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Chapter 109: The Trial 1
Chapter 109: The Trial 1
Chapter 109: The Trial 1
A magnificent castle built on a steep hill.
There, the Demon kings of the Ars Nova Circle had gathered and were having a serious meeting.
“The situation is going badly, Dantalion.”
A woman with light green hair sitting on the throne expressed her discomfort.
The Demon King ranked 58th, Amii.
At her words, Dantalion stuttered as he had nothing to say in response.
“Oh, that… Some unknown variables intervened...”
“Didn’t you guarantee that we could kill Asura if we followed your plan?!”
Amii’s voice echoed and rattled inside the room as the demon king expressed her anger.
Demon King Dantalion was sweating for a while without a word, and then pointed to the Demon King Volak next to him.
“Volak didn’t tell me anything about Loengreen. If I knew about him, this wouldn't have happened.”
“What? Are you blaming me right now?”
“No, I’m just stating a fact. Anyway, it’s already happened, so let’s move on now…”
Dantalion changed the topic as he watched the two demon kings.
Although he was ranked 72nd, he was quite smart and resourceful.
He was someone who could shine during situations like this.
“They say that the summoning ritual of the demonic beast Charybdis is almost over, so I think we can start accelerating our plans.”
“Have all the necessary sacrifices been made? I’m certain they said that they needed a bit more last time.”
“Aleister Crowley dedicated tens of thousands of people in the Lydia Kingdom by spreading a disease.”
“And since it wasn’t enough either, an executive of the Witch Cult made some sacrifices in her area. She and her allies did end up losing their lives in the end.”
He was talking about Catherine and Anais.
Demon King Amii calmed her anger at the words that the plan had progressed one step further.
“I guess there were some achievements. All right then, Dantalion. Tell me about your revised plan now.”
“We will mobilize the men in every province and send monsters to the Corcas Mountains. The allied forces of the Lydia and Dane Kingdoms will attack the Doria Castle.”
It was a de facto all-out war.
The original plan was to assassinate Woohyuk first only by mobilizing demons and to take over the Rhine kingdom.
However, the attempt was unsuccessful because of the many unexpected incidents and interventions.
Therefore, they now needed the help of the Allied forces.
“It won’t do us any good if we attract the attention of the Holy Aperian Empire.”
“We can start a blitzkrieg and end the war as quickly as possible. If we take control of the Rhine Royal Palace and conceal our existence, it’ll be fine.”
“I received intel that Pronoia is in the Izuna Kingdom. Are there any chances that they will attack us from behind?”
“Those fanatics are only interested in the ancient books that Eteria Rodinus has hidden. So they won't bother us for a while.”
Pronoia was pursuing and searching for the wisemen of Eteria Rodinus by using the ruling class of the Holy Aperian Empire.
Perhaps they had found a clue within the Izuna Kingdom
It had happened a few days ago only, so Pronoia wouldn’t disturb them for at least another 3-4 days.
“What is Aleister Crowley doing? It would be much easier if he came forward.”
“He doesn't appear directly without Lilith's instructions. He’s always manipulating others behind the scenes.”
“Tsk, that damn alchemist... .”
Demon King Amii’s mood immediately dropped.
Aleister was the measly human who had made a contract with Lilith, the original witch, and was able to use her powers.
She didn't like everything about him from head to toe, and wanted to tear him up if possible.
Of course, even if she did that, he wouldn't die.
“Anyways, let’s talk about Aleister Crowley next time… For now, Asura is the biggest issue. That guy alone is a pain in the ass.”
“Strictly speaking, aren't there two of them? There’s also the Demon King named Aris.”
“Well, that’s true. But she won’t be a problem if me and Volak take care of her ourselves. Since she serves Asura, she probably had a low rank in the other world.”
“Volak, is it fine for you to participate in battle in your current state?”
“…I can’t just keep spectating on the sidelines like this. The survival of our circle depends on this war.”
Originally, the Ars Nova circle was planning to advance onto the Holy Apherian Empire after increasing its power by taking control of the Rhine, Lydia and Dane Kingdoms.
However, when Asura appeared, their plans got messed up.
If they were to lose this war, there would be nothing they could do afterwards, even if they hadn’t died.
The rest of the kingdoms on the continent were already in the hands of other demon kings.
“Dantalion, I will trust you one more time. Show us your worth and the reason to keep you within the circle.”
“Don't worry, Amii. The Rhine Kingdom will soon become ours.”
Demon King Dantalion smiled but clenched his fists.
Demon King Volak, who looked at him unpleasantly, suddenly opened his mouth as if he had thought of something.
“Oh, now that I think about it, where the hell is that Loengreen guy now? I heard that he disappeared while fighting against the Witch Cult’s executive.”
"Who knows? He might’ve hidden himself when the priests arrived since it would be a pain to deal with them.”
“Do you think he’s going towards the Corcas Mountains to help Asura?”
At this point, the fact that Loengreen was on Asura’s side has been made clear.
The reason was unknown.
Considering that the rank 2 Demon King Agares had yet to awaken from her slumber, it could be inferred that he was helping Asura on a personal level.
"It doesn’t matter. Back then, Loengreen entered his slumber right after his battle against Orobas where he was on the verge of death.”
“Wasn’t it because Orobas had killed the man he was in love with? Thinking of it now, it was ridiculous.”
“What was his name…? Oh right, it was Roland of the Trinity Knight Order.”
The Knights commander who was cooperating with Eteria Rodinus.
He fought a fierce battle against Pronoia when Saint Sophia was brutally murdered.
He was seriously injured and died after being attacked by Demon King Orobas while returning to the Izuna Kingdom.
This story was part of a famous epic poem known as "Roland's Song" around the continent.
“Actually, there is a high possibility that Loengreen likes Asura. Don’t forget that he is homosexual.”
“…That filthy gay piece of shit.”
“That isn’t important right now? It’s time to prepare for battle.”
Demon King Amii pointed towards a crystal ball floating in the air.
Inside it was an image of Woohyuk, who was welcoming the Spiritual Society.
“Flying monsters can observe targets from very high altitudes nowadays. Times sure have changed.”
“Stop with those jokes, Volak. This is why you were beaten by this young demon king.”
“…He is definitely a kid with barely any hair on his head. But you shouldn’t underestimate the demonic energy within him.”
Among the demon kings of Ars Nova, the only one who had directly confronted Woohyuk was Volak.
Despite his serious expression, Demon King Amii was completely uninspired.
“It seems like the time has come for you to hand down your name to your successor and go into eternal sleep, Volak. To think that you’re so afraid after losing once against him.”
“I’m still bursting with energy. I'll take this opportunity to prove that to you.”
Demon King Volak growled and summoned his exclusive weapon, the Thunderspear Negima.
Dantalion, who was watching him from the side, opened his mouth carefully.
“By the way, about Asura's exclusive weapon, what exactly was its ability? On the outside, it looked similar to yours.”
“…It seems to absorb souls and it into allies. When we fought before, a lot of wraiths appeared from it.”
“Oh, does it mean that the Witch Kriemhild is also absorbed by him? No wonder. Even though the throne of Envy is empty in the chapel, it keeps shining.”
"Wait. Does that also apply to us? Can our souls get absorbed.”
"I don’t know. No demon king has died in his hands yet.”
An uncomfortable silence ensued, and the atmosphere grew heavy.
They didn’t think they would be defeated, but his weapon’s ability was still concerning.
Amii placed her finger on her temple and began speaking.
“Suspicious. A lot of this is suspicious.”
“What is it?”
“Lilith, that bitch. Even though her family has been killed, she’s not actively trying to deal with it. Could this be part of her bizarre and secret plan?”
“The advent of the Demon God? The only people who believe in it are witches. You don’t have to pay attention to it.”
Dantalion shook his hand and reassured the two demon kings.
However, a drop of cold sweat ran down his forehead.
'Well, technically, there is no law that proves that it doesn’t exist.'
He had heard that a Creator existed beyond the heavenly world.
Then, couldn't there be such a transcendental being at the edge of the demon world as well?
It was a plausible idea, but Dantalion soon abandoned these thoughts.
‘Even the demon god can't possibly be free from the divine thrones system.'
If such a transcendental being truly existed, it would be called by a different name and not ‘Demon God’.
Looking at Asura's face reflected in the crystal ball, Dantalion gulped.
He hoped that the hypothesis that came to his mind was not true.
***
'Everything is finally ready.'
The soldiers had lined up, holding their breaths in anticipation.
The infiltration attempts by the Witch Cult in every region had been blocked, and the final battle was about to begin.
'Now the summoning ritual of the demonic beast Charybdis must be stopped.'
He had to head to the Corcas Mountains even if he had to take a risk.
Before they set off, Woohyuk checked his status screen.
[Status Screen]
1. Necromancer (1st class)
- Corpse Resurrection: Lv.3
- Corpse Explosion: Lv.2
- Corpse Enhancement: Lv.2
2. Asura (2nd class)
- Summon Verserios: Lv.3
3. Clan Master (Rank D)
- Mobility: Lv.5
- Growth: Lv.5
- Luck: Lv.5
- Barrier: Lv.5
- Stronghold: Lv.5
- Command: Lv.5
- Negotiation: Lv.5
- Call to Arms: Lv.5
- Authority: Lv.5
'I have to make the most out of these tonight.'
In the case of the clan master skills, he didn’t have to pay attention to them since they worked only on clan members, with the exception of the ‘barrier’ skill.
The problem was Asura's inherent skill, Summon Verserios.
Whenever Verserios got one seal released, the skill level rose by one, but the consumption of Asura’s demonic energy increased in proportion.
In the past, he could only use the energy to slightly affect his surroundings. Now, he could use it to protect his body like a self-defense mechanism, or use it to enhance his weapon.
However, the burden has increased proportionally, so if he abused this skill, he could potentially be crippled.
On the other hand, the necromancer skills could be cast anytime if there was enough magic power.
‘I need to defeat as many demons serving the demon kings as possible using my undeads.’
Of course, Sieg and Leifina would also help and endure the onslaught, but there were other soldiers with them, so the battle’s momentum was important.
If he used his corpse resurrection skill and combined it with the undead Isaac's leadership skill at the same time, they would not lose in terms of numbers.
He would let the elite undeads along with Aris and Sieg command the army of increasing undeads.
When Woohyuk was about to finish the inspection and announce the next plan of attack,
Boooom!
Rumble!
A landslide occurred on the side of the Corcas Mountains, and a black silhouette, reminiscent of a whale, flew into the dark starry sky.