Chapter 215: Ark (2)
The Ark was a hidden card made by the angels. They gathered holy power and plants together to make it complete with wings. There were all types of magic and holy powers to stop the darkness, so the grand dukes’ strikes wouldn’t break it so easily.
There were 50,000 angels on the Ark. The angels started to fire the cannons on the Ark at the creatures.
Kung! Kwaang!
Those directly hit by the shells disappeared without leaving any traces behind. The airborne creatures attempted to attack from the sky, but the shield of holy power intercepted them. The evil creatures couldn’t stand touching it and received wounds that couldn’t be healed.
Even so, there were more high ranking creatures wiped out by the angels guarding the ship.
There were 20,000 angels protecting the ship. They wandered around the ship and killed any creature trying to pierce through the shield.
It was a dramatic reversal from the angels’ previous state of being slaughtered.
“Dumb guys.”
Grand Duke Upa watched the ship. He was disappointed in the demons hitting the Ark.
Even though he had entrusted this task to them, not one of them was able to scratch the Ark. The capabilities of his demons seemed to be inferior when compared to the vassals of the other grand dukes.
‘I don’t like it.’
He had no favourites among the demons. The creatures were like consumable items, while the demons would be together with him until their deaths. Yet they were like this.
He needed competent subordinates.
‘In that sense, Gustarte is the best sword and shield for me.’
He would make Upa the best. Not a demon but a god. A demon becoming a god!
Just thinking about it made his body heat up.
Kwaang!
However, the sound of the Ark returned Upa to reality.
Dozens of wyverns were thrown to the ground. The other creatures were crushed to death because of the wyverns.
Of course, not all of his subordinates were useless.
Some high ranking demons were battling the angels.
There was someone who used the huge flying beast ‘golgon’ to push the Ark.
But there was no meaning to it if not all of his subordinates were competent. Upa personally didn’t like this.
“Get out of the way. I will take care of it.”
Upa immediately pushed aside the one commanding and came forward. He didn’t like what he saw in front of him but he couldn’t waste time.
He would use a blitz attack to finish it quickly.
It was best to start quickly and finish fast.
There were many ways to end it quickly but...
The best way was to show the overwhelming difference in strength.
Hwiing!
Upa waved his hand and strong winds started blowing.
Soon dozens of typhoons emerged and danced around Upa’s right hand.
A huge typhoon was creature once they were joined together.
"The ship looks good."
Upa rode the typhoon into the sky.
He felt some comfort that he would be able to obtain the ship in a good condition.
At that time...
Pandemonium and his army hadn’t moved far from Greenwich Observatory. He had no interest in the fighting as his gaze was only directed towards the observatory.
Randalph Brigsiel was a significant demon. The angels weren’t high risk compared to him. He had dealt with one of the grand dukes, Okullos. There was no guarantee he wouldn’t act against the other grand dukes.
As one of the oldest demons, Okullos was careful about everything. Some might say he was scared, but that cautiousness allowed him to maintain his position as grand duke for a long time.
‘Does he really hold the key?’
His mind with filled with other thoughts while he went through the motions of fighting the angels.
It started with the invitation, but the true beginning was the special event.
A few lines of words had appeared in front of all the grand dukes.
And then the assault of the angels started...
‘It isn’t clear.’
The first special event was the emergence of the angels. This assault might also be one. It seemed suspicious but he wasn’t sure how. He couldn’t erase the feeling that someone had deliberately created this situation.
Then he needed to look at who would gain the most from this.
‘Randalph Brigsiel.’
That guy. If the grand dukes’ troops were reduced then the most profitable one would be Randalph Brigsiel who had no faction.
However, the angels wouldn’t listen to a demon and they didn’t seem like they were being used.
So Pandemonium decided to save as much power as possible.
If Randalph Brigsiel did anything then he would be able to respond flexibly. Or Pandemonium would surround Greenwich Observatory and stop him from moving.
‘Humans.’
In the meantime, a dozen humans entered Pandemonium’s field of vision.
The intelligence of humans was amazing so there was no reason for them to not notice this battlefield. Still, it was strange.
‘Why would humans be here?’
Why would humans risk themselves to enter here?
Inferior organisms. All they could do was accept their fate.
Furthermore, the movements of the humans were careful.
It was clear that they were trying to do something.
‘I need to find out.'
Pandemonium raised his hand. It was necessary to find out about any ambiguous occurrences. Then he could align the unseen puzzle pieces.
He knew from long years of experience that it was better to be as careful as possible.
Kwaang!
Suddenly there was a sound from the sky. Huge flames hit the Ark.
The problem was where the flames were launched from.
Pandemonium turned his head.
"He is doing moderately well.”
There was an unmistakable man not far from here.
Randalph Brigsiel!
Despite not being close to it at all, he had attacked the Ark. He thought Randalph Brigsiel would continue to stay in the castle.
“Pandemonium. Aren’t you interested in hunting the angels?”
That guy turned and proudly spoke to him.
It was natural for demons and angels to confront each other. A desire to hunt was also natural. It wasn’t surprising for him to be rebuked for not moving.
Yet Randalph Brigsiel was the one saying it.
He was someone who had only stayed in the castle so far!
"I want to have a good time. Don’t you think this isn’t as entertaining as the banquet?”
"Are you trying to play word games with me now?”
Pandemonium frowned. He didn’t want to get caught up in that guy’s pace. Randalph Brigsiel might be young but he was surprisingly tricky. He likely had a separate purpose for this conversation.
"It is a joke. Aren’t we close friends?”
"Shut up if you are just going to continue with the useless barking. Come back after you hunt all the angels.”
"If I can’t then isn’t it impossible for you?”
“Impossible...?”
Pandemonium’s expression hardened.
He hadn’t expected the conversation to head in this direction.
That’s why Pandemonium thought the words were a joke.
"It will be a big deal if I take action.”
"It doesn’t seem like a big deal to me.”
“You will see after finding the way back to the Demon World. If you’re not lying then all the others won’t stay still.”
A smile suddenly appeared on that guy’s face.
"Demon World...I won’t have any regrets about going there.”
“Right. You are just an idiotic demon who is alone. You don’t deserve to be formally called a grand duke.”
“But I see grand duke in my status window. How is that possible if it isn’t true?”
"It is a virtual one. The Demon World won’t recognize you as a grand duke.”
"I won’t stay as a grand duke forever. In that sense, our wills match.”
If he didn’t stay as a grand duke, it meant he would become the demon king.
He left after saying those leisurely words. It seemed like he was going to find a nice place to watch the battlefield.
“You...”
Pandemonium shook his head.
That guy had moved away from the castle so there was no reason to stay here. In any case, it was necessary to finish this fight quickly.
“I will start hunting the angels. Spread out.”
“As you command.”
“As you command.”
Pandemonium’s demons moved with their assigned creatures. Pandemonium was proud of the quality of his demons compared to the other grand dukes’. They were all competent and did the required work without him needing to order them.
After a while, only a handful of creatures and the doll-like demons taken from Okullos’ faction were remaining.
‘They won’t be able to endure.’
Pandemonium closed his eyes.
If he joined then the hunt would soon be over.
I shrugged.
It was a dangerous moment.
Pandemonium had noticed the humans. I knew exactly what they were carrying and what their plan was.
I had sent them Kim Yura and Kim Min-ji so that they could move as safely as possible.
‘I don’t know how much hope that bomb will be.’
Humans named it ‘Hope’ so it didn’t seem entirely useless.
Anyway, entering the battlefield was the right decision.
Thanks to that, I was able to confirm some good information from Pandemonium.
‘He must be looking for a way to the Demon World.’
The path to the Demon World!
This was possible if I could use Yihi. Perhaps it was the purpose of the special event. Yihi had the ability to move an opponent to the place they originally came from.
‘I wonder what happened to the Demon World. It must be very important for them to move in such a hurry.’
I slowly headed towards the centre of the battlefield like I was taking a walk while lost in thought.
I continued to speculate on Pandemonium’s words.
‘The demons won’t acknowledge me as a grand duke. In contrast, the other grand dukes have enough forces to be acknowledged. In a nutshell...the strength of my forces isn’t something that the Demon World can overlook.’
That’s why I had to go back properly.
The power of the Demon World would support the winner when they became the devil. Without power, I would become a puppet devil. Or I would be hunted by other forces.
Therefore I had concentrated on growing my dungeons. They would become my power when I became the demon king.
‘I got good information and stopped him from obtaining a clue.’
It was a rewarding experience.
I looked up at the sky.
I was able to confirm that Pandemonium had joined the battlefield.
...The hunting would end soon.
Unless a small conflict upset the balance.