The True Identity of Seria
The group of Ji-ho had begun their advance toward the Demon King’s Castle once more, eager to defeat Kim Jae-hyun after resting. Naturally, his movements were immediately sensed by Jae-hyun himself.
The mere fact that they were invading his territory and attacking him was felt with crystalline clarity.
Yet the group advanced in a manner that was almost unnervingly smooth, facing almost no resistance whatsoever.
It was thanks to the Demon King’s presence that he had cleared the path before them for the entire Forces of Darkness.
In place of that, he had laid out countless magical traps, but none of them posed any real obstacle to the group. In truth, they had barely been hindered at all.
“What exactly is he thinking?”
Ji-ho asked himself sincerely as he continued forward.
The words of Lucrecia still echoed in his ears.
The Demon King Kim Jae-hyun had declared that if the Saintess of the Goddess’s Wings, Lucrecia, were not surpassed, he would be greatly disappointed by the arrival of anyone who reached his domain.
“Why does he want me to come?”
Ji-ho was genuinely curious. Why on earth did the Demon King wish for him to reach the Demon King’s Castle?
As the Demon King himself, he had no idea what purpose lay behind that wish.
“Consuming his soul to open the Gate of the Underworld is still fully possible even now,” Ji-ho reflected.
His own soul had already risen far beyond what could be called merely human, entering the realm close to the gods. The Demon King, whose power exceeded his own, could be called a Demon Lord if one simply counted raw strength. Yet because he was not a god but a demon, he remained the Demon King, the ruler of all demons.
And so Ji-ho, who had advanced with ease, now sensed that they were approaching the vicinity of Pandemonium, the seat of the Dark Empire—the former capital of the Holy Kingdom of Astraea, Pantheon.
“Pandemonium, the capital of the Dark Empire… the former capital of the Holy Kingdom of Astraea, Pantheon…”
Ji-ho muttered to himself and gazed beyond the horizon. Pandemonium was still out of sight, but the feeling of gradual approach was unmistakable.
“Saintess Lucrecia, Seria, Demon King Kim Jae-hyun… even the Flash Magic Swordswoman Irene—perhaps she has grown stronger. She is a target to keep an eye on.”
There was no information about Irene yet, but the sight of Seria transformed into a Demon made him doubt whether she still remained human. She might have become a Demon, surpassing even the Saintess Lucrecia in power.
Through the memories of Ferdinand and Griffith, he had learned that she possessed not only beauty rivaling Lucrecia but also astonishing talent.
If a being possessing such talent became a Demon and received power, she would be formidable indeed.
“Three mid-bosses at once! What kind of difficulty level is this—lunar plus Korean?!”
Ji-ho worried that he had underestimated the Demon King Kim Jae-hyun, yet retreat was no longer an option. He had already begun targeting his wives. Just as he wanted to claim Irene and Lucrecia as spoils of war and seize this world, he clearly intended to trample the challengers beneath his feet and claim his wives as his own.
If the time came when he grew truly unmanageable, he would die and his soul would be erased, while his wives would become nothing but his women.
No matter how much Rachel, Ruina, Silvia, and Kim Da-gyeom loved him and strove to preserve their chastity for his sake, their efforts would mean nothing before such overwhelming power. Even without that, simply subjugating them would suffice to break their spirits.
After all, Irene had only been rescued after the final battle against Leyrana. Captured by Jae-hyun, taken to the Habsburg Empire, brainwashed, impregnated by Ferdinand, and given birth to Seria—had she not spent ten full years as both a sex doll and a combat doll?
If he had been even one day later in rescuing her, she would have been remodeled into an even stronger combat doll using the data gathered while studying the corpse of Demon King Leyrana.
There was no guarantee that his wives would escape the same fate.
Now the Forces of Darkness were all slaves to the Demon King, utterly obedient and free only at his pleasure.
“It would have been wonderful if I had power equal to his…”
To be honest, the power possessed by the Demon King was something Ji-ho envied. To rule all beings of darkness merely by existing?
If he could harness that power widely, building the ideal world he dreamed of would become far easier. Yet Ji-ho decided at once that his true goal—conquering this world and constructing his ideal world—would be postponed. For now, he would prepare to bring the Demon King down.
As they grew closer to the Demon King’s location, he needed to be cautious. He did not know what cunning tricks the Demon King, who had sealed him inside for nine days, might employ, nor did he understand why he wished for his arrival.
“We are no different from ordinary humans entering a tiger’s den to hunt a tiger.”
Of course, as he was now, tigers were prey he could kill with a glance alone. But back when he was still an ordinary human, hunting a tiger would have been a matter of life or death.
“No, the odds are actually higher.”
Ji-ho corrected himself. He possessed the ultimate method to defeat the Demon King Kim Jae-hyun. While ordinary humans entering a tiger’s den was dangerous, he had the means to end it swiftly.
Ji-ho led his wives and allies, stepping forward at the front, step after step.
And then he stopped.
A single existence stood directly in their path.
An eight-year-old girl with long golden hair and blue eyes, clad in a red dress, stood holding a sword. Her appearance was cute, lovable, and dazzlingly beautiful.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
It was Seria. She stood directly before them, blocking their path.
“To pass through Pandemonium, I suppose you must defeat me?”
Ji-ho drew the Holy Sword of the Archangel and glared at Seria. His wives, the Archangels, Dragon Lord, Jason, and Griffith were all in battle formation.
Against Lucrecia, their special abilities had been problematic, but facing Seria would be far easier by nature. While the Holy Kingdom of Astraea’s forces relied on light-based power, which was ineffective against demons, Seria wielded darkness, making her a more suitable opponent.
Even if the Holy Sword’s power was used to nullify pure holy energy, it could not block powers based on light. In Lucrecia’s case, her overwhelmingly strong light attribute had only weakened the effects of those crafted powers.
“Must eliminate her here!”
“Lucrecia failed, but this one must fall here. Our victory rate will rise!”
“We’ll die for our husband.”
“Eliminate her quickly before she escapes!”
The wives of Ji-ho reached the same conclusion, each thinking of killing Seria on the spot. Killing intent filled their eyes. The Archangels drew their weapons, Dragon Lord and Jason, Griffith in battle formation.
Ji-ho did not stop them. The battle with the Demon King was upon them. At least he needed to conserve strength and finish the enemy swiftly.
“Everyone be careful! Do not let your guard down just because she looks like a child! Seria’s combat experience is far from shallow!”
No sooner had Ji-ho finished speaking than Seria rushed forward, sword raised, toward him. She moved so fast it looked as if she had used Blink magic to close the distance in an instant.
But Ji-ho had read her movement in a blur. Instead of blocking her swinging sword head-on, he used the Holy Power of Tararia—the power to ignore the world’s laws and teleport instantly—to leap into her rear in a single breath.
He had already begun swinging his sword before reaching her. His blade looked ready to sever her small neck in an instant. Yet Seria had clearly anticipated it; she lowered her head sharply and kicked toward his abdomen with her short legs.
Ji-ho’s sword sliced through empty air. Seria’s kick whistled toward his belly. Ji-ho raised his left hand, gripping the Holy Shield, Aegis, and protected his abdomen with the shield.
Kwaaang!
The moment Seria’s kick struck the Aegis, enormous shockwaves erupted outward.
The power of the Aegis activated. It copied the shockwave delivered to the shield and returned it to the opponent.
Originally, Ji-ho had intended to save this power for use against the Demon King. But having decided to finish Seria in one blow, he unleashed it now.
“Uuuuuh!”
The destructive force of her own kick slammed back into her. Seria’s face twisted in pain as she was sent flying backward. Yet she spun three times in the air, landed cleanly, and immediately swung her sword at Ji-ho.
Because Aegis was not a perfect universal shield, strikes from a distance could be repelled but not always landed. The shield also could not ignore every impact.
Since it was not a direct reflection but a copy-and-fire system, it could be called a weapon that turned an opponent’s attack against them. There was a slight delay between copy and fire, during which time it simply remained a supreme shield of immense defense.
Of course, that alone was powerful, but if there was a weakness, this was it.
Because Ji-ho held the shield, he could not completely ignore the shock transmitted through his hand when it was struck.
“Ugh!”
As Seria continued her assault, Ji-ho’s brows furrowed. The shock transmitted through the shield was considerable.
Shwoo! Shwoo!
Countless arrows fired by Archangel Gabriel through the Archangel’s bow targeted Seria in unison. Michael swung the Heavenly Sword of the Heavenly Realm in place of the Archangel’s blade, releasing holy-power blades. Raphael thrust with the Archangel’s spear, hurling a massive holy-power lance. Uriel and Dragon Lord, Jason and Griffith, all used various magics to hinder Seria’s movement.
Ji-ho’s wives were also not idle. While approaching Seria was difficult, they attacked from a slight distance with Aura Blade Waves or magic, restraining her movements and suppressing her actions.
Any interference that disrupted her body movement would give Ji-ho an opening.
Yet Seria displayed power far exceeding what they had imagined.
Kugung!!!
A massive circular aura formed around her center. All the space inside the circle became her domain. The auras attacking her from every side instantly vanished without a trace, as if the holy ring, Andvarisgeuse, had been used.
“Th-that technique!”
“M-my god!”
Jason and Griffith stared in shock, their faces pale with awe. They had clearly seen that technique before. Its power had terrified them, and a continent had plunged into immense fear because of it. As they recoiled, Ji-ho felt certain.
“So that’s it. I wondered if it was real… but it really was! Seria, no—Leyrana!”
At Ji-ho’s words, Seria—or rather, the entity that had possessed Seria’s body—smiled faintly.
“You’ve been caught. I didn’t expect you to know this technique already.”
Leyrana, who had blocked the group’s attack, raised her head arrogantly and greeted them formally.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve met. You all have such hateful faces too. I am Leyrana Francis Sil Erna Ariadne. If you prefer, call me Seria—I don’t mind. Seria is also part of me.”