Chapter 414: 82nd Floor, Lemegeton (3) |
Everyone’s eyes gleamed.
Except for Taesan, the other contractors were not adventurers of the labyrinth. The quest window had not appeared for them, but it wasn’t difficult to deduce from Baal’s words.
Belial’s Throne.
Whoever claims it shall ascend to a glorious seat.
Greed and desire. Various emotions swirled violently. Baal gazed at them emotionlessly.
[Then, I shall open the door. The rest is up to you.]
Kiing!
As Baal waved his hand, an immense darkness engulfed them.
“Uwaaah!”
For a moment, the power was so thick and dark that they braced for death. Their eyes shut as screams escaped them.
Kugugugung…
The energy gradually subsided, and as they realized they were still alive, they opened their eyes.
“……Ha.”
“This place…”
They gasped in awe.
A world crumbling and dying all around them.
They had arrived in Belial’s now-dead world.
They had reached their destination.
Realizing this, they quickly assessed their surroundings.
The sky was densely filled with objects resembling sea urchins. The crumbling ground floated and moved through the air.
And within it, a powerful presence could be felt.
Someone unconsciously swallowed their saliva.
It seemed they were in a safe zone, but even so, the overwhelming power was terrifying.
As they surveyed their surroundings, they became aware of a presence beside them.
“Who are you?”
“I am the Observer. Once, I was a servant of the now-vanished Lord Belial.”
An old man in black robes bowed respectfully. At a glance, he appeared to be an ordinary servant, but his eyes were completely black.
‘Strong.’
Taesan marveled quietly. The old man had not reached immortality, but he had attained the boundary just below it.
Compared to Taesan, he was clearly weaker, but in terms of general standards, his strength was extraordinarily high.
It seemed that those directly connected to such entities possessed immense power.
The servant let out a deep sigh, as if truly regretful.
“It pains me greatly that worms like you have stepped into my master’s domain, but it cannot be helped.”
“I heard that the demon here is dead.”
One of the five contractors, a woman, chuckled. From her revealing outfit and the two small horns on her head, she appeared to be a succubus.
“Then wouldn’t it be fine if we became demons? More importantly, wouldn’t it be in your best interest to gain a new master?”
“If unworthy worms were to claim my master’s domain, I would rather die.”
“That won’t be a problem. We have the qualifications.”
The woman declared confidently. The demon she had contracted with had granted her permission to claim Belial’s domain.
The servant spoke calmly.
“Think as you wish. In the end, this too is the will of the great ones. As a servant, I am merely here to observe those who have gained the right to become a master.”
There was no emotion in his black eyes. He showed no sign of believing that those who had arrived here would ascend to the throne of a demon.
“Hmph.”
Another demon scoffed in displeasure. He was a muscular man holding a long spear.
‘If I become a demon, I’ll kill that bastard first.’
He smirked wickedly.
He was highly regarded even in the vast Demon Realm.
Born into a noble house, he had been given the name Halid and had received full support from his family due to his exceptional talent.
But for Halid, the Demon Realm was too small. The few truly powerful beings, such as the apostles of the Demon God, had all left to wander the world.
Believing that he could no longer grow stronger in the Demon Realm, Halid left, traveling the world in search of power.
He had heard of the labyrinth before, but when he first learned about it, it hadn’t seemed like a particularly attractive place.
Halid sought more useful methods than that.
He had pursued strength by any means necessary, and in the process, he had destroyed several worlds that lacked planetary gods.
Countless beings who had lost their homes cursed Halid, but he merely sneered.
To him, the world was nothing more than a stepping stone for his greatness. If countless lives had to be sacrificed as fuel for his ascension, he did not care.
In the end, after growing immensely powerful, Halid was chosen by a demon.
The demon Marchosias took Halid under his wing and granted him Lemegeton.
Halid was thrilled.
A demon. A being of greatness. He could become an equal to the master of the black magic he wielded.
He had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away.
A twisted grin formed on his lips.
“Let’s form a temporary alliance.”
Turning around, he addressed the other contractors.
Vile creatures, greedy for power beyond their worth. That was how he saw the other holders of Lemegeton.
But their power itself was undeniable. Though he didn’t want to admit it, their strength was on par with his own.
They could serve as excellent tools for his ascension to demonhood.
Concealing his true thoughts, he continued speaking.
“I’d like everyone to cooperate.”
“…Cooperate?”
A sinister-looking man muttered. Halid spoke as if it were obvious.
“You don’t actually think you can get through this place alone, do you?”
The sinister man fell silent.
They could feel it as well. Though the domain was deteriorating without its master, the lingering power within was still that of a demon.
A single misstep would result in instant death, consumed by the remnants of the demon’s power.
Even the throne’s location was obscured by an overwhelming force.
“Only one of us can become a demon. But conversely, our goal is the same. So until we reach our destination, let’s cooperate.”
“Hmph.”
“Hmm…”
“I don’t like it… but there’s no other choice.”
One by one, they began to gather.
Except for one person—Taesan.
“You at least know your place. Get lost. We don’t need you.”
Halid bared his teeth at Taesan.
Taesan had stated that he did not have a demon backing him.
In other words, it meant he had not been chosen.
The power of someone whom no demon had selected was obvious, even without seeing it.
Halid assumed that Taesan had desperately hidden his strength to conceal his weakness.
Halid, who had been exuding his aura toward Taesan, was caught off guard.
Taesan truly had no interest in him whatsoever.
It was as if Halid’s presence did not even register.
Taesan merely gazed silently at Belial’s domain.
“So, this is how it is.”
Muttering briefly, he took a step forward. Before anyone could stop him, he stepped into Belial’s domain.
“Huh?”
Before long, Taesan’s figure disappeared, hidden by the crumbling earth.
Halid was momentarily taken aback but quickly collected himself.
“At least he knows his place and backs off. How convenient.”
It seemed like he had chosen to leave rather than be cast aside, but there was no way he could survive here alone. Halid stopped paying attention to Taesan.
“Well then, let’s talk. Now, what’s the plan?”
‘You are all merely stepping stones for me.’
Halid masked his thoughts and smiled gently.
“Hm.”
Taesan strolled through Belial’s domain.
He already knew where Belial’s Throne was. With such a powerful force emanating from it, failing to notice would have been strange.
However, he did not rush toward the throne immediately.
Instead, Taesan walked leisurely. He wanted to observe his surroundings a bit more.
“I’ll commend you, worm.”
A low voice echoed. It was Belial’s servant.
Without paying him any attention, Taesan spoke.
“You should worry about them instead.”
“I am Lord Belial’s servant. Creating a mere clone is trivial for me.”
The servant spoke indifferently.
“I dislike that you, too, covet my master’s power, but at least you did not choose to cooperate with them. That was the correct choice.”
The servant frowned in distaste.
“To dare covet my master’s seat while relying on the cooperation of others… A futile dream, but still, utterly repulsive.”
His words carried an absolute certainty that they could never reach Belial’s Throne.
“In that sense, at least you’re trying to accomplish something alone. That much, I will commend. Now, be content with that and perish here.”
The moment he finished speaking, the floating sea urchin-like entities in the sky erupted with power. The remnants of the dead demon moved to eliminate the intruder.
Chwajajajak!
Spikes rained down on Taesan in a straight line. It was a perfect attack that left no space to evade.
Demonic power surged within them.
A mortal could not possibly block this.
Certain of Taesan’s death, the servant turned to leave.
“Stop.”
[You have activated Declaration of Halt.]
Utuuk.
The spikes halted just before touching Taesan.
“…What?”
The servant’s eyes widened at the sight before him.
The spikes, frozen in midair, had stopped at a single word from Taesan.
“H-How…”
“They are powerful, but in the end, they are merely masterless remnants.”
If that was the case, one Word of Command was enough to resolve everything.
Taesan reached out and touched the spikes.
“This is similar to Hafran’s world.”
A world where its master had vanished, causing it to wither away. This place was in the same condition.
The difference was that, unlike Hafran’s world, which rapidly lost power after its will perished, this place still retained significant demonic remnants.
“I wonder if I can get something out of this.”
Taesan clenched his fist.
The frozen spikes shattered like brittle twigs, clearing a path.
The servant was left speechless.
Meanwhile, the other holders of Lemegeton were advancing through Belial’s domain together.
The floating sea urchins trembled and rained down upon them.
“Kuh…!”
Halid groaned and swung his hand.
Marchosias’ imitation flames attempted to block the spikes, but they shattered instantly, allowing the spikes to pierce through.
A grim-faced old man, who had contracted with Decarabia, slammed his hand on the ground. The earth rose and twisted, summoning gnarled roots.
Kwakwakwang!
Five dark magicians wielded demonic power, pouring out all their strength and exhausting their energy just to barely withstand the onslaught of spikes.
“Huff, huff…!”
They broke into a cold sweat, struggling to catch their breath.
“…These are truly monstrous.”
Even the remnants of a demon that had already perished posed a lethal threat.
Had they not cooperated, they would not have survived.
Yet that realization only made their eyes shine brighter.
If they could reach the throne alive, they could obtain this power for themselves.
Greed and desire swirled violently.
At some point, Taesan had completely vanished from their minds.
If they were struggling this much even after combining their efforts, there was no way he could still be alive.
The servant, who would have normally mocked them, was too shocked to say anything.
They steeled their resolve and pressed forward.
Risking their lives, using others, they pushed ahead with all their might.
Meanwhile, Taesan casually strolled through Belial’s domain.
“I wonder if there’s a skill worth picking up here.”
At that moment, he was contemplating acquiring new skills.