Episode 900
Chapter 227: A New Enemy, the Enemy of Our Enemies (Part 1)
“It’s almost certain now—Biceps has joined forces with Runcandel.”
Kellyak Ziphl of Dokmaseong entered Lagal’s office and announced this. He had just returned after meeting Mew, who had recently arrived in the Jinma Realm, and receiving a report about Ann.
“Almost certain, huh… Considering we lost Sikur to get this intel, it feels a bit underwhelming,” Lagal muttered.
“Ann died once. But the time between losing her body and death was too short. So it’s clear she was taken down by someone other than Baekgyeong. If it had been Baekgyeong, there’s no way he would have finished Ann off so brutally and quickly,” Kellyak explained.
“I see. Is that your people’s opinion?”
“My people.”
Lagal had yet to meet the ‘Ganestoga’—including Joshua—face to face. Of course, they had been tortured while prisoners, but since their awakening and departure to the world of Lokia, only Kellyak had been in contact with Ganestoga.
“Yes. He knows Baekgyeong very well, so his assessment is likely accurate. From my own experience with Baekgyeong, I agree—it just doesn’t add up.”
“Baekgyeong followed Siron Runcandel to the Black Sea, right? Is it possible he turned into some kind of monster there, becoming a ruthless, heartless being?”
“If that were the case, Siron wouldn’t have allowed Baekgyeong to return. Besides, none of the reports from the Jinma Realm mention anything like that. It seems my ‘almost certain’ is causing some doubt, but I think it’s safe to accept that Biceps and Runcandel are definitely cooperating, Lagal.”
“That’s a relief. Sikur was a decent guy after all.”
Kellyak sat down and opened a spellbook.
Lagal cleared his throat cautiously, watching him.
“Ahem! By the way, Kellyak, those people you just met—your people—could you introduce me to them?”
“Not yet. It’s not the right time.”
“Hmm. Is it because you don’t trust me yet?”
“Of course.”
“That’s not it… I have no intention of betraying you. You know my situation. If I reported you to Jito, I’d be the one losing my head first. And honestly, I doubt the other Demon Lords could gang up on you either.”
Kellyak met Lagal’s gaze and smiled meaningfully.
“My distrust of you isn’t because of that.”
“Then why…?”
“Because you don’t know yourself yet.”
“I don’t know myself? What do you mean, Kellyak?”
“You’ll understand what I mean in time. Tell me, lately, since we’ve been together, haven’t you felt your mind clearing up?”
Lagal paused to reflect on recent days. Indeed, since meeting Kellyak, his mind seemed to be sharpening rapidly.
“Yeah, I guess so. Definitely… I get less excited or laugh frivolously than before. But with Jito, I still feel like I have to act the same as always, so when he calls me, I sometimes pretend to be even more foolish.”
The reason for Lagal’s change was simple.
Brainwashing.
As Tilius had told Jin, most of Jito’s subordinates were mentally brainwashed by pain. That’s why many high-ranking demons lacked proper intelligence or ability.
It also explained why most Demon Lords’ combat power was far below the top-tier superhumans of the Inse.
Lagal was unaware, but the brainwashing had been gradually weakening since meeting Kellyak.
Though it could never be fully lifted until Jito’s death, even this partial relief was enough to bring significant change to Lagal.
“…Hmm! How fascinating! How did this happen? Is this also thanks to you, Kellyak? I just thought I’d been waking up feeling unusually refreshed lately.”
“When you fully understand yourself, then you’ll be ready to meet my people.”
Lagal found himself admiring Kellyak even more.
Though not much time had passed since Kellyak revealed his true nature, Lagal was genuinely impressed by all he had accomplished.
That Biceps had a spy in Dokmaseong, and that Biceps was connected to the Inse—Lagal had never imagined such a thing.
The prison break in the underground jail was another example, as was Kellyak’s recent secret communications with some ‘unknown force’ in the Jinma Realm, all without Jito’s knowledge.
“Having a witch backing you makes it possible, but Kellyak… the more I see you, the harder you are to underestimate. You seem to have some enormous ambition. Could it be that one day you might even surpass Jito…?”
Until now, Lagal’s desire for recognition had been directed solely at Jito. His long-held dream was to gain more of Jito’s approval, surpass Paelito, and earn the respect of all the other Demon Lords.
But lately, Lagal found himself wanting Kellyak’s approval just as much as Jito’s.
“Hmph! Then this adorable Lagal will have to work even harder. By the way, friend, Demon Lords have been dying too often lately. Losing Sikur this time might bring Jito, the Haita family, and the Chief Secretary down on me.”
“Jito probably won’t investigate this side because of me. As for the Haita family, I’ll take the opportunity to meet them.”
“Oh, so you mean to swallow up the Haita family too? Like you did with me?”
“If Sikur’s deputy lord is smarter than you were when I first met you, then there’s no need for that. You had a rough time with me.”
“It was terrible… Honestly, after sending Elona to the sickbed, I was overconfident, so the shock was big. Now I know the only reason I could do that to Elona was because she was a hostage.”
Just as Lagal was regaining his intelligence and strength, the demons of the Haita family would likely become Kellyak’s subordinates as well. Lagal thought that if that happened, far stronger and more capable Demon Lords than the deceased Sikur would emerge from the Haita family.
“Just had a thought—somehow, I get the feeling you’re going to take over the entire Jinma Realm like this.”
“As I said before, my ultimate goal is to reclaim my family.”
“And naturally, that means taking over the Jinma Realm along the way?”
“You still have many questions. Don’t worry about losing Demon Lords. The battle at the barrier is in full swing, so the Chief Secretary won’t have the capacity to come after you over Sikur. Druga Kilet survived, too. And above all, even if many Demon Lords die, the overall combat power of the Jinma Realm is actually increasing.”
“Thanks to you and your people reviving those souls?”
Lagal had said this shortly after Jito handed Kellyak over to him.
Back then, and even now with the roles reversed, Kellyak was still scouring hell for ‘useful souls.’
Among those souls were some not from Ziphl’s side—like Kidad Hall of the Reverse Sky.
“That’s right, Lagal.”
“I wonder if Jito is turning a blind eye because he’s aware of the witch, or if he truly doesn’t know they exist. Still, are they really stronger than the dead Demon Lords?”
“They were once rulers of the Inse or highly revered beings. They’re far superior to Demon Lords who lack proper rank.”
“Things are getting interesting… So, what’s next? We’ve confirmed the alliance between Biceps and Runcandel. What should we do now? Feed false information to Biceps’ spies and force Luna Runcandel to confront her brothers directly?”
“No. Ann hasn’t awakened yet, so I don’t have the full details, but she must have used her power before losing her body. Whoever killed Ann, the Balmur Alliance would have been informed. Baekgyeong will no longer hesitate to strike down the brothers in hell.”
“Then it’ll be difficult to use the brothers to erode Baekgyeong’s mind.”
“For now, we just wait and maintain contact with families like Haita. We watch as Jito’s forces and the Balmur Alliance wear each other down. But there is one thing you’ll like.”
“Oh? Something I’ll like? What is it?”
“I intend to bring one of the Demon Lords from the Belgashium family under my control.”
Lagal’s eyes widened.
“You’re not talking about Paelito, are you? Then you mean Leila Belgashium?”
“Yes. Leila Belgashium. Like you, she doesn’t fully know herself but wields power close to creation. I plan to have her face Baekgyeong later.”
“Oh… Leila is carrying out secret orders from Jito. And, much as I hate to admit it, she’s much stronger than me. Of course, you could easily crush her, but you know how it goes—sometimes you have to test to be sure.”
“Sometimes, you don’t need to test to know for sure. But I have no intention of fighting Leila Belgashium. Just a few words, and she’ll betray Jito and join me.”
Lagal found it hard to imagine the proud, stubborn Leila doing that but nodded.
“If you say so. The plan sounds good, but I still don’t see what part I’m supposed to like.”
“If Leila joins me, you’ll outrank her. Isn’t that something to like?”
Ragal burst out into a wide grin.
“Of course! Friends are the only ones who really think about me!”
“I’ll send an invitation to Leila. If I tell her there’s something she needs to know about Zito’s secret orders, she won’t be able to resist coming, even if she doesn’t want to.”
“What? You already know the details of those secret orders? That’s chilling… Alright, I’ll call Leila right away. Heh heh, once she’s under me, I’ll make sure she pays back every insult she ever threw my way—times ten.”
Ragal began drafting the invitation, while Kelliak closed his spellbook and fell into thought.
He was thinking about Mu Ganesto, whom he had just met. From their conversation and his use of “Insight,” it was clear she was hiding something from him.
“If the Ganestos are already keeping secrets from me… could it be information about the dragons they abandoned in the past? I’ll have to meet with Ran Ganesto or Vigo Ganesto next time to get to the bottom of this. Using Insight on Joshua feels too risky.”