Chapter 392: The Demon Realm (3)

“What do you mean by that?”

“If you’re so curious, why don’t you prove yourself first? I haven’t surrendered yet. You’ve defeated my Demon Knights, but not me.”

Hagane gave a faint smile, gesturing at his legs. “Didn’t you say you’d cut them off?”

“I didn’t know the Demon King had a knack for wagging his tongue.”

“Well, I rule a realm. I ought to be able to wield words skillfully.”

“Even the Spirit Kings, rulers of the Spirit Realm, have made pacts with me.”

“Are you comparing me, a sovereign, to those seven spirits who can barely govern one realm? And you couldn’t even subdue all seven of them.”

Hagane raised his single-edged sword and rested it on his shoulder. “Seems that you also like running your mouth.”

Thoom...!

Tired of the empty talk, Karyl drove his foot into the ground and charged. In response, Hagane swung his sword lightly, and red tendrils surged from the blade.

“Blood Blade.”

The Demon King planted his sword into the ground, and a vast crimson pool spread out from beneath his feet.

“Everyone, retreat!”

Sensing the danger, Karyl instinctively warned his companions. They hurriedly backed away, distancing themselves from the spreading crimson.

“I’ll watch how far your strength takes you. But if I’m disappointed, you die here.”

Red tendrils shot out in all directions from Hagane’s sword, lashing through the air to ensnare everyone. Karyl remained still, watching them come.

“What are you waiting for?!”

At that moment, Miliana dashed to his side, leaping from tendril to tendril, and swung her beloved blades, Arc and Gale, with all her might.

Woosh!

The tendrils were cleaved apart, releasing a spray of red fluid.

“Focus. We didn’t follow you for protection. We’ll take care of ourselves.”

“I know,” Karyl replied with a smirk. He then shifted his gaze to Hagane, who stood in the center of the pool, and drew the sword contained within the ancient tome.

Vwoooom...!!

As Polsetia’s sword appeared, Karyl’s heart began to race.

Flash—!!

The next instant, he was gone—only to reappear before Hagane with a thunderous blast. Hagane moved on instinct, raising his sword to block and sweeping it horizontally in a fierce counter.

Whoosh!

Hagane’s sword sliced through empty air, for Karyl had vanished again. Without turning, the Demon King thrust his other hand behind him. Red tendrils rose from the pool, forming a barrier to intercept the next attack.

Shrrrrk...!!

“...!”

But not even the tendrils hit anything. Though Hagane had sensed a dark energy from behind, both thrusts had missed, forcing him to finally turn around. The tendrils were entangled on Lakna’s empty hilt.

That intense, concentrated energy had come from the sword itself. Hagane looked around frantically, trying to find Karyl. Then, the blood pool beneath his feet began to bubble, eventually erupting in a radiant golden light.

Polsetia, Arcane Book Magic—First Spell: Golden Deception

Polsetia, now submerged in the crimson pool, opened its pages in response to the concentrated power within Lakna. The ancient tome unleashed the magic of the Golden Dragon Toska, the one who had left behind the relic.

Rumble...!

Dozens of golden beams shot up, piercing through Hagane. Unlike the magic used by Toska, this light quickly shifted to a silver hue—partly due to the Platinum Dragon’s mana, but also because Karyl had infused Polsetia with Rasis’s power.

“Aaaargh...!”

It was the first time in the duel that Hagane cried out in pain. Though the Demon King writhed in agony, Karyl’s assault had only just begun.

A thin veil of mist trailed behind Karyl as biting frost poured from his blade. Hagane felt a chill down his spine. The Freezing Talon landed before him, scattering soft particles of frost.

Crack... Crack...!!

Just as Hagane was about to think he had narrowly escaped, his blood pool began to freeze over.

“Your legs.”

Stepping on the ice, Karyl crouched down and slashed with Polsetia’s sword.

The Fourth Stance: Riffle Posture

The Fifth Stance: Spirale Serpent Posture

Hagane’s leg was severed in an instant—too fast for the Demon King to see, let alone evade. The severed limb skidded across the ice, and the demon staggered before collapsing onto his back.

“This is as far as you go,” Karyl concluded. “No need to go as far as the Sixth. Being the Demon King doesn’t make you special, Hagane. At best, you’re just like the rest—a creature living on the stage built by the gods.”

With that, Karyl pointed Polsetia’s sword at Hagane.

Crunch—

He pressed his foot firmly on Hagane’s shoulder, leaning down.

“You’re quite strong.”

“That much is obvious.”

“Yet even if I die, my army of tens of millions will come for you. Are you confident you can face them?”

“Of course.”

At Karyl’s response, Hagane couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. “You truly are the one Kaye Aesir anticipated.”

“I don’t know him, so stop linking me to him. It’s annoying. I am myself, no one else.”

“Of course. You’re arrogant enough to face Narh Di Maug himself. He was never a loyal one, not even in the Mythical Era. Just as he betrayed the Bladers, it was only a matter of time before he betrayed the gods as well. Ultimately, he died at your hands. That’s all he amounted to.”

“And you’re no different.”

Karyl’s sharp retort drew a bitter smile from the Demon King.

“I shall tell you the terms of the pact.”

At that, Karyl looked at him in silence.

“Kaye Aesir made a wager with me regarding the fate of this realm. While he wasn’t necessarily the representative of humanity, his position was powerful enough to shape its future.”

“Humanity’s future? Him?”

Karyl tilted his head, unable to make sense of Hagane’s words.

“Slaying a dragon and founding an empire are no small feats, but they remain within the bounds of humanity. One cannot decide humanity’s fate without first transcending it.”

“He may have been human, but he was different.”

“Different? Sure, he was a weirdo.”

At that, Hagane gave a faint smile.

“He knew about the Oracle. Even if he didn’t know exactly when, he knew for certain it would happen.”

The Demon King lowered his voice to a whisper, so that only Karyl would hear him.

“Karyl MacGovern.”

Hagane raised himself, ignoring the wound on his neck inflicted by Polsetia’s sword. What he had to convey to Karyl was far more important than his body.

“Did you come here by crossing time?”

“...”

Karyl was taken aback by the blunt question, but his silence was enough of an answer.

“Kaye Aesir foresaw that the one to inherit the Flame Dragon’s heart after him would be someone without magic. And for that to happen, either the Platinum Dragon or his ally, Alteman, would need to be involved.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Karyl feigned ignorance, but Hanage kept talking, as though to himself, waving his hand dismissively.

“The Platinum Dragon and Alteman—only someone tied to both would come seeking out Einheri. That person would never obey the rule of time. His confidence made me laugh at first, but seeing your expression now, I stand corrected. This was his final contingency.”

Everything was exactly as Hagane said. The Platinum Dragon, who had experimented on humans, had shown interest in Karyl, and Alteman in the north was also connected to the people who lacked magic.

From the very beginning, Kaye Aesir had made sure that only a tribesman would be drawn to Einheri.

“Who told you that a dragon’s heart was hidden in Einheri? Was it the Platinum Dragon? Or was it Alteman?”

Hagane’s questions kept coming before Karyl could respond.

“It’s likely the Platinum Dragon. That slave elf isn’t bold enough to reveal that secret.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Have you never doubted it? The dragon heart hidden in the Einheri as the sole way to gain magic. How could the Platinum Dragon know it was there?” Hagane challenged. “Why would Kaye Aesir, who hunted Riseria and hid her heart in Einheri, reveal that to the Platinum Dragon? Was that just him being eccentric?”

A peculiar smile spread across the Demon King’s face. “Or was it part of some grand plan?”

“Enough with the nonsense! Just answer me. What deal did you make with him?” Karyl grabbed Hagane by the collar, clearly fed up with the drawn-out talk.

Prophecies, turning back time, the future... The Demon King was nonchalantly unveiling secrets that had been hidden until now, leaving Karyl more unsettled than when he had first learned the Platinum Dragon’s true nature.

“There was also the Wooden Cloud 250 years ago. They were weak, but they had ties to the demons. Naturally, Kaye Aesir, the empire’s Great Sorcerer, knew of them. That’s why he set a condition. If no one came to the Demon Realm, he permitted us to use the Wooden Cloud to open the gates and invade the human world.”

“You’re insane. Who gave you the right to make such a deal? You think the continent belongs to you?!” Karyl snarled, grinding his teeth.

So that was it—the demon invasion amidst the Oracle and the war against the Tarak stemmed from a 250-year-old pact.

During the war between humans and the Tarak, the demons had seized the opportunity to invade, causing catastrophic damage. Although the three-way battle meant the demons hadn’t been able to seize control of the continent, the devastation caused by the war had nonetheless been tremendous.

“So you left your own land untouched, only to come ruin someone else’s?”

“I see. So you know the future. Now I’m curious. It seems true that we invaded the continent. Tell me, do we win?” Hagane taunted.

Karyl didn’t give in to his fury. Instead, he exhaled slowly, regaining his composure. Then, he looked up at Hagane.

“No. You’re just going to die at my hands today.”

With that, he plunged both the Freezing Talon and Lakna into Hagane’s waist.

“...!”

Despite the two blades lodged in his abdomen, the Demon King’s expression didn’t waver. He only looked up at Karyl when Polsetia’s sword hovered at his neck.

“So, the demons are destined to lose. I don’t know the specifics of the prophecy... but if humans and demons are both fated to destroy themselves at the hands of the gods...”

To Karyl’s amazement, Hagane calmly grasped Polsetia’s blade with his bare hand.

“Perhaps Kaye Aesir was right. He said that my power alone wouldn’t be enough.”

Hagane’s cryptic words only spurred Karyl’s curiosity about the mysterious figure of Kaye Aesir.

Alteman... If you’ve also kept crucial things from me, I won’t forgive you.

Steeling himself, Karyl tried to wrench the sword free from Hagane’s grip.

Shhhk—!!

As he tugged on the blade, Hagane lost his fingers. Yet he showed no pain, merely licking the blood from the stumps as if savoring it.

“The desire to survive grants the power to defy fate. As a ruler of a realm, I must find a way. The Spirit Kings would feel the same.”

Karyl tried to pull the sword away, but the Demon King held onto the blade.

“Perhaps we shall seek to recreate the Mythical Era. The world of the Bladers wasn’t solely composed of humans, dragons, and spirits.”

“...What?”

“Whether you truly transcended time, I do not know. But if you aim to build a perfect future, not a failed one, then bring us along on that journey.”

“...!”

Karyl frowned, staring at Hagane wide-eyed.

“Killing me isn’t your only option. I can be your ally. As a token of my loyalty, I’ll tell you where to find the thing Kaye Aesir left behind.”

[This is unbelievable...]

[Did the Demon King truly wait to bow before him?]

[He’s lying! That one was always cunning, even in the Mythical Era. Who knows what he’s planning now!]

Each Spirit King voiced their own thoughts on the Demon King's words.

[Haha, just accept it, Karyl. The Demon King’s blood will only strengthen you. After all, you possess something far darker than any vampire out there.] Mael clicked his tongue in amusement, relishing the scene.

“Hagane.” Karyl looked down at him. “Demons drink blood, don’t they?”

“Of course. Blood is absolute power.”

“Then swear your loyalty by offering your blood to me. Will you do that?”

“Gladly.”

Hagane promptly cut his wrist with his sword. The blood flowed into the air, converging into an orb, which Karyl grasped.

Vwoom...!

The Demon King’s blood trembled, seemingly resonating with Karyl.

“Forgive me for this trial. The Demon Realm will follow you, as the humans and the spirits have.”

Everyone stared in stunned silence, swallowing hard. No one could have imagined that Karyl would come to subdue the Demon Realm only to end up seizing control of it.

“He is an astonishing man indeed...”

Gordon shook his head in disbelief, while the Great Sorcerers were lost in contemplation, still mulling over the enigma of Kaye Aesir.

“Now, the three realms will be yours.” Satisfied, the Demon King smiled, looking up at Karyl in reverence. “O King of the Three Realms.”

His declaration of allegiance was heard clearly by all, though some of them could hardly believe their ears.

“Alright. In return, I will grant you the taste of divine blood.”

Karyl’s eyes sparkled as he consumed the orb in his hand.