Chapter 175: Breakthrough (3)
Chapter 175: Breakthrough (3)
Sitri, the commander of Asmodeus’s demons, remained unmoved despite her subordinates' attempts to dissuade her.
While her decision was partly fueled by the impulsive rage of being insulted during a meeting with other demons, it was also a calculated move.
‘If I can just make it across, I can wipe out all those hypocrites.’
She was a female demon with pallid skin, clad in a tight-fitting black leather outfit that resembled a racing suit.
Like the other demons serving Asmodeus, Sitri was a succubus. Consequently, she possessed a strikingly human-like and beautiful appearance. However, among her kind, she was a Battle Succubus—one who prioritized combat above all else.
Succubi were demons characterized by the attribute of lust, known for seducing and corrupting other sentient beings. But at some point, a new breed had emerged.
These were succubi who honed their martial arts and trained relentlessly to avoid being looked down upon by other demons. Their origin lay in a desire to resist the mistreatment and contempt they faced, seeking the power to exact revenge when insulted.
Over time, these succubi formed their own distinct class, and Sitri was one of them.
She had violet hair tied up in a long, high ponytail. As the strongest among Asmodeus’s forces, she possessed a level of power that even other high-ranking demons found difficult to ignore.
The demons who had mocked her during the meeting were those who harbored personal grudges against her—those who had lost to her in duels or suffered humiliating defeats when their factions clashed on the battlefield.
Of course, she faced the inherent limitations of her race, and since there were no other demons of her caliber among Asmodeus’s ranks, she couldn't simply claim absolute dominance. Demons fought by any means necessary; it was a world where the weak were devoured and the strong did the devouring.
Naturally, Sitri had developed a preference for thorough, systematic combat.
She had scoured the battle records transmitted from Earth’s dungeons, analyzing every scrap of data regarding Han Shin’s party. It was an incredibly time-consuming task, but she oversaw her subordinates and personally assisted in the rigorous analysis. She also gathered every bit of information she could find on how Han Shin’s group had fought in London.
‘They were ridiculously weak just two months ago.’
She had even tracked down the logs from the very first dungeon Han Shin had cleared, mapping out the trajectory of his growth.
‘His growth curve is steep, but it’s still manageable. Besides, he can’t keep growing like this forever.’
Analyzing the data, Sitri found Han Shin’s rate of growth almost terrifying. However, she knew from personal experience how difficult it became to improve even a fraction once one reached a certain height.
Furthermore, based on the fragments of information gathered from the recent battle in London...
Sitri concluded that Han Shin’s party was still far weaker than the typical followers of the Benevolent God.
Though the followers of the Benevolent God were few compared to the forces of the Evil Gods, they were elite warriors on par with the highest-ranking demons. They were the core defenders of the worlds the demons invaded, making them the demons' sworn enemies.
Sitri had fought those followers many times. Judging by the progression of their battles, she determined that Han Shin’s group did not yet possess that level of absolute power.
‘It’s a gamble worth taking!’
She knew the risks were high—high enough that her subordinates had scrambled to stop her. But she remained optimistic, believing things would turn out in her favor.
Faced with Sitri’s stubborn and confident command, they eventually followed her lead.
After gathering volunteers from among Asmodeus’s demons, Sitri headed for Earth through a Reinforcement Portal.
However... things rarely go exactly as planned.
A disaster struck Sitri like a bolt from the blue.
During the transmission of the dungeon containing her and her subordinates, the unstable rift in the dimensional barrier suddenly contracted. Caught in the middle of the transfer, the space forming the dungeon took a massive hit.
It was literally crushed as the dimensional barrier buckled inward.
The demons had naturally prioritized durability to ensure safety during the transit through the Reinforcement Portal. But even their best efforts could not withstand the pressure of a dimensional barrier created by the gods.
Sitri and the other demons inside the dungeon watched in horror as the space around them began to disintegrate.
The dungeon had been constructed by tearing away a piece of the desolate, rocky terrain of Nippur, similar in structure to the one sent to Aokigahara in Japan.
Regardless of its origins, the ground beneath the demons' feet and the ceiling above began to crack with a deafening creeeak. A sharp, ringing sound of space tearing apart pierced their ears.
Grrrnd... Keeeee-ing!
Even without an explanation, every demon present understood the situation.
“Sitri! You stupid bitch! You’ve dragged us into a death trap!”
“I told you we shouldn't do this! You goddamn whore!”
Faced with imminent death, trapped on a sinking ship with no escape, the demons’ true natures surfaced. No matter how strong their sense of kinship or solidarity, it was impossible for them not to lash out in such a moment.
Sitri had nothing to say. She hadn't imagined their luck could be this abysmal.
Of course, that didn't mean she felt particularly sorry for the demons currently hurling insults at her.
“Lady Sitri! What do we do?”
“Lady Sitri!”
“Give us an order!”
Instead, she felt a pang of guilt for the demons who, even in this dire situation, still looked to her and relied on her.
It was the first time she had ever felt such an emotion toward another being.
To reach such a high position as a demon, she had eliminated all rivals and treated her subordinates with cold ruthlessness. Sitri herself found this change strange, but to her subordinates, she was a commander who treated them fairly as long as they performed well.
Moreover, Sitri was an unbeaten commander who had never known failure. She was a self-made demon who had crawled her way up from the bottom, and thus, her followers believed she would find a way out even now.
It truly was a first for Sitri. The weight of others' expectations felt heavy for the first time.
As the dungeon collapsed, the ground began to shatter.
Thump! Crack! Boom!
The terrain shifted violently, and ominous roars echoed from all directions. Stone pillars shot up, and debris rained from the ceiling.
Shatter!!
With a sound like a window pane breaking, the dungeon’s barriers and protective spells finally gave way.
The dungeon could no longer hold its form. As if gravity had vanished, the demons’ bodies floated into the air, caught in a swirling vortex of space.
“Gah! Argh!”
“Aaaaagh! Save me!!”
Screams erupted from all sides. Caught in the vortex, demons were crushed by rocky debris and their bodies were torn apart by spatial pressure.
Sitri wordlessly cast Dark Shield, using her dark magic to protect the demons closest to her as much as possible.
Though she acted in silence, her intervention saved several demons from immediate death. Seeing this as their only hope, the survivors rallied.
“Help Lady Sitri!”
The demons around her poured their own dark mana into her Dark Shield, strengthening it. It was a desperate struggle for survival. They squeezed every drop of dark mana from their bodies to reinforce the barrier.
Sitri did the same. Driven by a will to live and a newfound desire to save the subordinates who trusted her, she pushed herself to the limit.
Sweat poured down her face, and her already pale skin turned ghostly.
Despite Sitri’s efforts...
Screams began to leak out from those around her.
“Urgh...!”
“Aaaaagh!”
The demons had scraped together every bit of dark mana they possessed, and having reached their absolute limit, their minds and bodies began to scream in agony.
The cries of pain echoed in Sitri’s ears. Sitri herself was in a similar state, barely suppressing her own groans as she funneled all her power into maintaining the Dark Shield.
She felt instinctively that they wouldn't last much longer, and for the first time, she felt regret. She hadn't realized that her first failure would lead to such a catastrophic end.
Amidst the screams and the chaotic shaking of the collapsing space, Sitri soon lost consciousness.