Chapter 476
Clack!
An elderly man in a well-pressed suit opened the door and walked in.
Gramfin.
He was the butler overseeing Guntafer’s fortress and the demon who had lived the longest in the Demon Realm.
“Apologies for making you wait so long. With so many major incidents erupting in succession, I’ve committed quite the discourtesy.”
“Spare us the pointless excuses. More importantly, Gramfin, how long are you planning to keep us stuck here?”
“I heard Kang Jinhyuk is here, and Gabriel even brought the Seraphim….”
“Was it Guntafer’s order to keep us here? Trying to rob us of any chance to earn merit?”
The high-ranking delegates from each Demon King’s army, gathered in the audience chamber, voiced their complaints in frustration.
“Please, let us set aside our anger. I will guide you to where Lord Guntafer is now.”
Guntafer was currently in battle at the most intense frontlines.
All to kill that Kang Jinhyuk who led the Veteran Corporation.
In other words, heading there meant securing the greatest opportunity for merit.
“Is that true?”
“Would I dare deceive representatives of the Demon Kings? Please, follow me.”
The demons began rising from their seats one by one.
Each had a twisted smile spreading across their faces.
‘At last, our expedition will mean something.’
‘How long have I yearned for this moment.’
‘Heh heh heh. The balance of the Demon Realm has lasted far too long.’
They all shared the same thought.
The reward they would divide among themselves once this battle ended.
Naturally, the remains of Berial’s territory and trinkets were not part of that reward.
The remnants of a fallen Demon King’s house were meaningless at this point.
What truly mattered was the ornament that symbolized the title of “Demon King.”
To become the next Demon King, they needed to acquire the ring Berial possessed.
At that very moment—
A new incident was also unfolding outside the Tower of Trials.
[Player ‘StreamingNewbie’ has started a live broadcast.]
Most people were entirely focused on the 31st floor raid, where large-scale parties were giving it their all.
Because the hourglass could delay humanity’s destruction, and with the top guilds and rankers fully mobilized, it was drawing massive attention.
But then—
Amid all that, someone turned on a broadcast.
Titled “With Unknown on the 40th Floor of the Tower of Trials.”
Normally, no one would take the bait of such obvious clickbait, but the scenery shown in the thumbnail was a place no viewer had ever seen before.
The Demon Realm.
Within a hellscape of ash and flame stood a player holding a longsword.
In front of him was a horned demon exuding a terrifying presence.
With the broadcast running, there was no need for lengthy explanation.
That demon was at the very least of Demon King-class caliber.
– jjanggureongi: Is this for real? This is legit. Look! Alice and Teresa are there too. It’s a bit blurry on the left, but even Guild Master Kang Jinhyuk is in the shot.
– gulbi: Did another player turn the stream on for them? This is insane. While everyone else is on the 30th floor, only Veteran Corporation and Unknown have reached the 40th?
– Jane: Is this war just for them?
– jm1: What kind of fight are you people even in?
– kos: Looks like they’re trying something beyond imagination again. This is another class entirely. They might actually reach the top.
– mirra: Frey is my future wife.
Word spread quickly, and the viewer count exploded.
What started as a few dozen viewers surpassed 5,000 in less than 10 minutes, and by the 20-minute mark, it had exceeded 100,000.
Whether it was through exploiting a trick or finding a detour unknown to ordinary people—
That didn’t matter.
This fresh and overwhelming spectacle was enough to make everyone lose their minds.
⁕⁕⁕
‘This should be enough of a setup.’
Jinhyuk looked at a distant holographic clone.
Doppelgängers positioned using Undine and the spirit beasts.
Items bought from the coin exchange were finally proving their worth one by one.
“Judging by the magical signature, I take it you’re up to your tricks again? Seems like you’re relaying this situation to another floor?”
A Demon King, no doubt.
His instincts were disturbingly sharp.
Though, as a resident, he wouldn’t know about the broadcast system. Still, he’d inferred this much from the circumstances.
Jinhyuk didn’t affirm or deny it.
“As I thought. But it won’t matter if angels, heavenly demons, or barbarians come. Nothing will change.”
“Oh? Quite confident, aren’t you? And why’s that?”
“Because what I’ve prepared is far stronger.”
Guntafer’s gaze shifted.
Just then, Gramfin appeared in the distance, leading the demons.
“From now on, you’ll have to face not only me, but all the Demon Kings at once.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Watch carefully. See how this battle ends.”
Snap!
Guntafer, beaming with a wide smile, snapped his fingers.
Then—
[The Sealing Stone has been released!]
BOOOOM!
A thunderous explosion tore through the land.
BOOM! BOOOM!
It was doubtful whether such firepower could come from a single skill. Pillars of flame soared high into the clouds.
The fortress shook violently.
In just one blast, a third of the massive stronghold was reduced to ash.
His ears were still ringing. His limbs felt like they belonged to someone else, trembling uncontrollably.
“Cough, are you seriously planning to blow yourself up?”
Jinhyuk coughed roughly, but Guntafer simply burst into mad laughter.
“Kuhuhu… Hahaha! Perfect. Absolutely perfect!”
Charred corpses.
And within the epicenter of this blast, only those related to the Veteran Corporation had survived.
It was more than enough to stir suspicion.
Slice…
Guntafer deliberately wounded himself.
It was a kind of performance—an extra touch to perfect this elaborate play.
“So… this was all a plan to trap me? And also to keep the other Demon Kings in check at the same time?”
“Something like that. But, you were far too slow to catch on. Soon, every Demon King will be gathering to hunt you down. Who knows, even that lazy Demon God might make a move. Now that’s something I’d really look forward to.”
“…With this much destruction, I suppose they might.”
A Demon King’s territory had been turned to rubble by a human. There’s no way the others would sit idly by.
“Still, wasn’t it a bit much to kill off your own comrades who shared your meals? Don’t you demons have any sense of honor or pride?”
“Kukuk! Do you really expect something like that from demons? Be it kin or not, we’ll join hands with angels if it benefits us. That’s our true nature.”
So he didn’t care who was friend or foe.
The plan itself wasn’t bad.
The problem was…
There was a fatal flaw in that plan.
“You seemed to have forgotten one little thing: I know the full extent of your little trick.”
“And between your word and mine… which do you think they’ll believe?”
Guntafer frowned as if it wasn’t even worth responding to.
But Jinhyuk’s smile remained firm.
After all, there’s nothing more satisfying than crushing someone who believes their victory is assured.
“You asked earlier if I was calling for outside help? Sorry, but that wasn’t for other players or my allies.”
The items bought from the coin exchange and the ‘Heart of Anthrad’ weren’t just for creating holograms.
They were meant for amplification and transmission.
Everything that had happened so far had been relayed to Demon Kings across the entire Demon Realm.
“Because if it’s you… I knew you’d never take the fall alone.”
“W-what? To the Demon Kings?”
That changed everything.
On one side stood a human who mourned demon lives and honored their pride.
On the other stood a Demon King who trampled everything for his own gain.
“N-no way. There’s no way you could know the Demon Kings’ private circuits. We changed them after the war with Berial! How could you possibly…!”
“Believe it or not, it’s up to you. But right about now, aren’t the Demon Kings flooding you with messages?”
“……Impossible.”
But it was happening.
The Demon Kings were urgently trying to contact him.
They wanted to know why their trusted subordinates had been killed.
“You bastard… I’ll tear you apart, even if it kills me. I swear it!”
“Threats are fine and all, but shouldn’t you be running away right about now?”
“…….”
His fingers twitched for a moment, but then Guntafer turned and vanished in the opposite direction.
Because more than anyone, he knew—if he didn’t run now, he would die.
Jinhyuk didn’t chase him.
Now that Guntafer had been marked by the ‘Heart of Anthrad,’ he could be tracked anywhere in the Demon Realm.
Besides—
It was much easier to hunt down a Guntafer who had been chased and worn down by the Demon Realm’s pursuit squads.
‘I’ll just swoop in and scoop up the reward at the end.’
The other Demon Kings might get angry, but who cared?
Even if he made enemies of everyone, there was no way he’d hand over that mountain of EXP and loot.
At the same time—
[Copy conditions have been met.]
[Successfully copied the unique ability ‘Grasp of Subjugation’!]
[The favorability of the Demon Realm’s deities toward you has increased!]
[The Demon Kings have begun to see you in a new light.]
One after another, status windows appeared.
The victor of this battle had now been decided.
⁕⁕⁕
Purple-tinted stalactites hung from a floor made of black crystal.
It was a dreamlike yet alien scene.
This was a place that stood above even the highest heavens within the Tower of Trials.
It was the final passage leading to the top of the tower.
And now—
Deep within the cave, two silhouettes were conversing.
Tremble tremble…
A single remaining hand quivered uncontrollably.
Hastings, drenched in cold sweat, stared at Nyarlathotep before him.
“This place is…”
“Don’t be so scared. I’m not going to kill you just because you saw something you shouldn’t have. Come now, step forward. Hmm?”
Nyarlathotep approached with a light step.
“More importantly, I heard Guntafer completely fell. Berial—no, I mean, the decisive blow came from Kang Jinhyuk, didn’t it?”
“That guy used strange items from the coin exchange to manipulate the Demon Kings into joining him. I’d never seen that method before… I couldn’t prepare for it….”
Hastings’ voice grew more desperate.
He’d already lost one arm. Further failures meant paying an even steeper price.
This time, it might not just be an arm.
“It’s fine. Really. I’m not here to scold you. We knew that guy was no ordinary opponent. The reason I called you isn’t about him… but because of a faction outside the tower—something called the ‘Vatican.'”
“T-the Vatican?”
“A small autonomous region in the human world. There’s a clue there about a book we absolutely must recover. Now, prepare everything written here. Not a single item can be missed.”
Nyarlathotep handed him a piece of paper.
“Y-yes, understood.”
“Good. Then off you go.”
Worried that he might change his mind, Hastings quickly scurried away.
And once the cave returned to silence—
“Ahem. Ahem.”
A new voice joined in.
“That guy didn’t get suspicious, right? It’s been a while since I had to hide my presence, so I might’ve been a bit rusty.”
“Yes. I believe so.”
Nyarlathotep nodded.
A voice from the shadows let out a pleased chuckle.
“Good. That’s a relief. Hastings is still useful in many ways. Same with Excension.”
“It was a risky stunt. Your existence is unknown even to your own kind, except for your father and mother.”
“Enough nagging. Just tell me what I need to know. Who tried to break through the 50th floor?”
Not long ago, a strange event had occurred on the 49th floor.
Someone had tried to open the path to the 50th.
Even the divine beings wouldn’t dare approach that forbidden floor, and yet, the intruders were all powerful enough to rival the gods themselves.
“They were strangers I’d never seen before. Extremely powerful. I don’t even know what floor they came from or what their abilities are.”
Nyarlathotep gritted his teeth.
More than anything, the idea that there were unknown beings within the Tower of Trials shook him to the core.
But—
“The Eagle Owl… huh. That guy really goes all out.”
The voice clicked its tongue as if expecting this.
“Eagle Owl? Wait, do you know who they are?”
“Ah, you don’t need to know. Just an old grudge of mine. With all the restrictions in place, I didn’t think he could make a move. But the fact that he’s still finding ways to break the rules… truly persistent. Impressive.”
“…Sounds like this is beyond my reach.”
“No, this one’s mine to handle.”
“Then… is there anything I can help with?”
“There is one thing.”
The shadowy voice dropped to a sultry tone.
“Alice.”
One of the few variables that could threaten his existence.
“Anyone else is fine, but that progenitor must die.”
That was the reason this meeting had taken place.
