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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 245: Blooming Flower of Evil (2)
A demon in the form of a woman speaks.
"Our slaves are working hard on the surface."
By slaves, she meant black magicians.
They invaded various places on the surface according to the demons' will.
"There are some issues, but overall, it's not bad. We're losing some, but replenishing them as well. The plan is still on track. How about you?"
The woman asked the device,
"Is the sacrifice for the Demon King being prepared well?"
[We’re diligently procuring it. Still lacking some, but we’re slowly gathering them. Not bad.]
"Hmm, good."
The woman smiled with satisfaction.
This time, she asked the bizarre one,
"And how about you?"
[I'm corrupting believers and nobles. I've successfully manipulated them to cause internal strife in two kingdoms and a religious church.]
"Couldn't you topple them completely?"
[It's not easy. Even though the gods' revelations are unstable, they intervene just enough to make it challenging. On top of that, the Tower Master is interfering.]
"The one who gave up on humanity?"
The Tower Master had lived for a very long time, to the point where even the lords of Hell were aware of him.
[Yes, he's intervening before chaos can be maximized. I could've destroyed three kingdoms and four religious churches by now without him.]
"Annoying."
The woman narrowed her eyes.
"Shouldn't we kill him first?"
[It's not easy. He's strong.]
The Tower Master's power was formidable.
Even the demons couldn't take him lightly, as he had defeated even ancient dragons.
[The world's fissures aren't deep enough yet to send down the power required to kill him.]
"Annoying."
[But it's not a big problem. No matter how strong he is, he can't stop everything.]
"Well, I understand your situation. Now then..."
The woman looked at the emaciated demon.
The emaciated demon spoke lazily,
"I don't know about such things."
He fiddled with his sword hilt.
"I just hone my skills."
"Boring guy."
The woman clicked her tongue.
"Are you just going to sit there and waste time? At least share your thoughts."
After a moment of contemplation, the emaciated man spoke,
"...Who is this Barbarian?"
"This seems like something you should know better than me."
The woman turned her head to look at the bizarre one.
They didn't know everything about the surface.
The bizarre one was the one gathering and organizing all the information about the surface.
The bizarre one replied,
[There is a Barbarian on the surface. His name is Ketal.]
"Is he interfering with us?"
[Very much so. More than anyone else.]
"Hmm."
A look of interest appeared on the emaciated man's face.
"What kind of interference has he done?"
The bizarre one began to explain.
They first became aware of Ketal in the Balkan territory.
There, Ashetiar had quietly descended.
According to the original plan, Ashetiar would have devoured the village and then the territory.
Expanding the domain and eventually taking over the kingdom.
It would have brought great chaos to the continent.
It would have been proof that the demons had manifested in the world and a warning to the continent.
Even the Aquaz, who came following the god's revelation, was defeated, so the plan should have gone smoothly.
But Ketal was there.
He ruined their first step.
They tried to brand his body, but even that failed.
[The next was the Kingdom of Denian.]
They tried to capture the High Elf, Arkamis, and drag her to Hell.
But they failed due to Ketal's interference.
The woman muttered as if hearing it for the first time,
"Oh, that was because of him?"
[We still haven't captured the High Elf. If this continues, we might have to use a different sacrifice.]
The device spoke as if troubled.
The bizarre one continued,
[And then there was the Holy Land of Kalosia.]
"What, was that also because of him?"
The plan was to devour the Holy Land, erase the influence of the gods from the surface, and turn it into a sanctuary of evil.
It would become the demons' forward base for invading the surface.
It was an attack that even the demons had carefully prepared.
They were on the verge of success.
But Ketal was there.
He ruined their plan.
[And then there was the Elven Holy Land.]
They had to obtain a branch of the World Tree from there.
Luckily, they succeeded, but if things had gone slightly wrong, they would have failed.
The story ended.
The woman had a look of disbelief.
"...So when you summarize it, he's the most annoying being on the surface?"
A single human had interfered with their plans four times.
He was even more troublesome than the Tower Master, making them wonder.
"Why weren't there any revelations about such a being?"
Revelations weren't exclusive to gods.
Demons had them as well—revelations from the Demon King.
The demons were acting according to those revelations.
Since the barbarian was causing significant disruption, there should have been something about Ketal as well.
The bizarre one answered that question.
[Because he is a being of the Forbidden Lands.]
"...The Forbidden Lands?"
"Hmm?"
[The Forbidden Lands?]
The other three demons reacted to that word.
The bizarre one continued,
[It was confirmed by the last demons who descended. He is definitely a being of the Forbidden Lands.]
"Didn't those demons lose their minds?"
The three highest-ranking demons who attacked the Elven Holy Land had their minds shattered by Karin.
They were no longer capable of normal conversation.
The bizarre one answered simply,
[I forcibly extracted the information.]
"Then they're dead, right?"
[Yes.]
Those highest-level demons of superhuman class had perished like that.
Yet, none of the four showed any reaction.
The woman asked,
"So, is he truly a being of the Forbidden Lands?"
[Without a doubt.]
"Haha... Well, isn't the barbarian's form one of the traitors?"
[Probably.]
The woman leaned back in her chair.
They were aware that beings of the Forbidden Lands were being released.
But it was still unsettling.
"Then why is he siding with the surface? Weren't those things enemies of all creation?"
[That part, I don’t know. Whether he was enamored by the surface or values connections... it's irritating.]
"Valuing connections? Something that ancient?"
The woman made a puzzled expression as if hearing something absurd.
"That doesn't seem fitting. So, is he on the side of the gods?"
[No, I don't think so. You all know that Federica failed to open the Heavenly Gate, right?]
"That just happened, of course, we know."
[I've received information that the barbarian headed there.]
"...Are you saying that Federica failed to open the Heavenly Gate because of that barbarian?"
[It's possible.]
"...How strong is he?"
If the gods directly attacked, they would have to respond seriously.
He couldn't be underestimated if he withstood and won against such an attack.
[It's uncertain. We don't even know what happened inside.]
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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The issue was that even the demons had no information about the White Snowfield.
[In my memory, there is nothing about this barbarian. He must have been born inside that place. We don't know what he accomplished or how he escaped. The breaking of the Forbidden Lands's seal was something we didn’t anticipate.]
"So, the one thing we know is that he's strong enough."
[If he survived opening the Heavenly Gate and wasn't killed, then he must be that strong. But...]
"But?"
[He has a flaw.]
The bizarre one muttered.
[He couldn't destroy demons. He couldn't even banish them.]
"...Hmm?"
The emaciated man's eyes widened.
That was very strange.
"Something that powerful and ancient can't destroy us?"
[Whether he didn't or couldn't, I don’t know, but he couldn't interfere with the demon's body. In the end, the Elven Queen finished the job.]
"That's intriguing."
The woman muttered with a curious expression.
"So, if he fought against the gods, he’s not on their side? Then why is he wandering the surface?"
[I don’t know. It's something beyond understanding. When he fought us, it wasn’t out of hostility. It seemed more out of curiosity.]
"Fought us out of mere curiosity? What kind of nonsense is that?"
The woman chuckled.
The emaciated demon, who had been quiet, spoke up.
"Then, can we bring him over to our side?"
Could they turn the powerful barbarian to the demon's side?
Judging from the story, it wasn't impossible.
Though he fought them, he wasn't hostile, and he also fought against the gods.
The bizarre one remained silent.
[...I’m not sure. It seems possible, but the risk is high. We don't know what he desires.]
"...Hmm."
A strong interest appeared on the woman's face.
A being of the Forbidden Lands who could communicate and interact.
Someone powerful enough to stand against the gods.
'If I bear his seed, what kind of powerful and extraordinary offspring could I produce?'
The woman's eyes gleamed dangerously.
Noticing her thoughts, the bizarre one intervened.
[I know what you're thinking, but it's still an unassessed risk. I understand it's your innate desire, but I hope you can restrain yourself for now.]
"I know, I know. The important thing is the descent of the Demon King, right? I'll hold back until then."
The woman smiled and quickly changed the subject, as if to hide her true intentions.
"So, what's the current situation?"
[Not bad. The rift is widening. We're progressing on a plan to devour the surface, and it's going smoothly.]
They had previously failed to consume the holy sanctuary of Kalosia due to Ketal's interference.
But this time, they succeeded.
[We've devoured a god's holy sanctuary. Soon, it will blossom.]
"That's good news."
The conversation started to wrap up.
The woman stood up from her seat.
"Then let's disperse for now. Everyone, go attend to your tasks."
The woman spun around with a strange smile on her face, licking her lips with her tongue.
* * *
While ominous plans were unfolding in hell, the target of those plans, Ketal, lay idly on the ruins.
"Ah..."
'I'm bored.'
No, actually, he wasn't bored.
The very fact that he was in a fantasy world right now was delightful.
But after meeting and directly battling a god, everything now felt mundane.
'No, that's not right.'
He shook his head.
He had longed to be in a fantasy world, and now he was complaining of boredom?
What a spoiled thought.
Ketal organized his thoughts.
'It's time I start handling mysteries.'
It wasn't just about curiosity anymore.
He genuinely felt the need.
'If I reach the level of an ancient dragon or a god, they could interfere with my body.'
Their powers had directly influenced Ketal's physical form.
If a hero-class being could interfere with his body, it meant that his body alone couldn't withstand everything anymore.
But if he could wield mysteries, things would change.
With mysteries, he could prevent their interference.
'Maybe it's time to return to the Kingdom of Denian.'
As Ketal was getting up, Liltara approached him.
"Ketal, you're still here."
Liltara's expression became curious as she observed him.
"...Your arm, it's fully healed."
When she returned to the holy sanctuary, Ketal's arm had been damaged—burst veins and torn muscles.
It was an injury that would require over a month of rest.
But within a day, Ketal's arm was perfectly fine.
Ketal answered casually,
"My healing speed is fast."
"...I see."
Though it was beyond mere fast healing, Liltara didn't press the issue.
Common sense didn’t apply to someone who had defeated a god.
"Did you come to tell me to leave? Don't worry, I'll be gone by today."
Liltara had publicly asked Ketal to leave in front of the believers.
Ketal had readily agreed.
He needed to leave anyway to keep his promise.
But Liltara shook her head.
"There's no need for you to leave immediately. Someone has come to see you."
"Hmm? Me? Why?"
"Probably to help you."
Ketal had been trapped in Federica's holy sanctuary.
And words of regret had spread from all sides to support him.
More than just sending words, someone had come directly to help.
Ketal muttered as if he understood,
"They're too late."
"...Yes. It's meaningless now."
Liltara smiled wryly.
Everything had already ended.
The person who came to help Ketal would only find the devastated remains of the god's holy sanctuary.
"They said they'd arrive today. You should meet with them. But if you don't want to, you're free to leave. I have no power to force you."
"Well, it's not a big deal. Who is it?"
Liltara answered,
"The Mercenary King, Bloodedge."
"Oh?"
Hearing a familiar name, Ketal smiled with interest.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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