When Archisus Closes a Door, He Leaves a Demon Behind
When Archisus closes one door, he opens another—and leaves a bunch of demons right there! He seemed like a god who never looked out for his followers, but sometimes he showed up with gifts like this, truly touching a man's heart. Tae-hyun wiped under his nose. Hmph. It's not like I'm actually touched or anything.
Carbanog nods along in agreement.
Seven of them are Advanced-grade, and one looks pretty Unique. This was an ability born from facing and capturing countless demons! He could now estimate a demon's power just by looking at its appearance.
Through your extensive experience fighting demons, you have gained the ability to analyze them!
You have acquired a new passive skill.
You have acquired a new passive skill.
Two passive skills that granted bonuses when fighting demons had been added to his arsenal. Meanwhile, Pogalo feigned innocence and prepared to put on an act.
"Sob, sob... To think I was tricked and locked up here. It's so tragic! My family must be waiting for my return..."
Pogalo is using the Speech skill.
Your current Speech skill level is extremely high.
Pogalo's Speech skill has failed to affect you.
Your Speech skill proficiency has increased.
Tricking a mere human was child's play for a demon like Pogalo. He confidently continued his performance, completely unaware of who he was dealing with!
Seeing that Pogalo was still clueless and putting on a show, Tae-hyun pulled out some popcorn and watched. Let's see how long he can keep this up!
"My old, ailing mother is... Wait. Human. Why are you eating popcorn?"
"Are you done?" Tae-hyun asked with a yawn. Pogalo was dumbfounded.
"A-A mere human dared to ignore my words?!"
"Your acting has too many plot holes. That's not how you put on a show. Whatever, get out here!" Tae-hyun dragged Pogalo out, cage and all.
If the **Archisus Artillery**, who used demons as an energy source, saw this cage, they would weep tears of joy!
"Your Majesty! To think you'd care for us this much... We are deeply, deeply moved!"
"Hmph. It's not like I brought them back because I was thinking of you guys, okay?"
The demons were utterly bewildered, having no idea what Tae-hyun was plotting. Is he really just letting us out? Of course, being freed was great, but it was highly suspicious that a human would release them without any ulterior motive. Especially since he was sent by Archisus!
Hehe... Foolish human! How stupid! The moment you let us out, we'll show you what hell is really like!
So dumb! Hehehe...
Despite their confusion, the demons sneered inwardly. They couldn't wait to see the look of despair on this foolish human's face. Of course, Tae-hyun had absolutely no intention of letting them go. He was just going to drag them around in their cages!
Hmm. This place has uses other than just holding cages.
Within the temple basement, demons lose their original strength due to the power of Archisus!
Once the cages were cleared out, a vast underground space was revealed. A similar energy was flowing throughout the temple basement. There was a clear reason why outside demons lost their strength and fell into traps here!
If a fight gets too tough in the future, I can just lure them down to this basement.
Tae-hyun was already preparing for future clashes with other demons. It would be great if they could avoid fighting altogether, but there was no way that would happen! Tae-hyun made sure to commit the temple's layout to memory.
I'd love to restore the building itself, but that's too risky...
Openly rebuilding the Archisus Temple in the **Demon Realm**? That was basically inviting every demon in the vicinity to come and attack them.
"Your Majesty! To think you'd care for us this much... We are deeply, deeply moved!"
"Hmph. It's not like I brought them back because I was thinking of you guys, okay?"
"????"
Listening to the conversation between Tae-hyun and some random dwarves, the demons wore utterly blank expressions. Why were those dwarves so ecstatic? And why were they drooling like that?
"Everyone, prepare for operation!"
"Hehehe. We've been waiting for this!"
"Oh, look at these cute little things. I'll take real good care of you."
The dwarves rushed forward in excitement. The demons felt an ominous chill creep up their spines—a sense of dread far worse than anything they had felt in that underground prison!
"W-Wait... What are you trying to... Arghhhhh!"
"Aaaargh!"
"Y-You crazy dwarves! What do you think you're doing?!"
The dwarves ruthlessly drained the mana from the demons trapped inside Archisus's cages! The dwarves nodded in deep satisfaction.
"Your Majesty! The energy output is insane! As expected, demons from the Demon Realm are several times more energetic than the ones on the continent!"
"Well, they lose a lot of their power when crossing over to the continent, so that makes sense."
"Y-You absolute madmen... Do you really think you'll get away with th—Arghhhhh!"
Vrrrrrrrr—
Whether the demons screamed or not, the dwarves excitedly fired up their cannons. Currently, the **Archisus Artillery** required an immense amount of mana. Between the *Archisus Mana Cannons*, *Archisus Cannons*, and *Archisus Mortars*, the number of Unique-grade artillery pieces they dragged around was close to ten.
On top of that, there were the newly added golems! These golems had been constructed thanks to the blueprints Tae-hyun obtained from the **Underground Alliance Goblins**. Each of these golems carried a medium-sized cannon on its shoulder, and even the giants accompanying Tae-hyun had cannons strapped to theirs... Every single shot consumed a staggering amount of mana.
Normally, they would have to rely on mana stones or have mages constantly channel their mana... but there was a much better alternative.
**Demon Power Generator**!
"Ah... It broke my heart to see these cannons sitting idle without mana. I'm so glad to see them up and running again."
"Too true. Now we can fire as much as we want!"
With bombs crafted through **Engineering** fired from mana-infused cannons, they even gained additional buffs. Once they unleashed a barrage, the sheer burst damage would put ordinary mages to shame!
"Is everyone ready?"
"Yes! We can fire at any moment!"
"Great. I'm going to release one of the demons, so get ready for a fight."
Tae-hyun stood in front of the cage holding Pogalo.
"Wait, Your Majesty! That one is the sturdiest of them all!"
"That yellowish fellow generates the most power!"
"Take one of the others instead!"
The dwarves wailed in protest! The sturdiest demon was naturally the best living battery.
"I need this one."
Tae-hyun was firm. He had a specific reason for releasing Pogalo.
As expected, I need a demon guide in the Demon Realm.
They had no idea where they were. Rather than wandering around aimlessly to figure it out, securing a cooperative demon guide would make things infinitely easier. Of course, the real challenge was how to make a demon cooperate! No ordinary demon would ever willingly help a human.
Clank—
"???"
Pogalo was bewildered as he was let out of the cage.
"What is this, human? Have you finally realized the meaning of fear? It's a good thing you've made the right choice before it's too late!"
"What's your name?"
"I am the great demon, Lord Pogalo! Every human and demon alike trembles in terror at my every word!"
"I see. Pogalo. The reason I let you out is..."
Tae-hyun drew his weapon. Behind him, his companions drew theirs, and the knights and soldiers accompanying the **4th Prince** followed suit. The Rankers, who had been relegated to doing chores, drew their weapons with tears in their eyes. *Wow! We actually get to fight! I'm so happy!*
"Because I'm going to beat you to a pulp and force you to submit."
"W-Wait, ho—"
"Attack!"
Giving a demon the first move was sheer stupidity. Especially a demon that was several times stronger here in the Demon Realm! Tae-hyun lunged forward like lightning and thrust his *Dae-man-bul-gang-geom* forward.
"Squeeeeeeak!"
The *Archisus Swordsmanship* triggered a critical hit, unleashing its additional effects. Pogalo frantically waved his hands, attempting to cast a spell. Naturally, Tae-hyun wasn't about to give him that kind of opening.
Archisus's Curse
If it landed properly, there was nothing more annoying for a spellcaster. It made almost every spellcast fail, which was an absolute nightmare. A demigod like **Nevuchadnezzar** could resist the curse, but a demon of Pogalo's caliber stood no chance.
"Argh! W-Wait... Just a moment!"
"Raaaaaargh!"
A heavily armored knight with six arms charged forward. The Rankers gasped in surprise. They didn't know what it was, but it looked incredibly powerful!
*Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!*
"Ah! Wait! Wait! You hit my bone! Hold on a second!"
Pogalo screamed, but Cain didn't stop. *This demon is trying to play weak!*
"W-Wait, just listen to me! There must be something you want, right? I know a lot of demons... so I can give you whatever you desire..."
You have successfully resisted the Speech skill using the class skill of Avatar of Archisus's Slave!
Your Speech skill proficiency has increased slightly.
"??"
Cain stared at the message window in confusion. What did this demon just try to do?
Seeing that his words had no effect on Cain, Pogalo redirected his target.
"Listen to my words!"
Archisus's Mage...
Successfully resisted the Speech skill!
"What kind of crazy bastards are you?! Did the entire Archisus Cult come here to raid me?!"
Pogalo shrieked in horror. From the guy who claimed to be sent by Archisus, to an *Archisus's Slave*, and now an *Archisus's Mage*!
Pogalo's desperate struggle failed. Bound hand and foot, he was subjected to a relentless beating. In the sky, Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk rained down magical attacks, while Tae-hyun pummeled him mercilessly on the ground. Even with the buff from being in the Demon Realm, Pogalo felt his life flashing before his eyes.
"W-Wait! Let's negotiate! Negotiate!"
*Thud-thud-thud! Thud-thud!*
"I want to negotiate! O emissary of Archisus!"
*Pummel-pummel-pummel!*
"I-I submit! Please, just spare my life!"
You have successfully subjugated Pogalo, the Great Demon of Discord!
Pogalo is a demon who has deceived and divided countless heroes with his cunning tongue, even bringing down kingdoms on the continent. Beware of his words.
Your Speech skill is higher than Pogalo's. Pogalo cannot influence you with his Speech skill.
"...???"
"?????"
In truth, Pogalo was not a demon who excelled in close combat or magic. He was a demon who used his *Speech* skill to hypnotize and confuse heroes, turning them against one another! While his direct combat capabilities were weak, he was actually far more troublesome and dangerous. Pogalo was capable of causing an entire expedition of dozens of Rankers to self-destruct in an instant.
Unfortunately for him, his opponent was his worst nightmare. Not only did Tae-hyun possess a superior *Speech* skill, but he also had the buff of being the **Avatar of Archisus**! Every single one of Pogalo's specialties was completely sealed!
"What? Are you really an Archdemon?"
Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. Although his experience points, swordsmanship skills, and various other stats had increased, he was still incredibly bewildered. This was the easiest demon he had ever fought! And they were in the Demon Realm, of all places!
The only impressive thing about Pogalo was his massive HP pool. Despite being relentlessly pummeled by the entire party, he hadn't died and was still screaming.
"I... am an Archdemon...!"
Is he really?
Carbanog guarantees that he is indeed an Archdemon.
Only after Carbanog's guarantee did Tae-hyun let go of his doubts. No matter how he looked at him, he couldn't help but suspect the guy was just a self-proclaimed Archdemon.
"I really am an Archdemon...! Sob, sob!"
"Ah, okay, I get it. Why are you crying?"
"To attack me like this when we could have just talked...! Do you call yourself a hero?!"
"Pogalo?"
"?"
"If you don't want to get beaten up again, shut your mouth and only answer my questions."
"...Y-Yes, fine."
"As you've probably guessed, I am the Avatar of Archisus."
"????"
Pogalo blinked. *You're a what?*
"Ah! An apprentice of Archisus?"
"Avatar."
"An amateur of Archisus?"
"I said, Avatar."
"An average of Archi—"
"Keep pretending you can't hear me and I'll just kill you."
"..."
Pogalo began to tremble violently. How on earth could this be happening!