Chapter 412

Chapter 412
## Chapter 412

Dark Nest (2)

A massive clash, a conflict matching two of the Demon World’s most dominant factions against one another, was underway.

The Dark Nest maintained its reputation as the most formidable power, even while dealing with recent losses and growing anxiety among its subordinates.

On the other side was Demoniac. They had been quietly building their power and maintaining a seemingly passive demeanor while Helheim experienced a meteoric rise.

What started as minor border skirmishes rapidly intensified, spreading like a wildfire across every region where their territories met. It had transformed into a total war, demanding that both Dukes personally command their respective legions on the front lines.

[“You! Pieta! I will rip your skull from your shoulders and mount it as a trophy!”]

“Tsk, Dragon Marquis, what is the reason for this sudden… escalation? Entering an all-out war serves neither of our interests.”

[“Do not play innocent with me! Do you truly believe I am blind to your schemes?!”]

“…I haven’t the slightest clue what you are referring to.”

Pieta kept his gaze narrow and his aura shifting, striving to project an image of absolute composure… yet he was unable to fully mask his underlying… apprehension. He had been navigating carefully, waiting for the perfect moment to strike while the Dark Nest was distracted by Helheim…

‘…What exactly did he uncover? The hidden pathways? The compromised high-ranking officers? Or perhaps… the informants we embedded deep within their central base? He appears completely enraged. It has to be a major discovery. Or could it be… ’

The options were far too numerous. He had been incredibly proactive in his efforts to sabotage the Dark Nest from within.

‘…Could he have unearthed everything? I grew careless. I found it unusual that he was failing so miserably against Helheim… Was he actually keeping a close eye on me the entire time?’

He desperately attempted to decipher the turn of events. It felt as though his entire operation had been laid bare.

The Dragon Marquis, who was also restricted from exposing his true motives, took Pieta’s quiet contemplation as confirmation and overreacted. Even if Pieta had attempted a verbal defense, it would have changed nothing. The Dragon Marquis was already well aware of his adversary’s fondness for plots and underhanded strategies. This was precisely why keeping up appearances mattered.

[“I shall slaughter you first! Once you are finished, I will turn my attention to that half-breed!”]

“Ha! You take me too lightly. Do you honestly think I will collapse as easily as that idiot, Karakul?”

A furious screech, a massive blast of flames, and then Pieta, the Dark Duke, a master of manipulating dimensions, unleashed his sorcery. A surge of devastating force met a defensive counter-spell, bending and warping the fabric of space to turn the strike aside. A beam of corrupted magical energy, saturated with lethal poisons, rocketed toward the massive form of the dragon… only to be effortlessly neutralized by the simultaneous activation of ‘Precognition’ and ‘Annihilation’.

Rumble—! Boom!

A brutal exchange between two legends, their overwhelming techniques vibrating across the entire warzone. It was a fiercely contested struggle, yet the final result was already… decided.

“Arrgh!”

[“Did you genuinely believe you could best me in single combat?! I am Krushaior, the Dragon Marquis! The peak of power in the Demon World! Soon, I will stand above the Demon King himself!”]

Even with the lingering fatigue from his recent engagement with Hella, Krushaior commanded the battle, his sheer might and martial expertise completely suffocating his rival. He was demonstrating that his reputation as ‘the strongest in the Demon World’ was far more than a mere boast.

Pieta, unable to find an opening to turn the tide, had no choice but to fall back, even when it meant leaving his battalion exposed to the oncoming onslaught. If he fell in this place, everything would be lost.

‘…I must retreat for now. This is far from over.’

He had never anticipated winning a straightforward brawl anyway. That simply wasn’t his methodology. He had spent a great deal of time preparing for this scenario, relying on his labyrinth of plots and underlying conspiracies as his actual weapons.

“Gah! Pieta-nim!”

[“Kyaaa—! Tear them apart! Consume them! Starving!”]

“Curse it all! I ought to have defected when I had the chance… Ugh!”

[“Gah—!”]

His soldiers, trapped in the path of the devastation, were being torn apart by the monstrous, pale aberrations… but losses were part of the price on a battlefield. Utilizing their deaths to buy time, the Dark Duke managed to slip away.

“Are you truly pushing it this far? Very well! I am unleashing everything!”

He instantly triggered all his hidden contingencies, bringing his meticulously orchestrated schemes to fruition. The lands of the Dark Nest were immediately thrown into utter turmoil, as sudden strikes and targeted assassinations broke out in every sector, shattering their structural organization and scattering their units.

[“Disregard the petty sabotage. Our single objective is the execution of Pieta.”]

Yet the Dragon Marquis, driving his battalions forward on the front lines, paid no heed to the distractions. He maintained his relentless advance, his legion of pale monstrosities moving with unfeeling, mechanical precision, driven solely by an innate urge to slaughter and ruin everything in their path.

Demoniac, recognizing that their position was crumbling, frantically attempted to reach Helheim, their purported collaborator…

-”Our battalions are entirely spent. Unlike other factions, we have been locked in non-stop combat day in and day out. We succeeded in penetrating the outer perimeter of the Dark Nest’s central base, but…”

…yet their appeal for immediate assistance was flatly rejected. The alliance offered hollow regrets, promising instead to strike at the Dark Nest’s rear flank once their own forces had restructured and recuperated.

Slam!

The Dark Duke, receiving the update via his second-in-command, smashed his fist onto the conference table, splintering the wood and sending fragments scattering across the room. He paid no attention to the wreckage.

“…Idiots! Can they not see that they will be the next to burn if we fall?!”

The Dark Nest’s unyielding aggression was partially triggered by Helheim’s abrupt shift in tactics. They had previously been charging straight toward the Dark Nest’s central base with unstoppable momentum… but now, they had unexpectedly slowed their pace, turning their attention toward securing their newly captured territories and building advanced outposts.

“…This bodes ill.”

He stared down at the tactical layout on the map, his tone dropping to a dark, somber whisper. His various ploys and hidden traps had secured him a temporary breathing room, but none of it would matter if they kept surrendering ground on the front lines. His officers were beginning to lose their composure, their confidence completely breaking down.

‘…Tsk, I may be forced to… capitulate.’

It was a path he had previously refused to entertain… but it was far better than facing execution at the hands of those zealots. Naturally, he still felt… conflicted. After all, the last time he found himself in a comparable crisis, during the tournament to decide the 15th Demon King…

…he had held the absolute advantage, yet the crown had ultimately been seized by Tanuin, that ruthlessly ambitious and unyielding demon who simply refused to break. If he had chosen to yield back during that era, he might very well have claimed the title of the 15th Demon King himself. Therefore, he had no intention of throwing in the towel so easily this time around.

‘…Even if Helheim remains an unpredictable factor… ‘

For the moment, his most pressing issue was surviving the onslaught of the Dark Nest. He had already devised counterstrategies to handle Helheim during the recent… lull in active warfare. The Dark Duke, holding onto a desperate shred of optimism, racked his skeletal skull, searching for any possible variable to reverse his fortunes,

…and ultimately claim the throne of the Demon King.

Yet simultaneously,

…Hella, whom he dismissed as nothing more than an unpredictable variable, was orchestrating her own grand design.

—

“Excellent work, Ken. That was a highly perilous assignment.”

“It was nothing, Hella-nim! I could never have accomplished it without Davidson, whom you graciously provided. I merely… acted as his guide.”

“There is no need for such humility. Your actions were absolutely vital to our triumph.”

“Hella-nim…!”

Ken, dropping to his knees before Hella, his features flushing with intense devotion, was visibly moved by her validation, her soft expression, and her benevolent words. It was entirely justified. After all, this particular assignment had essentially served as a massive… power-strengthening opportunity for him.

Once an artificial entity confined to a synthetic vessel… he had been reborn as a genuine independent being through the completion of this task. Furthermore, he had risen to the rank of a Marquis-level demon.

‘…Had it not been for Davidson… I would have been utterly destroyed by that malevolent corruption, even if I had somehow made it to the shrine. I would not even have been permitted to perceive the final moments of my past incarnation… ‘

To be fair, the enigmatic champion had also played a part… but that did not take away from what Hella had provided. He had ultimately made it through those lethal trials because of Davidson, whom she had assigned to accompany him.

Hella, recognizing his immense appreciation, offered a gentle laugh and inquired,

“So, regarding the remains of the previous Demon King? Any notable advancements?”

They had gathered a vast array of treasures from within the shrine. This included the preserved fragments of the 15th Demon King, Tanuin, which the Dragon Marquis had spent centuries tracking down and storing away. Because Ken shared an underlying lineage with those specific fragments, he possessed the capability to integrate them into himself, significantly elevating his ceiling of power.

“…I am deeply embarrassed to confess this, but… I have yet to… unlock any meaningful advancements. Perhaps it would be far more practical to simply… hand the remaining pieces over to Davidson…”

“Hmm, I anticipated that would be the case. You are still… adjusting to this state of being. It is overly ambitious to look for instant breakthroughs. Do not worry about Davidson. He may possess an insatiable appetite, but he does not require that much sustenance.”

Davidson… or more accurately, Harley… was not seeking the physical flesh itself, but rather the unique genetic blueprints preserved within it. While absorbing the remains of legendary entities provided a boost… it was no longer highly effective to pour more resources into him at his current stage of development.

The former Demon King’s spiritual essence had decayed into a virulent malady, and his physical vessel was… far from being in ideal condition.

‘…The returns are far greater if I… focus our resources on Ken.’

If no alternative paths existed, she would have simply… ingested the fragments herself, just as she had done with the Duke-level demons… but she now possessed a highly competent… follower.

“Do not force the process. Simply… focus on creating a basic bond. I will step in to guide you once you manage to establish a starting point.”

“Ah…! My deepest thanks, Hella-nim! I have yet to make amends for the generosity you have already shown me, and yet…”

Ken, his tone overflowing with reverence, bowed flatly to the ground, pressing his brow against the stone floor. Hella, whose initial intent had purely been to… exploit his capabilities, felt a brief flicker of… an unfamiliar emotion… but she immediately put it out of her mind.

‘…In the end, it benefits both of us. He will be thrilled to return to Earth.’

Even if he was not the identical Miyamoto Ken from before, he still retained those exact recollections and a fragment of that original spirit due to their binding agreement. The singular transformation lay in his physical form. If his consciousness and spirit remained unaltered, he was fundamentally… the exact same individual.

Having concluded her discussion with Ken, Hella walked through the pathways of her newly anchored forward position, assessing its defensive capabilities. She had successfully seized the lands of Otorel, a critical strategic hub belonging to the Dark Nest, and subsequently brought the neighboring warlords to heel, carving out an impregnable citadel.

‘…Naturally, this entire setup is merely a… misdirection.’

A dark, mocking grin crossed her features. The authentic worth of this stronghold did not lie in its reinforced battlements… but rather in a specific mechanism she had hidden deep within its core. She provided a slow nod of approval after verifying its current state.

‘…Flawless. Everything is set. Utilizing the divine fragment streamlined the entire process.’

This was yet another… prize recovered from the ancient shrine. Having secured the very artifact that had triggered the downfall of the previous ruler, she could finally set her grand strategy into motion. The divine fragment had successfully fulfilled the… remaining criteria required for her transition into… true Demon Kinghood.

“And now.”

Feeling a combination of amusement toward the Dragon Marquis, who had unknowingly gifted her such an invaluable instrument, and toward the Dark Duke, who was unwittingly absorbing the enemy’s attention and buying her precious time, Hella let out a bright smile and stepped forward.

“Shall we initiate the sequence?”

Her definitive opening move toward dominating the entire Demon World.

—

[“…What is the meaning of this?”]

Serentata, a Marquis-level demon tasked with defending the central base of the Dark Nest, narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Without a moment’s hesitation, she moved rapidly toward the origin of the sudden… disturbance.

With the Dragon Marquis himself leading their primary forces out on the front lines, the duty of safeguarding their central base, the very nucleus of their empire, was of paramount importance. She maintained an absolute state of readiness, her perceptions sharpened to their absolute limits, refusing to ignore even the most minor indication of a threat. It was only logical that she inspect the matter with her own eyes. If she allowed another failure to occur, matching the previous incident, the Dragon Marquis would do far more than simply… reprimand her.

[“…Show yourself!”]

Upon arriving at the coordinates, she was met with… a figure emitting a bizarre, deeply unsettling pressure.

‘…How is this possible? Every single gateway is under absolute lockdown!’

She immediately discarded the notion that this person was a… standard inhabitant. She would have instantly recalled encountering an individual of this caliber. Even if they had never crossed paths directly, she would have at least… caught wind of rumors regarding their existence.

“My, you arrived quite swiftly. Your perception is rather sharp.”

Two elongated, pointed horns, blood-red irises set against pitch-black sclera, an incredibly intricate and regal gown, and an suffocating pressure of… absolute, hypnotic dominance.

The moment her eyes locked with Serentata’s, it felt as though the gaze… sliced directly through her mental barriers, invading her consciousness. The defending demon bared her teeth as the identity clicked in her mind.

[“Hella… the sovereign of Helheim…!”]

“Indeed, that is who I am.”

There was no time to demand answers as to how she had slipped past the perimeter security to breach their inner sanctum entirely alone, or why she possessed the audacity to stand there unassisted.

Whoosh—

The environment surrounding them… transformed.

It was not a complete displacement, but rather… a phenomenon where two distinct realities occupied the same space, a barren, dead wasteland overlapping with the familiar architecture of the base. And it was far from a mere optical illusion.

March—

Thump— Thump—

Emerging from the depths of the desolate plain, stepping through the translucent… barrier, an immense legion of fiends, their presences razor-sharp and deadly, their fighting spirit reaching a crescendo, advanced forward in immaculate, synchronized ranks.

[“What?! This cannot be…!”]

It defied all logic. This location was the absolute heart of the Dark Nest, the most fortified redoubt within the boundaries of the Demon World, the personal domain of the Dragon Marquis. No living soul could step foot inside without express authorization.

“How…? You wonder…”

And then,

“…Must I request authorization to step onto my own land?”

…Hella, the undisputed sovereign of the Demon World, the true Demon King, beamed with absolute triumph.