Dark Nest (2)
An all-out war has begun between the two largest powers in the demon world.
Although Dark Nest has recently lost face in many ways and is raising concerns among its members, it is no exaggeration to say that it is still the best in the Demon World.
And even as Helheim’s progress was noticeable, Demoniac continued to respond passively day after day and was secretly gathering strength.
The war, which started from the border area on the front line, began to gradually increase in scale, and soon spread rapidly like wildfire to all areas where the two forces were even slightly connected.
Not only did all the forces under his command be mobilized, but it became a full-scale war on such a large scale that even the two dukes, the heads of the factions, went directly to the battlefield.
[You! Pieta—! I will definitely rip off that head and use it as a decoration!]
“Wow, Demon Dragon Duke. Why is it suddenly coming out like this? “Waging an all-out war so suddenly must be a big burden for you, right?”
[Don’t act like a fool! Did you think I didn’t know what you were planning behind your back!]
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Even though she said that, Pieta, who was feeling a lot of pain inside, distorted the light around her eyes.
I obviously started working on it while I was busy fighting with Helheim, so I thought I should be aware of that.
‘What was discovered? A secretly connected gateway? Brainwashing the kidnapped executives? Could it be that agents were caught planting them in the center? Seeing that you’re so excited, I don’t think it’s at a certain level. Either that or no way…’
There were so many things to consider that it was hard to figure out what was causing it.
The number of great moves he was carrying out behind the scenes against the Dark Nest could not be counted on one hand.
‘Maybe they all got caught. You let your guard down. For some reason, you felt like you were being pushed too far against Helheim, which was uncharacteristic of you, so you were constantly on the lookout for this side even during the fight?’
Pieta, whose feet were numb, tried to analyze the situation.
It seems like something is stuck tightly.
In fact, the reason he couldn’t reveal it openly was the same for Duke Demon Dragon, so he misunderstood his reticence and started a fire.
Also, even if Pieta, who felt uncomfortable, claims that she is innocent, the situation will not change.
The Demon Dragon Duke was already well aware of his tendency to enjoy creating underworld plots and telling lies.
So, everyday behavior was important.
[I’ll kill you here first! Hybrids are next!]
“under! It looked funny. Do you think I will be defeated as easily as that idiot Karakul?”
Breath poured out along with the demon dragon’s angry roar, and the secret art of the Duke of Darkness, who wields ‘distortion’, countered it.
A defense that twists the destructive energy that surges like a tidal wave and the space to let it flow away.
As if counterattacking, the twisted beam of magic pierced the dragon’s huge body with a fatal toxin, but it was unable to overcome the link between ‘wisdom’ and ‘annihilation’ and was scattered in vain.
Rumbling—! Quang!
The aftermath alone resulted in a series of forward and backward battles that had a huge impact on the entire battlefield.
It was a fierce battle that could not be predicted even an inch ahead, but in fact, the outcome was already decided to some extent.
“Ugh!”
[Do you think you can be my opponent on your own? I am the Demon Dragon Duke Crushire! He is the strongest in the current Demon World and a great being who will soon surpass even the Demon King!]
Despite suffering considerable losses from the recent fight with Hella, Crushire consistently maintained the upper hand in the fight against the same duke and put pressure on the opponent.
As if to show off that the title of the strongest in the Demon World is by no means self-proclaimed.
In the end, Pieta, who had been fighting tightly, had no choice but to take a step back and accept the damage that would occur on the battlefield.
If you keep fighting like this and you actually fall, everything will be over at that moment.
‘I’ll leave now. But this is not the end.’
From the beginning, I never thought we could win in an all-out war.
Isn’t that the reason why so many masterpieces have been prepared?
Although most of it is still unfinished, if we mobilize all of the arrangements, we will be able to create an opportunity for a turnaround.
“Gagging! “Pieta!”
[Keeek—! Kill… kill! eat! I’m hungry!]
“Jenjaang! “If I had known it would be like this, I would have gone over to the other side a long time ago… Wow!”
[Keuuu!]
As a result, many of the Demoniac forces supporting him were unable to even properly resist and were brutally ravaged by the pure white monsters, but sacrifices on the battlefield are everywhere.
The Duke of Darkness was able to safely escape to the rear thanks to the sacrifices of his subordinates.
“Do we really want to see the end this time? “Oh, now that this has happened, I won’t stay still!”
Immediately after that, he immediately started pouring out all the moves he had prepared so far at once.
As a result, the mainland of the Dark Nest was attacked, betrayals and assassinations were rampant, and extreme chaos occurred.
[Don’t worry about minor damage. The important thing is to hit the Pieta as quickly as possible.]
However, Duke Demon Dragon, who was on the front line, paid no heed to this and continued to advance.
Leading pure white monsters who are not afraid or betrayal under any circumstances and only seek slaughter.
As the situation progressed to that point, Demoniac couldn’t help but become impatient.
He urgently sent a call to Helheim, with whom he had a cooperative relationship, even on the surface…
-Currently, the fatigue of the entire unit has reached its limit. Unlike others, wasn’t every day a series of fierce wars for us? As a result, they succeeded in advancing into the Dark Nest’s mainland.
So the reply came back saying that they were very sorry, but that it would be difficult to send reinforcements right away.
He said that if he held out as long as possible, he would shake up the rear of the Dark Nest as soon as his troops were recovered.
bang!
The Duke of Darkness, who received the message through his adjutant, slammed the table.
In the aftermath, not only the table but everything around it was a mess, but he had no time to worry about such trivial things right now.
“···stupid. “Don’t they know that if we collapse like this, it will be difficult for them too?”
The reason Dark Nest was able to come out so harshly against Demoniac was also related to Helheim’s suddenly passive behavior.
Where had the previous momentum of pushing into the heart of the country gone? They suddenly began to gradually subjugate nearby forces, establish forward bases, and strengthen defenses.
“···It’s not good. not good.”
He quietly looked down at the battlefield map and muttered softly.
Thanks to the mobilization of various arrangements, we were able to gain some time, but if we continued to be pushed back in an all-out war like we are now, that would be meaningless.
Because of that, the forces under his command are in turmoil right now.
‘Tsk, I guess I should seriously consider giving up on this.’
If you thought it wasn’t going to work, surrendering was one way.
He felt a little skeptical when he saw someone so excited that he was trying to kill him, but once he regained his composure, he would realize that it was much more beneficial to accept himself as a duke.
In fact, the demon dragon himself was one of the demon king candidates who survived in that way.
“Still, I’ll have to try everything I can until the end.”
Of course, I had no intention of bowing down so easily.
Wasn’t it the same when the 15th Demon King was elected just before that?
At the time, he was the Demon Dragon Duke who had an overwhelming advantage throughout, but in the end, the Demon Kingship was taken over by the greedy Tanuin, who did not give up until the end.
If he had kept his power intact at that time and had not surrendered and continued to challenge, he could have become the 15th Demon King instead of Tanuin, so this time, he planned to fight without giving up as much as possible until the possibility disappeared completely.
‘Of course, Helheim is a variable, but…’
For now, the priority was to respond to the Dark Nest that was flooding in like a tidal wave.
While I had some free time, I also came up with my own countermeasures against Helheim.
So Pieta, the Duke of Darkness, eagerly rolled the skull without losing a ray of hope.
In order to somehow seize the opportunity and take the place of the Demon King.
Of course, at the same time.
If I had known what Hela, who he pointed out as a variable, was planning, I would never have thought so calmly.
***
“Good job, Ken. “It must have been a difficult mission, but you did a great job.”
“No, Hela! If it weren’t for Davidson’s help from Hella, I would never have been able to do it on my own. “I was just providing guidance.”
“I’m done with humility. “If it weren’t for you, things wouldn’t have gone so well.”
“Hella…!”
Ken, who bowed down in front of Hella at the public funeral given with a soft smile, looked moved.
It had to be that way.
In fact, this mission was no different from forcing his talent onto him.
An artificially created body with an artificially created mind.
He, whose very existence was no different from a fake, was able to be reborn as a complete entity through this incident.
It goes without saying that in the process, he was able to grow into a marquis-level devil.
‘If it weren’t for Davidson… Even if you were lucky enough to enter the temple, instead of protecting your body from death, both your mind and body would have been taken away by the curse.’
Of course, the help of an unidentified hero played a part, but that could not diminish his loyalty to Hela.
In the first place, the reason he was able to survive until the end in front of those powerful enemies was entirely thanks to Davidson, whom she sent along with him.
Hela smiled as if she had guessed his thoughts and spoke lightly.
“So, what about the body of the former Demon King? “Have you made any progress?”
They gained more than one thing from that temple.
The remains of the 15th Demon King Tanuin, which the Demon Dragon Duke had been collecting for hundreds of years, are one of them.
And Ken, who had the same origin as it in the first place, was able to absorb the remains and grow his body’s potential to a large extent.
“…I’m embarrassed, but I think it will take some more time to achieve proper results due to my lack of capabilities. Wouldn’t it be better to just give the rest to Davidson?”
“Hmm, well, I expected that. It hasn’t been long since you grew up, but it’s greedy to already want the next step. And Davidson is okay. “It’s because he has a big appetite, but actually, eating just that much is enough.”
Davidson… No, what Harley really needed was the genetic information contained in the organism’s body, not the meat itself.
Of course, it was true that the more he ate the by-products of a high-ranking object, the more helpful it was, but it was not very efficient to invest more in a person who had already grown to the point where he could eat divinity.
Even though it was the former Demon King’s body, wasn’t the soul and essence cursed and the body also in a state of deterioration and complete destruction?
‘It would be much more efficient to raise and use this guy more.’
If there was no alternative, I would have just swallowed it like the peacock-level demons I have eaten so far.
It would be a different story if there were such great slaves.
“Don’t be too hasty and try to absorb it step by step. “If you can somehow open the water, I can help.”
“ah···! Thank you, Hela! “I haven’t been able to repay all the favors you have shown me so far, but you still care so much…!”
Ken, who did not know her inner thoughts, was so moved that he hit his head on the floor.
Hela, who was only thinking of raising him and using him here and there, made an awkward expression, but that uncomfortable feeling did not last long and disappeared.
‘Well, actually, it’s good for both sides, right? That guy would be happier if he could go back to Earth.’
Even if it wasn’t the real Ken Miyamoto, it was undoubtedly true that he had inherited his memories.
From Noble mtl dot com
It was also the case that I inherited a part of that soul through the final contract.
If you think about it, the only thing that has changed is the body.
If the memory and the soul still match, isn’t it an exaggeration to say that it is already you?
After finishing the interview with Ken.
Hela walked slowly and took a final look inside the base where she was currently staying.
After swallowing up the territory of Otorel, which was a strategic point for the Dark Nest, an advance base was built in the center of the area while subjugating the surrounding forces one by one.
While the other two forces were fighting, they tried to stabilize it as much as possible, and before we knew it, this place also boasted quite a convincing majesty.
‘Of course, this appearance is just a deception.’
A meaningful smile formed on her lips.
What was really important was not this forward base itself, but something special installed here.
Finally, she checked it again and slowly nodded.
‘It’s perfect. At this level, we can start right away. Thanks to the Divine Fragment, things have become easier.’
Another income gained from the temple.
By obtaining the precious item that had brought about the destruction of the previous demon king, Tanuin, he could now begin his plan at any time.
Thanks to his divinity, he fulfilled his qualifications as a Demon King, which were still somewhat lacking.
“Okay then.”
Half of my feelings of gratitude to the Demon Dragon Duke for willingly handing over such a precious item, and half of my gratitude to the Dark Duke of Darkness for giving me time and attention to allow the plan to proceed smoothly.
Hela, with a refreshing smile on her face, took a light step forward.
“Shall we start soon?”
A step toward swallowing the demon world whole.
***
[···what?]
Serentata, a marquis-level demon who was guarding the Dark Nest’s home base, frowned.
Then he immediately flew to the place where something abnormal was detected.
Now that the war has intensified to the point where the heads of factions go directly to the front, there is no need to say how important it is to protect the home base, which is the center of all gateways.
It was natural that he, who was very nervous in the current situation where even small variables could not be tolerated, moved directly to the place where he felt something suspicious.
If I fail to fulfill my duties this time, it will not end with me being destroyed by the Demon Dragon Duke like I did not long ago.
[···Who are you!]
And he arrived at the scene right away.
I was able to come face to face with an unidentified person who was giving off a strange airflow throughout his body.
‘how? The gateway must have been tightly controlled!’
It didn’t occur to me that he just didn’t recognize me and that he was originally staying here.
If you have encountered that person even once, it will be absolutely impossible to forget it no matter what happens.
Even if you couldn’t meet them in person, you should have heard rumors about it.
“what? “I can’t believe you’re already here, you have good sense.”
A pair of high-rising horns, red and black eyes, extravagant clothing, and a violent demonic nature that overwhelms even that.
Even though they only made eye contact, he was able to be sure of the other person’s identity as he gritted his teeth as the attack relentlessly invaded his mind.
[Lord of Helheim, Hela…!]
“That’s right.”
How on earth did they break into this place without even going through the gate?
No matter how much power was lost, there was no time to ask what kind of courage it had to invade this place alone, in the middle of enemy territory.
Wow—
That moment.
The world was centered around her.
It hasn’t completely changed.
As if two worlds were overlapping into one, the shape of the wasteland was just vaguely overlaid.
But the problem was that it wasn’t just the overlapping scenery.
Quickly—
Cooung— Cooung—
Beyond the wasteland of overlapping landscapes.
The devil’s army, which gave off a fierce force and whose morale was so high as to pierce the sky, rushed in in perfect order.
[What?! How on earth?]
It was impossible.
This is the base of the Dark Nest, the largest and most powerful faction in the Demon World, and the nest of the Demon Dragon Duke, the only dragon in the Demon World.
Because it was not a place where unauthorized people could intrude.
“How can you say…”
of course.
“Do I need permission to visit my land?”
Such things meant nothing to the demon king Hela, the rightful ruler of the demon world.