Chapter 222
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: The Secrets of the Royal Classes
The Gate created by demons, the light that protected humanity from all evils.
The strongest king among humans.
Royal Class.
The beginning of all these secrets started with him.
The perpetrator who created secrets in this world alongside the term "Royal Class."
The First Royal Class, Light of Heaven, Sergio.
The reason he became a Royal Class was extraordinary in itself.
He had dealt with the first Marquis-level demon to appear in this world.
Everyone in this world believes that the first Marquis-level demon appeared in America.
But a Marquis-level demon had appeared far earlier than that.
And by slaying that Marquis-level demon, Sergio ascended to the position of Royal Class, meaning a hunter above all hunters.
"That's when it all began. Secrets started piling up one by one in this world."
The moment Sergio became a Royal Class, he used his newfound power and authority to unofficially cover up the emergence of the Marquis-level demon that had made him a Royal Class.
A world already devastated by Gates desperately needed hope, so many nations initially rejected Sergio's requests.
However, the power and influence of Sergio, who had risen to Royal Class, were immense.
Nations that had refused his plea to handle it unofficially began doing so without informing their citizens.
As time passed, the emergence of the Marquis-level demon became a secret known only to high-ranking national officials.
And now, after even more time has elapsed...
"Almost no one knows but us. That a Marquis-level demon descended before America."
The beginning of the secrets was from that moment.
After Sergio emerged as the first Royal Class, two more Royal Classes appeared within just two years.
They were the Second Royal Class, Light of Dreams, and the Third Royal Class, Light of Darkness.
Hunter above hunters. Superhuman among superhumans—that's what Royal Class meant. The sudden appearance of the Second and Third Royal Classes shocked those who suspected them.
"No one could have imagined just the two of them handling a national B-rank Demonas."
Considering the San Marino Demonas was a national C-rank, their feats back then would have astonished many.
Whoever came up with it, it was a very wise decision.
The ultimate proof that could be created with a single move.
Their seemingly light yet heavy footsteps completely turned the fearful and suspicious gazes of everyone into ones of respect.
After that, Sergio led the Royal Classes to clear Gates that nations worldwide had abandoned as impossible to handle.
Naturally, it was a light action to solidify their image as the only hope that could save humanity.
"There must have been some who suspected them among them."
"Of course there were. Even I thought it was suspicious. Royal Classes that hadn't appeared for decades after Sergio suddenly show up two in two years? Naturally suspicious. But you know what? Wherever he came from, Sergio nailed it."
Ignito tapped his head lightly.
"He's got an incredible talent for inciting people. Crowd psychology or whatever they call it."
Yong-un nodded.
Incitement was perfect for concealing the truth and redefining it.
He had seen it countless times in the martial world.
Unlike the hypocrites mixed in the righteous faction, even Yong-un, a demon, acknowledged this era's greatest hero and sage.
But with one act of incitement by the hypocrites, a hero soaring through the skies plummeted to the worst demon crawling on the ground in an instant.
A hero becoming a devil happens in a moment.
But a devil becoming a hero also happens in a moment.
If one person says it, no one believes.
But imagine two, three, no, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand saying the same thing in unison.
At that instant, whether truth or lie, it becomes the truth.
A rock-solid truth where merely questioning it makes you the villain.
But this disgusting incitement was just the beginning of explaining the man named Sergio.
While the incitement he started upon becoming Royal Class took root in everyone's minds as humanity's light...
A conflict arose within the Royal Class alliance led by Sergio.
"You know now, right? That all Royal Classes are Demon Cries."
As Yong-un nodded, Ignito smirked and said.
"Demon Cry. Where do you think that term came from?"
"No way..."
"Right. The target who started the conflict in our alliance, the leader, was Light of Dreams. And the reason he left the alliance was that contract."
It was the moment they first learned all the hidden secrets of the world.
"That means..."
"Exactly! The method to contract with demons. Sergio was the first to spread it worldwide. Light of Dreams opposed it."
The method Sergio subtly spread throughout the world drew fanatical popularity.
To humans unable to escape the threat of Gates, power was like an unbreakable drug.
Turning even non-hunters into hunter-level superhumans.
And turning existing superhuman hunters into even greater monsters through demon contracts.
The beginning of that horrific tragedy... started with Sergio.
The Royal Class, hailed as humanity's hope and king, had sown the seeds of evil.
Facing the hidden truth properly, Yong-un's fist clenched involuntarily.
"You know well how it ended, right?"
The extermination of 50 percent of humanity.
The decades it took to normalize everything.
Plus another 20 percent who died from tracking and eliminating those who had contracted with additional demons.
In all of human history, it was probably the first time so many had died.
"At least it's fortunate there was a sane Royal Class like Light of Dreams."
From that point, Light of Dreams officially turned against Sergio.
She didn't know where Sergio had come from, but having appeared because of him, she knew him well.
And she knew how he had created the Royal Classes too.
"Having broken free from Sergio's grasp, Light of Dreams—ta-da!—created us."
Having established herself in the superpower America, Light of Dreams rebuilt the alliance using Sergio's methods.
In that process, the Fourth Royal Class, Light of Ice Spello, and the Fifth Royal Class, Light of Fire Ignito, were born.
The two new Royal Classes instantly added allowed them to thwart Sergio's plot to eliminate Light of Dreams, who opposed him.
"Isn't it crazy? All the life and death since Gates appeared has been at the whim of Royal Classes. It's absurd."
It was indeed true.
This world was moved not by the majority, but by a few.
And it all started with one person: Sergio.
"I can only say it's hollow."
"Don't worry. You're now in the ranks of the kings moving this world as a Royal Class."
"Not enjoyable."
"I know. The Mercenary King was the same at first. Honestly, no one here enjoys being a Royal Class except Sergio and Frederick."
"Continue the story. A rivalry formed, so why did Light of Dreams disappear?"
At Yong-un's words, the tangent was brought back on track.
The alliance of the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Royal Classes, formed to oppose Sergio, actually couldn't stop them.
If they fought to the death, they could inflict serious wounds.
But it was clear the Light of Dreams alliance would be the ones to die.
"It's in their nature. We just accepted the offer and got stronger, but they fully embraced their existence."
Hearing Ignito's words, Yong-un recalled the laws of the demon world.
The difference between pureblood and half-blood demons in Shakes' memories.
Unlike pureblood demons born among demons, the top predators of dimensions.
Half-blood demons born from demons breeding with other dimensional species.
The power gap was stark, with purebloods overwhelmingly superior.
Royal Classes were the same.
Unlike the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth who accepted the Demon King's proposal.
The First, Second, and Third who directly contracted with the Demon King were twice as strong as the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth.
"That Death Demon Cry Phase 1 research you took from GHO's underground fourth-floor lab last time. That was actually Light of Dreams' creation to counter Sergio. Though it nearly got exposed worldwide because of him and was scrapped."
Yong-un's eyebrow twitched.
Young-il and Cheon-il.
Those poor children were actually born from Light of Dreams' ambition to oppose Sergio.
"If you're angry, I'm sorry. I heard one of your subordinates is a Death Demon Cry Phase 1 test subject. I've wanted to apologize someday."
Seeing Yong-un's fury, Ignito said with a sorry expression.
"As a non-excuse excuse, the experiment itself was flawed, but we failed to complete it and scrapped it. So if it stopped there, your subordinate wouldn't have become a Death Demon Cry Phase 1."
What was this about? As Yong-un wondered...
A phrase flashed through his mind.
The words of the leader of the Death Demon Cry team operating in England.
[A GHO researcher from England took the scrapped item to England and restarted the experiment. And succeeded. The results are Sky One Cheon-il and Zero One Young-il.]
As that guy's words resurfaced, Ignito timely continued.
"The one who truly owes you an apology isn't us—it's Sergio."
Why was Sergio popping up here suddenly?
As Yong-un looked puzzled, Ignito said apologetically.
"Sergio collected the scrapped Death Demon Cry Phase 1. So, he had that one English-origin researcher complete it."
What kind of persistent connection was this?
Sergio was involved in so much of what had happened since coming to this reality.
But learning about his existence so late felt hollow, overshadowing even the rising anger.
"To continue, Light of Dreams said they needed greater power to oppose them. For example, finding runes powerful enough to erase even the Demon King's contract runes. So Light of Dreams gathered us and gambled. Of course, it failed."
So that's how Light of Dreams met Shakes, who researched and experimented on Demon King runes.
The last survivor of the Shadow Clan, who became a Marquis-level demon?
Light of Dreams' attempt was good, but the target was wrong.
Royal Classes possessed immense power and skills beyond human limits through Demon King contracts, but they were too ignorant of the demon world.
Demons don't help humans.
Higher-ranking demons think first of how to exploit and amuse themselves with humans.
They are dimensional predators who discard or kill without hesitation if it doesn't serve their interests.
To them, humans are just tasty food and fun toys—nothing more, nothing less.
"Now do you get it a bit? Why Sergio schemed against us?"
Thanks to this, he learned all the secrets hidden behind the grand notion of "the world."
"So that's how it was."
Given Sergio's actions so far, he wanted to plunge this world into destruction somehow.
His alliance must have uncovered far more demon world secrets than the one here.
Perhaps even knowing by now, through trial and error, that "man" in runes means the Demon King.
"He knew what this rune means."
He definitely knew.
That it's the rune for the Demon King, and what using it would bring.
That's why he hadn't done it himself.
He knew the aftermath of summoning the Demon King and deliberately provoked Ignito to see the result.
"All the puzzle pieces fit."
Then, the path forward was clear.
Find out who that being was that spoke to Yong-un directly, and investigate what the Demon King rune he swallowed truly meant.
There was one way to do it all.
"Sergio. Where is that bastard now?"
The real power behind the scenes moving the world for ages.
Humanity's king, who might know everything Yong-un wondered about.
Just find him and ask.
Thump.
Ignito, Spello, and the Mercenary King smiled at each other at Yong-un's blazing gaze.
Before, they would never have revealed it out of caution.
But seeing Yong-un now, all Royal Classes were convinced.
'Yong-un is stronger than Sergio.'
They still couldn't forget it.
The unbreakable telekinetic barrier sliced in one stroke, Sergio greatly flustered.
The Mercenary King, Ignito, and Spello.
All looked at Yong-un and said.
"We don't know his whereabouts. But we'll find him for you."
After the Demon King rune use and the battle with Sergio's alliance ended...
At Yong-un's request, the three Royal Classes headed straight to GHO.
Arriving at the door of Charlie, GHO's de facto second-in-command vice director.
Before entering, Ignito chuckled.
"Never thought this day would come."
Spello smirked at Ignito's words.
"Agreed."
"We were always plotting escapes, but now we're the ones hunting Sergio?"
"Sergio never anticipated this day."
"More than that, old man. Were you always this smiley?"
"Emotions get richer with age. How could I not smile on such a joyful day?"
Spello, standing at the door, flung it wide open without knocking.
Walking toward the startled Charlie in his chair, he asked.
"Call the director."
"Why the director so suddenly...?"
"We have a message to deliver."
Why were Royal Classes seeking the director, equivalent to world power number one, to find Sergio's location?
The reason lay in the world's hidden secrets.
Having long managed humanity from behind the scenes, most key figures wielding major world power were likely Sergio's puppets.
Especially the GHO director, piled with corruption—no need to question if he was Sergio's limb.
"That is..."
"Call him now. Or should we occupy the headquarters first?"
The GHO director was Sergio's limb itself.
Ignito and Spello had seen GHO move on Sergio's orders many times while working with them.
And those orders always originated from the GHO director.
In other words, grilling the GHO director might not reveal Sergio's location, but they could find a way to contact him.
"Tell him to come now."
At Spello and Ignito's words, declaring war on GHO, Charlie couldn't help but panic.
Suddenly coming to occupy GHO.
The betrayal by Royal Classes he'd worked with for so long was like a bolt from the blue to Charlie, who knew none of this.
"I don't know what's happening, but please calm down, Spello."
"Don't even think of scheming. Or should we burn through to the director's office first?"
Ignito spread his hands, blue flames erupting.
Charlie raised his hands at Ignito's ferocity, smiling as if ready to incinerate the ceiling to the director's office.
"I-I'll call him. So please calm down first..."
"Still not getting it."
But contrary to Charlie's expectation, Spello acted first.
Spreading his hands, platinum gauntlets formed on them.
"You should have picked up the receiver first instead of talking."
He then infused mana into the gauntlets and swung at the ceiling.
"Wha...!?"
Slash!
It was the director's office with protective magic.
Yet Spello's Royal Class power sliced through it effortlessly, enough to collapse the director's office.
Rumble!
As the ceiling was severed, sofas and desks in the director's office tumbled down on them.
"A-Argh!"
Charlie huddled in panic.
In that brief moment, blue flames scattered everywhere turned all falling objects to ash instantly.
"Cough. Cough."
Charlie coughed from the smoke of Ignito's fire.
Then, Charlie realized.
They... were serious.
About occupying GHO.
About antagonizing GHO.
All of it was in earnest.
Grasping everything in that short time and calculating ahead, Charlie finally reached for the receiver.
'Can't beat three Royal Classes.'
Not just GHO—even all world S-rank hunters would be needed.
To defeat those three united.
In other words...
Never antagonize them.
Absolutely.
Click.
Master schemer Charlie had no time for brains now.
Just placate them by following orders.
With the receiver in hand, Charlie immediately pressed a button on the back to make the call.
"Director..."