Episode 122
The system translated the demonic language into text.
[How dare a mere human!]
At the same time, a terrifying figure slammed a staff into the ground.
Thud!
Black smoke seeped into the stone floor, causing the ground to tremble.
Grrrr!
Monstrous creatures with grotesque teeth and horns emerged, clawing their way up from beneath the earth.
The beasts burst forth as if they were growing from the stone itself.
Richmond, startled, hid behind Zeke.
“M-Master! M-Monsters have appeared!”
Zeke assessed the terrifying figure wielding the staff, his sword at the ready.
Black smoke flowed from the staff, wrapping around the figure like a cloak.
‘I need to take him down first.’
Zeke activated his Dragonkin skill, Dragon Warriors.
Swoosh!
From Zeke’s shadow, five warriors clad in black armor emerged.
Clang!
The Dragon Warriors, fully formed, instinctively pointed their spears, ready for battle.
Zeke commanded them.
“Take down the beasts! Richmond, cover us from behind!”
As the Dragon Warriors charged at the monsters, Zeke used his Wind Step to close in on the terrifying figure.
“Haaah!”
Zeke unleashed a Mace of Light at the figure.
Boom!
The Mace of Light struck, but the black aura from the staff deflected the impact.
[Insolent fool!]
The figure aimed the staff at Zeke.
Vwoom!
A wave of dark energy surged toward Zeke.
Sensing the ominous power, Zeke raised a Shield of Light.
Crackle―
The dark energy collided with the shield.
Zeke swung Bahamut, enveloped in an Aura Blade.
Clang!
The Aura Blade clashed with the dark aura surrounding the figure.
It seemed the usual Aura Blade wasn’t enough to penetrate it.
Zeke decided to use the Purifying Blade skill he had recently acquired.
Fwoosh!
A golden aura of purification erupted from his sword.
The terrifying figure swung the staff, creating a barrier of dark energy.
Undeterred, Zeke slashed through the dark barrier with the Purifying Blade.
The dark aura surrounding the figure dissipated like smoke.
Ssssh―
The figure, pushed back by Zeke’s attack, rolled across the ground.
Clutching the staff, the figure struck the ground again.
Rumble―
This time, an even more horrifying beast emerged.
Roar―
A massive undead creature, made of crimson bones, crawled out of the stone floor, its maw gaping toward Zeke.
Simultaneously, black flames spewed from the undead’s mouth.
Fwoosh!
The flames melted and boiled the stone floor upon contact.
Zeke blocked the black flames with Bahamut.
Boom!
Bahamut, with its indestructible attribute, glowed red-hot but remained unbroken.
A message appeared.
[Bahamut absorbs the flames of the demon realm.]
Zeke recalled Bahamut’s newly unlocked ability, ‘Mana Absorption.’
‘Can it absorb even this?’
As Zeke marveled, the flames from the undead were fully absorbed, prompting another message.
[You can now unleash the absorbed flames.]
Zeke aimed his sword at the undead and released the flames.
From Bahamut, dragon-shaped crimson flames erupted.
Roar―
The dragon-infused black flames engulfed the undead’s flames, growing larger.
The flames wrapped around the massive undead, setting it ablaze.
Screech―
The undead, consumed by Bahamut’s flames, writhed in agony before crumbling to ash.
Zeke couldn’t help but be impressed by Bahamut’s new power.
‘With this kind of strength, once fully unlocked, it’ll be unstoppable.’
Admiring Bahamut, Zeke slowly approached the figure with the staff.
‘System, can you translate my words into the demon language?’
[Initiating simultaneous translation into the demon language.]
Zeke spoke to the figure.
“Who are you?”
The system translated his words into the demon language.
The figure flinched, then spoke.
[You know the language of the demon realm? Have you pledged your soul?]
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’ve never pledged my soul.”
The figure, confused, spoke again.
[To maintain sanity in the realm of power without being a servant… Unbelievable.]
“What are these servants and powers? Are you a dark sorcerer with forbidden magic? Or an experiment from the Rom Empire?”
Zeke threw out terms to gauge the figure’s reaction.
But the figure remained unresponsive.
Zeke tried again.
“Are you sent by the Abyss?”
The figure’s body reacted subtly.
Zeke noticed the reaction, realizing the figure was connected to the Abyss.
‘The Abyss… They’re more than just a group of dark sorcerers.’
Zeke spoke once more.
“Are you a demon?”
The figure realized Zeke was extracting information from his reactions.
[You’re a cunning one.]
Annoyed, the figure struck his chest with the staff.
Thud!
Instantly, his body began to dissolve into liquid.
Ssssh―
A foul stench rose from the black liquid.
The liquid spread across the chamber, creating black smoke.
Rumble!
The chamber’s entrance closed, sealing the space completely.
The now amorphous figure spoke to Zeke.
[The power of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness’ is limitless. For a mere human to challenge a servant of a great being is sheer folly. Die in agony and despair!]
As before, only the staff remained upright, the figure having dissolved completely.
Simultaneously, the chamber filled with black smoke.
Ssssh―
The smoke burned Zeke’s skin as if it were melting.
Even his healing factor couldn’t keep up.
‘Damn it.’
Realizing the severity of the situation, Zeke rushed toward the Dragon Warriors and Richmond.
“Dismiss the Dragon Warriors! Richmond, get inside!”
The Dragon Warriors and Richmond vanished into Zeke’s shadow.
He hurriedly attempted to open a portal to escape.
But a red warning message appeared.
[Portal use is restricted in this area.]
“Damn it!”
The black smoke continued to fill the chamber, closing in on Zeke.
He quickly equipped Hersion.
[Hersion protects the user from the demonic energy of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness.’]
Runes on Hersion’s surface glowed and lifted.
Zeke then donned Agamemnon’s Mask.
He steadied his breathing.
‘Can I eradicate this with the Great Purification?’
The Great Purification was a wide-range skill that had cleansed the demonic energy from the Agamemnon estate.
Zeke gripped Bahamut, focusing his mind.
He linked the Great Purification skill with a wide-range buff skill.
Vwoom!
Golden waves emanated from Zeke’s body.
Ssssh―
The movement of the black smoke slowed upon contact with the golden waves.
Seeing the effect, Zeke unleashed more of the purification power.
Vwoom!
Vibrations rippled from Zeke’s body, sending waves outward.
Crackle―
The stronger waves collided with the black smoke, turning it to ash.
Zeke concentrated, drawing out more purification power.
“Haaah!”
A massive golden ring formed around Zeke.
The ring expanded outward, reminiscent of when he purified the entire Agamemnon territory.
Ssssh―
The golden ring clashed with the black smoke, reducing it to ash.
The ring continued to expand, reaching beyond the cave where the Hydra had been, spreading toward the Giant Mountains.
A message appeared before Zeke.
[Confirming the range of the Great Purification.]
[Commencing purification of the land corrupted by demonic energy.]
Ssssh―
Though Zeke couldn’t see it, the golden waves touched the corrupted lands and forests of the mountains, restoring them to their original state.
Simultaneously, the lands of the Barbarians, disturbed by the hounds, regained their former strength.
The Barbarians emerged to witness the mystical sight of the golden waves enveloping the mountains.
Even the chieftain, Big Foot, was momentarily entranced by the awe-inspiring scene.
The golden waves restored the devastated Barbarian territory before gradually fading.
The golden waves emanating from Zeke’s body also subsided.
“Whew.”
Zeke confirmed the black smoke had vanished and deactivated Hersion.
He approached the staff lying on the ground.
Cracks ran through the staff, likely due to the influence of the Great Purification.
“What on earth is this?”
Zeke examined the staff with a discerning eye.
―?????? Information―
Description: A staff imbued with the power granted by the Harbinger of Blood and Madness to its followers.
Unique Abilities: Domain Erosion, Berserk, Summon Beast
Special Note: Damaged by the Great Purification, it retains only a fraction of its original power.
“The Harbinger of Blood and Madness?”
Zeke recalled the strange figure that had vanished earlier, claiming to wield the power of this so-called Harbinger. It was clear this was no ordinary dark sorcerer.
Zeke summoned Richmond once more.
“Gah! Master!”
Richmond, despite being a lich, was a rather timid one. He looked at Zeke with a pale face.
“W-what happened?”
Zeke handed the staff to Richmond. “Richmond, do you know what the ‘Harbinger of Blood and Madness’ means?”
Richmond’s eyes widened in shock. “W-where did you hear that?”
“The staff contains the power of the ‘Harbinger of Blood and Madness.’”
“What!?”
Richmond was so startled he dropped the staff. Zeke shook his head at the lich’s reaction.
“How did you even become a lich?”
“Well, it’s just a matter of performing the right ritual…”
“Anyway, do you know what the ‘Harbinger of Blood and Madness’ is?”
Richmond nodded, still visibly shaken. “It’s a term for a demon.”
“A demon? Like a demon race?”
Richmond shook his head. “Demons and the demon race are different. There are 666 demons in the demon realm, each with their own followers. Those followers are usually what we call the demon race.”
Zeke was taken aback. “So that guy earlier was part of the demon race?”
Richmond was even more surprised. “What? The demon race?”
“You said the followers of demons are the demon race. That guy claimed to be a follower of the ‘Harbinger of Blood and Madness.’”
“Gah!”
Richmond was more frightened than Zeke, wiping sweat from his brow as he explained further.
“Well, demons and their followers can’t easily enter the physical realm. What you saw was likely a projection, not the actual demon race.”
“A projection, huh? So the real one is still in the demon realm?”
“In theory, yes. But I’ve only learned about this; I’ve never actually seen a real demon or their followers.”
“Aren’t dark sorcerers supposed to worship demons and the demon race? How come you don’t know?”
“Before the Holy Empire era, such cults were common, but they’re rare now. Even when I was active, they were hard to find. Selling your soul to the demon race for forbidden magic isn’t worth it.”
Zeke nodded, understanding. From what he knew, dark magic clans were more notorious for illegal chimera synthesis and human experimentation than for summoning demons or engaging in cult activities.
Zeke asked Richmond, “So, is the ‘Harbinger of Blood and Madness’ one of the 666 demons in the demon realm?”
“Yes, it’s recorded as a particularly powerful demon.”
“The fact that a follower of such a demon, even just a projection, has appeared isn’t a good sign.”
The sudden berserk state of the hydra seemed to be influenced by the demon race as well.
Then a thought crossed Zeke’s mind.
“Could the Empire’s experiments be connected to the demon race?”
Experiments involving monster blood or chimera creations were not ideas born from normal minds. Perhaps Abel and Siemens were involved too.
“This is getting more suspicious by the minute.”
Just then, Richmond’s staff began to vibrate violently.