Dark Nest (2)
A full-scale war has begun between two of the largest powers in the Demon Realm.
Recently, despite being humiliated in various ways, and with growing concerns among its members, it is still not an exaggeration to say that Dark Nest is the greatest in the Demon Realm.
Even while Hela’s rise is noticeable, Demonique has been secretly gathering power with a consistently passive response.
The war, which started from the frontline’s borders, gradually began to expand and, in no time, spread rapidly like wildfire to all places where the two forces were even slightly intertwined.
It became a full-scale war, mobilizing all the forces under their command, with the two dukes at the head of the factions personally stepping onto the battlefield.
[You! Pieta—! I will surely rip your head off and use it as decoration!]
“Huh, Dragon Duke. What’s with the sudden aggression? Launching a full-scale attack like this must be a huge burden for you too, right?”
[Don’t play dumb! Did you really think I wouldn’t know what you’ve been scheming behind my back?!]
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Though he said that, Pieta’s eyes twisted with unease as he was inwardly troubled.
He had definitely started his schemes while they were in a heated battle with Helheim, so he thought he should at least recognize that.
‘What’s been discovered? Connecting the gates secretly? Brainwashing the kidnapped executives? Could it be that the infiltration of my agents into the core was found out? Seeing him this excited, it seems to be no small matter… or is it possibly…’
There were so many possibilities that he couldn’t pinpoint what the actual cause was.
The significant schemes he had been executing against Dark Nest could hardly be counted on one hand.
‘Perhaps everything has been revealed. I got careless. No wonder it seemed strange that he was so pressured against Helheim; was he on guard against me even while fighting?’
With his feet tingling from anxiety, Pieta desperately analyzed the situation.
It seemed that something had been caught— whatever it was, it felt substantial.
In fact, Dragon Duke was similarly unable to afford to disclose anything outright, which only fueled misunderstandings.
And even if Pieta, feeling a sense of discomfort, claimed his innocence, things wouldn’t change.
His penchant for deceit and scheming was something Dragon Duke knew all too well.
Thus, past actions mattered greatly.
[First, I will kill you here—! The mutt can wait!]
“Ha! You underestimated me. Do you think I could fall easily like Karakul, that fool?”
With the Dragon’s furious exclamation, a breath attack poured forth, clashing against the dark magic of Duke of Darkness twisting reality.
Destructive energy surged like a tidal wave, and the defensive technique twisted the spatial distortions, letting them slip away.
In retaliation, a ray of twisted magical energy pierced the massive body of the dragon, laced with deadly toxin, but it crumbled uselessly, failing to surpass the link of ‘Foresight’ and ‘Annihilation.’
Rumble—! Boom!
The aftermath alone wrought immense effects across the entire battlefield, with a back-and-forth exchange taking place.
It was a fierce fight where not a step forward could be seen, but in truth, the result had already been mostly determined.
“Ugh!”
[Do you think you can be my match? I am Dragon Duke Crushair! The current strongest in the Demon Realm, and soon I will surpass even the Demon King!]
Despite suffering from considerable fatigue from his recent battle with Hela, Crushair consistently maintained an upper hand against Pieta, pressuring him.
The title of the strongest in the Demon Realm was not mere self-promotion.
Ultimately, the evenly matched Pieta had no choice but to pull back, risking damage from the battlefield.
If he continued to fight, and truly fell, that moment would mark the end for everything.
‘For now, retreat. But this is not the end.’
He never thought he would win outright, to begin with.
After all, he had prepared so many schemes precisely for this reason, hadn’t he?
While most of them were still unfinished, if he deployed all of them, he could create ample opportunities for a turnaround.
“Cough! Lord Pieta!”
Keeek—! Kill… eat! I’m hungry!
“Zeezang! If I had known this would happen, I would have switched sides earlier… cough!”
Keuk— Kreeeek—!
As a result, a considerable portion of Demonique’s military forces supporting him succumbed without even putting up a proper resistance against the monstrous white aberrations, but casualties on the battlefield are always commonplace.
The Duke of Darkness successfully retreated, relying on the sacrifices of his subordinates.
“Are they really planning to finish it this time? Alright, I will not sit idly by either!”
Immediately after, he began to unleash all the preparations he had been building up until now.
With that, the mainland of Dark Nest was suddenly besieged, betrayal and assassination ran rampant, and extreme chaos ensued.
[Don’t worry about trivial losses. The key is to take down Pieta as quickly as possible.]
However, Dragon Duke on the front line didn’t falter and pressed forward with only slaughter in his mind, leading the pure white monsters that feared nothing and would not betray.
As the situation escalated to that degree, Demonique could not help but feel anxious.
He quickly reached out to Helheim, with whom he had a superficial cooperative relationship, but…
-Right now, our entire unit is at the brink of exhaustion. Unlike other factions, we’ve been in a severe state of war every day, haven’t we? As a result, we succeeded in advancing all the way to the mainland of Dark Nest.
So, I’m very sorry, but I can’t send reinforcements right now.
He received a response stating they would shake Dark Nest’s rear lines as soon as they could gather their troops.
Crash!
When the Duke of Darkness received the message through his aide, he slammed the table down.
The impact sent the table and everything around it into disarray, but he had no time to worry about such trivial matters right now.
“…Foolish. Don’t they realize that if we crumble, it will only be harder for them too?”
The reason Dark Nest could come at Demonique so forcefully was connected to Helheim’s sudden passiveness.
Its previous relentless advance towards the heart of the faction had inexplicably shifted to methodically incorporating nearby factions and fortifying defenses.
“…This isn’t good. Not good at all.”
He muttered softly while gazing down at the battlefield map.
Thanks to mobilizing a variety of preparations, he had bought some time, but if they continued to lose ground in all-out war like this, it would all mean very little.
Because of that, his subordinate forces were already in disarray.
Click, this might be something I need to seriously consider giving up.
If unable to continue, surrendering would be one option.
Seeing his overly excited opponent trying to kill him made him feel somewhat skeptical, but once he regained calmness, he knew it would be far more advantageous for him, a duke, to surrender.
After all, the Dragon himself was one of the candidates for the Demon King who had survived by that exact method.
“Still, I’ll try everything I can until the end.”
But that didn’t mean he would easily concede.
Hadn’t it been the same during the elections for the 15th Demon King?
At that time, the Dragon Duke maintained overwhelming superiority throughout, yet in the end, it was the greedy Tanuin who did not relinquish the throne.
Had he chosen to surrender to preserve his forces then, who knows? Maybe he would have become the 15th Demon King instead of Tanuin, so he planned to keep pushing as long as there was still a chance.
Of course, Helheim is a variable, but…
For now, confronting the tidal wave of Dark Nest took priority.
In the meantime, he had designed some countermeasures regarding Helheim.
Thus, the Duke of Darkness Pieta kept rolling the bones of hope, making every effort to seize the moment and claim the title of Demon King.
Meanwhile, at that same moment…
If he had realized what Hela was planning as a variable, he certainly would not have been so carefree.
*
“Good work, Ken. It must have been a tough assignment, but you did great.”
“It was nothing, Lady Hela! If it weren’t for Davidson’s help that you sent, I couldn’t have done it alone. I only guided him.”
“Enough with the modesty. If it weren’t for you, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.”
“Lady Hela…!”
With a gentle smile and added praise, Ken fell to his knees before Hela, looking ecstatic.
There was no other reason.
In truth, this mission had forced him to receive an opportunity that felt like a windfall.
An artificially created mind and an artificially born body.
His existence was practically fake, and through this experience, he could be reborn as a complete entity.
No need to say that he had grown into a Marquis-level demon in the process.
‘If it weren’t for Davidson… How would I have entered the Shrine, let alone protect the main body from the curse, instead losing both my mind and body?’
Of course, an unidentified hero’s help played a role too, but it did not diminish his loyalty to Hela.
From the beginning, it was entirely because of Davidson, sent by her, that he could survive against the powerful foes.
Hela seemed to sense his feelings, smiling faintly as she continued.
“So, what about the body of the former Demon King? Any progress?”
They had acquired many things from that shrine.
One of them was the remains of Tanuin, the 15th Demon King, which the Dragon Duke had been collecting for hundreds of years.
And Ken, originally of the same origin, could absorb that remnant to dramatically enhance his physical potential.
“…It’s embarrassing, but I believe it will take more time to yield proper results due to my lack of abilities. Wouldn’t it be better to just give the rest to Davidson…?”
Hmm, I expected as much. It’s greedy to expect results so soon after such a short time to grow. And Davidson will be fine. He just has a big appetite, but honestly, he could be satisfied with just that much anyway.
What Davidson… or Harley really needed was the genetic information contained within living beings, not the flesh itself.
Of course, it was true that the more of a high-ranking being’s byproducts he consumed, the better it was, but since he had already grown enough to devour holiness, investing further wouldn’t be very efficient.
No matter how powerful the former Demon King’s body was, the soul and essence had been cursed, leaving the body in complete ruin.
‘It would be far more effective to increase his size and utilize him instead.’
Had there been no alternative, he would have devoured it whole just like the other marquis-level demons until now.
However, with this priceless slave, the story was different.
“Don’t be too hasty, and focus on absorbing it gradually. As long as you can get a foothold, I can assist you.”
“Ah…! Thank you, Lady Hela! I haven’t even repaid all the kindness you’ve shown me, yet you care for me this much…!”
Unbeknownst to him, Ken pressed his forehead to the ground, feeling deeply moved.
Hela, who only intended to raise him for her own use, awkwardly smiled, but that unease quickly faded away.
Well, isn’t it beneficial for both of us? If that kid can return to Earth, he’ll be even happier.
Despite not being the real Miyamoto Ken, he indeed had inherited his memories.
The contract made at the end also allowed him to inherit a part of that soul.
In a sense, the only thing that changed was his body.
If the memories and soul still aligned, then it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him ‘him’ in the first place.
After finishing the meeting with Ken, Hela slowly walked, finally inspecting the interior of their base.
After swallowing the territory of the Dark Nest and systematically subjugating the surrounding factions, the forward base they established in the center had become quite formidable.
Of course, this appearance is just a facade.
A meaningful smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.
What really mattered was not this forward base itself, but rather a special something set up here.
After confirming that for the last time, she nodded slowly.
Perfect. With this, I can start right away. Thanks to the shards of holiness, things have become much easier.
Another gain from the shrine.
By obtaining that relic which led to the downfall of the former Demon King Tanuin, she could now initiate her plans anytime.
The shards of holiness made up for the slight insufficiencies in her qualifications as a Demon King.
“Well then.”
With gratitude towards the Dragon Duke, who readily handed over such a precious item, and towards the Duke of Darkness, who was buying her time and acting favorably in the planning phase.
Hela wore a refreshing smile as she took a light step forward.
“Shall we start soon?”
Toward the goal of consuming the entire Demon Realm.
*
[…What?]
Serentata, a Marquis-level demon guarding the stronghold of Dark Nest, furrowed his brow.
He immediately soared towards where he sensed an anomaly.
There was no need to specify how crucial it was to guard the stronghold, the center of all portals, considering the escalation of the war to the point where even the faction leader stepped onto the front lines.
Given the circumstances where he could not allow even a minor variable, it was only natural that he moved directly to where he sensed something suspicious.
If he were unable to fulfill his duties again, it wouldn’t simply end with being defeated by the Dragon Duke like before.
[…Who is it?!]
Arriving at the scene in an instant, he came face to face with a mysterious figure radiating a strange air throughout.
How? The gates should have been strictly controlled!
He didn’t even entertain the possibility of it being someone who resided here from the start, as meeting that figure, even once, would make it impossible to forget, no matter the circumstance.
He should have at least heard rumors about that person if he hadn’t met them directly.
“Oh? You arrived quickly; you have good instincts.”
A pair of towering horns, red-black eyes, a flamboyant outfit that only served to accentuate overwhelming demonic prowess.
Simply locking eyes with her assaulted his mind with gnawing dread, and he recognized her identity with certainty.
[The ruler of Helheim, Hela…!]
“Yep, that’s right.”
How on earth she managed to invade here without even passing through the gates, he had no time to question, regardless of how much strength had been depleted.
Whoosh—
At that moment, the world was cloaked over her.
It wasn’t entirely transformed.
It was as if the two worlds were layered over one another, only the desolate shape was faintly superimposed.
However, the issue was that it wasn’t merely the scenery overlapping.
Tap, tap, tap—
Boom— Boom—
From beyond the overlapping landscapes of desolation.
A powerful demonic army, bursting with spirit and marching in unison, surged in.
[Whaaat?! How is this possible?!]
This was an impossibility.
This place was the stronghold of the largest and strongest faction in the Demon Realm, Dark Nest, and the nest of the one and only Dragon Duke.
No unauthorized person was permitted to intrude upon this territory.
“How is this possible?”
Of course.
“Do I need permission to visit my own land?”
Such things held no meaning for Hela, the rightful ruler of the Demon Realm.
