Dark Nest (2)
An all-out war has begun between two of the greatest powers in the Demon World.
Although Dark Nest has been losing face in many ways recently and there have been voices of concern among its members, it is still no exaggeration to say that it is the best in the Demon World.
And even as Helheim’s advance became more noticeable, Demoniac continued to respond passively day after day, secretly gathering strength.
The war that started at the border of the front line gradually grew in scale, and soon spread rapidly like wildfire to all areas where the two forces were even slightly connected.
It became a full-scale all-out war, with not only all of the forces under his command mobilized, but even the two dukes, the leaders of the factions, went directly to the battlefield.
[You! Pieta—! I will definitely tear off that head and use it as decoration!]
“Ugh, Duke Marryong. Why are you suddenly coming out like this? It must be a burden on you to suddenly start an all-out war like this.”
[Don’t act like a fool! Did you think I didn’t know about the things you were plotting behind my back?]
“···I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Although he said that, Pieta, who was secretly feeling a lot of pain, distorted the light in his eyes.
I started working on this while I was busy fighting with Helheim, but I thought I should take note of that one thing.
‘What was discovered? Connecting the gateway secretly? Brainwashing the kidnapped executives? Did they find out that they planted agents in the center? Judging by the excitement, it seems like it’s not just a little thing. Or maybe…’
There were so many things to consider that I couldn’t even guess what the cause was.
The number of major moves he was making behind the scenes against Dark Nest was too many to count on one hand.
‘Maybe I got caught. I let my guard down. It felt like I was being pushed back so much by Helheim, which was unusual for a guy like him. Was I the one who was constantly on guard while fighting?’
Pieta, whose feet were numb, tried hard to analyze the situation.
Even though I got caught, it felt like something was stuck.
In fact, Duke Marryong was also unable to reveal the truth openly, so his reticence to speak was misunderstood and fueled the fire.
Even if Pieta, feeling uneasy, asserts her innocence, the situation will not change.
Duke Marryong was already well aware of his tendency to enjoy plotting a secret plot and telling lies.
So, everyday behavior was important.
[I’ll kill you here first! The mongrel will come next!]
“Ha! You looked funny. Do you think I’d be as easy to take down as that idiot Karakul?”
The breath poured out along with the angry scolding of the Demon Dragon, and the secret art of the Dark Duke who uses ‘Distortion’ was used against it.
A defense that twists space and dispels destructive energy that surges in like a tidal wave.
As if in a counterattack, a twisted beam of magical power containing deadly poison pierced the dragon’s massive body, but it was unable to overcome the connection between ‘foreknowledge’ and ‘annihilation’ and was scattered in vain.
Krrrrrrung—! Kwaang!
The aftermath alone caused a huge impact on the entire battlefield, resulting in a series of back-and-forth battles.
It was a fierce battle where you couldn’t see even an inch ahead, but in fact the outcome was already somewhat decided.
“Ugh!”
[Do you think you can be my opponent alone? I am the Demon Dragon Duke Krushier! I am the strongest being in the current Demon World and a great being who will soon surpass even the Demon King!]
Despite suffering considerable wear and tear in the recent fight with Hela, Crushier maintained the upper hand throughout his fight with the same duke, continuing to pressure his opponent.
As if to show off that his nickname of “the strongest in the demon world” was not just a self-proclaimed claim.
In the end, Pieta, who had been fighting a tight battle, had no choice but to retreat, accepting the damage that would occur on the battlefield.
If I keep fighting like this and really fall, then that moment will be the end of everything.
‘I’ll step aside for now. But this isn’t the end.’
I never thought from the beginning that I could win an all-out war.
Isn’t that why you’ve prepared so many masterpieces over the years?
Even though most of them are still unfinished, if we mobilize all of those arrangements, we will be able to create enough of an opportunity for a reversal.
“Ugh! Pieta!”
[Keeeeeek—! Kill… kill! Eat! I’m hungry!]
“Jenjaang! If I had known this would happen, I would have gone over there a long time ago… Ugh!”
[Keuk— Keueeek—!]
As a result, a significant portion of the Demoniac forces supporting him were unable to put up a proper resistance and were mercilessly trampled by the pure white monsters, but there were casualties everywhere on the battlefield.
The Duke of Black was able to escape safely to the rear thanks to the sacrifice of his subordinates.
“Are you really going to end it this time? Yeah, now that it’s come to this, I won’t just sit still!”
Immediately after that, he started pouring out all the numbers he had prepared at once.
Then came the Dark Nest mainland, where raids took place, betrayals and assassinations were rampant, and chaos reigned.
[Don’t worry about the minor damage. The important thing is to kill Pieta as quickly as possible.]
However, Duke Marryong, who had gone to the front line, paid no attention to this and continued only to advance.
Leading pure white monsters that are not afraid or betray anyone under any circumstances and only crave slaughter.
As things turned out that way, Demoniac couldn’t help but feel anxious.
I urgently contacted Helheim, with whom I had a seemingly cooperative relationship, but…
-The entire unit is now exhausted to the limit. Unlike others, we have been in a fierce battle every single day, right? As a result, we have succeeded in advancing to the mainland of Dark Nest.
So, I am very sorry, but the answer I got back was that it would be difficult to send reinforcements right away.
With the promise that if we hold out as long as possible, we can shake up the rear of Dark Nest as soon as we gather our troops.
bang!
The Dark Duke, who had received the message through his adjutant, slammed the table.
In the aftermath, the table and the surrounding area were in shambles, but he had no time to worry about such trivial things right now.
“···Idiot. Don’t they know that if we collapse like this, they’ll have a hard time too?”
The fact that Dark Nest was able to act so harshly against Demoniac was also related to Helheim’s suddenly passive behavior.
Where did the momentum of their previous advance into the heartland go? Suddenly, they began to subdue neighboring forces one by one, establish forward bases, and solidify their defenses.
“···Not good. Not good.”
He quietly looked down at the battlefield map and muttered.
Thanks to mobilizing various arrangements, we were able to buy some time, but if we continued to be pushed back in an all-out war like we were doing now, it wouldn’t mean much.
That is why the powers under his command are currently in turmoil.
‘Tsk, I guess I should seriously consider giving this up.’
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If you feel like it’s not going to work out, surrendering is one way.
He may feel a little skeptical when he sees an opponent who is so excited that he tries to kill him, but once he regains his composure, he will realize that it is much more beneficial to accept himself as a duke.
After all, Ma-Ryong himself was one of the candidates for the Demon King who survived in that way.
“Still, I guess I have to try everything I can until the end.”
Of course, I had no intention of giving in and going in easily.
Wasn’t it the same during the election of the 15th Demon King just before?
Even though Duke Marryong had an overwhelming advantage throughout, the Demon King’s throne eventually went to the greedy Tanuin, who never gave up on it.
If he had not surrendered and continued to challenge back then, saying that he wanted to preserve his power, he might have become the 15th Demon King instead of Tanuin. So this time, he planned to keep fighting and not give up until the possibility completely disappeared.
‘Of course, Helheim is a variable···.’
The first priority was to respond to the Dark Nests that were coming in like a tidal wave.
While I had some free time, I also came up with some countermeasures against Helheim.
In that way, the Dark Duke Pieta rolled the skull diligently without losing a single ray of hope.
To somehow seize the opportunity and seize the throne of the Demon King.
Of course, the same view.
If he had known what plan Hela, whom he had pointed out as a variable, was plotting, he would never have felt so at ease.
***
“Thank you for your hard work, Ken. It must have been a tough mission, but you did a great job.”
“No, Hela! If it weren’t for the help of Davidson that Hela sent, I would never have been able to do it on my own. I was just a guide.”
“Enough with the humility. If it weren’t for you, things wouldn’t have worked out this well.”
“Hella···!”
Ken, who knelt down before Hela with a soft smile and a moved expression on his face, gave her the congratulatory message.
It had to be that way.
In fact, this mission was nothing more than forcing a coincidence on him.
An artificially created body with an artificially created mind.
He, whose very existence was virtually fake, was able to be reborn as a complete entity through this incident.
It goes without saying that he was able to grow into a Marquis-level demon during that process.
‘If it weren’t for Davidson… Even if I had been lucky enough to enter the temple, I would have lost both my mind and body to the curse, let alone being able to watch over the main body as it died.’
Of course, the help of an unidentified hero played a part, but that couldn’t diminish his loyalty to Hela.
In the first place, the fact that he was able to survive until the end in front of those powerful enemies was entirely thanks to Davidson, who she sent along with him.
As if she had guessed his feelings, Hela smiled faintly and continued speaking lightly.
“Yeah, what about the previous Demon King’s body? Has there been any progress?”
There was more than one thing they gained from that temple.
The remains of the 15th Demon King Tanuin, which the Dragon Duke had been slowly collecting for hundreds of years, are also one of them.
And Ken, who originally had the same origin as it, was able to absorb the remains and greatly increase the potential of his body.
“···I’m embarrassed to say this, but I think it’ll take some more time for me to achieve proper results because my abilities are lacking. Wouldn’t it be better to just give the rest to Davidson···.”
“Hmm, well, I expected that. It’s greedy to expect the next step when you haven’t grown up that long. And Davidson is fine. He’s a big eater, but he actually eats enough.”
Davidson… no, what Harley really needed was the genetic information contained in the body of a living being, not the meat itself.
Of course, it was true that the more byproducts of a high-level target you ate, the more helpful it was, but it wasn’t very efficient to invest more in him since he had already grown to the point where he could devour divinity.
Even if it was the body of the former Demon King, wasn’t the soul and essence cursed and the body completely destroyed?
‘It would be much more efficient to raise this guy and use him more.’
If there was no alternative, I would have just swallowed it whole like the peacock-level demons I’ve eaten so far.
It would be different if there were such a great slave.
“Don’t be so impatient, just try to absorb it step by step. If you can somehow get the flow going, I can help you.”
“Ah…! Thank you, Lady Hela! I haven’t been able to repay all the favors you’ve shown me so far, and yet you’ve taken such great care of me…!”
Ken, unaware of her true feelings, was so moved that he banged his head on the floor.
Hela, who had been thinking of somehow raising him and using him here and there, made an awkward expression, but that uncomfortable feeling did not last long and disappeared.
‘Well, it’s actually a good thing for both of us. He’d be happier if he could go back to Earth too.’
Even if he wasn’t the real Ken Miyamoto, it was undeniable that he had inherited his memories.
It’s also true that I inherited a part of that soul through the last contract.
If you look closely, the only thing that has changed is the body.
If your memories and soul still match, isn’t it no exaggeration to say that it is already you?
After finishing the interview with Ken like that.
Hela walked slowly and did a final check of the interior of the base where she was currently staying.
After taking over the territory of Ottorel, which was a strategic point of the Dark Nest, a forward base was built in the center while subjugating the surrounding forces one by one.
While the other two forces were fighting back and forth, I tried my best to stabilize the area, and before I knew it, this place was showing off quite a decent appearance.
‘Of course, this appearance is just an illusion.’
A meaningful smile appeared on her lips.
What really mattered was not the outpost itself, but something special installed there.
Finally, she checked it again and nodded slowly.
‘Perfect. I can start right away. The Divine Fragment makes things easier.’
Another income from the temple.
By obtaining the artifact that had brought destruction to the previous Demon King Tanuin, he could now begin his plan at any time.
Thanks to that divinity, he was able to fulfill his qualifications as a Demon King that were still slightly lacking.
“Okay, then.”
Half of the gratitude goes to Duke Marryong for willingly handing over such a precious item, and half goes to Duke Black Darkness for giving him time and attention so that the plan can proceed smoothly.
Hela, with a refreshing smile on her face, took a light step forward.
“Shall we start now?”
A step towards swallowing up the entire demon world.
***
[···what?]
Serentata, a Marquis-level demon guarding the Dark Nest’s stronghold, frowned.
And then he immediately flew to the place where the abnormality was detected.
Now that the war has become so intense that the leaders of the factions are personally dispatched to the front lines, it goes without saying how important it is to protect the stronghold that serves as the center of all gates.
It was only natural that he, who was extremely nervous in the current situation where even the smallest variables could not be tolerated, would move directly to the place where he sensed suspicious signs.
If I fail to carry out my mission this time, it won’t end with me just getting defeated by Duke Marryong like I did a while ago.
[···Who are you!]
And he arrived at the scene in one breath.
I was able to encounter an unidentified figure with a strange aura emanating from his entire body.
‘How? The gate must have been tightly controlled!’
It never occurred to him that he might have been staying there originally, but he just didn’t recognize him.
If you’ve ever encountered that person, it’s absolutely impossible to forget them, no matter what happens.
Even if you haven’t met him in person, you should have at least heard rumors.
“Huh? You’re here already. You have good instincts.”
A pair of high-rising horns, red and black eyes, an extremely flashy outfit, and a violent devilry that overpowers even that.
Even though their eyes met, he was able to confirm the identity of the other person through the erosion that mercilessly dug into his mind.
[The monarch of Helheim, Hela···!]
“Yeah, that’s right.”
How on earth did they get in here without even going through the gate?
Even though he had lost all his strength, there was no time to ask what kind of courage it took to invade here, alone, in the middle of enemy territory.
Hwaaaaak—
At that moment.
The world was revolved around her.
It wasn’t a complete change.
It was as if two worlds were overlapping into one, with only the vague shape of the wasteland covering it.
The problem, however, was that it wasn’t just about overlapping landscapes.
Chuck, chuck, chuck—
Kwung— Kwung—
Beyond the wasteland of overlapping landscapes.
A fierce and sky-piercing army of demons surged forward in unison.
[What?! How on earth?]
It was impossible.
This is the base of the Dark Nest, the strongest 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 arbitrarily invade the territory.
“How could it be….”
of course.
“Do I need permission to visit your land?”
Such things meant nothing to the rightful ruler of the demon world, Demon Lord Hela.
