Chapter 401
Chapter 401
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 401
Chapter Title: Demon World Revolution (2)
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Miyamoto Ken, who had burrowed deep into the heart of Dark Nest, quickly solidified his position.
In truth, under normal circumstances, it would have taken quite some time.
No matter how great his contributions this time around, it was a fact that until recently, he had still felt a bit like an outsider.
However, the dire situation facing Dark Nest right now overrode all relationships and made it possible.
"Pushed back all the way to Otorrel's territory? Wait, if that's the case..."
[This is troubling. That's a key strategic point—a gateway for external advances among the central checkpoints. We can't let them take it.]
"You idiots! How incompetent do you have to be to get pierced through so helplessly without even holding them off for a moment?"
Several high-ranking demons of various forms had gathered in the central command post, noisily clamoring as they stared at the holographic map floating in the center.
Devils including two marquises were among them.
"The engagement ratio is the worst. If we clash head-on, we can assume we'll lose every time."
"What about the Abyss monsters? Even with those beasts, we're still getting pushed back like this?"
"Those monsters are excellent assets, but they're not omnipotent. The core of war is strategy. And we're completely outmatched in that department."
Their attacks were blocked by defenses that seemed prepared in advance, the enemy's strikes exploited only their vulnerabilities, and the traps they painstakingly set were turned against them time and again.
With such circumstances unfolding across the entire battlefield, it was only natural they were being overwhelmed so helplessly.
One marquis-rank devil, who had been silently watching the war map, slowly opened his mouth.
[Our internal information is leaking.]
"Yeah, and on top of that, we can't stop the forces led directly by Helheim's leader. That's the biggest problem. Even Tovares, who recently led his elites out to buy time..."
[...switched sides to them in just a few days.]
"......"
The betrayal of a marquis-rank devil—one of only four in all of Dark Nest.
It carried more weight than simply losing one key ally in their core forces.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
It was a total crisis, plain and simple.
In this situation, Dark Nest's overwhelming numerical superiority offered little help.
On the contrary, the longer time passed, the more allies with knowledge of their intel defected to the enemy.
[At least now we can catch our breath for a bit. The Mad Dragon Duke will step in personally soon.]
"But blocking them alone doesn't solve everything. We need to revise our strategic policies first."
The two marquises exchanged glances and let out deep sighs.
If internal leaks continued, an even greater collapse would come eventually.
In the end, they had no choice but to resort to an extreme measure, even at the cost of reduced operational efficiency in the war effort.
They began restricting information flow not just to those actively engaged on the front lines, but to all peripheral allies who might have had contact with the 'enemy.'
Strategy formulation was now exclusively handled by the central command, and those from regions likely infiltrated by spies were denied authority beyond basic tactics.
This even applied to high-ranking devils based in the outer areas—no exceptions.
"They'll be dissatisfied for now, but it's unavoidable. At least until we sort out Helheim, we'll have to ask for their understanding."
[We'll be short-handed for a while.]
In such circumstances, it was only natural that high-ranking devils with extremely low chances of external contact received even greater responsibilities.
Yes, for example...
Someone like Miyamoto Ken, who had been dispatched to the surface until recently and, upon returning, had stayed exclusively in the central depths of Dark Nest.
'As expected of Lady Hela! She must have predicted even this.'
Ken burst into admiration, utterly blinded by devotion.
Who could have possibly foreseen it!
That the one who had fetched precious items from the surface and offered them already had his flag turned before even returning to the demon world.
No, even more crucially, that he himself had provided the decisive trigger for drawing the current problem—Helheim's leader 'Hela'—into the demon world!
To avoid suspicion, he gathered information as cautiously as possible.
Having paid little attention to demon world affairs until now, he lacked prior knowledge, but driven solely by fanatical loyalty, he moved actively.
Then one day.
The perfect opportunity finally arrived for him, who had been biding his time for any opening.
'The Mad Dragon Duke is leaving his post...'
After gaining the upper hand in the war, the Mad Dragon Duke rarely intervened unless it was critical, holing up in his stronghold.
Now, he could no longer ignore Helheim's unstoppable advance and decided to step out personally.
Upon hearing the news, Ken immediately devised a plan.
'I have to check inside there after all.'
Investigating the underground ritual hall he had visited several times after his first errand.
Specifically, peering into the space beyond the door behind where Duke Tuma was imprisoned—that was the goal of this operation.
'Even in that secretive ritual hall, they hid it so thoroughly. There must be the Mad Dragon Duke's weakness or secret inside.'
However, even with the duke away, problems remained.
Sodian, the marquis-rank devil who practically resided there, constantly monitoring what went on inside.
A magic-type foe who had established her domain in her own workshop—even against an equal rank, he lacked confidence in victory, and she outranked him besides. Winning in a direct fight was out of the question.
'No frontal assault. I need some other method...'
He didn't know when another chance like this would come.
This was his moment to prove his worth.
As Ken racked his brains...
An unexpected visitor arrived.
"Hm? Long time no see, Frances. First time since the mission?"
["What's this about, Frances? Unless it's extremely important, weren't we supposed to avoid contact?"]
Ken sent a telepathic message to the elderly gentleman in pristine white attire while casually asking after his health, smirking as he did.
This viscount-rank devil, dispatched to the surface alongside him, had served as Ken's bridge to the outside, as Ken had avoided external contact.
Since only intel needed passing, their meetings had occurred in Frances's mental realm via his psychic abilities—until now, when he suddenly showed up in person.
This risked dragging Ken in if Frances was ever exposed.
Naturally, Ken reacted sensitively.
"Heh heh—long time indeed, Ken. I brought a precious gift as thanks for your previous help."
["Once is fine, I suppose. We're partners from the dispatch mission, after all."]
["That doesn't justify it. This place is on thin ice right now. Our meeting might already be reported upstairs. Contacting so recklessly at a time like this..."]
["Lady Hela's orders."]
The covert conversation amid casual talk came to an abrupt halt.
With that name invoked, Ken could no longer chide his counterpart's carelessness.
He nodded slowly and spoke.
"Hmm, a gift? Well, let's take a look then."
"You'll like it. Took some effort to obtain."
"Enough teasing—open it already."
Right then, the space beside Frances rippled, and a cage about waist-high materialized.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't a plain box—the entrance was barred with metal grating, like an animal carrier.
"...What is this?"
Ken's face showed genuine bewilderment.
A gift? Giving him a beast cage?
He couldn't fathom its connection to Lady Hela's command.
As he puzzled over it, something inside the grating peeked out, poking its head through.
Ken, peering in with furrowed brows, suddenly widened his eyes.
"This is?!"
"Heh heh heh, knew you'd recognize it."
Of course he did.
With such distinct features, failing to identify it would be weirder.
And indeed—
"A Cerberus pup?"
"Spot on. Wasn't easy to get."
The creature, large-dog sized, had three heads.
Ken stared at it in astonishment.
Cerberus were a type of native demon beast in the demon world, but not something you encountered easily.
Upon maturity, they gained intelligence surpassing most sapients, with physical prowess exceeding even dragons—a monster among monsters.
The recently deceased Mad Wolf Duke Sipar was prime proof of their might.
Even if it didn't reach duke-rank like him, the potential for high-rank devil status was there. Raised right with instilled loyalty from youth, it would be a priceless asset.
["Why give this to me?"]
Which made it all the more puzzling.
Was this worth risking exposure in the current climate?
If it were pure goodwill, maybe—but for them with uncertain futures, it wasn't particularly useful.
["She said it'd aid your operation."]
["This little thing?"]
["I'm just following orders—don't know more."]
["...I see."]
Squatting before the grating, Ken eyed the creature inside with a subtle gaze.
He had been relaying updates, so Hela knew his situation.
Sent in that context, it surely had a purpose.
"Thanks. Going out of your way for something this rare."
"That settles our debt. I'll be off then."
The two devils parted with natural farewells.
No signs detected nearby, but they never let their guard down.
In Dark Nest's home base, ways to fool senses were endless.
"Kekekakat!"
"Kahat—!"
The Cerberus pup in the cage let out a bizarre cry.
Like laughter, or mocking disdain.
As it burrowed into his ears, Ken's heartbeat quickened oddly, unease stirring.
'...Feels off. Is this normal for Cerberus pups?'
Having never seen one before, he had no way to know.
Unnerved, he frowned and carried the cage back to his quarters.
Dismissing it as tension from the sudden contact.
Meanwhile, the six eyes in the leisurely jostling cage scanned surroundings calmly.
Like surveying new territory, sparkling with curiosity.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Its appearance was dramatically theatrical.
Rumble—! Boom—!
Sudden dense clouds blanketed the violet sky and the rift at its center.
Amid them, thick lightning flashed as a colossal lifeform descended through the darkness from above.
Whoosh— Whoosh—
Vast twin pairs of wings flapping—an overwhelming frame easily over a hundred meters at a glance.
Its jet-black scales, absorbing surrounding light, starkly conveyed its ominous presence.
"Whoa~ What an impactful entrance."
"H-Heh, Lady Hela! It's here! That's..."
The battlefield fell into stunned silence at the abrupt anomaly.
Undeterred, Shiana rushed to Hela's side, babbling casually.
At the same time, the airborne behemoth overlooking the ground turned its long neck toward them.
Horns of various sizes on its head, mane-like spines protruding wildly, and three pairs of eyes emitting violet glows.
"...Mad Dragon Duke Crushaier...!"
The ancient dragon roared—a behemoth dwarfing even the Ancient Dragon statue from Horus's Golden Vault.
[Groooaaarrr—!]
The roar, laden with visible might, swept the entire battlefield instantly, disrupting the aura of dominance Hela had wielded over it.
An influence even marquis-rank devils couldn't resist, now nullified by a mere cry.
"Mm, definitely a huge gap. They say that mutt is on the same level?"
"...The Mad Dragon Duke has been a top demon king candidate for millennia. Just terribly unlucky... Always narrowly losing at crucial moments, stuck as number two till now."
"Wow... Talk about the worst luck."
Amazed, Hela covered her mouth with one hand and shook her head.
At that level, maybe some cosmic sabotage?
Perhaps the Demon God didn't want him as king.
'If that's true, no wonder he'd go dark. Even if all coincidences, he'd resent the Demon God plenty.'
Then, Hela—who had clicked her tongue lightly—locked eyes directly with the hovering Mad Dragon Duke.
Crackle—!
Her habitually activated Dominating Evil Eye rebounded off something, sparks flying in the air.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Supported by skills like Nation-Toppling Beauty and Lord of Enchantment, yet this level of resistance.
But it revealed one thing.
'No way—all six eyes are Evil Eyes?'
Evil Eyes: forces that impose specific mysteries merely by gaze, bypassing mana structures or equations.
Gauging the dragon's power roughly from this skirmish, Hela licked her lips faintly.
Of course, she wasn't the only one sizing up.
[Power of domination... As suspected. Inheritor of Reray's might? What are you, really?]
The dragon's word, infused with immense power, echoed across the field.
The fight had long stalemated.
All eyes from both camps turned to them.
"Who knows? Doubt you'd understand even if I told you."
Hela shrugged, wings spreading wide.
With a light flap, she soared into the high skies.
Now at similar altitudes, their gazes clashed again.
[I'll be the judge of that. Answer my question, mongrel.]
Sparks flew once more, and anticipation boiled her blood for the real battle ahead.
'A one-on-one against such a powerhouse alone?'
No pushover opponent.
Possibly the strongest being in the current demon world—a monster.
Yet facing such might, only a smile graced her lips.
An inexplicable thrill surged from her depths.
'Not my first time, huh?'
Against Mad Wolf Duke, she borrowed Harris... no, Davidson's power to end it quick.
Otherwise, securing Abnormal intact would be tough, and Dark Nest or Demoniac might intervene to ruin everything.
'Leading the army till now was the same. Most efficient way to leverage my abilities and end the war fast.'
Marquis-ranks sated some bloodlust, but it still left her wanting.
Now, with her influence as demon king expanding and amplifying her power in the demon world, her martial prowess far surpassed her birth.
'Finally!'
Regardless, demonic blood coursed hot in her veins.
Facing a foe demanding her all ignited uncontainable fighting spirit.
"No more chit-chat."
Red gleam erupted from her reverse eyes once more.
Whirr—
But this time, not aimed at the giant before her.
"Let's throw down first, lizard."
Ferocious grin curving her lips.
And with intensely dense mana waves...
Dominating Evil Eye engulfed the surrounding space.