"Keheuk!"
The Roland, embedded firmly in Nebilosʼs chest, emitted a brilliant light.
Sizzle—
The radiant light, condensed with the power of purification, began to annihilate the impure energy within Nebilos.
"Grrraaah!"
Nebilos glared at Zeke in agony.
"You insignificant human dare—!"
Black energy surged from his body.
The black energy extending from Nebilosʼs form transformed into a massive black skull above his head.
The black skull floated into the air and scattered black mist in all directions.
Zeke realized that the black mist created by the black skull was similar to the Dark Barrier conjured by the Knights of the Abyss.
'The range of this incantation was incomparably wider than what the Knights of the Abyss deployed.ʼ
It seemed Nebilos intended to envelop the entire battlefield in a Dark Barrier.
At that moment, Zeke turned and shouted.
"Raven!"
Raven, riding atop the Tyrant disguised as a phoenix, responded to Zekeʼs call.
Woooooong—
Raven unleashed Phoenix Cry toward the black skull.
Just as it had against the Knights of the Abyss, the Phoenix Cry began to disperse the Dark Barrier created by the black skull.
Nebilos reacted with disbelief as even the Dark Barrier he had conjured scattered.
"What in the world! What are you?!"
Nebilos was one of the most powerful high-rank demons in the Demon Realm.
Though he couldnʼt use his full strength having been summoned to the Phenomenal World, the Blood Tear Stone allowed him to wield about 70% of his true power.
Yet, to be so thoroughly overwhelmed by a single human was beyond comprehension.
Nebilos spurred his Ghost Steed toward the entrance of the Bottomless Pit.
"If thatʼs how it is, Iʼll unleash the beasts of the Abyss and destroy everything!"
Among the beasts of the Abyss, there were entities even Nebilos couldnʼt handle easily.
That was why he had planned to summon them in controlled sizes—just enough to ravage and conquer the city.
But with his pride as a Demon Realm noble shattered by Zeke, Nebilos decided to disregard all restraint and obliterate everything.
Rumble—
The entrance to the Bottomless Pit began to widen gradually.
Analyzing this, Hades shouted to Zeke.
"Hey! You idiot! Stop that lich! Itʼll ruin all my calculations!"
Hearing Hadesʼs urgent plea, Zeke immediately flew toward Nebilos.
He drew Bahamut and activated Full Power Technique.
Woooooong!
Thanks to his increased proficiency, using Full Power Technique felt far more natural than before.
Gripping Bahamut, Zeke summoned his will from deep within his heart.
The power of his will infused the sword.
Full Power Technique
Double Spell
Will of Demon-Breaking
Zekeʼs sword, imbued with the intent to shatter demons, hurtled toward Nebilos.
Sensing the ominous energy of Full Power Technique in the blade, Nebilos spewed smoke from his Skull Staff, forming a skull-shaped shield.
But it was insufficient against Zekeʼs sword carrying the Will of Demon-Breaking.
Crack!
Zekeʼs sword pierced through the skull shield and struck Nebilos between the eyes.
Crack!
As Bahamut embedded in his forehead, Nebilos let out a scream.
"Kaaaaah!"
For a high-rank demon like him, such humiliation was unprecedented.
Zeke drove Bahamut deeper into Nebilosʼs forehead while grasping Roland in his chest and summoning a blade of radiant light.
Woooooong!
With the power of demon-breaking in his head and purification in his chest surging through him, even Nebilos couldnʼt endure.
Clutching his Skull Staff, he cried out toward the Bottomless Pit.
"O great Lord of the Abyss! Grant power to your pitiful servant! Let the beasts of the Abyss devour these worthless fools!" Woooooong!
The Skull Staff vibrated intensely, and the Bottomless Pit widened further.
The massive crocodile jaws blocking the pit began to emerge from the entrance.
Hades, watching from behind, shouted at Zeke. "Damn it! How canʼt you stop it? Itʼs almost done!" Zeke yelled back at Hades.
"Lord Hades! If we delay any longer, the beast will be summoned! Just activate the formula!"
"Activating now might warp the formula and cause it to function differently!"
"Anythingʼs better than letting that thing out!"
After a momentʼs hesitation, Hades gritted his teeth and triggered the formula. "Argh! Better hope it works!"
Zzzzzing—
Countless magic circles appeared not only at the Bottomless Pit but also around Zeke, Nebilos, and the vicinity. Lines extended from them, interconnecting.
Seeing this, Nebilos gripped his staff tighter, desperately trying to widen the Bottomless Pit further.
Zekeʼs left hand unleashed chains.
Clang!
The chains wrapped around Nebilosʼs body, but the Demon Realm nobleʼs will was formidable.
Despite the pressure constricting his entire form, he refused to release the Skull Staff.
In that instant, a method to seal Nebilos flashed through Zekeʼs mind.
'If I sealed him into the sword like Arataso?ʼ
Zeke quickly retrieved the Damascus Sword from his inventory—the one that had held Kaiman captive.
This sword could summon sealing chains to bind souls.
Zeke thrust the Damascus Sword into Nebilos, where Bahamut and Roland were embedded.
Black chains erupted from the sword, coiling around Nebilos.
"Kaaaaah!"
With the chains of Soul Confinement Technique and the Damascus Sword binding him simultaneously, even Nebilos could no longer move.
At that moment, the lines from Hadesʼs magic circles connected fully.
Woooooong!
A massive vibration rang out as the magic circles activated.
However, as the Bottomless Pit expanded, the activation range widened unexpectedly.
Hades was startled.
"Uh-oh! This isnʼt good!"
Unable to anticipate the range shift, Hades hastily adjusted the formula.
A strong current sparked from the circuits, making Zeke and Nebilosʼs forms flicker.
Rumble!
Intense light burst from Hadesʼs formula, which reversed the Bottomless Pit.
Zeke shoved the chained Nebilos into the light.
"Hyah!"
And then, a massive explosion of light erupted from Hadesʼs magic circles, completely erasing the Bottomless Pit from the sky.
Zeke and Nebilos were engulfed in the blast and vanished.
Staring at the empty sky, Hades blinked and muttered.
"Shit."
*
Woooooong!
Something appeared beneath the sky of a lush jungle amid a massive burst of light.
Thud!
The head of a massive, crocodile-like magical beast crashed onto the jungle canopy.
Zeke and Nebilos plummeted rapidly alongside it.
Zeke stowed Roland and Bahamut in his inventory, gripped the Damascus Sword, and used the sealing chains to tightly bind Nebilosʼs soul.
"Kaaaaah!"
The Demon Realm noble Nebilos resisted to the end.
But Zeke was even more ruthless.
He clenched the Damascus Sword tighter and summoned a blade of radiant light.
Woooooong!
As the power of purification surged violently back into his body, Nebilos finally weakened and abandoned his resistance.
Clink!
The sealing chains burrowed into Nebilosʼs form, taking root in his soul.
Nebilosʼs soul was now bound to the Damascus Sword.
"Aaaaaah!"
Bound by the black chains, Nebilos screamed.
Zeke channeled Sacred Radiance Technique through the Damascus Sword.
"Kaaaaah!"
The energy of Sacred Radiance Technique flooded in, causing Nebilos unbearable agony as he writhed.
After the blow to his forehead from Bahamut and the subsequent assaults, he could no longer think straight.
Arataso, sealed within the Green Sword, clicked his tongue at the sight.
[Even Nebilos, the Inspector of the Abyss, reduced to that. Zeke, youʼre more demonic than the demons.]
In truth, demons werenʼt allies unless they served the same constellation. They were rivals coveting each otherʼs domains.
Lacking any camaraderie, Arataso watched with cold cynicism.
This was amplified by the oppositional relationship between his master, Clear Verdant Aspiration, and the Lord of the Abyss.
With his will utterly broken by the invading Sacred Radiance Technique, Nebilos had no strength left to resist.
Clang!
The black chains dragged him toward the blade.
"Th-this!"
Sensing danger, Nebilos cried out, but he was sucked into the Damascus Sword in an instant.
The noble high-rank demon of the Demon Realm, Nebilos, was sealed into the sword.
Unlike before, the Damascus Sword now gleamed with a blue light along its blade.
Zeke looked down at the Damascus Sword and shook his head.
"Phew, this guyʼs persistence is a first." Arataso replied in an incredulous tone.
[Nebilos is one of the few nobles granted a title among the demons of the Demon
Realm. Heʼs arrogant and annoying, but his power is the real deal.] Zeke, hearing this, asked.
"But does a title mean much in the Demon Realm?" Arataso tsked.
[Humans inherit titles or earn them through subordinatesʼ merits. But in the Demon
Realm, itʼs different. You seize it solely through your own strength.] "Hmm, I see. But who bestows the title? The Demon King is sealed, right?"
Arataso fell silent for a moment, then sighed before speaking.
[Sigh, explaining this to a human. You might not remember, but the master I serve, Clear
Verdant Aspiration, has the Demon Archlord as its lord.] Zeke nodded, recalling their first meeting.
"Now that you mention it, yeah. A constellation with another constellation as a vassal. The one searching for the sacred relic was that Demon Archlordʼs servant. You said back then you couldnʼt utter the Demon Archlordʼs name."
[Correct. I still canʼt say the name. But what I can tell you is that currently, in the Demon Realm, that Demon Archlord acts as the Demon Kingʼs proxy.] Zekeʼs eyes widened at the new information.
"The Demon Archlord is acting as the Demon Kingʼs proxy?"
[Yes, but the Demon Archlord isnʼt the Demon King. Not all demons follow it. Among the powerful ones, some seek to claim the Demon Archlordʼs position.]
"So the titles are granted by that Demon Archlord?"
[The Demon Archlord alone canʼt do it. The six strongest demons in the Demon Realm, including the Demon Archlord, convene to decide. Itʼs to pre-select outstanding vassals for easier legion command when the Demon King revives.]
Zeke was surprised to learn this secret of the Demon Realm unknown in the Phenomenal World.
He pressed Arataso further.
"So the Demon Realm is currently divided, with the Demon Archlord and five other powerful demons in opposition?"
[Yes. The 'Lord of the Abyss,ʼ Nebilosʼs master, is one of those six. The Lord of the Abyss commands other demons and wields immense power.] "Then among them, some might not want the Demon Kingʼs revival?"
Arataso laughed loudly.
[Thatʼs the funniest thing Iʼve heard. The Demon Kingʼs revival is what every demon and vassal desires. The six demons convene regularly despite their rivalries for one reason. What do you think it is?] Zeke answered.
"For the Demon Kingʼs revival?"
[Exactly. Thereʼs no other reason for great demons to gather.] Zeke pondered Aratasoʼs words.
'Even rival demons and demonkind united under the Demon Kingʼs name.ʼ
If the Demon King revived, the fractured Demon Realm would consolidate, with invading the Phenomenal World as their primary goal.
Zeke shook his head to clear the complicated thoughts.
'No need to overthink. Seal the Demon King before revival. The demons wonʼt unite and will weaken through infighting.ʼ
He stood, stowed the Damascus Sword sealing Nebilos in his inventory, and gazed at the massive magical beastʼs head fallen in the jungle.
"Itʼs grotesquely huge."
Relieved they had stopped it before emergence, Zeke commanded his shadow to devour the head whole.
His depleted energy refilled instantly.
With his strength restored, Zeke caught his breath and activated the mini-map to locate himself.
"This is... the Southern Continent jungle region? No wonder it felt familiar."
It was a place he had frequented like home during his hitman days, raiding an enemy organizationʼs soma camp.
"Lord Hadesʼs formula must have flung me to the Southern Continent. At least thatʼs fortunate."
As Zeke pondered returning to the Central Continent and surveyed the jungle, he sensed something and looked toward the distance.
'This was... a dragonʼs aura?ʼ