Chapter 199
“…A demon?”
Phynox asked in surprise, and Sephar, who had appeared lifeless moments ago, changed his expression upon hearing the word.
“Are you saying you came from Hell!?”
“Yes, they say they are the minions sent by the great Taumiel….”
“Ta, Taumiel?”
The great demon Taumiel, who ruled the sixth klipah of the Tree of Evil, Klifirot. He had appeared during the great celestial war long ago, instantly slaying Yopiell, the vanguard of the Celestial Realm at that time, and leading the war to victory.
Phynox couldn’t hide his astonishment and bewilderment at the mention of being sent by him.
“No, why would he help us?”
“According to what General Ariana conveyed, ‘someone’ is breaking the rules of Hell and interfering with the Demon World, so they came to punish them.”
“…Interfering from Hell?”
Phynox and Sephar looked at each other. It wasn’t clear, but there was one thought that arose in their minds simultaneously.
That gigantic, overwhelming whale-like monster. Sephar then shouted as if realizing something.
“That’s right! I was wondering where Seere von Debata got such a monster!!”
“But… if that monster is from Hell, it means Seere von Debata has been to Hell.”
“That’s true!”
“Does that even make sense? There’s only one place in the Demon World from which you can reach Hell.”
“…The first layer?”
The first layer. It was merely the story that Beelzebub von Deus ruled over that place. Thus, it naturally connected to the notion that Beelzebub had permitted her entry. If that’s the case…
“W-What if Beelzebub is… watching over her?”
“Somehow, he was leading the third army in the celestial war as well. In the end, even when they decided to handle things among themselves, the higher-ups seemed to accept it too easily.”
“Everything is connecting…”
If Beelzebub was indeed watching over Seere von Debata, then even if they won this fight, it would still be a problem. The overwhelming fear imposed by the entity known as Beelzebub von Deus made Phynox and Sephar consider giving up the fight, such thoughts even creeping into their minds.
At that moment, a shadow appeared behind the messenger, and a youthful voice was heard.
“Why are demons so frightened these days?”
“…!”
“Who is it?”
“Didn’t this guy deliver the message?”
As he stepped forward, the shadow receded, revealing reddish hair. With long hair and a slender figure, one might momentarily mistake him for a female, but his clearly visible Adam’s apple indicated he was male.
“A demon has arrived.”
“So, you are….”
“I am Mephistopheles, sent by the great ruler, Taumiel of the sixth klipah.”
Phynox and Sephar were taken aback at the name Mephistopheles. That name was quite famous in the Demon World. He was one of the closest aides to the great demon Taumiel.
While Phynox felt joy at the fact that he was here to help, he also had a quizzical thought.
“Is this something a person like you should be involved in…?”
“Well, my master sensed something. He said he felt a very strong and ominous magical power nearby.”
Ominous magical power. Upon hearing that, Sephar immediately thought of Seere von Debata’s magic.
“If that’s the case, then Seere von Debata is indeed….”
“That’s something we need to investigate from now on.”
“What if there is a connection?”
“What do you mean?”
Mephistopheles slowly raised his hand. A cool and oppressive magical power began to flare up and then extinguished above his hand.
“It must be dealt with according to the rules.”
“…There will likely be a secondary invasion soon.”
“Really? The timing is just right.”
Mephistopheles spoke with a satisfied smile.
“If it turns out there’s a connection, you’re going to have to assist me well. If you don’t cooperate…”
“…Of course.”
“I will cooperate.”
“Good. You seemed a bit cowardly earlier, but you’ve redeemed yourself.”
At that moment, the sound of allied magic cannons firing was heard, prompting Phynox, Sephar, and Mephistopheles to rush outside.
“What’s happening!”
“The enemy invasion has begun, Your Majesty!”
The secondary invasion by Seere von Debata had begun.
—
“Already…!”
“It’s good that they’re not stalling.”
Mephistopheles stepped forward, wanting to see the front lines of Seere von Debata’s forces with his own eyes. However, he couldn’t help but tilt his head.
“…Huh? Why is that here?”
The giant white whale before him was a mass that demons living in Hell could not possibly be unaware of. Mephistopheles slightly frowned.
“The end demon, Leviathan… Why is it here?”
Knowing who his master was, Mephistopheles didn’t recklessly intervene. He kept an eye on the creature for a moment, first checking if its master was nearby. At least he could not see anyone in sight.
If that were the case, the power of the great entity that owned that mass should have been felt, but that was absent as well. Mephistopheles could not hide his confusion and glanced at Leviathan, which seemed poised to charge.
“I’ll block it this time, so assist me as much as you can.”
“Yes?”
“You can block it?”
“Are you fools? I just said I would!”
Mephistopheles gathered a deep blue magical power in his hands.
—
As Leviathan roared and began its charge, Mephistopheles leaped from the battlements, spreading his wings. Phynox and Sephar, witnessing the sight of four massive wings unfolding, commanded their soldiers.
“Prepare for bombardment!”
“Prepare arrows as well! We’re assisting him!”
Leviathan’s charge did not cease. It saw Mephistopheles jumping down from the walls, but it didn’t seem to care. Mephistopheles responded with a remark.
“Hey, if you underestimate me too much, it’ll be a shame.”
He gathered the deep blue magic that swelled in his hands.
“Compared to your master, it may be trivial…”
The gathered magic spread out like a massive shield.
“I can block your simple charge.”
『 Moenia 』
KWAANG!!!
Leviathan crashed forward with tremendous force. However, just as Mephistopheles had claimed, the powerful charge of Leviathan could not break through his barrier and was halted. Leviathan, annoyed by the fact, opened its mouth wide.
“Ah~ Are you mad?”
Mephistopheles grinned.
“If that’s the case, then call your master.”
Something appeared in Mephistopheles’ grasp. It was a large, sharp pair of scissors. Not just any scissors, but a peculiar creation made of a transparent gemstone.
The scissors were imbued with Mephistopheles’ formidable magic. Leviathan, too, gathered its power not to swallow him but began to accumulate its own magic.
Imitating a dragon’s breath, Mephistopheles was slightly startled but quickly regained his relaxed smile as he swung the scissors.
“Cut.”
『 Segméntum 』
At the same time, a magical cannon was fired from Leviathan’s mouth.
KWAANG───────!!
With a tremendous roar, a gigantic shockwave erupted and swept through the area. Phynox and Sephar, who had been on the battlements, had no choice but to crouch down to avoid being knocked over from the impact.
On the other hand, Mephistopheles, who took on that powerful magical cannonhead-on, remained unscathed. And strangely enough, Leviathan was unharmed too.
“…What’s this all about?”
At that moment, a woman had intervened between them. With narrowed blue eyes and a pair of straight horns growing from her flowing white hair, Mephistopheles couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Are you the likes of a demon king trying to stop me?”
Although Mephistopheles made a blatant disdaining remark, she remained completely unfazed and spoke softly.
“I will handle your opponent.”
It was none other than Seere von Debata, the greatest enemy of Phynox and Sephar.
“Ha! You insolent wretch!”
Mephistopheles instantly closed the blades of the scissors, attempting to shatter her sword, but as if she had sensed it in advance, Seere deftly withdrew her sword and kicked him instead.
Mephistopheles blocked her kick with one arm and staggered backward. He couldn’t help but smile awkwardly at the stinging sensation in his forearm.
“What, are you? A demon king ranked 40th… at most you’re middle-tier, right? But this power…”
Mephistopheles noticed that the Leviathan had vanished.
“Could it be that the great one is behind you?”
Even as he asked, Mephistopheles was half in doubt. There was no reason for the great entity to assist a mere demon king, and if so, no matter how powerful and great the being was, other great beings wouldn’t allow it.
However, there was a fact that neither Mephistopheles nor his master Taumiel knew. The great demon behind Seere had made a pact with the great lord of Hell, Taumiel.
Seere spoke to Mephistopheles.
“You don’t need to know, demon.”
“…Well, that’s convenient. It seems you’ve broken the rules of Hell… it looks like I’ll have to dispense justice.”
Mephistopheles opened the blades of the scissors, aiming them at Seere.
“I’ll listen to the details after I take you down.”
“…Who are you to say that?”
From Seere’s sword, red thorns extruded, entangling around her arm. At that sight, Mephistopheles raised an eyebrow.
“A cursed sword? Why do you have that….”
The sword that had ensnared her arm began to drain Seere’s blood, revealing her true form. The red eyes glimmered as they fixated on Mephistopheles.
“…The cursed sword and the monstrosity have, strangely, overwhelming power.”
Mephistopheles flapped his enormous wings and spoke.
“Indeed, someone behind you, whether it be that great one or another… someone from Hell is involved.”
And a deep blue magic surged from Mephistopheles’ entire body.
“I will defeat you and find out.”
“If you can.”
It was the moment when the two powerful beings, a demon king and a demon, clashed.
—
In truth, this turn of events was Nahun’s intention.
‘Mephistopheles….’
He regarded him as the perfect opponent. As a stepping stone for Seere’s growth. According to Ersha, he was the right-hand aide of the great demon Taumiel… known also as Beelzebub.
“A powerhouse on par with a great demon?”
“Yes. While he’s not stronger than the great demon, he is among the best among demons.”
“Then he must be of a similar level to my monstrosity.”
“That’s how it can be seen.”
Seere herself had claimed that she could eliminate a monstrosity on her own. This battle between the demon and Seere could verify whether that claim was true.
Moreover, it was certain that this opponent would grant Seere further growth. How often would an opportunity for such a strong adversary present itself?
Thus, Nahun chose not to intervene and advised Seere to confront him. There were reasons she couldn’t fight unless her chains were released, but this was a golden opportunity for Seere to gain experience.
“I can’t wait.”
Nahun was always truly invested in Seere’s growth.
