What the Hell Is That Guy Doing?
The northern reaches of the Arcadia Empire, in the territory of Chepesh that bordered the Seolha Empire, there was a famous landmark known as the Dungeon City. Built around a dungeon at its center, the city had grown prosperous by supplying nearly half the continent with high-grade mana stones. These stones were precious materials that dropped from magical beasts and were primarily used to craft magic tools. Their versatility made the Dungeon City a place of constant boom.
Adventurers swarmed in from everywhere hoping to strike it rich selling mana stones. There was even a magic tower dedicated to producing magic tools from the stones they supplied, along with trading houses and merchant guilds catering to adventurers and selling those very tools. In truth, there was a special reason the Dungeon City had developed to this extent.
It was all thanks to the Chepesh family that ruled over it.
Dungeons were places where magical beasts gathered, concentrating immense amounts of demonic energy. Enduring that energy with an ordinary human body was no easy feat. Even with training to build resistance, the physical toll was enormous, limiting how long anyone could stay inside. But the Chepesh family had developed an invention that solved this problem at once.
It was a magic tool that shielded its user from the dungeon’s demonic energy. Thanks to it, even those with low resistance could freely enter and exit the dungeon. Though it was single-use, it was a revolutionary breakthrough.
“Time to make a killing today too!”
“Hell yeah! Let’s go!!”
Any adventurer who entered the dungeon with such vigor felt deep gratitude toward the Chepesh family. After all, the magic tools used in the Dungeon City were practically given away at rock-bottom prices.
However, there was one fact these people didn’t know.
The true master of the Chepesh County was neither the empire nor humanity.
The true ruler was the Demon King’s Army.
The Chepesh family had originally been a declining noble house. Blood had stolen their technology, imprisoned the real family, and monopolized their magic tools. The genuine Count Chepesh was currently hypnotized and locked away, forced to continue developing new inventions. As a result, every penny earned from the mana stones was funneled straight to the Demon King’s Army.
Would those foolish humans ever realize it? That every single mana stone harvested through their labor was actually feeding the Demon King’s Army?
“Those stupid humans will never figure it out even if they die.”
Of course they wouldn’t. Humans were a primitive species that, if gold appeared right in front of them, wouldn’t care whether the chalice was poisoned or not. They only cared about immediate profit.
“Thanks to that, we’re the ones reaping all the benefits.”
Imperial Chepesh, the high-ranking demon in charge of the Chepesh County in Blood’s stead, was starting another pleasant day. The number of adventurers in the city had been increasing rapidly lately. More people meant better performance, and mana stone production was rising sharply.
“Hehehehehehahahahaha! This is my chance to earn Lord Blood’s favor!”
Imagining the praise and rewards he would receive, Imperial downed a cup of blood with a satisfied grin.
That was when it happened.
“M-My lord! This is terrible!”
A servant came bursting in, clearly panicked. Entering without permission? How rude. This was exactly why low-ranking demons were hopeless.
“What is it? Are the mages from the tower complaining about taxes again?”
“No!”
“Then… have the merchants risen up demanding tax reductions?”
“N-No, that’s not it either!”
“Then what the hell is it?”
Imperial was getting angry. If this was some trivial reason for disturbing him, he swore he wouldn’t let it slide.
“Th-The adventurers…! They’ve stormed the castle!”
“What? Adventurers? Why??”
The count couldn’t understand it. The group he paid the most attention to while running the Dungeon City was the adventurers. They were the only ones capable of wielding real force, so he had always treated them with special care. He supplied magic tools at dirt-cheap prices so they could earn money easily, and provided plenty of entertainment and pleasures for them to spend it on. There should have been no room for complaints. This was truly strange.
“I see. Then have the knight order deal with them. Report the results to me later.”
After all, they were just pathetic humans. Storming the count’s castle where Lord Blood’s personal guard was stationed? They were practically begging to be executed for treason. He had already been thinking it was time to tighten discipline now that the number of adventurers had grown so much. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.
“B-But… the Crimson Knights have already been…”
As the servant continued in a trembling voice, a deafening crash echoed through the hall, followed by the sound of many hurried footsteps. It seemed an entire unit had broken into Chepesh Castle.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, the count rose from his seat and prepared for battle. How dare mere humans invade Lord Blood’s castle? He would never forgive them.
The armed soldiers who appeared were equipped with a variety of different weapons. They weren’t from any knight order. They were probably mercenaries.
‘Did another territory declare war on us?’
Why would money-driven mercenaries attack this place?
“Who the hell are you people!”
In response to the count’s roar came a single, unified shout.
“Exterminate the demons! Down with the Demon King’s Army!”
The cry was filled with raw hatred. Their eyes burned with murderous intent.
“What the—?! How did these bastards find out we’re part of the Demon King’s Army?!”
The count was thrown into panic. They had hidden it so perfectly that even the church’s priests had never noticed. How had they figured it out? It made no sense.
“Kuaaaaah—!”
Before he could think further, the servant in front of him let out a final scream and was slaughtered. The one who appeared next was a black-haired girl with golden eyes that glowed with an eerie light.
“S-Sword Master…?”
It was Emilia, the Sword Master, her blade wrapped in sword qi.
“Damn it…!”
The count immediately chose to flee. Though he was a high-ranking demon, a Sword Master was on an entirely different level. No matter how strong a high-ranking demon was, they could only hold out for so long.
“Blood Aria—!”
He used blood magic to cover his vision and conceal himself.
But—
Boom—!
With a casual swing of her sword, Emilia literally tore the magic apart.
“Uwaaaaah—!!”
And just like that, the count’s arm was severed. Looking at his own limb lying helplessly on the floor, he realized he wouldn’t be able to escape.
“H-How did you find out?”
So he chose to gather information. Even if he died, he would extract as much as possible and report it to Lord Blood.
“Exterminate the demons—!”
What returned was a cold, merciless sword strike. The count’s head was severed cleanly, and his life came to an end.
Yet even as he died, the count was smiling. He was certain. Even if he perished, his master Blood would surely avenge him. His lord was the cruel Blood Monarch. A great being who would never lose to a mere Sword Master. That was why he could die with such faith.
But at that very moment, in the Goshura Great Forest.
‘Fuck… Where the hell did it all go wrong…!’
Blood let out a sigh heavy with regret.
Was it the moment he had sent Lucifer ahead of him on the mission in the Goshura Great Forest? Or when he thought he could freely manipulate the beastmen and tried to strike a deal with them? Or perhaps…
‘Is it because of that bastard Sieg?’
The instant that name left his lips, the air froze. And without warning, Yuho launched an attack.
Boom—!
He immediately defended with blood magic to minimize the impact, but Blood couldn’t completely shake off the effects of the sudden ambush. He could feel part of his internal organs had been destroyed.
“Blood Spear—!”
He manipulated blood freely to pressure Yuho. No matter where she tried to run, the spears of blood chased her relentlessly, striking again and again.
“Uwaaaaaah—!”
With a battle cry, she threw a punch that shattered the spears. And that wasn’t all. Yuho followed up by activating magic that filled the space with flames. Unfortunately for Blood, they were in a forest vulnerable to fire. In the blink of an eye, the flames swallowed the entire area. The intense heat made it difficult to use blood magic.
“I-I’m being pushed back?!”
He, who ranked third or fourth in pure combat strength within the entire Demon King’s Army, was being overpowered? It was unbelievable.
“Energy Drain.”
Blood grabbed one of his servants and activated the spell. The servant shriveled up like a mummy as he used her as a sacrifice to restore his stamina. At the same time, he continuously cast magic into the ground beneath his feet to replenish his mana.
A massive amount of mana gathered. He began a long incantation, radiating killing intent strong enough to slaughter Yuho on the spot.
Sensing the danger, Yuho retreated and repositioned herself. She had luckily landed a critical hit with the surprise attack, but Blood was a Corps Commander of the Demon King’s Army. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down. Moreover, she could feel an enormous surge of mana gathering around him.
‘My clansmen…’
Even if she could somehow stop him, her clansmen who had come with her might be in danger. So Yuho immediately began preparing defensive magic.
‘I can block this.’
She still didn’t know exactly what spell Blood was casting, but she was confident after seeing how quickly the mana had gathered in his grasp. Perhaps thanks to Sieg’s blessing, she had become significantly stronger. The incantation that would normally have taken a long time had finished in an instant.
“Die, you damn beastmen—!”
Blood’s magic activated. A giant magic circle enveloped him. A blinding light filled Yuho’s vision. It was so bright she instinctively closed her eyes for a split second.
When she opened them again—
“He disappeared…?”
Blood was gone.
“Spatial teleportation magic…?”
One of her clansmen muttered. Had a Corps Commander of the Demon King’s Army actually run away? The same Blood famous throughout the world for his immense pride? It was hard to believe.
But on the other hand, she understood. He must have been panicked. He simply hadn’t expected her power to be this great. Even Yuho herself hadn’t anticipated it. She seemed to have become twice, maybe three times stronger than before. Perhaps even more.
“My God…”
Yuho offered a silent prayer of gratitude in her heart. The fact that she had survived her encounter with Blood was entirely thanks to Sieg’s blessing.
And she made a vow.
“Blood…!”
That bitch who had sworn to kill her god.
“I will kill her.”
She swore she would do it with her own two hands.
*
Blood, having fled from Yuho, teleported to one of his emergency hideouts—the Chepesh County.
“Damn it…!”
Blood couldn’t even lift his head from the shame. A Corps Commander of the Demon King’s Army had run away in fear? If the Demon King found out, how disappointed would he be? The humiliation was unbearable.
“I won’t let those beast bitches get away with this…!”
When the Demon King’s Army began its invasion, he swore he would be at the very front, sweeping them away.
And the man responsible for all of this.
“Sieg…!”
It was all because of that man named Sieg. He would find him too and tear him to pieces.
As he continued spitting out curses, a cold voice suddenly reached his ears.
“What did you just say? What did you do to our Young Master?”
A chilling voice rang in Blood’s ears.
“As expected, the Demon King’s Army is our Young Master’s enemy… I won’t leave a single one of you alive.”
The one who appeared was a black-haired girl with sword qi wrapped around her blade.
It was Emilia.
She pointed her sword at Blood, radiating murderous intent.
‘Fuck… What the hell is that guy Sieg even doing?!’
Blood found himself facing yet another catastrophe. And he instinctively knew.
Escaping this time would be impossible.