culprit behind this incident was Citri. However, upon conducting a separate investigation, he found that Citri was solely devoted to military training and had shown no signs of orchestrating any kind of scheme.
That left only Seere von Debata, the new master of the 68th and 69th floors. It was highly likely that she was behind this incident, yet doubts still lingered.
“If it truly is the work of a Massu, how in the world could she control them?”
Massu, by nature, do not follow others and are independent beings. He had heard tales of very great and ancient demons in hell controlling fierce Massus, but those were very rare cases.
“Debata….”
A thought started to take shape. If Seir von Debata, who was the second-highest ranking Demon King, had made contact with hell and acquired a Massu. If Seere had then raised it, and thus made it follow her.
The probability was quite low, but it was a hypothesis that would explain the current situation. And considering Seir’s forces while he was still alive, making contact with hell was not an implausible notion.
“…Hah.”
Having reasoned through this absurdity, Belial let out a sigh filled with exasperation. He then bit down hard, revealing his fiery emotions.
“Do you think I will just sit still, you little one?”
#
The 68th floor, once known as the “Star Layer” during Dekarabia’s rule. This place belonged to Seere von Debata, but it was publicly acknowledged as Citri’s territory. Even Citri’s forces were tasked with defending the layer at Seere’s request, making it even more convincing…
“Huh?”
“…The portal has brightened?”
“Damn it, wake everyone up quickly.”
Now, everyone who needed to know was aware. The fact that Citri and Seere had formed a close alliance. Belial’s fiery rage directed toward the nearest 68th floor. He personally led the troops alongside four formidable women, the Four Flames.
“B-Belial…?!”
“It’s an invasion from the 67th floor!!”
As a vigilant soldier shouted with quick judgment of the situation, busy movement ensued from the quiet barracks. A man quickly rushed out from the central barracks.
“What brings the Demon King from the 67th floor to this place?!”
It was Walter, the general in charge of Citri’s dispatched forces on the 68th floor. He concealed his surprise and calmly asked Belial.
“To suddenly cross into the layer without any ties, is this a direct challenge to His Majesty Citri?”
“A challenge? How audacious.”
“What did you say?”
“Do I have any reason to challenge a foolish boy who has lost all his power?”
“How dare you speak of His Majesty…!”
Flames erupted sky-high, engulfing Citri’s soldiers in an instant. It was a matter of moments. The general, Walter, along with the soldiers in his company, were quickly reduced to ashes by the flames.
Belial, the master of fire, simply spoke to the waiting women beside him.
“Burn them all.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“We shall obey.”
His right hand, the fierce fire Eris, and the impressive pink-haired Huahua (Flower Fire) Florence responded. The two other women who did not need to answer also moved, and Belial’s forces scattered in all directions.
The massacre began.
#
“Hey!!!”
A sharp female voice echoed throughout the Demon Castle on the 69th floor early in the morning. The owner of the ringing voice was Citri. She stormed into the Demon Castle, seething with anger.
On fire with rage, she banged the door to Nahun’s office open. But she immediately recoiled, regretting her hasty action.
“N-Nahun?”
“…Ah, you’ve come.”
Nahun’s extremely annoyed expression met her. He didn’t hide his annoyance as he received Citri. He held a thick report in his hand, suggesting he too had received news about the situation.
“What’s going on? Why are you screaming like that?”
“Didn’t you hear what happened on the 68th floor?”
“…I was just reading the report.”
“Exactly! That’s why I came! All my soldiers have been burned to death!”
After hearing Citri’s words, Nahun furrowed his brow and pressed his fingers against his forehead.
“I know.”
“What are you going to do? It’s practically like we’ve lost the 68th floor, and I even heard they’re massacring the inhabitants.”
“…I knew Belial had a fiery personality, but I didn’t expect him to act this fast.”
Due to the nature of simulation games, the personalities of enemies are not usually revealed in detail. While there were snippets of information on Belial’s personality, Nahun had no idea he would be so reckless.
Had he really drawn his blade less than a week into the operation? Perhaps he truly had the confidence to win in war. Sighing, Nahun said.
“We’ll have to stop him.”
“Oh, but what about compensation for our dead soldiers?”
“I will provide it. But isn’t it more urgent to put out the fire first?”
Despite his extremely serious expression, Nahun spoke quite calmly. Citri felt she may have gone too far and nodded obediently.
“However…has the operation to instill fear been working at all?”
“Yes. That part was going well. Absorbed continuously and being helpless, Belial probably decided to act first rather than sit idle.”
“Um…could it have backfired?”
“It probably worked on other Demon Kings, but I never expected he would start a war just because fewer than twenty soldiers went missing.”
“He’s fiery, indeed. He flames up quickly and extinguishes just as swiftly.”
Nahun felt irritated. His carefully devised strategy had gone to waste. It seemed he wasn’t suited for this kind of plotting after all.
“But Nahun.”
“…Yes.”
“How about the compensation…?”
“…….”
Seeing Nahun frown, Citri waved her hands.
“Ah, no! I’m not asking you to give it to me right now; I just wanted to hear what you had to say! I need to have some sort of verbal assurance…”
Nahun was not pleased with Citri’s immediate focus on compensation, but it was true she was the one who bore the loss while tasked with defending the 68th floor at his request. She required appropriate compensation, and Nahun thought it should be granted without question.
It was just the timing of her inquiry that felt off. Exercising patience, Nahun spoke to Citri.
“I will give you a portion of the ore mining quota. And I will transfer the surviving troops from Belial after the conquest of the 67th floor in a 70-30 ratio.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Will that suffice?”
“Well, yes! I’ll accept that much!”
As Nahun glared fiercely, Citri immediately revised her statement, grumbling.
“Ah, no…I’m accepting it. Still, this time I’m the victim….”
“…Let’s not dwell on this and discuss future plans instead.”
“Okay… yeah.”
Nahun told Citri to come closer and unfolded a large map on his desk. It was a map of the 68th floor.
“Are we planning to fight on the 68th floor?”
“Well, they are all gathered there, aren’t they?”
“Hasn’t it returned yet?”
“They’re still slaughtering the inhabitants and destroying everything. Frankly, it’s fortunate we haven’t vacated the Demon Castle on the 68th floor. It seems their intention was not to dominate the 68th floor but to destroy it entirely from the start. They appear to plan to regress it back to the Stone Age.”
Nahun calmly recounted this shocking fact and pointed to a certain spot on the 68th floor map. It was an expansive and flat plains area. When Citri saw the name of the region, she tilted her head.
“Starroad Plains?”
“It’s a name given by a star fetishist. Its former name was Leogarute Plains.”
“Ah, I see.”
“We will fight here.”
“Huh?”
They would fight on the plains. Anyone not ignorant of war could immediately understand what this meant.
“Are we planning to hold a pitched battle?”
“Fighting against Belial in the mountains while he’s a master of fire doesn’t make sense. Naturally, the besieging side would be at a disadvantage. If we had overwhelming numbers compared to Belial, it would be a different story, but that’s not the case. A pitched battle is the best option.”
“That makes sense.”
Citri understood Nahun’s explanation but soon recalled something. If, as he mentioned, the plains were the most advantageous battlefield for them, wouldn’t Belial also be aware of this?
“But Belial must know too, right? He has no reason to fight on the plains.”
“Oh, I see you’re thinking critically.”
“Hehe, am I…? Is that praise?”
As Citri was belatedly catching on to something, Nahun simply changed the subject slightly and continued.
“We’re going to lure Belial to the plains.”
“How will we do that?”
Nahun placed his hand on the map and replied.
“We will first advertise that we’ve arrived.”
“Isn’t a surprise attack better?”
“Belial isn’t the kind of fool to fall for a surprise attack. He’s likely anticipating that we will move our troops. He will make preparations.”
“Then how do we lure him to the plains?”
In response to Citri’s question, Nahun smiled. There has always been the best bait to use against an enemy with a hasty temperament and a fiery disposition.
“We will use Belial’s personality against him.”