Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: The Demon King Has Appeared
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The Demon King had appeared.
He hadn’t revealed himself directly.
But the beast carrying demonic energy witnessed in the imperial capital was proof of the Demon King’s descent.
[Bersht.]
This massive demonic beast, commonly known as the Beast of the Apocalypse, unlike the wyrm, was something the Demon King summoned personally.
That meant the Demon King had already descended upon the world.
Naturally, the world plunged into chaos.
Especially the Empire, where ‘Bersht’ had appeared—it was in absolute pandemonium.
And the being presumed to be the Demon King was none other than Baek Si-woo.
The situation couldn’t help but turn grave.
“…Are you certain?”
The Emperor of the Empire, Basilian Trejetos, asked with his eyes closed.
Just the way his white eyebrows trembled betrayed how deeply shaken he was.
“I humbly report that it has been confirmed directly by Magic Duke Martes and Academy Headmaster Yorn Sailer.”
And it wasn’t just them.
Everyone in the imperial capital that morning had witnessed it.
The terrifying demonic beast in the shape of a whale flying between the clouds.
“Is there any chance of misjudgment?”
The emperor, once called the Iron-Blooded Sovereign, now looked frail with age.
Agna, the one reporting, concealed his regret and continued.
“There is none at all, Your Majesty. ‘Bersht’ exists only in records, after all.”
But even Agna, who spoke those words, was convinced that what he had seen that morning was the Beast of the Apocalypse.
No other demonic beast could match that scale.
“Does that mean the Demon King has truly already descended?”
This time, he couldn’t answer immediately.
‘Bersht’ was indeed proof of the Demon King’s descent.
But put another way, that was all it was.
Out of the countless pieces of evidence recorded, only that one had appeared.
So complete certainty was impossible.
When Agna gave no reply, the emperor asked something else.
“Baek Si-woo, was it?”
His tone carried clear displeasure.
The SSS-grade hero whom the Empire had supported without sparing any resources.
“Is he truly the Demon King?”
And that Baek Si-woo was the most likely successor to the Demon King.
Reina had bowed to him directly and even taken him away.
According to Yorn’s report, black demonic energy had even emanated from Baek Si-woo’s body…
No further evidence was needed.
“Crusiel views it that way, Your Majesty. However, fearing chaos, we’ve kept it classified and strictly controlled information flow.”
The emperor let out a hollow laugh at Agna’s words.
The one they had hoped to use as a hero had become the Demon King.
Was such a thing even possible?
“It’s unprecedented, Your Majesty. Further investigation is required.”
“Further investigation… What do you plan to do?”
All records on Demon Kings and heroes were just that—records.
Even those were mostly lost or damaged, making most of them illegible.
“We have agreed to cooperate with the Sky Tower.”
“Oh? And those folk readily joined hands?”
“Nothing can stand in the way against the great enemy called the Demon King. Not even the Sky Tower’s own rules.”
Sky Tower mages normally paid no heed to worldly affairs.
No, they couldn’t.
Their power was so immense that it required strict rules to control.
Recently, the only time the Sky Tower had properly projected its power into the world was when activating the Hero Summoning Magic.
If those mages boasting immense power and knowledge broke their own rules and delved into this matter, uncovering the truth wouldn’t take long.
“Hah. Crusiel and the Sky Tower—spare no means or methods in preparing for this unprecedented crisis.”
“I obey your command.”
Agna showed utmost courtesy before exiting the audience chamber.
“How did it go?”
A subordinate waiting outside approached cautiously and asked.
“Permission granted.”
At Agna’s response, the subordinate’s face hardened.
“Then…”
“Summon all the Guardians.”
Crusiel’s Sword Sage, Dariel.
Sky Tower’s Magic Duke, Martes.
Mernotain’s Grand Duke, Briana.
The Fist Sage of the western border, Karon.
And even the Imperial Shadow Duke, Steroin.
He issued the summons for the Empire’s five wings, its protectors.
“Ah, and…”
Agna hesitated a moment before speaking.
“Call the Sword Ghost of the North as well.”
“You mean Count Van Slane?”
“Summon his knight order too.”
With the Demon King’s existence confirmed, war was inevitable.
Though the timing was far off from expectations, they couldn’t afford to sit idle.
They had to gather maximum force and first eliminate the Demon King’s followers who had been identified.
“Understood.”
The subordinate nodded slightly and vanished.
“Whew—”
A sigh escaped Agna’s lips.
“We’re still far from ready.”
The core of the Descent War was the heroes.
But those heroes were still far too weak to serve as proper forces.
Sure, they’d more than suffice—overflow even—against demonic beasts or monsters, but the real enemies weren’t those.
The Demon King and his kin.
To face them, one needed at least level 100.
Yet most heroes hadn’t even reached level 50…
“What to do?”
It gave him a headache.
He could only hope it was all a mistake.
Both ‘Bersht’ and Baek Si-woo.
He prayed it stemmed from some misunderstanding.
Then they could prepare adequately.
‘If we’d had just two more years—no, one and a half.’
Agna sighed and stepped forward.
For now, he needed to focus on linking with the Sky Tower.
* * *
“Are you coming to?”
As his eyes fluttered open, Eileen’s voice reached him.
‘Lately, this keeps happening…’
How many times was it now?
Fighting, losing consciousness, waking up in bed.
Even after growing this strong, nothing had changed.
Because his enemies grew stronger faster than he did.
Seo Woo-jin grimaced in pointless self-loathing as he pushed himself up.
“What happened?”
It seemed Eileen had nursed him while he was out.
A throbbing pain surged, but it was bearable, so he asked without showing it.
“You’ve been unconscious for a day. Mr. Baek Si-woo was kidnapped by that vampire, and at the same time, the demonic beast in the sky vanished.”
‘Mr. Baek Si-woo?’
From Eileen’s words, Seo Woo-jin realized people hadn’t grasped the full picture yet.
If they had, they’d call him the Demon King, not Mr. Baek Si-woo.
“That’s everything. The destroyed academy is being cleared, and classes are suspended indefinitely.”
The Empire had announced the incident as an intrusion by one of the Demon King’s followers.
They also stated a hero had been kidnapped in the process and that they’d devote full efforts to rescuing him.
‘They’re covering it up.’
Of course. If a hero became the Demon King, the chaos would be uncontrollable.
This must be their countermeasure.
“Any injured?”
Seo Woo-jin worried about his acquaintances.
They’d been far from the battlefield, but the fight had been so fierce.
Especially the clash between Reina and Yorn—it could’ve obliterated the entire academy without surprise.
Add Martes’ transcendent magic on top, and even at a distance, safety wasn’t guaranteed.
“Fortunately, no serious injuries. Some were hurt in the Magic Duke’s spells, but nothing worse than minor wounds.”
If Eileen said so, there was no need to worry.
“That’s a relief.”
Seo Woo-jin let out a sigh of relief.
He’d have been wracked with guilt if anyone had gotten badly hurt by getting caught up.
“Oh, and…”
Eileen looked into Seo Woo-jin’s eyes, as if she had more to say.
“Yeah? What else?”
When Seo Woo-jin asked, she nodded and replied.
“The palace is looking for you, Woo-jin. They want you to come to the palace as soon as you wake up.”
“…The palace?”
Surely they weren’t going to give the promised reward in this situation.
‘Then it must be they want an exact account of what happened.’
The initial fight had started with Seo Woo-jin and Baek Si-woo.
Then Pienne appeared, followed by Reina and Yorn joining, plunging it into chaos.
So they had to call Seo Woo-jin.
He was the one who’d started the fight with the suspected Demon King Baek Si-woo and the only one present from beginning to end.
“Right now?”
“The imperial knights are already waiting outside.”
It must be urgent.
To send the imperial knight order just to fetch someone whose awakening time was unknown.
“Then I should go now.”
As he tried to get out of bed, a groan escaped involuntarily.
“Ugh.”
The heavy pain in his chest twisted his face.
The final blow from Reina must have left quite the impact.
“Are you okay?”
Eileen asked with a worried voice.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
For the brutality of that battle, his condition wasn’t too bad.
Compared to other times, this was nothing.
Seo Woo-jin smiled at Eileen, who tried to support him, and stood on his own two feet.
“Whew—”
It hurt, but he could endure.
“Where are they?”
“Right outside the door.”
At Eileen’s answer, Seo Woo-jin nodded and opened the door.
Five knights in splendid golden armor came into view.
“You’re awake, Mr. Seo Woo-jin.”
The one who appeared highest-ranking stepped forward and bowed to Seo Woo-jin.
“Can we go now?”
“You’ve heard. If you’re well, it’d be best to depart immediately.”
The knight nodded slightly and said.
“Then let’s go.”
Sadly, he couldn’t bring Eileen.
Only Seo Woo-jin had been summoned, after all.
The knights formed an escort—ambiguous whether encircling or protecting—and set off with Seo Woo-jin.
They rode a lavish carriage stamped with a huge imperial seal for quite a while.
No conversation passed between them.
The knights were taciturn, and Seo Woo-jin was lost in thought.
‘What should I say?’
Just tell the honest truth of what happened.
Baek Si-woo had provoked the fight, and manifesting demonic energy was fact.
Only one thing to hide.
The skill ‘Beast of the Apocalypse.’
Seo Woo-jin decided to reveal everything else truthfully, omitting only that.
“We enter the palace grounds from here.”
At the knight’s sudden words, Seo Woo-jin looked out the window.
Unlike the lively capital, a vast plain coexisted silence and splendor.
‘For a courtyard, it’s huge.’
It was the imperial palace for a reason.
The carriage didn’t slow once as it sped through the palace interior.
Normally, only royalty could ride carriages here, but today was an exception.
By the emperor’s order, the carriage carrying Seo Woo-jin continued racing even after entering the palace.
And shortly after.
Seo Woo-jin stepped down from the carriage.
Before him unfolded an endless convergence of mana, the emperor’s divine palace.