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HELHEIM SCANS
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An intense pressure and a slight nausea emanated from deep within his insides.
The Hero took a deep breath, trying to shake off the aftereffects of teleportation.
Fortunately, the discomfort subsided quickly, thanks to his experience with the process.
“...Alright.”
He clenched and unclenched his fists.His body was in good condition.
Thanks to Izaro and Maktania’s assistance with the mana, he had a decent amount left despite the long-distance travel.
“We’ve arrived properly.”
His dual-colored eyes scanned the surroundings meticulously.
Even a small amount of demonic energy could distort the flow of existing magic, making teleportation potentially deadly.
He had been worried that they might have landed in the wrong place, but fortunately, the landmarks matched the holographic map he had studied exhaustively.
“So, this is Sector 46...”
The ruins of a civilization from three hundred years ago greeted him.
Collapsed and weathered buildings, surrounded by oddly-shaped weeds and vines, lay strewn with rusted and broken items on the ground.
[It’s quiet, huh? I thought they’d come rushing at us as soon as we arrived.]
“We’ll see if it stays quiet for another minute...”
The Hero’s hand gripped the hilt of his sword, Black Hope.
[Heh, looks like they’re stunned to see you appear alone.]
Unlike him, ??? spoke with a sense of nostalgia.
[It’s quite a change.]
“What is?”
[Sector 46 used to be the main city of the Holy Church. Its splendour and luxury were beyond imagination. The marble and gold laid out on the streets... Ah, you might still find some gold if you look hard enough. It was a place of unparalleled opulence.]
Not just Sector 46, but the entire 40s were rich regions.
The 50th Sector had once been the capital of the Magic Empire.
[The Far East of the Eastern Continent was especially prosperous. Its climate, terrain, and resources... It was a land blessed far more than the West, a land flowing with milk and honey.]
“Too sweet, they didn’t realize their teeth were rotting.”
[Exactly.]
The Hero had arrived at a plaza on one side of the city.
His gaze fixed on a broken and weathered fountain.
Instead of water, a black, viscous liquid flowed within it, emanating a foul stench.
Inside, finger-sized insects writhed.
“Even though the demonic energy has dissipated, the mutations remain.”
...He must avoid contact with anything here.
Crack!
As the Hero stomped his foot, the strange crimson moss-like life forms attempting to climb his boots were crushed.
This was the first time he had ventured so deep into the Demonic realm.
The last place he had searched for the “Paradox” was the 43rd Sector a few years ago.
Tap.
As he ascended the tallest spire of a nearby building to survey the area, memories of that time came flooding back.
“The demonic energy was so thick.”
Just standing there had drained a significant amount of his mana.
The demons and monsters he encountered were twice as formidable as those in the Western Continent.
An ordinary person, unable to manipulate magic, wouldn’t last a moment here.
But now, the density of demonic energy in the 46th Sector seemed less than a tenth of what it had been in the 43rd Sector.
[Of course. It’s all being drawn over there.]
At ??? ’s words, the Hero turned his head eastward.
Zzzzz.
It was an extraordinary sight.
In the direction of the 50th Sector, nothing could be seen.
It was as if someone had poured dark red paint across a corner of a landscape painting.
Even focusing his magical senses, it was the same.
The demonic energy, densely packed to an unprecedented degree, blocked all external views, interconnected like a living organism.
A cold and eerie aura.
The sum of human suffering over the centuries existed not far from here.
...The Hero squinted his eyes, trying to gauge the density, when ??? gave a short warning.
[They’re coming.]
“Of course, they can’t hold back for long.”
Tap.
Without hesitation, the Hero leapt from the top of the spire.
Buzz.
At the same time, he activated one of his ultimate skills, Heaven’s Net.
A supreme detection technique that combined magic with highly advanced sensing capabilities.
In an instant, information about every terrain feature and the monsters hiding within flooded his mind, as if seen from above.
??? laughed in amusement.
[There must be tens of thousands.]
Monsters crawling out of the ground.
Monsters flying from the tops of tall buildings and from the distant sky.
Monsters lurking in the shadows of the ruins.
The once silent surroundings were now filled with the horrible noises made by the monsters.
The sound of damp, squelching footsteps and the clacking of teeth filled the air.
Though scattered in various locations, the monsters moved toward him as if they were one hive mind.
“They’ve prepared quite the ambush.”
It was like dropping a piece of sweet cake in the middle of an anthill.
[How do you feel?]
“I feel relieved, actually.”
[Relieved?]
It would have been incredibly troublesome if we hadn’t come and lured them out first.
“I shudder to think what would have happened if all of them had latched onto Avalon.”
[Pretending to be bold. Can you hold out until the reinforcements arrive?]
The Hero lifted the Black Hope.
“...Hold out?”
Under the dull sky of the Demonic realm, a dark aura wrapped around the nearly meter-long black sword.
At the same time, a condensed Nova manifested.
White lightning crackled around his entire body.
His perception and thoughts accelerated intensely, calculating the most appropriate combat methods for the situation.
▼
Replicating recorded individual: Ted Redymer...
▲
▼
Replicating recorded individual: Larze Gion...
▲
▼
Replicating recorded individual: Leciel Hiyashin...
▲
▼
Replicating recorded individual: Yussi Glendor...
▲
“Your jokes aren’t even funny.”
‘Come at me’, the Hero’s eyes glowed a bright blue.
* * *
Theo and Malekia knew that the human forces would arrive, but they couldn’t leave the vicinity of the Demon King’s Castle.
They were the pillars of the descent ritual, responsible for controlling the immense amount of demonic energy pouring into the 50th Sector.
No subordinate commanders could be entrusted with this task, nor did they want to share the glory of the descent.
‘There’s no need to share the credit for the descent.’
Thus, only four subordinate commanders and their troops were present in the 46th Sector.
Theo was in command as always, so all situations were immediately reported to him.
“We’ve detected teleportation magic!”
As expected, such a report came, and Theo prepared to mobilize the ambushed forces.
‘They’re desperately clinging on.’
It was a simple plan.
Time was on their side.
They didn’t need to win or annihilate the enemy.
They just needed to hold them back. However...
‘What is this?’
In an unforeseen situation, Theo hesitated to give orders.
‘Why did only one person come?’
He had been sure they would bring all their comrades up to the limit of teleportation capacity.
It made sense; this was the decisive moment, the final battle.
There was no need to hold back any power.
But when the light of the teleportation faded, only one silhouette appeared.
Theo quickly extended his demonic energy.
‘Did the others head to a different area?’
...That wasn’t it either.
The only place where teleportation magic waves were detected was in the 46th Sector.
The conflicting situation led Theo to all sorts of speculations.
‘Could they have failed to cooperate due to differences?’
Theo immediately shook his head.
...No. Even if humans were foolish, they wouldn’t be so blind.
‘Then is it a time-delayed attack?’
...That was the most plausible guess.
While the Hero held off the forces, the rest of the party would break through to the Demon King’s Castle.
A faint sneer formed on Theo’s lips.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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‘Foolish. So foolish.’
He almost laughed.
‘I overestimated humans.’
Theo knew that some humans had grown strong enough to threaten even the demon commanders.
But they weren’t a threat to the Demon King.
The only threat to the Demon King was the Hero.
Therefore, Theo had predicted the battle would unfold as follows:
The human forces would protect the Hero while advancing toward the Demon King’s Castle.
But instead, the Hero remained as bait while the others charged ahead?
The advance to the Demon King’s Castle might be easier, but...
‘Do they think they can face the King alone?’
...It was pure arrogance.
As Theo pondered, his eyes glinted coldly.
‘Whatever the case, it’s a favourable situation.’
Theo had long noticed the Demon King’s disdain for doppelganger.
The haste for the descent was to avoid giving the enemy time.
‘The only rival.’
In other words, if they could inflict even a minor wound on the Hero, it would make it easier for the Demon King to deal with him after descending.
Theo clenched his fist as if grasping something invisible.
Losing his unique status and becoming just another commander was an opportunity he didn’t want to miss.
The demons’ journey wouldn’t end with conquering the human world.
They would use the power gained here to conquer the heavens and other dimensions.
The question of who would stay closest to the Demon King and grasp the sweetest fruit would depend on how they handled this defensive battle.
Theo couldn’t hesitate any longer.
“Ignore everything else. Focus all your power on him.”
No matter how powerful the doppelganger was, its power was not infinite.
‘Even when it fought against the King in the past, it was the one who got tired in the end.’
They had ambushed tens of thousands of monsters.
By launching a mass assault, they were bound to weaken the enemy’s strength.
After giving the order to charge, Theo observed the battlefield through the eyes of his subordinate demons.
As expected, within minutes, the Hero was buried under so many monsters that he was barely visible.
All the monsters scattered near the expected arrival point converged around him.
Boom!
The Hero was unleashing sword auras and magical bombardments, cutting down dozens at a time.
However, overall, it was just a minor loss.
Theo watched this with amusement.
“First, we’ll grind down the lesser demons and monsters, and then we’ll deploy the higher demons and commanders.”
It didn’t matter if the reinforcements appeared later.
As long as the Hero was held back, they couldn’t significantly impact the battle’s outcome.
Even if they realized something was wrong and tried to rescue the Hero, they would have already suffered losses in time and strength.
Theo smiled as he watched the wall of monsters surrounding the Hero.
It lasted until he felt an immense magical presence above the 46th Sector.
Theo’s expression twisted into a quiver.
“Teleportation?”
Could it be the reinforcements arriving late?
Theo looked at the sky, where the mana was swirling.
Whoosh!
It was indeed the magical trace that followed large-scale teleportation.
However...
“What on earth is coming through?”
It wasn’t the presence of humans.
Theo faintly “sensed” something crossing the space and opened his mouth.
“Disperse....”
The large-scale teleportation completed at that moment.
An intense light shone from the sky of the Demonic realm, penetrating even closed eyelids.
The monsters on the ground temporarily lost their sight.
In the ensuing darkness, the sound of metal clashing and the low hum of machinery reverberated, causing the ground to tremble.
“What is that...?”
The mobile fortress Avalon loomed over the battlefield like a colossal metal monster.
Vreeee!
The sight of Avalon’s main cannons all opening was truly magnificent.
As the metal petals blossomed, the sparks from the nearly charged magic energy cores scattered like pollen.
Theo shouted at the top of his lungs from the distant Demon King’s Castle, knowing his voice wouldn’t reach.
“Disperse!”
* * *
[All main cannon energy charged]
[Avalon’s remaining mana: 12%]
[Stability check in progress]
[Excessive mana input. Overload risk increased]
[Cooling system activated]
[Safety devices disengaged]
[Target coordinates being set]
[Target locked... adjusting all cannons towards ‘Ted Redymer’]
This attack was impossible under normal circumstances.
No one would stand still, knowing the enemy was preparing a terrifying strike.
Moreover, charging the energy cores of the main cannons to the brink of explosion took time, giving the enemy plenty of time to retreat.
But this time, an exception had been made.
They could create such a situation “forcefully.”
The state of charging the magic to the critical point during the teleportation.
A trump card that could only be used during the unexpected first appearance.
If the target were human, their concentration would break during teleportation, making this method impossible.
But Avalon was an inanimate object made of steel.
Thanks to several overlapping conditions, this special... all-out bombardment could be unleashed in mere seconds.
[Insufficient mana!]
[Reducing the output of the lift propulsion system]
Almost all systems except the attack modules were already off, and Avalon began to sink to the ground slowly.
“Hold tight!”
“Aim carefully!”
“Stay focused! After the first barrage, we need to clean up the rest!”
“Will the professor be okay?”
The passengers shouted various commands as they held onto the controls.
Rumble...
The fortress trembled with an incredible vibration.
Overload warning lights flashed everywhere.
Ear-piercing alarm sounds.
The inside of the vessel heated up like an oven from the excessive use of magic.
And finally...
The emperor’s calm voice, who had taken command in place of the captain, resonated throughout the ship.
“Fire.”
* * *
He looked up.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as if time had stopped.
The massive shadow of Avalon cast over the ground.
Hundreds of cannons revealed themselves.
The tremendous power gathered at their tips.
Every movement was meticulously coordinated.
The air around trembled.
The main cannon at Avalon’s front focused such immense firepower that even the doppelganger couldn’t hope to withstand it.
??? whispered.
[If you take a direct hit, there won’t be even dust left. Even the doppelganger’s regeneration can’t handle that.]
‘...So I mustn’t get hit.’
The Hero ran.
He grabbed a fleeing demon by the back of the neck and lifted him.
As the demon’s face contorted with confusion and fear—
‘Now.’
▼
Activation of Salvation Ritual Form 4: Stellar Lift.
▲
The Hero’s figure disappeared into a rift in the dimension with the demon in tow.
Boom!
Half of the monsters in the 46th Sector were wiped out immediately after.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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