Chapter 268
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 268
Chapter Title: Chapter 268
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 268
Chapter Title: Red Moon Onslaught
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That was when it happened. A signal tone began ringing from within Diablo's embrace. It was a call from the Saintess.
"What's wrong, Saintess?"
-Vi...ce... Presence...
Diablo grimaced at the heavily garbled voice and smacked the artifact against the floor a few times.
"The sensitivity's off. Maybe I should ransack the supply management department..."
It was an urgent call from Saintess Nadia, but the connection was so poor he couldn't make out the details. Still, it seemed related to some kind of presence.
Diablo unhesitatingly tucked the crystal orb back into his bosom and lightly stretched his body.
"Remiel. Since things have come to this, why don't you see for yourself?"
With those words, cracks tore open across the Holy Kingdom's sky here and there, and something began manifesting from within those fissures.
And at the same moment...
[Prepare for the Red Moon]
[Prepare for the Red Moon]
[Prepare for the Red Moon]
[A core has been planted in the Holy See. Unless that core is destroyed, the Red Moon phenomenon will not stop.]
Leon, who had been racking his brains over how to cheer up Luna, scowled fiercely.
"Do these things just pop up without any warning flash?"
The sky looked as if holes had been punched through it.
And from those gaping red holes floating in the heavens, something began pouring down.
A red world.
The crimson rifts in the sky created the illusion that the entire world had been dyed red.
Diablo silently flexed his hand before raising one arm.
Pa-ba-ba-bak!!!
From the rippling shadows around him, spears of pure white light shot forth like interceptor missiles, striking the falling monsters.
Dozens of monsters plummeted to the ground as bloody pulps without even touching down, but it was a drop in the bucket compared to the endless horde pouring out.
"Vice High Priest Diablo!!"
"Assemble the full Holy Knight Order. First Knights will intercept the monsters; Second Knights, assist with evacuating the refugees."
"U... Understood!"
"And communications seem spotty right now."
"Th... That's right. We've had trouble connecting to the outside since just a bit ago."
"This is a headache."
He could summon overwhelming reinforcements if he contacted Leon, but without communication, there was no way to relay the situation here.
On the other hand, the monsters gushing from the rifts showed no sign of stopping.
The Holy Kingdom had already endured one ordeal, leaving its forces significantly weakened.
"The monsters' affiliation... Beings cloaked in Purgatory Flames... I see, Cthugha, is it..."
Cthugha. Leon hadn't been informed about it, but it was one of the minions behind this incident—an Outer God.
Undoubtedly Cthugha, known to have a poor relationship with Nyarla.
The minions of that entity from another dimension were all wreathed in Purgatory Flames.
Cthugha.
Its origins were unknown, but according to Diablo's knowledge, it was an existence on par with Nyarla.
In that case, this assault could be seen as an attack from another dimension. But why had they targeted this place?
He pondered, but no answers came.
"Remiel, stay here. I need to command the Holy Knights and hold them off."
"Don't you need my power?"
"It'd be great if you helped, but I won't force you. We can handle that much with the Holy Kingdom's defense systems."
The barrier that had repelled the previous Dragon Lord Baril's attack was no longer functioning properly.
But aside from that, the capital's various defensive installations were activating.
They had learned from the prior breach.
Remiel sighed, lost in heavy thought, and fell silent.
As Diablo vanished like scattering shadows, Remiel alone gazed down at her hands.
As Diablo said, if she wished to oppose the Lord God, allying with the Outer Gods would be the surest path.
"What's the reason you came to see me?"
Without turning, she addressed the one who had appeared behind her.
Black suit. Black top hat. Every visible part of its body was like writhing black shadow. And on its face, clusters of pure white light formed eyes and a mouth.
It was a grotesque being at first glance.
Remiel spoke calmly without looking back.
"Get lost. You're bothering me."
"I can't do that. I caused all this chaos just to meet you. Honestly, I didn't expect you'd be freed from your seal."
Remiel didn't respond.
Then, he pulled a bizarre clock from his bosom.
Tick... Tock...
As the hands moved, an uncanny illusion swept over her—the sensation that everything around had frozen.
"My minions lack the skill to cause an incident like this, so I borrowed some from an acquaintance."
Minions of the Outer God Cthugha.
But the one commanding them and appearing now was Nyarla—an Outer God's minion.
Remiel silently gazed up at the crimson sky, saying nothing.
"Don't you hate the Lord God? It's a clichéd tale, but if you help, I'll assist you in achieving that goal."
"And you'll devour this world in the process?"
"Devour? Please refrain from such barbaric phrasing."
Remiel let out a scoffing laugh. Hyenas pretending to be refined.
At Nyarla's proposal, Remiel slowly closed her eyes.
"You're right. If I help you and join that abomination, we might just drag down the Lord God."
"Then..."
"But right now, I'm not in the mood. Get lost."
Remiel lightly plucked a string on the lyre in her hand.
Ding...
With a beautiful melody, countless cracks spiderwebbed through the air like shattered glass.
"Oh dear. You decided far too easily."
"I've thought it over, and I just don't want to deal with the likes of you."
"That's not an option. You must choose."
With those words, Nyarla reached to press the button on top of the clock in his hand.
But...
Crack!!
Something invisible like a blade whistled through the air with a sharp crack, slicing his hand and the clock clean in half.
Ding...
A blade of melody carried on faint notes.
Her performance was Remiel's authority—power incarnate.
For some, her music was a blessing; for others, a curse.
Nyarla blankly stared down at his severed body.
Moments later, the white light forming his eyes twisted grotesquely.
"Oh my. That was a rare item... But Remiel, you must understand."
Remiel reached for her lyre again, as if refusing to answer.
A small spark flared.
"Who freed you from your seal back then. And what price you paid for it."
"Guh!?"
The Grand Archangel Remiel's power was suppressed; she vomited blood and staggered. Black chains tore through the void, binding her body.
"To ensure no interruptions this time, I've enlisted aid. Failure isn't an option."
"After making this much racket?"
"Do you see that red canopy enveloping this place? It's a barrier of authority. Brute force alone won't breach it."
"Damn it..."
With that, her form vanished from the spot.
In pitch-black void where no directions could be discerned, Remiel opened her eyes.
Her arms and legs were bound tight by massive chains, refusing to budge.
Her lyre—both weapon and part of her being—had already been forcibly recalled and was gone.
It was suffocating darkness.
As if denying the Grand Archangel any power, the shadows gnawed at her strength relentlessly.
"Nngh..."
After struggling a few times, she went limp.
"What the hell did you do to my body?"
"A contract."
A calm voice emerged from the nothingness, accompanied by white light forming eyes and a mouth.
Like a smiley mask—mouth torn in a grin, two eerie eyes of glowing light.
Remiel smirked at Nyarla's gaze.
"What contract?"
"In exchange for freeing you, I gained one chance to control you."
"I've got no record of agreeing to that."
"True. I never mentioned it explicitly. But don't worry—making extravagant demands would bind us too."
Neutralizing and abducting a Grand Archangel wasn't extravagant? Ridiculous.
"I can't turn you into a puppet that obeys my every word, but this space was prepared over eons just for someone like you."
Its mouth stretched into an even wider grin.
"Care for a wager?"
"A wager?"
"Whether you endure or not. If you do, I'll release you without hesitation. Truth be told, I value the thrill of the bet more than my master's goals..."
"And if I don't?"
"You'll become the key trump card to kill Leon Cascadia."
A sneer curled Remiel's lips.
"That's all you've got?"
"You don't seem to grasp it. The being my master fears most isn't a Grand Archangel, Great Demon, or even a god."
Leon Cascadia.
The sole variable.
As his facial form receded, black tendril-arms slithered forth to coil around her.
"Don't touch my body, you filthy bastard."
"Sweet nightmares, then."
Nyarla faded into the black void, and Remiel thrashed desperately against the encroaching arms.
-Young Master Leon! The Holy See right now...
"I know."
From atop the colossal flying behemoth, Dragon Lord Baril, receiving the Saintess's call, I could see the distant red sky and the massive eye-shaped moon in the distance.
Was this the first time the Red Moon had appeared somewhere without me present?
The Holy Kingdom currently had the demon Diablo, and even Grand Archangel Remiel.
However, Diablo was in a position where he couldn't unleash his full power, and Remiel was weakened by her suppression seal.
Not that Remiel was likely to help us in the first place.
Coldly assessing, we couldn't expect much from the Holy Kingdom's current forces.
They'd suffered a major setback, and the barrier protecting the kingdom was strained from Dragon Lord Baril's prior assault.
They were belatedly activating various blessing-infused defenses, but at a glance, the Holy Kingdom didn't look to be in good shape.
Flame-wreathed lifeforms poured from the red fissures in the sky.
Seeing them, Luna barked coldly.
"Minions of the World-Ender."
"Minions of the World-Ender?"
"Beings on par with that Nyarla from before. Subordinates of Cthugha. I figured as much if Nyarla was involved."
Luna clenched and unclenched her fist before rising from her seat.
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