Chapter 213

“Slut. If you called, you should’ve prepared a seat. Did you lose your mind?!”

The darkness, the shadows are writhing, squirming.

“I did not summon you.”

“Well then, who? That stupid guy?”

“…Excuse me, but are you, by chance, him?”

“What kind of wordplay is this? Him? What’s that supposed to mean? Something edible? Or something you crush?”

“……”

That rudeness made a cold anger seep from behind us, but…

Since we know our opponent isn’t ordinary, everyone here is ready to appear at any moment.

Just the aura is so fierce that if you let your guard down, you’ll instinctively shrink.

If I feel this way, others must be feeling it several times worse.

While still keeping my gaze fixed on him…

I asked first.

“What business do you have here?”

“I don’t actually have anything to do with you guys. Just stopped by for fun.”

“……”

Lies.

In an instant, Carriel considered a few things and came to one conclusion.

“You might’ve had that intention, but that wasn’t it, was it? The purpose… Was it her, the queen? It would’ve drawn attention and caused chaos, right? Then you unexpectedly found me here?”

“What nonsense are you spouting so elaborately? Are you trying to sound smart or what?”

“And immediately responding to me as a variable. But originally, the intention was to use yourself as bait, right? Though it doesn’t seem like bait, in reality, it’s the most effective.”

And that statement seemed to plant some convincing confidence in both the queen and that dark figure over there.

Because we knew who he was.

Even though it shouldn’t exist, accept it since it happened.

There’s nothing in this world that shouldn’t happen, ever.

“Should I take comfort in the fact you’re not completely insane? Or should I vomit at how disgusting you are?”

“Is the Demon King around the World Tree?”

“How should I know?”

A massive blaze erupts from his body.

“If you want to check, go ahead right now. Meanwhile, I’ll burn everything here just for entertainment.”

“……”

We never assumed something like this, but…

Though we were taught always to assume the worst, isn’t this going a bit too far?

“What should I call you?”

“I’m me, you idiot. Or what? Are you using the name Carriel? A washed-up reject trying to act important?”

From the start, across all worlds…

“That name has always been mine in every world. Hard to pronounce? Uncomfortable? Use another name? That’s for losers like you, you pathetic reject. Thinking about it, I could rip you into a thousand pieces right now, you son of a bitch?”

From the start, bearing my name…

“Does this pitiful state even make sense? Why are you alive? Haven’t you killed yourself yet? Your courage is admirable. How can you breathe with such a miserable life? That alone is impressive. If I were you, I’d have already stabbed myself in the neck long ago?”

“……”

For some reason…

The golden girl standing beside me laughed out loud as the Demon King casually draped his arm over my shoulder.

-Yaaahh~! So this is how it turns out? This is spectacular!

Alright, sure.

So, Carriel, what will you do now?

-Can you handle this?

“……Haa.”

With a sigh at his annoying attitude,

I stepped forward while forming a new Obsidian Sword in my right hand.

“Ahhh, using that trash again.”

The black flame-spewing guy visibly recoils.

Anyway.

I need to say my piece too.

“Tyrant. Dark ruler. Mass murderer. Trash. Scum. Which one do you prefer?”

“War deity or emperor, how about those? Are you planning to completely deny my objectively recorded achievements and greatness in history, someone like you? You clearly lack self-awareness?”

“In our world, none of that ever happened or will happen, so in conclusion: delusion. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Even if I concede a hundred times. Alright, despite your washed-up body, show me more than what you expect.”

“That kind of unnecessary interference is pointless, you insane fool.”

Splitting apart like a whip, the black flames lashed toward me.

I aimed my sword again.

“Yeahyeah. Didn’t expect it, idiot.”

The guy burst out laughing—carefree yet majestic—as he unleashed an overwhelming wave of flames, wrapping himself in a massive wall of fire and walking toward me.

As he moved, the shadowy barriers around him began to ripple.

“Someone like you is unwelcome on my side anyway, so don’t get excited. I wouldn’t eat it even if offered now.”

====

“!!!!”

Blood gushed out as if vomiting.

Between the dark gauntlets.

Even through the small gaps where his hands covered his mouth tightly, blood trickled down and fell.

“…Lucesia.”

And Delica supported her.

“This is obviously reckless, isn’t it?”

The pale man, Cain, glanced down at them and scanned the surroundings, muttering.

“But we couldn’t ignore his opinions either.”

Rather, most of what he says makes sense.

A terrifying enemy.

But even as an ally, he isn’t exactly friendly to us.

Cain added:

“Still, during the chaos of the Demon Realm, the one who unified it was his strength.”

Most gave up resisting, their sanity paralyzed, flying off, collapsing, and turning into wild beasts thrashing around.

But there were exceptions among them.

And they issued a general mobilization order to execute and eliminate Lucesia, the one who established that cursed law in the Demon Realm.

The entire Demon Realm united with the single-minded goal of killing Lucesia, the new Demon King.

The one who shattered that was him.

The sole Legion Commander of Lucesia’s Demon King Army.

Gynaikothoinas.

His true identity is unknown.

His appearance is hard to discern.

He’s eccentric and violent in nature, but in battles and wars, he always holds the upper hand and ultimately secures victory.

He’s truly the epitome of necessary evil.

“But this time, it’ll be different.”

Delica spoke quietly.

“The vibe feels off. The response seems too fast.”

“…Did they anticipate our arrival?”

“Don’t know… We’ll find out if we observe a bit more.”

Krek!

Lucesia, spitting out blood foam, stood up with Delica’s support.

Despite being so close to the World Tree, she faced tremendous difficulties due to the Elves.

Especially since her physical condition wasn’t fully recovered.

Had there been room for recovery, she wouldn’t have pushed herself this hard.

Delica unconsciously looked at the area where Lucesia’s armor was pierced.

‘It wasn’t a fatal poison or wound… Yet there’s no sign of healing.’

At Lucesia’s level, even if her body shattered completely, she should have been able to recover instantly.

But not this time.

It was as if she had become as fragile as a human.

“By the way, looking at this scale… Planting branches alone won’t likely cause demon realmification, huh?”

Cain’s voice quivered as he observed, and Delica dismissed it with a gesture as if telling him to stop worrying.

“That’s something we’ll worry about after trying. Now that we’ve started, why get discouraged?”

Chelk!

The current Demon King, Lucesia, took deep breaths and hurriedly resumed her steps.

Delica and Cain tried to follow her but…

“…Already exhausted from catching a breather?”

A large number of reinforcements emerged from the forest and surged toward them.

“Cain.”

“…No choice.”

Cracking his fingers, he turned around as if heading to greet them.

“Won’t last long.”

“……”

Without replying, Delica followed Lucesia.

“Such a tragic and arduous life.”

Indeed.

Cursed karma.

From his shadow emerged two-headed beast men along with various grotesque creatures and sea monsters.

Dozens of heavily armed and lightly armored Elves charged fearlessly toward the demons and monsters pouring out.

However, before they could reach, arrows rained down and ethereal spirits disrupted their formation.

In an instant, half of what Cain summoned were swept away, crushed, and shredded.

“Quite impressive.”

Smirking faintly with an expressionless face, he summoned even more demons.

Meanwhile, his eyes and skin were gradually turning pitch black.

====

“Something’s off?”

After a few clashes, Carriel quickly grasped the opponent’s true nature.

“So you only fight when you’re fully prepared?”

“That’s not it.”

The black flames are highly threatening, but…

They aren’t lethal enough to decide life or death against the current Carriel.

Most importantly…

‘Ennea.’

Even though I haven’t learned or understood the eighth movement among the seven movements yet,

Instinctively, I realized that Dominatus Abnoddo, which was merely a breathing technique, is actually the ninth movement of everything I’ve mastered so far.

Not just Grandeous.

Before and after that too.

All these methods and principles leading to ‘it’ have never been perfected, not even for a moment.

My hidden weapon, Dominatus Pecata, is technically the eleventh.

Darkness-based. Black Light-based is tenth, if analyzed closely.

And the eighth is nothing else but Dominatus itself.

Control and mastery of mind and body.

This focuses heavily on psychology and spirit.

A defensive mechanism for the mind and consciousness to ensure the self doesn’t lose or slip away amidst countless branching futures.

Everything eventually connects.

“Got it!”

The black flames are sucked into my Obsidian Sword and transform into pitch-black light, devouring all his flames.

The dark light, shadows, and darkness itself relentlessly consume his raging inferno.

“Doing trashy stuff as usual.”

Yet strangely…

Even though his trump card was blocked, he doesn’t seem bewildered.

‘Has he experienced this before?’

Given that he recognized me and identified my Obsidian Sword immediately, this assumption seems plausible.

Then, is he stalling me here intentionally?

“……”

Even knowing this, I currently have no way out.

Since I warned the queen beforehand about potential issues, preparations are surely underway.

But… Is that really all there is?

What method destroys precognition and premonitions?

Projecting overwhelming power that cannot be blocked even when known in advance.

Or differently yet similarly effective—rendering one unable to respond despite knowing.

What would happen if I leave this place right now?

“Why didn’t you tell the queen to run? Then you wouldn’t have to stay here holding me back, right?”

“……”

As if reading my thoughts precisely, he strikes directly.

“……”

Indeed, this guy isn’t afraid of power but of strategies and tactics concealed subtly within power—that’s what’s threatening.

Of course, his own raw power isn’t ordinary either.

Currently, I’m relatively superior.

“Reacting before thinking, moving unconsciously to address situations. Are you influencing future phenomena subconsciously rather than consciously? That’s practically cheating, isn’t it?”

“……”

Even knowing that I glimpse the future and hold onto optimal possibilities, his tone suggests he understands this roughly.

Still, he doesn’t grasp the essence yet.

This is purely result-oriented reasoning.

But…

Even that might not matter to him.

If he were someone bound by fate or the future, he’d never escape my calculations.

However, he’s not that kind of existence.

Which is why he’s extremely dangerous to me.

The fire-whip splits into dozens of strands, wildly whipping around.

I twist its path with the application of darkness and forcibly suppress the spreading damage.

“This kid’s boring.”

The guy, exuding pitch-black mist from his entire body, complains despite his vigorous movements.

“Yeah. You’re just gonna keep doing this?”

When his powers keep getting dismantled and nullified…

Suddenly, he charged straight at me.

‘What?’

The widespread flames condensed within him, quickly taking the form of a long spear.

‘Meaningless…’

If fire doesn’t work anyway, does wielding it as a weapon make sense?

Still, he’s not dumb; there must be a reason.

As I deflect the spear…

It gets deflected.

Instead of dispersing or losing potency, a heavy weight is felt, as if striking solid metal.

“What…”

“You’ve handled this before, haven’t you?”

Reversing Bettyta mid-deflection and countering with an unconventional offense, I felt a strong counterforce from the Obsidian Sword before his spear even hit.

‘Sword?’

“Confusing, isn’t it?”

The fiery spear in his left hand.

And the translucent sword in his right.

“What? Never seen someone use a spear and sword together?”

Just like himself, cloaked in pitch-black flames, he wielded a spear and sword formed from fierce flames and dashed toward me while shouting.

“Oh, and this…”

Deflecting the thrusting spear and sidestepping the slicing sword aimed at my abdomen with Fortes, I pressed forward…

Suddenly, black chains erupted from his whole body.

“As the Aloadae, you understand, right?”

As if all the apparent weakness shown until now was fake and staged.

The chain network covering all positions except the ground enveloped me instantly like a net.

Vision blocked, the world swallowed me whole in pitch-black, ominous flames.

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