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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kie]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 285: The Four Great Demon Kings (3)
***
"Iota."
A man with an imposing square jaw who was also the tallest of the tree newcomers spoke up.
"We came because you didn't return on time... I didn't expect to find you in such a pitiful state."
At this, Iota protested from within the pit.
"Epsilon! Watch your mouth! Pitiful state? Just watch, things are about to change!"
"You sure talk big for someone who resorted to draconic transformation against a mere human."
"Shut up and watch! I'm going to crush that human right now!"
"Mother is furious. He says you're delaying the plan at a critical time."
...
Iota fell silent and he was clearly taken aback.
"Mother has ordered us to bring you back immediately... but we can't just leave the human who humiliated our brother."
Epsilon turned to look at Damien.
It wasn't just Epsilon. Other Great Demon Kings also fixed their gaze on Damien.
An indescribable pressure emanated from the three of them as if standing before a violent natural disaster.
"Hah."
However, Damien shook off the pressure with ease.
"I thought it was not possible, but all four of you are really complete."
In truth, Damien had held a small hope.
He hoped that for some reason, Dorugo had focused all his efforts on Iota, and that was why only Iota was completed ahead of schedule.
But the reality was harsh. All three of the others had appeared. It shattered Damien's hopes.
"Let me ask you something. My name is Damien Haksen. Have you heard my name from Dorugo?"
"...How do you know our mother's name?"
"I asked the question. Answer it. Have you heard my name?"
"Yes."
It wasn't Epsilon who answered.
The only female among the Four Great Demon Kings, Theta, spoke up.
"Mother often mentioned wanting to capture and study a genius named Damien Haksen."
Theta's words left Damien confused.
He speculated that perhaps Dorugo had regained some memories from their previous lives.
Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for Dorugo to have completed the Four Great Demon Kings.
But from the way the Four Great Demon Kings spoke, it seemed Dorugo knew nothing about Damien.
Was it a lie?
No, his instincts told him they were telling the truth.
"I'm not sure what's going on."
Damien ran his hands over his face, deep in thought.
"Maybe it's best to keep things simple."
Damien tightly grabbed Dawn once more then he spoke decisively.
"The best thing to do would be to kill all four of you here."
***
A brief silence fell.
All Four Great Demon Kings stared at Damien with bewildered expressions.
"Humans often confuse ignorance with bravery."
Epsilon broke the silence.
"Damien Haksen, you've never seen us before. That's why you can act so boldly..."
"The one stuck in that pit is Iota, you're Epsilon, and the other two are Lambda and Theta, correct?"
Damien named them one by one. Epsilon blinked rapidly as if to ask how Damien knew about Lambda and Theta without them mentioning it.
"From what I can guess, you've only been complete for less than a year."
Epsilon's eyes widened further, indicating Damien's guess was accurate.
"And yet, you babies have the gall to call anyone ignorant. You're the fools here. You don't know who I am, so you dare spout such nonsense."
The anger Damien had barely managed to suppress after beating Iota began to resurface.
The Four Great Demon Kings were a sore point for him. They were monsters created imitating him and they had caused significant harm to the world.
"That... anomaly."
Lambda pointed at Damien, speaking with a voice brimming with killing intent.
"He knows Mother's name. He knows all our names. Clearly abnormal."
Lambda's voice grew more dangerous.
"He's a threat. Recommend eliminating him here and now."
"Lambda, don't make hasty decisions. Mother desires this man. Capturing him alive is preferable to..."
Epsilon abruptly stopped speaking, reacting to a sudden surge of killing intent that made his body tense up.
Epsilon and the other three Demon Lords slowly turned to face Damien.
"You still don't understand. The one holding the upper hand here is not you, but me."
Damien took a step forward, increasing the intensity of the murderous aura and pressure the Demon Kings felt.
"I'll make the decision for you. You will all die here. Not a single one of you will leave alive."
Damien began to weave the mana within his body, forming two Wheels.
"Second Wheel."
He began to feel immense power spreading throughout his body as two wheels began to rotate within his body.
His presence grew exponentially, and the sudden transformation made all Four Great Demon Kings tense.
"Epsilon, I'll start by ripping off that jaw of yours."
Damien prepared to unleash the attack.
"Well, this is troublesome."
At that moment, a gentle voice accompanied someone stepping through the dimensional gate. A woman with black hair tied back in a ponytail descended in front of the Four Great Demon Kings.
The woman was strikingly beautiful and had eyes devoid of life that gave her the appearance of a corpse.
"My dear, you seem quite agitated. Could you calm down a bit?"
Despite her gentle request, Damien's wariness only increased.
"Could it be that you recognize me, dear?"
Woman asked with a faint smile. Damien furrowed his brow.
There were many names for this woman in the world.
Garbage.
Human trash.
The Crimson Butcher.
Demoness mistakenly born as a human.
But she was most commonly known by one title.
"What is the leader of Pandemonium doing here?"
Damien asked with caution. Hela gestured to the Four Great Demon Kings.
"I was asked to play nanny to these little ones. I accepted since I had nothing better to do for the time being."
"Doesn't suit you."
"I think so too."
Even though the worst criminal in history stood before him, Damien conversed with her as if it were nothing—a sight that would have left any onlooker dumbfounded.
"My dear, you just said you were going to kill those children."
"And if I did?"
"As I said, I'm their caretaker. I can't just stand by and let that happen."
Suddenly, Hela's demeanor changed completely.
Damien felt as if the whole world had turned against him.
Even someone as formidable as Damien felt overwhelmed, simply by the presence of her killing intent.
It was only natural, given that Hela was a Grandmaster.
"My dear, you might end up dying by my hand. Do you still intend to fight these children?"
Damien hesitated for a moment.
On one side were the Four Great Demon Kings and the leader of Pandemonium.
On his side, only Damien himself.
The disparity in power was clear. Retreating would be a wise choice.
"It can't be helped."
"Are you thinking of quietly backing down?"
"I'm going to kill you all, including you."
At his words, Hela's eyes twitched slightly.
"Dear, have you lost your mind in fear?"
"My mind is perfectly clear."
"Then do you really think you can win against me and these children?"
"It's possible."
As a human, Damien could not defeat Hela. Even as skilled as he was, he couldn't face a Grandmaster at the Master level.
However, as a Death Knight, Damien was different. He was confident he could kill Hela Fallen and the Four Great Demon Kings right here.
The problem was that there were too many eyes watching.
If he used dark magic in this situation, someone would inevitably witness it.
If the fact that Damien was using dark magic became known, it would cause a massive uproar across the continent. He could even be branded a heretic.
But if he could kill the leader of Pandemonium and the Four Great Demon Kings here and now, he was willing to bear that stigma.
"Come at me. I'll take all five of your heads,"
Damien said and his killing intent reached the heavens.
Hela looked at him calmly and remarked.
"As the rumors say, you're a foolish child."
"Shut up and draw your sword."
"That's not going to happen. I need to leave quickly."
"You think I'll let you go just like that?"
"My dear, how about this."
Hela said, pointing somewhere.
"There's a city over there, isn't there? If the battle starts, I'll send these children to kill every human in that city."
Damien frowned.
"Even if you're confident in your skills, you can't keep an eye on these children while fighting me, can you?"
"What are you talking about...?"
"And there's another large village over there. The people there won't be safe either."
Hela was completely serious.
She was someone who regarded human lives as mere insects.
"Are you still not going to let us go?"
Damien ground his teeth.
He wanted nothing more than to kill them all right then and there.
But he couldn't involve innocent people in his revenge.
"You filthy dog of Pandemonium."
"Thank you for the compliment. So, what will you do?"
"Get out of here. Now."
"Thank you for accepting my proposal."
Hela Fallen said, turning to the Four Great Demon Kings.
"Let's go back, everyone."
"Hela, what is the meaning of this...?"
"Just ask me when we get back."
Reluctantly, the three of them stepped through the dimensional portal at her urging.
"Iota, you too."
Iota retracted his giant arm and climbed out of the pit.
"Damn it, Damien Haksen! I'll kill you next time..."
"Don't ruin the hard work it took to convince him. Just get in."
Hela said, kicking Iota through the portal. With the last two through, the portal closed immediately.
The forest scenery disappeared, revealing the fort once more.
"Damn it."
Damien cursed. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been played by Hela.
“Dorugo, what is this piece of trash up to?”
The future had changed, and there were ominous developments surrounding Dorugo.
“This isn’t the time to be relaxed. We have to chase after him immediately.”
The only consolation was that they had a lead on Dorugo’s whereabouts.
The scenery shown by the dimensional portal.
If Damien’s memory was correct, it wasn’t an ordinary forest.
Alfheim.
The home of the elves and where the World Tree had taken root.
That’s where Dorugo was.
***
“Hela, why did you let him go?”
As soon as Hela stepped through the dimensional portal, Epsilon shouted angrily.
“My dear, what are you talking about? You think I let him go?”
“Then what else would you call it!”
Hela was a Grandmaster. If she wanted, she could have easily killed a hundred of Damien Haksen.
Yet, she didn’t deal with him and withdrew. To Epsilon, it looked like she had let him go.
“Let him go... Yes, I suppose it could be seen that way.”
Hela recalled Damien's face.
He was impressive, just as the rumors said. Even Hela had to admire his skill in controlling his mana.
But he was still only at the Master Class level. If she wanted, she could have crushed him like an insect.
Yet, Hela couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her instincts had warned her.
They told her to be cautious of him, that approaching recklessly would be fatal.
A Grandmaster being wary of a Master Class?
It was absurd, but Hela trusted her instincts.
“Forget about the trivial things.”
“How can you call that trivial...?”
“That’s not the important thing right now, is it? We need to assist Dorugo’s plan.”
Unlike other members of Pandemonium, Hela referred to Dorugo by name.
From the start, Hela considered herself equal to Dorugo.
She wasn’t cooperating with Dorugo’s plan because of orders. It was because it would help her get what she wanted.
The head of the Imperial Supreme Sword.
Hela was working with Dorugo to achieve that.
***
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kie]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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