NOVEL NEXT Chapter 293:
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‘…What was that?’
Returning to the barracks, Arpheus immediately inspected the core of the seal.
‘I could’ve sworn its color had changed.’
Though he hadn’t been briefed on the exact nature of the seal like Leciel or the Lotus Knights, he had been given all the necessary explanations for guarding it.
Arpheus was well aware that this seal was imperfect and required periodic maintenance.
Thus, there was a directive from the higher-ups to thoroughly check for any color changes.
Arpheus carefully examined every corner of the seal, even infusing his eyes with mana.
However…
‘Did I see it wrong?’
The seal appeared the same as usual.
It emitted a bright blue light, almost painful to look at, and occasionally flickered with a mysterious hum.
Keter, Chokhmah, Binah, Chesed, Geburah, Tiphereth, Netzach… Return.
Wasn’t that an ancient, sacred chant?
Arpheus listened blankly to those voices and then turned back towards the entrance.
The tension quickly drained from his body.
‘Come to think of it, they said maintenance was done just before we arrived.’
The maintenance cycle was short, anywhere from a month to three months.
There was still plenty of time left.
He must have seen it wrong due to fatigue.
‘I should still tell everyone to keep an eye on it.’
He decided to report it to Ignotus, who was in charge of managing the seal.
As he thought this, Arpheus’s expression grew strange.
‘Now that I think about it, where is Ignotus?’
He was always with the guards, yet he had been nowhere to be seen during the entire demonic army attack.
Although technically a non-combatant as the head of management—
‘I thought he’d fight with the elite of the shadows.’
Surely, he hadn’t been caught up and taken down during the battle.
Arpheus’s expression turned worried.
In truth, he had grown quite close to this peculiarly named man recently.
‘We get along so well.’
He found himself sharing various concerns and inner thoughts, something unusual for the typically wary Arpheus.
‘He feels just like an old friend from home.’
…No, calling him a friend from home wasn’t quite accurate.
Arpheus had never really had a “home.”
It was more like he felt more at ease with Ignotus than with his long-time confidants from the North.
At least when he was with Ignotus, he didn’t need to maintain a noble demeanor like he did in front of his subordinates.
Conversations with him lifted the constant pressure and burdens that had weighed on him since declaring himself a hero.
It was a great comfort in the harsh routine of managing the seal.
‘…I’d be sad if he had died in battle.’
Just as Arpheus started heading towards the barracks to look for him—
Tap-tap—
Urgent footsteps approached, and Ignotus rushed inside the sealed area, looking anxious.
It was a rare sight for someone usually so calm and composed.
Arpheus quickly waved with a relieved smile.
“Oh, there you are! I was just about to look for you out of concern. Are you alright?”
“…I’m fine. I stayed out of harm’s way right after the attack.”
“Haha, good job. No need to worry; the demonic army was repelled without any damage.”
“You must’ve had a hard time. By the way…”
Ignotus’s eyes shifted to the space behind Arpheus.
“Is there any problem with the seal?”
“A problem… well, not exactly.”
Arpheus turned around as he continued.
“For a moment, it seemed like the color had changed, so I checked it.”
Ignotus’s face stiffened, prompting Arpheus to hastily add,
“Oh, but it was a mistake. There was no problem at all. I checked it two, three times.”
Yet Ignotus still seemed uneasy, making Arpheus feel uncomfortable as well.
“…What’s wrong?”
“I’d better inspect it myself.”
Without another word, Ignotus and the hero walked into the inner part of the sealed area.
Arpheus followed, looking puzzled.
“…”
“…Is there any issue? I didn’t see any.”
Arpheus asked, but the hero slowly shook his head.
The seal was indeed intact.
The color remained blue, and the magic circle and formulas constituting the seal were unchanged.
‘…The seal and the children are fine.’
The hero narrowed his eyes, organizing his thoughts.
What exactly was the fragment of the demon king manifesting in the present world?
Was it merely a chunk of power?
Or perhaps a kind of avatar?
And if so, what was its purpose?
There was no way to know for now.
‘I’d better inform my comrades and gather information.’
Even if they couldn’t convene immediately, it would be wise to hold a meeting via communication.
The battle at the first seal should be wrapping up soon.
‘Well, there’s no need to worry about that.’
The first seal was protected by Cuculli, Izaro, Maktania, Barrett, and the Namsov family.
Malekia alone couldn’t break through it.
Even if Theo’s main body, with 40% of its power, was waiting nearby, it couldn’t threaten the seal.
Whew—
The hero sighed briefly and donned the calm mask of Ignotus once more.
“I’ll head back to the barracks now.”
“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”
Arpheus saw him off with an awkward expression.
* * *
The Queen of Agony, Malekia.
Her clan specialized in converting human ‘physical pain’ into demonic energy.
The more captives they capture, and the more cruelly they torture them, the stronger their demonic energy becomes.
Thus, in the past three years, as the front lines expanded across the entire Western Continent, Malekia also grew significantly stronger, though not as much as Theo, who had absorbed Yol.
“Push them back!”
“It’s almost over!”
…But it wasn’t enough to handle all the defenders of the first seal.
The battle at the first seal was rapidly nearing its end.
Malekia’s third legion had lost nearly half its forces in an instant.
The defenders’ strategy was effective.
While the flying Cuculli and Maktania kept Malekia occupied, Izaro and the Namsov family, along with the allied forces, quickly dealt with the third legion.
When the enemy forces were reduced enough for the allied forces to handle them alone, Izaro and the Namsov family joined in subduing Malekia.
However, despite nearing a situation where she would be overwhelmed, Malekia stood firmly on the snowy field, continuing the fight.
[Pain is the promise etched into your flesh, indulge in it.]
Wooouuuuung—
Malekia, who had been flying swiftly, suddenly stopped in mid-air, spreading her wings wide.
Her maw opened wide, and an ominous, sticky energy, completely different from the cool and clean northern magic, swirled at the edge of their vision.
Maktania grimaced.
“Again? Just how much demonic energy does she have!?”
The air was sucked into Malekia’s wide-open maw.
From deep within her throat, a sinister darkness emerged.
A small black flame began at the root of her tongue, quickly growing and spewing out with her intense breath.
Whoooom—!
The deep, dark purple flame roared across the snowy field like a living creature.
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It not only evaporated all the snow but also vaporized the exposed soil without a trace.
Even the fearless allies took a breath in.
“Cuculli, can you do it?”
“I have to.”
Wooouuuung—
Cuculli, who had reverted to her human form to conserve mana, was once again enveloped in brilliant light.
Creeeak—
Kneeling, her form began to change.
Her fingers grew longer and harder like steel.
Powerful claws sprouted from the ends, gripping the ground.
As the blue scales and two horns reflected the hazy northern sunlight, the onlookers cheered, momentarily forgetting the flames in their sight.
[Roaaaar—!]
Whoosh—
Giant wings, dozens of meters long, unfurled, creating a fierce snowstorm nearby.
Beyond the dense snowflakes filling the sky, a cold and intense energy enveloped Cuculli.
Kiiiiiieeeeeng—!
A fierce cold burst forth like a giant waterfall.
The condensed breath, in the form of a pillar, shot forward with a brilliant light.
Along the path of the freezing breath, countless clear and transparent ice walls sprang up.
The advancing allies hid behind them.
“Keep low!”
“Get caught in that, and you’re dead!”
Having already experienced similar clashes several times, their movements were quick and decisive.
…As the two breaths from the sky collided—
Boom—!
The energy wave formed by the collision swept across the surroundings, cutting through the sky and the ground.
The dazzling light and swirling darkness continuously flickered at the center, where ice and flames endlessly flashed.
Tssssss—!
Heavy, damp steam rapidly covered the sky within several kilometers.
In the now hazy and blurry vision, the sound of fierce wings overlapping could be heard.
Soon, two large silhouettes soared into the sky.
“Charge again!”
At this signal, the armies of both sides let out shouts and roars as they clashed.
Cuculli circled in the sky, keeping vigilant.
The enormous amount of steam intertwined and flowed turbulently.
The vision was as dim and murky as if covered by a gray blanket.
‘Avoid physical combat as much as possible.’
Unlike her sleek and streamlined body, Malekia’s body was much thicker and tougher.
It would be wiser to avoid direct confrontation and instead bombard her with magic while maneuvering evasively.
Maktania, holding onto Cuculli’s horn and standing on her head, whispered,
“Just a little longer. Victory is close.”
“Leave it to me.”
The war that had been unfavorable for three years.
Defeating Malekia and the third legion could turn the tide.
The professor and friends would be so pleased.
Just as Cuculli was thinking this, a giant set of teeth suddenly appeared right in front of her.
“Cuculli!”
Crack—!
The teeth and claws of the two dragons tore into each other’s scales.
Painful roars, blood, and scale fragments filled the sky.
A sharp voice penetrated Cuculli’s ears.
[Your pain, your screams, are sweeter than I imagined.]
Cuculli gritted her teeth and responded.
“Shut up!”
Crack—!
Cuculli’s teeth once again bit into Malekia’s neck, and Malekia’s claws tore into Cuculli’s side.
The pain shot through her like lightning, but Cuculli noticed that Malekia’s expression didn’t change at all.
In fact, there was a tremor of ecstasy.
But then.
Whoosh—!
A white light flashed on the opposite side of the field.
A divine spear suddenly appeared and pierced Malekia’s opposite side.
Maktania had somehow dropped down and ambushed her by circling around.
As the massive holy power penetrated, a painful roar finally erupted from Malekia’s mouth.
Maktania, having gained recognition and strength in the current world, was now capable of much greater holy power than three years ago.
[Aaaaargh—!]
Cuculli smiled brightly.
“Oh, it’s sweet!”
Whoosh—!
With wings of light spread, Maktania flew back towards Cuculli’s head, narrowly dodging Malekia’s swiftly swung forepaw.
[You pesky little fly!]
With blazing red eyes, Malekia charged.
The distance was too close, so Cuculli gritted her teeth, ready for a collision.
“……”
However, the battle inadvertently reached a lull.
Maktania, Cuculli, and Malekia all focused their gaze on a small silhouette that suddenly appeared.
The intruder ignored Cuculli and Maktania, fixating solely on Malekia.
“Malekia, stop thinking foolishly and retreat as planned.”
[…Theo.]
“The southern side has succeeded, so hurry up.”
[It’s a cause for celebration, but…]
Thud—
Malekia’s bright yellow eyes rolled towards
Theo. Her thin, snake-like pupils widened as if finding something intriguing.
[There seems to have been an incident.]
“…What?”
[You’ve become pathetically weak.]
Theo sneered.
“So you want to have a feast here? His Majesty would be so pleased.”
[You, who devoured our old friend, have no right to speak.]
Malekia continued smoothly.
[I will serve His Majesty alone.]
Theo immediately retorted with a sneering face, but no one present heard his words.
Rumble—
An ominous vibration, like an earthquake, suddenly struck.
Startled, the armies at their feet momentarily fell silent.
In the sudden quiet, Maktania whispered softly.
“It’s the seal.”
After a moment of trembling, the snowy field returned to silence.
The snow fell as if nothing had happened, and the sound of clashing steel resumed.
However, Malekia, who had been burning with fighting spirit moments ago, seemed to have lost all desire to fight.
She glared at Theo with wide eyes.
[No way.]
Theo looked just as baffled.
The wrinkles around his eyes expressed disbelief.
“…Already?”
Of course, Cuculli and Maktania couldn’t understand their conversation at all.
But there was one thing they could understand.
Maktania whispered slowly and very quietly.
“Cuculli.”
It was as if she believed someone nearby was watching them.
“Let’s run.”
In the sky, beyond the clouds, a giant eye, replacing the sun, was staring down at them.
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