672
Chapter 672
KUGUGUGU!
The moving fortress landed in the sky near the coastline of the abandoned continent with a thunderous noise.
WOOOONG!
Several figures descended from the moving fortress toward the shore accompanied by light.
It was the Tuma warriors ncluding Zeke and Yekaterina.
"Hmm."
The coastline of the abandoned continent looked as peaceful as the central continent's shores.
There were no signs of demon beasts or monsters.
Yekaterina approached Zeke and spoke.
"Demon lord, where should we build the tower?"
Yekaterina had completely submitted to Zeke after the battle with demon beasts.
Moreover, since Mephistopheles, who was essentially the master of the demon realm princesses, was sealed within Zeke's body, they had no choice but to follow his words.
Zeke heightened his mental power and looked around for a suitable place to open the gate.
After a moment, he pointed to an area with a valley and cliff beyond the forest.
"Install the tower there and open the gate."
At Zeke's words, Yekaterina and the Tuma warrior troops nodded and prepared to head beyond the forest.
Seeing them prepare, Zeke summoned the undead legion received from the Abyss Overseer from within the shadows.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The undead legion consisting of skeletons, Durahan, and Death Knights emerged endlessly from Zeke's shadow.
Zeke also summoned a commander to lead this undead legion.
"Come forth, Nebilos."
Nebilos, Abaddon's watcher, appeared in response to Zeke's call.
KUGUGUGU!
Due to the alliance between Zeke and Beelzebub, the overseer of the Abyss, Nebilos was now bound to serve by Zeke’s side.
Nebilos bowed his head toward Zeke.
"Y-you called, Demon lord?"
Having suffered much at Zeke's hands, Nebilos tried to remain composed but couldn't hide his trembling voice.
Ignoring this, Zeke gave orders to Nebilos.
"Go with Yekaterina beyond there and help summon the tower. If you don't do it properly, I'll imprison you in the sword again."
Nebilos shuddered at Zeke's threat.
The notorious inspector of Abaddon from the demon realm was feeling instinctive fear and trembling before a human.
Afraid of irritating Zeke, he immediately bowed his head and answered without protest.
"Understood, Demon lord."
While Yekaterina and Nebilos's demon realm legion moved beyond the valley, Zeke summoned Arataso from within the shadows.
TSUTSUSU!
Arataso appeared wearing green armor.
"You called, my lord."
Having fully acknowledged Zeke as his lord, Arataso bowed his head in a knight-like manner.
Looking at Arataso with satisfaction, Zeke nodded and said.
"Arataso, I'll provide you with shadow wraiths, find the final tower in this land."
With those words, Zeke summoned the dragon warriors and shadow wraith troops.
Following Zeke's will, the shadow troops recognized Arataso as their captain and lined up behind him.
Arataso raised his spear toward Zeke and said.
"I shall carry out my lord's command."
As soon as Arataso finished speaking, he led the shadow troops to search for the final tower, and seeing them off, Zeke contacted Elizabeth in the moving fortress.
"While Yekaterina's tower is being summoned, I'll create a temporary camp here. Contact me immediately if you notice any unusual signs."
―Understood, my lord.
While the moving fortress maintained surveillance in all directions, Zeke planned to create a defense area inside the coastline.
When he raised his hand, the power of recreation activated.
WOOOONG!
In response, the beach sand quickly gathered and instantly compressed into brick forms, and these bricks piled up to create a wall formation.
KUDUDUDUK!
As the sand-built walls formed automatically, a temporary camp was completed in an instant.
Right after completion, Zeke designated the walls as a defense area, making the defense even more solid.
After quickly completing the defense area designation, he contacted the moving fortress again.
"The moving fortress is too conspicuous, so conceal its appearance and have everyone except the minimum personnel needed for maintenance come down to the camp."
Following Zeke's orders, Elizabeth activated the fortress's camouflage function to make it invisible, then called all the magician corps including herself down to the camp.
She couldn't help but be amazed at the temporary camp Zeke had created.
Although made of sand, he had instantly created a solid fortress where there was nothing before.
'Amazing power.'
While she was marveling, Zeke asked Elizabeth.
"How is Anastasia?"
"There's nothing wrong with her body. However, it seems she hasn't yet recovered from the shock of carrying your father's soul for so long."
Even for an avatar, enduring a great demon like Mephistopheles was no ordinary feat.
For the gate to function properly in the abandoned continent, all three princesses' fortresses were needed.
Zeke's plan was to summon Yekaterina's tower, install Anastasia's Erosion Fortress around it, and float the moving fortress above to stabilize the space before opening the gate. However, Anastasia, who was arguably the most important, was unconscious from being unable to handle Mephistopheles's power, making it impossible to summon the Erosion Fortress.
It seemed they would need to establish Yekaterina's tower first and wait for Anastasia to wake up before opening the gate.
'Before that, we'll need to clear out the demon beasts in the area.'
As if reading Zeke's thoughts, the peaceful atmosphere of the beach suddenly changed.
GROWL!
A thunderous sound approached the shore.
Zeke drew Leviathan and turned toward the sound.
'So it begins?'
The sounds weren't coming from just one direction.
Something was charging from all directions.
ROARRRRR!
Countless monsters charged toward the camp amid clouds of dust and thunderous noise.
Zeke said to Elizabeth.
"Deploy the mages in all directions. Tell them to reinforce the defensive walls around the moving fortress. We might get attacks from the air too."
Elizabeth nodded and issued orders to the mages.
Meanwhile, Zeke activated defense mode and summoned gun batteries along the walls.
While the mages prepared their response, he fired shells at the charging monsters.
BOOM!
Magic shells flew toward the monsters with thunderous noise.
PUBUBUBUBUK!
The monsters at the front were crushed and exploded when hit by the magic shells.
But the monsters behind charged forward with crazed eyes, completely disregarding this.
ROARRRRR!
The charging monsters tried to break down the walls by ramming their bodies against them.
That's when the prepared mages activated their magic from their magic circles.
CRACKLE!
Magic enhanced by Zeke's amplification power engulfed the monsters.
SCREECH!
The destructive power combining powerful demon magic with amplification power was beyond imagination.
Even monsters strengthened by demon energy couldn't withstand the magic and fell like charred lumps.
However, the number of monsters was still countless.
Despite the magic shells and demon mages' magic, the number of rushing monsters only increased.
Zeke slightly frowned at this sight.
Not knowing what kind of demon beasts might appear, he wanted to minimize using power to avoid exposing his capabilities. But most of his summons were guarding key points in the central continent and couldn't be called here.
'No choice.'
As the number of monsters increased further, Zeke reluctantly raised Leviathan to step in directly.
But then….
WOOOONG!
Surprisingly, a black hole opened in the sky and something burst out.
GROWL!
They were thousands of monsters and demon beasts, which began attacking the abandoned continent's monsters charging toward the walls.
A gate to the demon realm had opened, revealing demon realm monsters and beasts.
'Demon realm monsters and beasts were summoned? But the abandoned continent is too unstable to properly fix gate coordinates.'
Puzzled, Zeke communicated with Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth, how did you open a demon realm gate without a mana source?"
―Demon lord, I did not open that gate.
Her answer made Zeke even more confused. Opening a gate of this scale was impossible without a magician of Elizabeth's caliber.
'Then who opened the gate?'
As Zeke looked up to search for whoever opened the gate, a massive presence rippled within it.
KUGUGUGU!
The powerful presence flowing from the gate shook the entire area, making even the charging monsters hesitate momentarily in confusion.
Zeke had felt this energy before and knew who was emerging from the gate.
'Asmodeus, the Demon lord and ruler of Gehenna?'
Asmodeus, who had lost Gehenna's territory after submitting to Mephistopheles, was trying to descend upon the abandoned continent by opening a gate.
CRACKLE!
When a great demon descends directly into the physical realm without using an avatar, karma's sanctions activate strongly.
Even great demons couldn't defy karma's absolute laws established by the Primordial Light.
Yet Asmodeus forced his descent regardless.
GROWL!
Soon, Asmodeus's true form, a mixture of beasts and demon beasts, emerged through the gate.
Zeke spoke to Asmodeus who was forcing his way into the physical realm.
"Asmodeus. Why have you appeared here?"
Asmodeus turned his dozen pairs of eyes toward Zeke and transmitted:
【...So you were the one who sealed the Master of Unbreakable Contracts , Guide of Fair Pain.】
Asmodeus immediately sensed Mephistopheles sealed within Zeke's body.
While struggling to exit the gate, he quickly transmitted to Zeke:
【Release the Master of Unbreakable Contracts ' seal now! Immediately!】
Zeke sensed something strange about Asmodeus's sudden appearance and urgent demand to release Mephistopheles.
Then Asmodeus, emerging from the gate, twisted in pain with a groan.
【ARGHHHH!】
As he writhed in pain, his dozen pairs of eyes turned red.
He opened his mouth wide and began firing magic cannons at Zeke.
BOOM!
Zeke swung Leviathan at the suddenly attacking Asmodeus, sending an Astral Sword imbued with brilliant light.
BOOM!
CRASH!
The magic cannons and Astral Sword collided midair, their powers canceling each other.
RUMBLE!
The shockwave spread in all directions, shaking and breaking parts of the defense mode walls.
'What's suddenly...'
But this wasn't the only problem.
SCREECH!
The thousands of monsters that burst from the gate also had their eyes turn red like Asmodeus and began attacking the walls.
The enemies instantly doubled in number.
Elizabeth's mage corps were barely holding back the rushing monsters at maximum power.
Meanwhile, the maddened Asmodeus was struggling to exit the gate completely.
If a demon realm Demon lord fully emerged, these monsters would be the least of their problems.
Something crossed Zeke's mind as he watched the suddenly changed Asmodeus.
'Could it be?'
Just then, a black hole appeared beside the gate Asmodeus was trying to exit from.
Ominous figures in black robes emerged from it.
Zeke knew well who they were.
'Dark mages of the Abyss?'
The dark mages of the Abyss, who had vanished with High Priest Harvey West's destruction, had appeared in the abandoned continent.