Chapter 405: Chapter 405

All the energy in her body surged towards her eyes.

Her senses sharpened, focusing solely on her vision.

The muscles around her eyes twitched, her nerves on edge.

‘…I see. So this is…’

Hella’s eyes, glowing with an orange light, were fixed on her opponent.

The Dragon Marquis, his six eyes glaring at her, his aura surging as he prepared his attack.

And the attack itself, a torrent of magic power, about to be unleashed.

Two worlds, overlapping and merging.

[“I am Krushaior, the Dragon Marquis! The strongest in the Demon World, the next Demon King! Do you think you can defeat me?!”]

But she already knew the answer. It was like having the answer sheet in advance.

Her eyes glowed with a blue light.

And then, time stopped within a certain radius, everything frozen in place.

The flow of air, the movement of elements, the surge of destructive energy… everything.

Hella, calmly stepping out of the frozen space, clicked her tongue.

‘…This is impressive. And this is just the beginning. If I can master this…’

Perhaps she could even freeze the Dragon Marquis himself.

Transcendence, a state where one surpassed their limitations and established their own domain, a realm where they could impose their own laws upon the world.

And the Dragon Marquis was at the pinnacle of that realm, a being close to godhood.

Naturally, his resistance to hostile magic was incredibly high.

‘…That’s why the Instant Death eye was less effective.’

It was barely worthy of the name ‘Instant Death’… but it couldn’t be helped.

Both she and the Dragon Marquis possessed immense power and incredible regenerative abilities, and neither of them had fully mastered the Eyes of Domination.

‘…Well, I just learned how to use it… But the fact that he’s on the same level as me… it means he hasn’t mastered it either.’

Having used the 「Seven-Colored Eyes of Domination」 herself, Hella knew.

That its true potential was far greater than what they had displayed.

The Eye of Precognition could see not just a few seconds into the future, but… the true future.

And the Eye of Time Stop had the potential to freeze the entire world.

And the same applied to the other eyes, like the Eye of Annihilation.

‘…It’s because he forcibly stole the power, without inheriting the Eye Clan’s bloodline. He couldn’t improve it.’

But she was different. She was a half-blood, a descendant of the Eye Clan.

She had heard about the Eye Clan from Liliana, the Dream Walker Matriarch.

They had been a powerful and respected race in the Demon World, their numbers now dwindling due to the Dragon Marquis’s actions… but they were born with a single Eye of Domination, their innate and unique ability, which they honed and refined throughout their lives, striving to transcend their limitations.

Just like Hella’s 「Eyes of Domination」, which had evolved to the point where it could control not just individuals, but even the world itself.

‘…There’s a clear difference. I inherited some of the previous owner’s proficiency in “Domination” thanks to the Demon King’s eye I used as a catalyst.’

But the other abilities… she had to start from scratch.

Considering that even a single Eye Clan member with a single Eye of Domination spent their entire lives mastering it… the 「Seven-Colored Eyes of Domination」, which granted her access to seven different abilities, wasn’t exactly an… advantage.

It was likely that none of her abilities would reach their full potential, her resources spread too thin.

‘…But I’m not complaining. After all, the more abilities, the better! And I have the “Growth Elixir”, which is expensive but effective!’

And with her 「Demon King」 trait and its potential for growth…

[“Don’t make me laugh! How long do you think you can keep using that power?!”]

As if reading her thoughts, the Dragon Marquis roared, his voice filled with frustration.

He was right, of course.

The energy consumption was significant, and the mental strain wasn’t negligible either.

‘…And each eye has its own unique properties, making it difficult to combine with other abilities, like magic.’

There was a reason why the Dragon Marquis, despite possessing such powerful abilities, hadn’t been using them recklessly.

He was already incredibly strong without them, and he couldn't improve them any further. They were just… supplementary abilities.

“Well, we’ll see about that. And I’m a… legitimate successor, unlike you. I understand you’re… envious, but… it’s a bit… pathetic, don’t you think?”

[“…You insolent brat! Die!”]

The Dragon Marquis, unable to retort, roared in frustration and charged towards her.

Hella’s smile widened, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

…the Dragon Marquis suddenly stopped, his movements freezing mid-stride.

His monstrous face, usually expressionless, now showed a flicker of… emotion, as if he had encountered an unexpected situation.

“What’s wrong? Did you forget something?”

Hella taunted him, but he didn’t respond.

He seemed distracted, as if he had just received some urgent news.

“Or did you… leave the door unlocked?”

A casual remark, laced with mockery, a deliberate jab at his… pride.

And then, his six eyes, wide with shock and disbelief, glared at her.

“Hey, it’s rude to be distracted during a fight, especially when your opponent is a lady. You call yourself a Duke?”

[“What have you done, mongrel?!”]

His aura surged, its intensity far surpassing his previous level, as if he was trying to… intimidate her… but Hella wasn’t fooled.

Her eyes glowed, each one a different color.

Orange, the color of precognition, and white, the color of annihilation.

And as they glowed, the Dragon Marquis’s escape routes, the spatial distortions he had been subtly preparing, were… erased.

“Where do you think you’re going? Let’s play a little longer, shall we? Now that you’ve come all this way.”

She wasn’t going to let him go.

He was a valuable… test subject, and her own Eyes of Domination were rapidly improving thanks to him.

“You’ll… stay and play with me, won’t you?”

…that was her objective from the beginning.

[“…You… insignificant wretch! How dare you! I won’t forgive you!”]

The Dragon Marquis, realizing that he couldn’t escape, roared in frustration, his voice filled with rage.

Hella smiled sweetly, her red lips curving into a perfect arc.

It seemed like she was also a demon, after all, enjoying the sight of her opponent’s suffering.

While Hella and the Dragon Marquis were clashing in the sky,

…Miyamoto Ken, having finished his preparations, headed towards his destination.

With the Dragon Marquis away, this was the perfect opportunity.

‘…Though there’s still one problem…’

Sodian, a Marquis-level demon, guarding the rear lines.

She was too powerful for him to handle, even with a surprise attack.

He wouldn’t be able to inflict any significant damage, and he might even be… dismembered.

‘…But with this guy, it should be fine.’

He glanced at the three-headed dog, about the size of a large dog, following behind him.

He had discovered Davidson’s… unusual abilities shortly after receiving him.

‘…I knew he was special, since Hella-nim sent him… but I didn’t expect him to be this powerful.’

The day he received him.

He had brought the cage containing the Cerberus pup to his quarters, and as soon as he was out of sight,

“What? How did you get out?”

…he had been greeted by an unexpected sight.

The pup had somehow opened the cage and was casually strolling around his room, then headed straight for the pantry, where he began devouring his… meat reserves.

Ken, momentarily stunned, had tried to stop him.

The meat was part of his executive benefits package. He hadn't even intended to eat it… but he knew he had to establish dominance early on, or it would become a problem later.

He had, after all, raised a beagle for over five years back on Earth.

‘…Even a Cerberus is just a puppy. …Though I heard their temper is a hundred times worse than a normal dog’s.’

And it wasn’t just an ordinary dog, it was a demon beast from the Demon World.

Ordinary training methods wouldn’t work.

‘…I’ve raised a beagle for five years!’

But even a demon beast was still… a canine.

The most important thing was to establish dominance, to show them who was in charge.

He had confidently approached the pup, drawing on his experience…

Munch, munch— Smack, smack—

…and had been utterly defeated.

By a puppy that barely reached his waist.

He had collapsed on the floor, his body bruised and battered, and looked up at the victor.

Perhaps because his face was buried in the carpet,

…the name tag on the pup’s chest, ‘Davidson’, seemed to… stand out.

He had finally accepted defeat.

Well, it was a creature sent by Hella-nim. It couldn’t be ordinary.

He finally understood Frances’s words.

‘…He’s strong enough to take on a Marquis-level demon. He’ll be a great help.’

It was only natural to treat such a powerful creature with respect.

A Cerberus pup with Marquis-level combat power!

It was practically the strongest Cerberus in existence, now that Sipar, the Strange Duke, was dead, even if it was still a pup.

‘…I’ll ignore the minor inconveniences. My priority is completing my mission.’

He had lost the dominance battle and even had to give up his bed to the pup… which was a bit… humiliating.

And he had had to… beg for more meat, which had probably tarnished his image…

‘…But it ends today.’

He led Davidson… or rather,

…followed Davidson, who was leading the way, towards the underground ritual chamber.

“Hmm? Ken? And what’s that behind you… Hmm? A Cerberus?”

“Yes. It’s a gift from someone who owed me a favor. Is there a problem?”

“Pfft— Only you are authorized to enter. That… thing… can’t come in.”

A massive, minotaur-like demon, the gatekeeper, snorted, his voice deep and rumbling.

He wasn't very bright, but he was incredibly persistent and surprisingly strong for a Viscount-level demon, so he was often assigned to such tasks.

“And it looks… strange. I’ve seen Cerberus before, but this is… well…”

“That’s what makes it valuable. Rarer is better, isn’t it?”

“And he’s not here as a demon. He’s a gift for Sodian-nim.”

“Hmm? A gift? For Sodian-nim…? But it’s alive.”

“We can always use it as a sacrifice. You know that living sacrifices are more effective, right? They’ve used plenty of them in there.”

“…Indeed. If it’s a sacrifice, it doesn’t matter if it’s alive.”

The massive gatekeeper nodded slowly and opened the gate.

He was just following protocol. A Cerberus pup wouldn’t cause any trouble.

If it misbehaved, it would just be… sacrificed.

‘Good. The first step is complete.’

Ken and Davidson entered the ritual chamber.

There were various traps and security measures along the way, but they couldn’t stop Ken, who had already been here several times with proper authorization.

“…Question. What brings you here, Ken? And that behind you… a Cerberus variant?”

And finally, they encountered Sodian, the Marquis-level demon.

She looked at them with her usual expressionless face, her speech patterns as strange and stilted as ever.

Ken gulped nervously.

The preparations were complete.

The reconnaissance, the infiltration, the escape route, the emergency communication plan… everything.

‘…I’m counting on you, Davidson.’

But before anything else, he had to deal with the demon before him.

If he failed here, the entire operation would fall apart.

“I thought Sodian-nim would … Haha, it’s a… token of goodwill…”

“Confirmation. Such a trivial reason…”

…who had never disappointed his… clients…

As her gaze shifted towards Ken for a brief moment,

…the three heads, their expressions innocent and their eyes blinking cutely, suddenly grew in size—.

…and the entire room was engulfed in a blinding flash of light.