〈 Demon World Revolution (2) 〉
Ken Miyamoto, who delved into the depths of the Dark Nest, quickly consolidated his position.
In fact, if it were normal times, it would have taken quite a bit of time.
No matter how much he contributed this time, it is true that he felt a little out of place before.
However, the current situation Dark Nest is in has made it possible, ignoring all interests.
“You’ve been pushed into Autorel’s territory? If this happens for a moment…”
[It’s difficult. Among the central gateways, it is a strategic point that serves as a gateway to the outside world. It can’t be taken away like this.]
“You idiots! “How incompetent do you have to be to break through so helplessly that you can’t stop it even for a moment?”
A central headquarters where several high-ranking demons of all shapes and sizes gather in one place.
The demons, including the two marquis-level demons, were talking noisily as they looked at the three-dimensional map floating in the center.
“Engagement costs are the worst. “If you fight head on, you will definitely lose.”
“What about the monster of the abyss? “Even with those monsters, we’re pushed back like this?”
“Those monsters are a great resource, but they are not omnipotent. The core of war is strategy. “But we are completely falling behind in that strategy.”
Attacks on this side are blocked by an iron-clad defense that appears to have been prepared in advance, attacks on the other side only dig into weak loopholes, and the traps dug at best are often exploited against them.
Since such situations were occurring throughout the battlefield, it was natural for them to be pushed back helplessly.
A marquis-level demon, who was quietly looking at the battlefield, slowly opened his mouth.
[Internal information is leaking.]
“Yes, not only that, but the biggest problem is that the army directly led by the leader of Helheim cannot be stopped. Even Tovares, who led the elites himself to kill time a while ago….”
[…He switched over to that side within a few days.]
“…….”
Even in the Dark Nest, there were only four of them. The betrayal of a marquis-level devil.
It meant more than simply that one of our troops’ core strength was reduced.
There was a heavy silence in the audience.
It was literally a total mess.
In the current situation, the overwhelming size of Dark Nest’s power was not of much help.
Rather, as time passes, the number of people who turn to the enemy with information about their allies only increases.
[But now I can take a breather. Sooner or later, the Demon Dragon Duke himself will come forward.]
“But just stopping that isn’t enough. “First of all, we need to revise our strategic policy.”
The two marquises looked at each other and took a deep breath.
If internal information continued to leak, there would eventually be a bigger collapse.
In the end, they had no choice but to take extreme measures, even accepting the decline in war efficiency.
They began to control information going to both those directly participating in the battlefield as well as allies on the border who were likely to have come into contact with the ‘enemy’.
The planning of strategy was solely the responsibility of the Central Command, and those from areas likely to contain spies were not given any authority beyond tactics.
Even high-ranking demons based in the outskirts were no exception.
“You may be dissatisfied right now, but there is nothing you can do. “For now, I have no choice but to ask for your understanding until Helheim is sorted out.”
[There will be a shortage of workers for the time being.]
In such a situation, it was natural that high-ranking devils, who had extremely low chances of contact with the outside world, were given even more responsibility.
Yes, for example…
Ken Miyamoto, who was sent to the ground not long ago and has been staying in the center of the Dark Nest ever since he returned.
‘As expected, it’s Hella! ‘You must have predicted this all in advance.’
He exclaimed in admiration as he was able to secure it tightly even when the bean pod was put on him.
Who could have guessed!
The man who saved and offered precious items on earth had already changed his flag before returning to the demon world.
No, it was he who provided the decisive opportunity to bring Hela, the head of Helheim that is now in question, into the demon world in the first place!
He collected information as carefully as possible to avoid arousing suspicion.
Although he had little prior knowledge as he had not been particularly interested in the circumstances of the demon world, he actively moved forward with only a loyalty that bordered on fanaticism.
Then one day.
A golden opportunity finally came to him who was always looking for an opportunity.
‘The Demon Dragon Duke is away…’
Since he began to gain the upper hand in the war, the Demon Dragon Duke, who had been absent from his home base and did not easily step out unless it was for something very important, participated in the war.
Finally, he could no longer sit idly by and watch Helheim’s army advancing at a rapid pace and decided to take action himself.
As soon as Ken heard the news, he made a plan.
‘I have to check inside as well.’
It was to investigate the underground ceremony hall that I had visited several times since the first errand.
In particular, the goal of this operation was to check the inside of the door behind where Duke Touma was detained.
‘It’s so tightly hidden even in that secret ceremony hall. There must be a weakness or secret of the Demon Dragon Duke within it.’
But even if the duke was away, problems still remained.
Sodian, a marquis-level demon who resides there, what on earth is he doing?
Even if the magic-type enemy that was building a territory in her attack and defense was of the same level, she had no confidence in winning, but since she was a higher level demon than herself, there was no chance of winning in a fight.
‘It can’t be a head-to-head match. We have to find some other way….’
You never know when a chance like this will come again.
Now was his chance to prove his worth.
Ken, who was struggling like that.
Then, an unexpected person came to him.
“hmm? Long time no see, Frances. “Is this your first time since the mission?”
[“What’s going on, Frances? “Didn’t we decide not to contact anyone unless it was something very important?”]
While asking hello with a nonchalant expression, Ken sent a mental wave to the old gentleman in a pure white suit, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
This viscount-level demon who was dispatched to the ground with him was a person who served as a bridge for Ken, who had been avoiding contact with the outside world.
Since all we had to do was convey information anyway, our previous contacts had been taking place in the world of consciousness using Frances’ mental abilities, but this time, he suddenly came to us in person.
In this case, if Frances is discovered, isn’t there a risk that Ken will also be involved?
Naturally, he had no choice but to react sensitively.
“Heh heh—it’s been a while, Ken. “You helped me last time, so I brought you a precious gift in return.”
[“Well, once in a while is okay. Above all, we were on a dispatch mission together.”]
[“That is not a reason. This place is literally a sheet of thin ice right now. What we just met must have already been reported to the higher-ups. Why are you contacting me so carelessly now?”]
[“Hela’s orders.”]
The casual conversation that had been taking place in the middle of a conversation suddenly stopped.
As soon as that name came up, Ken could no longer blame the other person for his light behavior.
He nodded slowly and opened his mouth.
“Hmm, a gift? Well, let’s take a look first.”
“You’ll like it. “I also had a hard time getting it.”
“Okay, so let’s stop delaying this and hurry up.”
Immediately after that, the space next to Frances shook, and a waist-high box appeared.
When I looked closely, I saw that it was not an ordinary box, but an animal cage with a metal bar at the entrance.
“…What is this?”
Ken looked genuinely embarrassed.
They said it was a gift and they gave me a cage that was used to transport animals.
I couldn’t understand what this had to do with Hela’s command.
As he was panicking like that, a creature secretly appeared from inside the iron cage and poked its head in.
His eyes widened as he looked at us with a frown.
“This?!”
“Hehehe, do you recognize me too?”
Every time I look into it.
It was rather strange that there was such a clear feature and I couldn’t recognize what it was.
That’s right—.
“Are you a Cerberus bastard?”
“You got it right. “It was a very difficult thing to obtain.”
The creature, the size of a large dog, had three heads.
Ken looked at it with surprised eyes.
Cerberus is a type of demonic beast native to the demon world, but it is not something that can be easily encountered.
When it becomes an adult, it is said to possess greater intelligence than most sapient beings, and its physical capabilities surpass even those of dragons. It is a monster among monsters.
Sipar, Duke of Görang, who died not long ago, was clear evidence of his majesty.
Even if he didn’t grow to the level of a duke, there was a good chance he would become a high-ranking devil, so if he was raised well and loyalty was instilled in him from a young age, he was a treasure that would become a great force.
[“Why are you doing this to me?”]
That made me even more curious.
Is this something that needs to be delivered at the risk of exposure in the current situation?
Although it may have come out of genuine kindness, it was not a very helpful gift to those who did not know what the future would hold.
[“You said this would be helpful in your operations.”]
[“This little thing?”]
[“Well, I just follow orders, I don’t know anything more than that.”]
[“…I see.”]
Ken, squatting in front of the iron bars, looked at the creature inside with subtle eyes.
Since Hela was organizing and passing on information from here whenever she could, Hella must also be aware of her situation.
Since it was sent in such a situation, it must have some use.
“Thank you for bringing me this precious thing.”
“With this, I have paid off my debt. “Then I’ll just leave.”
The two demons naturally said goodbye and parted ways.
Although there was nothing particularly noticeable around them, they did not let down their guard even for a moment.
In this place, the home of the Dark Nest, there were literally endless ways to deceive their senses.
“Kkakakat!”
“Kahat—!”
The Cerberus cub inside the cage howled in a strange sound.
A crying sound that seems to be both laughing and disdainful.
As it penetrated into his ear, Ken’s heartbeat subtly accelerated and he felt some discomfort.
‘…I feel bad about something. Are Cerberus cubs really like this?’
Of course, seeing him for the first time, there was no way for him to know.
Feeling strange for some reason, he picked us up with a frown and headed towards his residence.
I thought he was just nervous about the sudden encounter.
Meanwhile, the three pairs of eyes inside the cage, moving comfortably, were just leisurely scanning the surroundings.
With your eyes sparkling with curiosity, as if examining a new area.
***
The appearance of that being was very dramatic.
Grumble—! Quagwang—!
Dark clouds suddenly appear and cover the purple sky and the scar in the middle of it.
A gigantic creature broke through the darkness and descended from the sky, with a thick thunderstorm flowing through it.
Huung— Huung—
An overwhelming figure that, at first glance, appears to be easily over a hundred meters tall, with two pairs of large wings flapping.
The pitch-black scales on its entire body seemed to be absorbing the surrounding light, clearly revealing the sinister nature of that being.
“Wow, once you appear, how impactful is it?”
“Hehe Hela! Appeared! “That’s it…!”
A battlefield engulfed in silence due to a sudden event.
Siana hurriedly ran to the side of Hela, who was pacing peacefully without paying any heed to him.
At the same time, the long neck of the being hovering in the sky looking down at the ground moved in the direction where they were.
Big and small horns on its head, countless thorns sprouting out like a mane, and even three pairs of eyes that radiate purple light.
“…Demon Dragon Duke Crushire…!”
An ancient dragon, bigger than the statue of the ancient dragon seen in Horus’s “Treasure of Gold,” roared.
[Koooooo——!]
The dragon’s howl, which contained so much force that it was visible, spread across the entire battlefield at once, disrupting Hela’s energy that had a huge impact on the battlefield.
It was a dominance that even the marquis-level demons could not do anything about and eventually succumbed to, but it was neutralized with just a single cry.
“Hmm, the difference is definitely quite big. “Is it really on the same level as that strange dog?”
“…The Demon Dragon Duke has already been a strong candidate for the Demon King for thousands of years. But I was so unlucky… I was always narrowly pushed out at the crucial moment, so I remained second-in-command until now.”
“Wow… I really didn’t have any luck at all.”
Surprised, Hela covered her mouth with one hand and shook her head.
Wasn’t that some sort of deterrent of fate?
Maybe the demon god didn’t want him to become the demon lord.
‘If that’s true, isn’t it worth it to turn black? No, even if it was all just a coincidence, I would still blame the Demon God.’
At that time, Hella, who was lightly clicking her tongue, met the eyes of the Demon Dragon Duke floating in the sky.
Pajik—!
The “Mysterious Eye of Domination” that I habitually activated bounced off something and sparks flew in the air.
Her eyes frowned slightly.
It was a magical eye that was assisted by skills such as 「Lord of Light」 and 「Lord of Illusion」, but it had this much repulsive power.
But thanks to this, I was able to know one thing.
‘Could it be that all six eyes were magical eyes?’
The magical eye is a power that enforces a certain mystery just by looking at it without the need for magical power building or formula design.
Hela, who roughly guessed the Demon Dragon’s capabilities through that light skirmish, lightly licked her lips.
Of course, she wasn’t the only one who estimated her opponent’s strength like that.
[The power of domination… I guess I did it. As expected, did he inherit LeRaye’s power? What are you?]
A dragon speech filled with great power echoed throughout the battlefield.
The fighting had already entered a lull for a long time.
The eyes of everyone on both sides turned to them.
“Well, even if I tell you, I don’t think you will understand.”
Hela shrugged her shoulders and her wings spread wide.
And with a light flap of its wings, it soared high in an instant.
The two, who had risen to a similar height, looked into each other’s eyes again.
[That is up to me to decide. All you have to do is answer my question, Mudblood.]
Immediately after that, with sparks flying again, her blood slowly began to boil hot ahead of a full-scale battle.
‘A one-on-one fight against such a powerful enemy?’
He was by no means a formidable opponent.
A monster who may be the strongest being in the current demon world.
However, even in front of such a strong person, there was only a smile on her lips.
An inexplicable excitement spread deep within my heart.
‘Isn’t this your first time?’
When dealing with Duke Goeran, I had no choice but to borrow Harley… no, Davidson’s power to finish it as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, it would have been difficult to completely control Abnormal, and the Dark Nest or Demoniac could have intervened and completely ruined the plan.
‘The same goes for leading the army until now. This was the way to end the war quickly while using my abilities most efficiently.’
In the process, the Marquis level satisfied my thirst to some extent, but it was true that even then, there was some disappointment.
As time goes by, her influence as a demon lord has expanded, and her amplified power in the demon world has also grown, so her power has already gone far beyond the moment she was first born.
‘But finally!’
In any case, the blood of the warlike demon race was flowing in her blood.
As I faced an opponent who I had to fight with all my might, I began to feel an uncontrollable fighting spirit.
“It’s okay, there’s no need to talk anymore.”
A red light exploded from inside her station again.
Kiiing—
But the target wasn’t the huge creature in front of me like before.
“Let’s have a fight for now, lizard.”
A mouth that draws a ferocious arc.
And with an incredibly thick wave of magical power.
“The Demon Eye of Domination” swallowed up the entire space.