Chapter 97
Chapter 97
Episode 97.
The eastern continent was the region closest to the Demon Realm. Among these areas, the northeastern cliffs of the Giant's Forest were particularly adjacent to the Demon Realm.
Standing at the edge of the protruding cliffs, one could see the Demon Realm with the naked eye—provided the weather was clear.
In other words, the cliff projections were also visible from the demons' territory.
On an ordinary shoreline of the Demon Realm, a massive demon stood on the sandy beach, gazing toward the continent. Towering over 10 meters tall, its bulging muscles and long bull horns were characteristic of the high-ranking demon Balrog. The contrast between its black skin and milky-white pupils was grotesque.
The bipedal monstrosity stared blankly at the divine barrier. Two hundred years ago, Vacheksar had erected this barrier around the Demon Realm before departing. No demon had ever managed to breach it.
Had that damned barrier not existed, the continent would have fallen long ago. The ambitions of all demons were thwarted by mere magical wards.
But soon, this frustrating era would come to an end. Once Gusian—who had crossed over to the continent—thwarted Taegwang, the Archdemon would gain the power to destroy the barrier's core.
The moment the core was severed and the barrier vanished, the continent would drown in blood. Since Taegwang had violated the non-aggression pact first, the Demon Realm even had justification.
These thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a voice.
"Balrog, the rift is closing."
Balrog's gaze lowered. A hunched, diminutive demon was trembling below.
Balrog's deep voice rumbled.
"Offer another of His Highness's lives."
"At once."
They were referring to Gusian's hearts. The hunchback immediately turned and scurried away—toward what could only be described as a living hell.
On the sandy beach, naked humans writhed under torture. Men, women, children—all wailed without distinction.
A dwarf demon flayed a man's back and implanted maggots into the wounds. A woman's limbs were torn off and stuffed into an old man's mouth, while a child was melted alive with demonic energy.
The screams of the humans never ceased. These were all descendants of the ancient empire that had barely survived in the Demon Realm—reduced to slaves of the demons, enduring two centuries of suffering.
The same was true now. Circling the altar of the Demon God 'Pethersarkin,' they contributed to creating tiny fissures in the divine barrier.
Another of Gusian's hearts was placed upon the altar.
As even more brutal tortures commenced, the heart on the pedestal slowly withered away.
This sacrificial rite was a ceremony allowing Pethersarkin of the Celestial Realm to intervene in earthly affairs. By offering the Archdemon's hearts, they pried open minute cracks in the barrier—so Gusian could return.
Two of the nine hearts had already been consumed.
But it was a bearable loss. If Gusian succeeded in his mission, the gains would far outweigh mere hearts.
The Source of Despair would obtain power rivaling divinity. Moreover, the barrier surrounding the Demon Realm would vanish completely.
It could be considered the cornerstone of the continent's conquest.
Balrog suppressed his excitement with difficulty and stared at the barrier again.
The rift was less than 1 cm in diameter, but it was wide enough for Gusian's soul to return.
Even if the Archdemon failed his mission, as long as this space remained, his soul could transfer back to the Demon Realm.
He would reconstruct his form using one of the remaining hearts.
Yes, even in failure, that was how he should have returned.
But—
What in the world was this? Balrog's eyes filled with confusion as he saw black smoke flying through the air.
Gusian's demonic energy—the soul of the Archdemon who had abandoned his body.
It looked frantic, as if fleeing from something.
Balrog couldn't fathom why it was returning in such a manner. If it was failure, he could have just detonated a heart.
Then, a horrifying hypothesis flashed through Balrog's mind.
What if... the hearts had been stolen? If that were truly the case, Gusian would have no choice but to return like this.
Balrog struggled to remain calm. Fortunately, he quickly realized his role.
The moment the soul passed through the barrier, he could seal the rift. At least the Archdemon wouldn't be stranded on the continent.
In short, Gusian had failed. Clicking his tongue, Balrog shouted to the hunchback.
"Stop the sacrifices when I give the signal!"
The demons responded immediately.
Balrog began timing. Gusian was roughly 100 meters from the barrier. Though a blue figure pursued closely behind, it likely wouldn't catch up in time.
The distance closed rapidly—60... 30... The moment Gusian arrived, Balrog shouted.
"Seal—"
Before he could finish, something erupted from the sea right before him. WHOOSH! Seawater exploded like a geyser, scattering in all directions.
Balrog clearly saw the soaring form—a sea crocodile. Though only glimpsed for an instant, it swiftly transformed into a human figure.
A golden-haired man shot into the sky. Blocking out the sun entirely, he gripped a divine spear over 100 meters long.
The pure white spear was no longer a human weapon. It couldn't even be called an armament for slaying demons or humans. This was divinity itself—the armament of a god meant to judge the mortal world.
Gargantua devoured divine power greedily. Burning brighter than the sun, it dyed the midday sky in pure white.
The demons' eyeballs melted like wax. The tortured humans stared blankly at the sight.
The divine weapon left Taegwang's hand.
A line of radiance connected heaven and earth. In that instant, the surroundings were engulfed in blinding white.
All malevolence touched by the divine evaporated.
When the light finally faded, silence prevailed. The chimeras that had been cackling were gone without a trace.
The wailing humans pressed their lips shut, staring at Aiden.
ZZZZZT! Gusian's soul hovered outside the barrier, unable to pass through. Before it could enter, Aiden had destroyed the altar, sealing the rift completely.
Since the barrier only blocked demons, Aiden could pass freely.
"A... a god..."
"A god!"
"It's a god!"
The humans, realizing, began prostrating themselves one by one. Those strapped to torture racks groaned in pain but still gazed at Aiden.
To these dying wretches, this was salvation.
Yona arrived belatedly, stepping onto the Demon Realm's shoreline. Walking across the sand, she scanned the surroundings.
"Holy... holy one—"
"It's over."
Not a single demon remained alive. She was certain she'd seen Balrog, but not even a corpse was left.
Judging by her increased stats, he must have been obliterated in the blast.
It felt anticlimactic. The swim had been shorter than expected, allowing her to arrive much faster than Gusian.
Saya reached the barrier next, floating in midair as she looked at Aiden.
"Aiden."
Calling his name, she tossed Yuriel through the barrier. Aiden caught Yuriel immediately and said,
"Yuriel, heal them. We need to be quick—we must leave the Demon Realm soon."
If other Archdemons or Dukes arrived, it would be troublesome. Even Aiden couldn't face them all with their current numbers.
Aiden turned to Yona.
"Distribute the scales to the people."
He intended to take them all back to the continent. Leaving them here would only doom them.
Aiden began searching around the ruined altar. Soon, he discovered a massive chest amidst the debris.
Opening it revealed seven of Gusian's black hearts. 'One is missing.' Gusian originally possessed twelve hearts.
One destroyed by Aiden in the Duchy.
One in Gielran's possession.
Two recorded as sacrificed on the altar's stone slab.
That left eight hearts in the chest—yet there were only seven.
It seemed Gusian had kept one heart in reserve back home. Had all been present, Aiden could have killed him outright—a slight disappointment.
Aiden looked beyond the barrier.
Saya had trapped Gusian's soul in blue energy, tormenting it.
Aiden watched her and spoke.
"Saya, I'm sorry."
Leaving her injured to come here must have hurt her feelings.
She shook her head slowly.
"Don't apologize. It's fine. Just... make it up to me later. That's enough."
Aiden studied her briefly before nodding. Then he waited for Yuriel and Yona. Though there was more to handle, he planned to finish it after returning to the continent.
The remaining members in the cave immediately restrained Siron and seated him beside Yupe.
The wounded celestial horse couldn't properly absorb demonic energy. It whinnied pitifully, struggling in place.
Unable to bear it, Sein gathered the demonic energy leaking from Siron in both hands. The vile energy gnawed at his skin, but he endured stubbornly.
He poured it directly into Yupe's mouth.
Yuron and Deril exchanged uneasy glances. They knew Yupe's temperament well—he might just bite down.
"Se-Sein!"
"His wounds from being bitten by that bastard haven't healed yet. Be careful."
Yupe already carried the dignity of a celestial steed. No longer a foal, a bite could easily tear off a wrist.
Yet he didn't bare his teeth at Sein. Perhaps he remembered the care and affection she'd shown him as a foal.
He gulped down the offered demonic energy eagerly.
His broken leg and torn stomach wounds began healing slowly.
Soon, Yupe twisted his body and stood up violently. After a fierce shake, he spread his wings wide.
A few white feathers drifted down, fluttering gently.
Yupe turned his head toward the cave entrance.
Gielran chuckled.
"He's looking for his master, it seems."
No sooner had he spoken than Yupe broke into a gallop. The sound of hooves echoed pleasingly as he shot through the cave entrance and flapped his wings.
This wasn't his first flight—but he'd never carried anyone before.
Yupe soared through the sky, following the lingering traces of divine power.
As the celestial horse vanished, a long whinny echoed through the air moments later.
Yuron rushed out of the cave, looking up. The dense canopy of giant trees blocked his view completely.
Only the sound of snapping branches reached him. Startled mountain birds took flight in a flurry, parting the green veil overhead.
Yupe descended rapidly, landing softly. A gentle gust of wind spread outward.
Aiden, atop him, looked thoroughly satisfied. He'd save considerable time from now on.
Aiden dismounted immediately.
Approaching Yuron, he clapped him on the shoulder.
"I leave Petora to you." The Order's famed steed, who had accompanied them for four years. Yuron's jaw dropped.
Deril, rushing out belatedly, smacked his own forehead as if realizing he was too late.
"Damn fox. So that's why you dashed out."
"If you'd like, I'll give you a ride sometime."
Aiden smiled faintly and opened the chest brought from the Demon Realm. He gestured to Yuron and Deril. As they approached, he handed each a heart.
Both possessed abilities related to Demon-Slaying—apparently, all of Aiden's followers awakened powers tied to Archdemons.
At any rate, feeding them an Archdemon at this stage would likely trigger incredible growth.
Aiden said,
"Destroy them."
Puzzled, they struck or stomped on the hearts—but failed to inflict any damage.
Their current strength couldn't even harm defenseless hearts.
Then, the heart Deril held began vibrating.
Soon, it trembled like an egg about to hatch. Saya must have released Gusian's soul. The heart spewed out veins and muscle fibers, reconstructing a body.
Aiden immediately took it and crushed it firmly in his grip.
Gusian's soul transferred to another heart in the chest, but Aiden responded the same way.
Now, the demon couldn't return to the Demon Realm.
After a while, the half-formed mouth of the creature emitted a desperate sound.
It was unintelligible. Aiden spoke to Yuron, Deril, and Gielran.
"Cover your ears."
Gusian's illusions could manifest through sound. There was no need to take unnecessary risks.
Of course, Aiden was exempt. He could endure the Trial of Despair hundreds of times over.
Aiden stared at the heart with its protruding mouth and said,
"Don't even think about dying peacefully."
The ways to use him were endless.