On a different battlefield from where Hela and the Demon Dragon Duke faced off,
A fierce battle was also unfolding.
"The abyssal monsters are pushing forward again!"
"Prepare for interception! We have to eliminate as many as possible before they get close!"
"Grandmother! Dark Nest's vanguard is also starting to move!"
Helheim's forces held a firm defensive line, while Dark Nest's army relentlessly pressed their attack. Grandmother Liliana of Dream Walker, who was commanding the reorganization of their forces after a round of fighting, frowned. Their surprise attack to seize the enemy territory had gone well, but the subsequent enemy air raids were relentless.
"Phew, no matter how many of those persistent bastards we kill, there's no end in sight."
She let out a short, irritated sigh and looked towards the enemy lines. Black cracks appeared on one side, and monstrous creatures with white bodies continued to crawl out, even now.
"…They look disgusting every time I see them. What a nasty hobby."
For Liliana, who loved beauty, they were a horrific sight, enough to make her nauseous.
[Gurgle! Gurgle!]
[Ahh…! I'm hungry!]
[Let's go, let's go! To where the blood flows!]
Twisted or mixed body parts were the least of it. A monster with a giant eyeball in place of a head, a large sphere made entirely of heads rolling towards them, and even a monster with multiple human torsos connected, moving countless arms like a centipede's legs.
Every imaginable combination of body parts became reality and poured onto the battlefield.
"It seems they're getting impatient. They're more aggressive than when they first deployed their troops. Well, it's understandable, considering they never expected to be pushed back like this when they thought it was almost over."
She chuckled and slowly stepped forward. It was an urgent situation, so she couldn't just stand by as the commander.
Rip!
With a wave of her hand, everything in front of her was torn apart. The scattered debris fluttered like flower petals amidst the overwhelming destructive power. Liliana gripped her whip, which resembled rose vines, and scanned her surroundings with sharp eyes. A battlefield overflowing with the most intense emotions in the world, where life and death clashed violently. But this battlefield was different from the ones she had experienced countless times. From the caliber of the troops to the morale of her allies and the overall war situation, everything was different.
'I'm not in a position to complain about hardships in this situation.'
This was an opportunity that wouldn't have come under normal circumstances. If Hela hadn't appeared, Dream Walker would have been devoured and dismantled by either Abnormal or Dark Nest, sooner or later. Just like Duke Tuma's "Burning Inferno," which only remnants remained.
'But the situation is different now.'
A beautiful smile touched her lips as she stroked the Queen's essence within her bosom. The refinement of the essence, which she had been meticulously working on since receiving it, was nearing completion. Perhaps because it was the essence of a direct descendant, the purification was proceeding faster than expected.
'If I can fully utilize this…'
Then the situation would become much easier. Not just here, but all of Helheim would benefit. Naturally, it would also be a great help to Hela, their leader, who was leading them on the front lines.
'Well, I don't need to worry about her. She always exceeds expectations.'
Wasn't the success of Helheim's forces entirely thanks to their ruler, Hela? Liliana had absolute faith in their great leader.
"Victory to Helheim! Glory to Lady Hela!"
And that sentiment was shared by all of Helheim's forces here.
"Victory to Helheim! Glory to Lady Hela!"
"Kill all those monsters!"
"Offer your deaths for Lady Hela!"
The army charged recklessly, regardless of whether their opponents were high-ranking demons or terrifying monsters. Closer to fanatics than loyal soldiers, they didn't even fear death.
Boom!
A new wind blew across the stagnant landscape of the Demon Realm. A revolutionary wind that disrupted Dark Nest's plans, which had been solidifying their position after subduing most of their rivals. A wind of revolution that overturned the game they had set.
***
A huge explosion erupted in the sky.
BOOOOOM!
The roar, accompanied by a powerful shockwave, spread across the entire battlefield as space distorted from the impact. The beings on the ground groaned and scrambled to react, but those who caused the commotion couldn't spare them a single glance. If they were distracted even for a moment in this situation, the momentum would completely shift to their opponent.
[You mongrel still playing tricks! Do you think you're Leraye?!]
Rumble! Crackle!
Along with the thunderous draconic words, one of the six eyes glowed, and hundreds of lightning swords appeared beside the massive Demon Dragon. A fierce attack, each sword several meters long and imbued with immense power. Without delay, they shot out, tearing the space in front of them to shreds.
"My, aren't you impatient? And stop calling me a mongrel. You're an immigrant yourself, who are you to talk?"
Hela grumbled, teleporting by forcibly folding the space she controlled before the attack landed. Even though she was a hybrid, it wasn't that unusual in the Demon Realm, where countless lineages of demons intermingled. Rather, Demon Dragon Duke Crushire, a dragon from the surface who had settled in the Demon Realm, was the truly unusual case.
"It seems like you broke some rules and fled to the Demon Realm. Even in the Demon Realm, it doesn't look good to have a fugitive as a representative, does it? Is that why you've been losing all this time?"
[…I'll kill you!]
Killing intent radiated from his three pairs of eyes. She had just guessed, but it seemed she hit a nerve. Until now, no one dared to mention it in front of him, but Hela had no loyalty to consider his feelings.
"The truth always hurts. But you have to face reality… Yikes!"
Hela, who had been mocking him with sincerity, hurriedly folded one wing and twisted her body. A strange wave grazed past where she had been. Hela narrowed her eyes as she saw the mana that filled the space cleanly erased along its trajectory.
'…He's really something. I guess he didn't survive in the Demon Realm for so long for nothing.'
Dragons were inherently specialized in manifesting mysteries, but there were limits. But to adapt to the Demon Realm's energy, transform his body, and even acquire various supernatural abilities! He was indeed worthy of being called a strong Demon King candidate for thousands of years.
'Good, very good.'
Hela's lips twitched. Her shining eyes remained fixed on the Demon Dragon Duke. Even while provoking, dodging attacks, and counterattacking, her gaze never wavered.
Rumble
A strange vibration emanated from near her. At the same time, the surrounding light refracted, and the scenery distorted. The controlled space around her converged and compressed, gathering in her grasp.
'I can't just stand still either!'
A move prepared while mocking and stalling her opponent. Hela chuckled and lashed out with her hand, as if holding a whip.
And immediately after.
KABOOM!
With a loud roar like a collapsing mountain, the space where the Demon Dragon was hovering distorted violently. The sky, light, air, gravity, magic power. No, 'the world' itself took shape and bared its fangs at the target. According to the will of its master. Not just cutting through space, but a blow that wielded the world itself. It was a limited attack, possible only in the Demon Realm, amplified by her influence as Demon King, and its power was truly transcendental.
[…Not bad. As expected of someone who could hunt Syphar.]
Of course, that would only be true if it landed properly. Hela smirked and turned her head to look in the direction the Demon Dragon had dodged. Although his energy seemed to have weakened slightly, he was still outwardly unscathed.
"Hmm, I had a hunch. Future sight, I presume?"
[Hmph, do you think I would fall for such an obvious attack?]
He was trying to change the subject, but she wasn't fooled. Hela, who noticed that two of his six eyes had activated, licked her lips quietly.
'One is definitely future sight. But he can't see too far into the future. A few seconds at most.'
But for those at their level, those few seconds were enough to decide victory or defeat. He couldn't overuse it recklessly, but it was certainly a troublesome ability. Moreover, that wasn't the only problem.
'Even knowing a few seconds in advance, he couldn't have remained unscathed. That attack was unavoidable, even if you knew it was coming.'
A move that gathered and wielded the entire controlled space. Since the entire world within its range was the attack itself, it wasn't an attack that could be dodged by simply moving.
'The point of impact stopped momentarily. It didn't seem like absolute defense or nullification. A time-stopping ability?'
Even if he could only stop a limited area for a fleeting moment, the possibilities were endless. And combined with future sight, it wasn't strange that he was unharmed.
'His demonic eyes are all exceptionally powerful. He couldn't have awakened them on his own. Then as expected…'
The 'mental attack' demonic eye, which he tried at first but gave up on after realizing it didn't work on her, the 'elemental control' demonic eye that manipulated lightning, and the 'mana nullification' demonic eye that forced her to abandon the use of 「World of Demonic Heaven」.
This brought the number of confirmed demonic eyes to five.
'To think he couldn't become the Demon King even with such cheat abilities. Just how powerful were the previous Demon Kings?'
Hela clicked her tongue in admiration. Just how powerful were the people of the past who even defeated such Demon Kings? Of course, the Demon Dragon Duke, who had demonized by absorbing the Demon Realm's energy, was stronger here, but that didn't diminish their achievements.
The battle continued in the sky above the battlefield. A breath attack flew towards where she had dodged, as if waiting for her. She tried to twist its trajectory by controlling the space, but the opponent's energy already permeating the area interfered with her control. She managed to block the attack and counter, interrupting his combo, but she couldn't inflict significant damage.
Rumble!
Flashes and deafening roars that shook the heavens and earth continued incessantly. Occasionally, the aftershocks reached the ground, causing significant damage to both sides engaged in the war below, but they were too focused on each other to notice.
'…This is a bit tough. Not only does he use his demonic eyes effectively, but he's also very skilled in using his abilities.'
If it weren't for 「Demon King」 and 「Annihilator」, she wouldn't have been able to put up a decent fight. The total amount of power she could use wasn't inferior, but there was a significant difference in the mastery of her supernatural abilities. It was only natural, considering he had reigned at the top of this battleground, the Demon Realm, for thousands of years.
'But the situation isn't bad. Thanks to him, my proficiency is also rapidly increasing.'
Facing such a formidable opponent created synergy with various buffs, including 『Elixir of Growth[1]』, rapidly improving her mastery of her abilities. The proficiency she gained from facing the Demon Dragon Duke was greater than what she had gained from the moment she arrived in the Demon Realm to reaching this battlefield. And her 'influence as Demon King' was still increasing…
[…What have you done, mongrel?!]
It wasn't surprising that the Demon Dragon Duke reacted sensitively after noticing it. How could he remain calm when his enemy was growing stronger even while fighting him? Did he decide he couldn't drag this out any longer?
Finally, he activated the last demonic eye he had been saving.
[Die!]
The Demon Dragon's heterochromatic eyes, staring straight at Hela, emitted a purple glow.
Kiiing
"Ugh!"
A ringing filled her ears, Hela's wings faltered, and she stumbled. Blood trickled from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Only after being hit did she realize what the sixth demonic eye's ability was.
'A death gaze…?'
The worst kind of demonic eye, capable of inflicting death with a mere glance. Judging by how he had saved it until now, it seemed to be an ability he couldn't use recklessly, but its power was undeniable.
'…Tsk, if the 「Instant Death Immunity」 perk had activated, I could have completely ignored the damage.'
The problem was that Hela's rank was so high that the demonic eye's 'instant death' effect didn't trigger. As a result, she suffered reduced damage, coughed up the blood that rose in her throat, and steadied herself by flapping her wings.
[Now you look presentable. I'll finish you off for sure this time!]
Although he didn't immediately follow up, perhaps because it took a toll on him as well, it was undeniable that Hela had suffered greater damage. If the fight continued like this, she would eventually lose.
"Heh."
But she didn't mind. She had just achieved the goal she had set from the beginning. A glint appeared in Hela's red eyes. Her persistent gaze, which hadn't left the Demon Dragon Duke for a single moment during the fight, fixed on his three pairs of heterochromatic eyes.
'I've confirmed all six demonic eyes. That artificial demonic eye, woven together through some spell.'
The moment their demonic eyes clashed during their first encounter, she instinctively knew. That the demonic eye the Demon Dragon Duke used shared the same origin as hers. The power of the 'Demon Eye Clan', the other half of her heritage as a succubus hybrid, inherited from the 14th Demon King, Leraye, from her father, the 13th Demon King!
'I don't know how he obtained that power, but…'
Perhaps he extracted the eyes of the six members of the Demon Eye Clan and transplanted the mysteries within them into himself. She didn't need to know the details right now. What mattered was that the structure of his eyes and the activation mechanism of his demonic eyes were perfectly identical to hers.
Of course, even with the same origin, she couldn't simply copy his abilities by looking at them. It was absurd to think she could see through the Demon Dragon Duke's body and read his energy flow. But she had an ability that could bypass all those processes and achieve the result.
"Individual fulfills conditions and grows. Special skill 「Eyes of Domination」 evolves into 「Seven-Colored Demonic Eyes」."
The skill that allowed her to copy an opponent's technique just by seeing it.
「Mimicry」.
[1] Can't remember if it was Elixir of Growth or Growth Elixir. Too lazy to check previous translations as well...