Chapter 175 : Demon King's Deal (1)
Demon King's Deal (1)
We weren't the only ones who were shocked by Mersaya's Dragon Tongue.
Even the opposing demonkin looked horrified at the unusual power of the Dragon Tongue.
"D-damn! That's not an ordinary dragon! Why is an ancient dragon with those guys?!"
The high-ranking demonkin seemed fine against the Dragon Tongue, but their underlings did not fare so well.
In anger at the sight of their fallen subordinates, they began to radiate magic power from their whole bodies.
'At that level... Are they count-rank demonkin?'
I wasn't completely sure, but they were at least in that league.
"Hey, what are we going to do?"
Sehenz raised his sword, standing protectively in front of Rutia. Behind him, I could see Mersaya dragging Melburn by the neck.
"It's a bit tricky. I didn't expect them to get here all at once like this."
Originally, I intended to find a good moment to slip away during the movement and then teleport via Mersaya.
But with Pandemonium right in front of us, there was no need for that now.
'Let's see...'
Checking the profile, these demonkin weren't particularly connected to the original story. Moreover, since they acted independently, it would take quite some time for reinforcements to arrive.
'They really have no teamwork.'
The extreme competition born from the law of the jungle was disrupting any unity among the demonkin. Well, that worked out in my favor.
"Let's clean them up quickly and move out."
The situation was in our favor.
But that didn't mean we had any time to waste.
Since there was no telling how long Grancesia could hold out, we had to act as soon as possible.
"Easier said than done. They don't look like easy opponents."
Sehenz muttered anxiously as he looked at the two demonkin standing at the front.
Two count-level demonkin—he wasn't wrong to be worried.
Well, if it were before, that is.
"I'll take the two up front by myself. Sehenz, Rutia, please handle the rest."
I said this and cast a glance at Mersaya behind us.
I made sure my gaze told Mersaya to keep an eye on Melburn but to help us when possible, and she seemed to understand perfectly.
"What? You'll take those two by yourself?"
Sehenz looked back at the demonkin, his shock obvious.
"No matter how I look at it, taking them alone seems impossible..."
"It's fine. Just take care of the rest for me."
"That part's easy... But, you're not the reckless type, so you must have a plan."
A plan... Not really.
"You arrogant wretch! Can you not even gauge your opponent's strength properly?!"
My calm composure must have gotten on their nerves.
As soon as they got over the effects of the Dragon Tongue, both demonkin charged at me together.
"Regret your foolishness as you die!"
Their attacks were ferocious, to say the least.
Certainly, not the kind of attacks you'd see from just anyone, even among advanced Sword Masters.
'Well, that's only if I were a normal Swordmaster.'
Maybe before, but now I had more than enough ways to handle demonkin.
'Heaven-Slaying Arms.'
And then, Crimson Blade that dyed my sword red.
The blade covered in Divine Blood and the holy power surging from all the engravings on my body instantly overwhelmed the attacking demonkin.
"Huh?!"
Slash!
The demonkin who charged first created some bizarre tentacles from his back to attack me, but those tentacles were severed in a single stroke.
Apparently, he couldn't believe his tentacles had been cut down in one blow—he recoiled, leaving a huge opening.
That opening was fatal.
"Gaaaah!"
'One.'
The arm of the demonkin who attacked first was sliced off.
He let out a pained moan, clutching the arm that burned from the Crimson Blade.
"Damn it! While I face the master of the sword, heal the wound!"
"N-no... It's not... It's not healing..."
"What!?"
That tentacle-using demonkin had formidable regeneration, but it was worthless before the Crimson Blade, empowered by the Heaven-Slaying Arms.
The Divine Blood invaded the demonkin's body, just as it did to angels when Heaven-Slaying Arms took effect.
"No, it can't be..."
Finally, the demonkin realized his companion's wound was no ordinary matter.
Unlike before, he now looked tense, unable to attack rashly.
"Don't worry. I'm here for a conversation..."
I gave him a gentle smile.
"I won't kill you."
Of course, that didn't stop his face from turning pale at my smile.
* * *
"They say the master of the sword's whereabouts are unknown..."
"Count Sedroth suspects Count Gerbellia of colluding with him."
"Nonsense, that's just ridiculous."
At the entrance of Pandemonium, the demonkin guards were chatting about the hottest rumor lately: the whereabouts of the master of the sword.
It was well-known that the human called the master of the Seven Swords Under Heaven had come to the demon realm and was defeated by Count Gerbellia.
"Why would Count Gerbellia collude with the master of the sword? He'd be throwing away all the power he gained."
"You never know. Maybe he was threatened after losing to the swordmaster?"
"That makes no sense. Even if he got all the Seven Swords, there's no way a mere human could defeat Count Gerbellia."
Even if Melburn was weaker than other count-level demonkin, he was still a ruler of the Shadow Clan that controlled Gerbellia.
Naturally, he had the strength to match and could easily destroy a small kingdom by himself.
"I heard Count Sedroth is planning to ambush Count Gerbellia near Pandemonium."
"He probably just wants to steal the credit. Since the weaker Gerbellia caught the master of the sword."
The demonkin didn't think anything of it.
It didn't matter who was right. In the demon realm, the strongest took all.
"Much work you've been doing."
As they talked, the guards at Pandemonium's entrance stiffened, seeing a familiar face approach.
"Ah! Isn't that Count Sedroth?!"
"Yes. If it's all right, I'd like to enter Pandemonium."
"Ah, have you finished your business?"
"Yes."
At the soldier's words, Count Sedroth indicated the human and demonkin behind him.
"Those two are...?"
"They're the swordmaster's companions. That demonkin woman is the collaborator."
"A-amazing! We've only heard about them in rumors. But those two should be..."
"Hmph. The traitor Melburn was in on it too. The swordmaster is planning to infiltrate Pandemonium's outskirts through the underground waterways."
"The underground waterways?"
The underground waterways of Pandemonium were like a maze. Any infiltration from there would be hard to intercept.
"I have to report to the Demon King, so I'd like you to let me through."
"Ah, understood! Please wait a moment!"
Count Sedroth pulled out his family's crest, urging them to open the gate.
The guards, startled by the situation, obediently let them enter.
"By the way... wasn't Count Harkion supposed to be here today as well?"
"Count Harkion is searching for Melburn, the runaway. The other soldiers are with Harkion."
"Ah, I see."
Given Melburn Gerbellia was from the Shadow Clan, if he wanted to escape, he'd be nearly impossible to catch.
With a nod, the soldier listened as Count Sedroth continued in a calm tone.
"Then keep watch over the demon realm's waterways as well. I'll go report to the Demon King immediately."
"Understood! We'll relay your message to the upper levels right away!"
Count Sedroth smiled in satisfaction at the soldier's strong reply. After a few procedures, he was able to enter.
His dignified gait was the very image of a noble of the demon realm.
* * *
"You're a master of acting."
As soon as we entered Pandemonium, Sehenz clicked his tongue in disbelief.
"I'm fairly good at acting."
Disguised as Count Sedroth through Mersaya's Polymorph, Clay offered a composed smile—a model noble.
"... How the hell do you know the original personality of that demonkin?"
He even knew things only Sedroth should know.
Clay's smooth handling of the questioning at the entrance amazed even Sehenz and Rutia, both seasoned mercenaries.
"Still, I noticed they didn't even try to check for Demonic Energy or anything."
"Who would dare order a count to show off his demonic energy? Just showing the crest isn't easy either. If you mess up, you could lose your head."
At Rutia's remark, Clay fiddled with Sedroth's family crest tucked in his chest.
According to her, a house crest is like life itself for titled demonkin.
'No wonder he wouldn't hand it over, even after being beaten.'
I fought him mostly with swordplay, then beat him up using Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art.
It was a bit tricky to suppress the holy power in my punches, but it was a rewarding fight.
"... But Clay, what the hell happens every time I take my eyes off you?"
"Hm?"
"I mean, is this even possible? Are you secretly a genius or what? You don't seem like some once-in-a-century prodigy, but every time a bit of time goes by, you get noticeably stronger."
It hadn't even been two years since I read my father's will.
I'd only just reached advanced-rank sword user back then, but now I was on the verge of Great Swordmaster, the supposed human limit.
I guess it did look strange from the outside.
'Now that I think about it, it really doesn't make sense.'
According to Grancesia, grand Swordmaster wasn't the end, but that was the common perception.
Only Ban Sylvest among the Seven Heroes had reached it.
Even with all sorts of fortuitous encounters, equipment, and connections, it was an absurd achievement.
Even Kisea always complained that it was unfair. I now understood why.
"We'll talk about that later. For now, getting inside the Demon King's palace is what matters."
The enormous tower at the center of Pandemonium.
No, the massive black palace shaped like a tower.
The Demon King was waiting for us inside.
"There's no way to get inside using the same method as before."
"Yeah, there's a special barrier on that pitch-black tower."
Anyone carrying Demonic Energy or hostility will trigger a signal to the Demon King and other top leaders. Our current method wouldn't work.
"But they can't tell exactly who is who."
"Right."
Because of what I said at the entrance, some of Pandemonium's forces would be searching the underground waterways. We planned to use that distraction to sneak into the tower.
"Sehenz, pair up with Rutia. I'll move separately."
"I don't need to ask if you'll be fine alone anymore, do I?"
"No. From here, it's better for us to split into two groups. Sehenz, cause a scene in the tower and then meet up with Mersaya, who's waiting outside Pandemonium. Rutia knows the way."
I could find the way by reading the profile, but Sehenz couldn't.
Luckily, Rutia had experience living as the adopted daughter of a high-ranking noble, so she'd visited the pitch-black tower before and knew the layout.
"So my job is to cause chaos as if I were you, huh?"
"Yes. They only know the master of the sword is human—they don't know what I look like."
"Perfect. Causing chaos is my specialty."
Sehenz grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
I smiled back—Sehenz always seemed like the kind of guy who'd survive no matter what.
'All right, time to go meet him.'
I calmed my racing heart as I gazed at the black tower piercing the sky.
The ruler of the demon realm, the calamity of demons—the Demon King.
This time, I'd have to face that monster alone.