Chapter 391: The Demon Realm (2)

“Did you just say,

Kaye Aesir

?”

Karyl murmured the name of the sorcerer from 250 years ago, his gaze fixed on the Demon King.

“Truth be told, I’m surprised to learn that he came here. But for you, a race that supposedly worships strength above all else, to make a pact to him... I suppose I should assume that you’ve submitted to him?

At that, the Demon King gave a dry chuckle. “Think what you will.”

“In that case, the Demon Realm isn’t that impressive. You ultimately lost to one human.”

Though he spoke with confidence, Karyl hadn’t forgotten how fearsome the demons of his past life had been. Although he now possessed the hearts of two dragons and had gained power surpassing theirs, the others were different.

No matter how exceptional Kaye Aesir was, he couldn’t have had the same fortuitous encounters as Karyl.

A sorcerer who reached the peak of magic 250 years ago... but I know of Great Sorcerers from the Magical Era. Magic flourished in that era more than 250 years ago. No matter how I think about it, it’s hard to see Kaye Aesir as significantly superior to Allen

.

And that only spurred Karyl’s curiosity.

An 8th Class sorcerer was certainly remarkable, but even granting Kaye Aesir the highest regard, could he really have matched Allen Javius at his peak? Could he alone have stood against the Demon King and his knightly demons?

Karyl felt it was unlikely. And yet, it seemed that Kaye Aesir had managed to form a pact with the Demon King.

I don’t know the details yet, but...

He shifted his gaze back to the Demon King. Despite the provocation, Hagane remained calm in the face of their looming duel.

The Demon King gestured to Agares, one of the Four Demon Knights. Agares bowed, presenting a massive single-edged sword to his king. Then, he cast a cold glance at Karyl.

“...?”

When their eyes met, Agares was startled by the fury in Karyl’s gaze. Strangely, Karyl seemed more enraged with Agares than with his true opponent, the Demon King.

When the Oracle had been prophesied and demons flooded from the Blood Cave amidst the war against Tarak, the humans suffered devastating losses. And it was Agares, the First Knight, who had led that vanguard of demons.

Naturally, Karyl was itching to cut Agares down right then and there.

“Well, you’ll be next after that guy.”

Agares tilted his head slightly, utterly confused by Karyl’s attitude toward him.

“Come,” Hagane urged, planting the single-edged sword into the ground. With that, the beetles swarmed to cover his body entirely, as if ready to tear into him.

Crunch...!!

As they enveloped him, sharp protrusions emerged from his pale face. The shells of the insects seemed to act as the Demon King’s armor. A red gleam flashed through the gap in his helmet, as if to signal he was ready for bloodshed.

“You sure like to talk.” Karyl covered his mouth as he yawned, seemingly tired of this prelude.

CLANG...!

The next instant, their swords clashed.

“...!!”

“...!!”

Neither the Demon Knights nor Karyl’s companions could tell when the two had engaged, for the clash had happened in the blink of an eye.

Boom...!!

Bang!! Bang!!!

Only the smoke rising in the air marked their presence.

Shrrkk...!!

Twisting midair, Karyl spread Polsetia with his other hand and reached into it. In response, Hagane gripped his single-edged sword with both hands and slashed downward.

“It’s too early to take that out.”

Karyl was forced to release Polsetia to protect his wrist. In the next instant, Hagane redirected his downward slash at a sharp angle, aiming straight for Karyl’s neck.

In response, Karyl gripped Lakna and assumed a stance.

The First Stance: Crown Posture

As he parried Hagane’s sword, Karyl made half a stride forward, slashing at Hagane’s waist. Though he had failed to summon Polsetia’s blade, the mana of the Platinum Dragon had flowed from the ancient tome into Lakna.

The silver-gray blade now glinted with such clarity that it almost seemed transparent.

Slash!

The armor encasing Hanage shattered instantly. Karyl’s blade managed to cut through the demon’s waist.

Boom...! Bang! Bang!

Karyl threw Polsetia into the air and gripped Lakna with both hands. In that moment, wings burst from the sword in a flash of light before folding back into the blade. Its silver-gray edge now radiated a dazzling white.

“...”

As Karyl summoned the energy of Rasis, one of the Two Powers, Hagane simply stared at him with a slightly stiff expression, ignoring the gash in his waist.

Karyl darted through the air in a fierce zigzag, closing in fast. Then, twisting mid-flight, he swung in a wide arc, aiming to sever Hagane’s head cleanly.

But then—

“Stop...!!”

Agares thrust his blade between them, blocking Karyl. The next moment, Prokel swung his spear at Karyl’s back as he hung in the air.

Redshell, with his severed leg, threw a punch, and Gorgon, the last of the Four Demon Knights, aimed to cut down Karyl with a massive greatsword, taller than himself.

In the blink of an eye, Karyl was surrounded. The flurry of blows closed in like a tightening web, a clear sign that the Demon Knights had cast aside their pride, going all out just to stop him in his tracks.

“Watch out!”

Miliana hurriedly cast her magic, causing scales to emerge on her arms and legs. Hwarin also intervened, drawing out the Lycan’s Will hanging around her neck.

“...!!”

But before they made their move, both looked up at the sky in shock.

Thud!

Karyl turned toward Agares—the first to try and block his blade—and drove his foot into his face. Without pause, he angled Lakna downward and plunged the blade into Agares’s collarbone.

Crack...!

As Lakna’s blade emitted light, Agares’s body started to disintegrate, as if reduced to ash under the sun.

Karyl swung his sword upward from Agares, shattering Proke’s spear. He spun around to snatch the spear blade and drove it straight into Gorgon’s thigh.

Thud!

He then grabbed Agares’s sword, still hovering in the air, and plunged it into Prokel’s chest. Unable to withstand the tremendous mana, Prokel was flung back.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“Ghaaaah...!!”

A deathly scream escaped the demon’s lips.

Without breaking momentum, Karyl dodged Redshell’s punch, grabbed the back of his neck, and drove him straight into Gorgon’s forehead.

Both demons plummeted to the ground with a thunderous crash.

THUD!

As he landed, Karyl stepped on the two demons and extended his hand forward. In response, the Freezing Talon embedded in Hagane’s throne flew back into his grasp.

Swish...!

With two swift, decisive motions, Karyl drove the Freezing Talon into the backs of the fallen Demon Knights, making sure they wouldn’t stand back up.

“Impressive.”

“They died in vain, all because of your weakness,” Karyl sneered, casually flicking his sword free of Gordon’s blood.

“They’re loyal,” Hagane responded, slowly descending.

“That just proves you’re an incompetent king. Naturally, those who fall to a mere human sorcerer don’t amount to anything.”

“A sorcerer, you say....”

At that moment, a strange smile crept onto Hagane’s face. As he extended his hand, the bodies of the fallen Demon Knights started glowing, one after the other.

Sssss...!!

They vanished, and the orbs left behind surged into Hagane, as though they were soul stones.

[Looks like they shared their power with him,] Allen warned Karyl.

“You stored the Platinum Dragon’s heart in Polsetia, but it seems you didn’t tap into its memories, like you did with the Flame Dragon’s heart,” Hagane remarked.

“Its memories?”

“Since you devoured the Flame Dragon’s heart, you likely glimpsed some fragments of her memories. If you could also see the Platinum Dragon’s memories, perhaps some of your questions would be answered.”

Hagane gave a light shrug.

“Perhaps that’s fate. You can’t get an answer to everything, even if the answer is right before you. But with the clues you have, you may be able to discern what that human has left behind here.”

Everything Karyl knew about Kaye Aesir came from Riseria’s memories.

Is there something I’ve missed...?

Reflecting on Hagane’s words, Karyl recalled his memories once more.

As he cast magic, Kaye Aesir’s hand turned a deep crimson, as if seared by fire.

Riseria watched him in silence.

Vwooom...!!

A sword appeared in the red hand—a strange sight, given that sorcerers usually wielded staffs. The green gemstone in its hilt pulsed brightly, seemingly absorbing Kaye’s fiery energy.

“...!”

Recalling that moment, Karyl looked at the Demon King. Hagane gestured lightly, as if expecting him to continue.

Some sorcerers did use swords on occasion, but it was usually because they were still at a lower stage of magic and needed a weapon for self-defense.

However, Kaye Aesir was different. Though Karyl had been captivated by the layered magic, he couldn’t overlook the fact that Kaye had split Riseria’s breath with a sword.

“There’s no way...”

“I left three of my relics in the human realm when I made a pact with him. An exchange has to be equal. If I left something, he must have left something here as well.”

The Demon King gave Karyl a meaningful look.

“Kaye Aesir’s essence...”

Karyl hadn’t given it much thought. As he already possessed relics from the Mythical Era, a sorcerer’s lingering essence didn’t mean much to him.

He already held Polsetia, an ancient tome considered the pinnacle of magic. But if what Kaye had left behind was valuable enough for the Demon King to forge a pact with a human, that would change everything.

“One more question. Why do you all assume he was a sorcerer? Who called him a sorcerer first? Was it you? Or was it you?”

“...What?”

Karyl’s eyes widened as he stared at Hagane. He looked as though a hammer had struck him in the back of the head.

“Kaye Aesir never once called himself a sorcerer. It was merely those around him who called him that,” the Demon King revealed with a smirk.