Chapter 412
Chapter 412
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 412
Chapter Title: Dark Nest (2)
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A full-scale war had broken out between two of the Demon World's most prominent mega-factions.
Dark Nest, which still rightfully claimed the title of the Demon World's strongest despite recent humiliations that had stirred whispers of concern among its ranks.
And Demoniac, which had been secretly gathering its strength through passive responses amid Helheim's aggressive advances.
The war, which began at the border frontlines, gradually swelled in scale until it spread like wildfire across every territory touched by either faction.
They had mobilized all their subordinate forces, and even the faction leaders—the two dukes themselves—had taken to the battlefield personally. It was a massive all-out war.
[You bastard! Pieta—! I'll rip off that head of yours and make it my trophy!]
"Urgh, Dragon Duke. What's got you flying off the handle like this all of a sudden? Launching a full-scale war out of nowhere has to be a burden for you too, doesn't it?"
[Don't play dumb! You think I wouldn't know about the schemes you've been plotting behind my back?!]
"...I have no idea what you're talking about."
Pieta said that, but he inwardly flinched at how much he had to hide. A sharp glint twisted in his eyes.
He'd definitely timed his operations for when Dark Nest was fully preoccupied battling Helheim, thinking they'd never notice.
'What got exposed? The secret gate connections? Brainwashing the kidnapped executives? Or did they catch the spies I planted in the core areas? He's way too worked up for it to be minor. Or maybe...'
There were so many possibilities that he couldn't pinpoint the cause.
He'd been running so many major schemes against Dark Nest behind the scenes that he couldn't count them on one hand.
'Maybe they found out about everything. I got careless. No wonder it felt like they were pushing back too hard against Helheim for their usual style—they must've been watching us the whole time, even mid-battle.'
Pieta, whose own feet were to the fire, desperately analyzed the situation.
Something had definitely been exposed, and badly.
The Dragon Duke was in the same boat, unable to openly admit his own shady dealings, which only fueled the misunderstanding.
Even if Pieta protested his innocence, it wouldn't change a thing.
The Dragon Duke knew full well Pieta's penchant for intrigue and deceit.
That was why one's usual conduct mattered so much.
[I'll kill you here first—! The mongrels come next!]
"Ha! You think I'm some pushover like that idiot Karakul? You think I'll go down that easily?"
With the Dragon Duke's furious roar came a torrent of breath, countered by the Black Rock Duke's black magic that wielded 'Distortion.'
Destructive energy crashed in like a tidal wave, only to be deflected by twisted space.
Twisted beams of mana shot back in retaliation, laced with deadly poison that pierced the dragon's massive body. But they fizzled out harmlessly, unable to breach the link of 'Foresight' and 'Dissolution.'
Rumble—! Boom!
The shockwaves alone wreaked havoc across the entire battlefield in a back-and-forth clash.
It was a brutal fight where no one could predict the next move, but the outcome was already somewhat decided.
"Urk!"
[You think you can take me alone?! I am Dragon Duke Krushair! The strongest in the current Demon World, soon to surpass even the Demon King!]
Despite the heavy toll from his recent battle with Hela, Krushair dominated the duel against another duke, relentlessly pressuring his foe.
Proving that his title as the Demon World's strongest was no empty boast.
In the end, Pieta—who had been holding his own—had no choice but to retreat from the field, accepting the collateral damage.
If he kept fighting and actually fell, that would be the end of everything.
'I'll pull back for now. But this isn't over.'
He'd never expected to win a frontal war from the start.
That was why he'd prepared all those schemes.
Most were still incomplete, but mobilizing them all could create a chance for reversal.
"Cough! Lord Pieta!"
[Kieeeek—! Kill... kill! Eat! I'm starving!]
"Damn it! If I'd known, I would've switched sides sooner... Gah!"
[Keuk— Kyaaak—!]
In the end, a significant portion of Demoniac's forces that had been supporting him were brutally torn apart by snow-white aberrations without mounting proper resistance. But sacrifices were par for the course on any battlefield.
The Black Rock Duke managed to escape to the rear, buying time with his subordinates' lives.
"So you really want to end this once and for all? Fine, then. I won't hold back either!"
Immediately after, he unleashed every scheme he'd prepared in one go.
Dark Nest's homeland was struck by raids everywhere, betrayal and assassination rampant, plunging it into chaos.
[Ignore the minor losses. What matters is catching Pieta as fast as possible.]
But the Dragon Duke on the frontlines pressed forward undeterred.
Leading an army of pure white monsters that knew no fear or betrayal in any situation—craving only slaughter.
As the situation deteriorated, Demoniac grew desperate.
They urgently contacted Helheim, with whom they at least maintained a facade of alliance, but...
-Our forces are at the breaking point from exhaustion. Unlike some, we've been in grueling daily battles. That's how we pushed all the way to Dark Nest's homeland.
So we're very sorry, but we can't send reinforcements right now. Along with a promise to shake Dark Nest's rear as soon as they regrouped—if Demoniac could just hold out.
Bang!
The Black Rock Duke slammed the table upon hearing the report from his adjutant.
The table and surroundings were trashed, but he had no time for such trifles.
"...Idiots. Don't they realize if we collapse like this, it'll make things hard for them too?"
Dark Nest's aggressive push against Demoniac was partly due to Helheim's sudden passivity.
They'd gone from steamrolling toward the heartlands to methodically subjugating nearby forces, fortifying advance bases and digging in.
"...This isn't good. Not good at all."
He murmured softly, staring at the battlefield map.
His schemes had bought some time, but if they kept getting pushed in the open war, it meant little.
His own forces were already wavering.
'Tch, I might have to seriously consider surrendering.'
If worst came to worst, capitulation was an option.
It felt dubious against an opponent foaming at the mouth to kill him, but once cooler heads prevailed, the duke realized absorbing him would be far more profitable.
The Dragon Duke himself was one such survivor who had clawed his way up.
"Still, I have to try everything until the very end."
Of course, he had no intention of bowing easily.
Wasn't it the same during the last 15th Demon King selection?
The Dragon Duke had dominated throughout, yet the throne went to that greedy Tanuin who never gave up.
If he'd refused to surrender back then and pressed on with his intact forces, he might have become the 15th Demon King instead. So this time, he'd fight until all hope was truly lost.
'Of course, Helheim is the wildcard...'
For now, dealing with Dark Nest's tidal wave came first.
He'd prepared countermeasures against Helheim in the meantime.
Thus, Black Rock Duke Pieta clung to a thread of hope, rolling the dice desperately.
To seize the Demon King's throne somehow.
Of course, at that very moment...
If he'd known what scheme the wildcard Hela was plotting, he never would've been so complacent.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Good work, Ken. That must've been a tough mission, but you handled it perfectly."
"Not at all, Lady Hela! Without Davidson, whom you sent to assist me, I could've never done it alone. I was just the guide."
"Enough with the humility. Things wouldn't have gone this smoothly without you."
"Lady Hela...!"
Kneeling before Hela, Ken's face lit with感动 at her gentle smile and praise.
It was inevitable.
This mission had essentially force-fed him a golden opportunity.
An artificial mind in an artificial body.
A fake existence through and through, now reborn as a complete entity.
Not to mention evolving into a marquis-class demon in the process.
'Without Davidson... Even if I'd luckily entered that temple, I wouldn't have survived my original body's end—my mind and body would've been taken by that curse.'
A mysterious hero had helped too, but that didn't diminish his loyalty to Hela.
She was the reason he'd survived those overwhelming foes—thanks to Davidson.
As if reading his thoughts, Hela chuckled lightly and continued.
"Anyway, how's the previous Demon King's body? Any progress?"
They'd gained more than one thing from that temple.
Among them, the remains of the 15th Demon King Tanuin, painstakingly collected by the Dragon Duke over centuries.
And Ken, sharing the same origin, had absorbed them to vastly boost his physical potential.
"...I'm ashamed to say my abilities are lacking. It'll take more time for proper results. Maybe it's better to just give the rest to Davidson..."
"Hmm, I figured as much. You're greedy to aim for the next stage so soon after growing. Davidson's fine. He eats a lot out of gluttony, but that amount's plenty for him."
What Davidson—Harley—truly needed wasn't the flesh itself, but the genetic info embedded in living bodies.
High-grade byproducts helped more the more he ate, but for someone who'd devoured divinity, further investment yielded diminishing returns.
No matter that it was a former Demon King's body—the soul and essence were cursed, and the flesh utterly ruined.
'Better to raise this one and put him to use. Way more efficient.'
If there were no alternative, she'd have gulped him down like the other duke-class demons.
But with such a fine slave, it was different.
"Don't rush. Absorb it steadily. Once you get the ball rolling, I can help."
"Ah...! Thank you, Lady Hela! I haven't even repaid your past graces, and now this...!"
Unaware of her true intentions, Ken prostrated himself in gratitude.
Hela, who only wanted to develop him for utility, looked awkward but soon brushed it off.
'Well, it's good for both of us, right? He'd love going back to Earth too.'
Even if not the real Miyamoto Ken, he inherited the memories.
He'd even succeeded part of the soul via that final contract.
Only the body had changed.
If memories and soul aligned, wasn't it essentially the same person?
After wrapping up with Ken,
Hela slowly walked through their current stronghold, doing a final inspection.
After devouring Otorel's domain—a key Dark Nest stronghold—they'd subjugated surrounding forces, building this advance base at the center.
While the other two fought, they'd focused on stabilization, and now it boasted impressive grandeur.
'Of course, the facade is just for show.'
A meaningful smile played on her lips.
The real prize wasn't the base itself, but something special installed here.
Confirming it one last time, she nodded slowly.
'Perfect. Ready to go anytime. The divinity fragment made it even easier.'
Another gain from the temple.
With the cursed relic that doomed Tanuin in hand, she could start her plan whenever.
The divinity fragment filled the last gaps in her Demon King qualifications.
"Alright then."
Half grateful to the Dragon Duke for handing over such a treasure so willingly,
Half grateful to the Black Rock Duke for buying her time and attention with his war.
Hela stepped forward with a refreshing smile.
"Shall we get started?"
Taking the first step to devour the entire Demon World.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [...What?]
Marquis-class demon Serentata, guarding Dark Nest's home base, scowled.
He immediately flew toward the anomaly.
With the war escalating to the point where faction leaders were on the frontlines, defending the central hub was paramount.
In this no-room-for-error situation, his tension was sky-high. Heading to the suspicious spot personally was natural.
Failing his duty again meant more than just a beating from the Dragon Duke.
[...Who goes there?!]
Arriving in a flash, he faced a mysterious figure radiating an eerie aura.
'How? The gates were under strict control!'
No way it was someone who'd always been here unnoticed.
Anyone who'd even glimpsed that figure once could never forget them.
Even hearsay should've sufficed.
"Oh? You got here quick. Sharp kid."
A pair of towering horns, red-black reverse pupils, ornate attire overshadowed by overwhelming demonic charisma.
Just eye contact sent invasive corrosion gnawing at his mind. He gritted his teeth, certain of her identity.
[Helheim's sovereign, Hela...!]
"Yep, that's me."
How had she infiltrated without passing gates?
Even depleted, what nerve to invade enemy HQ solo?
No time for questions.
Whoosh—
In that instant,
The world overlaid around her.
Not fully replaced.
Like two worlds merging—the wasteland hazily superimposed.
But it wasn't just visuals.
Step step step—
Thud— Thud—
Beyond the overlaid wasteland,
A demon army surged with sky-piercing morale, moving in perfect unison.
[What?! How?!]
Impossible.
This was Dark Nest's stronghold, lair of the Demon World's sole dragon, the Dragon Duke.
No unauthorized intruder could breach it.
"How...?"
Of course.
"Do I need permission to visit my own land?"
Such things held no meaning for the Demon World's rightful ruler, Demon King Hela.