Chapter 322: The Devil Duke (3)
While Damian was locked in combat with Vahel, Valhard was engaged in a fierce brawl with the demon Bas.
Both Valhard and Bas possessed a wide array of skills beyond mere fistfighting. Yet, as if by mutual agreement, they clashed with nothing but their bare hands.
As a result, Valhard found himself barely able to stand.
“Damn, this guy’s tough.”
Valhard glared at his opponent through half-swollen eyes. In stark contrast to his own battered state, Bas seemed completely unscathed.
“Hahaha! As expected of a dragon! You’re still standing after taking all those hits from me!”
Bas seemed even more fired up, ready to charge at any moment.
“You’re not bad yourself for a demon. Still holding your ground, I see.”
Valhard tried to sound confident, but he knew his situation was dire. He wanted nothing more than to escape, but as a dragon, he couldn’t show such weakness.
“Hahaha, I’m glad you like me! Let’s have some more fun, shall we?”
Bas slammed his fists together, sending a heavy shockwave through the air. Valhard’s expression hardened, but he quickly summoned his magic.
The two monsters glared at each other, crouching simultaneously as if they shared the same thought.
Just as they were about to spring at each other, Bas suddenly grimaced and shouted.
“What? Dolgo escaped?”
Valhard looked at Bas in confusion. Bas, oblivious to Valhard’s reaction, yelled into the air.
“What do you mean he escaped? You want me to come back now?”
Valhard realized that Bas wasn’t talking to him.
“Can’t you wait a bit? We haven’t finished here… It’s the Duke’s orders? Damn it, fine. I’m coming back.”
Bas reluctantly withdrew his energy, and the world fell silent.
“Dragon, we’ll settle this another time.”
Valhard was taken aback. The fierce opponent who had been so eager to fight was suddenly leaving.
“Hahaha, you seem disappointed.”
Bas laughed loudly, misinterpreting Valhard’s expression.
“Sorry about this. See you next time.”
With that, Bas leapt towards a dimensional portal. His massive frame reached it in just a few strides, and as he entered, the portal closed behind him. The night sky returned to its usual state.
“Haah…”
With Bas gone, relief washed over Valhard. He sank to the ground, letting out a deep sigh.
“I’d heard that marquis-level demons were strong, but I didn’t expect this.”
Valhard recalled the battle with Bas. Punches, tail swipes, even bites—nothing had worked. Bas hadn’t even bothered to dodge, taking every hit head-on before counterattacking.
“Next time will be different.”
In their brawl, Valhard hadn’t used his full power, nor had Bas. But Valhard chose not to dwell on that.
“Right, what about Damian Haxen?”
Valhard headed to where Damian had been fighting. A massive rectangular structure loomed into view.
“This is Vahel’s power, isn’t it? Is Damian trapped inside?”
Valhard swung his fist at the structure, but it only trembled slightly, refusing to break.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Already frustrated from his fight with Bas, Valhard opened his mouth and gathered his magic. He unleashed a fiery breath, the dragon’s most potent weapon.
Yet, even his breath couldn’t destroy the structure.
”…”
Valhard stared at it in shock. Rather than anger, he felt a chill. He’d heard of the power of a duke-level demon, but this was beyond his expectations.
“What am I supposed to do?”
As Valhard pondered, the center of the structure suddenly split open. It disintegrated, revealing Damian Haxen holding a sword.
“Da-Damian? Did you just cut through Vahel’s power?”
Valhard shouted in disbelief. To see Vahel’s power, which he couldn’t even scratch, so easily sliced apart was hard to believe, even with his own eyes.
“Your tone’s a bit short, isn’t it?”
Damian’s voice was dark.
In that moment, Valhard realized that provoking Damian Haxen now would be a grave mistake.
“I-I was just so relieved to see you safe that I misspoke!”
“Be careful from now on.”
“Understood!”
Valhard shouted. Damian gave him a silent glare before turning away.
“What about the demons?”
“They vanished through a dimensional portal.”
“Can you track them?”
“With my abilities, it’s a bit…”
Valhard replied hesitantly. Damian clicked his tongue.
“But if we go to the Otherworld, there might be a way.”
“The Otherworld?”
“I overheard the demon I was fighting mention something. Dolgo has escaped.”
At the mention of Dolgo, Damian’s eyes widened.
“Dolgo escaped?”
“Yes, the demons are likely chasing him. And the only place Dolgo could flee to is the surface. The demons will surely appear there.”
Damian focused on Valhard’s words.
“The elders know how to monitor the entire surface. So it might be best to return to the Otherworld now.”
“Then let’s head out immediately.”
At Damian’s command, Valhard began preparing to open a dimensional portal. But soon, his face turned troubled.
“What’s the problem?”
“Well… there’s too much residual demonic energy around, so it’ll take some time to open the portal.”
Handling a dimensional portal was a complex task. If the surrounding magic flow was even slightly off, the portal might not open, or worse, lead to the wrong place.
“Time, you say?”
But that was a concern for humans. Higher beings like demons or dragons had far superior skills in handling portals.
“Aren’t you a dragon?”
“I’m good at fighting, but not so much at this…”
Damian looked at Valhard with a mix of disappointment and impatience.
“Open it as quickly as you can.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
As Valhard struggled with the portal, Damian sat on the ground, lifting Erebus.
“I need to consolidate what I’ve just learned.”
Damian recalled the strike he had executed against Vahel. Though he hadn’t managed to sever Vahel’s neck, the technique itself was flawless.
“Maybe now… I can win.”
Focusing his mind, Damian was drawn into Erebus. When he looked up, he saw Ruin.
”…”
Ruin stared at him with the same vacant eyes.
“Nice to see you again.”
Damian waved, but Ruin didn’t respond, simply assuming a stance.
“Looks like I’m the only one happy to see you. That’s a bit disappointing.”
Damian shrugged and took his own stance. The two faced each other, swords in hand.
Ruin moved first, charging at Damian with the same attack that had killed him before.
Last time, Damian hadn’t even seen the strike coming. But now, things were different. He had mastered the technique during his battle with Vahel.
Damian bent forward, dodging the slash while simultaneously slicing at Ruin’s waist.
Ruin’s body split in two and fell to the ground.
“Whew!”
Damian took a deep breath. The moment had been brief, but the intense concentration had drained him.
“This time, I won.”
To defeat an opponent that had given him so much trouble so easily was a testament to his growth. A smile crept onto Damian’s lips.
Ruin’s body dissolved into smoke, and a new Ruin appeared in the distance.
“What are you planning to show me this time?”
Damian asked playfully, but Ruin remained silent. Instead, he raised his sword high. Light and darkness, along with a blue mist, began to intertwine around the blade.
Seeing this, Damian could hardly believe his eyes. Ruin was combining magic, dark magic, and divine power—something Damian had only imagined but never attempted.
A shiver ran through him, his body trembling slightly.
Then, Ruin swung his sword. The three forces merged and flew towards Damian.
Damian swung his own sword, releasing an aura blade. The two strikes collided, but Damian’s was instantly obliterated.
It wasn’t cut or destroyed; it simply vanished as if it had never existed.
Ruin’s strike hit Damian, and his body was completely erased.
”…!”
Damian awoke with a start, patting his body with both hands. Thankfully, he was unharmed.
“Wow… that was one hell of a monster.”
He recalled the aura blade Ruin had created. To wield a technique Damian himself couldn’t even attempt with such ease…
“Does that mean he’s still far stronger than me?”
Damian twisted his lips into a wry smile and refocused his mind.
“I’ll steal that away too.”
Demian’s mind was once again pulled into the depths of Erebus.
“Your Excellency, I’ve returned.”
As soon as he crossed the dimensional gate, Bas knelt before Vahel.
“Good to see you. Sorry to interrupt your fun.”
“Not at all, my lord. I’m merely your servant,” Bas replied, bowing his head. Vahel, seemingly pleased with his loyal demeanor, grinned.
“Get some rest. We’re heading to the Empire soon. We’ll have to fight as soon as we arrive.”
“Humans don’t scare me,” Bas said confidently, not just putting on a brave face for Vahel.
“Always reliable,” Vahel remarked.
“Thank you. But, my lord, how did Dorgo manage to escape?”
Bas asked, puzzled. Dorgo had been guarded by Laria, a marquis-level demon. It seemed impossible for Dorgo to have escaped from Laria’s grasp.
“Dorgo’s offspring attacked Laria and helped him escape,” Vahel said nonchalantly. But Bas’s doubts only grew.
“Laria… let him go?”
Laria was a powerful demon, on par with Asta. Even Bas didn’t think he could defeat Laria. How could mere undead have helped Dorgo escape from such a formidable opponent?
“Bas, you don’t believe me, do you?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“I didn’t believe it at first either. But seeing this, I had no choice.”
Vahel gestured with his fingers. A count-level demon dragged something forward. It was Sita, one of Dorgo’s children. Sita had once been strikingly beautiful, attracting the attention of many demons. But now, covered in blood, Sita was unrecognizable.
“They sacrificed this one to help Dorgo escape. They must have been desperate. That’s why Laria couldn’t hold onto Dorgo.”
Finally, Bas’s doubts were dispelled. Nothing is more dangerous than a cornered animal.
“Now that your curiosity is satisfied, shall we get going? Migmag, begin.”
Migmag swung a metal staff. A massive dimensional gate opened in the center of the ruined castle, revealing the capital of the Empire beyond.
“Let’s go capture Dorgo again.”
Vahel leaped through the gate, followed by the demons.
“Mom, what’s that?”
The first to notice them among the citizens of the capital was a young boy.
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
“That, over there.”
The boy pointed to the sky. His mother, turning her gaze without much thought, went pale.
“What… what is that?”
Monsters were pouring down from the sky. Though she had lived in the capital all her life, she recognized them immediately for what they were—horrifying and dangerous.
“M-Mom…”
Sensing the danger, the child clung to his mother. She hugged him tightly.
“It’s okay. The capital is protected by a barrier!”
At that moment, the transparent shield surrounding the capital collided with the demons. The barrier shattered instantly. The demons landed, and chaos erupted in the capital.
“Ahhh! What are these monsters?”
“Where’s the guard? Where’s the guard?”
The citizens scrambled to flee. Watching them, Vahel laughed.
“Like lambs to the slaughter.”
“Your Excellency, may I enjoy a little snack?”
“Hmm? Go ahead. You deserve some fun.”
A smile spread across Bas’s face. He immediately grew in size, towering over the city walls.
“Where do you think you’re going? Leave your souls behind.”
Bas reached out toward the fleeing citizens, and their souls were drawn into his palm.
“Gah!”
“Ugh!”
The citizens, deprived of their souls, fell lifeless. Bas looked at the souls in his hand and laughed gleefully.
“Let’s see how they taste…”
Just as Bas was about to lick his palm, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky, piercing his head.
“Argh!”
Bas screamed, then roared in anger.
“Who dares? Show yourself!”
“Right here, you birdbrain.”
Bas quickly turned to his shoulder. A boy stood there.
“Who are you?”
Bas’s face tensed. The aura emanating from the boy was anything but ordinary.
“Me? Not sure if you’d know even if I told you.”
The boy reached into the air, and a ring transformed into a spear.
“Listen well. This esteemed one is known as the Mercenary King. I’ve come on the Empire’s behalf to smash your heads in.”
“Oh, another strong human?” Vahel mused, watching the Mercenary King on Bas’s shoulder.
“Not quite on par with Demian Haxen, but impressive. Could he be a Grandmaster?”
As Vahel observed the Mercenary King, two men appeared with the sound of footsteps.
“Hmm? And who might you be?” Vahel asked. But the two ignored him, speaking to each other instead.
“Eos, is that the one you mentioned?”
“Yes. It’s a duke-level demon, so don’t let your guard down.”
“I was relieved to hear Pandemonium’s forces had dwindled, but this is a disaster.”
“At least I’m here. The Order will arrive soon, so hang in there.”
“Yeah, sure, that’s comforting.”
The two men gripped their sword hilts. The Sword Saint and the Empire’s Greatest Sword. The two pillars of the Empire stood in the demons’ path.