Episode 948
Chapter 234: To Hell (8)
A critical mistake.
Entering through the dimensional gate was a grave error—one that the usually cold and calculating Veradin would never have made.
The Demon Realm was rife with unknown dangers, and not only Jito but Keliak had already established a foothold there. Under such circumstances, there was no reason to cross a dimensional gate with no information, just to chase after Kinzello.
“The golden aura left behind by Jin Runkandel… I let my judgment clouded trying to avoid it.”
Worse still, in trying to evade it, Veradin had even sent Satrin and Phinia away.
The dimensional gate they had just come through had already closed, leaving no escape route. Now, it was just the three of them—Veradin, Betty, and Tuyán—facing Keliak, the Demon Lords, and their entire army.
“Traitor, Keliak Ziphl…”
“Heh heh, trying to brand me a traitor even here? Tuyán is bound to you by contract, a dragon subordinate, and that poor living golem’s loyalty is absolute. But tell me, Veradin, aren’t you the one who betrayed me?”
“You even managed to recruit Orgal? What did you promise him?”
Keliak smiled meaningfully.
“You think Orgal and Zephyrin handed you over to me?”
“Is that not so?”
“That’s why you’re still unfit to be the head of the family, my son. I only used them—I never promised them rewards or asked for their help.”
It was true.
Keliak had simply predicted everything. Once the Inse forces began their hellish conquest, Orgal and Zephyrin would naturally come looking around here first, and Veradin would inevitably pursue them.
“If you hadn’t defied my expectations and come here, I would have dealt with them first. No power in this world other than Ziphl is necessary. You know the family’s goal is simple: to become the one true god of this world. So Kinzello remains our enemy.”
Veradin and Betty exchanged tense glances between Keliak and the massive fiery orb hovering behind him like a blazing sun.
“By the way, how did you like the gift your old man sent? If the lost ancestor hadn’t helped you, we might have had a much more beautiful reunion by now.”
“Don’t you dare drag Lady Elona’s name through your filthy mouth.”
“Ha ha… an amusing response. Veradin, my son, why do you think I’m so despicable?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Isn’t it strange? If you despise me so much, then you should despise all the family leaders who have stood by your side—Octavia, Satrin, Ronil.”
“…What?”
“Think carefully about why you hate me.”
Why did he hate Keliak?
Since becoming head of the family, Veradin had never really pondered that question deeply.
There was no reason to. It had seemed natural to overthrow the weak, chaotic Keliak and take the throne.
But in truth, from that moment on, Veradin had harbored a deep-seated hatred for Keliak. He wanted to erase his name from the family as soon as possible. That was why he reacted so sensitively to anything related to Keliak.
Suddenly, a dizzying numbness swept over Veradin’s mind.
Mental manipulation.
And the burning desire for revenge born from that pain.
All the hatred Veradin felt toward Keliak stemmed from that mental manipulation.
But Keliak was not the only one involved in that manipulation.
“All the key members of the family were involved in your mental manipulation back then. So why is your grudge directed only at me? With the power you have now, you could have torn them apart and taken your revenge.”
“That’s because…!”
“You think dealing with them would weaken the family? That was already a mistake the moment you betrayed me. You knew better than anyone that if you had chosen to harmonize with me instead of betraying me, the family would be stronger now than ever.”
“Ugh!”
Veradin clutched his head, staggering as a searing pain tore through his brain.
“Master!”
Betty shouted, unable to look back. The only reason she could still worry about Veradin was because Keliak wanted to talk with him a little longer.
“Even Tuyán, the guardian dragon carrying you on his back, was involved in the mental manipulation. You’ve been ignoring that uncomfortable truth all this time, my son.”
“Guh… haah.”
“But why? Why have you ignored your anger toward the others involved and fixated solely on me?”
Veradin said nothing, glaring at Keliak.
His vision blurred from the pain. His legs trembled, ready to give out at any moment.
“Since you don’t seem to understand, I’ll tell you now. Listen carefully, it’s because…”
You are a failure, my son.
Like savoring a delicacy, Keliak slowly finished his sentence.
“Shut up!”
“There’s no other reason. You’re just acting strangely because you’re a failure.”
“Shut up!”
Veradin gritted his teeth and thrust out Hroti.
“Hah…!”
But no magic gathered in Hroti. It was as if an impenetrable wall surrounded him, blocking all his power.
“All that you have was originally mine—your magic, your status, your life. Without my permission, nothing can be used as you wish. That’s the natural order. It took far too long to get to this point.”
Veradin tried to gather his magic again, but it was the same. Every time he tried, it felt like ropes tightened around his entire body.
Keliak was controlling Veradin’s magic using a curse he had placed before the mental manipulation, along with a fragment of his own physical body.
Mental manipulation always requires safeguards against the subject’s potential rampage. Naturally, Keliak had prepared such safety measures during his experiments.
At the time Veradin betrayed him, Keliak couldn’t use those safeguards. That was why Veradin had so easily snatched the throne from him.
But now, it was different. Keliak could easily bind Veradin’s magic.
“Do you understand now, Veradin? You were nothing but a spare body for me. Like the countless living golems you created… your life was never truly your own.”
Sssnnng!
Veradin staggered and drew his sword. The aura was a new power gained after his body was modified by the priestess and the sanctuary, so Keliak couldn’t fully control it.
Still, even the aura didn’t fill as much as he wanted.
“Hey, Keliak’s son, if you’re not as strong as your monster friends, you better not even bother using that aura. Don’t underestimate the poison I’ve hidden all over the Extreme Poison Zone.”
Ragal spoke.
As soon as he sensed Veradin trying to use the aura, he activated the poison spread throughout the zone.
Even Betty, who was in much better condition than Veradin, was affected—her breathing became unstable. She could still fight at her usual level, but Veradin was struggling just to stand.
“I’d love to devour you right now, but I’ll stop here out of respect for Keliak. Yeah, you don’t mess with someone else’s kid.”
In the end, Veradin had no choice but to face the truth.
There was no way out alive from here.
Just as Keliak had lost everything due to a single mistake in mental manipulation, now it was Veradin’s turn to fall because of a single mistake crossing the dimensional gate.
“Betty… Betty Ziphl.”
“Master, please!”
“Run away… leave me behind.”
“No!”
Of course, Betty refused.
But Veradin began reciting the activation phrase of a spell he had placed on her.
No matter the situation, no matter how strong her will, it was a safety mechanism designed to ensure Betty obeyed Veradin’s orders.
“Master, please!”
The phrase was complete.
Suddenly, Betty’s eyes glazed over as she repeated Veradin’s final command. Then she took Hroti and leapt off Tuyán.
Of course, Betty had nowhere to run.
But Veradin judged this was the best he could do for her. Most likely, she would die here alongside him.
Elona would only hear the news later, and she would surely seek revenge against Keliak…
But Veradin hoped she would just forget everything and leave somewhere far away. Though he couldn’t convey that wish.
“Ha! Keliak’s friend, I’m moved to tears. You really raised your son well!”
“Don’t worry, my son. Neither you nor your beloved living golems will die and vanish here today. You will simply be re-subjugated as my spare body, and the golems will be modified and used as needed. Tuyán, your fate will be decided according to your god’s attitude.”
Keliak raised his staff, and the fiery orb flashed, spewing thousands of flames in all directions.
Veradin gazed at the flames filling the space beyond Tuyán’s protective shield, briefly reflecting on the past.
The first faces that came to mind were Elona and Ziphl. He could almost hear their voices, thanking him for giving new meaning to his life.
Then, the bio-golems appeared in his thoughts. The realization that creating them wasn’t so different from what Keliak had done to him made his blood run cold. None of this would have happened if his mind hadn’t been broken by mental manipulation.
Finally, his friends came to mind.
He saw the backs of Jin and Dante. Only now, with his mind clearing, did he truly recognize that they were the most precious people in his life—but it was far too late.
“I can’t even say a proper goodbye. I’m sorry, everyone. All you’ll remember is the terrible version of me, the head of Ziphl.”
[Hey, what’s that?]
Suddenly, a voice he never expected broke through. It was a voice completely out of place for such a brief moment before death.
[Isn’t that Veradin Ziphl? Huh? What the hell are those bastards doing here?]
That voice wasn’t just a thought in Veradin’s mind—it echoed across the battlefield.
It was Murakan’s voice.