136 – Not even a touch? (1)
Kelba stared blankly into the open dimensional door.
What he saw was a conference room filled with purple blood and what looked like the arms and legs of the commander casually rolling around.
In the center of the conference room’s round table, a woman covered in purple blood was smiling chillingly while playing with a lighter soaked in blood.
“Now it’s open…?”
The muffled muttering of the Hero King.
Looking at the madness in his subtle smile and eyes, Kelba, while organizing his confusing thoughts, easily found the missing piece of the puzzle as to why communication had not been established.
“This is insane…”
Realizing that, Kelba unintentionally cursed.
In his mind, a picture was quickly formed, and curses involuntarily came out of his mouth.
“All the corps commanders?”
Of course, the demon world’s corps commanders were not beings that disappeared just by being killed.
Even if they die in the interstitium or in battle in the demon world, they do not vanish.
They simply lose their power and go through a process of resurrection, eventually coming back to life.
But even considering that, the scene before his eyes was something he could hardly believe.
The Hero King, commander of the 1st Corps, appeared to have killed all the other corps commanders.
Of course, the state of the Hero King was far from normal.
Although all limbs were intact, severe wounds adorned her entire body to the extent that it was impossible to overlook the injuries, and the surroundings and the assembly hall were filled with broken artifacts.
Furthermore, it seemed like all her magical power had been used up, as the usual strong essence of magic and mana was nowhere to be felt.
In other words, the Hero King had used every bit of her power, even tapping into the source of her power, to defeat all the commanders.
However, even so, the scene before Kelba was so extraordinary that, for a while, Kelba, who couldn’t muster any thoughts at all, belatedly—
“Hup!”
Suddenly came to her senses and tried to cut off the offering and close the door.
Grrk-!
“!?”
Clearly, the dimensional portal that had been opened by his will did not close at his command.
Kelba, looking at the portal with a bewildered expression, belatedly realized that something that looked like the Hero King’s artifact was wedged in between the dimensions.
Soon, the heavily wounded Hero King began to step across the portal.
“Yi-ek!”
Kelba, trying in any way possible to prevent the Hero King from crossing the portal, attempted to close the portal, but—
＜p class=”a”＞From Noble mtl dot comCrack-!
“Kahak!”
—was instantly blocked by a massive rod that shot out from within the portal.
And with that.
“…Finally…!”
The Hero King, crossing over from the demon realm, set foot in the current world.
“Ha.”
The moment Kelba saw this, she frowned deeply, realizing that things had completely gone awry.
No, in fact, things hadn’t gone awry just now.
Although she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, the reason why she, who had wanted to ascend to the higher realm, had descended to the intermediate realm in accordance with his will was probably because she had heard stories about Lartania from the demon realm.
“He’s back, isn’t he?”
As if confirming Kelba’s suspicion, the Hero King, crossing the portal and setting foot, looked at her and asked.
Seemingly indifferent to the dreadful wounds that appeared to him, he casually asked about Lartania, to which Kelba let out a sigh and replied, “It doesn’t seem like the right time to ask me that.”
“Why is that?”
“Do you think I’ll easily answer your question? No—do you even think you can go to Lartania?”
With those words, Kelba began to absorb the remaining power of the sacrificial magic circle.
Crackle-!
Turning all the ruins around her into dust once again, the unprecedented power rushed fiercely towards Kelba.
Along with it, Kelba’s appearance began to transform from that of a typical human into that of a commander like the others.
Kelba spoke.
“Hero King, you shall never reach the lands of Lartania, and furthermore, you won’t even meet the Outlands.”
“And why are you so sure of that?”
“You unilaterally terminated the contract with him, shirking your duties. Do you think we, the demons—no, the demon realm, will just sit back and watch someone like you?”
Kelba’s body gradually began to complete its transformation into that of a commander.
Her limbs started to change into something akin to a beast’s.
The horns on his head grow remarkably long.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Hero King, you will perish here.”
And thus, revealing his appearance was-
“As a faithful servant working under that person’s shadow, and bearing the title of ‘Commander Zero’ from them, I will kill you.”
Commander Zero, Kelba.
Without owning any legion, he stood before the Hero King, having unleashed his own power, solely active in the shadows as the demon king’s faithful servant.
“Do you think you can defeat me?”
A word from the Hero King.
To anyone else, his words might have sounded supremely arrogant, but Kelba took them as a clear threat.
In reality, she had already killed all the commanders in the meeting room and stepped into the middle realm.
However, even with such a threat, Kelba smiled and spoke.
“If it were you in your original state, you wouldn’t have been able to win.”
“But look at yourself now. Do you think I would lose to a lad so badly injured that fighting is a challenge?”
“Moreover, I know that many of the artifacts you boast about are no longer in existence. I saw the artifacts destroyed in the meeting room.”
“Is that all? The magic within your body is almost depleted, not to mention it’s still escaping even at this moment. Probably due to a severe injury. Perhaps it will leave permanent damage if left as is.”
…”
As Kelba’s words silenced the Hero King, he continued.
“Of course, you need not worry about permanent damage, Hero King, as you have forsaken your divinity and will die here, leaving only that ability behind.”
“…I don’t think I can continue my duties by leaving my abilities behind, can I?”
At the Hero King’s sharp remark, Kelba paused.
His words were true.
Ever since the Hero King learned of the return of the Lord of Lartania, the plan had gone awry, but with Kelba exhausting all sacrifices to kill the Hero King who emerged into the middle realm, the demon world’s plan had failed.
In other words, the efforts of the demons had no chance of resurrection.
They were left only with the loss of permanent power, with nothing else remaining.
Yet, Kelba still smiled.
Even though the Hero King’s words were true.
“Don’t worry, with your corpse—there might be some foundation to start anew. And if we can capture an outsider to kill, sacrifices can be increased as needed.”
Believing there was still a way out, Kelba chuckled, looking at the Hero King covered in wounds with a sly smile.
The Hero King said, “Kill an outsider…”
Murmured softly.
With a chilling gaze that even made Kelba shudder.
“Where should I start?”
So, he muttered.
####
A few days after the departure of the crimson merchant.
—-
The territory of Lartania.
Territory Development: 4812
Territory Owner
[Humans: 35,817]
Secondary Buildings
[Magical Engineering Research Institute]
Owned Buildings
[Lord’s Castle Level 3↑]
[City Wall Level 5]
[Residential Area Level 5]
[Blacksmith Level 5]
[Barracks Level 5]
[Tavern Level 5]
[Market Level 5]
[Lumber Mill Level 5]
[Restaurant Level 5]
[Tannery Level 5]
[Stone Masonry Level 5]
[Trade Post Level 5]
[Secondary City Wall Level 5]
[Inn Level 5]
[Administrative District Level 5]
[Paved Road Level 5]
External Buildings
[Mercenary Guild Level 1]
[Mage Tower Branch Level 1]
[Blacksmith Guild Branch Level 1]
Owned Military Forces
-Regular Soldiers: 1,000
-Inspectors: 500
-Guards: 700
-Squire: 200
—
The Magical Engineering Research Institute had been completed.
“…Even better than I thought.”
Kim Hyunwoo, unknowingly, slightly parted his lips as he gazed at the Magical Engineering Research Institute located on the outskirts of the castle wall.
As if to demonstrate that the building’s status was different from the rest, the Magical Engineering Research Institute perched atop the castle wall gave Kim Hyunwoo a slight sense of intimidation.
Typically, from where he stood in the Lord’s Castle, he could overlook most of the buildings, but this was the first time he had to look up at a building.
“Well, once I raise the Lord’s Castle level, I’ll be able to overlook it again…”
Having poured all available resources into constructing that massive building, he had nearly depleted the gold coins accumulated in the territory.
“And with more soldiers recruited, the maintenance costs have also increased.”
As Kim Hyun-woo was contemplating the increase in his newly acquired military forces,
From his crimson eyes,
“Girall.”
“Why?”
“Take this.”
“…This is the Sha’yu spring water I gave to the leader last time. Why are you giving it to me?”
“Isn’t there someone named Loriin or Lorel who wants it?”
“There is?”
“They get along well, don’t they?”
“…If we were to divide between good and bad, well, the good side, I suppose.”
“Then it’s settled.”
“?”
“Can I ask you to engage with that person using this?”
“…Why are you suddenly talking nonsense?”
Girall was listening to incomprehensible words from Ryu.