The Demons
The Seiros allied forces, having conquered the territory of the Garios County, took a brief rest before marching toward the capital of Dabuns. There was only one reason for heading to Dabuns: to protect the First Prince and secure his succession to the throne.
From the beginning, when the Seiros Kingdom went to war against the noble faction of the Sogg Kingdom, this had been the condition set by the loyalist faction. The First Prince, Hernandez de Gibril Sogg, would inherit the throne from the late King Paheira de Gibril Sogg and rule the Sogg Kingdom in the future.
For that to happen, Paheira de Gibril Sogg could not be allowed to die. His words were necessary for a legitimate succession. The reason the Second and Third Princes were eyeing the throne was precisely because the current king was on the verge of death. Once the king died, only the nobles would decide the next ruler. In other words, as long as King Paheira de Gibril Sogg did not die, the First Prince could inherit the throne.
That was why the entire Seiros allied force had moved to Dabuns—to ensure the safety of both the king and the First Prince. Once the succession was complete, they would strip the noble faction of their authority, and King Pelion of Seiros would fly to Dabuns to sign a peace treaty. If nothing went wrong until then, the situation could be resolved smoothly.
But as always, variables had a way of appearing. This one emerged the moment the Seiros allied forces swiftly entered Dabuns.
Valion and Gorgon, who could be considered the closest aides to the loyalist faction, headed straight to the royal palace upon arriving in Dabuns to meet the king. Meanwhile, the Seiros allied forces focused on strengthening the capital’s defenses and reassuring the citizens. After all, the fact that they were at war with the Seiros Kingdom had already spread, and Vidion’s army had boldly marched straight into the capital.
Still, because this was loyalist territory, the unrest was not too severe. The real problem, as mentioned, arose because of Nidus, who had entered the loyalist lands as if invited.
In particular, allowing Nidus to reach the royal palace without stopping him had been a grave mistake. He was, after all, a noble of the Sogg Kingdom—and a duke at that. Who could have dared to block him?
Thanks to that, the king had ascended the throne for the first time in a long while. Despite his frail body, he had taken his seat to handle this critical matter.
“Cough! …I have burdened you all. Your faces look quite haggard.”
Where once many retainers had stood, now only the First Prince and the three nobles of the loyalist faction remained. Though it was an official occasion, the consent of other nobles was unnecessary. After all, once the First Prince inherited the throne, it would all be over.
But at that moment—
Creak!
The doors to the audience chamber swung wide open.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Not only had he interrupted a crucial moment, he was now clapping as if thoroughly dismissing the current situation.
“Magnificent! It has truly been a long time since I last saw you in this seat. Have you finally sensed the end while trying to preserve that precious body of yours!”
At those words, even the First Prince stepped forward.
“You wretch! How dare you speak such insolence! What makes you think you have the right to stand here!”
“What right, you ask? The two gentlemen behind me will answer that.”
As he spoke, new faces appeared behind him.
“How cruel of you all.”
“To hold the succession ceremony without us.”
They were the Second Prince, Darius de Gibril Sogg, and the Third Prince, William de Gibril Sogg.
“You two! Weren’t you supposed to be in Melbourne and Armian? I clearly ordered you to provide support there!”
Prince Hernandez had used this war as an opportunity to send the two princes to support the respective noble factions. But the two princes had already anticipated that command. It had all been part of Nidus’s scheme.
And then another noble revealed himself.
“It is finished, Your Highness Prince Hernandez.”
He was Marquis Hesse Armian, ruler of the Armian lands. As the second-in-command of the noble faction, the man who had always held his position firmly was also in on it.
With this, Prince Hernandez inheriting the throne while the two other princes lived had become impossible. They would never allow it to happen without interference.
The three loyalist nobles were equally shaken. The situation was on the verge of exploding, yet for some reason, Nidus tried to resolve it through conversation.
“So, to whom do you intend to pass the throne, Your Majesty?”
His calm voice carried the tone of someone simply asking to hear an answer.
“…You bastard… you’ve finally… shown your true colors! Cough! Cough!”
“Your Majesty, please preserve your health.”
When Paheira began coughing up blood, Duke Dabuns looked utterly lost.
“Hahaha! What can you even do in that condition! Do you truly believe a king in such a state holds any meaning!”
“You wretch! Guards, drag this man out at once!”
Duke Dabuns called for soldiers to remove Nidus, who had invaded his own territory and was threatening the king.
But…
“By whose authority!!”
No one entered.
It was because Nidus was a 5th Circle mage and Hesse was an Aura user. The soldiers outside had already been dealt with long ago.
“Are you truly human! How can you threaten the king you have served your entire lives!”
The First Prince shouted at them in fury. But nothing changed. The expressions on Melbourne, Hesse, and the two princes were already set in stone. They answered by placing their hands on their weapons.
“There will be no succession ceremony. Everyone present here will testify to that.”
If they killed the king, the princes, and the loyalist nobles who sought to prove the truth, what then? Even if the Second and Third Princes ascended the throne, no one would dare object. And with that power, they would strike back at the invading Seiros forces.
That was Nidus’s plan.
On the other side, Prince Hernandez and the three loyalist nobles, who had to protect the powerless king, had no choice but to struggle against the two noble faction leaders, Prince Darius, and Prince William. In the current situation, they had no way out.
Valion, in particular, thought of one person.
If only Lord Vidion could realize what is happening here.
If Vidion realized the situation and gave permission, then neither Nidus, Hesse, nor the princes would stand a chance. And these people had already committed what amounted to treason. No matter how cornered they were, openly showing hostility toward the king was extreme. There had to be something they were relying on.
Since Nidus possessed a sharp mind, he must have known that Vidion had entered Dabuns with the army. Valion wondered what exactly the man was counting on.
At that moment, Nidus clapped his hands as if something had just occurred to him.
“Ah, and allow me to inform you in advance—the Seven Heroes’ Vidion will not be able to come here. I have used an appropriate method to keep him occupied.”
Upon hearing those words, Valion fell into despair. And as if to prove the statement true, the view outside the window darkened. An unpleasant wave of unknown power washed over them as well.
Do we have no choice but to endure?
Protecting the king was only natural, but in the current situation, it would not be easy. Still, the combat strength of the loyalist nobles present was more than sufficient. They were not inferior to Nidus and Hesse. And compared to the two princes, Prince Hernandez’s skill was not bad either. In other words, this was a fight they could win.
“We have no choice but to try.”
“If you say so.”
Knowing Valion’s exceptional insight, Prince Hernandez drew his sword. Likewise, Gorgon and Duke Dabuns, who had been standing behind, also raised their weapons. Nidus, as expected, wielded a double-handed axe, while Duke Dabuns was a one-handed swordsman who used a shortsword. Since both were Aura users, they were excellent assets.
“The darkness has spread sufficiently. Let us begin.”
At Nidus’s words, Hesse and the two princes, taking the vanguard, charged forward with their swords drawn.
Clang! Clang-clang!
Prince Hernandez, Duke Dabuns, and Gorgon moved to block them.
At the same time, in the Dabuns territory, Vidion had just finished storing away Epentes when he sensed an unusual presence and turned his head.
Two figures stood behind him.
“So you are the Seven Heroes’ Vidion.”
“Indeed, what a splendid body and aura.”
One was a monster with a rabbit’s head, and the other had the head of a goat. Vidion immediately realized such beings could not possibly belong in a human nation. He gripped Epentes and pointed it at the throat of the rabbit-headed one.
“By the circumstances, you two must be enemies. Will you be able to satisfy me?”
Even in a serious situation, his mind was focused solely on combat. The rabbit-headed monster raised an ugly staff and spoke.
“Satisfy? I’ve never thought about it. Anyone who faces this body ends up dead.”
“Excellent.”
The situation unfolded in an instant. Vidion closed in and swung Epentes straight toward the rabbit-headed monster’s neck.
Whoosh!
The rabbit-headed monster twisted its head without the slightest sign of difficulty, easily dodging the spear. Vidion, unflustered, took several steps back and asked.
“You dodged. You seem quite strong. Out of respect for a worthy opponent—what is your name?”
Vidion always showed proper courtesy to the strong.
“Hehehe, allow me to introduce myself properly.”
As the rabbit-headed one began the introduction, the sky turned pitch black. Unlike the bright midday sun from moments ago, the darkness was so thick it was almost impossible to see.
“I am Slapitas, servant of Lady Lilith and one who has received the power of Obedience.”
The moment the darkness blinded Vidion, the vanished goat-headed monster appeared beside him and swung its weapon. It was a black spear that matched the abyssal darkness perfectly. Vidion sensed it with his exceptional instincts and blocked it.
“I am Limut, who has received the power of Restriction.”
It was a being of considerable strength. Though both monsters had large builds, Vidion forcefully pushed away Limut’s spear with Epentes and spoke.
“You two are even filthier than I expected.”
Realizing their level was higher than anticipated, Vidion immediately drew out his power. Although it would consume his lifespan, it seemed he could not afford to hold back his true self.
A golden light flowed out from around Vidion and gradually grew larger. He had activated Dragon Blood. Having inherited the power of a Gold Dragon, he was enveloped in a brilliant yellow glow. The scales that sprouted one by one were all golden, and his brownish hair nearly vanished. Finally, golden horns grew from his head, clearly marking him as a Dragonian.
“So this was the hidden power of the Dragonians.”
Slapitas and Limut marveled at Vidion’s transformed appearance. His height had now grown to match their own massive statures.
“Enough chatter. Let’s see if you can remain so relaxed after seeing this form.”
Swish!
Vidion appeared before Slapitas as if he had teleported. Epentes, responding to his change, was now imbued with golden energy. It had grown longer and even sharper. He thrust the spear at Slapitas.
Clang!
But something blocked the space between Slapitas and Epentes. It was an invisible, unknown force.
“What?”
Vidion was visibly shaken.
“Your opponent is me.”
Limut once again swung the black spear at him. Vidion dodged it without difficulty and launched an attack at Limut this time. But Limut evaded Epentes with bizarre, unnatural movements.
“What are you two?”
In this absurd situation, Vidion demanded an answer. In response, Slapitas raised his staff and spoke.
“Limut is the Demon of Restriction. Until you defeat him first, you will not be able to touch even a single hair on my body.”
At some point, Limut had placed a ridiculous restriction on Vidion.
Was it the first time we clashed?
Vidion judged that it had happened when he blocked the first attack. If not then, it made no sense. In any case, unless he defeated Limut, he could not attack Slapitas.
Yet simply ignoring Slapitas was not an option—the aura he emitted was, if anything, even stronger than Limut’s. He was truly cornered.