Chapter 34: The Fool (IV)

—Saxon Imperial City, Mage Tower of Gory—
“It’s the largest internal conflict since the empire was founded… Whose side will emerge victorious in this war? Agus? Or the Allied Forces?”
In the office at the top of the mage tower, Jerry Belford, the president of the Royal Mage Association, stood by the window, gazing mockingly toward the northwest.
To the northwest lay the Brim Plains.
“Of course, it will be you, President!” said a royal mage in the room respectfully.
“Hehe,” Jerry Belford smiled without comment, then sneered in a low voice, “It’s justice! The side that wins is always the side of justice, isn’t it?”
“Uh?” The royal mage seemed confused. Just as he was about to speak, Jerry Belford waved his hand, signaling him to leave. The mage bowed slightly and respectfully withdrew.
“The side of justice… Agus certainly doesn’t seem like someone who embodies justice…” With a scornful laugh, Jerry Belford stared out the window. His reflection on the glass showed the dark tattoos unique to an apostle.
“After all, Agus, you’re nothing but a pitiful clown… Hmph!”
—Near the Saxon Dark Altar—
Agus left most of the dark affairs in the hands of his subordinate, the demon Hanpa, as that gray pigeon seemed quite skilled in construction.
To be honest, Hanpa belonged to a special category among the legendary seventy-two demon gods. He didn’t possess much strength, but he had unique abilities—such as Lelajin’s divine skill of never missing a target. Hanpa could stir up the darkness within others, persuading them to serve him. In terms of special abilities, he was even more valuable than Lelajin, which was why Agus kept such a weakling like Hanpa by his side.
This made Hanpa very proud. After all, his status among the demon gods wasn’t very high. Even Simonli, who ranked below him, could bully him at will. But over time, living under Agus, he gradually grew to like this life of power.
Though he still looked down on those insignificant humans, he grew fond of the various forms of entertainment they invented—such as fine red wine and beautiful human women…
With this mindset, Hanpa remained loyal to Agus wholeheartedly, as it was the only way he could continue living such a luxurious life.

But recently, Hampa began to sense that something was wrong with his master, Argus. The once incredibly confident eyes now sometimes showed confusion and regret, completely lacking the determination to overthrow a vast empire single-handedly as before. Could it be that he had reached his limit? His master, Argus BartClarkfield… Although Hampa didn’t think someone as strong as Argus could be defeated so easily, what if he failed? On his routine inspection at the Dark Altar to assess the power of souls, Hampa appeared deeply worried. Accustomed to the luxurious life of nobility, he couldn’t bear the idea of returning to his former life. Perhaps this demon god had degenerated due to the extravagant lifestyles of human nobles… Yet when he reached the base of the Dark Altar, Hampa was shocked to find that all over a hundred imperial guards stationed there had been killed—fresh red blood everywhere on the ground and the steps. What was going on? Had the rebels approached the altar unnoticed? Impossible! Anxiously, Hampa rushed toward the top of the altar, as this was his domain. If anything went wrong, he couldn’t believe his master Argus would let him off easily. But at the top of the altar, Hampa saw two mysterious visitors… Seeing one of them standing in front of that important black silver cup, Hampa exclaimed in shock, “Who… who are you? What are you doing here?” Under Hampa’s gaze, the man in the black robe turned his head and glanced at him indifferently, with cold eyes devoid of any emotion… A human? Doubt flashed in Hampa’s eyes, but then he seemed to realize something. Staring at those cold eyes, he thought to himself, Such eyes… Could these really be human eyes? That disdainful look, as if looking down on ants, like that of a god… This human… is terrifying! As terrifying as his master Argus… No, this guy is far more terrifying than his master! Somehow, facing those eyes that showed no emotion yet seemed like a premonition of death, Hampa suddenly felt his legs go weak. With a thud, he knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably and unable to speak. It was presence… The presence of this man… Straining to lift his head, Hampa tried his best to look at the man’s face and was shocked to find dark tattoos similar to those of his master Argus.

“Clang!” Amid Hampa’s panicked gaze, a knight clad in heavy armor beside the man drew his sword from his waist and stepped forward toward him. But after just a few steps, he was called back by the man before him.
“Stop, Cain. This guy is a demon god!”
“A demon god?” The knight named Cain frowned and glanced at Hampa in surprise. “Someone who can’t be killed? That’s troublesome…”
Only then did Hampa realize his identity. Right, he was a demon god with eternal life—impossible to be killed so easily. Yet despite thinking this, under that man’s gaze, he didn’t even dare stand up.
He would be killed…
If he did anything to upset the other party, he would definitely be killed…
Hampa’s subconscious kept repeating these thoughts.
“Hehehe,” As Hampa felt terrified, the man smiled faintly and said nonchalantly, “Did you build this altar? Hampa!”
“Huh?” Those words rang in Hampa’s ears like thunder. How… how did he know his name? Did he know him?
Filled with doubts, Hampa lowered his head and said respectfully, “Y-yes, my lord!”
The man stared deeply at Hampa and said in a tone that seemed threatening, “A demon god isn’t actually invincible… You know when to back down, which is why you’re still alive. Stand up. I still have questions for you!”
“Y-yes!” Hampa scrambled to his feet, shrinking his head and looking fearfully at the bricks beneath his feet. Though he was surprised by what the other party said, he didn’t dare risk his life to test its truth. After all, this man had shocked him greatly.
He was definitely not an ordinary human!
“I’m Belial, an ordinary traveler. You can call me Belial!”
“N-no… I dare not, Lord Belial!”
“Hmph,” With a light snort, the man named Belial turned to look at the huge black silver cup and asked calmly, “Do you know the coordinates of the Death Realm in this world?”
“The De… Death Realm?” Hampa was stunned. Suddenly, he noticed a grammatical error in the other party’s words—this world?
Seeming to notice Hampa’s expression, Cain, clad in heavy knight armor, raised his obsidian sword and threatened in a deep voice, “Answer your master’s question, wretched creature!”

“Yes… yes…” To be honest, Hampa wasn’t worried about the threat posed by that obsidian knight’s sword, but he didn’t want to anger that terrifying man named Belial. He hurriedly said, “Lord Belial, if I had known, I would have told you. But I truly don’t know the coordinates of the Land of Death…”
“You don’t know either?” Belial glanced at Hampa with a look of slight disappointment, which made Hampa break into a cold sweat. He quickly added, “Please… please don’t get angry, Lord Belial. I heard that necromancers specialize in researching the Land of Death; maybe they know…”
“No, they don’t either!” Belial shook his head indifferently and said in a cold tone, “What a disappointment. I had such high hopes…”
“Huh?” Hampa was stunned and asked softly, “You… have asked them?”
“Hmph!” Belial sneered disdainfully, then reached out to touch the giant black silver cup, murmuring, “It seems impossible to obtain the coordinates of the Land of Death through normal means… Anyway, we must get this soul energy first!” As he spoke, it seemed he remembered something. He turned to look at Hampa with a half-smile and said in a threatening tone, “Choose to follow me, or die…” Meanwhile, the color of his pupils gradually turned pale red, and his overwhelming pressure made it impossible for Hampa to lift his head.
He would die…
He would really be killed!
“I… I choose to follow you, master!”
“Hahaha, very good!” Belial smiled satisfactorily, glanced at the black silver cup, reached out to grasp a few souls floating around, and said in a deep voice as if to himself, “We’ve finally reached this point… I must succeed at all costs, Cain!—No matter what the price!”
“Yes, master!” The king puppet bowed slightly and replied respectfully, “You will surely succeed!”
Sighing lightly, Belial reached out to gently lift the crystal necklace hanging around his chest and gazed at it with an unusually tender look, murmuring, “Ah, I hope so…”
Beside them, Hampa watched them in confusion.

“Everything is going smoothly…” Belial said in a tone laced with mockery as he stroked the black silver cup. “Heh, I never expected it to be so easy to get. Argus, you were really careless, weren’t you? Was it you who didn’t anticipate this, or are you not actually upset about summoning Mammon? Hey! Anyway, I’ll just take these without hesitation! —After all, you’re already out of the game, right?” He paused for a moment, then turned to look at the Brimme Fields and said calmly, “Well then, be neatly defeated, Argus!”

Meanwhile…

—Brimme Fields battlefield—

The battle here continued, but it seemed the Allied forces were in a very disadvantaged position. With the northern and southern battlefields falling one after another, the only way to support Allen, Ravia, and Scott was to let Thors get close to Argus and end the battle through a duel between the two. After all, the only one who could rival Argus was Thors, who was also an Apostle!

The idea was good, but putting it into practice proved extremely difficult. Not only were there the obstacles posed by the Death Knight army, but Argus’s dark forces also wanted to crush any resistance right there, especially with the addition of the three Immortal Kings.

[Utherd Baines, the Emperor of Corpse]

[Cedric Kisel, the Emperor of Void]

[Ainsel Kravts, the Emperor of Bones]

These three Immortal Kings, far surpassing humans in size and strength, imposed a heavy toll on Allen and his allies. Countless human soldiers tried to break through, but their hopes were mercilessly shattered by those immortal beings. To pass through here, they had to defeat these three eternal beings!

“Damn it!” Allen was once again pushed back by [Utherd Baines, the Emperor of Corpse]’s battle axe. His immense strength left even the exceptionally talented Allen’s hands numb, and his armor was already in tatters.

“Huff…” Not far from Allen, Ravia, panting heavily, stared solemnly at the three seemingly unharmed Immortal Kings. She had expended too much magic in the recent fierce battle, leaving her looking extremely exhausted.

“Master!” Queen Puppet Queenin looked at Ravia worriedly. Her magnificent noble dress was also scratched, suggesting that even a puppet with incredible powers couldn’t deal with those eternal Immortal Kings.

“Is that it? How weak, humans!” [Utered Baines, the Emperor of Corpse] shook his head in disappointment, raised his battle axe, and swung down hard—his target, of course, was Ravia, who had used up too much magic power.
“Be careful, Ravia!” At the last moment, Scott used spells to bind [Utered Baines, the Emperor of Corpse]’s movements.
“Tch!” The Emperor of Corpse showed signs of impatience. With a sudden force, he broke free from the binding spells and continued to swing at Ravia.
“Master!” Just as Queen Quinn was ready to sacrifice herself for her master, a black shadow rushed over, and a figure stepped in front of her and Ravia, blocking that deadly strike.
“You…” Ravia, supported by Quinn, stared in shock at that person and murmured, “Jean…”
It turned out to be Jean Connel who had blocked the strike for them.
“You’re still such a worry, kid!” The werewolf glanced at Ravia with a fatherly affectionate expression and smiled. “But you’ve indeed grown a bit…”
“Aren’t I someone who loves to be strong?” Ravia smiled relievedly, looking at Connel and teasingly asking, “Well? Have you decided which side to join—justice?”
“Justice?” The werewolf smirked mockingly. With a sudden force, he deflected the Emperor of Corpse’s battle axe. Then he turned to Ravia and said in a mysterious tone, “Don’t think werewolves are creatures full of love, kid! Werewolves have always been on the side of evil!”
Ravia was stunned. She remembered Connel saying the same thing back in the Ash Mine.
“Really! Even you’re dishonest!” Ravia looked at Connel helplessly, took a deep breath, and said firmly, “Please help me, Jean!”
After gazing deeply into Ravia’s eyes, which resembled those of his lover, Connel sighed slightly and said helplessly, “There’s really no other way…” Then he looked up at the Emperor of Corpse, who wore a puzzled expression, and flicked his finger provocatively. “I heard you’re an eternal being? Impressive. I’m just a near-eternal immortal…”

“Oh? Is that so?” With a sneer, the Corpse Emperor raised his battle axe and swung it heavily at Connel. But surprisingly, Connel blocked the axe with just his arms. Even more astonishingly, the Emperor’s immense force failed to force Connel back even a step.
“Who are you?” The Corpse Emperor stared at Connel intently, tilting his head slightly before seeming to realize something and exclaiming in shock, “Gungro?”
“Hey!” Connel abruptly deflected the axe, his eyes gleaming like those of a hungry wolf as he roared, “You guessed right!”
On the other side, seeing that Connel seemed to be on his side, Scott breathed a sigh of relief.
But then, he suddenly heard a warning cry.
“Be careful, master!”
Scott quickly looked up to see the Immortal King [Cedric Kithil, the Void Emperor] holding two bone knives. One of them was swinging down at him as he said coldly, “End this foolish battle soon, human!”
Scott instinctively tried to back away, but the bone knife moved too fast—before he could react, it was already right in front of him. Just then, a string snapped, and three arrows struck the knife precisely, altering its trajectory slightly. It crashed onto the ground beside Scott with a loud thud, creating a sizable crack.
“What’s going on?” Confused, Scott turned back and saw Lelajin, the Demon God, holding his giant bow not far behind, staring at him coldly as he sneered, “Do you intend to thank me?”
“…” Scott’s face turned pale before he pushed up his glasses and snapped, “How could that be! I don’t remember asking you to help me!”
“Heh!” A faint smile appeared on Lelajin’s face as he gazed deeply at Scott and said softly, “Allicok is a nice city!”
“Of course!” Scott replied proudly.
“Huh?” Glancing at Connel and then at Lelajin, Allen looked puzzled and murmured, “I can understand Uncle Connel, but why is that guy here too?”
As soon as he finished speaking, a man’s light laugh came from behind him.
“For now, we’re allies, Lord Allen!”

“Hm?” Allen instinctively turned around and saw Ulrich, now back in his normal human form, smiling at him. He spoke softly, “It’s temporary, but those two guys are indeed formidable. With their help, dealing with these three Immortal Kings should be much easier!”
“Yes!” Allen chuckled and shrugged, about to make a joke when suddenly Ulrich’s expression changed—he instantly reverted to his blood form and said in a deep voice, “They’re coming!”
Allen quickly looked up and saw the Immortal King, [Einser Kravts, the Bone Emperor], staring at Ulrich with a serious gaze. He murmured, “This is truly astonishing… A Vanthir vampire? Interesting!”
Finally, the three Immortal Kings had encountered opponents capable of matching them: the Gangrel vampire Jean Connel, the Vanthir vampire Ulrich Vlad, and Karl Lelarkin, the fourteenth of the Seventy-Two Demigods.
Indeed, even though Allen and Ravia possessed strength beyond that of ordinary people of their age, they still seemed far too weak against opponents of the Immortal King’s caliber.
On the other hand, Argus, who was watching from a distance, seemed unwilling to join the battle. It seemed he didn’t care who would win this fight; from start to finish, he treated it like a game.
“Hey, it seems those three Immortal Kings aren’t much of a threat now,” Argus said, shaking his head feigningly helplessly. Then, as if sensing something, his expression froze slightly as he looked into the distance and murmured, “The blood in my body is starting to boil!” With that, he finally headed toward the central battlefield.
Argus’s unusual behavior made the soldiers of the alliance and the black magicians wary. After all, that guy was said to be terrifying…
Of course, there were always some reckless folks who liked to test the truth of rumors with their own lives.
“Argus!” Several black magicians, seeing Argus approaching, immediately launched fierce attacks. Within seconds, various spells rained down on his location like shells. In this regard, those black magicians seemed quite skilled.
Unfortunately, if attacks of this level could hurt Argus, then Professor Hode Kendi’s sacrifice would have been meaningless.
Yes, someone as strong as Argus couldn’t possibly be injured by such attacks!
“Is he dead?”
“He doesn’t seem to be responding…”

“The magical fluctuations have also disappeared…”
As those dark magicians discussed the dusty area, a powerful darkness suddenly spread rapidly in all directions, forming a huge, distinct demonic silhouette—two enormous heads, a sharp beak, a beast-like body, sharp claws, and wings that gleamed like steel… It was Mammon’s projection, even larger than the Immortal King.
Below that projection, Argus stroked his messy hair on his forehead and watched the dark magicians attacking him with interest, saying mockingly, “What’s that expression on your faces?—Surely you’re not naively thinking you can kill me so easily, are you?” With a light laugh, he looked down at them disdainfully and said, “It seems my opponent is occupied. How boring. Well, how about you guys keep me company?”
“Damn it, stop looking down on us!” An enraged dark magician threw an arcane missile. unbelievably, Argus didn’t even glance at it but somehow detected its trajectory. With a simple gesture, he sent the missile back along its original path, several times faster than before.
The poor dark magician didn’t even have time to react before being pierced in the chest by the amplified missile. With a horrified look, he collapsed and lay motionless.
“You… you bastard, how dare you…” The nearby dark magicians were shocked. Perhaps only after witnessing Argus’s terrifying power would they stop doubting the rumors.
“What’s the matter, proud dark magicians?!” Holding a ball of dark energy that emitted terrifying fluctuations, Argus stepped forward toward them, saying mockingly, “Hey, don’t be so boring. Keep me company until the guy I’m waiting for arrives… How about this? To make it more fun, I’ll kill one of you every minute. The rest of the time, you can attack me as much as you want. I won’t resist at all. What do you say? Sounds like a good deal, right? Hahaha!”
“Damn it…” Hearing his shrill, arrogant voice, the nearby dark magicians were furious. But despite their anger, they realized that with their strength alone, they couldn’t deal enough damage to Argus.
“What’s the problem? Not coming? Then I’ll go over there!” Argus continued walking toward them, smiling. Suddenly, he stopped and a faint, unreadable smile appeared on his lips.

“Argus…” Feeling the immense pressure from Argus and that giant shadow, a dark magician stepped back in fear. Suddenly, he seemed to bump into someone. Turning his head, he was surprised and murmured, “V… Lord Vormisley?”
The person he bumped into was Thors, who had come through the passage created by Allen, Ravia, and Scott. He gave the dark magician a helpless look, seemingly too tired to explain the misunderstanding. With a sigh, he pushed through the crowd and, under the breathless gaze of the dark magicians, stared at Argus with a strange expression.
Argus looked at Thors with a mocking smile and said, “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Thors!”
“I know!” Thors closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them suddenly and said in a deep voice, “So, it’s time to end this!”
As soon as he spoke, dark tattoos unique to apostles appeared on his face. Then, an extremely intense holy light burst from his body. Under the glow of the light, three giant figures slowly took shape—heads, bodies, limbs, wings…
“Wow!” Even Argus showed surprise. Staring at the three giant figures, he murmured, “It’s Salonia’s divine magic… three of them… Hey! But where’s Slos?”
“We don’t need Slos’s power!” Thors replied coldly. He turned slightly and glanced at the three angels of different forms behind him…
Mid-tier angel, Power Angel: [Pavas—The Mighty: Definitive]!
High-tier angel, Wisdom Angel: [Cherub—The Omniscient: Plangent]!
High-tier angel, Throne Angel: [Toronus—The Guide: Gaid]!