Chapter 907
Episode 228: The Fierce Battle at Grosh Fortress (3)
Screeeech!
Dailrus was flung back by Jin’s strike, crashing into one of the Jin Demon Realm army’s warships. For a moment, the shattered wreckage obscured his vision, and he wanted to use his flesh shard—but Jin was already charging toward the very ship he was buried in.
“Damn it…!”
A flash of gleaming sword energy sliced the ship in two. Dailrus barely twisted his body to avoid a fatal blow, but reading Jin’s sword movements was impossible.
He couldn’t keep up with the speed or trajectory. When he thought he’d blocked a blade coming from the left, suddenly another stabbed into his back. And even after dodging that, somewhere on his body, rapid regeneration had already begun.
But regeneration was only the beginning—Eternalization was faster, more relentless, burrowing into his flesh, bones, and organs.
With every passing second, Jin’s attacks grew fiercer, and Dailrus inevitably grew sluggish. Like a heavily bleeding human tiring easily.
“Looks like you’re the leader of these demons, a Demon King, huh? Is this all you’ve got? Whatever happened to that boldness you showed when you first dared to strike back at me?”
Dailrus couldn’t answer. His mouth was dry as wood from tension, and his head and eyes felt like they’d burst trying to track Jin’s sword.
An enemy too powerful to ever break.
He realized it clearly: compared to Runcandel’s Sojoo, he was nothing more than a mere beast.
“There’s no way out… No matter what I do, there’s no surviving this man.”
He wasn’t even allowed the briefest moment to pull out a flesh shard, let alone escape.
Sacrificing soldiers to cast a dark realm return spell was impossible. Though millions of regular troops still held the defensive line, near Jin and Murakan’s position, only piles of ash and corpses remained.
The regular soldiers dared not close the distance. Even the higher-ranking generals and commanders were no different. To Jin and Murakan, there was no distinction between them and the common troops.
Occasionally, nearby grand generals risked their lives to aid their superiors, but the flames, black chains, and shockwaves from battle made it futile.
Moreover, the allied forces’ relentless bombardments and magic rained down on the enemy lines without pause, so any general who stepped forward met a swift, meaningless death.
“The situation on the Tikano front isn’t any better. Begel and Slam’s freezing and plague powers have no effect on them.”
Begel and Slam had even successfully used Jito’s flesh shards to strengthen themselves. Yet Begel’s ice couldn’t even scratch Murakan’s scales.
The plague energy Slam spread enveloped both Jin and Murakan, but it had no effect. They fought as if inhaling foul, stagnant disease—no coughing, no vomiting blood.
In other words, Jin and Murakan were clearly putting on a show. Millions of Jin Demon Realm troops were witnessing this. The Demon Kings, beings revered almost like gods by ordinary demons, were helplessly collapsing, crushed like insects.
“What the hell is Lagal doing…!”
Crack!
Dailrus’s left arm was torn off.
It wasn’t cut by a sword or blade energy. The violent sword wind that swept past him ripped the arm away.
Since the sword wind wasn’t infused with Eternalization, regeneration was possible—but if he paused even briefly to focus on regrowing the arm, the rest of his body would be torn apart next.
“You’ve given up on regeneration. Wise choice. If you were under me instead of Jito, you wouldn’t be waiting for death so helplessly. You’re a rare talent, but Jito treats you like disposable goods. Are Demon Kings like you so common in the Jin Demon Realm that they can be used this way?”
They were anything but common.
Dailrus was clearly among the top-tier Demon Kings. Jin knew this well but deliberately crushed the enemy’s morale.
If these opponents were humans rather than demons, most would have already dropped their weapons and knelt.
But the demons still feared Jito more than Jin and Murakan.
“Which one of us you should fear more… you’ll all find out soon enough.”
Splat, crackle…!
Dailrus’s spear shattered. Jin’s lightning-fast thrusts repeatedly struck the same spot on the spear’s blade.
Dailrus cared more about the broken spear than his lost arm. Losing his weapon was far more critical. He hastily infused it with magical energy to delay the damage, but the lightning-fast thrusts kept coming.
Jin’s secret art from Runcandel wasn’t about reacting—it was about predicting and dodging in advance. His lightning-fast thrusts had reached perfection, and he ultimately broke Dailrus’s spear.
Reinforcing a broken weapon with magic was possible, but only effective against weaker foes.
At this point, it was impossible for Dailrus to turn the tide on his own.
All that remained was for the other Demon Kings to unexpectedly fight fiercely on his behalf.
Even if that happened, there was no chance Dailrus would survive—unless Jito, Paelito, or the strongest like Ridolos or Videluce came to his aid.
But they wouldn’t come. Murakan had already half-killed Tikano and was extending his claws toward Begel, Slam, and Lagal.
Thud!
Bradamante pierced through Dailrus’s abdomen. Jin twisted the blade, amplifying the Eternalization.
“Ugh…”
“If you’d used Jito’s flesh shards, I might be a bit more tired. But now it’s time to rest, Demon King. Any last words?”
Dailrus paused, thinking. From the moment he realized the gap between him and Jin, he had sensed his death.
With death so close, something long forgotten suddenly came to mind.
The day he was rounding up souls of humans who had lost their way, accompanied by his subordinates, when he happened to meet a demon in the forest.
And the time he formed a bond with that demon and had a child.
“Who is that woman…? And the child beside her…?”
These were memories Dailrus had never had before. He couldn’t recall who those subordinates were, who the woman living with him was, or who the child was.
All he knew was that seeing them filled his heart with unbearable pain.
“…Tears?”
Jin flinched at the sudden tears streaming down Dailrus’s face.
The memories resurfacing were of people he had long forgotten.
Repeated cycles of amnesia, Jito’s torture and brainwashing had completely erased them from his mind.
They came back now because the Eternalization Jin had inflicted had inadvertently loosened the chains of Jito’s brainwashing.
“Why are you crying?” Jin was about to ask, but suddenly Dailrus’s face twisted into a cruel sneer.
The memories of those forgotten people lasted only a moment.
Immediately, the brainwashed mind reawakened, turning him back into Dailrus Clauphino of the Jin Demon Realm army.
“Lagal, don’t hand my corpse over to that trash. Enjoy this small victory while you can. Jito will repay my death—with pain far worse than this!”
Jin was puzzled by Dailrus’s tears but nodded in understanding.
“Don’t worry. You’ll soon vanish without a trace.”
Whoosh…!
Eternalization rapidly consumed Dailrus. He screamed in burning agony, scattering across the battlefield.
Looking back, Tikano’s Belgashium was also dying under Murakan’s breath. Begel and Slam were battered, but Lagal alone showed no serious injuries.
‘Lagal Pun has been passive throughout the battle. What’s his game?’
Was he just trying to avoid a pointless death by recognizing the difference in levels? Or was there something else?
Either way, Lagal was clearly scheming to survive. Whether the other Demon Kings lived or died, he intended to return alive.
Begel and Slam had caught on to his intentions.
“…Lagal! What are you thinking? You’re not planning to run off alone, are you?”
Begel finally couldn’t hold back and asked. Lagal smiled openly, nodding.
“Of course. While you idiots get slaughtered, I’ve already separated some flesh shards and prepared my escape.”
“What… what did you say?”
“If anyone’s clueless here, it’s Sakiel, you fools. How do you expect us to handle those monsters? Four Demon Kings sacrificing their lives bought us what? Ten minutes? Fifteen? What good does that do?”
“Lagal, Sakiel’s orders come directly from Lord Jito…!”
“Ah, I’ll make sure to explain everything to Lord Jito myself, so don’t worry. Now, I’m off. Good luck, everyone.”
Behind Lagal, a dimensional gate opened. It was a linked dimensional gate, powered by Jito’s flesh shards as a sacrifice.
Then Lagal shattered the remaining flesh shards and shouted:
“Jin Demon Realm army, listen up! As of now, the first frontline defense is abandoned. Anyone who wants to live, run hard to the second defense line. Though I doubt anyone will survive.”
Lagal disappeared into the dimensional gate.
No sooner had the gate closed than Lagal’s poison dance, enhanced by Jito’s flesh shards, began spreading from that spot.
The poisonous dance carried a venom so potent it even irritated Jin and Murakan, quickly overwhelming the entire first line of defense.
[…Kid, who the hell is that strange guy?]
“That’s something Valeria will have to dig up in the records once this poison settles,” came the reply.
The remaining demons were melting away under Lagal’s toxic dance. Jin and Murakan hunted down those trying to flee the poison’s reach, finishing them off.
Within minutes, not a single living demon soldier remained on the first line of defense.
At the same time, in the Abyss of the Demon Realm, Belgasium’s Second Fortress.
Leila stared expressionlessly at Keliak Ziphl, who had suddenly appeared before her.
“The only reason someone who belongs in Inse could enter Hell must be because of a witch’s help. Why have you come to me?”
“Leila Belgasium, I’ve come to take you away from Zito.”
“Say that again. What exactly do you intend to do?”
Leila’s anger flared instantly, but Keliak smiled quietly.
“I want to make you one of my own. To do that, I’m willing to share a secret about Zito. How about it? Care to hear?”
Leila paused, halting her hand as it reached for her sword, and met Keliak’s gaze.
“…Speak, Keliak Ziphl.”
“He aims to drown this entire world in suffering. Every living being. But do you know that the ultimate targets of Zito’s torment aren’t just the lowly or humans… but you as well?”