Episode 523
Seated on her throne, Elizabeta, wearing a golden mask, gazed at Zeke and spoke.
“Zeke Draker, descendant of the dragon slayer Terracan Draker. Son of Arthur Draker.”
With those words, she slowly rose from her seat and stepped forward.
As she moved, shimmering golden steps appeared in the air beneath her feet.
Standing on the radiant path, she looked down at Zeke and said, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Zeke, unfazed, replied, “You attack my lands without warning and then speak as if nothing’s amiss.”
Electric sparks crackled around Zeke as he finished speaking, causing the demon warriors watching him to raise their staffs in alarm. Most of them seemed to be mages, serving under Elizabeta.
“Enough, lower your magic,” Elizabeta commanded her subordinates.
The demons hesitated but then retreated at her order. As she took another step, a golden staircase materialized, and she descended gracefully to stand at eye level with Zeke.
“Zeke Draker, I have a proposal for you,” she continued.
Zeke responded immediately, “Are you asking for Princess Anastasia?”
Elizabeta shook her head. “No. Anastasia is just a naive jester, unaware of her own antics.”
Contrary to Zeke’s expectations, Elizabeta, the first princess, had little interest in Anastasia. She turned her attention back to Zeke.
“My interest lies with you, Zeke Draker.”
Zeke paused, then spoke slowly, “I don’t understand. I have no interest in demon women.”
His dismissive words provoked an uproar among the demons behind him.
“How dare this insolent human speak such blasphemy to our noble lady!”
“He should be torn apart for his impudence!”
Zeke ignored their curses, focusing solely on Elizabeta. “Stop your games and leave Mycenae at once, or I’ll erase your very existence.”
The hall echoed with the demons’ enraged shouts until Elizabeta raised her hand, silencing them.
“You misunderstand, Zeke Draker. What I desire is your power,” she said calmly.
She extended her hand, and a radiant light emerged from her palm, forming a complex, spinning magical sigil.
Zeke sensed the formidable energy within the light. ‘That…’
It was the compressed power of a mighty constellation.
“Zeke Draker, I seek strong allies. I spare no expense to gather exceptional talents,” Elizabeta declared, offering the glowing light in her hand.
“Join me, and I will grant you the chance to shed your human limitations and become a noble of the demon realm.”
To Zeke’s surprise, Elizabeta was proposing that he become a demon and serve under her.
“Can a human even become a demon?” Zeke asked, tilting his head.
Elizabeta nodded. “This light is the very power I received from my father. His power is ‘contract.’ Once our contract is sealed, you can cast off your human shackles.”
She was willing to use the power of a demon grand duke, one of the rulers of the demon realm, to recruit Zeke.
“Why go to such lengths to recruit me?” Zeke inquired, gesturing to her subordinates. “Are they not trustworthy?”
His taunt incited the demons to bare their teeth in fury.
“Let me tear him apart, my lady!”
“I’ll separate his bones from his flesh!”
“His soul will be ground to dust!”
At that moment, a sharp aura emanated from Elizabeta, causing the frenzied demons to recoil in fear.
Her eyes, visible through the golden mask, glowed an icy blue.
“Who dares cause a commotion while I speak?” she demanded.
The demons bowed their heads, trembling under her oppressive presence. Her authority was unmistakably different from that of the third princess, Anastasia.
Turning back to Zeke, Elizabeta continued, “I’ll answer your question, Zeke Draker. But remember, my patience has limits, and if you exceed them, you will die.”
She gestured with her other hand, and a massive screen appeared in the air, displaying four different landscapes of the demon realm.
Volcanoes spewing endless flames, the beast-filled Gehenna, the abyssal darkness of Abaddon, the barren expanse of Pandemonium, and the ceaseless conflict of the Abyss.
These were the four worlds governed by the six rulers of the demon realm.
“The demon realm is bound by a treaty that forbids encroachment on each other’s territories,” she explained, pointing to the Abyss.
“Most conflicts occur in the Abyss, where the ruthless ruler and the unyielding sovereign coexist, making disputes inevitable.”
Zeke interrupted, “I didn’t come here to hear about demon politics. Just tell me if you’re withdrawing from Mycenae or not.”
Ignoring his impatience, Elizabeta continued, “Recently, this treaty was broken.”
Zeke’s brow furrowed. ‘Is there internal strife in the demon realm?’
Elizabeta pointed to one of the screens. “There have been unusual movements in Gehenna and Abaddon.”
The screen showed demon soldiers from Gehenna and undead troops from Abaddon marching somewhere.
Zeke watched the scene before turning to Elizabeta. “Are you asking me to become a demon to stop them?”
“Not exactly,” she replied, turning away from the screen.
Her eyes flickered blue again. “Their movements are linked to events in the mortal realm. They aim to resurrect a sealed demon king by responding to the call of the abyss.”
Zeke sensed something amiss in her words. ‘Could it be…?’
Elizabeta looked at him. “Zeke Draker, let me explain the terms of the contract.”
The light of power floating in the air grew brighter.
“If you become a demon and aid me, Pandemonium will ensure the demon king does not descend upon the mortal realm.”
“Why are they so quiet?” Felix wondered, observing the demon army’s reduced activity from the outer wall.
After massive ice boulders had swept through the monsters at the southern gate, the battlefield had fallen silent.
Beside him, Cloné rested his mace on his shoulder and lit a cigarette, exhaling a sigh of relief.
“Why the hell did those demon bastards suddenly attack us?” he grumbled.
The battlefield before the walls bore the scars of a fierce battle with the demon army, littered with the bodies of beasts and monsters.
The Black Order had fought valiantly, but Felix and Cloné’s efforts stood out. Felix, trained in paladin swordsmanship, and Cloné, a holy knight of Luberne, were particularly effective against demons.
Felix had even received direct training from an arch-paladin through the Draker and Holy Kingdom alliance, allowing him to harness the power of the former arch-paladin, Favre, within him.
Thanks to this, Felix wielded power rivaling that of a red knight when facing the demon army.
“Something’s moving,” Liam said, pointing beyond the wall with his sword.
Felix and Cloné focused their vision.
“What is that?”
Where Liam pointed stood a towering structure exuding an intimidating presence. None of them recalled such a tower existing near Mycenae.
As the Black Order reeled in confusion, Hades appeared in the sky.
“Those demon princesses must be really pissed off,” he remarked.
Felix turned to Hades. “What do you mean, Lord Hades?”
Hades clicked his tongue. “That’s an invasion fortress owned by a demon princess. I’ve never seen that design before. It’s either brand new or an ancient relic.”
Cloné hefted his mace, frowning. “Invasion fortress, huh? What a name. Doesn’t matter, we’ll just smash it to pieces.”
At Hades’ words, he crossed his arms and shook his head.
“Are you sure she was really a nun before? Don’t talk nonsense. The inside of that fortress is practically the demon realm. Once you enter, you’ll be swarming with high-ranking demons. If you think they’re the same as these low-level beasts or monsters, you’re in for a rude awakening.”
Even the fearless Clone hesitated at Hades’ warning.
Just then, something began to emerge from the tower.
Boom, boom, boom—
In an instant, the sky was filled with beasts resembling wyverns, darkening the air.
Screeeech—
The beasts flapped their wings, heading towards Mycenae.
But the beasts weren’t the real problem.
“Look! There are demons riding on them!”
Perched atop the beasts were armored warriors from the demon realm. Even though they were lower-ranked, they were still formidable compared to humans, making them a significant threat.
Felix shouted to Hades, “Lord Hades! Can’t you put up the barrier again?”
Hades yelled back, “Do you think I can just throw up a massive barrier like it’s nothing? To bypass the restrictions of karma, I need complex magic formulas and a ton of mana, you fool!”
Since Hades hadn’t formally contracted with Zeke, he couldn’t directly intervene in the physical realm, limiting how much he could help.
At that moment, Duke appeared, sword in hand, and commanded, “Prepare for battle, everyone.”
The Black Spirit members, tense, donned their helmets and raised their swords.
As Duke prepared to strike the enemies rising into the air with a gust of wind—
Boom!
To everyone’s surprise, the leading enemy exploded and fell from the sky.
“Huh?”
The Black Spirit unit, caught off guard by the unexpected counterattack, turned to look behind them.
Simultaneously, the fortress walls began to transform.
Shhhhhh—
Sharp bone walls attached themselves to the outer walls, and a golem in the form of a humanoid was summoned at the front.
The golem, emitting light from its eyes and mouth, shot down the approaching enemies.
In addition, a bizarre summoned creature with four arms hovered in the air, its eyes flashing red.
Each time, the flying beasts began acting strangely, turning on each other.
Duke couldn’t help but exclaim, “My God!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Amidst the chaos, armored golems appeared, taking positions atop the walls to fend off the advancing enemies.
Below the walls, Zeke’s shadow army emerged.
As the massive force revealed itself, Duke and the entire Black Sword Knights gaped in astonishment.
Watching from above, Hades chuckled.
“So, Zeke’s shown up after closing the gate, has he?”
Zeke had designated Mycenae as a defense zone, summoning creatures to establish a defensive line.
Guardian Toad and Caligula intercepted the airborne enemies, while the shadow army held the ground firmly.
Inside the tower, Princess Ekaterina observed the entire scene.
Boom!
With a head of blood-red hair, Ekaterina slammed her fist onto the throne, shattering the armrest made of solid demon realm minerals into dust.
Clad in armor engraved with intimidating demonic figures, she rose from her seat.
“Prepare the entire army for deployment,” she commanded, her red eyes gleaming.
“I will personally lead the invasion!”