A different battlefield from where Hela and Duke of Dragon faced each other.
A fierce war was raging there as well.
“Monsters from the Abyss are charging again!”
“Prepare for interception! We need to take out as many as possible before they get close!”
“Grand Matriarch! The vanguard of Dark Nest has also started to move!”
The forces of Helheim, firmly establishing their defense, were continuously tightening their attacks against the Dark Nest.
After the first skirmish, the Dream Walker’s Grand Matriarch, Liliana, frowned while leading the reorganization.
While it was good that they had occupied the enemy’s territory through a lightning operation, the persistent assaults from the enemy continued to drive her crazy.
“Hoo, those tenacious bastards just keep coming no matter how many I kill.”
She let out a short sigh laced with irritation and looked towards the enemy lines.
From several pitch-black cracks that had emerged, grotesque monsters with white bodies were crawling out incessantly at that very moment.
“…No matter how many times I see them, they look disgusting. What a terrible taste.”
For Liliana, who cherished beauty, it was atrocious enough to make her feel sick just to look at them.
[Grrr! Grrr!]
[Ah…! I’m hungry!]
[Let’s go, let’s go! I smell blood!]
The monsters didn’t just have twisted or mixed-up body parts; they were far more disturbing.
Monsters with massive eyes instead of heads, big rolling spheres made entirely of heads, and even creatures with multiple human-like torsos connected, moving countless arms like centipede legs.
All imaginable combinations of bodies started pouring into the battlefield.
“It seems they’re getting antsy over there, too. They’ve become more ferocious than when they first sent in their troops. Well, they probably didn’t expect to be pushed back suddenly when they thought they were almost done.”
With a smirk, she stepped forward slowly.
Even in urgent situations, a commander couldn’t just sit back.
Sshhh—!
At her gesture, everything in front of her path was torn apart in an instant.
Amid the overwhelming destructive force, debris scattered like flower petals.
Liliana gripped her rose vine whip again and surveyed her surroundings with sharp eyes.
A battlefield where life and death collided fiercely, bursting with the most intense emotions in the world.
But this place was much different from the battlefields she had grown sick of.
From the level of troop members to the morale of allies and battlefield conditions, everything was different.
‘In such a situation, I can’t complain about my struggles.’
This situation was an opportunity that would not have normally come.
If that great being hadn’t appeared, the Dream Walker would have been devoured and shattered by either the Abnormal or Dark Nest at any time.
Just like the remnants of Duke Tumma’s ‘Burning Inverno.’
‘But now, the situation is different.’
As she stroked the essence of the Queen that she felt in her embrace, a beautiful smile bloomed on her lips.
The refinement of the essence that she had been working on carefully since receiving it was about to be completed.
Perhaps because it was the essence of a direct descendant, the purification was happening much faster than she had thought.
‘If I can use this fully…’
Then, the situation would become much easier than it is now.
Not only here, but all of Helheim would benefit from it.
Naturally, it would be a great help to Hela, the leader who was at the forefront of them.
‘Well, she’s someone I don’t need to worry about. She always shows more than I expect.’
Wasn’t the military achievements of Helheim made possible entirely thanks to their ruler, Hela?
Liliana held absolute faith in their great ruler.
“Victory to Helheim! Glory to Lady Hela!”
And that sentiment resonated with all the soldiers of Helheim present.
“Victory to Helheim! Glory to Lady Hela!”
“Slay all those monsters!”
“Sacrifice your lives for Lady Hela!”
The forces, whether the enemy was a high-ranking demon or a terrible monster, charged forward recklessly.
They were more like fanatics than loyal soldiers, unafraid even of death.
Kwah—!
A new wind began to blow within the solidifying landscape of the Demon Realm.
Stopping the plans of the Dark Nest, which had subdued most opposition and was solidifying their advantage.
A revolutionary wind that turned their carefully laid plans upside down.
*
A massive explosion echoed from the skies.
Kwah—!
The sound that erupted from the distortion of space created shockwaves that spread throughout the battlefield.
The affected beings on the ground made sounds of pain and hurriedly moved to respond, but the instigators of that turmoil paid them little mind.
If they let their guard down for even a moment in the current situation, the flow would completely shift to the enemy.
[You hybrid still pulling off tricks! Do you think you’re the real LeRay?]
Krul—! Crash—!
With a lightning-like Dragon Speech, one of the six eyes glowed, and hundreds of swords of lightning emerged beside the giant dragon.
Filled with immense power, each one was a formidable attack, several meters in size.
They shot out instantly, tearing apart all space in front of them.
“Such a temper. And stop calling me hybrid! Why are you boasting when you’re an immigrant yourself?”
Before the attack reached her, Hela, who forcibly folded space in a controlled manner and moved her body, grumbled.
No matter how much she was a hybrid, in the realm of demons where countless bloodlines were mixed, it wasn’t that uncommon.
Rather, the Duke of Dragons, Crushair, who came from the Dragon race and settled in the Demon Realm, could be considered the truly unusual case.
“It seems you fled the Demon Realm after breaking some kind of rule; in any realm, it looks bad to have a wanted criminal represent you, doesn’t it? You’ve been just consuming resources till now, haven’t you?”
[…I’ll kill you!]
A murderous aura radiated from his three pairs of eyes.
It seemed that her casual remarks had hit the mark, and until now, no one dared to mention it in front of him.
But Hela had no intentions of considering the enemy’s feelings.
“Truth always stings. But you have to face reality… Ugh!”
While mocking him sincerely, Hela hastily folded one wing and twisted her body.
Immediately after, a strange wave brushed past the spot where she had been.
Hela narrowed her eyes as she saw the traces of magical power that had been cleanly erased from that trajectory.
‘…Impressive. I guess he has survived in this Demon Realm for a long time.’
Dragons were a race specialized in manifesting mysteries, although there were still limits to it.
But to adapt to the energy in this realm, transforming his body, and even possessing such diverse abilities was impressive!
Indeed, he was worthy of being called a strong candidate for Demon King for thousands of years.
‘Good, very good.’
A smirk curled at the corner of Hela’s mouth.
Despite all this, her bright eyes did not leave the Duke of Dragons.
Provoking him, dodging his attacks, retaliating all the while.
Krul—rrr—
A strange vibrating sound emanated near her.
At the same time, the surrounding light began to refract, and the shapes in the area distorted.
The space under her control compressed and gathered into her grasp.
‘I can’t just stand still either!’
Mocking the enemy and stalling for time while preparing her move.
Hela, chuckling lightly, brought down her hand clenched into a fist like a whip.
And just after that.
Krwhh—!
With a sound as if a mountain were collapsing, the space in which the dragon was hovering twisted violently.
The sky, the light, the air, the gravity, the magical power.
No, the very ‘world’ itself took shape and lunged at the target with its fangs.
According to the intentions of her dominating master.
Not just slicing through space, but a blow that swung the world itself.
It was a limited strike that could only be used in this realm, where her influence as a Demon Lord had grown, but its power was truly extraordinary.
[…Not too shabby. Indeed, you can hunt Sipar after all.]
Though that applied only if it connected properly, of course.
With a twisted mouth, Hela turned her gaze to the direction the dragon had dodged.
He seemed somewhat weakened, but he still appeared unharmed.
“Hmm, so it was foresight?”
[Hmph, do you think this body would fall for such a blatant attack?]
While he shifted the subject, he couldn’t deceive her.
Hela sensed that two of the six eyes had activated.
Licking her lips quietly, she thought, ‘One must be foresight for sure. Still, I can’t imagine he can see too far into the future. At most a few seconds, right?’
But for beings of that level, even a few seconds was enough to determine the outcome of a battle.
Of course, she couldn’t recklessly misuse that information, but it was true that it was a burden.
Moreover, that wasn’t the only problem.
‘Even if he had known a few seconds in advance, it wouldn’t be enough to remain unscathed. The last attack was of a kind that couldn’t be dodged, even when foreseen.’
A singular strike swung through all of space under her dominion.
Since the entire world within that range served both as a means and as an effective range of attack, it wasn’t just a matter of moving the body to avoid it.
‘The point of impact had temporarily stopped. It doesn’t seem to have been a defense or nullification. Is it a time-stopping ability?’
Even if one could stop a tiny part of a limited area in but an instant, it could open up endless possibilities.
And coupled with foresight, it wasn’t surprising he could still remain unharmed.
‘The powers of those eyes are all exceptionally remarkable. They didn’t spontaneously awaken those powers themselves. Therefore…’
The types of eyes revealed so far included the ‘Mind Control’ eye she had first attempted and given up on due to its ineffectiveness against them, the ‘Elemental Control’ eye that handled lightning, and even the ‘Magic Nullification’ eye that made her give up using ‘Dimension of the Abyss,’ which made the count five.
‘How could he possess such extraordinary abilities and yet not become a Demon Lord? Just how formidable were the previous Demon Lords?’
Realizing this, Hela couldn’t help but be in awe.
How powerful must those who had even hunted such a Demon Lord be?
Of course, the difference was that Crushair had become stronger in this place after undergoing demonification by adapting to the energy of the Demon Realm, but that couldn’t diminish their capabilities.
The battle in the skies continued without pause.
A breath shot forth in the direction she had avoided.
She tried to twist the trajectory by controlling space, but the enemy’s energy had already penetrated, hindering her dominion.
Although she managed to block the attack and counter, she couldn’t do significant damage to him.
Ka-wa-zhum!
Flashes erupted endlessly, accompanied by thundering sounds that could shake heaven and earth.
Sometimes, the impact reached the ground, causing significant losses to both warring sides, but they were too focused on each other to even realize it.
‘…This is getting tough. Using powers at appropriate times, and his abilities are incredibly sophisticated.’
In fact, without the ‘Demon Lord’ and ‘Annihilator,’ she wouldn’t even have been able to fairly compete.
Though the total amount of power available to her was not inferior, the disparity in proficiency with her abilities was a significant one.
After all, the opponent was a being that had reigned at the top in this land of conflict, the Demon Realm, for thousands of years.
‘Still, the situation isn’t bad. Thanks to that, my proficiency is rising rapidly.’
The fact of facing such a formidable foe had triggered various enhancements, including the ‘Leap of Growth,’ rapidly honing her own powers.
Her proficiency gained from facing off against the Dragon Duke at this moment was even greater than what she had achieved from the time she arrived in the Demon Realm.
Moreover, even at this moment, her ‘mighty influence as a Demon Lord’ was still on the rise…
[…What have you done? Hybrid!]
It was no surprise that the Dragon Duke reacted sensitively to that realization.
It was unnatural to remain calm while an enemy grew even as they fought.
Did he conclude that he couldn’t afford to buy any more time?
Ultimately, he unleashed the final eye he had been saving.
[Die!]
Staring directly at Hela, the Duke of Dragons released his violet light.
Kiing—
“Kugh!”
As the tinnitus echoed in her ears, Hela’s wingbeat faltered, and her body swayed.
Blood trickled down from her two eyes and all over her face.
Only then did she realize the true nature of the sixth eye he had been saving.
‘The Eye of Instant Death…?’
The worst eye that could kill just by looking at someone.
Seeing him finally use an ability he had saved after holding back made it seem like not something to be used recklessly, but the sheer power was undisputed.
‘…Tch, I wish the ‘Instant Death Immunity’ perk had activated. I could’ve ignored the damage completely.’
However, due to her high standing, there was no death penalty even after being struck by the eye, which was the problem.
As a result, she had taken excessive damage as her body coughed up blood, but she quickly regained her composure and flapped her wings.
[Now it looks like you’ve finally found some form. This time, I’ll finish you for certain!]
Though it seemed he was weighed down by the burden, no follow-up attack came immediately, but it was undeniable that Hela had suffered greater injuries.
If they continued to fight, defeat would be inevitable.
“Huh.”
But she didn’t care.
She had just achieved the goal she had set out to do.
A gleam flickered in Hela’s red eyes.
Her tenacious gaze, which had never once left the enemy, fixed on the three pairs of eyes of Crushair.
‘With this, I’ve confirmed all six eyes now. Those artificial eyes, tied together by some sort of ritual.’
In the moment they first clashed during their initial encounter, she sensed instinctively.
The eyes that the Duke of Dragons used shared a common root with her own.
The ‘eye’ powers from the ‘Eye Clan’—the remnants of her other half that was inherited from her father, the 13th Demon King, LeRay, and the succubus hybrid!
‘How he has obtained such strength, I don’t know…’
He must have extracted the eyeballs of six members of the Eye Clan and implanted their mysteries into himself.
The exact method wasn’t necessary to know right now.
What mattered was that not only the structure of his eyes but also the mechanism of his eye powers perfectly matched hers.
Of course, even if they share a common root, merely watching wouldn’t allow her to duplicate his abilities.
Let alone seeing through the Duke of Dragons’ insides and reading the flow of his energy would be preposterous.
Yet she possessed one unique ability that allowed her to bypass all that.
《The subject has met the conditions for growth. The special skill “Eye of Domination” evolves into “Seven-colored Eye.”》
A skill that allowed her to replicate techniques she had observed with her own eyes.
The skill「Imitation」.
