Chapter 110
Seere, having discovered the hero, spoke.
“According to plan.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Indeed.”
Epsilon and Celestia led their legions to scatter left and right, while Seere advanced with only a portion of the forces towards the center.
“Hmm?”
“There they are, those demon race bastards!”
“They’ve come looking for a place to die.”
As General Yannick, the rational general of the Bismarck Empire, spoke, the hero smirked.
“Underestimating your opponent can get you in trouble, General Yannick.”
“I-I didn’t intend that, General Nikolaus…no, Hero.”
“Still, they seem to be fewer in number than I expected, so we won’t be losing today.”
Saying this, the hero stepped forward to intercept a woman with white hair approaching the center.
The spear hero, Nikolaus. He was originally a general in the Bismarck Empire’s military, of the rank of Marshal. Like Schwarte, who fell six years ago, he was one of the promising talents of the empire who was chosen by the celestial deity and became a hero.
Although he was originally skilled, the spear bestows upon him a blessing far superior to that of the bow held by the former hero, Celestia.
Because of that.
“That one looks the strongest.”
Even facing the strongest opponent, he felt confident in victory. The moment the spear hero stepped forward to confront Seere, a shadow loomed from the sky.
Boom!!!
Then a massive stone statue fell behind the hero. Precisely above the heads of the soldiers and officers watching the hero advance.
The Argol that fell from the sky glared with red eyes and turned to face the hero, who had been watching him.
“Remove the intruder.”
“…Huh.”
Nikolaus, who had just been talking with General Yannick, glances at the twisted remnants of Yannick’s arm. It was indeed easy to take a human life, a precious thing.
“Longinus.”
As Nikolaus muttered, a sharp and massive spear appeared in his hand. To be precise, it was a transformation of the divine spear he had been holding.
Seeing this, Argol raised a fist and aimed to strike Nikolaus down.
Bang───!!!
However, for some reason, before Argol’s swift punch could connect, Nikolaus’s spear was thrown at Argol. Moreover, that spear…
Zzzzz!!!
Pierced through Argol’s side in one blow. Argol was taken by surprise, and Celestia, Epsilon, and Seere, who were approaching, were also vastly unsettled.
They didn’t think the first thread of their plan would unravel so quickly. Even Celestia hadn’t managed to get through Argol’s high defenses.
With Argol pierced in one strike, Nikolaus said simply.
“Seems softer than expected.”
Though it was described as being pierced, that was not the end of it. The breach created by the piercing became a fatal wound for a gargoyle-like creature.
The crack spreading from his side began to seep throughout his body, and Argol turned his gaze to see Seere approaching.
She also appeared quite flustered. Given Argol’s formidable defense, she hadn’t considered the possibility of him being pierced.
Two legions alone were not enough to handle this. Argol knew his own resilience best, which guided him to a quick judgment.
In a low voice, Argol spoke.
“…Withdraw.”
With a spear like that, Seere’s two legions would struggle to deal with it. Perhaps if he had brought the Fourth Legion, it would have been a different story.
“I will… stop you.”
Argol raised his hand high one last time. Nikolaus spoke to Argol as he did.
“That’s pointless.”
Somewhere along the line, a spear had reappeared in his hand. There was no sign of it returning; it dispersed like magic and then reconvened.
Nikolaus threw his spear again, and this time Argol’s hands were pierced and destroyed. Rocks fell in clumps, which Nikolaus easily dodged.
It was then.
Bang───!!!
“…Indeed, you are the strongest.”
At a moment when Nikolaus’s back was unguarded, Seere, who had arrived ahead of the soldiers, swung her sword. But Nikolaus swiftly blocked the strike with his regenerated spear.
Seeing his unnaturally quick reactions, Seere spoke.
“What trickery does a mere human attempt?”
“I want to tell you, it’s best not to underestimate your enemies in war.”
Even if she pressed with sheer force, Nikolaus was only slightly pushed back and was not defeated. Seere narrowed her eyes sharply and stepped back.
The moment Argol, who should have caused chaos among the human soldiers, failed, Seere’s operation was over. Celestia and Epsilon, aware of this, hesitated on the left and right flanks.
“……”
Seere raised one hand and then leaned back. Celestia and Epsilon immediately turned their troops to retreat, as did the soldiers with Seere.
Seere also neutralized all arrows and spells shot from the human soldiers and tried to fall back.
“Triaina.”
At that moment, Nikolaus’s spear transformed into a silver trident. As soon as it changed, Nikolaus threw it. His spear moved faster than imaginable, and it seemed too fast for Seere, who was focused on countering the barrage of arrows and spells to react in time.
“Hmph.”
Clang!!!
However, she did react. As she deflected the arrow that had approached closest, she simultaneously swung her sword to embed the spear into the ground.
Seeing her reaction speed, Nikolaus let out a hollow laugh as he watched Seere and the soldiers flee.
“Not chasing?”
“Looks like you intended to retreat after a while. Your fleeing will be quick. It would be hard for us to pursue in this unfamiliar terrain.”
“Understood.”
#
“…Are there any casualties?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We retreated quickly, so there are no losses.”
For the moment, Seere and the legion retreated to the 69th floor of the Demon King Castle and took a short break. Seere wiped a bit of sweat and spoke.
“Celestia, evacuate the residents of the 69th floor as much as possible.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And Epsilon.”
“Yes.”
“Send some scouts to check all portals connected to the 70th floor. We don’t know where they might be coming in.”
“Command received.”
Celestia and Epsilon both took their orders and left, and Seere leaned back against her throne, letting out a sigh.
“It isn’t human strength…”
Humans shouldn’t be able to become that strong. This wasn’t merely Seere underestimating humans, but a conclusion drawn from experience.
Just looking at Daen and Eri, who were among the strongest of humans, was enough to tell her. She had felt the same when she personally visited the human realm. Even the previous hero, Celestia, was not on such a level.
“…Was the celestial deity meddling?”
That weapon. Its performance was incomparable to that of Celestia’s. The power was great when thrown, but the risk came from needing to let go of the weapon.
But it completely erased that risk, allowing the spear to transform as it pleased. It was likely that it possessed some unique ability of the celestial deity’s weapon, just like the mysterious arrows that Celestia shot…
‘The power of each spear is something else altogether.’
Even the teacher would have been surprised if he had seen it. Seere thought that she ought to return to the 50th floor for now.
She acknowledged that it was not possible to stand against them with just two legions. Seere intended to return and reassign her forces as soon as the evacuation of the residents was completed.
“Y-Your Majesty!!”
At that moment, Erina, the vice commander of the 7th Legion, dashed in urgently. Coming in without any formal greeting, she looked extremely flustered.
Seere, usually flexible about such things, asked why. What came out of Erina’s mouth shocked Seere greatly.
“The 56th floor has been raided!”
“…What?”
“It’s the angels’ doing! It’s the Celestial Demon War!”
“Wait, what do you mean…?”
How could the angels suddenly appear on the 56th floor? The 56th floor was one of the layers Seere had never relinquished ever since her rank had increased in the demon realm council.
“No one passed through the portal; what is this nonsense!?”
“That’s all I’ve heard. It seems there’s been no proper identification of the cause…”
Seere furrowed her brows. If that were true, she had to head to the 56th floor immediately. Stopping that was the top priority.
“Your Majesty!”
Just then, another person entered the audience room. It was Zeta, the vice commander of the 5th Legion. Seeing her arrive, Seere hesitated with a thought.
“…Have they already arrived?”
“Yes, I confirmed they crossed the portal just a moment ago.”
The human forces had already arrived at the 69th floor. It made no sense. No matter how ruthlessly the 71st and 70th floors were trampled, it would still take some time to accomplish that.
But this was…
‘We have no pride left…’
It could only mean the Demon Lords had opened the way. It indicated that Dantalion and Amducias, assigned to the lowest ranks anew, had turned a blind eye to their movement.
Especially Dantalion, who had even worked under her and maintained a relationship even after the rank reassignment… it was little different from betrayal. Amducias seemed to want revenge on Seere for bringing her down.
Seere clenched her teeth and spoke.
“Erina, how is the evacuation?”
“Aah, we still need a little more time…”
Seere let out a sigh. She then spoke to both of them.
“Erina, continue the evacuation with a minimum number of personnel. Tell Celestia to bring the rest to defend the castle.”
“Yes!”
“Zeta.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Tell the entire 5th Legion to return.”
“What are your plans?”
Seere did not see the 56th floor being settled anytime soon. If the angels really had rushed that way, no matter how much leftover forces, plus the help of Citri and Gremony, it would be difficult to resolve things quickly.
That meant they needed to handle matters on their own. Or truly drag it out for a long time. Among those…
“We shall hold out.”
“Yes.”
“Endure until we can.”
She chose the second option. And at the same time, she chose another route.
“But don’t attempt to stop the hero; evade him.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll lure him. He’ll come after me anyway.”
The opposing side had already identified Seere as the key player. The hero would have deemed it crucial to bind her to bring the human forces closer to victory.
However, Zeta shook her head.
“Your Majesty, that is too dangerous. Even Argol could not endure.”
“As long as I don’t get hit.”
“Your Majesty!”
“I’m fine.”
This was the only breakthrough. To overturn the original result, the disadvantaged side must be willing to take risks. Seere gripped her sword.
“It’s an order. Do your duty, Vice Commander Zeta.”
“……Yes.”
After Zeta bowed and left, Seere wrapped her cloak around herself. It was indeed a frightening situation, and one that could be tense. It was natural to feel the urge to abandon everything and flee.
Yet this young Demon Lord did not do that. In fact, within her eyes, there was no trace of conceding to defeat.
Seere poured magic into her Voided Blood sword. Far more than necessary. The red jewel embedded in the sword began to emit light.
‘Did the teacher know what kind of sword this was?’
He probably didn’t. Seere hadn’t known it either. She became aware of this sword after defeating Krosel on the 48th floor.
He had been greatly taken aback upon seeing the Voided Blood sword, and Seere learned the truth through Krosel after the conquest.
“Devour.”
The light of the jewel flared.
“I’ll permit it.”
Then a red thread shot out from the jewel and entwined around Seere’s arm. It transformed into sharp, tiny thorns that pricked her arm.
The Voided Blood sword wasn’t just a sword. It was a weapon with a reason for its original owner, Andromalius, to hide it away in a secluded place and never use it.
The name, Voided Blood, was a misconception by Nahun due to the gemstone embedded in the sword…
“Seems to have been satisfied.”
In truth, it was called that because it truly drew blood. The Voided Blood sword began to change after consuming Seere’s blood. The red jewel moved toward the blade, dripping blood tears over the pitch-black blade.
The tears, spreading like veins, enveloped the sword. And the jewel, whose location had shifted, shattered with a loud crack. The beautiful, splendid jewel disappeared, leaving only horrid red eyes sparkling vividly.
Just like the cursed Demon Sword the teacher once wielded.
#
Except for Erina, who was performing the evacuation work, all forces entered the 69th Demon King Castle. The castle gates were closed tight, and with no resistance, the human forces quickly arrived in front of the castle.
“Have they chosen to hold out.”
Looking at how Seere’s army was responding, Nikolaus smirked and raised his spear. And his spear changed in shape.
“Longominad.”
Gripping the large white spear transformed from the divine spear, Nikolaus pulled his arm back dramatically.
“Crushing the castle walls will be enough.”
Just as he was about to throw the spear, the front gate of the 69th Demon King Castle opened. A woman stepped out from the gate. Nikolaus halted, seeing her, and soon smiled.
“Are you intending to surrender?”
“Surrender? Don’t make me laugh, human. I came out solely to face you.”
Seere drew the sword at her waist and spoke.
“I’ll make you realize how foolish these actions are with your own body.”
“Your confidence is overflowing, I see.”
As those words left his mouth, Nikolaus completed the throw of the spear he had intended earlier. The massive white spear shot forth as if from a catapult, aimed not at the castle walls but at Seere.
However, Seere remained calm. A few strands of red hair mixed within her white hair lost their color.
“Throwing defense.”
『 Anti-conjéctus 』
Boom!!!
“…Huh. Impressive.”
Nikolaus admitted honestly. His gaze fell upon Seere’s mana barrier, which had completely negated his thrown spear.
“You can’t penetrate with a throw.”
Seere aimed her sword at the hero.
“Come here yourself.”
“…Alright, fine.”
Nikolaus eagerly accepted her provocation. As he started forward, he signaled his soldiers to advance, declaring the onset of battle with his own hands.
“Trishura!”
The spear transformed into a trident. However, this time the spear had turned black. Nikolaus lunged forth, lunging at Seere with the spear.
“…!?”
But contrary to her expectation to parry, Seere turned and fled instead. As she completely turned her back and ran, Nikolaus laughed in disappointment.
“What are you trying to do?”
“If you want to fight, then you should follow me.”
Even as Seere entered the castle gate, it did not close. It seemed like it was inviting Nikolaus inside. Nikolaus narrowed his eyes and shouted.
“What a lowly bait this is!!”
Nikolaus did not enter. He stopped the soldiers who followed him, ordering them to prepare for a siege instead. It was obviously a trap.
In response, Seere halted at a distance and suddenly began to act relaxed.
“If you don’t come in, I shall do it myself?”
A few strands of her red hair lost color again. Powerful mana gathered in Seere’s hand, transforming into a massive spear’s form.
“…You.”
“I threw it like this, didn’t I?”
Seere grasped it firmly and began to chant.
“Annihilating Spear.”
『 Exítĭum Hasta 』
Then, just as Nikolaus had done moments ago, she hurled the spear with full force.
Boom──!!!
The spear, swirling with mana, collided with Nikolaus’s spear. Nikolaus deflected it, but immediately felt a tremor in his hand from the previous collision.
“It’ll be bad for you if you keep your distance.”
An obvious trap. However, just as Seere suggested, keeping distance would be disadvantageous for them. They would need to parry that strange magic that blocked ‘thrown weapons.’
“…Fine.”
“Hero!”
“I shall protect you. Move inside! Half of you, prepare for a potential siege outside!”
“Are we finally going in?”
At Nikolaus’s decision, the soldiers took the risk and entered the castle. While there were many soldiers following the hero, the problem was that if Seere’s hidden soldiers attacked, they would suffer significant damage.
“!?”
However, there was nothing inside the castle. Not even a hair of the enemy was visible. And then….
Bang!
The castle gates closed. It was not shut from inside. It was closed from the outside. Seere smiled brightly, and soon the sounds of clashing swords and humans’ screams could be heard from outside the castle.
“W-where did they come from…Kraaaah!”
“AAAH!!”
“Shit, why are we outside!?”
Nikolaus became deeply unsettled.
What trickery was this? The side holding the defense had vacated the castle and was waiting outside?
As Nikolaus panicked, unable to understand this strategy, Seere spoke, still smiling.
“I wonder how long those separated from their commander can hold out?”
Even so, half were outside. To suppress them all, it would mean all the soldiers they saw on the 72nd floor needed to be outside.
If that was the case within this castle….
“…Does that mean you are alone now?”
“Correct~♪”
Seere chuckled lightly. And as she entered the castle’s main hall, she provoked Nikolaus.
“If you manage to defeat me, the situation will reverse, won’t it?”
“…Ha!”
“Try your best~.”
Nikolaus gripped his spear and, realizing that he had been deceived, roared with anger.
“I’ll tear you apart!!”
Nikolaus followed Seere as she dashed away. The soldiers hesitated slightly but, having no other command, followed him.
Seere dashed through the corridor, slipping inside the main hall. Nikolaus, infuriated by her taunting demeanor, recklessly pursued with abandon.
And when he faced the scene, Nikolaus ended up dazed for a moment.
“Aha, so you followed me here~.”
“…What trickery is this?”
“What? What do you mean?”
Wondering what she had prepared to lure him all the way here, he found…nothing at all.
No hidden soldiers, no prepared traps…nothing. There was only one person in this main hall, Seere, all alone.
“There’s nothing. Wasn’t there supposed to be a trap or something prepared?”
“…Puhaha.”
Seere smiled lightly.
“Why would I need something like that?”
“What did you say?”
As she fled, she pulled out the sword she had tucked away. Releasing the brooch that secured her cloak with her left hand, she descended the platform.
“Your opponent is….”
Nikolaus and the soldiers were all overwhelmed by that atmosphere and found themselves unable to move. In less than a minute, the transformation in her presence emanated an immense malice.
