Chapter 402
Chapter 402
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 402
Chapter Title: Demon Realm Revolution (3)
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A different battlefield from where Hela and the Dragon Duke faced off.
There, too, a fierce war was raging in full swing.
"The Abyss monsters are charging again!"
"Prepare to intercept! We have to take out as many as possible before they reach us!"
"Matriarch! Dark Nest's vanguard is starting to move in with them!"
Helheim's forces, holding their defenses firm, and Dark Nest's army relentlessly tightening the noose around them.
Liriana, the matriarch of the Dream Walkers, who had been directing the reorganization after one round of fighting came to an end, furrowed her brow.
They had successfully seized enemy territory with their lightning-fast strategy, but the enemy's persistent airstrikes afterward were utterly relentless.
"Hoo, these tenacious bastards... no matter how many we kill, there's no end in sight."
She let out a short sigh laced with irritation and gazed toward the enemy lines.
On that side, pitch-black rifts had formed, and even now, grotesque monsters with pure white bodies were endlessly crawling out from them.
"...They look disgusting no matter how many times I see them. What rotten taste."
For Liriana, who cherished beauty, just looking at them was enough to turn her stomach.
[Grrrk! Grrk!]
[Aah...! I'm hungry!]
[Let's go, charge! To where the blood scent is!]
Simply having twisted or mixed-up body parts was child's play.
From monsters with giant eyeballs studded with teeth where heads should be, to massive spheres made entirely of rolling heads, and even horrors with multiple humanoid torsos linked in a chain, wriggling countless arms like centipede legs.
Every imaginable abomination of flesh was becoming reality and pouring onto the battlefield.
"Looks like they're starting to get anxious over there. They're getting more ferocious than when they first committed their forces. Well, they probably never expected to get pushed back like this right when they thought it was all but over."
With a smirk, she slowly stepped forward.
In this urgent situation where every hand was needed, even the commander couldn't afford to sit idle.
Splaaash—!
With a flick of her wrist, everything in front caught in its trajectory was instantly torn apart.
Amid the overwhelming destructive power sending debris flying like flower petals,
Liriana gripped the rose-vine-like whip that returned to her hand and sharply scanned the surroundings.
A battlefield where life and death clashed violently, exploding in the world's most intense emotions.
But this place was different from the countless battlefields she had grown weary of experiencing.
From the composition of the troops to the morale of her allies and the state of the battle—everything.
'In a situation like this, I'm in no position to complain about it being tough.'
This was an opportunity they never would have had otherwise.
If that one hadn't appeared, the Dream Walkers would have eventually been devoured by the Abnormal or Dark Nest and torn to shreds.
Just like Duke Tuma's 'Burning Inferno,' of which only traces remained now.
'But things are different now.'
A beautiful smile graced her lips as she stroked the Queen's essence nestled in her bosom.
The meticulous processing of the essence, which she had been working on diligently since receiving it as a gift, was nearly complete.
Being direct-line kin essence, it had purified faster than expected.
'Once I can use this fully...'
The situation would become far more favorable.
Not just here, but all of Helheim would benefit.
Naturally, it would be a great boon to Hela, the leader guiding them at the forefront.
'Well, I don't need to worry about her. She always exceeds expectations.'
Wasn't all of Helheim's achievements so far thanks to their sovereign, Hela?
Liriana held absolute faith in their great ruler.
"Victory to Helheim! Glory to Lady Hela!"
And that went for every soul in Helheim's army here.
"Victory to Helheim! Glory to Lady Hela!"
"Slaughter every last one of those monsters!"
"Offer your death for Lady Hela!"
The forces charged headlong without regard for whether the foe was a high demon or a horrific monster.
More zealots than loyal soldiers, they feared not even death.
Kwaaaang—!
A new wind blew across the stagnating landscape of the Demon Realm.
A revolutionary gale that halted Dark Nest's plans, which had subjugated most resistors and was solidifying its dominance.
A wind that overturned the board they had so carefully set.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A massive explosion erupted in the sky overhead.
Kwaaaaang—!
The roar from the spatial distortion and collision spread across the entire battlefield, accompanied by a powerful shockwave.
Grounded beings affected by it cried out in agony and scrambled to respond, but the culprits causing the commotion couldn't spare them a glance.
In this situation, even a moment's distraction could hand the flow completely to the enemy.
[That mongrel is still playing tricks! Do you think you're the true Reray?!]
Kurung—! Pajijik—!
With thunderous dragon words, one of its six eyes glowed, summoning hundreds of lightning swords around the massive dragon.
Not only infused with immense power, each blade was several meters long—fierce attacks.
Without hesitation, they shot forward, shredding the space ahead into tatters.
"My, aren't we impatient. And enough with the mongrel this, mongrel that? You're an immigrant yourself—who are you to talk big?"
Before the strikes hit, Hela forcibly folded the dominated space to shift her position, grumbling.
No matter that she was a half-breed, mixed demon lineages weren't uncommon in Demon Realm society, where countless demon clans intermingled.
If anything, the Dragon Duke Crusha—born of surface dragons yet settled in the Demon Realm—was the real oddity.
"Feels like you fled here after breaking some law up top. Even in the Demon Realm, parading a fugitive criminal as your representative doesn't look good, does it? That's why you've been eating dust till now, right?"
[...I'll kill you!]
Killing intent poured from its three pairs of eyes.
She had guessed roughly, but it hit the mark.
No one had dared mention it to its face until now, but Hela had no qualms about sparing its feelings.
"Truth always hurts, doesn't it? Still, you have to face reality... Eek!"
As she mocked it earnestly, Hela hurriedly folded one wing and twisted her body.
Right after, a bizarre wave grazed where she had been.
Seeing the mana filling the space along its path cleanly erased, Hela narrowed her eyes.
'...Impressive, as expected. Not surviving so long in this Demon Realm for nothing.'
Dragons were a race specialized in manifesting mysteries, but even they had limits.
Yet this one had crossed into the Demon Realm, adapted to its energies, transformed its body, and embodied such diverse abilities!
A fitting candidate for Demon King for thousands of years.
'Good. Very good.'
Hela's lips twitched.
Even as she provoked, dodged, and counterattacked, her gleaming eyes never left the Dragon Duke.
Kururung—
A strange vibration hummed near her.
At the same time, light refracted around her, warping the scene.
The dominated surrounding space coalesced and compressed into her grasp.
'I can't just sit idle either!'
A move prepared while taunting and buying time.
With a light chuckle, Hela whipped down her clenched fist like a lash.
And right then.
Kwarururung—!
A ferocious roar like a collapsing mountain warped the space where the dragon hovered.
The sky, light, air, gravity, mana.
No—the 'world' itself took form and bared its fangs at the target.
According to its master's will.
Not merely slicing space, but wielding the world itself in a strike.
A limited technique usable only in this Demon Realm, bolstered by her growing Demon King influence rather than pure personal power—but its might was transcendent.
[...Not bad. Indeed, worthy of hunting Sipar.]
Of course, only if it landed properly.
Hela sneered and turned to where the dragon had dodged.
Its aura seemed slightly dimmed, but outwardly, it remained unscathed.
"Hmm, I suspected as much. Future sight, huh?"
[Hmph, think this body would fall to such a predictable attack?]
It was deflecting, but she wasn't fooled.
Having spotted two of its six eyes activate, Hela licked her lips quietly.
'One's definitely precognition. But it can't see too far ahead—maybe a few seconds at most.'
Yet for beings of their caliber, those seconds were enough to decide victory or defeat.
She couldn't abuse it recklessly, but its presence was undeniably burdensome.
And that wasn't the only issue.
'Even knowing a few seconds ahead shouldn't leave it this intact. That was an attack even foreknowledge couldn't dodge.'
A strike compressing the entire dominated space into one swing.
With the whole world in range as both weapon and reach, mere movement wouldn't evade it.
'The impact point halted for an instant. Definitely not a block or nullification. Time stop ability?'
Even halting a tiny area for a split second opened endless possibilities.
Combined with future sight, its unscathed state made sense.
'Every demonic eye is extraordinary. It didn't awaken them naturally. So, probably...'
The mental attack eye abandoned after failing against her, the elemental control eye wielding lightning, the mana erasure eye that forced her to drop "World of Demonic Heavens."
Five types confirmed so far.
'With such cheat-like powers, yet it never became Demon King. Just how monstrous were the previous ones?'
Hela inwardly marveled, clicking her tongue.
And the people who subjugated such Demon Kings in the past—how strong must they have been?
Though the Dragon Duke, demonized by Demon Realm energies, was stronger here, that didn't diminish their feats.
The sky battle raged on without pause.
Breath blasted from the dodge direction as if anticipated.
She tried twisting its path with space control, but the intruding enemy aura disrupted her dominance.
She barely blocked and counterattacked, breaking the combo, but inflicted no major damage.
Kwagwagwang!
Flashing lights and earth-shaking roars ceaselessly.
Occasional aftershocks reached the ground, wreaking havoc on both warring sides, but they were too focused to notice.
'...It's getting tough. Expert at using demonic eyes situationally, and incredibly seasoned in ability deployment.'
Without "Demon King" and "Annihilator," even a fair fight would be impossible.
Her total power matched, but proficiency gap was vast.
The foe had reigned at the top of this realm of strife for millennia—naturally.
'Still, the situation's not bad. Fighting such a strong opponent is rapidly honing my skills, thanks to Growth Potion and synergies.'
Her proficiency rose more from direct clashes with the Dragon Duke than from arriving in the Demon Realm to this battlefield.
And her "Demon King influence" was still growing...
[...What have you done?! Mongrel!]
The Dragon Duke reacted sharply, sensing it.
How could it stay calm while its enemy grew in real-time mid-fight?
Judging prolonged battle unwise, it finally unleashed its last treasured demonic eye.
[Die!]
Staring straight at Hela, its "reverse eye" emanated purple radiance.
Kiiing—
"Kuh!"
A ringing in her ears disrupted her wingbeats, making her stagger.
Blood streamed from her eyes and facial orifices.
Only after taking it did she realize the sixth demonic eye's power.
'Instant death demonic eye...?'
A gaze that could kill outright—the worst kind.
Saved for last, it seemed unusable lightly, but its potency was undeniable.
'...Tch, if "Instant Death Immunity" had triggered, I'd have nullified it completely.'
Her high tier prevented the "instant death" ruling.
Thus, she suffered reduced but still significant damage, spitting blood from her throat and steadying with wingbeats.
[Now you look decent. This time, I'll finish you for good!]
It seemed burdensome too—no immediate follow-up—but her greater injury was undeniable.
Continuing like this meant inevitable defeat.
"Hmph."
But she didn't care.
She had just achieved her initial goal.
Light gleamed in Hela's red eyes.
Her obsessive gaze, never leaving the foe throughout, fixed on its three pairs of reverse eyes.
'Now I've confirmed all six demonic eyes. How they're artificially linked through some ritual.'
From their first clash, instinct told her:
Its demonic eyes shared the same origin as hers.
The power of the "Demonic Eye Clan"—the other half of her succubus-mixed heritage—inherited by 14th Demon King Reray from her 13th Demon King father!
'No idea how it got that power...'
Probably extracted six Demonic Eye Clan eyes and transplanted their mysteries.
Details didn't matter now.
Crucial: its eye structure and activation matched hers perfectly.
Same root didn't mean instant replication by sight alone.
Peering into such a foe's internals to read energy flows? Absurd.
But she had a skill bypassing all that for direct results.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The entity has fulfilled the conditions for growth. Special Skill 「Eye of Domination」 evolves to 「Seven-Colored Demonic Eye」. The skill enabling her to mimic techniques seen with her eyes.
「Mimicry」.