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On the other side of the collapsing portals, was a killing intent so potent, none of the generals or soldiers dared to move.
Over a dozen generals were kneeling in front of the Demon King, awaiting further orders. Behind them was an army so large, they stretched to the gate of this ruined kingdom that used to belong to the humans long ago.
"Aaaaaargggh!!!!!!!! Who forced that human's awakening!? I'll kill him!" Arsnoria, the Demon King, punched the castle wall, instantly making the entire building shake with a rumble.
The red glare of the sun cast a crimson light between the curtains of the grand castle that once belonged to a human king thousands of years ago.
"Who among you dared take Zathriel's name!?" the Watcher, a mysterious dark figure draped in exquisite robes, wearing a mask that exuded strong mana, addressed the army on Arsnoria's behalf, "She served the Demon God a million years ago and has contributed greatly to our kind! Taking her name means accepting the consequences of eternal suffering in the illusion torture room!"
None dared to raise their head.
"We can rule out that Arthur fellow. Someone who thinks this far ahead wouldn't recklessly come to this side hoping to take one of our heads." That was said by Vezraya, whose voice came out of a floating black mirror clouded with dark smoke.
"Indeed, and it's too much of a coincidence." The Watcher agreed, "It's as if it was planned in advance. We deliberately allocated forces away from the villa where the hero's family were. He saw this as the perfect opportunity to use us as a scapegoat and cement the hero's hatred."
"…It's not that I thought the boy would suddenly become friendly towards us, but I think that a Hero who will stop at nothing to wipe us out, is more dangerous than one who simply wishes to save humanity."
"Could it be that old monster leading that organization?"
"No, it wouldn't resort to such underhanded means—it's too proud of itself. It erased its eldritch identity to live as a human—with this life being its ninth but it shouldn't have the motives to help the humans to this extent even if it lives amongst them. Whether they live or die, it will continue to live regardless."
It had never interfered in the demons' plan so they chose to leave it alone.
"It might've fallen in love with its life, who really knows."
"Maybe, but we shouldn't rely on speculation. Whoever did this had planned to do it from the start."
"If it weren't for that Vesemyr, we could've killed one of the heroes and trapped the Holy Sword here! Despicable beast! It's no different from its father!" Arsnoria yelled, stopping the two's conversation.
"Your Majesty, please maintain your composure… The troops are waiting for further instructions…" The Watcher tried to calm her down but even if she's mature in terms of her evolution, she's still the physical age of a human at 15.
Since her mental and physical age is no different from a young adult, she always throws tantrums when she doesn't get her way. Being a god-like being with incredible power, this is no small thing.
Arsnoria was about 150cm tall even with heels, wore the royal garb of a demon princess, had two black horns that bent behind her head, and curly purple hair that reached her feet. Her black lips were stained by blood from biting them too much.
"Now Ekterina is going to be killed to benefit our enemies. Damn it! If only Guinevere wasn't there!" she didn't even listen to him.
"…Yes, but the dragon lords are approaching the empire so even if she weren't there, we would've faced that threat in the end. They seemed agitated by something so their killing intent was leaking all over the place." He then mentioned another issue, "Though the portals are on the brink of collapse, the troops on the other side can still follow orders as the atmosphere won't instantly kill them. Radius, one of our generals, is also there. He's one of the most resilient soldiers we've ever had so I think he can survive for a few years without the terraformer's atmosphere."
He's been able to do so until now, after all. Not many demons have the endurance to resist the World Tree's life energy. While the purpose of mana is to prevent the gathering of demonic energy, it doesn't immediately kill demons. Instead, an incurable illness results from being in an atmosphere devoid of these suitable conditions.
It killed millions during the "Descent of the Valkyries" and "Demon-Human War". Even Watcher can't cure it. Portals with weak demonic energy might be able to survive on a battlefield where death energy looms at its strongest, but the same can't be said for demons themselves.
That's why it's extremely risky to cross to the other side even if they have the means. This time they were lucky since some human experimented on ways to open a portal and even isolated a special room for it.
"There's nothing we can do!" she shouted back, "Whoever awakened that boy can think ahead of us! He probably already knows that Radius is there and is watching his every move."
'Could it be Guinevere…? No, she may have the strength to be a nuisance but she doesn't use such tactics. She's the perfect soldier, not strategist.'
And she isn't the type of person who would accept if someone resorts to such underhanded methods. Unless that someone is one she's greatly indebted to or is being held prisoner.
Watcher could think of only one instance when the latter happened.
"Lord Watcher, how long do you reckon it will take to create another terraformer?"
He shook his head at Vezraya's question, "The divine blueprint to creating one is long gone. We had several at our disposal but as you know, they mysteriously vanished in the war. I think Lyra may have taken them as assurance that we wouldn't harm her people after we dominated the humans."
"That damned woman! I should cross over and kill her fragments myself! The solar storms at the barrier are beginning to grow weaker so the cracks should appear soon, right?"
"Don't say such reckless things, Your Grace." Vezraya said hurriedly, "The barrier was designed to imprison the demon race. Even His Lordship Valtraak couldn't simply break through it. Couple this with the fact that the World Tree has its own restrictions for what kind of beings can simply cross over and we have another headache."
"Indeed. Ekterina is a special case we can't replicate without the humans. We even lost contact with Radius when the portals began collapsing."
"Then you should figure out why she could cross over!"
"We have another plan so that's not necessary." The Watcher whispered.
"Aha! Uhm, but that means we'll be relying on that thing…"
"We have no choice. Vesemyr may be unpredictable, but it was through his efforts, we were able to figure out that the key needs constant maintenance for the barrier to stay up."
He didn't mean it in technical terms. The "Key" is a vessel where the Archmage's mana goes into when they fix the crack in the barrier.
Turn the key (kill the Archmage) and the door opens (the barrier falls apart). But that would've worked only when Guinevere wasn't here. She also knew a technique to maintain the barrier. She used the same barrier in the fight against Valtraak, after all.
That famous human saying "stuck between a rock and a hard place" was on the tip of his tongue.
Since Peulik didn't mention this to them, it's highly likely that he wasn't on their side completely and still wanted to betray them.
"Should we entrust killing the Archmage to Mumulbur?" Vezraya asked.
"Yes, Mumulbur's goal is simply to seek more power. He knows that Her Grace will evolve into a Demon God one day, opening many doors for him to obtain greater strength. The humans won't trust him due to him being a lich so he has no one but us. While we can't trust him, we can continue to cooperate with him."
"Unless someone beats us to it…"
The two went silent for a moment as that troublesome thought surfaced in their minds.
If the mystery person could manipulate the events to awaken Luke, it's highly likely they anticipated the paths the demons would take.
That was a terrifying thought to have. To have all your moves predicted as if it were a chess board…
The cry of a baby drew their attention, turning heads to seek the source of the sound.
It came from above.
Everyone looked up. Someone was holding a demon baby by its ankle.
That baby wasn't just anyone.
It was Malzorath Doom at the "Nascent stage" of his rebirth cycle. Unlike regular demons, Malzorath doesn't need to wait a century to reincarnate. He's back to full strength within a few mere years after death.
"That is!" everyone's eyes widened when they realized who it was—
A young man with dark blue hair and red eyes stared down at them.
Arnold Valtraak.
"—It's our first time meeting, Demon King. You look nothing like what I imagined." He stared at the purple haired maiden as she sat on her throne, her face twisting when she realized who it was.
But she maintained her composure despite her hands being clenched so tight that they trembled, "You… You have some nerve crossing over when the gateways are on the brink of collapsing. Unhand my subordinate and I will spare your life. You can work as my subordinate until I decide to release you."
"Hahaha!" his laugh boomed throughout the entire demon capital, heard and felt by tens of thousands of demons, "You're not the type to make deals like that, Arsnoria. I took your father's name and made the entire demon race my enemy—why would you spare my life?"
She gritted her teeth as her dark red aura surrounded her body.
"It's not all bad. By having the entire demon race as my enemy, it forces me to never slack off. But with Guinevere at my side as my knight, I get to enjoy a life free of any troubles."
"You think too lowly of us, human. Are you aware that we can wipe out your entire race even with that Valkyrie fighting alongside you?" Arsnoria smirked but that looked more like she was trying to appear arrogant, "If it weren't for the Million-Year Barrier separating this vast world in two, we could've wiped the human race completely a thousand times!"
"I'm very well aware of that. But what you say will never come to pass. You're unable to unleash the full force of your army. Those ancient demons you resurrected with your blood magic will waste away in this world because it's simply impossible to create a portal big enough to fit them through. Zephyros knew that so long as the barrier stands, there's a limit to how many portals there can be and how big you can make them."
Arsnoria's pupils shook.
'His knowledge of the barrier far exceeds what mortals should know about it. Is Arnold acquainted with one of the gods who told him of this?'
"Hah." Arsnoria rose from her throne. Her feet slapped the floor as she pranced around. "You're making a big mistake thinking that's going to be true for long. You see, while we don't like Vesemyr in the slightest, he found a secret method that—while it can't destroy the entire barrier—will allow us to control the energy flow in the barrier and make a few holes in it. Deprive it of enough and too many tears will appear in the barrier, like wounds on skin."
Arnold frowned.
'That's not a foolproof plan. Vesemyr may have bad intentions once he releases those tentacle monsters.'
He already allowed one hero to live. To him it might've seem like he was teasing the demon race, but they lost their one chance at getting an advantage over the humans. The Holy Sword might be sentient but it can't activate skills or spells on its own even if it has thousands of them.
So long as it was trapped here, the demons would've inevitably won.
What other shrewd plans did Vesemyr have for them…?
"Hahaha! Oh? Got you scared?"
"You're different from what I imagined, Arsnoria. You act like a complete brat."
"W-Why you!" hearing this, a vein appeared on her temple.
The Watcher sighed. The fact that she can fall for such simple provocation means she wasn't ready to fight yet. They could easily lure her into a trap or manipulate her into doing things that would impact the demon race.
Fortunately for her, Watcher had never left her side. So long as he was alive, he'd mediate and strategize for them.
"Tell me what you demons are up to and I might spare your father's life, Arsnoria. By now, he's locked in a seal that only Guinevere can break. Luke has the power to kill him now. He also has the power to seal Valtraak away inside the Holy Sword. But if you demons want your former king back safe and sound, you better get off your high horses and stop thinking so lowly of me."
If Luke seals Valtraak away with the divine sword's skills, there's no way of resurrecting him with his soul because he'd technically be alive, just impossible to save.
"This arrogant human dares threaten Her Grace!" one of the generals shouted, his saliva flying everywhere, itching to tear Arnold apart.
"What? I'm legitimately making a deal here and I get called arrogant?"
"Before you spout nonsense like making a deal, you should drop the infant." Vezraya's voice came from the mirror, "Malzorath can't defend himself against you for at least a few years. Don't you warriors like to mention honor and the like? Ekterina does the same thing."
"I'm the last person you should be speaking to about honor." He shook his head with a chuckle.
"Hah, that's right. You killed a defenseless girl and forced Luke to awaken. You're one of us, Arnold." Another general said.
"Yeah, maybe."
'So, it was him…'
"..." Arsnoria's mouth hanged open and her eyes widened. He wasn't even denying it.
"So, are you going to tell me? You could have your father back home by tomorrow, Arsnoria." The smirk on Arnold's face told them there was a catch to his deal.
One of the generals, who used to serve Valtraak thousands of years ago and waited for his return after his battle with Zephyros, opened his mouth.
However, the Watcher stopped him, "If we tell him then he'll hinder our plans, just like he did with the hero's awakening. Don't forget that he uses underhanded tactics to get the best results. He might return our former king to us as a cripple. The Holy Sword is now fully awakened so we should expect that he won't come back in one piece."
Watcher knew he would do this because he himself would resort to the same measures. Due to this, he saw his younger self in Arnold.
"Man, I wish you and Vezraya weren't present when I made this deal. Your gullible little king would've agreed immediately because she's daddy's precious girl. She hasn't seen her loving Papa at all since he left a long time ago, even before her egg hatched." Though he sounded disappointed, he simply shrugged.
"Y-Y-You…!"
"Since you don't intend on making a deal with me, I guess I'll carry out what I came here to do."
A red and black energy surrounded him. A sinister face appeared behind him like an illusion created with the energy.
"I wanted to try this new energy Gederick's spirit absorbed. Guess now is a good time for that."
"This is…" there's no way the Watcher would forget this sinister Ki that shook the world during its cultivation era when mages were rare and few and cultivators dominated the skies.
The evil spirit that this Ki belonged to threw the entire world into chaos to the point where it was called a Demon God that the immortal sects had to take down by any means. Even the Sword God faced it in battle during his years as a mortal fifty thousand years ago.
"How is it possible for him to defeat this ancient spirit!?"
Where did he even get it? It was sealed away by the world's strongest martial artists after its physical body got destroyed.
This complicated things. The spirit's Ki alone was troublesome because anyone that absorbs it with their martial spirit will achieve a grander Equilibrium. This is what martial spirits excelled in.
So long as you are a Transcendent who achieved Equilibrium, you can grow incomprehensibly and infinitely stronger by simply absorbing powerful spirits. The only limit is your competency when fighting the spirits.
The Arnold before them… was probably far stronger than what they had imagined.
Arsnoria, unfamiliar with this sinister Ki, was the first to move. She instantly appeared behind him, ready to rip his head off.
However—
"!!" her claws struck empty air and the shockwave made the castle groan and a fierce wind sent thousands of demons flying back.
That was no circus trick—her hand actually went through his body as if he was a hologram projection.
But Watcher was experienced enough to know it wasn't that simple.
"A yokai ability! Get back before he traps you in a pocket dimension, Your Majesty!" The Watcher hurriedly conjured a portal behind her and pulled her through it so that she appeared by his side.
Equilibrium, cloning, Aether, yokai abilities—this man was a far greater threat than they thought he'd be. Fortunately, Arsnoria and Vezraya still possessed a greater energy signature and were likely still more powerful than him.
But that power means nothing if you can't touch him.
"W-What was that?" she was still visibly shaken by what she just witnessed. Until now, anything her hands touched was ripped to shreds. Nothing could withstand a single move from her.
But this was the second time Watcher saw a shocked expression on her face since she heard that her father was alive.
"It's a yokai ability. No other being can manipulate its mass to this degree if not them. If he could master such a difficult ability, he might have others up his sleeve."
Powerful Yokais are difficult to deal with. They would pose a threat even to him in terms of magical ability. That being said, he came up with many countermeasures to fight them.
The unpredictability of their powers is what made him cautious.
"—Correct." A second Arnold appeared behind them, placing his hands on their shoulders, "You know a lot of things. If you weren't so loyal to the Demon Kings, I might've offered you a deal to help me with something."
Arsnoria swung again, but the clone simply vanished after her strike.
"Stop your dirty tricks and fight me like a real man!"
"I didn't come here to show off. I came here to save us a future headache—" he released Aether, "Malzorath will have to die again."
'No! If he perishes again so soon after dying, reincarnation will take longer!' It might take a decade for Malzorath to resurrect, meaning they would lose a massive force.
Then…
An explosion of Aether erased every trace of Malzorath's fourth nascent form. He faded into particles of light.
The moment there was no sign of the infant Malzorath, every single demon charged at Arnold.
He merely smirked, before putting Yorm's ring in the system inventory.
"We'll meet again soon, Arsnoria." he smirked.
Then his clone was torn apart by the demons, bones snapped and meat consumed. His clone laughed even as he got devoured, the last bit of ridicule he gave them.
Arsnoria, Vezraya and the Watcher stood there blankly.
Arsnoria, having never been toyed with before, gritted her teeth with tears in the corner of her eyes.