Episode 520
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Adnan and Bodmir stood tense, their eyes fixed on the pure white demon before them. Despite the blizzard raging around them, freezing everything in its path, they were sweating with anxiety.
The white demon glanced at them.
[Foolish mortals of the material realm.]
The words weren’t spoken aloud but resonated directly in their minds, as if conveyed through sheer magical force.
Nearby, King Fist huffed angrily, watching his comrade turned into an ice statue. Though he felt the intimidating aura of the high-ranking demon, he was ready to charge at any moment, hammer in hand.
Once more, the voice echoed in their minds.
[I am Arzidum, a noble of the demon realm, sworn to the First Princess, Lady Elizabeta.]
Arzidum, a noble under Elizabeta’s command, exuded an aura unlike any ordinary demon. Even Adnan, a seasoned Highlander, couldn’t find a single opening in Arzidum’s stance.
The voice continued to reverberate in their minds.
[Mortals of the material realm, I bring a message from Lady Elizabeta.]
The icy storm intensified.
[My benevolent master offers you a chance to continue your wretched lives. Surrender the Third Princess, Anastasia, and provide a thousand sacrifices.]
Elizabeta’s goal was clear: she wanted Anastasia. Her plan was to rescue Anastasia and, in return, gain the powers and mobile fortress granted to Anastasia by her father, the demon grand duke.
The Second Princess, Yekaterina, had also invaded the material realm with similar intentions, but Elizabeta, skilled in demon magic, had an easier time bringing her high-ranking demons into the realm. For now, Elizabeta held the upper hand in their rivalry.
Arzidum, a trusted noble under Elizabeta, spoke with arrogance.
[One of you may enter the castle to convey the princess’s mercy.]
Unable to hold back any longer, King Fist stepped forward.
“I’ll take that bastard down!”
He swung his hammer with a mighty force, hurling it at the airborne Arzidum.
Whoosh!
The heavy hammer flew with the speed and power of a catapult. But Arzidum, a noble of the demon realm, was unfazed. With a graceful gesture, he conjured a snowflake-shaped ice shield.
Crash!
The hammer struck the shield, failing to reach Arzidum. Yet King Fist was relentless, hurling the remains of ice golems at Arzidum.
Whoosh!
Sharp ice rocks flew toward Arzidum. Other barbarians joined in, launching ice rocks as well. Arzidum, initially blocking them with ease, was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected strength behind the barrage.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
He expanded his shield to block the onslaught, frowning in concentration.
[The pitiful struggles of foolish mortals are truly pathetic.]
Deciding to freeze them all except for one messenger, Arzidum raised his staff.
Hum!
A white light gathered at the staff’s tip. Adnan shouted urgently.
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
Simultaneously, the white light surged toward them.
Whoosh!
A massive ice pillar erupted. Adnan’s group tried to evade, but Arzidum’s magic pursued them relentlessly.
Then, unexpectedly—
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Sharp bone walls shot up from the ground.
Crash!
The bone walls, struck by Arzidum’s light, transformed into jagged ice barriers. Adnan recognized the sudden appearance of the bone walls.
‘This is… the magic used by Sir Zeke’s lich!’
Crash!
Something began to emerge from the ground.
Clatter, clatter!
Unlike ordinary skeletons, purple dragoons with hellfire in their eyes appeared.
Thud!
A headless Dullahan led the dragoon unit, glaring at Arzidum.
Roar!
The Dullahan’s shout rallied the dragoons, who raised their swords, summoning the power of darkness.
Rumble!
Their swords ignited with ominous black flames, which they unleashed at Arzidum.
Boom, boom, boom!
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Arzidum retreated, erecting another barrier. But the dragoons’ flames, fueled by the hellfire of Gehenna, were beyond the defense of his shield.
Arzidum shouted at the Dullahan and skeleton dragoons.
[This is the flame of Gehenna! Who do you serve? How dare you trespass into the domain of Pandemonium! This is a blatant violation of the pact!]
Despite his authoritative tone, Arzidum was flustered by the relentless hellfire. Meanwhile, Richmond appeared beside Adnan’s group.
Crash!
Bone walls rose around them, providing protection. Richmond approached, speaking casually.
“Ah, what a blizzard in this season. Is everyone alright?”
Adnan urgently asked Richmond.
“Where is Sir Zeke? The situation is dire.”
Richmond nodded in understanding.
“The master has gone to deal with a more pressing matter.”
Adnan was taken aback.
“A more pressing matter? What could be more urgent than this…?”
At that moment—
Boom, boom, boom!
A tremendous noise echoed from afar.
Rumble!
To their astonishment, the demon realm’s gate in the sky was collapsing.
Adnan, Bodmir, and the barbarians gaped at the sight.
‘He closed that massive gate all by himself…’
Adnan realized that Zeke had ascended to the level of a transcendent, akin to the High Table.
Richmond, too, looked up in admiration.
“Ah, our master is truly remarkable.”
He instructed the skeletons to gather the frozen barbarians.
“The master has ordered everyone into the castle. I’ll clear the path, so follow me.”
With a wave of his hand, Richmond created a path of bone walls leading to the castle. Adnan, experienced in dealing with necromancers, had never seen anyone manipulate bones as naturally as Richmond.
‘Is it because he’s a lich? No… even so, it’s an impressive skill.’
As Adnan marveled, Richmond urged the group.
“We don’t have much time! Let’s go!”
At his urging, they followed Richmond, racing along the bone path toward the castle.
Boom, boom, boom!
Arzidum, realizing their escape, launched ice magic at the bone walls. Richmond grumbled at the interference.
“Ugh, such a nuisance.”
He cast a spell, sending small bones shooting from the walls toward Arzidum.
Ratatatatata—
Hundreds of sharp bone shards flew at Arzidum. Startled by the sudden attack, Arzidum deflected most with his shield, but some grazed him, leaving cuts on his pristine skin.
Bleeding blue, Arzidum gritted his teeth.
[How dare these insignificant creatures…]
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Enraged, Arzidum unleashed his full magical power.
Boom, boom, boom!
A massive iceberg formed above him, large enough to crush Adnan’s group in an instant. Richmond shouted urgently.
“Move quickly! Hurry!”
They sprinted up the bone stairs Richmond had created, climbing swiftly onto the castle walls.
“Charge!”
Adnan and Bodmir were the first to reach the top, followed by King Fist and the other barbarians. As the first to arrive, Adnan quickly regained his composure and looked out from the outer wall.
A colossal iceberg was descending toward the wall.
‘The wall will collapse.’
But then—
Roar!
From behind the outer wall, a tyrant appeared, pushing against the iceberg with all its might.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
As the tyrant charged forward, the iceberg was pushed off the fortress wall, tumbling to the other side.
“Rooooar!”
With a deafening roar, the tyrant soared into the sky, then plummeted back down, aiming its horns at the iceberg.
Crash!
The massive iceberg shattered, its fragments raining down on the monsters below.
Boom!
The falling ice boulders swept through the monsters, completely blocking the path to the southern gate.
The monsters at the rear found themselves unable to advance any further.
At that moment, the tyrant swooped down, unleashing a torrent of flames upon the monsters below.
Crash!
Trapped with no way forward, the monsters were helpless against the tyrant’s fiery assault.
Watching from above, Arzidum’s face was a mask of disbelief.
“How… how could this happen…?”
The iceberg he had summoned was now threatening to obliterate his own forces.
He raised his staff again, intending to freeze the fire-breathing tyrant.
But then, a voice interrupted him.
“So, you’re one of Lady Elizabeta’s subordinates.”
Startled, Arzidum spun around. Despite his heightened senses as a high-ranking demon, someone had managed to sneak up on him.
Realizing the situation, he felt a sharp, oppressive aura pierce his skin, momentarily stealing his breath.
Slowly, Arzidum turned his head.
Zeke was there, astride Bucephalus, looking down at him.
Meeting Zeke’s gaze, Arzidum broke into a cold sweat, his body trembling involuntarily.
Zeke spoke, his voice calm yet commanding.
“Take me to your master.”
Footsteps echoed through the long corridor as a lone mage in a black robe hurried along.
At the corridor’s end stood a door, guarded by knights disguised in plain clothes.
Even at a glance, it was clear these were no ordinary knights.
The robed mage tensed at the sight of them.
‘Draker’s knights.’
Renowned for their strength and tenacity, Draker’s knights were the bane of any mage.
Swallowing hard, the mage bowed his head and entered the room as the knight opened the door.
Inside, waiting, was someone who made the mage even more anxious.
‘Baron Draker.’
Seated at the table was the leader of Draker’s Black Stage, the most feared intelligence network on the continent.
The mage bowed to Baron.
“Sir, Baron. It’s an honor to meet you.”
Baron said nothing in response to the mage’s greeting, merely fixing him with a steady gaze.
Suddenly, the mage’s body convulsed, his eyes rolling back.
Crack—
A sinister aura emanated from the mage, entirely different from before.
Baron finally spoke.
“Welcome, Priest. Or should I call you Dr. West?”
Harvey West, the Priest of the Abyss, had possessed the mage’s body to appear before Baron.
The priest’s voice was chilling as he spoke abruptly.
“Baron, are you planning to break the pact?”
“The pact was broken the moment you allied with Ramon Jimenez to summon the dark god,” Baron replied coolly.
The Priest of the Abyss and Baron Draker of the Black Stage spoke as if they were old acquaintances.
The priest’s voice turned irritable at Baron’s words.
“You shattered Abel Draker, and yet you dare speak so brazenly.”
The room’s atmosphere shifted instantly, darkness threatening to engulf Baron.
Yet, Baron remained unfazed, his expression unchanged.
He addressed the priest.
“I’ve found a better vessel than Abel.”
The priest, surrounding Baron with darkness, retorted.
“A better vessel? Surely you don’t mean Zeke Draker.”
Zeke, possessing immortal power, was the only one left with the potential to be a vessel in the mortal realm.
But Baron shook his head.
“Not Zeke Draker.”
Baron continued, his gaze steady on the priest.
“Arthur Draker. What if he becomes the vessel for the Demon King?”