Chapter 191
In response to Nahun’s worried mutterings, Ersha spoke up.
“You can just go back, Nahun.”
“It’s because of that holy sword that it won’t happen.”
“Then can’t we just take a portal back?”
“The issue is where we are.”
The problem was where the three of them, including Nahun, had fallen. It would be fine if this was a place where they could easily return through a portal, but there was the possibility that it was not.
For example…
‘Those guys who have had a good hit on me already…’
Or it could be a layer hostile to Seere and the Devata forces. It was important to figure out where they were first.
“Let’s move quickly.”
If they delayed, who knew how Seere would react? Thinking this, Nahun summoned a Massu first.
“Behemoth.”
“Moo.”
Then a small elephant appeared. Iris’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the cute Massu. Nahun warned Iris.
“He’s a fierce one. Don’t touch him for no reason.”
“Oh, yes….”
“Behemoth, do you think the time axis is tangled up like last time?”
“Moo.”
Behemoth shook his head. Nahun felt relieved. It seemed they didn’t have to worry about having lost a lot of time. It looked like only the coordinates had been tangled.
Nahun sighed in relief.
“It doesn’t look like there’s a chance of confinement…”
He felt a little more relaxed. However, if they didn’t return quickly, no one knew how Seere would behave again.
No, it would probably have been better not knowing. But Nahun could easily envision what situation would unfold, as if a picture were drawn out in front of him. Nahun felt the cold sweat trickle down as he said.
“…For now, let’s move. Let’s figure out where we are first.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, yes!”
They planned to move past the barren land until they came across a city or village. If they reached a village, they could ask what layer they were on, which would tell them where they had fallen.
As Nahun was moving forward, Ersha spoke.
“Nahun.”
“What is it?”
“I think I might know where we are.”
“…What? How?”
Ersha glanced around and replied.
“It feels oddly familiar when I look around. I thought about it for a moment… ”
Nahun’s eyes widened. Looking back, Ersha had lived with the original Demon Kings when they ruled the Demon World a long time ago. So, it made sense for her to be familiar with the layers ruled by the original Demon Kings….
“If we’re speaking of the original Demon Kings…”
One of the last remaining of the original Demon Kings currently.
“This is the 5th layer.”
It was the ruling layer of Marbas von Gatte. Nahun clicked his tongue in dismay. He thought they were in quite a difficult situation. This was because….
“Ersha, didn’t you have a pretty bad relationship with Marbas?”
“It happened because I was helping you last time, Nahun. And it won’t be easy for you either.”
It was because they were the ones who had caused Marbas to fall from the Nobilis faction. As a result, the power of the Nobilis faction had drastically weakened.
Furthermore, there was also the incident where Nahun had threatened Marbas’s second-in-command, Morax… it was clear how Marbas would treat them now.
The only silver lining was that Morax had perished during the Heavenly Demon War, so it was low likelihood that Marbas would know the full details.
Nahun slapped his forehead.
“This is why they say karma exists.”
He quietly pondered. If he were to sort out the members again from Marbas’s perspective… there was one person who threatened Marbas himself, one who had threatened his successor, and one human who wasn’t even a demon.
“…No matter how you think about it, it’s a combination that won’t be welcomed, right?”
“With Nahun in your current state, you can’t pressure Marbas. The Massus too… Marbas will have his hands full.”
“Yeah….”
If all three were present, it might be a different story, but Leviathan was currently with Seere. Besides, the Massus had no reason to fight to the death for Nahun since he was weakened now.
“I guess there’s no choice.”
“What are you planning to do?”
Nahun laughed as if it were absurd. He looked at the pudding box he was holding in his hand and said to Ersha and Iris.
“We’re going to sneak in.”
#
At that time, when Nahun had mistakenly fallen to the 5th layer, Seere was frowning heavily. More than an hour had passed since receiving word that Nahun would come, but he had not shown up.
There was not even news about his delay. It was as if he had vanished like before. Seere contacted the Demon King Castle, but the only reply was that “Nahun has departed with his aide.” Moreover….
“Where on earth did he take my pudding?!”
The fact that the pudding was in Nahun’s possession made it even worse. If there had been some snacks, they might have been able to wait a bit more comfortably.
“He disappears without a word again….”
At Seere’s gloomy voice, Veronica, who was nearby, spoke.
“Sir… I mean, Nahun, where could he have gone? If he does this again, he knows very well what will happen next. Could there perhaps be something unavoidable?”
“There were circumstances back then.”
“…Ah.”
Veronica fell silent, thinking her mouth was too loose. Just then, as Seere was still slightly frowning, someone called out.
“Your Majesty!”
“Captain Lin?”
Veronica responded to Seere instead of her, who was in a bad mood. Lin briefly observed Seere’s state and then looked at Veronica as if asking why.
“Nahun hasn’t arrived….”
“Your Majesty, that’s not the important part right now.”
“…Is something wrong?”
“The enemy is approaching.”
“…What?”
It had only been a day since Celestia had harassed the retreating forces of the 44th and 43rd layers. And now, enemies were appearing?
“What do you mean? Are those who retreated coming back?”
“…No, they are new ones.”
“An alliance?”
It referred to Sabnack, Sephar, and Phynox, who Seere had not yet shattered. However, Lin’s response was different.
“No, it seems they are from a higher ground.”
“……What?”
“It looks like Sephar and Sabnack from the Nobilis faction have drawn in Garp, which is from the 32nd layer. There are flags that resemble Garp’s forces, and we missed the remnants of their defeated troops alongside them.”
Garp. The Demon King who ruled the 32nd layer, just one rank lower than Asmodeus, who was called the last defense of the upper-tier Demon Kings.
Although Garp was only one step away from being classified as a top-tier Demon King, he lacked the strength and influence to be included among them.
Still, as a Demon King positioned at such a high level as the 32nd layer, he was a being of a significantly different power and influence compared to the Demon Kings Seere had faced so far.
“There’s still some distance. We can retreat momentarily or prepare.”
Lin asked Seere.
“What will you do?”
“What’s the enemy troop count?”
“It exceeds three times our forces. Approximately 20 legions are approaching.”
“That’s a lot.”
Seere pondered. Should they retreat now and plan for the future? Or should they fight back? The deliberation didn’t take as long as anticipated.
“I will raise my rank.”
“…Yes.”
“Retreating from this battle could have ripple effects.”
It was an obvious statement. If they withdrew simply because of the invasion of a 32nd-ranked Demon King and a coalition of Demon Kings in the 40s, it would be seen as merely an accident that they managed to defeat the Heavenly forces during the Heavenly Demon War.
“We fight.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“32nd rank Demon King Garp… I don’t know how strong he is, but….”
Seere remembered Jepar, who had perished in the Heavenly Demon War. At that time, she had fought him fairly evenly.
“Let’s do it. My Teacher will be back, so I must hold my position.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
As Lin bowed her head, Veronica also lowered her head.
“I will prepare for defense.”
“No.”
“What?”
“Let’s engage in a decisive battle, just like with Belial.”
“…The numerical difference is too great. Unlike with Belial, we are on our own here. Is it possible for His Highness Citrin and His Highness Gremony to come immediately?”
“No, I haven’t contacted them.”
“Then what do you intend to do, Your Majesty?”
“It’s alright. We can reduce the difference in numbers.”
“What?”
Seere glanced behind her slightly and spoke quietly.
“Levi.”
When she called out to him in a gentle voice, a black mist stirred. Then, a small white whale appeared, playfully swishing its tail.
“Puu.”
“Can you help me? If you don’t want to, it’s fine.”
Leviathan looked at Seere for a moment. If this were in the past, such a formidable Massu wouldn’t have listened to her, but….
“Puuuu.”
This was no longer the case. Leviathan had sufficient reason to aid Seere, who had developed a special bond with its master. After Leviathan circled cheerfully around Seere in affirmation, she smiled happily.
“Thank you. Because of you, I can hold my ground until the Teacher comes back.”
“Puu!”
Lin was taken aback, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Seere training the Massu, but then she smiled contentedly.
“I understand. I will prepare.”
“Okay.”
With Lin and Veronica stepping back, Seere sat for a moment. Since Leviathan wasn’t floundering, it seemed Nahun hadn’t evaporated like before. There was a high possibility that something had gone wrong, preventing his return for the moment.
“You’re making me wait alone again.”
Seere muttered.
“When you come back, I won’t let you off easily.”
Seere stood up holding her sword. Leviathan circled around her, slowly following behind. As Seere left her tent, she spoke to her sword.
“Feed.”
Then, the red gemstone embedded in her blood blade extended red tendrils that entwined around her arm. It transformed into sharp, small thorns that pricked her arm and drained her blood.
The red gemstone descended. The vein-like strands intertwined with the pitch-black blade. Blood tears dripped down the obsidian blade.
The red gemstone shattered with a pop, and there, where the pretty gemstone had been, grotesque and endless eyes glimmered.
“Let’s go.”
“Puu.”
#
“…Ersha, can you see it?”
“Yes.”
Nahun, Ersha, and Iris were now secretly hiding and watching the portal. Unlike the majority of lower layers that had light security, the upper layers had strict guards, as there was a need to prepare for invasions from other layers and maintain order.
In particular, entering these top ranks of Demon Kings’ layers was not easy; there were even entrance examinations. Therefore, naturally….
“How do we get in?”
They couldn’t just pass through. After pondering for a while, Iris hesitantly spoke up.
“Could we just kill them all and go in?”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“I-I’m sorry…!”
While there was indeed a carefree method of rampaging and using the portal, who would take responsibility for the aftermath?
“Sneaking in also seems too dangerous.”
“Right.”
Hearing the conversation between Ersha and Nahun, Iris spoke.
“If we get caught now, it will be a big problem…?”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t know what they will do to us.”
“What?”
“They might… forcibly bind us and threaten us… or use us as playthings….”
“Please stop with the headache-inducing thoughts.”
What on earth had Iris been exposed to that caused her thoughts to run in this direction? Nahun sighed deeply at the realization of how she had become a hero, and just then, the portal they were watching activated.
“Eh?”
Nahun then saw. A trading group was receiving an entrance examination and passing smoothly. Upon seeing that, Nahun’s mind sparked with an idea.
“Ah.”
“Nahun?”
“Yes, that’s a method we could use.”
Why had he forgotten this? Nahun immediately stepped out and left the spot, with Ersha and Iris following him with puzzled expressions.
“Where are you going, Nahun?”
“To send a letter.”
“What?”
“There’s someone who can safely take us to the 44th layer.”
There was a massive trading group in the Demon World that Nahun had been dealing with from the past to the present as part of his business endeavors. Naturally, because they traveled all over the Demon World, they were also trusted by the Demon Kings.
“It’s been a while, Bernet.”
Nahun smiled widely.
