134. Shelling
[#$&ㅸ!ㅄ]
“… … What, why is this?”
While trying to resurrect Theresia’s heirloom, Ian realized something strange.
The system is broken.
I don’t know why. Was it something that broke the system in the first place?
“Ian? what’s the matter?”
“no… Something is strange.”
Seeing Ian’s behavior, Noah asked in a worried tone, but Ian faltered, unable to give an honest answer.
The system is crashing, what the hell? And why now?
‘Let’s think… … .’
Everything in the world has causality.
There are cases where it is difficult to find the cause, like a bug occurs when electrons move due to cosmic radiation during a classic game speedrun, but there are cases where an incident occurs without any reason.
That’s something God can do. And there’s no way the Almighty God would have broken the system to play a prank on Ian.
‘What did I just do?’
Captured Theresia, retrieved her heirloom, and put it into the system. Linked the system with the dead Theresia.
Connection is interference, and interference is two-way communication. If you have contacted Theresia from this side, on the contrary, Theresa has also contacted the system.
‘Contaminated by the power of the Demon King… … .’
And Theresia was tainted with the power of the Demon King. As seen in various creative media, something contaminated in that way was more likely to be connected with the object of the pollution.
In other words, it means that the power of the Demon King has reached the system.
“crazy.”
Ian’s gaze turned to the Demon King.
To a place that is terribly quiet even after the battle is over.
* * *
The party quickly moved to the Demon King’s Castle.
The inside of the Demon King was filled with a terrible stench.
“Ugh… … .”
“Don’t take it.”
The inside of the Demon King’s Castle was full of the corpses of all kinds of demons, and they were all decomposing and emitting poisonous gases.
Judging by the fact that the blood splattered everywhere hasn’t dried out, it doesn’t look like he’s been dead for a long time… … .
‘Is it contaminated with magic?’
Even those handsome demons, after they died, laughed bitterly at the fact that they had been corrupted by magic, and then went up to the place where the demon king is likely to be.
The place where Theresia came out. Arriving at the deepest part of the Demon King Castle, Ian saw the nest built on the spot and was alert to the surroundings.
This is the place where the Demon King polluted the summoned beast. There may be some pitfalls.
“Be careful. Here… … .”
“Is there nothing?”
However, unlike ordinary Ian, the summons with all kinds of abilities and abilities quickly realized that there was nothing here.
Exactly, only traces of something were left.
“Demon-!”
the deepest part of the nest.
There he finds a woman sitting cross-legged.
A level of magic that dares not be cut.
I knew it the moment I saw it.
It is the Demon King.
“—Break it, I hope, a jet-black future will come!”
Empress, who found the Demon King, immediately memorizes the spell. A powerful anti-magic flies towards the demon king’s body.
An attack that even the Demon King cannot ignore.
Nevertheless, the demon king ignored the attack and did not budge.
“… Summoner, something is strange.”
“I know.”
“It’s not that—the magic doesn’t work at all.”
“… What?”
No matter how powerful the demon lord is, it is not something that can completely ignore the skills of a 4-star pet.
If the Demon King had been such a fraudster, he would have invaded a continent with only one 5-star summoned beast and ruled the continent right away.
Empress made the same judgment as Ian.
“This is magic that cannot be avoided if you are alive… .”
“… If alive?”
“Ah-.”
Empress, who was explaining the effect of magic, succeeded in answering the question.
A magic that works for the living. That means it doesn’t work on dead opponents.
Ian cautiously turned to the Demon King. She was sitting cross-legged and her eyes closed, like a statue, not moving.
Tuk-tuk – When you touch the demon king’s body, the demon king’s body falls back as it is.
“… … dead.”
[Beep Paka Farm-!}
[Demon King 殺HE]
[Main Quest ყველაተጠናቀቀ]
The broken system began to ring at random.
the devil is dead
Exactly, he was already dead.
* * *
the devil is dead
He passed away, leaving only a corpse.
Ian knew what to call such people.
‘Breakdown… … .’
Those who achieved great enlightenment and threw away their bodies altogether. Buddhas and saints who have attained religious enlightenment are so called.
The appearance of the Demon King was no different. It looks as if he threw off his body and ascended to heaven.
‘Fable line… … Because there is no way the Demon King will become a Goddess – what the hell happened… .’
I don’t know exactly But this one fact was clear. The fact that the Demon King is dead, and that it is close to exfoliation rather than complete death.
It only meant that he had abandoned his body, but that the demon lord itself that threatened the world existed somewhere in the world.
Where the hell is that?
‘system.’
At this point, no matter how inconspicuous the anchorage is, you can almost notice it. The Demon King went through the system to somewhere beyond it.
In another world, perhaps, to a place called the heavenly realm or the divine realm.
“Summoner?”
“Uh, why?”
“What are you going to do? I don’t know that the Demon King is dead… … .”
“… … First of all, shall we take the body?”
The corpse that the Demon King had abandoned was itself an object with tremendous magical power. A special item that can be recycled.
There’s no need to throw it away— Ian ordered Empress to take the demon king’s corpse.
She immediately used magic to seal the demon king’s body, and after all that was done. Ian looked at the children and opened his mouth.
“It has been a lot of work so far. … … Let’s go back.”
* * *
The warriors have returned.
With the Demon King’s corpse.
Rumors quickly spread throughout the continent. After the death of the demon king, the movement of demons also decreased, so no one doubted that fact.
Standing in front of the emperor, Ian and his party knelt before him and reported what had happened during the trip.
“Ian Clark, as Your Majesty’s orders, have defeated the Demon King and returned.”
“Hmm… … Is that for real?”
“Yes that’s right.”
Ian presented the body of the demon king he had brought.
Hundreds of years ago, Artia, who had defended the continent by fighting the Demon King one-on-one, personally checked the face of the corpse and even confirmed that it was the Demon King.
Even the emperor could not deny the fact that Ian had killed the Demon King.
If it’s a problem… … .
“Hey, you said you would marry my daughter if you come after the Demon King.”
“… Maybe it was because of the aftereffects of the battle with the Demon King, but I can’t remember.”
“There are many people who remember you even if it’s not you, so you don’t have to worry.”
The emperor smiled as he said that. Ian, who made a plan to escape the other world with a reward immediately after catching the demon king, could not hide his trembling expression.
‘No, why didn’t it end?’
The achievement of killing the demon king was recognized by the broken system, and thus the main quest was also certified.
However, he never returned to reality. He was still Ian Clark.
And that meant that I had to deal with all the things I had done, believing that I would escape to reality as soon as I caught the Demon King.
“Your Majesty, I have something to tell you.”
“What, the wedding date?”
“… It’s an important story. Retreat people as much as possible.”
The emperor, seeing Ian’s words and expression, was troubled for a moment, then nodded his head to understand.
After a while- the emperor, who had bitten all his vassals, asked what he had to say to Ian.
“Actually, the Demon King is not dead.”
“—Do you mean that you deceived Jim?”
“It doesn’t sound like that. By the time we went… … The Demon King was dead.”
“Tell me more about it.”
Looking at Artia, who jumped out at the news that the Demon King was not dead, Ian sorted out the complicated thoughts in his head.
Up until now, I’ve been hiding things that I’m a player or a user who uses the system—even now that the system is broken, I can’t afford to do that.
“Your Majesty, I’m actually not from another world.”
“I know.”
“… Yes?”
“Because warriors are like that. Isn’t it?”
“Oh, yes.”
It wasn’t such a story—the emperor, hearing only the story of the hero written in the ancient legend, skipped Ian’s words.
There was less trouble to explain. Here, Ian explained that he had a special ability, and that he found out that the demon king did not die with that ability.
“—So, the Demon King is not dead… … .”
“… … Did you go to the new realm?”
“Yes.”
“then… … I’ll have to talk to the experts in that field.”
“… … What do you mean by being an expert?”
“Isn’t there? Maniacs who claim to be connected to the new realm with their bare minds.”
Yes.
Although there is no system in this world, there are people who use the summoned beast system.
People call them church.