Chapter 416: Chapter 416

Hella frowned, her expression troubled, as she received the unexpected news.

She had been busy managing the various fronts, consolidating their newly acquired territories, and dealing with the… inevitable internal conflicts…

“How is that even possible?”

Her first reaction was… disbelief.

Even if the Dragon Marquis was stronger, the Dark Duke wasn’t a pushover.

He was the leader of a powerful faction, a veteran who had been vying for the Demon King’s throne for centuries.

And yet, he had been defeated so easily?

It meant that the Dragon Marquis had resorted to… drastic measures.

“We’ve lost contact with all our spies in the Dragon Marquis’s forces. It seems…”

[“I’ll issue a general order to all fronts. Prioritize damage control and prepare for any unexpected situations.”]

“We have an urgent report from a Demoniac survivor!”

The foundation of dark magic was… defiance.

Unlike ordinary magic, which followed the laws of the world and utilized them efficiently, dark magic twisted and distorted those laws, even directly opposing them, to achieve its desired results.

Naturally, it came with a price.

The corruption of the mind, a side effect of using dark magic, was one of those prices.

But in exchange for that burden, dark magic granted its user incredible power, a destructive force beyond the comprehension of ordinary mages.

And the most common method used by dark mages to mitigate that burden was…

‘…The more sacrifices you offer, the greater their value, the more powerful your dark magic becomes.’

Like a thousand years ago, when a transcendent dark mage had sacrificed entire cities, and even himself, to create a rift in the abyss.

“…He didn’t just sacrifice his own followers.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

Siana, who had been standing next to her, asked, her voice filled with confusion, but Hella, lost in thought, didn’t reply.

She was a master of dark magic, arguably the best in the world, so she could tell.

‘…That would explain how he was able to defeat the Dark Duke so quickly.’

Hans, the Immortal King, also used dark magic, but most of the burden was borne by his 「Immortal Heart」.

Of course, it wasn't… free. The heart itself was a dangerous and unstable artifact, and if it weren't for his 「Mind Hub」, he would have been consumed by it long ago.

The Dragon Marquis had probably been in a similar situation.

An Ancient Dragon of his level could easily handle the backlash from most dark magic rituals.

But if he had abandoned even his own… defenses…

If he had sacrificed not only his followers, but also himself, a powerful Ancient Dragon, the only dragon in the Demon World, a being once considered the strongest…

“…This is getting troublesome. I thought it would be over quickly when the Dark Duke contacted me.”

Hella sighed softly and frowned.

And the result of his desperate gamble… was the current chaos.

The beginning of the Great Demon World War.

The nature of the war had changed.

From a power struggle between factions vying for the Demon King’s throne…

[“Hungry, hungry, cold, hungry…”]

…to a desperate struggle for survival against the endless hordes of white monsters, emerging from rifts in space.

“Ugh— Their magic resistance is too high!”

The only good news was that Helheim had been able to recruit a large number of demons who had been… disillusioned by the recent events.

They had belonged to various factions, but they weren't fools.

It was better to join Hella than to be sacrificed by the Dragon Marquis.

Thanks to the influx of new recruits, Helheim’s forces had grown exponentially.

They were now the largest faction in the Demon World, their numbers unmatched.

‘…This situation isn’t so bad. The question is… how to deal with those monsters…’

The former territories of the Dragon Marquis were now overrun by the white monsters, their numbers overwhelming.

And Krushaior himself, the mastermind behind this… ritual, was nowhere to be found.

They had even searched the temple at the Dark Nest’s headquarters, but the portal in the underground ritual chamber was gone.

As if it had served its purpose.

Or perhaps… it had been moved somewhere else.

They had assumed that the monsters’ numbers were finite, that they would eventually be able to eliminate them all…

…but they were wrong.

“…So that was his plan all along.”

This was different from the ‘Immortal Heart’ and the ‘Seed of Madness’, which had appeared and then quickly vanished.

The grotesque creatures, their numbers seemingly infinite, were pouring out of rifts in space all over the Demon World.

And as they devoured their victims, they grew stronger, their numbers increasing exponentially, threatening to engulf the entire world.

They had already consumed almost 10% of the Demon World.

‘…Krushaior, is this what you wanted? To destroy everything?’

If the Demon God, if the Demon World itself, wouldn’t acknowledge him…

If he couldn’t become the Demon King…

…then he would destroy everything, even the world itself, to make it his own.

Hella’s eyebrows twitched as she recalled the Dragon Marquis, now a world-destroying calamity, no longer a mere… rival.

‘…So, he’s… flipping the table?’

She had practically already won the Demon King selection.

What Krushaior was doing now was just… a tantrum, a desperate act of defiance.

“…He’s ruining my… carefully prepared meal!”

A crude expression, a vulgar outburst, escaped her lips.

His reckless actions were damaging her… trophies, the spoils of war she had been meticulously collecting.

‘…I can’t tolerate this!’

A cold, hard glint appeared in her crimson eyes.

If he was going to play dirty, then she wouldn't hold back either.

‘…I was trying to be… respectful of the Demon World’s rules, since it was supposed to be a… competition for the Demon King’s throne…’

But if he was going to ignore the rules…

She briefly thought of Davidson and Hesperon… but she didn’t hesitate.

After all, the temple itself was… cheating. It was practically a… rigged game.

‘…Right, it’s not my fault. This is all his fault.’

If she could use all her power, without any restrictions…

…no one in this world could defeat her.

“Hey! What are you…?”

“Wait, you idiot! That armband… that’s Hella-nim’s symbol!”

“I’ll… educate him! Please continue with your… duties!”

A chaotic battlefield in the Demon World, filled with grotesque monsters and the stench of blood and death.

A figure, cloaked in a black robe, an armband with Hella’s symbol on its sleeve, its hood pulled low, was casually examining a… melting white monster, its body slowly dissolving into a puddle of goo.

[“Hmm, I see. Then let’s begin, shall we?”]

And as it took a step forward,

…it vanished, reappearing in a deserted clearing.

A pre-selected location, its coordinates carefully chosen.

A barrier, subtly woven, concealed the area from prying eyes.

A dark aura, like black flames, erupted from its body,

…a mixture of dark magic power and the pure essence of death, quickly engulfing the surroundings.

[“Kkuk kuk— Let’s see if you can hide from me.”]

…a sinister voice, like a chilling whisper from the depths of hell, echoed through the air,

…its aura expanding outwards, searching for… a similar energy signature.

A man wearing an opera mask, holding a small bottle, poured its contents into his palm.

“…Hmm, its quality isn’t very good, considering its level. This is… dragon blood?”

He frowned slightly, then…

…licked it, his eyes closing as he savored its taste.

It was the blood Hella had acquired from the Dragon Marquis during their battle.

It was heavily contaminated, its purity… questionable… but he wasn't interested in its… nutritional value.

He was a master of blood, a blood mage.

His gaze, having traced its origin through the sample, shifted towards a specific direction.

Similar events were occurring all over the Demon World,

…as if a coordinated search operation was underway.

A three-headed dog, Davidson, moved effortlessly through the hordes of white monsters, its presence a stark contrast to the chaotic surroundings.

“Sniff, sniff, sniff!”

Its three heads moved busily, biting and sniffing, its massive body a blur, its fur shimmering with a faint, otherworldly light.

One eye, filled with a blood-red madness, and the other two, gleaming with a green light, scanned the surroundings.

The 「Seed of Madness」 within him resonated with the abyssal monsters, guiding him towards their source.

—The ruins of Demoniac’s headquarters.

A place now occupied by the white monsters, devoid of any other life.

And amidst the melting corpses,

…a man, his eyes closed, his hands clasped in prayer, stood tall and proud, a brilliant sword in his hand, his wings of light unfurled, a holy sanctuary protecting him from the Demon World’s pervasive negative energy.

His eyes snapped open, and a golden light, like the sun itself, erupted from within.

—High above, the world shrinking below,

…a figure clad in a power suit, flames erupting from its thrusters, looked down at the earth.

It extended its right arm, the only part of its body not covered in metal, and the bandages wrapped around it, stained with dark blotches, unraveled and fell away.

Intricate, geometric patterns, and a writhing black dragon, tattooed on its skin…

…a sight that seemed to… invite misfortune.

The figure sighed softly and spoke, its voice calm and steady.

A short command, and then the Dark Soul within, a remnant of a Demon King, was unleashed, its monstrous roar echoing through the Demon World’s purplish sky.

—And the final coordinate.

A small, blond boy, barely seven years old, sniffled and wiped his nose.

The air here wasn't very pleasant, not exactly… healthy… but he wasn't a High Elf, so he could endure it for a while.

A flash of light, and then a small dragon, about the size of a car, appeared.

The orb in its mouth glowed brightly, and its body began to grow, its size increasing rapidly.

‘…I don’t know what kind of dragon he is…’

But dragons had a way of… communicating with each other, even if they weren't from the same clan.

It was necessary, to maintain the balance of the world.

Of course, it wouldn’t be as effective, as his target wasn't exactly a… normal dragon anymore… but it was enough to pinpoint his approximate location.

He wasn't the only one searching.

Hella, who had been meditating, suddenly opened her eyes.

She stood up, stretched her limbs, and then began walking.

“Hella-nim? Where are you going?”

Siana, who had been busily working, hurriedly followed her.

It was a natural reaction. She had been sitting quietly, lost in thought, and now, she was suddenly… moving.

Hella, glancing at her, replied casually,

“Tell the others to hold the line. I’ll be back soon.”

She smiled, her expression… cheerful, as Siana blinked, her face filled with confusion.

It hadn't been easy to find Krushaior, who had been actively concealing his presence.

She had tried various methods, but she hadn’t been able to pinpoint his location.

But he couldn't hide forever, not with so many people searching for him, each using their own unique methods.

An image of the Demon World appeared in her mind.

And then, six… no, seven different search results, converging into a single point.

They had started from different locations, using different methods… but their results, combined and cross-referenced, had led them to the same conclusion.

‘…Let’s see what he’s up to.’

It had been less than an hour since she activated 「Avatar Assembly」 and entered her meditative state.