The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Chapter 280: Premonition of Catastrophe (3)

The number of human knights that had appeared at Arem was ten.

Including Duke Berth, who was commanding them, there was a total of eleven, and they were all top-tier knights who had made a name for themselves in the human realm.

“Reinforce: Power Enhancement.”

With Arin’s arrival, the knights simultaneously cast enhancement spells.

Soon after, their physical abilities reached their peak, and a golden aura began to radiate brightly from their swords.

“The power of the holy sword!”

Recognizing the aura, Arin furrowed her brows intensely.

Just like at the royal palace, the knights who had inherited the power of the holy sword now exhibited a much more formidable strength than before.

“Why are you doing this, Duke Berth?”

“Do you still ask for a reason?”

To Arin’s question, the duke replied with a tone that suggested her question was pitiful.

His expression also conveyed that she should already know why he was doing such things by now.

Beings with no will of their own, just puppets following given orders.

To such beings, questions or persuasion were meaningless.

It was enough to block or stop them.

However, the situation was far from favorable for Arin.

It had been around two hours since she arrived in the demon world.

Her body was still not adapted to the environment of the demon world, making even breathing extremely uncomfortable.

Lunab and Nana seemed relatively fine, but they could just end up being a burden rather than help.

“The grace of holy light shall protect us!”

Along with the incantation, a pure white curtain unfolded in front of Arin.

It was the light-attribute defense magic ‘Wall of Resistance.’

Arin immediately turned her head toward the one who cast it.

“We have bought some time at least.”

Lunab, looking calm, held the grimoire Lemiharam, which blocked the knights’ approach by emanating an immense magical power.

“We won’t be able to hold on for long. We need to decide how to deal with these deluded knights by then.”

Lunab was forcing Arin to make a choice.

“What do you think we should do, Lunab?”

“The first thing that comes to mind is desperately gathering our strength to hold off these knights…”

Lunab raised her other hand, which was not holding the grimoire, and extended a finger.

“The second is to hold on desperately until Cian-senpai arrives.”

“Cian, where is he now?”

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“I don’t know. But I have a feeling he’ll be here soon.”

It was purely an intuition, without any solid basis.

Arin touched her forehead, slightly overwhelmed by the situation.

“And what’s the third option?”

“Running away without looking back. As far as we can.”

It was an unexpectedly drastic measure by Lunab’s standards.

“I believe that choosing this third option would be the best if we want to survive.”

“Why? Why would that be?”

“Because this isn’t our land.”

It took Arin a moment to understand what she meant.

“A man who does not wish for chaos in this demon world is coming to resolve this situation… flying here rapidly.”

While Lunab was speaking, a sudden and uneasy presence covered the sky, along with a tremendous killing intent that caused bodies to flinch automatically.

“It’s too late now.”

Realizing the situation had worsened, Lunab conjured more magical power.

“Fall back, Sister Arin!”

Nana, sensing the threat, sharpened her eyes and stepped forward, and the opposing knights pointed their swords in the same direction.

-Thud!

A moment later, something fell from the sky with incredible speed, raising a massive roar and a whirlwind of dust in all directions.

As the dust cleared, the first thing everyone saw was a red sword emitting a feeling as if it had gathered all the evils of the world—grotesque and impure.

Following the hand that wielded the sword, everyone at the scene was struck with horror.

“…!”

Demon King Belkarion.

Gone was his logical demeanor, now only his true instincts remained, revealing his form as the strongest being in the demon world.

* * *

Approximately 2km from Arem, in a plateau area.

Five Devil Dragons, polymorphed into humans, were observing the situation at Arem using their innate ability ‘Thousand-Mile Eyes,’ with Nagel at the forefront.

“The Demon King has finally drawn the Death Sword.”

Nagel’s expression was grim as he focused on the red sword in Belkarion’s hand.

“Lord Nagel! What should we do?”

“With things having escalated to this point, our intervention would only complicate matters further. It’s best to remain as onlookers.”

“Even you cannot handle the power of that Death Sword, my Lord?”

“It’s not just me. That weapon is a divine artifact that not even gods can be sure to overcome.”

The Death Sword, an absolute artifact allowed only to the beings titled ‘Demon King.’

Having watched over the history of the demon world for ages, Nagel was well aware of the sword’s power.

“The Death Sword has been passed down from Demon King to Demon King since the dawn of time. When a Demon King perishes, the sword is handed down to the next one, inheriting all its previous owner’s powers…”

In other words, the sword contained not only the power of the current Demon King Belkarion but also the power of all the Demon Kings who had reigned over the demon world.

“If the Holy Sword and the Demon Sword vary greatly in power depending on the potential of their bearers, the Death Sword gains strength as it is passed down, accumulating the obsessions of the greatest Demon Kings. The spirit of the sword, born from these obsessions, has probably been provoking the Demon Kings all along. The awakening of the sword means that…”

Nagel paused, leaving the sentence hanging.

“It means the winds of turmoil are yet again stirring in this demon world. Not only here, but the human world will not be safe now either.

Even from a distance, the fearful presence the Devil Dragons felt made them hold their breath and watch silently.

“Why would such a sword be given to the Demon King?”

“It’s a resistance, meant to protect the demon world from those called the highest beings. It’s a sign that it’s not just you who can destroy the world…”

Nagel surveyed all corners of Arem, but the one he sought was not in sight.

“Have you heard any news from Mishuka?”

“Communication ended once she reached the designated location. Given that there is no telepathic signal, she might have entered a spatial void with that human.”

Meaning she had entered but had not yet returned.

Nagel turned his gaze away from Arem to the direction Cian and Mishuka had gone.

One dragon then cautiously asked Nagel.

“Lord Nagel. Do you possibly think that human can stop the Demon King?”

The other dragons, too, were silently waiting for Nagel’s response.

Nagel answered without hesitation.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I say I don’t know because I truly don’t know.”

All the Devil Dragons who had been following Nagel for hundreds of years knew one thing for sure.

Their leader never gives an uncertain answer.

If it’s true, it’s true.

If not, it’s not.

For the first time, Nagel, who always gave sure answers, said he did not know.

“He was an inscrutable human even I could not predict. So that’s all I can say…”

At least one thing was certain: in this demon and human world combined, he was the most likely being able to stop the Demon King.

And one more thing caught Nagel’s eye.

‘That child?’

He was referring to the unfamiliar pink-haired woman who stood boldly in front of Arin and Lunab, shielding them from the Demon King.

A dual being that was neither human nor dragon.

She was an exceedingly irksome existence for some unknown reason.

However, not wishing to show this annoyance to the other dragons, Nagel again shifted his gaze toward the Demon King.

* * *

In a space surrounded by pure white clouds and towering pillars, a man was sitting with his legs crossed.

“…”

As if lost in deep thought, he spent a long time absorbed in contemplation.

“You’re showing an unbecoming face, Lumen Del?”

A woman’s relaxed voice broke the silence, and he tilted his head slightly.

She was an unwelcome visitor it seemed, as his expression was clearly uncomfortable.

“The Demon King seems to have manifested the power of the Death Sword. Is this also your plan?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“I was just thinking that maybe you’ve let go of the reins improperly. As you know, the power of the Death Sword is not something to be underestimated, as it rivals our own power. If the Demon King cannot control it and becomes berserk, who can stop it? Or is it your intention now to descend upon the demon world following the human world?”

“Go back if you aim to mock me, Aquanis.”

Lumen Del fluttered his hand, showing no interest in continuing the conversation.

“Don’t take it the wrong way. I was just worried and wanted to share my thoughts.”

Regardless, she moved behind the throne where he sat.

“Do you have a plan in mind?”

“There’s no need for a plan. Excessive power always leads to one’s downfall. The Demon King is no different. It might cause some damage to the human world, but ultimately he will lead himself to ruin.”

“So it means what remains after the calamity is important, right?”

Lumen Del looked deeply into her eyes instead of answering.

“By the way, your recent actions have been intriguing.”

“Why is that?”

“You’ve been going down to the human world often to exchange something with a dragon? Her name was Marian?”

A slight disturbance appeared between Aquanis’ eyebrows.

“It’s not nice for a man to pry into a woman’s affairs.”

“If you dislike that, then don’t go around doing foolish things, Aquanis. If you don’t want to end up like those who were expelled…”

With a smile, not quite a smile, Lumen Del raised the corners of his mouth, delivering a sincere warning to her.

Aquanis’ face, full of smiles, seemed to falter momentarily, but soon she regained her usual composure.

“Conversations with you indeed lack any fun, as always.”

She slowly turned around to leave, but then suddenly stopped.

“Oh, I had an interesting thought recently.”

She turned her head back toward Lumen Del.

“What if the successor of the black mist stopped the Death Sword-wielding Demon King?”

“What are you getting at?”

Lumen Del’s face contorted instantly.

“The tide is turning that way, isn’t it? You probably wanted your successor to be the order in the human world, but now the world is moving in the opposite direction. Maybe the successor of the mist defeating the Demon King is also part of this world’s flow.”

“…”

“Who knows? Maybe the human who appears before you soon will show us more than the creation we’ve envisioned.”

A deep, genuine smile curled on her lips, as if she wished for that future.

The Goddess of Blue Waters left the space.

(To be continued in the next episode)