Chapter 409

Chapter 409
Chapter 409
The Demon World Temple (3)

His frame, limp and completely unyielding, was being violently jostled.

The turbulent movement, making his insides churn, nearly caused him to retch… but Miyamoto Ken clenched his jaws and forced the sensation down.

He had no desire to witness what his… unpredictable ally would do if he actually lost his stomach.

“Huff… Haa… Haa…”

“Hey, are you doing okay? Can you still keep going?”

“Khaha! Just shout out if you’re about to drop! I’ll make things… simpler for you!”

A booming voice, lighthearted and entirely unbothered, called out to him as he panted heavily to find his breath.

Davidson, the three-headed dog, who had merely been the size of an ordinary hound when they initially crossed paths, had expanded tremendously, his colossal frame now fully capable of bearing him upon his spine… but Ken lacked the vitality to even utter a remark regarding the abrupt transformation.

‘…Simpler? In what way…?’

His mind, spinning from the sensory overload, his physical form and spirit rattled to their absolute center, could only fixate on such… meaningless details.

Naturally, he didn’t possess the nerve to inquire. He preferred not to discover the reply.

“…Ugh, I feel like I’m passing away. Blast it, what exactly is this…?”

He let out a low lament, his tone a blend of agony, bewilderment, and… an intangible element, something he couldn’t quite define.

It made perfect sense.

The reality he had newly uncovered was… staggering.

He had steel himself for peril when he resolved to slip into this domain, to assist Hella… but he had never anticipated unearthing not only the Dragon Marquis’s hidden truths… but his own personal history as well.

He had forever held the conviction that he was a native of Earth… but he was merely a replica, a marionette, a splinter of awareness brought forth by Miyamoto Ken’s distinct talent!

Furthermore, he was… blighted by an affliction, his physical vessel belonging entirely to another soul.

It was an immense burden to process.

‘…Well, it alters nothing in truth. I am already a demon. I abandoned the notion of returning to Earth ages ago.’

Yet perhaps because he had already transitioned into a demon, his cognitive process rearranged, his human perceptions muted, he rapidly rallied from the primary astonishment.

Moreover, he was far too preoccupied attempting to anchor his awareness, to fight off the encroaching void, to contemplate any other matter.

Rumble— Kaboom!

Consequently, he failed to perceive it initially.

The fact that another entity, an unidentified presence, was actively combating the affliction that had been tracking them down.

“…What is that over there?”

He assumed his eyes were playing tricks on him.

After all, that look, those capabilities… they had no business existing within this realm.

“Iron Man?”

Conceivably the shock of learning his true origin had been more profound than he estimated.

However, he quickly comprehended it was no illusion.

Upon a more focused gaze, it only bore a passing resemblance to the aesthetic he recollected.

Additionally, it was… lacking a limb.

‘…A enchanted mechanism? Yet it is far from commonplace. And that aura… Dragon Language Magic? It differs from the Dragon Marquis’s style. Is it the handiwork of a different dragon?’

He was momentarily bewildered by the recognizable form… but then realized it wasn’t altogether bizarre.

He was hardly the sole Earthling to have been dragged into Auterica.

An alternative individual must have transported data regarding Earth’s caped champions, and an enchanted mechanism crafted around that data… it was well within the realm of possibility.

‘…Though this was undeniably forged by a dragon of this domain. The replicas constructed on Earth are virtually useless in genuine warfare, owing to the absence of appropriate elements.’

He observed the shape, thoroughly struck.

It was tearing through the atmosphere at supersonic velocities, its execution graceful and exact, powered by the propulsion units spanning its frame, and the column of vitality it discharged from its left palm mimicked a sorcerer’s devastating incantation.

It was a genuine battlefield armor.

Mighty enough to permit its user to clash with master-level combatants.

‘…Yet it cannot triumph over that abomination.’

Ken, tracking the spectacle from Davidson’s spine, gave a subtle shake of his head.

And precisely as he anticipated,

…the champion, following a brief skirmish, began falling back, evading the affliction’s strikes and soaring away at maximum velocity.

‘…He remains among the living after enduring a blow of that magnitude? The operator must possess incredible competence. Who could it be?’

He could perceive it, via his tether to the affliction.

That the dark vapor was a… disaster, a primal force that even Duke-level demons could not readily manage.

He was blind to how a champion had managed to slip into this concealed site… but he was transparently outmatched.

‘…I am likewise approaching my boundary… ‘

But just then,

…an unanticipated turn occurred.

“Huh?”

Ken drew a sharp breath, his voice laced with astonishment.

The retreating champion had abruptly halted and pivoted, confronting the trailing affliction.

Clang—

A delicate, resonance of iron, resembling the clattering of binding links, rippled through his awareness.

No, it was not an auditory sensation perceived by his ears.

It was vibrating within his intellect, his core, his very spirit.

“What… is occurring here?”

He could not prevent a wave of… bewilderment from washing over him.

He intuitively grasped…

…that something had just… shackled his spirit.

And he recognized the source.

“In what manner…?”

His pulse thudded against his ribs, a peculiar blend of amazement and deep respect, akin to the sensation that had washed over him when he first encountered Hella.

It was… unfeasible, beyond reason.

And the dark vapor, confronting the champion, shared that exact sentiment.

[“——!”]

A voiceless shriek, a bellow of fury and thwarted rage, radiated outward.

Yet it was… altered from before.

Disorientation, skepticism, rejection…

However, the champion showed no indecision.

He deliberately reached out his right limb, aiming it directly at the writhing affliction, which was flailing against the invisible binding links holding it fast.

His uncovered limb, the metallic plating encompassing the remainder of his frame, its complex architecture and sophisticated craftsmanship standing in stark opposition to his… exposed skin.

And then,

…a colossal dark dragon, its plating reflecting light, its gaze glowing with a blood-red intensity, burst forth from his limb,

…and smashed directly into the dark vapor.

Rumble—!

A magnificent presentation, a collision of two cataclysmic energies.

Yet Ken, bound to the affliction, could not simply… marvel at the display.

He could experience it.

The dread velocity that constituted the dark vapor… it was actively being… consumed by the dark dragon.

It was an unbelievable sight, akin to a massive dinosaur being hauled into a kennel by a puppy’s tether.

“To imagine the Black Flame Dragon possessed such might…”

Ken, the demon harboring an Earthling’s recollections, murmured quietly,

…and then shifted his gaze to the champion’s limb, his look… disturbed.

The dark dragon, its frame enveloped in a grim shroud, was drinking in the affliction’s vitality, its scale expanding with every ticking second.

And as he observed, a distressing recollection, a mortifying truth he believed he had buried deep within his subconscious, bubbled up.

‘…No, that is not my history. It possesses no relevance to me.’

He shut his eyelids, resolutely casting away any tie to his initial identity.

The Black Flame Dragon persisted in consuming the affliction, its volume multiplying swiftly…

…but he paid it no mind. He had alternate concerns to address.

“Black Flame Dragon…”

A mortifying recollection, an embarrassing… memory he believed had slipped his mind completely.

Yet now, remade as a genuine demon, it felt… altered.

“I ought to… fashion one myself… No, hold on!”

A concealed capability, resting within a solitary limb… it was… flawless for a demon, an exceptionally… demon-aligned talent.

He nearly uttered it aloud, then rapidly checked himself, putting down his demonic yearnings, a ripple of… disgust settling over him.

“Hmm? You harbor a fondness for that sort of business as well?”

“Oh ho, I recognize that. That is an… excellent pastime. Khaha!”

“Do not feel self-conscious! I catch your meaning!”

Davidson, who had ceased his stride, dissolved into amusement, his three visages smirking, their countenances… remarkably gratified.

[“——!”]

They cast their gaze down the lengthy corridor of the structure,

…at the position where the dark vapor had lingered mere heartbeats prior,

…now vacant.

—

Hesperon, staring down at his right limb, clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

‘…I failed to entirely ingest it.’

His limb, which had been enveloped by a dark dragon, was now thoroughly ink-black, the marking no longer perceptible.

A negative reaction of absorbing excessive vitality, an energy surpassing his current boundary.

A delicate, spectral dragon, resembling a puff of ash, still drifted within the inkiness… but it remained volatile, its shifting unstable.

He had forcibly mastered it using 「Chains of the Oath」… but it was far from completely under his command. It was biding its time to revolt.

“Well, it cannot be avoided.”

It was entirely logical that he couldn’t manage it.

After all, his genuine capability, stripped of Titan and the 「Right Arm of Longing」, did not even touch the Master Realm boundary.

‘…Well, I suppose this fits the norm… ‘

Setting aside the Demon World and the Heavens, which operated under their own distinct parameters, Master Realm combatants were viewed as national-tier champions within Auterica, a domain where ascended entities were scarce, their totals less than a handful.

Even Hesperon’s present advancement pace was… unnaturally swift.

He had been rapidly scaling upwards courtesy of diverse windfalls and his distinct talents… but he remained unfulfilled.

“…Since when was my advancement… standard?”

He snickered quietly, a self-critical noise.

His trajectory had been… irregular ever since Hans claimed the Immortal King’s shard and secured a monumental surge in force.

He had been capitalizing on his 「Avatar」 talent and alternative capacities, brushing past the hazards and forcibly claiming power and expertise.

Such swift advancement bound to bring negative reactions… but he remained indifferent.

Precisely like this moment.

《The entity satisfies the criteria and secures revelation. You have obtained the distinct talents “Dark Soul Control” and “Dark Soul Liberation”.》

《The degradation of the corrupted Dark Soul has commenced. Once the degradation hits a specific boundary, the arrangement will invert.》

《Present Degradation Boundary: Physical 7% / Intellect 0%》

He rubbed his unyielding right limb, a cynical smirk gracing his features.

‘…This will prove challenging to contain.’

He had grown more powerful, precisely as intended.

The affliction dwelling in his right limb, the ‘Dark Soul’, was an influential and hazardous energy, capable of executing even ascended entities.

Merely unchaining it would transform the enclosing territory into a blighted landscape.

“Hmm, this is problematic.”

Yet it was simultaneously more troublesome to govern.

He lacked any anxiety regarding intellectual degradation, courtesy of 「Mind Hub」 and 「Soul Firewall」… but physical degradation was an entirely separate dilemma.

He grimaced as he noted ink-like blemishes surfacing on the linens he had wrapped around his limb.

It appeared manageable currently, but if left unattended…

‘…I must fashion a specialized binding mechanism without delay. Utilizing every asset at my disposal.’

He possessed the required assets.

The Immortal King, the Saint, the High Elf, the Demon King, the Dragon, and furthermore Howard, the master artisan.

‘…I’ll have Horus incorporate a demon-binding sigil utilizing his “Heavenly Flow Sorcery”. It ought to prove potent, given the Dark Soul should lack any insulation against Ganghwange’s sorcery.’

He could secure the indispensable elements through Hubert and the Karma Shop, and if conditions demanded, he could even solicit Riley and Liesta’s backing.

Furthermore, he possessed access to the World Tree’s remnants and the wealth of the 「Golden Treasury」… He faced no restrictions.

“At any rate, I have secured my objective.”

He directed his gaze toward a far alcove of the colossal structure.

Davidson and Ken were positioned there, tracking him.

‘…He provided aid, so—’

…it was time to depart.

He smirked, his look concealed behind his visor.

He harbored no intention of lingering here. He was merely a… transient traveler, pulled to this location by the affliction.

‘…I’ll leave the remaining tasks to them. I must make my return and fashion that binding mechanism.’

And with that, the enigmatic champion, having secured his objective, dissipated without a trace,

…as mutely as he had arrived.

—

“…What exactly was that?”

Ken breathed, his tone dripping with skepticism.

He had verified twice, simply to be certain… but it was fact.

He had departed!

“He simply… left? Without uttering a single word? Does he imagine himself to be some variety of… masked champion?”

He struck his torso in irritation, raking a hand through his locks.

He had anticipated at minimum an… exchange of names. He harbored an abundance of inquiries!

Who was he? In what manner did he penetrate this zone? For what reason did he assist him? Who engineered that armor? What nature of links were those that shackled his spirit? What became of the Demon King’s affliction?

‘…And by what method did he exit this zone? It is no simple feat to depart this structure… ‘

He had detected zero spatial displacement sorcery.

He had simply… evaporated.

There existed solitary deduction.

‘…A distinct talent… He was an Awakened entity, when all is said and done. I suspected as much upon witnessing the armor and the dragon.’

The dragons of Auterica were… quadrupedal Western dragons.

Therefore, the Black Flame Dragon, an Eastern serpentine dragon, had naturally appeared… entirely out of place.

‘…I feel resentment. A mighty talent capable of even binding a Demon King-tier affliction, and an alliance with a dragon capable of engineering such armor… He is likely residing in comfort back on Earth.’

Far different from himself.

Abducted, immolated, a mere replica, an engineered demon…

He offered a cynical smile, his newfound situational awareness, his intellect no longer obscured by the affliction, permitting him to dispassionately view his state.

“Ah! What of the remaining Earthlings?”

And subsequently, he recalled the immolated victims.

His primary vessel was numbered among them!

He had utterly overlooked them amid the turmoil.

“You only deduce that at this juncture? Let us move.”

“I extracted them prior to that entity drawing near, so they ought to be unharmed…”

“They served as victims for a invocation, so there must exist some variety of… protective protocols established.”

Ken and Davidson sprinted back toward the chamber where he had discovered his primary vessel.

And within that space,

“………”

“………”

…he beheld him.

The authentic Miyamoto Ken, his eyelids parted, gazing directly at him.