Episode 314: The Highest Mountain (1)
The demon duke, Vahel, was in an unusually good mood today.
It was the day his subordinate, Laria, was supposed to complete her task.
Humming a tune, Vahel strolled down the corridor and flung open the door.
“Laria! Is the job done?”
The demon turned at Vahel’s voice. Unusually, instead of a mouth, the demon had a mosquito-like proboscis.
“Really? That’s what I like about you, Laria. Your efficiency is impressive.”
Vahel gave a thumbs-up, but Laria’s expression remained unchanged.
Laria handed Vahel a golden, glowing orb. Vahel picked it up.
“So, this is all of Dorgo’s memories?”
“Haha, of course. He was a demon duke once.”
Vahel chuckled, glancing down at the floor.
There lay Dorgo, utterly defeated.
To the untrained eye, he seemed fine. But Vahel, being a demon, could see the extent of the damage to Dorgo’s soul.
Laria belonged to a demon race known as Mosquiki.
Mosquiki had the ability to extract memories by piercing the soul with their proboscis.
They could draw out every vivid detail, but the process was excruciatingly painful.
Even though Dorgo had promised to reveal everything, Vahel insisted on extracting his memories through Laria.
The reason was simple: Dorgo might have lied.
“Laria, give him some basic first aid and then take a break.”
Vahel couldn’t let Dorgo die. He was the perfect bait to lure out Damian Haxen.
“Well, I’m off.”
Vahel left, tossing Dorgo’s memories in his hand like a ball.
Even if he dropped it and lost all the memories, it didn’t matter. He could just have Laria extract them again.
Where have you imprisoned our mother?
Return our mother!
Nearby, a commotion broke out. Vahel turned his head, puzzled.
What is this ruckus?
Can’t you behave?
Four undead, engaged in a scuffle with his subordinates, came into view.
They were the four demon lords Dorgo had created. Vahel approached them with a curious expression.
“What’s going on?”
Vahel looked at the four demon lords, who glared at him with murderous intent.
Vahel! Where have you imprisoned our mother?
Return our mother!
The demon lords shouted, but Vahel merely chuckled.
“Oh, your mother? She’s alive.”
At Vahel’s words, the demon lords’ eyes widened in rage.
One of the demon lords lunged at Vahel, but his subordinates restrained them, pinning them to the ground.
Let go! Release us!
I’ll kill you!
The demon lords struggled, but the demons’ strength was overwhelming.
“Honestly, I heal and restore you, and this is the thanks I get?”
Vahel spoke with feigned exhaustion.
“You should be grateful to me. Otherwise, your mother would have been torn to shreds by my subordinates.”
The demons harbored deep grudges against Dorgo.
Even now, some of Vahel’s subordinates suggested killing Dorgo.
“But I’ve spared not only your mother but also you lowly undead.”
Despite their grand title, the demon lords were just undead to the demons.
They could be destroyed at any moment, so there was no reason to treat them well.
“Consider this your final warning. Behave, or I’ll tear off your limbs and leave you in storage. Your precious mother, too.”
A chilling aura emanated from Vahel, freezing the demon lords in place.
“If you understand, I’ll be on my way.”
Vahel resumed his walk, popping the golden orb into his mouth.
“Hmm, hmm, hmm.”
Dorgo’s memories and knowledge flowed into Vahel’s mind.
“Reverse time? Is that even possible?”
“Combining powers like this… Dorgo was a genius, no doubt.”
“To betray his kind with such talent. Pathetic.”
“Ah, so Damian Haxen betrayed him. He should have managed things better.”
Vahel’s steps halted as he pondered the memories he had just seen, his expression growing serious.
“Ah.”
A slow smile spread across Vahel’s face.
“So Damian Haxen has a family?”
Vahel stood there, laughing for a long time.
“Oh, I’d love to play with Damian right now… but there’s still so much to do.”
Vahel recalled one of Dorgo’s memories.
A memory from a distant past.
In it, Dorgo, alive, was aiding a human man.
Ruin.
The human who had killed all seven demon lords.
The two were on a mountain, so high they could see the entire world below.
“Mount Karon. That’s where the pact was made.”
The key alone couldn’t break all the pacts.
A special place and a special method were required.
Vahel shouted loud enough for all his subordinates in the fortress to hear.
“Everyone! Get ready for a trip! We’re heading to Mount Karon!”
“Mount Karon, is it?”
Iris, who had been holding Damian’s head for a while, spoke to him.
“Fate showed me that place. The demons are definitely planning to go to Mount Karon.”
“Why would they go there?”
Damian asked, and Iris pondered for a moment before replying.
“I’m not entirely sure, but… I believe a special place is needed to break all the pacts. Mount Karon is likely that place.”
“Then we need to move quickly.”
Damian stood up immediately, and Iris grabbed his arm.
“Damian, take Valhard with you.”
“Valhard?”
Iris nodded.
“He’s not as strong as you, but among the young dragons, he’s the strongest. He’ll be of help.”
Damian hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
“I’m sorry I can’t do more.”
Iris said with a somber expression.
“I’d like to send more of our kind, but… only one dragon can be sent out by deceiving the pact.”
After extensive research, the dragons had discovered a way to deceive the pact using dragon language.
For a long time, they had been sending dragons to the surface to gather information.
That’s how the dragons knew about Damian.
“I’ve already informed Typhon. How you use Valhard is up to you.”
“Then I’ll make sure to use him to the fullest.”
Iris chuckled at Damian’s words.
Though he joked, Damian’s expression was deadly serious.
As Damian left Iris’s home, he saw a young man with a sullen expression.
His hair was a fiery red, and he had a rugged appearance.
Damian glanced at the young man and spoke curtly.
“Lower your eyes.”
The young man immediately averted his gaze, sweat dripping down his face.
It was as if fear had been etched into his very being.
Naturally, this young man was Valhard in human form.
“Valhard, Iris mentioned Mount Karon. We’re heading there now.”
“Understood.”
Valhard used dragon language to open a dimensional portal. The two stepped through, leaving the hidden world and arriving at Mount Karon.
“The air is different here.”
Damian took a deep breath as he emerged.
He could understand why the dragons were so desperate to leave the hidden world.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“We need to find the demons. They’re definitely here…”
Just then, a loud noise echoed from afar, accompanied by the aura of demons. Damian and Valhard exchanged glances.
“Valhard, let’s head over there.”
“Understood.”
The two made their way toward the source of the sound, where they found demons causing havoc.
Damn it! Where’s the altar?
The lord said it was here! Search every inch!
Several demons were rampaging, toppling peaks and destroying the landscape.
One of the demons spotted Damian and Valhard.
At the shout, the demons scattered around gathered together.
Damian surveyed the demons. Two were of count rank, with several baron ranks mixed in.
“Quite a number.”
“Indeed.”
“Then, Valhard. Take care of them.”
“Understo… What?”
Valhard looked at Damian in disbelief.
“You’re not going to fight with me…?”
“Do I really need to step in to deal with those small fry? Handle it yourself.”
For a moment, humiliation flickered across Valhard’s face.
It seemed following a human’s orders was quite degrading for a dragon.
“I told you to lower your gaze, didn’t I?”
But as soon as Damian’s voice dropped, Valhard immediately bowed his head.
“What? Can’t do it?”
“N-no, I can.”
“If you’re scared, don’t bother. It’d be a disaster if you got yourself killed.”
At Damian’s words, anger flared in Valhard’s eyes.
”…No! I can do it!”
Valhard instantly shed his human form and returned to his true self.
-A dragon? How is a dragon here?
-Aren’t dragons supposed to be trapped in the otherworld?
The demons were thrown into confusion at the dragon’s appearance.
Normally, even if a dragon escaped the otherworld using dragon speech, they couldn’t wield their full power.
But with the pact broken, those restrictions had eased somewhat. Valhard could now unleash his strength freely.
-You hellish scum, I’ll incinerate you all right now!
As Valhard unleashed his breath, the demons scattered in panic.
-Aaaargh!
One demon, unable to dodge in time, was hit directly by the breath and turned to ash in an instant.
-Be careful! This isn’t an ordinary dragon!
-Quick, someone fast distract it!
Yet the demons charged at Valhard without a hint of fear.
-How dare you challenge me!
Valhard roared in fury and attacked the demons.
The battle between the dragon and the demons had begun.
“Oh, he’s putting up quite a fight.”
Damian watched the battle from a distance, observing Valhard’s prowess.
“Looks like I don’t need to lend a hand. Don’t you think?”
He turned to look behind him, where a woman stood, her body concealed by a thick cloak.
“Indeed. Where did you find such a dragon? Even a couple of counts wouldn’t stand a chance.”
The woman replied nonchalantly. Damian nodded and then asked,
“So, what kind of demon are you, exactly?”
In response, the woman shook out her cloak, revealing an array of daggers hidden within.
“I’m Laeticia. In hell, they called me the Marquis of Blades.”
The daggers, numbering at least thirty, flew into the air. Laeticia grabbed two, and a long aura blade extended from each.
“Damian Haxen, let me teach you a thing or two as your senior. Consider it an honor.”
At Laeticia’s taunt, Damian chuckled dryly.
“Truly, what an honor.”
Damian drew his own weapon.
In the next moment, the two aura blades clashed.