Chapter 387

Chapter 387
## Chapter 387

The Demon World (2)

The Immortal Fortress, the bastion of malice, situated within the Northern Mountains of the Ion Continent.

Siana, the succubus tasked with overseeing the Immortal Army’s domestic operations, hurried through the corridors of the stronghold.

She had been deeply engrossed in her duties when an unexpected command arrived from the Sovereign.

‘What could it be this time?’

Just like the rest of the high-ranking officers here, her schedule was completely packed.

She functioned essentially as a housekeeper, resolving all varieties of trivial matters.

Honestly, what sort of internal administration was truly required for a faction comprised almost entirely of the undead?

Those ceaseless entities required no nourishment, no hydration, not even… oxygen. They were capable of surviving even within the abyss, a reality where temporal and spatial laws were completely warped.

The undead were fundamentally… implements, kept in reserve until needed. Her primary responsibilities revolved around overseeing the human dark mages, who lived as literal captives, and monitoring the confined Crown Prince.

‘Hubert’s Trading Company… It’s a relief that their progress is steady. They have already risen to become one of the premier mercantile groups across the land.’

From that perspective, handling the commerce with a human enterprise was among her most grueling responsibilities.

The scarce resources exclusive to the Northern Mountains were effortlessly harvested utilizing the undead, but distributing them without drawing attention was a completely different challenge.

Then again, she stood as the solitary figure within the Immortal Army possessing the finesse required for such intricate operations, so there was no alternative.

‘This particular Immortal King deviates from his predecessors, who relied solely on raw power. He puts on a show of preparing for a massive conflict while quietly dominating the economic landscape of the continent. The triumph is practically secured before the first blade is drawn!’

Siana, having deduced a portion of the Immortal King’s grand strategy through her administrative duties, could not help but feel profound admiration.

His seemingly detached maneuvers, the three-year cessation of hostilities, the… diversions he had engaged in… every single piece had been a meticulously calculated arrangement.

The sheer brilliance of it made her skin crawl.

‘I failed to comprehend it back then, but it makes sense now. The offenses launched by the Immortal Army directly accelerated the expansion of Hubert’s Trading Company.’

Conflict and commerce were inherently linked.

Hubert’s Trading Company had served as the most proactive and prosperous contractor throughout the periods of the Immortal Army’s incursions, swiftly broadening their reach.

How many individuals actually suspected that the Immortal King pulled the strings behind the curtain?

‘…What a brilliant strategist, eschewing mindless violence. He isn’t merely… striking in appearance, he is also… incredibly sharp!’

Siana, deliberately overlooking the detail that there was… absolutely nothing occupying the interior of that skull, turned crimson and giggled, a faraway gaze overtaking her features.

The Immortal Army was an atrocious environment to labor in, an exploitative enterprise with a merciless operational pace… yet possessing an attractive and brilliant supervisor was a… undeniable benefit.

It proved sufficient to pull her thoughts away from the troubling reports arriving from her birthplace.

“Ah… My Sovereign? Pray tell, who is this…?”

Consequently, she found herself utterly bewildered upon discovering an unfamiliar individual inside the Immortal King’s private chambers.

He was… accompanied by a female!

[“Hmm— A commercial ally, one could say. Or perhaps… a competitor. Kkuk kuk.”]

“Do not presume that your ambitions now extend to this realm. I have already stated my lack of interest.”

The female was speaking informally with the Immortal King.

She possessed extended horns, dark wings, and deep red eyes, her irises shimmering like gemstones… her appearance unmistakably marked her as a demon.

Siana experienced a sharp pang of envy… though it dissolved almost instantly.

“Greetings, lovely lady. I am Hella. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

The striking female offered a gentle expression, her tone melodic and enchanting, causing Siana to perceive an unusual… warmth radiating through her core.

An inexplicable sensation of… endearment, completely devoid of a clear cause.

‘…Inconceivable. This degree of allure…! Just who is she?’

Siana was a succubus.

A descendant of an elite lineage celebrated for their capacity to entrance and captivate, arguably unrivaled across all realms.

Even vampires, sirens, lamias, and alternative captivating heritages stood no chance against her… and she possessed a natural resistance to such enchantments…

‘…Ugh, I… I cannot… I do not… harbor feelings for females! That is simply not my… orientation!’

Yet her rational mind and her… personal inclinations meant nothing when confronted by Hella’s transcendent magnetism.

She possessed the capacity to entice even an animated construct.

Siana clenched her jaw tightly, a slender bead of crimson trickling past her teeth.

“Hehehe, quite impressive.”

[“Cease the trivialities. We have objectives to accomplish.”]

Mercifully, she managed to hold her ground, her internal fortitude proving sufficient to endure the overwhelming pressure… until her adversary ultimately desisted.

She could not guess what might have transpired had the display persisted… but the Immortal King was in no position to alienate his visitor under these parameters.

Siana, letting out a breath of relief, directed a sharp look at Hella.

‘…I am certain of it now. That unique energy… she belongs to our kind… ’

She had been momentarily perplexed, given that Hella’s presence felt… distinct from that of an unadulterated succubus… yet her conviction was absolute now.

They originated from an identical lineage.

‘Nonetheless, that changes nothing.’

Her intrigue regarding Hella was a separate issue.

She refused to quietly accept the slight to her self-esteem, even with the Immortal King observing the exchange.

She directed her gaze toward Hella and uttered, her tone delicate and tentative, despite the stubborn look in her eyes.

“Um… might I… address you as… unnie?”

It was mortifying for a succubus to be overwhelmed by another’s magnetism… yet if the individual was an ‘older sister’ from her own collective… it became entirely justifiable!

Hella, offering a radiant grin, countered,

“Absolutely not.”

A solitary utterance, unyielding and definitive, an absolute denial.

Siana’s expression fell, her posture drooping with sorrow…

…and with that, the council commenced.

To settle the turbulent affairs within the Demon World and place the rightful ruler upon the throne.

The ‘Demon King Rescue Mission’ was officially set into motion.

—

Verifying data against multiple accounts was paramount.

Even when the origin was dependable, there always remained a probability of… inaccurate intelligence.

Viewed this way, Siana’s account, arriving on the heels of Ken and Frances’s briefings, proved exceptionally advantageous for comprehending the state of affairs within the Demon World from varied angles.

After all, her coalition stood in direct opposition to the factions of the other two fiends.

‘And her group is currently suffering defeat.’

The geopolitical landscape of the Demon World was far more intricate than he had estimated at the start.

Following the downfall of the 14th Demon King, L’rei’e, during his campaign against Auterica, the process to select the 15th Demon King had moved along without major obstruction.

Naturally, the transition had been far from bloodless, considering that any contender, irrespective of their origin or strategy, could claim dominion provided they possessed the raw strength.

Yet they had ultimately established a mutual agreement.

The complications arose when the 15th Demon King vanished without a trace shortly after assuming power.

The fiends, scarcely celebrated for their dutiful nature, remained largely unbothered initially, concluding that he had merely… gone on a sabbatical… yet as his absence stretched across decades, and subsequently centuries, the crisis intensified.

An unparalleled desertion of a reigning Demon King.

It naturally generated absolute disorder.

Numerous alliances emerged, contesting for the crown, while the loyalists who remained dedicated to the 15th Demon King offered resistance.

That constituted the multi-century conflict they had described.

‘Yet there must be an underlying factor.’

Hostilities were commonplace within the Demon World, an environment where struggle was a basic component of existence.

The majority of historical Demon Kings had claimed their titles through comparable internal warfare.

But for a conflict to reach these proportions, immediately following the monarch’s disappearance…

‘…The timing is far too precise. There has to be some form of… outside manipulation.’

And that was the root of his discomfort.

He harbored a… strong intuition.

‘Whenever a major catastrophe unfolds in Auterica, it is always wise to investigate him first.’

A number of years had passed since his arrival in this realm, during which he had encountered and resolved countless crises.

He had gathered wisdom through experience.

『Divine Fragment of the Imprisoned XXX (15,500,000)』

Furthermore, he possessed concrete verification.

‘The value stood at 30 million when it first appeared to me, and now it has dwindled to roughly half that amount.’

Additionally, the bulk of the previously obscured symbols could now be read.

Well, the remaining designation was… entirely transparent.

‘And the cost plummeted dramatically upon my arrival in this region?’

The figure had been steadily dropping as he clashed with the Leader of the Heaven’s Turn Society, yet the most recent plunge, clearing nearly half of the standing balance, had manifested a mere few moments prior.

“This environment… is discomforting. The sensation closely mirrors the “Heavenly Demon’s World”.’

Hella raised her gaze toward the firmament.

Though it was currently the daytime hours, no sun was visible, with only a dim, violet luminescence casting light across the terrain.

And positioned squarely in the center of the heavens, a dark, fractured tear, resembling a rupture in the fabric of existence, offered a view of the star systems past it.

“…Could that be… a blade fracture?”

A parched gust, laden with the distinct atmosphere of the Demon World, grazed her skin as she remained focused on the sky, enchanted.

The ambient power rejuvenated her physical form, yet it appeared… trivial when contrasted with the sheer scale of the landscape before her.

‘…An extraordinary vista. My decision to venture here was correct.’

She offered a subtle smile, then shifted her direction and departed.

Moving toward a distant fortification constructed from obsidian masonry, barely discernible against the skyline.

A sterile desert, unfolding as far as vision allowed, its dark topsoil completely stripped of plant life.

This abandoned territory…

…constituted the Demon World, the ancestral domain of the fiends.

…And before long, it would belong to her as well.

—

Hella, focusing her gaze, inspected the portal positioned ahead of her.

‘My priority must be determining my current coordinates.’

Migrating to the Demon World had presented no major hurdle.

After all, utilizing the synchronized capabilities of an Immortal King and a Demon King, a basic spatial boundary offered no real resistance.

The issue lay in her inability to select her precise drop point.

This marked her inaugural visit to this plane, after all.

‘The process would have been far smoother had I journeyed alongside the others.’

She had never intended to navigate this solo.

She possessed two native guides and one transdimensional traveler who could have directed her steps… yet they had been pulled back to their anchored positions the instant they breached the spatial boundary, leaving her isolated in this unfamiliar territory.

‘I anticipated the outcome might vary if I traveled in their company… ’

In contrast to herself, a Demon King experiencing the Demon World for the very first time, they had made entry via authorized gateways.

Inherently, they possessed predetermined anchoring coordinates, and they had been instantaneously shifted there the moment they crossed into the Demon World.

‘Well, it cannot be helped. I am hardly a novice at being marooned in an unfamiliar realm.’

Furthermore, she possessed more than enough raw capability to safeguard herself.

She gave a light shrug and stepped resolutely through the portal entrance.

“Hmm?”

“Hey, observe that.”

“What in the…?!”

The fiends positioned near the entryway shifted their attention toward her, their expressions blending inquisitiveness with… an alternative sentiment.

An amphibian-featured monstrosity, a titan towering over four meters in height, a four-legged reptilian beast, an entity composed entirely of vapor…

An incredibly varied and… bizarre assemblage.

‘They appear… fascinating. Not unlike a menagerie.’

There existed no requirement to hide her true nature in this place.

Demonstrating hesitation would only serve to heighten their suspicion.

She squared her posture and pressed onward, her strides poised and calculated.

‘It is under control. I have altered my presentation.’

This was among the attributes unlocked by 「Beauty Beyond Compare」.

An ‘all-consuming allure’ was required to cater to every individual preference.

While she was restricted to manifesting as a striking female, it proved sufficient to mask her horns, appendages, and eyes.

‘And due to my practice sessions with Siana, I can regulate my allure.’

Provided she kept her natural magnetism checked, she would merely appear as another… attractive fiend in a domain populated by every manner of bizarre entity.

akin to an endearing pup or a small feline.

“Hold on! Pray, hold on for just a moment!”

It appeared, however, that she had misjudged the impact of her own… presence.

A canine-headed fiend, who appeared to hold the rank of security commander, advanced toward her rapidly,

…backed by a small contingent of alternative fiends.

“Be welcome to Dalun’s domain, representing the House of Coatl. We received no advance intelligence regarding your transit.”

He addressed her with an odd combination of deference and… palpable anxiety.

She subtly evaluated the immediate vicinity, but no other individuals were present.

‘The House of Coatl… That represents one of the dominant coalitions in the ongoing struggle, does it not? What causes him to conclude I belong to their number?’

She had recalled the title from the intelligence gathered beforehand.

It was an influential syndicate, even when measured against Ken and Frances’s collective.

She rapidly analyzed the environment, attempting to deduce the cause of their misinterpretation.

They would scarcely engage an unfamiliar traveler in this fashion without a specific prompt.

As she maintained her silence, the canine-headed commander swallowed anxiously and pressed on, his delivery growing even more guarded.

“…We shall guide you within. Evaluating your… garments, there appears to be a misunderstanding afoot. Allow us the opportunity to clarify. Merely… a brief moment of your attention.”

Garments.

Hella cast a brief look down at her attire.

Mystical demonic panoply she had salvaged from Horus’s 「Golden Treasury」.

Lacking alternative garments for the journey, and given her destination was the Demon World, she had selected the most appropriate wardrobe available…

‘…Did this originate from the House of Coatl?’

Furthermore, it appeared to be an elite-tier vanguard uniform.

Little wonder it offered such exceptional comfort and incorporated numerous practical capabilities.

‘They really ought to have clarified that details.’

Regardless, her immediate task was rectifying this error in identity.

She let out a soft breath and focused her gaze on the canine-headed commander, her delivery composed and unwavering, yet laced with an innate pride.

“Show the path.”

“…Y-yes. Right this way. Notifications have already been dispatched, so they ought to be prepared for your reception.”

“Hmm, let us evaluate the quality of their arrangements.”

Hella, the Demon King who had arrived within the Demon World to claim dominion over it.

She had no intention of letting an advantage slip away.