Dark Nest (1)
On the battlefield where various deformities of corpses were strewn about.
_Hooong—_
A cold breeze brushed over them, soaring high into the sky, passing by the hideous-looking demons who were panting after just finishing their war.
“···Tsk, I was hoping against hope.”
In the center of the high sky that the wind was headed toward.
A beautiful woman, holding the winds swirling around her in her grasp, frowned in dissatisfaction from her position high enough to overlook the battlefield.
“I really missed it. I guess it was too much to finish it here.”
As her yellow-tinted eyes returned to normal, the surrounding winds gradually calmed down.
She had used the elemental mastery of the “Seven-colored Eye” to thoroughly scan the area just in case, but no matter how much she searched, she found no significant traces.
‘Well, after all, it’s only natural since he was called the strongest in the demon realm.’
Hela, feeling a bit disappointed, lightly cracked her neck.
The opponent, the Dragon Duke, was no weakling, certainly not someone she could underestimate after this single battle.
Moreover, a significant factor was that rather than fighting her directly, he had been avoiding confrontation to return to his base whenever there was a chance.
‘Well, I guess this is more than I initially anticipated as an achievement.’
She had bought enough time as her original objective.
It was all possible thanks to the “Seven-colored Eye” she had acquired because of that guy.
She had been able to respond quickly with “Eye of Prophecy” whenever he tried to pull clever tricks.
‘Of course, he also had the same eye technique, so in the end, I lost track of him. But what can I do if I go back now?’
It was already too late to do anything.
Recalling the benefits gained from the successful mission, Hela couldn’t help but smirk.
[Hela! The first inspection is complete. We are currently in the process of identifying detailed damage status by unit and classifying the surrendered enemy forces!]
At that moment, a massive Balrog flew in with flapping wings, beginning to report.
It was bothersome, but since the current head of the unit was Hela, it was a necessary process.
“···Did the Dragon Duke directly intervene? The battle wasn’t that long, but the damage is the worst so far?”
[In fact, it’s relatively good given the circumstances. It’s all thanks to Hela who kept things under control even while fighting. Moreover, after the Dragon Duke retreated, a significant number of enemy troops surrendered, so we should be able to replenish the troop losses quickly.]
It hadn’t been long since the fight ended, but the Marquis-level demon Tobares began to report on various things, revealing how quickly he assessed the situation.
Hela just nodded at his report, having transitioned from being a member of Dark Nest to overseeing the army led by Hela after switching to Helheim.
[Once we swallowed the entire area of Autorelle, the central gate of Dark Nest, control completely passed to us. Now that we decide where to go first, their defense strategy will likely be shaken, so they’ll probably be in a dilemma for a while.]
The reason Hela entrusted him with commanding the unit was precisely because she knew nothing about war strategies except for fighting.
As he had been one of the high-ranking commanders on the enemy side until recently, he understood their current situation and response system inside out.
He was also a capable individual that led troops at the forefront when Dark Nest integrated Duke Tumma’s Burning Inferno.
“Hmm, so from now on, we can dictate the flow of the war however we want, right?”
[That’s right. This is a strategic point of great value. It’s surprising how easily the Dragon Duke retreated after coming all the way here.]
‘He must have had no choice. That side must have been more important than this battlefield.’
A smirk appeared on Hela’s face as she glanced at Tobares.
The fact that she was able to come this far smoothly was largely due to his ability to maneuver the troops as if they were his own limbs.
Although it was unclear why he stood on the side of the Dragon Duke and attacked the other Balrog, Duke Tumma…
She didn’t care about such personal matters at all.
Once she committed to conquering the whole demon realm, all she needed from those under her command was their ability.
‘Well, just because they’re of the same clan doesn’t mean they’ll always get along. In a demon realm where struggle and betrayal are everyday situations, that’s not surprising.’
The factions that dominate the dynamics of the demon realm were merely military cliques that gathered based on the capabilities and tendencies of their leaders, pursuing their interests.
In that sense, the Dream Walker, where the demon race of the Incubus type was tightly united, could be seen as an exceptional case.
That would likely have been influenced by the ascension of the 14th Demon King, Leleye, and the subsequent oppression following her death.
‘It’s unlikely that Liliana, who leads the Dream Walker in defense, will crumble easily either. Then next…’
The front lines of Helheim weren’t limited to just this place.
Having grown to be among the top three factions in the demon realm, the territory that needed to be defended could only increase.
Moreover, she also had to be wary of the temporarily allied Demonique.
In this demon realm, complaining about being stabbed in the back would only elicit laughter in return.
‘Of course, for the time being, there’s no need to pay attention to that side. I hope they liked my gift.’
With a meaningful smile on her face, Hela quietly gazed up at the sky.
As always, the sky was dyed purple, with a large sword-like thing stretching across the center and the Milky Way shining within.
Her heart, lost in the appreciation of that beautiful scenery, gradually calmed down.
“···Then let’s slowly move on to the next phase. Now is the perfect opportunity as our ally is actively helping us.”
Having forced the enemy’s leader, the Dragon Duke, to retreat, morale was soaring to the heavens.
Thus, the army led by Helra, the sovereign of Helheim, began to move once more.
*
The base of Dark Nest.
“Duke! Are you alright?”
“To return so suddenly…”
The subordinates were flustered by the unexpected return of the Dragon Duke from the battlefield.
It was only natural to react this way when the ruler they believed to be the strongest returned in a shape closer to defeat.
“Get lost! You foolish idiots!”
However, that was only pouring oil on his anger.
No matter how hidden the existence of the underground ritual chamber was, and how outsiders failed to notice anything unusual, if these fools had properly defended the base, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place!
Turning on the horrid aura that can be felt despite his human form, he swatted away those who had rushed to him and hastily made his way down to the secret ritual chamber.
Along the way, he brutally ripped apart a head demon of the Marquis rank standing guard and ran toward where he imagined the worst had transpired.
The scene that awaited him was… even more severe than he had anticipated.
The site of the incident remained intact with the situation completely abandoned due to thorough security.
With a grim face, the Dragon Duke slowly approached the center.
“Sodiane…”
Only small pieces of splintered wood remained in the underground workshop completely destroyed and in ruins.
But even that was enough to deduce what had happened here.
The outlaw who killed Sodiane had cleaned up not only her remains but everything within the workshop.
His face contorting like a brutal vengeful spirit, he moved deeper.
Where the captured Duke Tumma, Karakul, was held.
What remained there was nothing but blood scattered on the floor.
Moreover, not only the restraints but also the large apparatus and equipment used in the rituals had been thoroughly looted.
_Creeeak—_
Bearing his bared teeth in rage, he quickened his steps towards the place where there was a door behind the column.
He already had a good idea of the situation, but he needed to see for himself to confirm for certain.
‘Ken, how dare you…!’
His insides boiled over.
How much effort had he put into securing this place?
And yet, the situation had reached this point, his mind was turning white with rage.
‘This couldn’t have been done by that guy alone. There must be accomplices.’
Even just taking down the first guardian, Sodiane, was a tough feat.
She was a powerful figure who was at his own rank, and in his own thoroughly prepared workshop, no less!
His thoughts became even more solidified once he stepped inside the shrine.
_Kraaaar——!_
The furious roar of the dragon echoed through the massive shrine’s corridor.
The space itself felt unstable as if a quake had struck, yet the Dragon Duke had no goodwill left to spare for such disturbances.
_How dare! How dare dare dare! I’ll kill them! I will definitely kill them—!_
He merely erupted with hot rage, as if he were going to rip the culprit apart on the spot.
At this point, identifying the suspects behind it was not difficult.
Even if Ken could help enter the ritual chamber, not many could commit such a despicable act in this demon realm!
Yet, with a slight glimmer of hope, while rummaging through the shrine, he picked up one decisive piece of evidence.
A small rag torn from somewhere.
However, he, who possessed extremely keen senses, could clearly tell whose energy was resonating from that cloth.
“Eh heh heh… so it was you after all, I suspected but had no proof.”
A sinister laugh erupted as he turned his 99% certainty into 100% with that evidence.
Under normal circumstances, he would have doubted even this piece of evidence once more, but in a situation where there was only one suspect, it was a different story altogether.
To have slain the Marquis-level demon Sodiane who was preparing for any eventuality in his workshop, disrupted the rituals installed in the shrine, and cleaned out even the material needed for the embodiment of the 15th Demon King…
[Pietaaaan—! How dare you—!]
Who else could it be other than the Duke of Darkness, Pieta?
This was something merely a few Marquis couldn’t do on their own.
Moreover, the other suspect, Helra, the leader of Helheim, had been fiercely battling with him at that time, leaving only Pieta as the possible culprit.
‘I don’t know how they managed to sneak in here, but…!’
It wouldn’t be strange for that walking corpse using an art different from typical black magic to have pulled something he didn’t know about.
Moreover, wasn’t there clear evidence left behind?
“Alright, it’s time for a play, isn’t it? No wonder things have been quiet lately, you were scheming behind the scenes. It seems you’ve colluded with that mutt to get this done.”
In an instant, a pitch-black flame burst forth, and the small piece of cloth in his grasp turned to ashes and scattered.
At the same time, his last patience shattered into pieces.
[Kwuraaaaar—! I will tear you apart!]
Once again, the shrine shook with his roar of rage.
But he did not know.
——!
From the moment he had entered, the shrine had been sending signals, as if trying to convey something to him.
Yet, oblivious to that final signal, he stormed out of the shrine with harsh steps.
To resume war at once.
———!
The shrine sent out a strong signal again, as if in irritation, but that was only natural.
The Dragon Duke within was just a mere resident.
None of the Archangels left to respond to that signal remained any longer.
*
The base of Demonique.
A figure draped in long black robes, with a goat skull on its head, was Pieta, the Duke of Darkness, from whose eye sockets blue smoke billowed forth.
“Quite impressive indeed. I never thought a newly formed faction would be able to achieve this much.”
While seated on his throne, he quietly muttered, glancing at the war map as his subordinates moved in real-time.
His eyes were drawn toward the emblem of Helheim, storming through the battlefield like a whirlwind.
“Good thing I prepared in advance.”
The voice mixed with laughter flowed from the skull of the goat.
Demonique had finished all preparations and was merely waiting for the opportunity to strike Helheim from behind.
The current scale might be larger for Dark Nest, but it was only a matter of time before Helheim grew into an even greater threat.
Wasn’t that clearly evidenced by the current situation?
‘Perhaps, they might have already surpassed Dark Nest.’
That was precisely why Demonique had been opting for a passive approach on the battlefield.
While the aggressive actions of Helheim and their necessary attentiveness to Dark Nest led to repeated collisions, they preserved their strength to strike at once when both factions became exhausted.
To this end, Pieta was methodically advancing his schemes to worsen relations between the two factions and nibble away at them.
“Heh heh heh, war isn’t just about strength.”
The Duke of Darkness, who enjoyed plotting rather than direct confrontation, scoffed at the foolish actions of his competitors.
The more those two fought, the more advantageous it became for him alone.
“Duke! Duke!”
Just as he was indulging in his satisfaction alone.
One of his subordinates rushed into the situation room, looking pale and breathless.
At a glance, it was clear that something unusual had occurred.
Feeling an ominous premonition, Pieta twisted his eye socket’s radiance and turned to look at him.
Vowing that he would not let him off easily if it turned out to be just a false alarm.
And for his very fortunate subordinate…
He did not suffer the misfortune of being punished by the Duke of Darkness.
The situation was several times worse than he had anticipated.
“It’s an all-out war! The entire army of Dark Nest is gathering at the front line against us! And the Dragon Duke is…!”
“···What?”
It was the moment that Demonique, which had been quietly waiting for an opportunity, was forced to rise to the surface like a fish grabbed by its gills.
