Episode 471
Zeke soared through the sky on Bucephalus, heading to the location Anastasia had described.
Beyond the Forest of the Forgotten, the gate was hidden, shrouded by the demonic realm’s barrier, making it impossible to pinpoint with the naked eye.
However, Zeke possessed not only the Dragon’s Eye but also the Sage’s Vision, allowing him to see through the concealed demonic barrier.
“Looks like it’s over there.”
From the air to the ground, traces of the barrier were scattered chaotically.
Just then, the crow demons he had encountered before flapped their wings and flew towards Zeke from within the barrier.
As Zeke brandished the holy sword Ascalon, the crow demons flinched and retreated, speaking nervously.
[W-wait! We’re here to guide you.]
Knowing that the messenger they had sent was killed by Zeke’s attack, the crow demons were on high alert, carefully watching his every move.
Zeke, glaring at them, sheathed his sword and spoke.
“Don’t try anything funny. Just lead the way quietly.”
Relieved by Zeke’s words, the crow demons guided him through the gap in the barrier.
Ssshhh—
Fortunately, they were leading him exactly as he could see, and Zeke followed the crow demons into the demonic realm’s barrier.
As soon as he entered, the gap closed behind him.
It meant no other human could enter this place besides Zeke.
The crow demons led the way, speaking to Zeke.
[This way, human. Follow us.]
Zeke urged Bucephalus forward, following the crow demons’ lead.
As he flew, he surveyed the inside of the barrier and was taken aback by the sight below.
“Is this really the material world…?”
To his surprise, there stood a fortress made of unfamiliar spires and towers, as if an entire city had been transplanted here.
Zeke mentally reached out to Arataso and Nebilos.
“Have you ever seen a structure like that?”
Unexpectedly, Nebilos answered first.
“Fascinating, that’s one of the demon lord’s invasion fortresses.”
“Invasion fortress? What’s that?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. It’s a fortress built for the purpose of invading other demon territories to expand their domain.”
Zeke scrutinized the invasion fortress closely at Nebilos’s words.
“Can such an invasion fortress appear in the material world?”
“Hmm, even in the demonic realm, summoning an invasion fortress requires a significant sacrifice. To summon it in the material world…”
At that, Arataso, who had been silent, added.
“Even among invasion fortresses, there are different types. That one seems to be an erosion-type invasion fortress.”
Nebilos then spoke in a voice of understanding.
“Ah, I see. That would reduce the amount of sacrifice needed for the summoning.”
Zeke addressed the two demons, who seemed to understand each other perfectly.
“Explain what an erosion-type invasion fortress is.”
Arataso responded to Zeke’s question.
“An erosion-type invasion fortress is summoned by overlaying it onto existing structures.”
Nebilos added further.
“It takes longer than summoning the fortress itself, and it can’t exert its full power, but it requires fewer sacrifices.”
Nebilos continued.
“The problem is that only a few demons in the demonic realm can summon such an erosion-type invasion fortress. The conditions for summoning are quite stringent.”
“According to the demon messenger, Anastasia, the adopted daughter of the demon duke and a princess of the demonic realm, is here.”
“What?”
“Princess Anastasia?”
Nebilos and Arataso exclaimed simultaneously at Zeke’s words.
Their intense reaction surprised Zeke even more.
“Why are you so shocked?”
Arataso groaned.
“Of all the demon lord’s adopted daughters, the most ruthless one has been summoned.”
Nebilos echoed in a similar tone.
“Princess Anastasia is infamous even among demons. That’s why she has the demon lord’s favor.”
“What kind of demon is she to provoke such a reaction…?”
As Zeke pondered their response, he followed the crow demons into the fortress and was once again puzzled by what he saw.
“A coliseum?”
It resembled the arena he had seen in the overturned tower, where the Balrogs fought.
Around the coliseum, demons of various shapes and sizes were seated, shouting with frenzied excitement.
“Roar!”
“Kill! Kill!”
In the arena, a demon resembling an elephant and another resembling a tiger were locked in a bloody battle.
As Zeke watched with interest, the elephant-like demon took advantage of the tiger-like demon’s momentary lapse in focus, wrapping its long trunk around its waist.
Crack!
Under the immense pressure, the tiger-like demon’s waist snapped, splitting it in two.
Covered in the blood and entrails of its opponent, the elephant-like demon roared triumphantly.
Rooooar!
Witnessing the primal and savage atmosphere of the coliseum, Zeke began to understand what kind of demon Anastasia might be.
At that moment, the elephant-like demon turned its gaze to Zeke, who was hovering in the air, and pointed a finger at him.
“I cannot allow a lowly human to enter this sacred coliseum!”
The demon’s provocative statement incited the other demons in the stands to scream even louder.
Moments later, the elephant-like demon extended its trunk and began to inflate it like a balloon.
Rumble—
From the swollen trunk, a powerful magic projectile shot out.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hundreds of magic projectiles flew towards Zeke in the air.
Zeke drew Ascalon and swung it at the incoming projectiles.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The clash of Zeke’s sword strike and the magic projectiles resulted in a series of explosive detonations.
The elephant-like demon flexed its muscles and laughed.
“Kahaha! A mere human is no match! I will be the one to win Anastasia’s favor…”
Slash—
In an instant, the elephant-like demon’s body was cleaved in two.
Swoosh—
Zeke, having dismissed Bucephalus, leaped down into the arena and sliced the demon in half with Ascalon.
Thud!
The massive demon’s body fell to the arena floor, split in two.
The demons in the coliseum fell silent at the sight.
Then, suddenly, they erupted into cheers once more.
“Roar!”
“The human cut Koremo in one strike!”
“A strong human!”
Like the Balrogs Zeke had encountered before, these demons were equally simple-minded.
Addicted to visceral thrills, the demons roared in approval at Zeke’s display of overwhelming power.
The surroundings darkened, and a spotlight focused on Zeke in the arena. Soon, lively music began to play.
Dum dum dum!
Simultaneously, the ground in front of him split open, and a lavishly decorated stage rose up.
Standing on the stage was Anastasia, dressed in an elegant gown.
As Anastasia appeared, the demons in the coliseum went wild, shouting her name.
“Lady Anastasia!”
“Look this way!”
“Roar!”
Anastasia looked at the frenzied demons with a displeased expression, which only seemed to fuel their fervor.
With a haughty expression, she looked down at Zeke from the high stage and spoke.
“Zeke Draker, thank you for accepting my invitation.”
Zeke pointed Ascalon at Anastasia and demanded.
“Where is my master? If you’ve deceived me…”
Anastasia waved her hand dismissively.
“Such suspicion, typical of a human.”
With a snap of her fingers, a chair emerged beside the stage.
Seated in the ornate chair, wearing a dress similar to Anastasia’s, was Nigel, fast asleep.
Zeke’s eyes widened at the sight of Nigel in a dress, something he had never seen before.
”…I feel like I’ve seen something I shouldn’t have.”
Trying to ignore Nigel’s appearance, Zeke addressed Anastasia.
“Enough with the games. Let’s get on with the wager.”
Anastasia smirked at his words.
“Very well, shall we proceed with a ‘chess match’?”
Zeke paused, considering Anastasia’s choice of chess as the wager.
“Chess, huh.”
He found it suspicious that the demon lord’s adopted daughter would propose such a seemingly ordinary game.
After a moment of contemplation, Zeke nodded.
“Fine. Let’s do it.”
Anastasia smiled and snapped her fingers.
Whirrr—
The arena floor lit up, revealing a miniature, realistic battlefield.
At each end, a different fortress appeared, with a river, plains, and forest in between, along with abandoned castles, fortresses, and villages scattered throughout.
As the scene fully materialized in the arena, the demons in the stands erupted in cheers.
Realizing that what Anastasia referred to wasn’t ordinary chess but an entirely new game, Zeke’s expression hardened.
”…What is this?”
Anastasia shrugged at Zeke’s question.
“What do you mean? I’m preparing for chess. Demonic chess, that is.”
She laughed at Zeke’s stern expression.
She hadn’t specified which kind of chess she was referring to, but in the demon realm, it was indeed called a “chess game,” so technically, she hadn’t lied.
Anastasia, with a relaxed expression, asked Sieg, “Have you ever played demon realm chess?”
Sieg clenched his teeth and replied, “Do you think I have?”
Anastasia smirked and snapped her fingers.
With a low hum, the game board in the arena transformed, revealing an army of demons and monsters. Various demon legions clashed on the plains, engaging in a massive battle, blood spilling as they fell. It was like watching a real war, only on a smaller scale.
Pointing to the game board, Anastasia explained, “Demon realm chess isn’t just a game. With so many wars in our realm, resources are constantly depleted. So, my father, the Grand Duke of Demons, devised a new method called ‘proxy wars.’”
Sieg nodded as he observed the virtual battlefield Anastasia had conjured. “So, you wage a virtual war here, and the winner takes all?”
Anastasia nodded with a smile. “Quick on the uptake for a human. Yes, that’s demon realm chess.”
A completely new kind of chess.
Sieg, his expression hardened, said to Anastasia, “For a princess of the demon realm, this is quite a deceitful tactic. Stabbing me in the back like this.”
Anastasia laughed, covering her mouth with delight. “When I want something, I don’t let anything stand in my way. Now, shall we begin the match?”
She snapped her fingers again.
On Sieg’s side appeared humans, while her side was populated with orcs and other monster species.
“I’ve been generous enough to match the species to the mortal realm version. The rules are simple: use the workers among your pieces to gather resources, strengthen your forces, and invade the enemy’s base to win.”
“What do you mean by using workers to produce? That’s not part of traditional chess.”
“Demon realm chess isn’t a mere human pastime. It’s a recreation of real war. You can’t have war without supplies. You must gather food and resources with your workers to build your army and weapons.”
Sieg’s expression grew stern as he listened to Anastasia.
Demon realm chess was nothing like the chess of the central continent.
Quickly surveying the battlefield on the game board, Sieg asked Anastasia, “What exactly are the victory conditions? Do I need to eliminate all enemy pieces, or is it about conquering the castle?”
Anastasia smiled at his question and snapped her fingers again.
Flags appeared over each castle, one blue and one red.
“The side that captures the flag in the enemy’s castle first wins.”
Sieg pondered her words for a moment before speaking again. “One more thing. How is the balance between my human troops and your monsters? Monsters have higher basic strength and stamina, don’t they?”
Anastasia was slightly surprised by Sieg’s detailed inquiry.
‘Could he have played demon realm chess before?’
But recalling his initial reaction and knowing that a human like Sieg couldn’t have experienced this, she answered calmly, “Humans are weaker at the start, but they have higher productivity. As the game progresses, they can create a variety of weapons and build a strong army.”
“So, the balance shifts between the early and late stages of the game.”
“Exactly. Crafting your strategy with that in mind is the essence of demon realm chess.”
Sieg nodded at Anastasia’s explanation, then focused intently on a point in the distance.
A message hovered in his line of sight:
[“Celestial Game of War” detected. Would you like to proceed with system integration?]