Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Leviathan Awakens
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I lined up steel skeletons in a row in front of the burning village.
They exuded a menacing aura that made it clear to anyone they weren't ordinary beings.
With the power of the scythe Vulcanus had made for me, they were equipped with high-grade items, making them summons no one could underestimate.
A standoff with the demons.
I had no intention of fighting.
I just wanted to show my power to those in front of me.
One of the demon soldiers stepped forward and asked me,
"Those guys are all your subordinates, right?"
"Yeah."
"You're not here to attack Leviathan, are you?"
"If I were, I'd have attacked you first."
Even in PC games, lesser demons spouted stupid lines, and it was the same here.
While I was bantering with him, Leviathan emerged from outside the village.
A white-haired old man leaning on a shabby staff. Fitting for one of the demon kings, he wore a golden crown.
He glanced at my lined-up skeleton soldiers and let out a hollow laugh.
"Here to kill me?"
"No."
"Then why are you here?"
"Didn't your soldiers explain?"
Leviathan glanced at the demon soldier who'd come to summon him.
They really hadn't explained anything.
I hadn't realized they were this ragtag. This could be trouble.
Leviathan gazed toward a distant mountain.
I asked him again.
"Leviathan, Titan needs your help."
"Titan?"
"He's in danger because Michael has been resurrected."
The demons jumped in surprise at the mention of Michael's resurrection.
Only Leviathan remained calm.
"I see."
"You're not surprised?"
"I always thought Michael would resurrect someday."
"Really?"
"And I won't help Titan. Why should I aid that damned loyalist of Lucifer?"
As expected, he showed the hostility toward Lucifer I'd anticipated.
Even so, I spoke on Titan's behalf.
"Titan said you'd definitely help."
"Me? Why?"
"He said to pool our strength and take down Lucifer together."
Leviathan's eyebrow twitched.
"What?"
"You know Lucifer is sealed by the Opener right now, don't you?"
"Yeah."
"And only Titan knows the location of the seal."
"That's true. Knowing that proves you're really one of Titan's subordinates."
I nodded with a pleasant smile.
"You got it."
* * * * *
Under the demons' guidance, I entered the burning village.
It was so wretched that dying might be better than living here.
It lived up to its reputation as the filthiest, most stench-ridden place in the underworld.
Unimaginable trash piled up in one corner of the village.
The sand heaps they called houses were barely spaces to lie down.
The village's only tree had flames flickering like candles at the end of its twisted branches.
It was utterly pathetic for a demon king's domain.
"Is this your turf?"
I asked again, even though I knew.
To make him feel the misery of his situation.
"Yeah."
"I couldn't live in a place like this."
"Just get on with what you were saying."
"Oh, that? Titan said he'd tell you the location, so let's take down Lucifer together and change the lord of hell. In exchange for you helping kill Michael."
"..."
"Not a bad deal, right?"
Leviathan squeezed his eyes shut, deep in thought, as if pondering. It was an offer hard to refuse.
He was stuck in hell's remotest trash heap just because Lucifer had it out for him.
I rested my chin in my hand and watched him.
His demon subordinates whispered among themselves.
-Can we all finally leave this place?
-I'd do anything as long as I don't have to live in this damned village anymore.
-Leviathan, let's hear more from this human.
Having heard his subordinates, Leviathan finished thinking and said to me,
"If I kill Michael, that's it?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm, location?"
"The Burning Temple."
"The Burning Temple?!"
His eyebrow twitched again. He couldn't help but be shaken.
The Burning Temple was where the demons of hell had sealed another archangel.
Raphael, Michael's staunch supporter and the epitome of healing, slumbered there.
If both Michael and Raphael awoke, it would spell great peril for the demons.
They had the power to restore the ruined world.
"Yeah, the Burning Temple. That's where Michael and his human followers are gathered."
"Where's Titan?"
"He's in Mechania, blocking humans and angels from entering hell."
"All the giants?"
"Yeah."
Suddenly, a blue aura poured from Leviathan's body, enveloping the entire village.
The flames rising from cracked ground halted.
He swung his staff, and thunder roared as rain poured from the sky.
Rumble!
"I'll accept Titan's terms."
Torrential rain fell.
Leviathan's body covered in blue scales, transforming into a monster.
The kind often called a dragon in the East—no wings, but a long, serpentine body.
His body was long enough to encircle the whole village and more.
His demon subordinates cheered in the falling rain.
-Leviathan has finally awakened! We can escape this hellhole!
-Even if it means betraying Lucifer, I can't stay in this village anymore!
Everyone welcomed his resolve.
Leviathan raised his head high and roared,
"By extinguishing this place's flames, I've severed ties with my other brethren. From now on, I won't look back. I'll charge forward until I become hell's ruler!"
-Roar!
They all basked in joy.
I smiled as I watched them.
I wonder if they knew what my smile meant.
"Shall we go, then?"
* * * * *
Rain poured wherever Leviathan passed. The demons followed him toward the Burning Temple.
I walked alongside his head, chatting.
"Why was Michael's seal broken? I heard he was inside Titan's body."
"The Opener appeared. I don't know how, but he dragged Michael out of Titan's body."
"The... Opener. So that guy really exists?"
"Yeah. He resurrected Michael from inside Titan and plans to purify hell."
"Damn..."
He bared his teeth.
I could see Leviathan's saw-like teeth. One bite and everything would be shredded.
I averted my gaze to the health bar above Leviathan's head.
Yellow.
So, four bars to whittle down.
If it starts at yellow, the order is yellow → blue → green → red.
One more than the giants.
The PC version gauged Leviathan's health stronger than Titan's. Things were a bit different.
'Is it because it's Inferno Hell difficulty?'
We kept moving along the path connected to the World Tree.
The Burning Temple stood before the World Tree, on the way to Lucifer's throne.
It was Lucifer's special measure to keep angels from reaching the temple.
Raphael's healing could revive countless angels, something even Lucifer feared.
Other demons silently cleared the way as we moved.
They trembled just at the sight of Leviathan.
Even the beholder that had given me trouble in the sixth round peeked cautiously and hid behind a rock.
Bwoooong-.
One of the leading demons shouted loudly.
-Leviathan! Wind is blowing from the north!
"Wind from the north?"
-Yes!
Suddenly, fierce winds howled. Lighter demons lost their footing and fell.
Leviathan, slithering on the ground, coiled to shield them from the wind.
Everyone halted.
"Battle stations."
At his low command, all the demons froze.
Leviathan's subordinates warily scanned the surroundings with their lesser demon tridents.
Unsure of the situation, I asked Leviathan,
"Why'd we stop?"
"They're coming."
"Them?"
"The Creator of Evil, one of Lucifer's sons. My brother, Satan."
Satan.
If Leviathan ruled the south, Satan ruled the north.
The odds of him coming south for no reason were slim, so had he already sniffed out our movement?
Leviathan coiled up and reared his body toward the sky.
His head rose high enough to touch the clouds.
He surveyed the area and commanded his demon subordinates.
"Everyone, full speed to the Burning Temple!"
The demon soldiers hesitated.
When no one moved, he flicked his tail, slamming the ground.
Boom!
The demons jolted and obeyed Leviathan's order.
-Everyone, run to the Burning Temple!
I shouted at Leviathan.
"Leviathan!"
"Human, you go with them. I'll buy time."
"Buy time?"
"Satan and his minions aren't my match anyway. His real target is probably my subordinates."
"..."
No good.
I needed to bring him to the Burning Temple.
To get the strongest skill a necromancer could have from him.
It was essential to breeze through the seventh round's main event.
I deployed steel skeleton soldiers in all directions and told Leviathan,
"I'll fight too."
"What?"
"I told you earlier. We have to go to the Burning Temple together."
"Didn't I tell you to go ahead?"
"And leave us to face Michael alone?"
Leviathan twisted his body down to the ground and said to me,
"You could die here."
"If I was scared of dying, I wouldn't have come to hell."
"He's not weak enough for a human to handle."
"But you're stronger, right?"
"..."
"I'm one of the stronger humans."
Leviathan opened his mouth wide, baring his molars. I didn't know what emotion it conveyed, but it didn't feel negative.
"Do as you like. Just don't hold me back."
"No worries."
Leviathan's red-skinned subordinates dashed off, kicking up dust.
Dark clouds from the north began covering the sky.
Leviathan emitted a blue aura, wary of the heavens.
"They're here."
I gathered my skeleton soldiers in one spot.
I didn't know why Satan was here, but he was definitely weaker than Leviathan.
The power gap was too vast for him to come block him, so what was the reason?
Had I altered the story flow too much?
"What..."
It didn't matter.
Gray gargoyles blanketed the sky.
At their forefront, a demon with a goat's head and human body danced through the air.
A star shape on its forehead.
Exactly as depicted in the Book of the Lion.
[System Message]
[The Demon King of the North, 'Satan,' known as pure evil among the seven demons, comes to seek the king of the south.]