Chapter 392: Chapter 392

“Those cowardly rats! How dare they set foot in our territory?!”

A cacophony of sounds, a chaotic symphony of violence, echoed through the air.

The scent of battle, a mixture of blood, sweat, and… something else, filled the air, its intensity growing with each passing moment.

Fighting spirit, determination, madness…

…a vibrant flower of death, blooming on the battlefield.

Under normal circumstances, Sipar would have joined the fray, reveling in the chaos and carnage…

The presence of the beings before him, their auras sharp and intense, demanded his full attention.

A four-legged beast, its form grotesque and unsettling, grinned, revealing its sharp fangs.

Two long, saber-like canines and countless smaller teeth, gleaming in the dim light.

And a serpentine tongue, flicking in and out of its maw.

It was about three meters tall, its body five meters long, covered in thick muscles and bony plates, a dark red mane flowing down its back.

A creature that defied description, as if all the predators and monsters in the world had been combined into a single, terrifying entity.

Even Sipar, a Cerberus, the apex predator of the Demon World, couldn't comprehend its form.

But he couldn't underestimate it just because it was smaller than him.

His instincts screamed in warning.

And anyone who saw its mismatched eyes, burning with hunger and madness, the saliva dripping from its fanged maw, would reach the same conclusion.

It was looking at him… as prey.

And if he wasn’t careful… he might actually be eaten.

[“How dare you! How dare you look at me like that! I’ll crush your head!”]

Naturally, Sipar didn’t back down.

His three heads roared in unison, their expressions twisted in rage.

But that wasn’t his only problem.

[“Grrr… Is that… the 14th Demon King?”]

[“Impossible. She’s dead. A thousand years ago!”]

[“But… even incomplete, that’s clearly a Demon King’s…”]

[“A new Demon King? The 16th? Now? Suddenly?!”]

[“…What does this mean for us? What have we been fighting for…!”]

A figure, a woman, sat calmly on the back of the monstrous beast, her size insignificant compared to Sipar and her… mount.

She smiled faintly, her gaze fixed on the three heads, their expressions a mixture of confusion and fear.

“Hmm~ So, this is a Duke-level demon?”

A soft chuckle, a melodious voice, like a song.

“You’re… impressive.”

Her crimson eyes, their pupils glowing like rubies, gleamed with a strange light.

Hella, her gaze sweeping over the massive Cerberus, as if evaluating its worth.

And her assessment didn’t take long.

“But… you’re still… underwhelming. I wouldn’t have needed any help.”

A harsh critique, a dismissive tone.

“Hey, Dog Duke, are you… weaker than the others? Or are you just… lucky…?”

“Or did I overestimate the Demon World’s standards?”

Her words, laced with sarcasm and mockery, were a stark contrast to her sweet voice and cheerful demeanor.

And the strange, unsettling laughter that accompanied them only amplified their effect.

It was clear she didn't care about his feelings.

Sipar’s three heads fell silent, their previous rage and fury gone.

He was a Duke, one of the strongest in the Demon World.

He wouldn’t be provoked by such… petty insults.

He didn’t need to argue. He would just—.

…Eliminate the source of his annoyance.

Sipar, coiling his massive body like a spring, suddenly launched himself forward.

His overwhelming size and power tore through the air, ignoring all physical obstacles.

His subordinates, caught in the blast, coughed up blood and were thrown back like pebbles.

They had been retreating since their leaders began their confrontation, but it wasn’t far enough.

The area around Sipar, where he had passed through, was instantly turned into a wasteland, as if a natural disaster had struck.

“…He has quite a temper. I wouldn’t want him as a pet. He would destroy all my furniture.”

But the attack didn’t even scratch its intended target.

The woman and the beast, having moved out of the way, chuckled softly.

Sipar, preparing for another attack, coiled his body again.

“He needs some… discipline.”

…the world turned upside down.

The sounds of battle vanished.

The familiar scenery of Abnormal’s headquarters was replaced by a desolate wasteland, a barren plain stretching as far as the eye could see.

「Heavenly Demon’s World」.

The Demon King’s personal domain, manifested in the Demon World, its target Sipar.

And this barren landscape…

…was something Sipar had experienced before, a long time ago.

[“…The Abandoned Lands?”]

[“So it’s you! What’s your connection to the 14th Demon King?! How…!”]

His three heads roared, and the snake tail hissed angrily.

A powerful demonic aura, erupting from his massive body, caused earthquakes and storms, the very air itself trembling.

And the 「Heavenly Demon’s World」, unable to completely contain his power, began to crack and distort.

‘…Seriously, he’s like a wild animal. I’m glad I set this up in advance.’

Hella, channeling her magic power to stabilize her domain, clicked her tongue.

She was planning to absorb Abnormal after eliminating Sipar, so everyone here, friend or foe, was a potential subordinate.

Naturally, she was annoyed by Sipar’s reckless rampage, his disregard for collateral damage.

“Do you have a lot of questions?”

Hella jumped down from the beast’s back,

…and patted its side, her voice calm and steady.

“I’ll answer them if you can defeat my… pet. All of them.”

She smiled sweetly, her expression friendly and inviting…

…but the barbed whip in her hand, its sharp thorns gleaming in the dim light, created a sinister and unsettling contrast.

“Though I doubt you can. He’s a specialist, you see.”

—A specialist in hunting… large monsters… like you.

She grinned, cracking the whip against the ground.

A sharp crack, like a gunshot, and the earth beneath her feet shattered, sending fragments flying.

“Let’s finish this quickly. I have a lot to do.”

She pointed at Sipar, his massive form towering before her, and shouted,

“Go! Davidson! Bite him!”

And Davidson, the Gluttonous Monster, summoned by Hella, Harley, the Fighting King, now also the Mercenary King, disguised and concealed to avoid attracting unwanted attention…

…roared and charged forward.

His body expanded rapidly,

…until it was almost as large as Sipar’s.

He opened his massive maw, his sharp teeth gleaming.

[“I’ll tear you apart!”]

[“I don’t care if you’re a Demon King! I’ll just eat you!”]

And so, the clash of titans began.

Davidson didn’t speak. He maintained his quadrupedal beast form, his movements bestial and instinctual.

[“You’re regenerating?! What kind of monster are you?!”]

[“Kyaaa! Get off me! You vermin!”]

[“Grrr— You’re resistant to my poison?!”]

Harley, now a renowned figure in Auterica, both as the Fighting King and the Mercenary King, had to be careful.

Even if he was a mercenary who would do anything for the right price, he couldn’t openly assist a Demon King in the Demon World, not while he was being hailed as a hero.

‘And Siana knows about Harley. I have to be careful.’

It wasn’t difficult for him, a shapeshifter, to conceal his identity.

He simply replaced his human components with the countless monstrous traits he had accumulated, creating a new form, a purely monstrous entity.

And so, Davidson, the Gluttonous Monster, was born.

‘…But fighting with my abilities restricted is a bit… challenging.’

His opponent was a Duke-level demon, one of the strongest in the Demon World.

And demons grew stronger in the Demon World. It wasn’t easy to overwhelm him with brute force alone.

Sipar’s snake tail, moving like lightning, suddenly struck him, its fangs sinking into his flesh.

A deadly poison, capable of melting even the soul, spread rapidly through his body.

Davidson’s body quickly adapted and resisted, but he couldn't completely avoid the initial effects.

Sipar’s other two heads, seizing the opportunity, bit down on his shoulders, their powerful jaws tearing through his armor and flesh, blood splattering in the air.

[“You persistent bastard! I’ll tear you to shreds!”]

The central head, its mane flowing, a scar across one eye, opened its massive maw.

A terrifying demonic energy, concentrated within its throat, flickered and pulsed, a result of careful preparation.

If Davidson took a direct hit, he would lose half his body.

But just as the energy was about to be unleashed,

…a sharp, whistling sound tore through the air.

A geyser of blood erupted from Sipar’s central head as its lower jaw was severed, the concentrated demonic energy dissipating harmlessly.

The head, now missing a third of its mass, glared upwards, its eyes filled with rage.

Towards Hella, who was hovering in the air, her wings flapping gently.

She had been hit as well, her left eye and a part of her brain gone, thanks to Sipar’s attack exploiting a momentary lapse in her defenses… but she seemed unharmed.

“Hehehe, I didn’t say it had to be a one-on-one fight.”

She winked at him, her tone casual and playful, as if it was all a game.

She had summoned Davidson to end this quickly. She wasn’t planning to wait for a fair fight.

‘…I was just… assessing the situation.’

This was her first time facing a Duke-level demon, so she had been observing, gathering information.

The Dark Duke might be weaker, but the Dragon Marquis was definitely stronger than this Cerberus.

Hella’s wings unfurled, and two massive magic circles appeared on either side of her.

Rapid magic power deployment, thanks to 「Demon King」 and 「Magic Power Control」.

And then, a barrage of lightning-fast whip attacks, their trajectories barely visible, rained down on the massive Cerberus.

Swish! Swish—! Kaboom!

His protective barriers, painstakingly constructed, shattered one after another, and wounds, deep and festering, appeared on his massive body.

It wasn't easy for him to dodge, with Davidson clinging to him.

‘…This is fun. I’m starting to get excited.’

The whip she was using was also from Horus’s 「Golden Treasury」, presumably the Succubus Queen’s personal weapon.

It extended and contracted, its length seemingly limitless, tearing through space and inflicting grievous wounds.

[“Ugh! You cowards! Such despicable tactics! Just like your bloodline!”]

“Hey, you have four heads. That’s twice as many as us, even with my pet.”

“Nonsense? Don’t underestimate yourself. You can’t hide your true nature, no matter how much you pretend to be a wolf.”

Hella continued her taunts, her melodious voice a stark contrast to her harsh words, as Davidson, using his massive size, kept Sipar in place, preventing him from escaping.

[“Grrr— My regeneration…!”]

[“The power of the 13th! She must have inherited it!”]

Her 「Destroyer」 trait, a passive ability, was negating Sipar’s defenses, his magic resistance, his regenerative abilities… everything.

Every attack, whether from her whip or her magic, bypassed his defenses and prevented his wounds from healing.

His heads, which should have regenerated instantly, were still… incomplete.

It was incredibly effective against high-ranking demons, who usually possessed powerful regenerative abilities.

Davidson’s eyes gleamed.

His body began to twitch and writhe.

He was mimicking his opponent’s traits, the abilities he had observed during their battle.

His body was changing in real time, adapting and evolving, incorporating only the beneficial traits.

Selective evolution, taking only the best.

‘…As expected of a Duke-level demon. He’s far superior to those low-ranking demons, even without absorbing his essence. Some aspects are even better than a dragon’s.’

And then, something began to grow from his shoulders.

A new head, slowly taking shape,

…until it was identical to the other three.

Just like… a Cerberus.

[“Huh? What? How did he…?!”]

Sipar’s three heads, which had been momentarily distracted by Hella, were now filled with confusion.

He was a Cerberus, so he knew.

That wasn't just a superficial imitation. It shared the same… essence as him.

The three heads laughed in unison, their fanged maws wide open.

A chill ran down Sipar’s spine as he watched them.

‘…This is dangerous.’

They had been dangerous before, but this… this was something else.

But he was trapped, surrounded, attacked from all sides…

[“Kyaaa! What is this?! Ugh!”]

[“Don’t let him bite you! That’s… ugh!”]

[“Get off! Get off!”]

「Gourmand」 and 「Power of Gluttony」, which had been dormant until now, finally awakened, their combined power overwhelming.

No defense, no regeneration, could withstand it.

They devoured everything, tangible or intangible, even abstract concepts.

Through three… no, four mouths.

“Ah! It’s four-on-four now!”

Hella, her hand on her cheek, smiled brightly,

…her other hand still cracking the whip.