Chapter 413: 82nd Floor, Lemegeton (2) |
[Why did you crawl in here?]
The Demon God asked with a displeased expression. Her demeanor differed from that of other demons. While she looked down on them, she showed slight vigilance toward the being before her.
[After listening to the story, it seemed rather troubling.]
Baal spoke leisurely.
He silently gazed at Taesan.
[You’ve been persistently talking, haven’t you? You spoke so much that my ears were about to fall off, so naturally, I became curious.]
A faint smile formed on Baal’s face.
[So, I decided I wanted to meet you.]
[You.]
At that moment, the air became heavy.
An invisible pressure descended upon Baal. Even for an immortal, it was impossible to remain unaffected by such oppression.
[What are you thinking?]
[Those on my side are plotting something uninteresting. I want to crush them, but since I am a Great Demon, I cannot directly intervene. That’s why I need an appropriate figure.]
Baal raised a finger and pointed at Taesan.
[On behalf of the other demons, I, the Great Demon Baal, shall test this being. That shall serve as this floor’s trial.]
Baal then turned addressed the Demon God.
[Don’t worry too much, Lucifer. Created Child. What you have been agonizing over until now was finding an appropriate trial, wasn’t it? If it’s me, I won’t give you a trial you should be concerned about. As long as we have a contract, I cannot lie.]
[You can still hide the truth. How many times have you stabbed me in the back?]
[Oh, it was merely a harmless prank. But this time, I solemnly swear it is the truth.]
Baal spoke lightly, like an old man soothing a child.
[Hmph.]
The Demon God snorted.
[Do as you wish. If it’s you, you’re at least more trustworthy than the others.]
[That’s a relief to hear.]
Baal laughed like an old man and disappeared back into the passageway.
[I’ll be waiting inside. Come in when you’re ready.]
With that, Baal’s presence vanished. The Demon God clicked her tongue.
[What a troublesome one.]
“Who is he?”
That being was powerful.
Taesan’s level was too low to accurately gauge his strength, but even with a vague sense, he seemed no different from the Demon God.
More than anything, the nature of his power was different.
He was closer to a High God than a transcendent being.
The Demon God answered Taesan’s question.
[A Great Demon. The lord of all demons.]
“Aren’t you the lord?”
[Of course, I made contracts with the demons, allowing them to lend black magic to the demon race. But demons are extremely self-willed. Even if I try to suppress them with force, they don’t listen. The one who helped me with that was the Great Demon, Baal.]
The Demon God continued.
[For some reason, he betrayed the old Demon God and sided with me. In doing so, he also brought other demons to cooperate.]
“…He betrayed the old Demon God?”
The old Demon God. The being that was now considered a High God.
The beings of the Demon Realm had made the Demon God their deity to defeat the old Demon God. That was the rough history Taesan knew.
But apparently, the demons had been involved in that process as well.
[I don’t know why that guy betrayed the old Demon God. He never answers when I ask. Anyway, Baal cooperated with me, managed the demons, and established contracts with the demon race.]
The Demon God frowned.
[He helped me a lot when I had just become the goddess of the Demon Realm, but he also played quite a few nasty pranks on me.]
“I see.”
It seemed there was a reason Baal treated the Demon God so playfully.
[He’s a nuisance, but he’s better than the other demons. If he’s the one setting the trial, it won’t be a shallow one.]
The Demon God permitted Baal’s intervention.
Now, all that remained was to enter the passage.
Standing before the entrance, Taesan asked the Demon God.
“He seems very similar to a High God.”
Not just the demons’ power—Baal, in particular, gave off that impression. Taesan, as he was now, could barely distinguish between them.
“What exactly is the difference?”
[That’s for you to find out yourself. Go and claim what you seek.]
The Demon God spoke with a smile.
Taesan nodded and stepped into the passage.
Feeling countless demons’ gazes, he arrived in a vast space.
There, a crimson sky stretched overhead.
Below it lay a ruined, desolate landscape. In its midst, several figures stood.
‘What is this?’
It was different from what Taesan had expected. Five figures stood in the center of the ruins.
And they did not exude the aura of demons.
They were ordinary humans—members of the demon race.
[Kehekehek! Another one! There are too many!]
A sharp, ear-piercing voice rang out. Taesan turned his gaze. A creature with small bat-like wings and a grotesquely large eye was there.
[Stupid human! You have a Lemegeton too, don’t you?]
Taesan nodded. This thing was different from the others here.
“Are you a demon?”
[Of course! I am a demon, feared by mortal beings, and I possess great power!]
The demon boasted proudly.
[Go over there and wait! Once everyone is gathered, the qualification test will begin!]
“What kind of qualification test?”
Taesan had heard nothing about this. The demon flapped its wings aggressively, clearly irritated.
[Shut up, you worm! Don’t ask me questions! You just need to follow my orders!]
“I don’t like that.”
[You, you, you…]
The demon’s massive eye rolled furiously.
[You need to be taught a lesson!]
Before the words were even finished, power surged toward Taesan.
A thick, deep darkness. Demonic energy swallowed Taesan whole, pressing down on him.
[I-I won’t kill you! I’ll just toy with your mind a little!]
The darkness invaded Taesan’s mind, shaking his brain to its core.
It wasn’t bad.
Just as the demon had claimed, an ordinary mortal wouldn’t be able to resist it.
But that was all it was.
Taesan let himself sink into the darkness. The demon burst into laughter.
[Kakakak! That’s what you get for being arrogant!]
“Shut up.”
[Eh?!]
Taesan shook his head. The darkness exploded and scattered.
Before the stunned demon could react, Taesan grabbed its throat.
“I’d appreciate it if you answered my question.”
Taesan spoke softly, releasing a fraction of his sealed power—just enough so those in the distance wouldn’t sense it.
The demon shrieked in terror and desperately shouted.
[A-ask me anything! I’ll answer everything!]
“Good. So, you’re a demon too?”
[Y-yes! Though I don’t have a name or a domain, I am still a demon!]
“You’re too weak.”
Objectively speaking, the demon possessed a considerable level of power.
Even someone standing at the threshold of transcendence would struggle against it.
But that was all it was. It hadn’t surpassed mortality.
The gap between mortality and immortality could never be bridged, and to Taesan now, this demon was no threat.
[O-of course, there are stronger ones! Those who possess a name and a domain are incomparably stronger than someone like me!]
“So there are different types of demons.”
The Demon Goddess had mentioned that only 72 demons possessed domains. The rest seemed to be on a much lower level.
Taesan, having sorted out his thoughts, asked.
“Alright. You said ‘you too.’ That means the ones over there also have a Lemegeton, right?”
[Yes! All those idiots over there are Lemegeton holders like you!]
Taesan wasn’t the only one who possessed a Lemegeton.
The Lemegeton was a tool for direct contracts with demons. That meant six individuals had gathered here for the same purpose.
“What exactly are we doing here?”
[This is the place where trials are held to claim the seat of a demon!]
“…What?”
Taesan frowned.
“Claim the seat of a demon? Is that even possible?”
Demons were beings close to the High Gods. To wield such power, one had to at least transcend mortality.
But no matter how much he observed them, the individuals over there had not surpassed mortality.
To be precise, they stood just beneath that boundary. They were certainly strong, but they were far from possessing the power of demons.
[I-I don’t know the details either! The demons with domains decided it this way, and I was simply assigned as a guide, so I just follow orders!]
The nameless demon spoke cautiously. It seemed to have no further information.
“That’s enough.”
[T-thank you!]
The demon bowed its head to Taesan and quickly flew away.
Taesan turned his back on it and approached the five others.
As he drew closer, a man with long, unkempt hair and a gloomy expression stepped forward. His face was ghostly pale, and his disheveled hair resembled a bird’s nest.
The man examined Taesan in silence before extending his hand.
“…Handshake.”
Taesan stared at the offered hand for a moment before grasping it without hesitation.
The man seemed momentarily surprised but slowly shook Taesan’s hand.
Within the movement of their clasped hands, waves of power seeped into Taesan.
Waves of energy probed Taesan’s body, attempting to analyze his power.
However, they were blocked by the sheer difference in level, unable to penetrate beyond the surface.
“…Ah?”
The man’s face stiffened for a moment. Reflexively, he withdrew his hand.
“…You.”
“Idiot.”
A voice came from behind him—an elderly man had spoken.
“I’ll admit you’ve hidden your power perfectly, but you allowed another’s touch too easily. Someone like that cannot survive here.”
Taesan looked at them.
The gloomy man and the old man were human. The remaining three appeared to be of the demon race.
And they weren’t hiding their power.
As if flaunting it, they radiated intense demonic energy.
“And yet, you’re openly revealing your power.”
“Why should I hide it? This power is proof of who I am. There’s no need, nor reason, to conceal it.”
The old man spoke with confidence.
“I am a great warlock. A practitioner of black magic under the contract of the mighty Decarabia. My name is Ethan.”
Decarabia. Taesan recognized that demon’s name.
It was the source of Basic Black Magic: Decarabia’s Twisted Flora—a black magic spell he had used effectively.
‘So that’s how it works.’
One formed a contract with a specific demon to wield black magic. That seemed to be the case for the warlocks gathered here.
Ethan asked bluntly,
“Which demon did you form a contract with? Though I doubt a coward who hides his power would be willing to say. Consider this a formality.”
“A contract, huh.”
Taesan considered the question.
If anything, he was tied to the Demon Goddess, but she wasn’t a demon. Taesan shook his head.
“I don’t have one.”
“What?”
Ethan’s face twisted.
Just as he was about to say something, space itself split open.
[Everyone is here.]
The Great Demon Baal appeared.
Leisurely, he looked at the stunned warlocks before speaking in a relaxed tone.
[I am Baal, a Great Demon. Pleased to meet you.]
“B-Baal, my lord!”
The warlocks, stricken with shock, immediately bowed their heads.
The name of the Great Demon was known to all warlocks. The master of pure evil who had existed since the beginning of time. The absolute ruler above all demons.
None had expected such an entity to descend in person. Overwhelmed by fear, they trembled, unable even to lift their heads.
Only Taesan stared directly at Baal.
Baal yawned and spoke.
[To be honest, I don’t particularly like any of you.]
The warlocks swallowed nervously.
The fear of death gripped them.
[But even as a Great Demon, I can’t suppress the desires of the demons. Since this is something both you and they agreed to, I won’t interfere.]
After saying that, Baal glanced at Taesan with a brief smile before continuing.
[The six of you who possess a Lemegeton. This is my trial. If you pass it, you will ascend to the seat of a demon and claim a domain of your own.]
Hearing those words, the warlocks, still bowing, had their eyes light up with anticipation.
A powerful desire radiated from them.
[This is my trial. In the abandoned domain of the now-dead demon Belial, survive and seize Belial’s throne.]
[Sub-quest initiated.]
[The Great Demon Baal has issued a trial to the holders of Lemegeton. The demon Belial has perished, but his domain remains, twisted and forsaken. Break through and claim the throne in Belial’s castle.]
[Reward: A demon’s seat and its domain.]
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