Chapter 46: An Irresistible Force! (3)

As an apprentice of the great mage Veston Malagigi Hastings, Jiana—also known as Nina—enjoyed a reputation among dark mages comparable to that of Thos. Prince Theo was eager to win over this young and beautiful mage, hoping to use her power to maintain his own authority as king.

Naturally, Nina was also invited to Prince Theo’s coronation ceremony. But before that, she went to Sassen’s mage tower, [Gory], as she was nominally a royal mage under Gory’s authority. Even Jerry Belford, who had seized the position of head of the Magic Association, treated her with great respect—especially after learning that Nina was Thos’s lost sister. As the only mage from the Vandel faction, Nina remained part of the royal mage corps.

Of course, this was only in name. Jerry Belford did not assign her any tasks, clearly wary of her. That’s why Nina moved to Vando to live near her brother Thos. Even if she stayed at Gory’s tower, she was still an “outsider.” Sassen’s royal mages were already controlled by the Glon faction, leaving Nina as a mere observer with no real influence.

This time, her visit to Gory was merely to collect the certificate confirming her status as a great mage, a concession and appeasement from Jerry Belford—though it still carried no real power.

However, Nina wasn’t too concerned about this. After reuniting with her lost brother, her previous ideals were gradually changing. The so-called “sacred mage” concept was merely Old Veston’s expectation, not what her brother Thos had once said when he was dissatisfied—it wasn’t her true ideal.

What she desired most now was to be by her beloved brother’s side at all times, helping him as much as possible to make up for her past failures as a sister. She could never forgive herself for not being there when Thos needed help the most.

Just as she was collecting her certificate at Gory’s tower, an alarm suddenly sounded inside. It turned out to be a sentinel rushing in to report that someone was causing trouble at the king’s coronation ceremony.

At first, Nina didn’t pay it much attention. It wasn’t until she heard that the royal mages sent to arrest those troublemakers had been killed that she realized something was wrong.

After all, no matter how favoritistic Jerry Belford was, the Royal Mages of the Gloom faction he appointed did possess considerable strength. Yet even so, were they all killed in just five minutes?
Excluding the time it took to travel from Mage Gorry’s Tower to the central square of the palace, those Royal Mages barely arrived before being instantly killed by the enemy… How is that possible?!
From the sentinel’s communication earlier, Nina heard clearly that there were only nine of them! Yet the Royal Mages sent to reinforce them numbered over a hundred.
It was an enemy with extremely powerful strength!
Subconsciously, Nina had a badpremonition, growing increasingly worried about her brother who was in the palace square at that moment. Just as she rushed to the square, she happened to see him lying helplessly at the feet of the enemy…
Nina was furious—she had never been this angry before!
At that moment, she resembled the legendary Thunder God. She raised her hand, chanted a spell, and dense columns of lightning descended from the dark clouds in the sky. The astonishingly powerful lightning ravaged the entire square, forcing even Belial to dodge…
Hm? No, to be precise, Belial didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking Nina; he kept dodging and retreating.
“What on earth is wrong with Lord Belial?” Watching Belial being chased by Nina and forced to use teleportation spells to avoid attacks without any chance to counter, the Demon God and Tyrant Baal found it strange. Just as he was about to help Belial deal with that human woman, someone stopped him.
It wasn’t anyone else but King Cain, the puppet of the king who had just finished fighting against the Light Enforcer Bepusu.
“Cain? What are you doing?” Baal looked at Cain with a puzzled and astonished gaze. As the most powerful being among the demons, aside from Belial, he didn’t obey anyone’s orders, not even Cain, Belial’s puppet.
“I know what you want to do, but stop, Baal!” Glancing at Belial in the field, the Dark King Cain said in a mysterious tone, “Can’t you see? The master is merely restraining himself, not wanting to hurt that woman…”
“Hm?” Hearing Cain’s words, Baal instinctively looked at Belial in the field. Indeed, as Cain said, Belial wasn’t unable to fight back—he just wasn’t doing so, simply avoiding attacks.

Gradually, even Nina realized it. She stopped attacking Belial, a hint of anger on her face as she said in a deep voice, “Why aren’t you fighting back? Are you underestimating me?!”
“…” Under Nina’s gaze, Belial silently shook his head, chuckled self-mockingly in confusion, and sighed softly, “Do you care that much about your own brother…”
“Of course! He’s my only brother,” Nina said. As if suddenly remembering something, she looked at Belial’s equally familiar face, bit her lip, and added, “I don’t care what kind of relationship you two have, but Sos is my dearest brother. To fulfill the responsibilities I couldn’t fulfill as his sister, I won’t allow anyone to hurt him!”
“Even if it costs you your life?”
“Even if it costs me my life!” Nina said firmly.
“…” Belial stared deeply at Nina and sighed. Then, suddenly, he stood up, pointed in Sos’s direction, and said calmly, “Don’t worry. I haven’t killed your so-called brother…”
“Sos?” Reminded by Belial, Nina finally noticed Sos, who was being supported by Ravia. She rushed to his side, anxiously examining his injuries.
Seeming to sense the worry in Nina’s eyes, Sos gently shook his head and said softly, “I’m fine…” Then he raised his head, looked at Belial in the distance, and said in a deep voice, “Where are you going?”
Belial glanced back at Sos, his eyes filled with an inexplicable sense of envy. He pointed at the sky and said calmly, “To the end of the world!”
“…”
Just as Sos wanted to ask more, a strange purple light suddenly appeared on the ground of the square. Everyone then noticed that a huge magic circle had appeared on the ground at some point.
“Lord Belial,” Simachimo, the “Servant of Death,” suddenly appeared beside Belial. Bowing his head, he laughed mockingly and said, “I’m sorry for making you wait. Everything is ready!”
“Good. Begin then…”
“Yes!” Simachimo slightly bowed his head, raised his skeletal staff, and chanted loudly, “O confused spirits, hear my call and guide me along the path… The place where corpses gather, where souls return… Open the gates to death!”

As his chanting continued, the ground nearby suddenly shook violently. Immediately afterward, the massive magic circle in the square emitted a dazzling purple light. Within that purple glow, a huge portal could be faintly seen rising into the air. It was an ancient portal filled with countless corpses; countless skeletons could be seen climbing up its surface, fighting among themselves. This was one of the four legendary portals leading to the Land of Death—famous alongside the [Portal of Decay], [Portal of Darkness], and [Portal of Immortality]: the [Portal of Corpse Piles]. These four portals were the only pathways connecting the Land of Death to other worlds.

“Hey…” Feeling the intensely cold, deathly aura, Allen, who had been flung far away by Belial, leaned against a broken pillar, staring wide-eyed at the towering portal. “The portal to the Land of Death…” Not far from Allen, Scott clutched his injured forehead and eye, murmuring.

Yet, the guardians of the Portal of Corpse Piles seemed unwilling to let these people approach easily. Before Belial and the others could get close to the ancient portal, the skeletons near it stopped fighting and turned to gaze at them maliciously. One of them even crawled toward Belial.

“Do you really think you can stop me?!” Belial snarled. A strange blue light flashed in his eyes, and a small pentagram magic circle appeared in front of that skeleton’s forehead. The unintelligent skeleton failed to realize the danger of the pentagram and tentatively reached out to touch it. With a bang, a beam of black energy shot from the magic circle, shattering it completely.

“Roar!” The skeletons near the Portal of Corpse Piles let out deep roars. Belial’s actions had made them realize these were enemies!

Thousands of skeletons rushed toward Belial, determined to tear apart this detestable human.

“Foolish!” Belial sneered. Another blue flash appeared in his eyes, and suddenly, a small pentagram magic circle appeared in front of each skeleton’s forehead. With a snap of his fingers, thousands of beams of light shot out from those magic circles, instantly destroying all the skeletons.

“Killing the guardians so easily—truly worthy of Lord Belial! Hehehehe…” Ximachimo, the “Servant of Death,” laughed darkly.

“Heh.” With a faint smile, Belial stepped toward the door of the corpse-filled hall, which seemed utterly silent. He slowly extended his right hand, and countless pale blue streams of soul energy flew from his palm. The once pitch-black space between the doors gradually revealed patterns resembling silver-gray ripples—a passage had been opened.
“It’s Belial… He really did take the soul of the Dark Altar first…” Thos, who had been watching from afar, muttered to himself. Seeing Belial and the others about to enter the door, he shouted loudly, “Belial, what exactly do you intend to do?”
Belial, who was about to step through the door, stopped and glanced back at Thos. He gave a strange look at Ravia and Nina, who were supporting him, then smiled faintly and said expressionlessly, “I, unlike you who are protected by this world, must strive hard to obtain certain things… Can you, who can get those things so easily, understand their value? Hmph!” With that, he turned around, waved his hand, and said lightly, “Be glad—you won’t see me again!” Then he stepped into the water-like substance of the door, his figure gradually disappearing from Thos and the others’ sight.
For some reason, Thos saw sadness in Belial’s cold eyes.
Following Belial, the seven demon gods and the Dark King Cain also passed through the door of the corpse-filled hall one after another. Once they were all inside, the door emitted a burst of black light, which then faded gradually, along with the massive magic circle in the square, which also disappeared slowly.
“Belial…”
—Meanwhile, in the Sasan Palace—
Feeling that extremely powerful presence fading away, Lilith let out a long sigh. She then glanced at her friend Dia, who was unconscious in bed, and said helplessly, “Really, even I can’t compete with that guy. What can you possibly do?” She walked over, sat beside the bed, stroked Dia’s smooth face, and said with a light laugh, “Don’t worry, your man is fine!”
Just then, the light in the entire room strangely dimmed, and faintly, a pair of pale red eyes appeared in the space behind Lilith.
“…” Seeming to sense something, Lilith frowned slightly before saying in a delicate voice, “Is there something, Lord Asmodis?”
After a cold snort filled the room, a stern voice reached Lilith’s ears.
“Investigate thoroughly, Lilith… the apostle of [Laziness]…”

“Haven’t I already reported this to you?” With a light laugh, Lilith glanced at Dia lying on the bed and giggled, “It’s her man!”
“…If you’re referring to that human brat named Thors, I can tell you clearly—he’s no longer qualified. He is no longer an Apostle!”
“What?” Lilith was stunned and asked in surprise, “No longer qualified?”
“Ah, the spiritual connection between that human brat and Thors has been seized. This has never happened before. So, find out who has taken the Apostle’s power!” The serious voice paused briefly before continuing in a slightly uneasy tone, “I can no longer sense Thors’s power. It’s hard to believe, but Thors might be in trouble…”
“Isn’t that great?” Lilith teased with a laugh, “Weren’t you always on Thors’s side?”
“This isn’t funny, Lilith!” The serious voice seemed annoyed as it said in a low tone, “Anyway, that man who stole the Apostle’s power and controls Thors in some unknown way has posed a threat to us ancient beings… Investigate thoroughly, then get rid of him!”
“…” Lilith, who was stroking Dia’s face, wore a thoughtful smile as she said lightly, “Don’t worry!”
“Hmm! —Also, what I truly despise isn’t that fool Thors, but Mammon. Remember, destroy any plans related to Mammon you find! With me around, that guy won’t be able to pull anything off!”
“Giggle, what comforting words!”
“Stop talking nonsense. First, find out who that man named Belial is!”
“Yes!”
—Meanwhile, at the Sason Gory Magic Tower—
In a room on the top floor of the mage tower, Jerry Belford, the president of the Royal Magic Association, sat at his desk with his eyes closed, his expression grave. It took a long time before he finally let out a deep sigh and said softly, “That powerful force… it’s gone.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a mocking voice suddenly appeared in the room, which clearly lacked light.
“Too timid, too cowardly, aren’t you, Jerry Belford?”
Jerry Belford opened his eyes and glanced at the pale red eyes in the corner of the room, surrounded by thick swirling black mist. He said calmly, “This isn’t timidity or cowardice—it’s caution, Mammon!”

“Hehehe, cautious? Being too cautious bores me greatly. Ah, I miss that bastard Argus—he always did things that even surprised me…”
“But Argus didn’t do what you wanted, did he? It’s because he failed that you chose me, right, Mammon?”
“Hehehe… Good point! But it wasn’t me who chose you—it was you who came to me, right? Hehe. Anyway, Argus disappointed me greatly. I hope you won’t be like him. If my patience with you reaches its limit, I’ll abandon you too, Jerry Belford!”
“Ah!” With a faint smile, Jerry Belford rested his hands on the desk and said calmly, “I’m well aware that you’re one of the most chosen among all the apostles throughout the ages, Mammon!”
“It’s because of [greed]. I want everything, and more—more, even! I want the whole world…” As he spoke, Mammon’s excitement gradually subsided, and he said in a low voice, “But first, investigate who took the power from my ‘brother’ Sloth’s apostles…”
“You want to help him?” Jerry Belford asked in surprise.
Mammon remained silent for a moment before saying solemnly, “Even if he’s my brother, I don’t want to share the world with him. But I have a feeling that my brothers might be waking up one by one from their long slumber… How awful! Find Sloth for me. Without his power, I can’t win this struggle!”
“Understood!”
Thus, the farce of the coronation ceremony came to an end.
The surviving Saxon nobles cursed Belial constantly. Of course, while cursing, they also secretly chuckled at Prince Theo—no, King’s Majesty’s series of misfortunes. From Argus in the past to Belial now, this king’s journey to the throne had been full of difficulties.
Too content to notice, they certainly didn’t realize the tremendous changes taking place in the world…
“Stupid! Stupid! So stupid!”
In a room in Vandel, the Grand Elder was furious, gripping his cane tightly. It was hard to believe that the usually kind man could have such a stern side.

“I’ve already warned you—Belial isn’t someone you can handle right now. But what?!” The Grand Elder seemed furious, glaring at everyone in the room. Even those whose status was lower than Allen, Scott, and Ravia in the past kept their heads down and remained silent.
“Alright, alright, calm down,” Abel stepped in to soothe the situation and changed the subject. “Where’s Thos? Still resting?”
“Probably,” Professor Welman seemed to notice Abel’s gaze and tried to defuse the tension. “That boy has lost his apostolic power. As an ordinary human, he can’t control the power of the three holy marks within him. It’s no wonder. Grand Elder, didn’t you say before that whatever is meant to happen will happen regardless, it’s unavoidable…”
Grand Elder Jives glanced at Professor Welman, sighed slightly, and sat down on a chair with Abel’s help, remaining silent.
After all, although apostles are beings who wield dark power, it is precisely because of Thos, who is an apostle on Vandal’s side, that Vandalo’s dark magicians can be so complacent. Now that Thos has lost his apostolic power, it means that if anything happens in the future, Vandal’s side won’t have anyone capable of dealing with such a situation.
After all, just in Sassen right now, there are two apostles. Who knows what might happen?
As if remembering something, Abel asked in surprise, “Oh, by the way, where are those two high-ranking figures from the Church? Still in Thos’s room?”
She was referring to one of the Church’s twelve cardinals—Archbishop Bon Hamsworth and Archbishop Alma Bird. Upon hearing about the major events in Sassen and Thos losing his power from Sloth, the veteran archbishop Alma Bird immediately came to Vandalo to check on Thos.
As one of the Church’s twelve chief cardinals, she knew Thos very well. She also understood that once he lost Sloth’s dark power, as an ordinary human, Thos would be unable to control the immense holy power brought by those three holy marks. To prevent the holy power from erupting uncontrollably, this old woman rushed over in haste. But surprisingly, aside from being unconscious for a while after the battle, Thos didn’t experience any uncontrolled outbursts of holy power.

In response, Archbishop Alma Beard guessed that it was because Thors had once been Slos’s apostle, and his body had gradually been strengthened by powerful dark forces—what could be called demonization. Now that Slos’s power had vanished, his body remained strengthened. His temporary coma was simply the sacred power of those three holy marks clearing out the little dark force still in Thors’s body, using divine power to strengthen it once again.
But anyway, without Slos’s power, Thors was much weaker than before.
Just as the atmosphere in the room became increasingly oppressive, the door was pushed open. To everyone’s surprise, Thors entered the room, supported by Dia and Nina.
“Thors?” Abel said, somewhat surprised and worried, “You should go back and rest!”
Thors gently shook his head, freed himself from Dia and Nina’s support, walked up to the Grand Elder, and said with his head bowed, “That guy said, ‘We won’t see each other again,’ but I have a feeling I’ll meet him again… Grand Elder, I beg you to teach me how to master the Source Power!”
The Grand Elder looked deeply into Thors’s eyes. Seeing that his eyes were now clear, free from any shadow caused by Slos’s presence, he nodded, leaning on his cane.
“Hmm, it’s time to teach you how to master the Source Power.”