Chapter 204: The Enemy of Both Worlds (1)
Karin was silent for a moment, her gaze unfocused as she considered Ketal’s question. Then, carefully, she asked, “Can you tell me exactly what the demon said?”
Ketal nodded, recalling the words with perfect clarity. “The demon said that I am the enemy of both worlds and that taking one side and opposing the other should never happen.”
It had been spoken by a demon who had recognized Ketal as a barbarian from the White Snowfield, his true origin revealed in the heat of battle.
Karin fell silent, repeating the words in her mind.
“Do you think it’s because you’re from the Demon Realm?” she asked him. “Entities from the Demon Realm don’t belong to either side. They can’t be controlled, and you can’t reason with them. All they do is disrupt the world.”
She paused, her voice uncertain. “That’s probably why you were called that.”
“But,” Ketal countered, “the demon sounded so certain. As if it wasn’t just an insult, but a kind of truth—a law of the world itself.”
He remembered the Stheno’s tone, the strange finality in his voice. He called Ketal the enemy of both worlds. The words hadn’t been flung in anger, but with a sense of unshakable certainty, as if this judgment was woven into the very fabric of reality.
“There may be something to that...” she admitted quietly. Karin fell into a contemplative silence, her thoughts tangled.
Ketal shifted, thinking aloud. “I heard something from Arkemis—a legend, really. Supposedly, there was once a great conflict between the gods and the entities of the Demon Realm. Do you know anything about it?”
Karin shook her head. “No. Only rumors and fragments of old tales. Even for me, it’s ancient history—practically legend. I’m the High Elf Queen, and I’ve lived for centuries, but that story goes so far back it might as well be myth.”
“Do you know when it supposedly happened?” Ketal pressed.