Chapter 450

Chapter 450
## Chapter 450

Otherworld Conquest Chronicle (2)

Abruptly dragged into this foreign realm and burdened with a monumental task, Olivia found herself completely swept up in intense sentiment.

‘The stench of demise blankets this entire realm. At this scale, it matches—perhaps even eclipses—the glorious era when we subjugated the land alongside the former Immortal King.’

In fact, given that the front lines in those days were restricted to the western continent whereas every corner of this land was in a comparable state of ruin, it was no overstatement to claim it surpassed that epoch.

Because the undead naturally gain power where the aura of demise is most concentrated, this realm was nothing less than an ideal theater of war for them.

‘I used to ponder where His Majesty had departed to after leaving his throne unoccupied… ‘

At long last, the purpose behind his actions became clear.

The reason the reigning Immortal King had shown little urgency in subjugating Outerica.

The reason he had prolonged that conflict and focused his attention on alternative endeavors.

‘To think his preparations to march into an entirely different reality were already underway back then!’

It was a magnificent strategy that none within the ranks of the Immortal Army could have possibly foreseen.

Reprimanding herself for presuming to question the brilliant ruler’s intentions, she threw her entire being into executing his directives, utilizing the insights obtained from that mortal named McCarthy.

The sudden influx of duties did not bother her in the slightest.

She was well accustomed to laboring through the night without pause regardless.

‘Whether I am stationed there or here, the sheer quantity of obligations I manage on a daily basis remains virtually identical.’

More than anything, she was ecstatic that His Majesty had chosen to call upon her ahead of all the other high-tier commanders.

Did that not demonstrate that his reliance and partiality toward her eclipsed everyone else’s?

[I shall answer that devotion… Our window is narrow… Search every corner of this realm…!]

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

[Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions…]

A resonant vibration filled the air—

—as torrents of phantoms swirled around Olivia, who had ascended high into the heavens, scattering across the expanse of the entire realm.

Not merely the apparitions already lingering there, but fresh manifestations generated by her own might united with the throng, stretching the waves even further.

Unresolved desires, bitterness from wrongful passings, enduring attachments.

In a realm already devastated and overflowing with hopelessness, there was an absolute surplus of spirits carrying such remnants—ideal raw material for her objective.

And her comprehensive deployment was more than enough to incite the conceited entities who had used this realm as their personal amusement park.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

A gargantuan stronghold located at the center of the land.

“The atmosphere seems turbulent today.”

Lafua, the master of the great stronghold, grimaced as he stared at the firmament outside his window.

Yet he quickly shook his head and quickened his pace.

He had just been called by his master—there was no leeway to dally elsewhere.

To the public, he ruled as a monarch at the apex of the realm, a sublime entity far above ordinary mortals. In reality, he was scarcely more than an indentured servant.

Knock knock—

Halting before the decorated doorway, he rapped respectfully and stepped inside with immense caution.

The sprawling chamber, adorned with opulent decorations mirroring the entryway, contained a gargantuan figure standing with arms folded behind his torso, gazing out toward the horizon.

“You requested my presence.”

“Mm.”

With a deep, resonant tone, the figure turned around deliberately.

Standing over two meters in height, with flesh so pitch-black that his facial aspects were imperceptible, crimson markings were intricately carved across his skin, and bloody irises shined like glass devoid of pupils.

“Lafua.”

The proxy manifested by the Infinite Archdemon—the undisputed mightiest entity in this domain—stared down at his subordinate and spoke in a low rumble.

“It appears a certain vermin is becoming overly audacious.”

“A vermin… you imply?”

As Lafua repeated the word in bewilderment, the figure slowly held out a single hand.

Although his arms had remained behind his back from the very beginning, a translucent apparition was now struggling helplessly within his dark grip—none could say precisely when he had captured it.

“Spiritual manipulation of a remarkably high order. And this specimen is far from solitary.”

“…And it possessed the audacity to monitor this domain using such a method?”

Lafua gazed in disbelief at the phantom before letting out a dry laugh.

The Infinite Archdemon was considered unrivaled in the current age.

For anyone to orchestrate such a stunt within the very stronghold where he resided was absolute madness.

‘Who could it be? Destruction? Lamentation?’

The primary suspects were his fellow Archdemons ‘Destruction’ and ‘Lamentation,’ yet Lafua quickly discarded the thought.

Though they had climbed to the rank of Archdemon alongside Infinite during the realm’s upheaval, the chasm separating their power remained immense.

In contrast to those two who had only recently ascended, the Infinite Archdemon had retained his position for thousands of years.

Not even their combined strength could hope to overthrow their master.

And they were well aware of this fact—there was no chance they would provoke him with such a foolish blunder.

‘Unless it happens to be that Eternal spoken of in ancient lore.’

Accounts concerning the Eternal Archdemon were regarded as sheer fantasy.

Rising from a lowly human-born fiend to the apex of an Archdemon in a span of mere twenty years.

He had even eradicated ‘Massacre’ and ‘Terror’—fellow Archdemons who sat beside Infinite at the time—before vanishing without a trace a century ago, never to show himself again.

If not for the physical scars he left carved into this devastated realm, even Lafua would harbor doubts about his existence…

“Your mind is wandering toward trivial matters.”

“M-My humblest apologies.”

Lafua’s train of thought fractured instantly under the freezing tone and palpable bloodlust.

Remembering his master’s intense dislike for discussions regarding Eternal, he quickly provided the expected reply.

“I shall see to it at once. We will wipe out the perpetrator completely and ensure no other idiots attempt this by leaving a brutal example.”

“Hmph.”

The dark fiend gave a slow nod, then turned his attention back to the landscape outside.

Lafua secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though the Infinite Archdemon’s eyes remained freezing cold as he peered outward.

He was contemplating the strange sensation left on his fingertips after obliterating the apparition.

‘Spiritual manipulation… Spiritual manipulation.’

Fiends fiercely loyal to Devourer, who embodied his title above all else, despised spiritual arts.

What reason was there to squander energy on such things when they could simply consume soul essence to augment their personal power?

A ‘Fiend of Phantoms’ might operate differently, but no entity he was aware of could control spirits to this degree.

‘Furthermore, this foreign essence.’

It stirred a long-buried sense of irritation.

Indeed—mirroring the time he had clashed with that Eternal nuisance a century prior.

‘No, his return is impossible. We verified on numerous occasions that the interdimensional traveler disappeared past the boundary of realities.’

None could shatter the walls between dimensions—it was an unbreakable law.

Not even Eternal.

Then perhaps this development was…

‘…Something malevolent. It is wisest to proceed with caution until we comprehend the entire situation.’

His personal armies were filled with exceptional fiends.

Even if Destruction and Lamentation formed an alliance against them, they would not fall easily.

He could secure plenty of time to evaluate any adversary.

And he was far from the only one performing such calculations.

Destruction and Lamentation—the ones most suspicious of Infinite—believed him to be the mastermind behind this anomaly.

Consequently, as if by design, they dispatched their underlings instead of coming forward themselves.

The ruling forces of Devourer prepared themselves for an extended conflict, each crafting defensive strategies amidst the high-stakes standoff.

One unfortunate reality for them, however—

⚙ TELEPATHIC LINK ⚙

[My Sovereign… This servant has accomplished all of Your directives…] [Oh? Sweeter success than anticipated.] [They did not even attempt to conceal themselves—insolence born from excessive pride, it seems… Discovering their positions presented no difficulty…] [Kahaha— Magnificent. I truly appreciate that arrogance, believing themselves completely untouchable.] [I am quite keen to witness their expressions when that certainty shatters.]

The actual mastermind behind this occurrence had absolutely no desire to let matters linger.

‘There is no reason to delay when the adversary is clearly identified.’

The subjugator stepping into this alternative reality—Immortal King Hans—stared down at the dirt plains below.

From his glowing eye sockets beamed the «Abyss Eye».

The soil it brushed against turned entirely pitch-black.

And then.

“Kieeeek!”

[Answer the Monarch’s summons!]

“Grrrruk!”

[Uuuuuu—!]

Incalculable shapes, massive and minute, began emerging from the dark earth.

Not merely human remains and skeletons, but undead formed from animal carcasses, and even jiangshi constructed from supernatural entities and combat experts.

Rumble rumble—

Splurt!

Going beyond that, resentful phantoms deceased for ages in this territory rose again.

Shredded remains bursting violently through the topsoil.

Having intentionally selected a historical warzone saturated with bitterness, the awakened undead numbered far greater than a mere handful.

⚔ ARMY ASSEMBLY ⚔

[Your follower Karam shall fulfill the Master’s decree.] [For the Monarch’s honor—! Spread boundless dread across this domain—!] [… Pray, grant us your commands…] [Kuuoooo—!]

Positioned at their vanguard.

The commanders of the Immortal Army, answering the Immortal King’s call across realities, kneeled in unison, while skeletal dragons ascended into the skies in massive loops.

Strengthened by abilities such as «Lord of Reverse Heaven» and bound to Hans—who had manifested the sacred essence of ‘Death’—their presences far outshone their original gathering.

The combined aura of the commanders visibly distorted the surrounding space.

The energy of demise saturating the realm blended with the abyssal might radiating from the Immortal King, causing their figures to erupt in turbulent dark flames.

“…All honor to the Sovereign of Death.”

“Ahh! My master!”

Within the ranks were uniquely fashioned jiangshi like the Heavenly Demon and the Scribe, along with countless Abyss Revenants.

In essence, virtually the entire sum of Hans’s gathered undead legions had deployed to this location.

[There is no requirement for elaborate speeches.]

The voice resonated across the fields swarming with the undead.

The chaotic noise fell completely silent in an instant.

Countless undead eyes focused intently on a single spot.

[I possess no fascination with mongrels already broken by raw strength.]

McCarthy—the lone mortal, frozen without breath amidst the breathtaking spectacle—forced himself to swallow with great difficulty.

Disregarding the agony pulsing in his left arm and eye cavity, barely keeping his focus from slipping away.

This proclamation represented the ultimate salvation for the battered remnants of this realm’s population.

The already degraded human race possessed zero capability against this legion.

‘This is… the monarch of lions that the Archdemons dismiss, the Death Sovereign.’

Beneath the gray firmament, the magnificent conqueror hovered aloft, proudly reviewing his forces.

Every syllable caused his followers’ resolve to climb without limit.

[Annihilate the demonic filth commanding this realm—!]

As his final directive concluded.

[Uoooo—!]

[Annihilate! Annihilate! Annihilate!]

[Target coordinates secured! Deploy the gateways immediately! Rapid and absolute!]

With savage bellowing, the Immortal Army split apart around their leaders and swept forward.

A conflict initiated without warning against the whole world.

Extensively plotted, with exact target vectors, their march advanced flawlessly.

The outcome?

The total of fiends—venerated as untouchable within this domain—hunted down in a matter of days.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The fiends of Devourer varied significantly from those of Outerica.

If Outerica’s demonkind resembled exotic foreign factions residing within the demonic plane, Devourer’s evoked the core archetype of ‘demons’—visceral, malicious entities.

Ultimate evils functioning like natural cataclysms, incomprehensible to common mortals.

‘The Executioner was a human-born awakened individual, so the distinction wasn’t glaringly obvious.’

Every single fiend carried a title.

A designation defining their core identity, their capability, and their standing.

‘This world was once preserved by monster stalkers eliminating underworld signers from the darkness. Now it has turned into absolute dark fantasy.’

Netherworld fiends could not be vanquished through ordinary tactics.

They materialized by utilizing empowered signers, rendering them immune to direct assault.

Complications arose when the inhabitants of the abyss broke through for unconstrained devastation.

The equilibrium of power shattered; the realm spiraled down toward oblivion.

Even descending to the mortal plane cost them their immortality and additional traits, yet insurmountable barriers endured between them.

Spearheading the devastation? The prominent Archdemons.

Entities commanding staggering capabilities, ruling over common fiends like kings.

And one such revered Archdemon—the Archdemon of Lamentation—found itself currently.

💥 CAPTURED! 💥

[Kahat! That scoundrel is an absolute pest. Truly what one expects from an Archdemon?]

[Kuhuhuhu— What manner of creature are you? For what reason is an anomaly like you present in this realm?!]

Gripped by a skeletal fist directly around its throat, lost in useless despair over this nonsensical brutality.