Dark Nest (1)
A battlefield where Lee Hyeong’s bodies are scattered everywhere.
Phew—
A cold gust of wind caressed them, and they soared high into the sky, past the hideous-looking demons who had just finished the war and were out of breath.
“···Tsk, I was just wondering.”
In the middle of the sky, where the wind is heading.
A beautiful woman, floating in a position overlooking the battlefield, with her hands wrapped around the wind blowing in from all directions, frowned in dissatisfaction.
“I really missed it. “I guess it was too much to end it here.”
Her yellow eyes returned to their original state, and the wind blowing around her gradually died down.
Just in case, I even used the elemental control of the Seven Colored Demon Eyes to scan the entire area, but no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find any traces.
‘Well, I guess it’s only natural since he’s known as the strongest in the Demon World.’
Hela licked her lips with regret and lightly bent her neck.
Even his opponent, the Demon Dragon Duke, was a strong man with a power that could not be ignored in order to end the war with this one fight.
Above all, rather than confronting him head-on, he was unable to fight properly because he was trying to interfere with his attempts to return to his base whenever he had the opportunity.
‘Well, I guess we can say that this is an achievement that goes beyond what was initially expected.’
The time that was originally intended was not enough, but it was more than enough.
This was all possible thanks to the “Seven Colored Magic Eyes” acquired thanks to the Demon Dragon Duke.
Every time that guy tried to do something, I was able to respond quickly with the ‘Mystic Eyes of Wisdom’.
‘Of course, he also had the same magical eye, so I ended up losing it like this. But if I go back now, there’s nothing I can do, right?’
It’s already too late to do anything.
Hela burst into laughter as she remembered what she had gained from the successful mission.
[Hella! The first inspection has been completed. We are currently working on assessing the damage situation by unit in detail and classifying the surrendered enemies!]
At that time, a huge Balrog flew in, flapping its wings and began to report on the aftermath.
Although it was cumbersome, it was a necessary process since the current chief officer of the unit was its leader, Hella.
“···Is it because the Demon Dragon Duke himself stepped forward? “The battle wasn’t that long, but this is the biggest damage so far?”
[Actually, this is pretty good. This is all thanks to Hela, who paid special attention to us even while we were fighting. And since a significant number of enemy troops surrendered after the Demon Dragon Duke withdrew, we will be able to quickly make up for the loss of troops this time.]
It wasn’t long after the fight ended, but Tovares, a marquis-level demon, began to report various things as soon as he figured it out.
She just nodded at his report, who had been a member of the Dark Nest but had moved to Helheim and was now in charge of the army led by Hela.
[From the moment we engulfed the entire territory of Otorel, the central gateway to the Dark Nest, the leadership was completely transferred to us. Now, depending on where we go first, their defense strategy will fluctuate, so they’ll probably be brooding and worrying for a while.]
This is why Hela, who only knew how to fight but knew nothing about strategy and tactics in war, entrusted him with commanding the troops.
As he was one of the enemy’s high-ranking commanders until recently, he had a keen understanding of their current situation and response system.
He was also a talent with experience leading the military on the front lines when the Dark Nest merged Duke Tuma’s Burning Inferno.
“Hmm, does this mean that from now on, we can unilaterally force the direction of the war as we wish?”
[That’s right. This is a strategic location worth it. It’s hard to understand why the Demon Dragon Duke, who came all the way here himself, retreated so easily.]
‘He couldn’t have helped it either. That would have been more important than a battlefield like this.’
Hela, who laughed at Tovares’ words, glanced at him.
The fact that she was able to get this far smoothly was largely due to the fact that he moved the troops under his command like his own hands and feet.
Even though he was from Balrog, I don’t know why he took the side of the Demon Dragon Duke and attacked Duke Tuma, who was also a Balrog…
She didn’t care about such personal circumstances one bit.
Since he was determined to devour the entire Demon World anyway, all he needed from those who came under his command was skill.
‘Well, there’s no way that everyone from the same clan can get along well. In this demon world where struggle and betrayal are daily life.’
The major factions in the demon world were merely warlords who came together for their own benefit based on the abilities and inclinations of their leader.
In that sense, Dream Walker, a group of demon-type demons, can be said to be a special case.
The enthronement of Leraye, the 14th Demon King, as well as the oppression that followed her death may have had an impact.
‘Liriana, who led the Dream Walkers and took charge of defense, will not collapse anytime soon. Then next time…’
Helheim’s front line was not only here.
Since they had grown into one of the top three factions in the demon world, the territory they had to protect was bound to increase accordingly.
In addition, you also have to be wary of Demoniacs, who are temporary allies.
In this demon world, if you complain about being stabbed in the back by someone, all you get in return is ridicule.
‘Of course, there won’t be any need to worry about that for the time being. I hope you like my gift.’
Hela quietly looked up at the sky with a meaningful smile on her face.
The sky was colored purple as always, the large sword across the middle, and even the Milky Way reflected within it.
As she absentmindedly admired the beautiful scenery, her heart calmed down.
“···Then, let’s move on to the next step. “This is a golden opportunity because our allies are actively helping us.”
Morale was sky-high as even the leader of the enemy, the Demon Dragon Duke, was forced to retreat.
So the army led by Hela, the monarch of Helheim, began to move again.
***
The home of the Dark Nest.
“Duke! Are you okay?”
“You came back so suddenly…”
The sudden return of the Demon Dragon Duke, who had gone to battle, brought panic to his subordinates.
It can be said to be a natural reaction since the ruler who was thought to be the strongest has returned in a form that is no different from a rout.
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“go away! “You idiots!”
But that only served to add fuel to his anger.
Even if the existence of the underground ritual hall was hidden and no abnormality was noticed from the outside, this wouldn’t have happened if these guys had just properly protected their home base!
Even though he was in human form, he bitten those who flocked to him with a sinister force that could be felt, and quickly headed to the basement where the secret ritual hall was located.
In the process, the scene he faced there as he tore and killed the viscount-level bull-headed demon, the gatekeeper, with his bare hands… was more serious than expected.
The scene of the incident was left untouched due to tight security.
The stern-faced Demon Dragon Duke slowly headed toward the center.
“Sodian…”
The only traces of her remaining in the completely destroyed underground workshop are a few small pieces of wood.
But that alone was enough to infer what happened here.
The evil beast that killed Sodian swept away not only her remains but also the items inside the workshop.
He headed deeper into the depths, his face distorted like that of a vicious beast.
The place where Karakul, Duke of Tuma, who was captured with great difficulty, was imprisoned.
All that was left there was blood splattered on the floor.
Likewise, not only the restraints but also the large frames and equipment used in the ritual were thriftily torn away.
Grumbling—
He gritted his teeth fiercely and took a long stride.
To the place where there is a door located on a pillar in the back.
I already had a good idea of the situation, but I needed to see it with my own eyes.
‘Ken, how dare he…!’
My stomach was boiling.
How much attention have you put into the security of this place?
Still, things had gotten to this point, and my mind was about to turn white with anger.
‘This isn’t something he can do alone. There must be a collaborator.’
That started with defeating Sodian, the first gateway.
She is a marquis level demon just below him.
Even in his own well-prepared workshop, isn’t he a powerhouse that no one can match among the same hierarchy?
His thoughts became more firm immediately after entering the temple.
[Kaaa——!]
The demon dragon’s roar, filled with rage, echoed through the hallways of the huge temple.
The space itself seemed to have become unstable, and the inside, which would normally have been motionless, was shaking back and forth as if there had been an earthquake, but the Demon Dragon Duke had no time left to care about that at all.
[dare! Dare, dare, dare! kill! I will definitely kill you—!]
It just explodes with such hot anger that it seems as if it will tear the criminal to death at any moment.
At this point, it wasn’t that difficult to figure out the suspect behind it.
Even if you can get Ken’s help to enter the ritual hall, there aren’t many people in this demon world who can do something like this!
Still, as he searched through the temple just in case, one crucial piece of evidence came into his hands.
A small piece of cloth torn from somewhere.
However, with his extremely sensitive senses, he could clearly tell whose energy it was.
“hehehehe… Okay, just in case, it was you.”
There was a dark laugh at the evidence that turned 99% certainty into 100%.
Normally, he would have doubted evidence like this, but in a situation where there was only one suspect, the story had to be different.
A person who has the ability to slaughter the Marquis-level demon Sodian, who was fully prepared in his workshop, to destroy the ritual set up in the temple and steal the sacrifices, and to completely wipe out the aggregates of the 15 Great Demon Lords trapped underground. ···.
[Pietaaa—! How dare you—!]
Who else but Pieta, Duke of Darkness?
This wasn’t something that could be done just by a few marquis-level people working together.
However, another suspect, Hela, the leader of Helheim, was fighting fiercely with him at the time, so there was only one left.
‘I don’t know how they sneaked all the way here…!’
It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had done something he didn’t know about, especially if he was using a secret technique that was different from regular black magic.
Above all, isn’t there any evidence left?
“Okay, let’s give it a try, right? For some reason, he’s been particularly quiet lately, so I guess he’s been plotting something like this behind the scenes. “It looks like I was working with that mongrel…”
A small piece of cloth in my hand turned into ashes and flew away in the black flame that rose up in an instant.
At the same time, his last patience was shattered.
[Kwoaaa——! I will tear you to death!]
The temple shakes again at the sound of his roar as he vents his anger again.
But he didn’t know.
——!
From the moment he entered inside, the temple had been sending out signals continuously, as if it was trying to convey something to him.
However, he did not notice the signal until the end and soon walked out of the temple with rough steps.
To resume the war immediately.
———!
The temple sent out a strong signal again as if it was getting on its nerves, but in fact, that was something that could not be helped.
The Demon Dragon Duke here was just a resident.
Because there was no apostle left to listen to that signal.
***
Demoniac’s stronghold.
Blue natural flowers bloomed from the eye sockets of Pieta, the Duke of Darkness, a being with long black robes hanging on the floor and a goat skull on its head.
“It’s definitely amazing. “I never thought they could do this to a new faction.”
While sitting on the throne, he looked at the battlefield map where his subordinates were moving in real time and muttered softly.
His eyes turned to the sign of Helheim, which was sweeping the battlefield.
“It’s a good thing I prepared in advance.”
A voice filled with laughter came from the goat’s skull.
Demoniac had already made all preparations and was looking for an opportunity to attack Helheim at any time.
The Dark Nest may be bigger right now, but it was only natural to keep Helheim in check, as it was obvious that it would soon grow into a bigger threat.
Isn’t that proven enough just by looking at the current situation?
‘Maybe we’ve already surpassed the Dark Nest.’
For that reason, he was a demoniac who was responding as passively as possible even on the battlefield recently.
Even as Helheim, which shows rough behavior, and Dark Nest, which has no choice but to pay attention to it, repeatedly clash, it maintains its power and attacks all at once when both of them lose their strength.
To that end, a plan to aggravate the relationship between the two forces and undermine them was being carried out step by step.
“hehehehe, war isn’t just about force.”
The Duke of Darkness, who enjoys staging a plot rather than an all-out war, laughed at the foolish actions of his rivals.
The more the two fought, the more advantageous they had.
“Duke! Duke!”
When he was content with himself like that.
One of the adjutants hurried into the situation room, lost in thought.
Even if you look at it, it looks like something unusual has happened.
Pieta, feeling an ominous feeling for some reason, looked back at him, distorting the light coming from her eye sockets.
If it wasn’t a big deal and they made a fuss, I promised myself that I wouldn’t let it go.
And very fortunately for the adjutant.
The unfortunate event of him being punished by the Duke of Darkness did not happen.
Because the situation was several times more serious than he expected.
“It’s all-out war! The entire Dark Nest army is gathering on the front line against our allies! And there’s the Demon Dragon Duke…!”
“···what?”
It was the moment when Demoniac, who had been innocently waiting for an opportunity, was forcibly grabbed by the collar and dragged to the surface.
