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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 337: All-Out War (2)
The Demon King.
The moment Ketal heard that name, his heart trembled.
It wasn't out of tension, anxiety, or fear.
It was excitement and anticipation.
The Lord of Evil.
The Absolute Ruler of Hell.
Master of all demons and adversary of the gods.
A being often portrayed as the final villain in fictional works, possessing the power and dignity worthy of such a role.
The same appeared to be true in this world.
During the Great War between Gods and Demons, the Demon King appeared just as the gods were seizing victory and inflicted catastrophic damage.
Only after countless gods had died were they able to seal the Demon King—a being on an entirely different level.
The demons were preparing for the Demon King's descent.
But there was something strange.
"Is that even possible for the demons right now?"
The demons had suffered irreparable damage.
Summoning Necronovix alone must have consumed no small amount of sacrifice, and even that Necronovix had been killed.
It was hard to believe they had the resources left to summon the Demon King.
Kalosia replied.
[If they offer enough sacrifices, it's not impossible. And Hell has such sacrifices.]
"…The Lords of Hell, then."
The Abyss was blocking celestial intervention.
Caliste was waiting on the ground to kill those who had come.
And the Mother of All Demons, Materia, was preparing for the Demon King's descent.
Ketal whistled softly.
"They're bleeding themselves dry."
[Even if half of Hell is consumed to summon the Demon King, they believe that once he descends, the tide of the war will be completely overturned.]
And that belief was correct.
The Demon King possessed that kind of power.
[The good news is that summoning the Demon King takes considerable time. We must attack Hell immediately.]
Kalosia spoke in a grave voice.
They had to stop it before the Demon King descended.
[If it descends, the world will be shaken to its core. Due to the Abyss's interference, I can't intervene directly, but I can assist through my followers. I will help as much as possible.]
"Hmm. The Demon King, huh."
Ketal savored the alluring name.
At that moment, unease flickered in Caliste's eyes.
[…Please. I truly beg you. Once this is over, I'll take you to the Heavens or wherever you wish.]
"Don't worry so much. It's not that I don't have desires, but I have no intention of distorting the world to fulfill them."
Ketal shook his head.
"Instead, once everything is over, I'd appreciate it if you kept your promise."
[Don't worry. Even if the Pantheon opposes it, I will not back down.]
"That's enough for me."
Ketal laughed heartily.
The news spread quickly.
Gods who could now intervene on the surface sent revelations to their saints and saintesses.
With pale faces, they stammered as they relayed the message.
They had to head to Hell.
They had to stop the Demon King's descent.
Preparations for all-out war began.
The preparations themselves were swift.
Most of their forces were already gathered near the elven sanctuary to defend against attacks from Hell.
According to the Tower Master and Helia, who had scouted Hell, surviving in Hell was difficult for anyone below first-class strength.
Only superhuman-level warriors began to gather.
During this process, Ketal noticed some familiar faces.
"Oh! Cain!"
"K-Ketal?"
It was Swordmaster Cain.
Ketal's first encounter with a superhuman-level warrior.
Ketal approached him with a pleased smile and greeted him, while Cain, despite his surprise, returned the greeting.
"You survived! How have you been?"
"What's there to say? I fought evil, as always. …You've completely changed since I last saw you."
Cain looked at Ketal with a newfound expression.
The last time he had seen Ketal was when they had set out to reclaim the sanctuary swallowed by demons.
Even then, Ketal had been well-known.
While not widely recognized, those who knew, knew of him.
But now, Ketal was on an entirely different level.
People walking by glanced at Ketal.
Their eyes were full of admiration and reverence.
Ketal was now like a hero.
There was no one on the surface who didn't know his name.
"You've come far."
"Don't worry. You are still my teacher."
"Please, for the love of everything, don't say that in front of others."
Cain desperately pleaded, but Ketal simply laughed heartily without answering.
Afterward, Ketal called Piego for the first time in a long while.
[It's been a while. I was really enjoying the peace of not being summoned. I suppose that's over now.]
"Sorry for not calling you. You wouldn't have been much help, though."
Considering the level of enemies Ketal had been facing, even a top-level superhuman spirit had been of little use.
It had felt wasteful to summon him given the cost.
But now, thanks to the cooperation of the Spirit God, he could summon spirits without any loss.
[In that case, I guess I have no choice. Still, thank you for summoning me now. Attacking Hell, is it? I can't miss such an opportunity.]
Piego muttered in an excited voice.
Ketal grinned.
"I'll call on you more often from now on. Sorry about before."
[No, there's no need for that.]
Piego refused vehemently.
More and more powerful warriors gathered.
Elves.
Dwarves.
Dragons, vampires, and even surviving faeries.
Every strong being on the surface began to assemble.
Ketal watched them with shining eyes.
But not everyone had shown up.
One group was conspicuously absent.
The Tower Master clenched his fists with a grinding sound.
[That damn emperor.]
"Is the Empire still not moving?"
[No. They haven't responded to any messages. Even when approached directly, we haven't been able to see the emperor's face.]
Despite the enormous crisis of the Demon King's descent, a situation that even the gods were cooperating to stop, the Empire remained silent.
No, this wasn't the first time.
The Empire had also remained silent during the demon invasion of the surface and the summoning of Necronovix.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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[What on earth are they thinking?]
The Tower Master muttered irritably.
Ketal stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"They're not siding with Hell, are they?"
[If that were the case, they would've already moved to attack the surface. No, they are showing no sign of movement at all.]
It was as if they didn't care whether the surface fell into the hands of evil or not.
[Whatever they're planning, once this is over, I won’t let it slide.]
The Tower Master muttered in an irritated voice.
Soon, all the strongest beings on the surface, except for the Empire, gathered.
The number exceeded hundreds.
Once sufficient forces had assembled, the devotees began to pray.
Their god answered.
Kiiiiing!
Divine power rose, creating a path to hell.
But no one stepped forward easily.
Even for the sake of the surface, heading into the dreadful hell was no easy task.
The Tower Master and Helia grimaced as they steeled their resolve.
But there was one man.
Someone who wanted to go to hell.
Ketal smiled as he stepped forward.
“…Let’s go!”
“Waaah!”
Led by Ketal, they ran.
The surface’s strongest beings began their march toward hell.
* * *
The beings of the surface arrived in hell.
At that moment, countless attacks poured down on them.
Bombardments filled the sky, and demons unleashed their powers.
Helia raised her hand.
“Shield of Hephaestus.”
Kiiiiing!
A shield rose, covering the skies.
The onslaught was blocked by the shield.
Ketal whistled.
“This is quite a passionate welcome, unlike last time.”
The previous time Ketal, the Tower Master, and Helia had come here, no one had appeared.
It was a trap to lure them further into hell.
But this time, the attacks were fierce, as if to say they should never have come.
The meaning was simple.
This was an all-out war.
Helia spoke with a calm yet heavy gaze.
“Everyone, move.”
Kaaaaah!
Dragons soared through the skies, unleashing their dragon words.
Swordmasters dashed into the demons, swinging their swords.
Magicians cast their spells.
Kugugugung!
Hell began to tremble.
Amidst the chaos, Ketal stepped forward.
“Up we go.”
Kuuuuuung!
The ground surged like a wave.
Hundreds of charging beasts were buried in the waves of earth and perished.
Onlookers were stunned.
“No way!”
“One kick caused that much devastation?”
“I’ve heard the rumors, but… his power is on another level.”
Though Ketal had traveled the continent fighting the Necronovix, his brief time there meant many hadn’t witnessed his true strength.
Now, the strongest of the continent’s heroes watched in awe at Ketal’s power.
Ketal punched forward.
A storm of force swept through the front.
Five named demons were shredded, unable to resist.
The Tower Master approached Ketal.
[Leave the small fry to us. Save your strength for later.]
“I’ll do that. So, what’s our next move?”
[We need to find where they’re summoning the Demon King and stop them. They wouldn’t attempt such a ritual in an ordinary place. It will be protected perfectly, fortified enough to resist any attack from the surface.]
“The Demon King’s castle, then.”
Ketal grinned, baring his teeth.
The Tower Master nodded.
[Finding the Demon King’s castle. That’s our goal.]
This information was relayed to everyone.
They dispersed, searching for the Demon King’s castle.
Demons surged to stop them, and fierce battles erupted.
An hour later…
[The Demon King’s castle has been found.]
The Tower Master approached Ketal and spoke.
Ketal’s eyes glimmered.
“Where is it?”
[Follow me.]
Ketal immediately followed the Tower Master, racing through hell.
The farther they advanced, the stronger the counterattacks became.
Yet they broke through with sheer strength.
At the end of it all, Ketal saw it.
A colossal castle, pitch-black and ominous.
It was the Demon King’s castle.
Other warriors broke through the opposition and arrived at the castle’s front.
“This is…”
Helia swallowed hard.
Now that they were here, they could sense it—a dreadful, overwhelming presence of demonic energy swirling within.
That demonic energy was calling something.
It could only be the Demon King.
The summoning ritual was underway.
[There are so many of them.]
The Tower Master muttered.
On the castle walls stood countless weapons and demons.
[No wonder the resistance was weak. Aside from a few distractions, their forces had been gathering at the Demon King’s castle.]
They needed to break through and open the gates.
The Tower Master turned to Ketal.
[Ketal, we’ll open the way. You handle the gatekeeper.]
“Understood.”
The surface’s heroes unleashed their powers.
The demons of the castle did not sit idle—war machines and demonic powers erupted.
The chaotic explosions created a deadlock of force.
Through the raging clash of powers, Ketal began walking.
Slowly, he approached the entrance of the castle.
There, a demon awaited him.
Seated on an old chair, sword planted into the ground to support himself, he rested.
The demonic energy around him was minuscule, barely a flicker.
One might mistake him for a nameless, weak demon.
Yet he was the strongest being among all those gathered in hell.
“We meet again.”
“You returned sooner than I expected.”
“I told you, didn’t I? This time, we’ll truly fight to the death.”
Ketal spoke gleefully.
The demon of the sword, Caliste, one of Hell’s lords, gripped his sword hilt in silence.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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