Chapter 963

C963

April 12th, 1804.

A month had passed since the punitive expedition against Zito concluded. The Vamel Alliance had received the most recognition among all the forces that participated in the expedition against Zito.

It was, in fact, a perfect victory from the perspective of the Hufester people. In Hufester, festivals were held daily to celebrate the eradication of the demons.

However, those who actually fought against the demons on the front lines couldn’t smile. There were countless sorrows and the pain of those who had been manipulated and used behind this victory that ordinary people couldn’t comprehend.

There was also the destruction of a once peaceful world.

The fire of destruction left by Kelliark continued to burn and consume the True Demon World even after a month passed since the end of the war.

“You’re here.”

Mila Kingdom, the Tabernacle.

Jin raised his hand to greet the demons who had just arrived. They wore black robes that clashed with the festive atmosphere.

“It seems we arrived late.”

“Forgive our lateness, Jin Runcandel.”

“No, I also just arrived, so don’t worry.”

They were Tilias and Misol.

Thanks to Murakan, they were able to survive the fire of destruction. At the time, Misol wasn’t in the Venomous Demon Castle where the fire of destruction began, but eventually, the fire spread throughout the True Demon World, and Misol was also among the lucky survivors.

“It’s been 15 days. I was practically glued to the True Demon World every day while rebuilding it.”

“Yes… Thanks to you, our demon kind was able to escape extinction.”

Jin felt a pang of guilt at those words.

If not for his regression, would the True Demon World have experienced such a tragedy? It was a thought that always worried Jin as a regressor, but this time it was different. The population of an entire world had decreased by over 90%.

“Jin, you always look troubled when you hear those words. But don’t forget, we would all have perished without you. Whether by Zito’s or Kelliark’s hands.”

“…Back then, if Basset hadn’t sacrificed himself, perhaps Misol wouldn’t be here now.”

Basset Visepps.

Before the start of the fire of destruction, he had arrived at the Venomous Demon Castle with Tilias. And right before the fire of destruction reached its climax, he had manifested his full “Blocking Authority” to temporarily disperse the fire.

It was something that could be called a miracle. Basset was in a weakened state due to fatigue after fighting Ridolos.

Currently, there are about 1.5 million demons left in the True Demon World. It certainly wasn’t a small number, but compared to the original population of several billion, it was quite small.

Of them, 900,000 were Visepps refugees, and the rest were survivors of the fire that Visepps was rescuing.

“And if not for Silkia Arcia, most of the remaining survivors in the Visepps refuge would have likely perished.”

-Silkia.

-Yes, Sir Basset.

-From now on, you are the leader of Visepps. Take good care of the others. Remember you can become a Goddess.

Basset’s last words to Silkia.

Jin had relayed this story to Tilias and Misol.  Indeed, as Basset had said, Silkia had the potential to become a Goddess.

No, her “dimensional displacement” ability could easily be described as divine. When the fire of destruction had spread, it was solely thanks to her dimensional portal that the Visepps family members were able to survive. She had opened a portal that could accommodate nearly a million individuals.

That portal immediately transported the Visepps members to the Visepps family’s last refuge at the furthest end of the True Demon World. Valeria had doubted her own eyes when she saw that record.

“So, what I did was just fight a war in the True Demon World. There’s no need for you to feel grateful.”

“You killed Zito, Jin.”

“Yes, I did. But after killing him, there was still another great evil, wasn’t there?”

Kelliark Zipple.

Jin’s eyes narrowed as he recalled his and Elona’s recent actions. He had quickly seized control of Zipple after that day, and the Lutero Magical Federation was now a more dangerous and shadowy place than ever.

“Furthermore, you tried to save Hell, even though your enemies were right in front of you. Your sacrifice and Silkia’s ability were both remarkable. But without you, we couldn’t have saved anyone from the True Demon World. We would still be living in darkness. Without knowing what I truly am…”

Most of the Visepps family members weren’t initially manipulated.

However, it was different for the other survivors. They were desperate over the fact that they had killed their family, friends, and loved ones due to brainwashing. Also, with the disappearance of the artificial sun, the True Demon World was destined to plunge into darkness even after Zito was expelled. Finding hope in the darkness was an impossible task for everyone.

“The survivors who weren’t from the Visepps family were constantly trying to give up on life. I might have been the same. They had already destroyed everything precious to them because of Zito, so what could I do by staying alive? But the light… the light you left behind keeping them alive.”

Ridolos had foreseen that when the artificial sun disappeared, the True Demon World would sink into darkness. The Visepps family members had the same expectation, but they believed they could somehow take care of each other and survive even in the darkness, unlike Ridolos.

However, there was an unexpected factor.

The regeneration authority, that strange power Jin possessed, was blooming like flowers or a swarm of fireflies throughout the True Demon World. Illuminating the way.

The artificial sun had disappeared, but the golden light emerging from the ground was actually making the True Demon World even brighter than before.

The demons who had lost their will to live in pain and sorrow felt a strong sense of hope when confronted with that light.

They were filled with the conviction that those who had died innocently would return someday because of that light.

The survivors didn’t give up their lives when they saw that light and followed that light to find survivors. It was a phenomenon that even Jin himself couldn’t explain.

“Yes, you’re right. You also saw it. Right now, the True Demon World is actually more beautiful than before. It will become a truly bright land when the fire of destruction completely disappears. Brighter than the surface world.”

Misol raised a glass in front of Jin, and Tilias did the same.

Jin looked at their gestures for a moment and then raised his glass in return.

“Surely, you aren’t too worried about revealing the fact that all the demons were manipulated, right? Don’t worry, Jin. Initially, that was what we requested.”

As Tilias mentioned, the Vamel Alliance hadn’t fully revealed the “brainwashing” to ordinary people, following the Visepps family’s request. While some information had been made public, the fact that all the demons were innocent victims was a difficult thing for ordinary people to accept at this time.

The people of the human world also needed hope just like the demon kind. In the ongoing great war that began with the Sword Emperor Castle War and continues to this day, it was clear that ordinary people needed their own victories.

The current festivals celebrating the victory of Zito’s punitive expedition throughout Hufester weren’t just about joy.

The festival also served as a reminder of the looming dread of the next war that was about to begin. Kelliark’s return and the one-sided civil war in the Lutero Magical Federation were pressing down on the entire human world.

The Visepps family had accurately read the situation of the human world, which was why they requested the Vamel Alliance to reveal the truth about the demons later.

After all, it was a clear fact that the demons had invaded the human world, even if it was due to brainwashing.

“…..Alright, Tilias. But someday, I will definitely fully reveal the circumstances of the demons when true peace comes to the world.”

“As expected, you were worried about that. When we first came to you and proposed an alliance, I couldn’t imagine you having such a kind side. We had constantly considered the possibility of being used by you and then abandoned. Now I feel ashamed.”

“That’s why we even went so far as to use the ‘Artificial Sun’ as a bargaining chip. It’s shameful now, but it was a necessary step.”

“We didn’t know each other well at the time, so it couldn’t be helped. I don’t take such things to heart either.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Tilias refilled their empty glasses.

Today, the three of them had gathered in the Tabernacle to celebrate the liberation of the True Demon World, even if it was only the three of them. Occasionally, Tilias and Misol refilled the remaining glasses for Basset and their fallen comrades, and emptied them in their name.

“Jin, you’ll be fighting Kelliark Zipple now, right?”

Jin nodded in response.

After seizing control of Zipple, Kelliark hadn’t yet made any significant moves. Jin was carefully monitoring his actions and, for the time being, was focusing on restoring the losses suffered by his allies and the True Demon World.

“Also, we’ve heard there are many more enemies. The Imperial Family, the Red Legend Tribe, the Sun God Religion, Kinzelo… and Ganesto. Silkia says she will assist you when you confront them.”

“Silkia?”

“Yes. And all the Visepps family members, including myself, agreed to that. Of course, we don’t have a significant number of troops left to support you, especially compared to the human world, and even the ones we have are busy with the restoration of the True Demon World.”

“But we have Silkia’s abilities. Right now, it might need a significant effort to recover, but Silkia’s power will undoubtedly be a great help to you.”

“In other words, she could evacuate innocent people when there’s an unexpected large-scale battle. Silkia could also be useful when you need to deploy a large force against the enemy.”

“Furthermore, Silkia has more abilities. Sir Basset said she hasn’t fully awakened her power yet. So, after a while, don’t hesitate to contact us if you ever need her strength. Or perhaps Silkia will contact you first?”

The bottle was empty.

Jin agreed. Indeed, with Silkia’s abilities, they could prevent the deaths of innocent people as much as possible in such situations.

It remained the most crucial problem for Jin despite the regeneration authority. Even if the regeneration light truly brings them back to life someday, as the demons believe and as Ayula said.

“Let’s toast once more.”

“We should gather the necessary supplies and return now.”

Tilias poured the remaining drinks.

“To a brighter future.”

“To a brighter future.”

“To a brighter future.”

The glasses clinked. And the golden earth of the True Demon World swayed within the glasses.