“Leviathan will know we’re here.”
Bianca said in a worried voice at Hills’ words.
“Leviathan… you mean the Demon King? Then we need to find Lord Arundel quickly.”
Royden asked as he looked around.
“Where is the Demon King’s cave?”
“Well, I know where it used to be, but I can’t be sure if it’s still there.”
Everyone in the group realized at once. They hadn’t come to the demon world with a plan.
Because they had really come without thinking, there was no one who could bravely step forward and say what to do next.
Then Zion’s voice broke the subdued atmosphere.
“I will go there.”
“What?”
“I think it’s there.”
There was certainty in his voice. Hills quietly looked at the place Zion was pointing to.
It was the desolate desert to the west. There seemed to be nothing on the endless horizon, but now they had no choice but to follow Zion’s words.
Hills walked ahead in the direction Zion pointed to, as if resigned.
‘But.’
He couldn’t deny that Zion and Arundel had a deeper bond than he did.
He was skeptical whether he could awaken the memories that Mannheim had changed, but Zion regained his memories in a short time.
Even now.
In a situation where no one could step forward, Zion knew where to go in an instant. As expected, the role of the knight to save Arundel would be taken by Zion.
Hills chuckled.
‘Sure, what does it matter.’
If I can see Arundel lively again.
“There! Demons are coming!”
Bianca’s urgent voice shattered Hills’ contemplation. Hills looked around.
As Bianca said, demons were swarming from all directions.
“Faster than I thought.”
Hills muttered.
Soon the surrounded party took a battle stance. Fortunately, the demons did not rashly attack.
Hills spoke towards all directions, gauging the atmosphere.
“You must have come here under Leviathan’s command.”
“Yes! You filthy traitor!”
Criticism poured out from around Hills. But Hills laughed as if amused.
“You must already know. It’s not because of the forbidden seed that the demons are going crazy.”
“…We know! But even that is the great will of the Demon King!”
One of the demons hesitated and then raised his voice strongly.
“Foolish ones. You don’t even know you’re being used by Leviathan. You’re nothing more than consumables to Leviathan.”
“Do not speak lightly about the Demon King! He is preparing to open a new era!”
An excited demon praised Leviathan, spitting as he spoke. Hills, who found the words strange, asked.
“Leviathan opening a new era? With what power?”
“You don’t need to know! Do you think we would tell a traitor like you!”
“What is the Demon God doing?”
“The Demon God has abandoned us. Trapped in infinite time, he no longer takes care of us!”
Oh, really.
Hills felt the tangled thread unravel.
As the demons said, the Demon God did not actively take care of the demon world like Mannheim. So, the role of the Demon God’s representative was the role of Leviathan, the Demon King.
‘Leviathan must have wanted the real thing.’
He wanted to be a real leader, not a representative. The only question that remains is that he doesn’t have that kind of power.
I don’t know what Mannheim is doing right now, but if he steps in, Leviathan won’t stand a chance.
‘Well, I’ll find out soon.’
Hills looked around, shrugging his shoulders, and spoke threateningly.
“You. You must know who I am.”
“Ah, we know. But we’re not afraid! If our sacrifice changes the demon world!”
Then there’s no need to worry.
Hills loosened his body and prepared to transform. But he had to stop preparing soon.
Because Zion reached out his arm as if to stop him.
“There’s no need to transform.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to sweep it all at once.”
Hills unknowingly made a dumbfounded expression. Is he saying he can’t see the demons swarming like ants?
I know he’s in a hurry, but what can’t be done can’t be done.
“Look around. This is the amount that can be swept away at once…”
“Set up a shield with Bianca.”
There was no retreat in Zion’s voice.
“The most powerful shield.”
At the firm attitude, Hills nodded with a dissatisfied expression.
“Explode in one minute.”
I don’t know what he’s going to explode, but for now, I really had to set up a shield. Because a strong force was rushing around Zion.
Hills, who was staring blankly at the sight for a moment, called Bianca.
“Bianca! Bianca, you have to set up a shield with me!”
As Zion said, it had to be the most powerful shield. The power that was gathering in real-time seemed to swallow everything around it.
With Royden and Lucas beside them, Hills and Bianca started to build the shield.
“It’s done.”
The demons were all taken aback by Zion’s unexpected energy.
They were able to set up the shield without any trouble. The shield, which was incredibly thick, wouldn’t budge even if a meteor came.
Watching Zion gather strength inside the shield, everyone’s mouths were wide open.
The black sphere, which was like a black hole, was truly an unprecedented mass of magic.
Zion, who glanced at the shield, drove his power into the ground.
Bang!
Like a current crawling on the ground, the sparkling power flowed along the ground and caused a huge explosion.
‘…The forbidden seed is a scam.’
Hills thought, looking at the fallen demons on the ground.
This was an unbelievable power. It wasn’t perfect, but Zion was using his power quite convincingly. At least it didn’t seem like he would be consumed by the power.
In a situation where they didn’t know what was waiting for them, it was a positive sign.
“Get it together.”
Zion spoke to the party members who were lost in thought. The party members who had barely come to their senses followed Zion.
After walking for a while, they finally reached the desolate desert area. The landscape without a single blade of grass and the red sand even looked ominous.
Royden muttered in a bewildered expression at the sight he was seeing for the first time in his life.
“This place is…”
“The Red Desert. This is an abandoned land where no one comes.”
Hills answered as he scanned the empty desert.
They had come all the way to the Red Desert on Zion’s conviction that Arundel would be here, but the cave of Leviathan that he knew was not here, and he wondered if Arundel would have hidden in such a hollow place.
He looked at Zion, wondering if he might have guessed wrong, but his stride was unhesitant, as if following a drawn path.
The chilly sandstorm brushed past the party. Fortunately, they were able to move forward without any problems thanks to the magic of Hills and Bianca.
After walking for a while,
Zion suddenly stopped walking. The party members who were following him also stopped.
“It’s here.”
At Zion’s words, everyone looked around, but they couldn’t see anything in their eyes. Especially if it was something like a cave.
“Here…? No matter how I look at it, it seems like there’s nothing…”
Even at Royden’s puzzled voice, Zion didn’t answer and looked down.
And then,
Thud!
He kicked the ground hard with his foot, and they could see the sand falling down.
When the sand completely fell, a huge door appeared on the ground.
Bianca, who saw this, covered her mouth and exclaimed.
“It’s a door!”
The party’s faces brightened at the certainty that Arundel would be below.
In a daunting situation where they didn’t know the exact destination, they had arrived all at once, and very quickly at that.
The moment Zion reached out to open the door,
“You found it faster than I thought.”
Leviathan’s voice was heard in the air.
At the voice filled with an undeniable pressure, everyone looked up at the sky.
Under the pitch-black sky, Leviathan was looking down, flapping his wings. He spoke with a leisurely smile.
“I thought I hid it well.”
“Leviathan.”
Hills called Leviathan with a grim expression.
“Hills. It would have been nice if you were on the same side as before.”
“I don’t side with ugly guys.”
Hills spat out the words as if he was relaxed on the outside, but he couldn’t hide his anxiety inside.
If he betrayed the Demon God and thought about confronting Mannheim, there must be something he had hidden.
He didn’t think he would lose if he fought, but he couldn’t delay any longer.
He was worried about Arundel’s condition.
“Then this will be your last tomb.”
Leviathan spoke in a darkened voice.
“Do you think you can confront Mannheim?”
Hills asked Leviathan as if looking down on him. Soon a scoffing laugh was heard.
“I’m not alone. Judging by the fact that Mannheim hasn’t shown up so far, he must already know that it’s a losing battle.”
He doesn’t think Mannheim is scared and runs away. But he definitely seems to have something else.
But there was something strange.
“Why did you touch Arundel if you’re so confident?”
Why did he go out of his way to attack the palace and attack Arundel, and ask for a substitute for the seed?
“Listen to that answer in hell!”
Leviathan showed an agitated look as if he had been pricked at his weak point, even though he didn’t think he would answer obediently.
Hills loosened his body. Seeing his angry look, it would be really tough this time he wouldn’t transform to his true body.
No, even with the true body, it might be tough.
As Hills was about to transform, Leviathan burst into laughter.
“Ahahaha. You’re really trying to confront me with just a few humans.”
“They’re not ordinary humans.”
He said, looking at the party.
It would have been really tough if he was alone. But now he’s not alone.
Even excluding Zion, who held the seed, Royden, Bianca, and Lucas were all among the strongest in the human world.
He can do it.
Hills, who had finished preparing, gathered his strength.
And a black dragon appeared. Hills, in the form of a dragon, looked back and shouted.
“Get ready!”
Everyone immediately grabbed their weapons. Seeing this, Leviathan landed on the ground as if preparing for battle.
“If you want it that much, I’ll have to face you properly.”
And when Leviathan spread his hands outwards, the sand split.
Lucas’s bewildered voice was heard.
“That… that is.”
From the ground, huge figures of demons rose up from various places. They were all demons of enormous size, with terrifying looks.
“Ancient demons…”
At Lucas’s words, Leviathan responded.
“Yes, you’re right.”
Although he thought it was an unusual existence because all the demons were emitting a savage energy, it was really an ancient demon that had shaken the era.
“Although one is missing, they are unprecedentedly strong demons. With them, it’s not hard to open a new era.”
Hills and Lucas immediately realized who the missing one was.
It was the demon Baphomet, who had been the main character of the plague and whom they had met in the count’s territory.
He, unfortunately, had turned into ashes in an instant when Zion went berserk.
The summoning of Baphomet at that time was also a groundwork for this.
Hills, who had noticed Leviathan’s hidden weapon, looked at Zion as he pondered.
“It won’t work.”
Hills’ purple eyes looked desperate.
“Zion. We’ll handle this here, you go find Arundel.”
It would be too late to finish the battle and go. Zion slowly nodded.
“Bring her back for sure.”
As Zion was about to open the door, Leviathan fired magic as if to block him.
But Hills quickly blocked the magic with his wings.
“You have to deal with me.”
Leviathan grimaced.
Hills looked around as the party members took their stance. The ancient demons were gradually closing in.
‘This could be the end.’
Hills gave a bitter smile.
The battle to end the darkness began amidst the swirling sand.
What greeted Zion as he opened the door and went down was darkness where he couldn’t see an inch ahead.
Zion closed his eyes.
All the way, he had to concentrate not to miss the faint energy that was flickering nearby.
The energy was as faint as a candle about to go out, and he was so anxious that his palms were sweaty all the way.
‘There it is.’
Zion, who had caught the location of the fading energy, opened his eyes and moved again.
The deeper he went into the cave, the more nostalgic the feeling was, as if he was about to cry.
Drip-drip!
The sound of falling water was getting louder.
Between the turning corners, white light was stretching out. Zion sped up and followed the path.
And then,
“Arundel…”
There was an angel with six wings weakly bent and wrapped in chains.
