_whoosh_
Energy surged through his entire being, flooding into his eyes. At that moment, all his senses were solely focused on his eyeballs. The muscles around his eyes twitched, and his nerves were on high alert.
‘Got it. So this is…’
Hela’s orange-tinted eyes locked onto the enemy before her. The Dragon Duke was glaring at her, gathering energy to prepare for an attack, while the completed spell—the Dragon Duke unleashing a torrent of magical power that swept across the area—formed a singular image between two worlds.
_[I am the Duke of Dragons— the strongest in the Demon Realm, soon to become the Demon King! Do you think I would crumble so easily?!]_
Despite substantial internal injuries, his well-crafted attack was executed in a way that made evasion nearly impossible.
But knowing the outcome already was akin to looking at the answer sheet beforehand.
_screech_
His eyes turned blue.
At that moment, time in a certain area froze, and everything within it came to a complete halt. The flow of air, the movement of elements, even the magical energy that was humming with destructive power—all fell still.
With that gap, Hela calmly slipped away, clicking her tongue.
‘This is impressive. If I could enhance my proficiency beyond this level, who knows… maybe I could even stop that Dragon Duke’s time.’
Transcendence was a state granted to those who exceeded the limits of their defining existence, establishing their independent realms. It was proof of an aloof elegance capable of imposing one’s own laws onto the world, undisturbed by external influences.
Moreover, that Dragon Duke was someone standing at the edge of such power, aiming for a semi-divine status, right?
Naturally, his inherent resistance against hostile mysteries would be formidable.
‘The effect of the Eye of Instant Death we used on each other being halved makes sense.’
At this point, calling it ‘instant death’ felt a bit embarrassing, but that was unavoidable. Both the Dragon Duke and Hela possessed elevated prowess and nearly immortal vitality, and while both could use their Eyes, their mastery wasn’t particularly high.
‘Even if I learned it just now, if we’re at a similar level, that means he hasn’t fully harnessed this power either.’
Having directly used the power of the “Seven-Colored Eye,” Hela realized something.
In reality, the limits of this ability were not merely defined by what she or the Dragon Duke had pulled off.
The Eye of Prophecy had the potential to foresee the true ‘future’ rather than just a few seconds ahead, and the Eye of Stasis was capable of halting time entirely across an area.
Similarly, other abilities, including the Eye of Annihilation, shared that potential.
‘He only forcibly drained strength from me, resulting in limitations from not being a rightful wielder of the Eye. After that point, he could no longer grow.’
But her own bloodline as a mixed-blood of the Eye Tribe put her in a different position.
She had heard from Liliana, the Matron of Dream Walkers, about the Eye Tribe. While they had fallen so hard that survivors were nearly impossible to find due to the Dragon Duke, they were originally a renowned and powerful species even within the Demon Realm.
Inheriting an Eye by birth, they honed it throughout their lives, striving to surpass the limits assigned to them. Just as Hela’s inherited “Eye of Domination” exerted dominion over the world itself, transcending individual beings.
‘Comparing it to other Eyes makes the divergence clear. It’s likely thanks to using the Demon King’s eyes as a medium that he inherited some mastery over domination.’
However, abilities obtained through tricks had to start from scratch. The Eye Tribe had to spend a lifetime sharpening their single Eye, so gaining the capability to use seven abilities through the “Seven-Colored Eye” wasn’t all that great.
The lack of concentrated resources meant all her powers might remain at a mediocre level.
‘My blood is boiling! In this kind of battle, eye skill matches are essential! And to think I have seven of them…!’
Of course, that kind of worry was only applicable to general cases.
It was irrelevant for Hela.
With various growth enhancements letting her grow far faster than others, more abilities were always beneficial to her.
Most importantly, didn’t she have the expensive yet worthwhile “Growth Elixir (7 Days) (200,000)”!
Plus, considering her potential as a “Demon King”…
_[Hee—! Don’t be ridiculous! Do you think I could keep using that power indefinitely?!]_
As if sensing her euphoric thoughts, the Dragon Duke roared fiercely.
He wasn’t entirely wrong.
Despite possessing massive magical energy, the burdensome energy consumption and the mental resources allocated for each use were not trivial matters either.
‘Moreover, each ability embodies its own independent mystery, making them poorly compatible with magic or other abilities.’
There was a reason why the Dragon Duke, who had grasped the power of the Eye Tribe, hadn’t been using it freely.
This ability, which he couldn’t develop further, was merely auxiliary for him despite his previously formidable powers without the Eyes.
“Well, I guess we’ll find out when we try, right? More than anything, I’m a rightful inheritor, unlike you. I understand your belief that I’d also struggle to use it, but… Heh, that’s a bit petty, isn’t it?”
_[…You arrogant wretch! Die!]_
The Dragon Duke, Crushair, heaved with indignation, unable to retort against Hela’s mockery.
A smile crept deeper on Hela’s face as she faced him.
_[……….!]_
And then, suddenly—
The Dragon Duke abruptly halted.
As if confronting a completely unexpected situation, emotions began to surface on the ferocious dragon’s face.
“What’s wrong? Did you forget something?”
Hela lightly taunted, but he didn’t respond.
He seemed genuinely distracted, likely having just received news of an urgent situation and couldn’t focus on the fight.
The more he showed that, the more Hela’s smile thickened.
“Or maybe… did a thief break into your house?”
With an overt grin, she tossed out a meaning-laden remark.
Instantly, the Dragon Duke’s six glaring eyes turned toward her.
_[…You!]_
“Still, I can’t help but feel sad if you’re not paying attention to me like this. You’re a Duke, but your manners towards a lady are simply abhorrent, huh?”
_[What did you do, hybrid!?]_
Noticing his growing agitation, the energy he emitted roared even higher than ever before.
But Hela wasn’t falling for his shallow tricks.
“Oops.”
_screech_
Her two pupils shifted to different colors.
The prophetic orange and the white of annihilation.
Simultaneously, the escape measures the Dragon Duke had secretly prepared were all shattered.
_[…………_]
“Where do you think you’re going? Now that you’ve struggled to come this far, let’s make this fun for a bit longer, shall we?”
She had no intention of letting go of this excellent teaching material.
While confronting someone with the same Eye, her own was rapidly growing.
And to add to that…
“Are you going to join me?”
That had been her intention all along.
_[…You vulgar hybrid! To pull such tricks! I will never let it slide!]_
The Dragon Duke, realizing he couldn’t escape despite his rage, was glaring back at her with sheer fury.
Hela’s red lips curved into a bright smile as she saw him in distress.
It seemed she was indeed an undeniable demon.
*
At the moment Hela and the Dragon Duke were clashing fiercely…
“Well then, shall we start soon?”
Miyamoto Ken, slowly loosening up his body, moved toward his objective.
With the Dragon Duke away from his lair, it was truly the optimal time to set things in motion, hence there was no reason to hesitate any longer.
‘Of course, not all problems have been resolved…’
There was a Marquess-level Demon, Sodiane, guarding this rear area, who Ken would struggle against at his Count level. Even a surprise attack would likely yield little effect, and he’d be the one ending up as mince meat.
‘But this guy should manage somehow.’
His gaze fell on the three-headed beast that was trailing behind him like a large hound.
He had only learned of Davidson’s exceptionalness recently after receiving it.
‘I expected it to be extraordinary considering Hela sent it, but I never thought it would be this impressive.’
On the day of adoption.
When Ken brought the cage containing the three-headed beast into his residence, after stepping into a place not visible to the public, he was met with an unexpected sight.
“What? How did it get out?”
The three-headed beast came out of its cage, as if it belonged there.
It ambled around like it owned the place, then casually headed toward the food storage and began to gorge itself on the meat inside.
“Stop it! You can’t just do that!”
Ken, who had stared blankly at Davidson, rushed to stop it.
In truth, there was no intention of eating the meat provided for the senior staff’s welfare, but he knew it would only be more tiring if he didn’t set things right from the start.
He had been one of those Earthlings who loved animals, even keeping a pet before being transported to Auterica.
‘No matter how much it’s a Cerberus, it’s just a bad-tempered pup at that age. …though I’ve heard that temperament is about a hundred times worse than a regular Cerberus.’
It wasn’t just any animal but a renowned monster in the Demon Realm.
Controlling it with casual training was out of the question.
‘Phew, I’ve raised a Beagle for over five years!’
But be it a monster, its fundamental nature as a dog didn’t change.
When raising a beast, the most important thing was to establish hierarchy first.
Though it was a monster and couldn’t be compared to ordinary puppies, there was still a need to clearly engrave who was in charge.
“Hey! I told you to stop!”
Drawing upon his experience, Ken stepped forward with determination.
_gulp gulp_
“Grrr~”
“It’s munching on—!?”
_GWAHHH!_
…And he was utterly defeated in the battle of hierarchy.
By a beast that only came up to his waist.
“Uugh! What on earth…?”
As he lay crumpled on the floor, he weakly lifted his gaze to witness the victor.
Perhaps because his head was down against the floor?
The three-headed beast continued to eat nonchalantly, seemingly fueled by having exercised lightly, and the name tag on its chest, ‘Davidson’, captured all of Ken’s attention.
“…Alright, I admit defeat.”
Finally recognizing his loss, he bowed his head in surrender.
Given the level of that beast, it was likely Hela had sent it personally.
Now, the words Frances had conveyed to him made complete sense.
‘With this level, it can definitely deal with Marquess-level foes. Surely it will aid me in making progress.’
Honoring the beast’s strength, it was only reasonable to treat it accordingly.
A three-headed beast with Marquess-level power!
At this level, only the appearance was that of a pup, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was the strongest Cerberus currently existing now that Duke Beast was deceased!
‘Let’s not sweat the small stuff. For now, just think about completing the objective.’
Surely, although being completely dominated and losing his bed to it was a slight blow to his pride.
After running around supplementing the food for the glutton who had devoured everything, he felt a strange image being formed around himself!
‘But that life ends today.’
Finally, the day of action arrived.
Ken led Davidson, who was trailing behind him… no, he strode majestically ahead, leading the three-headed beast toward the underground ritual chamber.
“Ah, Ken! So, about that… is that a Cerberus behind you?”
“Yep. I received it as a gift from someone who said he’d repay a debt a while ago. Is there an issue?”
“Ah—your passage has been granted for only you. The one behind you can’t enter.”
A large minotaur-like sentry devil guarding the tunnel leading to the destination snorted.
While his intellect wasn’t the sharpest, his unwavering persistence and combat prowess were sufficiently formidable to earn him a spot in such important roles among demons.
“Plus, it looks a bit strange, doesn’t it? I’ve seen a Cerberus a few times, but this one… um, how should I say it…”
“Precisely why it’s valuable. Isn’t it basic knowledge that the rarer something is, the more it’s worth?”
“Hmm! Knowledge, indeed.”
“And this creature didn’t come here as a demon. It’s a gift for Lord Sodiane.”
“Ha! A gift? If it’s a gift… But it’s alive?”
“If necessary, it can be used as a sacrificial offering. You know well that live sacrifices tend to be more effective than dead ones. It wouldn’t be the first time a living sacrifice has entered there, either.”
“…Indeed, if it’s for a sacrifice, there’s no issue with it being alive.”
The massive sentry slowly nodded his big head, clearing the way.
He had just been acting as a formality, and a little pup Cerberus wouldn’t pose any real threat.
If it so much as misapplied its bathroom habits in there, it would likely be butchered and turned into a sacrifice.
‘Alright! The first step has been safely secured.’
Thus, Ken and Davidson made their way smoothly into the ritual chamber.
Though various safety measures were in place along the hallway, they meant nothing to Ken, who had formal approval and had frequented this place multiple times already.
“…Question. Why have you come here, Ken? And what’s behind you… a mixed breed Cerberus?”
“Ah, Lord Sodiane.”
And finally, he came face to face with the Marquess-level demon, Sodiane.
She glanced at them with her trademark odd speech and expressionless face.
Ken swallowed dryly.
All preparations were complete.
He had secured scouting and internal operations, as well as a getaway route for afterward and emergency information in case something went wrong.
‘Phew, I’m counting on you, Davidson.’
However, above all, the most crucial thing was to surpass the demon before his eyes.
Failing to meet this primary condition would ruin the entire plan before it even started.
“I thought you might enjoy this, Lord Sodiane. Haha, I hope you’ll take good care of it moving forward.”
“Affirmative. For such a trivial reason…”
And then Davidson—
Had never let down a client in such missions.
For a brief moment, her gaze darted back at Ken.
In the blink of an eye, the three-headed beast with a devilish smile suddenly grew larger—
“…?!”
_KWAHAHAHA!_
In an instant, it swept through the interior space.
