Chapter 285
Chapter 285
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 285
Chapter Title: 4 Great Demon Kings (3)
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“Iota.”
The man with the largest build among the three opened his mouth. His square jaw was particularly striking.
“The operation time has passed, and you haven’t returned, so I came to check… I never imagined you’d be in such a pathetic state.”
At those words, Iota protested from inside the crater.
-Epsilon! Watch your mouth! And pathetic? It’ll be different from now on, so watch closely!
“You sure talk a lot for someone who used dragonization on a mere human.”
-Shut up and just watch! I’m going to smash that human right now!
“Mother is very angry. She says you’re delaying the plan when time is of the essence.”
-…….
Iota immediately shut his mouth. His bewilderment was palpable.
“Mother commanded me to bring you back right away… but I can’t just leave the human who humiliated my brother alone.”
Epsilon turned to Demian Haksen as he spoke.
It wasn’t just Epsilon. The other three Great Demon Kings also shifted their gazes to Demian.
An inexplicable pressure emanated from the three. It felt as if they stood before a raging natural disaster.
“Ha.”
But Demian shook off the pressure in an instant.
“I suspected as much, but I didn’t think all four of you would actually be complete.”
In truth, Demian had harbored a faint hope.
That for some reason, Dorgo had focused all his efforts on Iota alone, completing only him ahead of schedule.
But reality was cruel. The other three had appeared, mocking Demian’s expectations.
“Let me ask one thing. My name is Demian Haksen. Have you ever heard Dorgo mention my name?”
“…How do you know Mother’s name?”
“I asked the question first. Answer me. Have you heard my name before?”
“Yes.”
It wasn’t Epsilon who answered.
Sita, the only female among the four Great Demon Kings, spoke up.
“Mother often said there was a genius named Demian Haksen and that she wanted to capture him for research.”
Demian felt confusion at Sita’s words.
He had assumed Dorgo might have partially regained memories of his past life.
Otherwise, how could he have completed the four Great Demon Kings?
But from what the Great Demon Kings were saying, Dorgo knew nothing about Demian.
A lie?
No, his instincts told him they were speaking the truth.
“I have no idea what’s going on.”
His head throbbed. Demian rubbed his face with both hands.
“…In times like this, it’s best to keep it simple.”
Demian gripped Dawn once more as he spoke.
“For safety’s sake, I should eliminate all four of you here.”
* * *
A brief silence fell.
All four Great Demon Kings stared at Demian with incredulous looks.
“Humans often mistake ignorance for courage.”
Epsilon broke the silence.
“Demian Haksen, you’ve never seen us before. That’s why you can act so boldly…”
“The one stuck in that crater is Iota, you’re Epsilon, and the remaining two are Lambda and Sita, right?”
Demian named them one by one. Epsilon blinked his large eyes repeatedly.
As if asking how he knew Lambda and Sita’s names when they hadn’t been mentioned.
“I don’t know exactly when you were completed, but it’s been less than a year at most.”
Epsilon’s eyes widened further, confirming Demian’s guess.
“Who are you blood clots to lecture me on ignorance? You’re the fools. You dare spout such nonsense because you don’t know who I am.”
The anger that had barely subsided after pummeling Iota began to rise again.
The four Great Demon Kings were one of Demian’s sore spots. Monsters modeled after him had wreaked havoc on the world.
“That guy. Weird.”
The remaining one, Lambda, pointed at Demian as he spoke.
“Knows Mother’s name. Knows all our names. Definitely weird.”
Lambda exuded killing intent as he spoke.
“Dangerous. Recommend killing here.”
“Lambda, don’t jump to conclusions. Mother desires that man. Better to capture him alive than kill him…”
At that moment, Epsilon unwittingly fell silent.
A sudden surge of killing intent made his body react. His muscles tensed rigidly.
Epsilon and the rest of the four Great Demon Kings slowly turned to Demian.
“You still haven’t snapped out of your delusion. The one in control here is me, not you lot.”
Demian took a step forward. The killing intent and pressure they felt intensified.
“I’ll make the decision for you. You all die here. Not a single one of you leaves alive.”
Demian wove the mana within his body. He formed two circles.
“Two Wheels.”
Two circles circulated in Demian’s body. Immense power surged through his entire form.
Demian’s presence grew several times stronger. The drastic change forced all four Great Demon Kings to tense up.
“Epsilon. I’ll start by ripping off that jaw of yours.”
Demian prepared to explode with the power of Two Wheels and charge.
“This is a tricky situation.”
Then, a mild voice accompanied someone leaping from the dimensional gate.
A woman with her black hair tied in a single ponytail landed before the four Great Demon Kings.
Her appearance was strikingly beautiful, but her eyes lacked vitality, making her seem like a corpse.
“Aga, you seem quite excited. Won’t you calm down a bit?”
The woman addressed Demian. But contrary to her request, his wariness only heightened.
“Aga, do you recognize me?”
She smiled faintly. Demian could only furrow his brow.
The world had countless names for this woman.
Trash.
Human scum.
Crimson Slayer.
A demon born in the wrong body as a human.
But she was most commonly called this.
“Why is Pandemonium’s leader here?”
Demian spoke with clear caution. Hella Fallen pointed at the four Great Demon Kings.
“I was asked to babysit these kids. I had some free time, so I took the job.”
“It doesn’t suit you.”
“I think so too.”
Even with history’s worst criminal standing before him, Demian conversed casually.
Anyone else would have been dumbfounded.
“Aga, you just said you’d kill all these kids, right?”
“And?”
“I told you, I’m their protector. I can’t just stand by.”
In an instant, Hella Fallen’s demeanor shifted completely.
Demian felt as if the entire world turned hostile against him.
Even someone of Demian’s caliber was overwhelmed by mere killing intent.
It was only natural, in a way. Hella Fallen was a Grandmaster.
“Aga, you might die by my hand. Still planning to fight these kids?”
Demian pondered briefly.
Over there: the four Great Demon Kings and Pandemonium’s leader.
Here: Demian alone.
The forces didn’t compare. He should avoid it.
“No choice.”
“Will you back off quietly?”
“I’ll kill you here too.”
Hella Fallen’s eyes twitched at his words.
“Aga, have you gone mad from fear?”
“My mind is clear.”
“Then you truly believe you can win against me and these kids?”
“It’s possible.”
As a human, Demian Haksen couldn’t defeat Hella Fallen. No matter how great Demian was, a Master-class couldn’t challenge a Grandmaster.
But as a Death Knight, Demian Haksen was different. He was confident he could kill Hella Fallen here and exterminate the four Great Demon Kings.
The problem was too many eyes watching.
Using dark magic here would surely be seen by someone.
If word got out that Demian used dark magic, the continent would erupt in chaos. He might even be branded a heretic.
But if he could kill Pandemonium’s leader and the four Great Demon Kings here, he could bear that infamy.
“Come at me. I’ll take all five of your heads.”
Demian raised his killing intent as he spoke.
Hella Fallen gazed at him silently before replying.
“…You really are as bizarre as the rumors say.”
“Shut up and draw your sword.”
“That’s a problem. I need to head back soon.”
“Who said I’d let you?”
“Aga, how about this then?”
Hella Fallen pointed somewhere.
“There’s a city over there, right? If the fight starts, I’ll send these kids to slaughter every human in it.”
Demian scowled.
“Even if you’re confident in your skills, you can’t fight me while keeping an eye on them, right?”
“What are you…?”
“And there’s a large village over there too. Those humans won’t be safe either.”
Hella Fallen meant every word.
She was the type who saw human lives as worthless as insects.
“Still not letting us go?”
Demian gritted his teeth.
He wanted nothing more than to cut them all down right there.
But he couldn’t drag innocents into his revenge.
“As expected from Pandemonium’s bastard. Even your tricks are filthy.”
“Thanks for the praise. So, what will you do?”
“Get out. Now.”
“Thank you for accepting my proposal.”
Hella Fallen turned and addressed the four Great Demon Kings.
“Come on, everyone. Let’s head back.”
“Hella, what the hell…”
“We’ll talk after we return.”
Urged by Hella Fallen, the three had no choice but to cross the dimensional gate.
“Iota. You too, hurry up.”
Iota reverted his enlarged arm to normal and climbed out of the crater.
-Damn it, Demian Haksen! Next time I see you, I’ll kill y…
“Don’t ruin my hard work. Get in now.”
Hella Fallen kicked Iota. He was forced through the dimensional gate.
Once the two had crossed, the gate closed immediately.
The forest scenery vanished, revealing the fortress once more.
“Damn it.”
Demian spat a curse. He couldn’t shake the irritation of being toyed with by Hella Fallen.
“Dorgo, what the hell is that trash up to?”
The future had changed. Something ominous was brewing with Dorgo too.
“No time to slack off. I need to chase him down now.”
The silver lining was that he had a lead on Dorgo’s location.
The scenery shown by the dimensional gate.
If Demian’s memory served, it wasn’t an ordinary forest.
Elfheim.
The elves’ homeland, where the World Tree took root.
That was where Dorgo was.
* * *
“Hella, why did you let him go!”
The moment Hella crossed the dimensional gate, Epsilon bellowed.
“Aga, what are you saying? Did I let that kid go?”
“Then what was that if not letting him go!”
Hella was a Grandmaster. If she wanted, she could slaughter a hundred Demian Haksens with ease.
Yet she had retreated without dealing with him. To Epsilon, it looked like Hella had spared Demian.
“Let go… Yes, it might look that way.”
Hella thought of Demian Haksen.
He was as impressive as the rumors. His mana control even drew admiration from her.
But he was still just Master-class. She could crush him like an insect if she wished.
Yet she couldn’t. Her instincts warned her.
To beware of that kid, that approaching him rashly would mean death.
A Grandmaster wary of a Master-class?
Absurd, but Hella trusted her instincts.
“Forget the trivialities.”
“How is that trivial…”
“That’s not what’s important now, is it? We need to help Dorgo’s plan.”
Unlike other Pandemonium villains, Hella called Dorgo by name.
She saw herself as his equal from the start.
She cooperated not out of orders, but because it got her what she wanted.
The head of the Empire’s Greatest Sword.
That was why Hella was with Dorgo.