Chapter 414
Everyone’s eyes gleamed.
Except for Taesan, the other contractors weren’t labyrinth adventurers. They didn’t see a quest window, but Baal’s words were more than enough for them to understand.
Belial’s throne.
Whoever claimed it would ascend to a glorious position.
Greed and desire. All sorts of emotions swirled. Baal watched them all without emotion.
[Then I’ll open the door. The rest is up to you.]
Beeeeep!
With a wave of Baal’s hand, immense darkness engulfed them.
“Uagh!”
“Urgh!”
It was such dense and dark power, they thought they might die. They shut their eyes with screams.
Rumble…
As the power gradually faded and they realized they were still alive, they opened their eyes.
“…Ha.”
“So this is it.”
They let out gasps of awe.
A world collapsing, dying in ruins.
They had arrived in the now dead world of Belial.
* * *
They had reached their destination.
Realizing this, they quickly surveyed their surroundings.
Sea-urchin-like objects densely filled the sky. The collapsing earth floated and drifted through the air.
And the power they felt within it.
Someone swallowed unconsciously.
Where they stood seemed to be a safe zone, but even so, the power they sensed was overwhelmingly strong.
As they checked their surroundings, they noticed someone standing beside them.
“Who are you?”
“I am the observer. I was once Lord Belial’s attendant.”
An old man in black robes bowed politely. On the surface, he looked like an ordinary attendant, but his eyes were nothing but black.
‘He’s strong.’
Taesan quietly admired. The old man hadn’t reached immortality, but he had made it to the boundary just below it.
He was far weaker than Taesan, but by common standards, his level of strength was quite high.
Most beings directly associated were exceedingly powerful.
The attendant sighed deeply, as if truly regretting something.
“It’s so tragic that worms like you would enter my master’s domain, but there’s nothing I can do.”
“They said the demon here is dead.”
One of the five contractors, a woman, smirked. Her revealing outfit and two small horns suggested she was a succubus.
“So there’s no problem if we become demons, right? Wouldn’t it be better for you too, having a new master?”
“If unworthy worms like you were to claim my master’s domain, I’d rather die.”
“That’s not a problem. We’re qualified.”
The woman spoke confidently. The demon she had contracted with had permitted her to claim Belial’s domain.
The attendant spoke calmly.
“Think what you wish. In the end, this too is the will of great beings. As the attendant, I am only here to observe those who have earned the right to be masters.”
There was no emotion in his eyes. He clearly didn’t believe the newcomers could become demons.
“Hmph.”
Another demon scoffed in distaste. He was a muscular man wielding a long spear.
‘If I become a demon, I’ll kill that guy first.’
He grinned wickedly.
He was a highly promising figure even in the vast demon realm.
Born into a noble family, named Halid, he possessed exceptional talent and received full support from his clan.
But for Halid, the demon realm was too small.
The few true powerhouses, like the Demon God’s apostles, had all left the demon realm to wander the world.
Deciding he could no longer grow stronger there, Halid left to travel the world and pursue greater power.
He’d heard of the labyrinth, but the rumors hadn’t made it seem that attractive.
Halid sought more effective methods.
He spared no means in his quest for strength, and in the process, several worlds without planetary gods were destroyed.
Many who lost their homelands cursed Halid, but he only scoffed.
The world existed only as a stepping stone for his greatness. He didn’t care how many died if it furthered his goals.
After growing so powerful, Halid was chosen by a demon.
The demon Marbas accepted Halid as a subordinate and bestowed upon him the Lemegeton.
Halid was thrilled.
A demon—a being equal to the master of the Magi he wielded.
He had no intention of missing this chance.
Halid twisted his lips.
“Let’s form a temporary alliance.”
He turned to the other contractors as he spoke.
Ugly creatures coveting more power than they deserved—these were the other Lemegeton holders, as far as the man was concerned.
Still, they were strong enough. He didn’t want to admit it, but their power was close to his own.
They could be excellent tools for him to become a demon.
He concealed his real intentions as he continued.
“I hope you’ll all cooperate.”
“…Cooperate?”
The gloomy man muttered. Halid spoke as if it was obvious.
“You don’t think you can get through this alone, do you?”
The gloomy man closed his mouth.
They could feel it too. Even if this domain was declining after its master’s death, the power within was demonic.
One false step and they would be killed by the demon’s remnants.
The throne’s location was also obscured by overwhelming power.
“Only one of us can become a demon, but that means we all have the same goal. So let’s work together until we reach the destination.”
“Hmph.”
“Hm. I don’t like it, but… there’s no other way.”
One by one, they began to gather—except for just one. Taesan.
“You know your place. Get lost. I don’t need you.”
Halid bared his teeth at Taesan.
Taesan had said he had no demon backing him.
That meant he hadn’t been chosen.
It was obvious, even without seeing his power, that someone no demon chose couldn’t be strong.
Halid thought Taesan hid his strength out of desperation to cover his weakness.
But as Halid tried to glare at Taesan, he faltered.
Taesan gave him absolutely no attention.
It was as if Halid didn’t exist.
Taesan just gazed at Belial’s domain.
“So this is it.”
He murmured and moved forward. Before anyone could stop him, he entered Belial’s domain.
“Huh?”
Soon, Taesan’s figure disappeared, hidden by the collapsing land.
Halid quickly composed himself.
“Knowing your place and leaving, huh. Good.”
He assumed Taesan had chosen to leave rather than be rejected. But there was no way anyone could survive here alone, so Halid dismissed Taesan from his mind.
“All right, let’s talk strategy. So, what’s the plan?”
You’re all my stepping stones.
Halid smiled smoothly, hiding his real thoughts.
* * *
“Hm.”
Taesan strolled through Belial’s domain.
He already knew where Belial’s throne was. The power radiating from it was so intense that it would be stranger not to notice.
But Taesan didn’t head straight for the throne.
First, he continued to explore, planning to get a better sense of his surroundings.
“Well done, worm.”
A quiet voice rang out. It was Belial’s attendant.
Taesan answered indifferently.
“Why don’t you worry about the others instead?”
“I am Lord Belial’s attendant. Making a double isn’t difficult for me.”
The attendant replied blandly.
“I don’t care for those who covet my master’s power like you do, but not cooperating was the right call.”
The attendant scowled in disgust.
“To desire my master’s throne and try to reach it through cooperation? It’s an impossible wish, but truly repulsive.”
He was certain none of them could reach Belial’s throne.
“In that sense, at least you’re trying to do something on your own. For that, I’ll praise you. Now, be satisfied and perish here.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the floating sea-urchin-like objects in the sky exploded with power. The remains of the dead demon moved to repel intruders.
Crackle!
Spikes rained down on Taesan in straight lines, occupying the entire space—there was no room to dodge.
What filled those spikes was demonic power.
A mortal couldn’t withstand it. The attendant was sure of Taesan’s death and turned away.
“Stop.”
[You activated Declaration of Stopping.]
Thunk.
The spikes stopped right in front of Taesan.
“…What?”
The attendant’s eyes widened at the scene before him.
At a single declaration from Taesan, the spikes froze as if time had stopped.
“Wh-How…”
“It’s strong, sure, but it’s just power without a master.”
If that was all, he could deal with it with a single [Word of Command]. Taesan touched a spike.
“It’s just like Haphran’s world.”
With the master of the world gone, the world itself was dying. This was the same situation.
The only difference was that Haphran’s world lost power rapidly after its will was defeated, but here, the demon’s remnants were still fairly strong.
“Maybe I can get something out of this.”
Taesan clenched his fist.
The frozen spikes shattered like brittle twigs, opening a path.
The attendant was left speechless.
* * *
The other Lemegeton holders were also working together to advance through Belial’s domain.
The sea-urchin creatures shook and rained down spikes upon them.
“Guh…!”
Halid grunted, swinging his hand. A fake flame from Marbas tried to block the spikes, but they shattered and pierced through.
The old man contracted with Decarabia slammed his hand to the ground, summoning twisted roots from the earth.
Crash!
The five Black Magicians wielded demonic power. They poured out all their strength just to barely block the attacks.
“Hah, hah…!”
They panted, sweating, catching their breath.
“They really are monsters…”
Even the remnants of a dead demon could threaten their lives. Without cooperation, they wouldn’t have survived.
But that fact only made their eyes burn brighter.
If they survived and reached the throne, they could obtain this power.
Greed and desire surged. Before they knew it, none of them were thinking of Taesan.
Even though all five had combined their strength and still struggled, they assumed the lone Taesan was already dead.
Normally, the attendant would have scoffed at them, but he was so shocked he said nothing.
They steeled themselves and pressed on.
Risking their lives, using each other as stepping stones, they advanced with all their strength.
Meanwhile, Taesan was leisurely strolling through Belial’s domain.
“I wonder if there’s a skill I can acquire here.”
He was already planning out what new skill he might gain.