Chapter 947
Episode 234: To Hell (7)
As Murakan had predicted when they first used the passage through Groshé Castle, it would take at least two full days for Kinzelro and Ziphl’s fleet to cross that interdimensional space.
“Magistrate, Captain Mareong,” Veradin called, and Satlin and Betty approached.
“Yes, Lord. What is it?”
“I just received a report from the scouts. Kinzelro’s demon dragon, Zephyrin, has broken away from the main force and is moving ahead.”
“Zephyrin… So he’s trying to reach Hell before us.”
“Exactly. But I doubt Zephyrin acted alone.”
“Are you saying Orgal went down with Zephyrin?”
Veradin nodded.
“Yes. Orgal likely has something he wants to obtain in the Demon Realm—power, or some special artifact to complete himself. The Demon Stone also predicted as much.”
Naturally, neither Runkandel nor Ziphl wanted Orgal and Kinzelro to grow stronger.
Orgal remained an enigma, especially given his close ties to the Demon Realm. Veradin couldn’t help but be wary of him pulling a fast one on the other factions in Hell.
“We have to follow him. If we keep pace with the entire fleet, it’ll take too long to track Runkandel’s movements. He must have reached Hell several times faster than us.”
Jin showed no concern for Ziphl or Kinzelro.
Not that there was any reason to—Jin acted as if he could handle Jito alone without the backing of any major power.
Still, Veradin couldn’t shake his unease about Jin.
Though he wished Jin would die fighting Jito, or that he’d seize any chance to kill him, his heart wasn’t in it.
—Veradin, enough. Come back to how you were before. That kind of line just doesn’t suit you.
Since hearing those words from Jin just before entering Groshé Castle’s passage, Veradin’s inner turmoil had only deepened.
In that sense, his decision to pursue Orgal now was a pretext. Satlin and Betty had no idea.
“Understood, Lord. We’ll prepare immediately.”
“We’ll descend on Tuyan and Pinia. I’m entrusting fleet command to Almatiya.”
As Veradin stepped out onto the bridge, two guardian dragons landed on Kojek’s deck.
[Looks like it’s because of Zephyrin, Veradin.]
“Yes. Take us and chase him down.”
[Got it. But he’s familiar with this interdimensional space, so catching him won’t be easy.]
“Let’s head down to the Demon Realm first and look for traces.”
The dragons began their descent with the three aboard.
Without the fleet, their speed crossing the interdimensional space was astonishing.
About an hour later, Veradin’s group reached the dark zone of the Demon Realm.
A vast, shadowy expanse awaited them, dominated by mountains of corpses numbering in the tens of millions—a scale of death never seen in the human world.
“Runkandel didn’t kill these. They died fighting each other.”
“That seems to be the case, Lord. Just as the Fiend once used others’ despair as his power, Jito appears to draw strength from pain.”
“Like the Holy Empire, Runkandel left some form of power imprinted on these corpses.”
Unlike when Jin first arrived, Veradin’s group now saw a golden aura enveloping the countless bodies.
“According to the Balmel Alliance’s reports, Ayula said before dying that this golden aura could resurrect the dead. They say Runkandel ascended to Creation and gained the power of regeneration…”
As Betty spoke, Veradin reached out toward the shimmering golden energy passing before him.
“Ugh.”
The moment his hand touched it, a fierce dizziness overwhelmed him.
Forgotten memories flashed through his mind—moments from his youth with Jin and Dante.
“Lord, are you alright?”
“A disturbing power. Like the cursed flame Keliak Ziphl left behind last time.”
But no one else was affected by the golden aura.
Veradin quickly began to retreat from the dark zone.
If he stayed exposed to that energy, his mind would unravel before they even began their mission in the Demon Realm.
‘…This is dangerous.’
He felt himself on the verge of collapse.
Lately, that sense of crisis had been growing.
The personality he lost to mental manipulation was stirring restlessly in his subconscious.
Such emotions were unfit for someone meant to lead the family.
Their greatest enemy, Runkandel, had spawned another Creation Knight; Kinzelro’s full potential remained unknown; and the Demon Stone was still incomplete.
If Elona hadn’t returned, Ziphl would be the most vulnerable of the three powers.
The gains made by allying with the Solar Faith were beginning to weigh on Veradin’s feet.
And Keliak Ziphl, thought dead and lost, was alive and growing stronger in Hell.
In this situation, Veradin couldn’t afford to falter. To him, that meant defeat.
‘But why am I so obsessed with the family’s victory and prosperity? Why am I fighting?’
Suddenly, Veradin flinched and glanced sideways.
Betty hesitated, then offered him a dry cloth she’d been using to clean her sword.
“Lord… you’re bleeding from your mouth.”
“Oh.”
Only then did Veradin realize he’d been clenching his jaw so hard it hurt.
“Thank you.”
Satlin, riding Pinia, hadn’t seen this. Veradin was glad.
He fully trusted Betty, but not Satlin.
Except for Elona, Betty, Almatiya, and Kun, no one in the family was fully trustworthy.
Even Octavia, who once tried to save him from his own rampage, was not someone Veradin could completely rely on.
‘Maybe it’s because I became Lord by overthrowing Keliak Ziphl myself. I know something like that could happen to me at any time.’
Betty scratched her head nervously.
A living golem fashioned in her image, her kindness was something Veradin lacked now.
Though they fled the dark zone still saturated with Jin’s energy, Veradin’s group had to face more golden auras lingering on other corpse piles as they moved north.
[Satlin’s guess that Jito uses pain as his power seems right. Everywhere we go, it’s just armies dead from fighting each other, Veradin. Runkandel left his mark on most of them.]
“That’s enough to understand Runkandel’s movements. Still, just in case, Satlin and Piyan, keep tracking Runkandel by following the golden aura. Betty, Tuyan, and I will search for traces of Orgal and the demon dragon.”
Again, Veradin found a plausible excuse.
If he kept facing Jin’s energy, his inner turmoil would surely show.
Following orders, Pinia and Satlin set off after the golden glow.
[There’s a strange magic mixed in the western wind, Veradin.]
“Then let’s go that way. Runkandel left a marker, but if Orgal and the demon dragon headed elsewhere, they must have another purpose.”
[Understood.]
As they flew west, the golden aura disappeared from view. Veradin felt his mind clear as he distanced himself from Jin’s energy.
[We can’t rule out Zephyrin and Orgal suddenly attacking us, Veradin. We probably wouldn’t lose now, but if they’ve already gained some power or artifact, it could be troublesome.]
“No matter what power they gain, they won’t suddenly become Creations. Sounds like you want to stop the pursuit, Tuyan.”
[Not at all. I just wonder if it might be better to meet with Runkandel and move together. Or bring Elona here now.]
“Elona coming to the Demon Realm is a last resort. That’s unusual. Why the sudden pointless worry?”
[Just a bad feeling.]
Veradin said nothing, focusing on the energy around them.
The strange magic grew stronger as they headed west.
About ten minutes later, they came upon a massive dimensional gate floating in the sky—the point where the strange magic abruptly ended.
“They’ve crossed this gate…”
[Now it’s clear. The energy here must be Zephyrin’s.]
“We’re going through. Whatever Kinzelro has planned, we can’t let things go their way. They said we’d all deal with the common enemy first, but of course, they had other cards up their sleeves.”
Veradin’s group passed through the gate.
On the other side lay a barren land crisscrossed by rivers of poison.
The extreme poison zone of the Demon Realm.
“…This place? This poison is definitely what threatened Lady Elona!”
Veradin’s eyes burned with deadly intent as he faced the toxic air.
This was the very poison that had harmed Elona Ziphl—the most precious person to him—taken hostage by the citizens of the Lutero Federation.
His chest swelled with uncontrollable rage.
“Ragal Pun! That bastard’s territory. Could it be Kinzel? Were those scoundrels colluding with Ragal? Maybe Elona’s injury is connected to this. Tuyan, head straight to the fortress where those guys are—!”
Before he could finish, Veradin flinched and glanced around nervously.
On the ground, the fiercest battle unit of the Demon Realm, led by Leila Belgassium, was entrenched, and above them, a massive fireball suddenly blazed like a second sun.
It was Keliak’s flame.
The dimensional gate they had just passed through was closing.
“Keliak Ziphl…!”
The light radiating from the fireball cast distorted shadows across Veradin’s face. Keliak stood with his back to the fireball, looking down at Veradin.
“Long time no see. I figured that with your current strength, you’d avoid the power of the true Runcandel and come here.”
Betty stepped forward, drawing her sword. Tuyan hastily raised a protective barrier, but it seemed impossible to block that inferno.
“Now, it’s time to return everything you stole from this father to its rightful place… Veradin Ziphl, my most cherished son.”