Chapter 301
Chapter 301
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 301
Chapter Title: Diversionary Operation (2)
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The Oathsworn stared at Demian Haksen with trembling eyes.
He already knew that Demian Haksen was strong. After all, he had single-handedly executed Sla, one of the pillars of Pandemonium.
That was why he had been inwardly wary of Demian Haksen to a sufficient degree. But...
The actual skill of Demian Haksen, experienced firsthand, far exceeded the Oathsworn's predictions.
"Why is no one answering?"
Demian Haksen asked again. The Oathsworn flinched involuntarily.
"If you're not going to answer, there's no need to keep you alive any longer."
Demian Haksen slowly drew his sword. The chilling sound of blade scraping against scabbard echoed through.
Only then did the Oathsworn snap to their senses. They immediately drew up all their black magic power.
-Demian Haksen! How dare you look down on us!
-For Lord Dorgo's sake, we'll kill you right here!
If they faced him half-heartedly, they would be the ones to die. They had to go all out from the start.
All the Oathsworn attacked Demian Haksen almost simultaneously.
Various attacks burst from their bodies, modified by Dorgo. Not a single one was non-lethal.
Just before the attacks reached him, Demian Haksen murmured softly.
"Two Wheels."
Demian Haksen's aura amplified in an instant. It overwhelmed the Oathsworn's presence.
The longsword in Demian Haksen's grip accelerated. It moved so fast that it seemed to multiply into dozens.
The longsword grazed the Oathsworn's bodies in various places as it passed.
The Oathsworn froze mid-attack. Then their bodies began to tremble.
Click.
Demian Haksen sheathed his longsword. Only then did blood erupt from all over the Oathsworn's bodies.
Joints and tendons were severed, vital organs sliced apart. Decisively, their necks were completely cut through.
The Oathsworn's heads tumbled to the ground one after another. Their bodies collapsed limply afterward.
Not a single living Oathsworn remained. They had all turned into corpses.
"......"
"......"
The elves standing behind stared at Demian Haksen with shocked faces.
The Oathsworn were monsters fearsome enough to be called the nightmare of spiritists.
Yet those fiends had lost their lives in the blink of an eye. They hadn't even resisted, let alone reacted.
In that moment, the elves understood why the Empire's Greatest Swordsman had said to trust Demian.
"Then let's move."
Demian turned to the elves and said. The elves silently nodded.
* * *
"Ugh, uuuugh......"
In a dark room.
Dorgo sat at his desk, clutching his head.
"It hurts...... My head feels like it's going to explode......"
Lately, Dorgo had been suffering from headaches that came without warning.
Pills and black magic alike had no effect. The pain clung to him like a curse.
-What are you doing? Why are you just sitting there? Kill him! I said kill that guy! With him around, everything will fail!
As the headache intensified, an unidentified voice echoed in his mind.
The voice reverberated like an echo, making the headache even worse.
-You idiot! Why can't you remember the most important thing! What good are eyes if you can't spot the greatest threat!
Dorgo clutched his head with both hands.
"Aaagh...... Aaaah! Kuaaaagh!"
Today's headache was especially severe. Unable to endure the extreme pain, Dorgo slammed his head against the desk repeatedly.
At that moment, accompanied by a knock, a giant entered. It was Epsilon, holder of the position of eldest son among the Four Great Demon Kings.
-Mother, intruders have breached us.
At Epsilon's report, Dorgo raised his head.
"Intruders? Has the Empire's Greatest Swordsman finally found this place?"
Even hearing of intruders, Dorgo was greatly pleased.
"All that tedious leaking of information has paid off! I've finally lured that bastard out of the castle! Now it's done! It's done!"
Epsilon shook his head as he spoke.
-No. Demian Haksen has come.
"Demian Haksen? What about the Empire's Greatest Swordsman?"
-That's what I was about to report.
Epsilon approached a large mirror on one side of the lab.
Infusing it with mana, it reflected a different scene from here.
There, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman was battling Hela Fallen and the Ruler of Ten Thousand Flames.
Dorgo stared silently at the Empire's Greatest Swordsman before muttering.
"It's a diversionary tactic. The Empire's Greatest Swordsman is the bait, and meanwhile, Demian Haksen raids this place."
Dorgo trembled with shoulders shaking as he let out a chuckle.
"You fools. You still haven't figured out my real goal."
The fall of Elfheim was merely a side objective. Dorgo's true aim was to kill the Empire's Greatest Swordsman.
Dorgo believed the danger his headache warned of was the Empire's Greatest Swordsman.
After all, no knight on the continent surpassed the Empire's Greatest Swordsman.
In other words, killing the Empire's Greatest Swordsman would free him from this damnable headache.
"The preparations I made might go to waste...... but no matter. That monster has still come outside."
His chest swelled at the fact that he could kill the Empire's Greatest Swordsman. Dorgo wore a bright smile.
"Then let's go claim the Empire's Greatest Swordsman's life."
Dorgo rose from his chair. He grabbed his staff and stepped forward.
"Oh, right. First, I need to deal with Demian Haksen. Tell the other brothers to handle Demian Haksen."
But no reply came.
Since Epsilon was the most loyal among the demon kings, Dorgo couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"What's wrong?"
-One problem has arisen. Demian Haksen is approaching this place too quickly.
"What do you mean? The Oathsworn? They're guarding this place, aren't they?"
The Oathsworn were the powerhouses Dorgo had handpicked.
He had recognized their talents early and invested heavily in them from childhood.
And by modifying them after they became strong, he made them even stronger.
Two Oathsworn could kill a giant evil, and five could face Pandemonium's pillars.
In fact, they had proven their worth by killing a spiritist who commanded the Fire Spirit King.
-The Oathsworn didn't last even a single exchange and all lost their lives.
Dorgo looked at Epsilon with a bewildered face.
"......The Oathsworn couldn't hold out even for a moment?"
-Yes.
If it had been anyone but Epsilon, he would have yelled about spouting nonsense.
But the other demon kings might lie, yet Epsilon was not the type.
-Demian Haksen's strength is currently immeasurable. Of course, if we brothers deploy our true forms, we can kill him, so it won't be a big issue......
The problem was that time was of the essence right now.
-If Demian Haksen's skill exceeds our expectations, the battle will drag on. Then we might lose the Empire's Greatest Swordsman.
Grit.
Dorgo ground his teeth unconsciously. The headache in his mind began to worsen again.
"Demian Haksen...... this blood clot...... always getting in my way?"
Rage rose on Dorgo's face.
Demian Haksen had always been like this. Disrupting and ruining his plans.
At first, he had taken interest, thinking him useful as undead material, but now he only felt hatred.
-Mother, what shall we do?
Epsilon said in a calm voice.
Dorgo chewed on his bony thumb. After much deliberation, he made a decision.
"......We abandon Demian Haksen. Activate only the magic circle and head to where the Empire's Greatest Swordsman is."
-Understood. I'll prepare immediately.
"But letting Demian Haksen go just like this is too wasteful."
A strange smile crept onto Dorgo's lips.
"Prepare to trigger the trap. It was made for the Empire's Greatest Swordsman, but it'll work on that guy too."
Elfheim was under one big misconception.
They had indeed uncovered Pandemonium's base.
But what they would gain here was not victory. Only a horrific death.
"Demian Haksen, I'll show you utter despair."
Dorgo let out a grotesque laugh as he exited the lab.
* * *
Demian descended the hole with the elves.
Caves sprawled like an anthill around the central massive hole.
-Kieeeek!
-Krueeeek!
Undead lunged out to block them, but it was futile.
"Annoying pests."
A single swing of Demian's sword turned them all back to corpses.
"......Shouldn't we step in? Demian needs to conserve his strength."
Mata asked Hata. Hata looked troubled.
"You're right...... but this isn't the atmosphere to speak up."
Demian's face was expressionless, but the elves could instinctively sense it.
The fact that Demian was greatly enraged.
Even as allies, they hesitated to approach him easily; Demian Haksen was radiating such intense killing intent.
"And he doesn't seem to be wasting any energy."
To the two elves' eyes, Demian's movements now were extremely concise and restrained.
Yet devastating. No matter how many undead, he ended them with a single stroke.
"Hm?"
Then, Demian Haksen made an inexplicable noise.
"We've reached the bottom. Everyone, brace yourselves."
At his words, Mata and Hata stopped chatting. The other elves tensed up as well.
As Demian emerged from the cave, a vast space revealed itself.
There was no ceiling. Instead, the sky was visible. They had finally reached the bottom of the hole.
Engraved on the floor was a massive magic circle. Identical to the one seen at Pandemonium's fortress before.
But Demian had no leisure to focus on the magic circle.
A dimensional gate had opened in the distance.
Beyond it, the Four Great Demon Kings were visible. However, Demian wasn't looking at them.
Someone small in stature was cloaked in a gray robe.
The moment he saw the gray robe, Demian shouted.
"Dorgo!"
The gray robe turned its gaze toward Demian.
Red glows emanating from the skull fixed on Demian.