Chapter 401

Chapter 401
## Chapter 401

The Demon World Revolution (2)

Miyamoto Ken swiftly climbed the ranks of influence after embedding himself within the inner circle of the Dark Nest.

Under ordinary circumstances, securing such a position would have required an immense amount of time.

After all, despite his recent successes, he had essentially been treated as an outsider until this point.

However, the critical crisis currently facing the Dark Nest permitted him to skip past all conventional protocols and red tape.

“They have been forced back all the way to Otorel’s territory? Wait, if that is the case…”

[“This is highly problematic. That region is a vital stronghold, serving as a central gate that connects to the external territories. We cannot afford to lose it.”]

“Those useless idiots! Can they truly not maintain the defensive line for even a brief period?!”

Gathered inside the central command center was a assembly of high-ranking demons possessing diverse forms and dimensions.

Among them were two Marquis-level experts, who argued fiercely with one another, their attention locked onto a glowing holographic map floating in the center of the chamber.

“Our casualty figures are catastrophic. Every time we engage in direct combat, we are defeated.”

“What is the status of the abyssal monsters? Are we still suffering losses even with their deployment?”

“Those beasts are incredibly precious assets, but they are not a universal solution. Everything relies on strategy, and we are being utterly outplayed at every turn.”

Their charges were being halted by what appeared to be impenetrable fortifications, their vulnerabilities were being targeted, and their own ambushes were being turned back upon them.

With these disasters unfolding across every corner of the war zone, it was completely logical that their forces were failing so miserably.

After silently monitoring the state of affairs for some time, one of the Marquis-level demons finally voiced his thoughts.

[“We have a traitor. Valuable information is being leaked to their side.”]

“Furthermore, the primary issue is our inability to halt Hella’s army, which is under the personal command of the Demon King herself. To make matters worse, Tavares, who was commanding our elite forces to buy us additional time…”

[“…has switched allegiances.”]

“…”

The betrayal of a Marquis-level demon.

He was one of only four such powerhouses existing within the Dark Nest.

This was a monumental deprivation, representing far more than a mere reduction in their overall military strength.

An oppressive quietude enveloped the entire chamber.

They found themselves trapped in a truly desperate predicament.

The immense scale and sheer numbers of the Dark Nest offered no advantage in this scenario.

If anything, its vast size only multiplied the quantity of potential traitors—those who felt enticed to desert and align themselves with the prevailing faction.

[“At the very least, we will soon have a moment to catch our breath. The Dragon Marquis is preparing to enter the fray in person.”]

“Simply halting their advance will not suffice. We must completely overhaul our operational strategy.”

The pair of Marquis-level demons let out weary sighs and looked at one another.

Should these intelligence leaks persist, total annihilation was guaranteed.

They were backed into a corner and forced to implement extreme policies, even if those actions diminished their overall operational coordination.

They set about heavily restricting the transmission of sensitive data, targeting both the soldiers stationed on the front lines and their partners in the outer territories, who faced a higher probability of interacting with the opposition.

Moving forward, only the central command center would possess knowledge of the comprehensive master plan. The regional commanders—particularly those overseeing sectors vulnerable to enemy subversion—would receive nothing more than isolated tactical directives, their command privileges severely curtailed.

Not even the high-ranking demons holding posts in the remote outer territories were exempted from this rule.

“They will undoubtedly be displeased, but there is no alternative. We must demand their compliance until Helheim has been thoroughly dealt with.”

[“We are going to find ourselves severely short-handed.”]

Inevitably, those high-ranking demons who had maintained minimal contact with the external realm were reassigned to far more critical responsibilities.

Demons precisely like…

…Miyamoto Ken, who had previously been dispatched on a critical assignment to Auterica and had remained stationed at the Dark Nest’s central base ever since his return.

‘…As expected of Hella-nim! She foresaw exactly this development!’

He was utterly captivated, his devotion bordering on absolute religious fervor.

Who could have possibly anticipated such a turn of events?

The fact that he, the very individual who had delivered a priceless relic from Auterica, had already shifted his loyalty before even setting foot back inside the Demon World.

In truth, he was the very catalyst who had facilitated the entry of Hella, the sovereign of Helheim, into the Demon World to begin with!

He meticulously collected intelligence while ensuring he behaved in a manner that averted any form of mistrust.

Previously, he had paid little attention to the internal politics of the Demon World, leaving him with a lack of background knowledge… yet his fanatical allegiance to his new sovereign served as a powerful driving force.

Then, one particular day,

…a perfect opening presented itself.

‘The Dragon Marquis is departing from his central headquarters…’

The Dragon Marquis, who had stayed safely within his personal stronghold ever since securing the upper hand in the conflict, stubbornly declining to step outside unless absolutely forced to…

…was finally stepping onto the battlefield himself, unable to further endure the unrelenting forward march of Helheim.

Upon receiving this intelligence, Ken instantly devised an operational plan.

‘…I must investigate that specific location.’

His goal was to examine the subterranean ritual chamber that he had entered multiple times while executing past duties.

His primary target was to scout the hidden room situated right behind the confined Fighting Demon Duke.

‘…He goes to such great lengths to conceal it. There must be an object of immense significance secured within, something that can be weaponized against him.’

Yet, a major obstacle persisted.

The Marquis-level demon, Sodian, practically resided inside that subterranean chamber.

He possessed no capability to defeat her in an open clash; even if their combat tiers were equivalent, she was a fundamentally superior species of demon. He stood absolutely zero chance of emerging victorious.

‘…Direct combat is out of the question. I must devise an alternative approach…’

Missing this window of opportunity was not an option. A second chance might never arise.

This was the defining moment to demonstrate his utility.

While he was deeply absorbed in thought, straining to construct a viable strategy,

…an unanticipated guest arrived.

“Oh? Frances, it has been quite a while. We have not crossed paths since our joint assignment, correct?”

[“What is the meaning of this, Frances? We explicitly agreed to avoid direct contact unless it became absolutely critical.”]

Ken offered a casual spoken greeting while simultaneously transmitting a sharp telepathic warning, his mouth tightening a fraction,

…as he regarded the elderly gentleman dressed in the pristine white suit.

This Viscount-level demon had served as his vital link—his sole conduit to the external world—during the period he had been keeping a low profile from others.

Their interactions had invariably occurred within Frances’s personal mental world, an entirely secure and isolated domain… yet here he was, suddenly arriving in the flesh.

It was an incredibly perilous gamble. If Frances were to be exposed, Ken would likely be dragged down alongside him.

“Hehehe— Indeed it has, Ken. I have journeyed here to present you with a token of appreciation, a reward for the support you provided me previously.”

[“Well, I suppose this can be rationalized. We did share the same assignment in the past, after all.”]

[“That rationale is entirely insufficient. This environment is a powder keg waiting to detonate. They are highly likely monitoring our movements this very instant. This action is completely reckless…”]

[“This comes as an explicit directive from Hella-nim.”]

Their superficial banter, seamlessly interwoven with their covert telepathic dialogue, came to an abrupt halt.

He possessed no right to challenge the decrees of his master.

Giving a quiet nod of acknowledgement, he spoke aloud.

“A token of appreciation? Very well, let us observe what you have brought.”

“I am entirely confident it will please you. Securing it was by no means an easy feat.”

“Stop delaying and show me.”

A sudden warp in the fabric of space manifested as a ripple in the atmosphere right beside Frances, followed by the appearance of a cage that reached roughly to the waist.

It was no conventional containment unit, but rather a specialized pet carrier, its opening heavily reinforced with solid metallic bars.

“…What exactly is the meaning of this?”

Ken knit his brows, experiencing genuine bewilderment.

A animal transport unit? Presented as a critical token?

He failed to comprehend how this item connected to the grand designs of Hella.

Right at that moment, a creature whose full shape remained obscured within the shadows of the enclosure cautiously extended its front head outward.

Ken’s eyelids flared wide with pure astonishment.

“This creature is?!”

“Hehehe, it is instantly recognizable to you, is it not?”

Naturally, he identified it immediately.

The beast possessed traits so thoroughly distinct that failing to recognize it would be impossible.

Given that—.

“A young Cerberus?”

“Precisely. Tracking down a live specimen required an immense amount of effort.”

The beast, possessing dimensions roughly equivalent to a massive hound,

…was endowed with three distinct heads.

Ken gaped at the creature, his mind struggling to process the sight.

While the Cerberus was a magical beast native to the ecosystem of the Demon World, encountering one was an exceptionally rare event.

They were creatures of immense, devastating power; their cognitive faculties were said to eclipse those of most intelligent races once they attained full maturity, and their sheer physical prowess was rumored to match even that of dragons.

Sipar, the recently fallen Strange Duke, served as a definitive testament to their dread potential.

Even if a specimen failed to scale the heights of the Duke tier, it still retained the latent capacity to evolve into a high-ranking demon. Consequently, it represented an invaluable asset—a priceless treasure that could be molded into an fiercely loyal vanguard if nurtured and conditioned from its earliest days.

[“For what purpose are you delivering this entity to me?”]

He remained thoroughly baffled.

Did an asset like this truly justify a clandestine rendezvous, a highly dangerous meeting right inside the nerve center of the Dark Nest?

It did not strike him as a particularly practical asset, given the volatile circumstances they currently occupied.

[“Our master communicated that this beast would prove highly advantageous for the execution of your… upcoming project.”]

[“This tiny juvenile?”]

[“I am merely executing the mandates relayed to me. The underlying complexities are beyond my knowledge.”]

[“…Understood.”]

Ken dropped down on one knee before the enclosure, his eyes locked onto the three-headed juvenile resting within.

Hella was undoubtedly fully aware of his current predicament. He had been meticulously transmitting situational intelligence to her on a consistent basis.

Therefore, an intentional strategy must be at play.

“I express my gratitude for this extraordinarily precious offering.”

“Consider our debts fully settled. I shall take my leave now.”

The pair of demons exchanged brief parting words before going their separate ways.

They detected no immediate signs of active espionage, yet laxity was a luxury they could not afford.

The methods available for conducting surveillance within the central base of the Dark Nest were infinite.

“Khahaha!”

“Khaha—!”

The young Cerberus let loose a series of sharp barks, producing a bizarre, deeply jarring sound,

…resembling an eerie blend of dark amusement and open derision.

Ken experienced an inexplicable pang of discomfort as the vocalizations reverberated through his ears, causing his pulse to quicken.

‘…This sensation is… highly unnatural. Do juvenile specimens of the Cerberus lineage typically behave in this manner?’

Naturally, he possessed no reference point to verify this.

Laying a deep frown across his features as an ominous intuition began to take root in his mind, he lifted the enclosure and transported it back to his private chambers.

He ultimately rationalized the feeling as simple psychological strain—the lingering adrenaline brought about by the abrupt, high-stakes meeting.

Yet, the three distinct pairs of eyes deep within the shadows of the cage, quietly analyzing the environment with a mixture of intense curiosity and predatory intent,

…did not mirror his apprehension in the slightest.

—

The arrival of the entity was nothing short of spectacular.

Rumble—! Crackle—!

Dense, ominous tempest clouds materialized out of nowhere, blotting out the violet-tinted heavens and forming a jagged rift directly through their epicenter.

Beneath the blinding arrays of lightning arcs, an immense silhouette plunged downward from the upper atmosphere, slicing straight through the enveloping gloom.

Whoosh— Whoosh—

A colossal entity, measuring well over a hundred meters in height, beat its two pairs of massive wings with incredible force.

Its obsidian scales looked as though they actively consumed the ambient light of the world, only serving to magnify the terrifying aura that radiated from its form.

“My, my~ Talk about a dramatic entrance.”

“H-Hella-nim! The entity has arrived! That is none other than…!”

The entire theater of war fell into a dead quiet as every combatant gazed up at the heavens in absolute awe.

Siana sprinted directly to Hella’s side, her words spilling out in a mix of manic excitement and creeping dread as she gestured toward the descending monolith.

Its elongated neck, heavily encrusted with sweeping horns and jagged protrusions, pivoted toward their position, its three pairs of ocular slits radiating a deep purple luminescence.

“…The Dragon Marquis Krushaior…!”

An Ancient Dragon, whose physical dimensions easily eclipsed the massive monument he had previously observed within Horus’s 「Golden Treasury」, unleashed a deafening roar.

[“Rooooar—!”]

The cataclysmic bellow, saturated with an absolute, crushing authority, thundered across the entire landscape, instantly fracturing Hella’s personal aura, which had previously held absolute dominion over the sector.

Even the Marquis-level demons, who until now had been completely powerless to oppose her overwhelming presence, found themselves momentarily paralyzed.

With a single vocalization, he had completely broken her absolute grip over their minds.

“My, he is undeniably on a completely different tier of power. Are you absolutely certain he shares the exact same rank as that… Strange Dog?”

“…The Dragon Marquis has stood as a prime contender for the seat of the Demon King for multiple millennia. However, his life has been plagued by… wretched fortune. Time and again, he has found himself just… marginally outmatched during the most pivotal turning points. Consequently, he remains relegated to the status of… a permanent second-in-command.”

“Wow… Talk about a genuinely tragic run of bad luck.”

Hella raised a hand to cover her lips, shaking her head in sheer amazement.

It felt almost reminiscent of a deliberate, inescapable curse.

It was highly probable that the Demon God deliberately prevented him from ascending to the position of Demon King.

‘…He must harbor an immense amount of deep-seated bitterness. Even if it truly boiled down to simple misfortune, he would naturally direct his resentment toward the Demon God.’

Just as she clicked her tongue in contemplation, her vision locked directly with the gaze of the Dragon Marquis.

Crackle—!

Her 「Eyes of Domination」, triggered by pure instinct, were violently deflected, causing a brilliant spark of friction to ignite in midair.

Her brow twitched upward slightly.

This was her definitive signature technique, heavily bolstered by the passive traits of 「Beauty Beyond Compare」 and 「Lord of Illusions」… yet it had been completely brushed aside.

Nevertheless, the brief clash had yielded vital intelligence.

‘…Could it be that all six of his eyes possess the properties of the Eyes of Domination?’

The Eyes of Domination represented a terrifying authority capable of rewriting magical flows and warping reality itself through a mere gaze, completely bypassing the necessity for complex incantations or magic arrays.

Having deduced her opponent’s approximate combat capabilities through that instantaneous mental collision, Hella ran her tongue over her lips, a dangerous, hunting gleam flaring in her eyes.

Naturally, she was not the sole combatant who had evaluated the stakes of this encounter.

[“The authority of absolute command… I harbored my suspicions… You have come into possession of L’rei’e’s ancient legacy, have you not? Identify yourself, creature.”]

A booming voice, thoroughly saturated with the reality-warping properties of the Dragon Language, reverberated across the silent battlefield.

The entire conflict had ground to a complete standstill.

The collective attention of every soul present, allies and adversaries alike, was anchored entirely upon the two figures.

“Who can say? You lack the capacity to comprehend the truth even if I were to articulate it to you.”

Hella offered a casual shrug, her wings unfurling majestically behind her back.

Then, with a singular, powerful downward stroke of her wings, she launched herself into the heavens, her ascent executing with perfect fluid grace.

They now occupied the exact same altitude, their gazes pinned to one another.

[“I shall be the one to determine that. Simply provide the answer to my inquiry, bastard.”]

Yet another spark of kinetic energy cracked through the open air, and Hella’s very lifeblood—her core demonic essence—began to surge and boil, an intense euphoria washing over her as the ultimate clash drew near.

‘…A pure, unadulterated duel against an adversary of this caliber?’

He was undeniably a monumental challenge.

In all likelihood, he represented the absolute peak of martial might within the current iteration of the Demon World.

Despite this, her lips curved upward, a savage thrill—an exhilarating sensation she had not experienced in an immense span of time—surging uncontrollably from the depths of her being.

‘…Has it been this way since the beginning?’

She had previously been forced to depend heavily on Harley… or more accurately, Davidson… to rapidly execute Sipar, the Strange Duke.

Had she chosen otherwise, the task of fully consuming Abnormal would have proved immensely complicated, and the forces of the Dark Nest or Demoniac would have likely intervened, completely derailing her objectives.

‘…The same logic applied to commanding a vast military force. It represented the most streamlined approach to maximizing my traits and bringing a rapid conclusion to the warfare.’

She had subjugated a handful of Marquis-level entities throughout the campaign, yet those encounters had been entirely devoid of true fulfillment.

Her personal power, drastically magnified by her expanding dominion as a recognized Demon King, had long since eclipsed her baseline capabilities.

‘…But this moment is entirely different!’

At her core, she was a true demon; her lineage was fundamentally defined by an insatiable thirst for conflict.

And now, standing face-to-face with a rival truly worthy of unleashing her absolute limits, the dormant warrior spirit she had spent so long suppressing began to erupt like a volcano.

“We have exhausted the utility of words.”

Her deep ruby eyes flashed with an ominous light, a torrent of demonic energy bursting outward from her pupils.

Yet, her lethal focus was not directed at the titanic reptilian entity looming before her.

“Let us engage in slaughter, over-grown lizard.”

Her lips parted into a terrifying, predatory smile.

Simultaneously, accompanied by a cataclysmic eruption of concentrated magical pressure,

…the absolute authority of the 「Eyes of Domination」 completely swallowed the surrounding space.