All the energy in his body surged towards his eyes. At the same time, all his senses focused solely on his eyeballs. The muscles around his eyes twitched, and his nerves were on edge.
'I see. So this is…'
Hela's orange eyes stared at the enemy in front of her. At the Demon Dragon glaring back, gathering energy and preparing to attack. At the completed attack—the torrent of magic power about to sweep across the area. She saw the two worlds superimposed.
[I am the Demon Dragon Duke—the strongest in the Demon Realm, and soon to be Demon King! Do you think I would fall from something like this?!]
Despite his internal injuries, the attack was meticulously crafted, almost impossible to dodge. But knowing the outcome beforehand made it no different from answering with the answer sheet in hand.
Kiiing
Her eyes turned blue. Immediately after, time froze within a certain area, and everything within it came to a standstill. The flow of air, the movement of elements, even the flow of destructive energy flying towards her.
Hela calmly moved out of the way and clicked her tongue softly.
'This is amazing. If this is the level right after acquiring it, and I can increase its proficiency…'
Perhaps she could even stop the Demon Dragon's time. Transcendence was a realm granted to those who had broken through the limitations of their existence and established their own domain. Proof of an unyielding rank, unaffected by external interference and capable of imposing its own laws upon the world. Moreover, wasn't the Demon Dragon Duke a being standing at the cusp of that realm, aiming for quasi-divinity? Naturally, his resistance to hostile mysteries was immense.
'The effects of the death gazes we used on each other were also halved.'
It was almost embarrassing to call it 'instant death' at this point, but it couldn't be helped. Both the Demon Dragon and Hela possessed immense rank and near-immortal vitality, and while they could both use demonic eyes, their proficiency wasn't that high.
'I suppose it's understandable since I just stole it… But for him to be at a similar level as me means he hasn't been able to fully control this power either.'
Hela, having used the power of the 「Seven-Colored Demonic Eyes」 herself, knew. That the true limit of this ability wasn't at the level she or the Demon Dragon had displayed. The precognitive eye had the potential to see not just a few seconds, but the true 'future', and the time-stopping eye had the potential to completely freeze time in the area. And it was the same for the other abilities, including the nullifying eye.
'The limitations are probably because he forcibly stole the power, and he wasn't the original owner, a member of the Demon Eye Clan. He couldn't develop it further from the moment he stole it.'
But she, with the blood of the Demon Eye Clan flowing through half of her body, was different. She had heard about the Demon Eye Clan from Grandmother Liliana of Dream Walker. They had declined to the point where finding a single survivor was difficult due to the Demon Dragon Duke, but they were originally a powerful race recognized by everyone in the Demon Realm. Born with a single demonic eye, they spent their entire lives honing it, striving to surpass their limits. Just like the 「Eyes of Domination」 Hela inherited, which extended its dominance not just over living beings, but the world itself.
'Comparing it to other demonic eyes, the difference is clear. Thanks to using the Demon King's eye as a medium, I inherited some proficiency in domination.'
But the other abilities she obtained through loopholes had to be developed from scratch. Considering that even a member of the Demon Eye Clan with a single demonic eye spent their entire life honing it, it wasn't entirely a blessing to be able to use seven abilities through the 「Seven-Colored Demonic Eyes」. There was a high chance that all her abilities would remain mediocre because her resources weren't focused.
'My blood is boiling! As expected, eye battles are essential in supernatural fights! And to have seven of them…!'
Of course, that concern only applied to ordinary cases. It didn't apply to Hela. For her, who grew much faster than others due to various growth buffs, the more abilities, the better. Moreover, she had the 『Elixir of Growth (7 days) (200,000)』, which, although expensive, was worth every penny! And considering the potential she possessed as a 「Demon King」…
[Kuh—! Don't make me laugh! Do you think you can keep using that power so freely?!]
As if reading her excitement, the Demon Dragon roared. He wasn't wrong. Despite possessing immense magic power, the energy consumption was burdensome, and the mental resources required for activation weren't insignificant.
'And because each one contains a unique mystery, they don't seem to be very compatible with other supernatural abilities, including magic.'
There was a reason why the Demon Dragon Duke didn't use the Demon Eye Clan's power freely, despite obtaining it. For him, who already possessed powerful abilities without demonic eyes, this ability, which couldn't be further developed, was nothing more than a supplementary tool.
"Well, I guess we'll have to see. Besides, unlike you, I'm a proper successor. I understand why you think I can't do it because you can't… Hmm, how pathetic."
[…You insolent bastard! Die!]
Demon Dragon Duke Crushire, enraged and unable to retort against the mocking truth, lashed out. The smile on Hela's lips deepened as she faced him.
[…]
Then, suddenly,
The Demon Dragon's movements stopped. And as if facing an unexpected situation, his ferocious dragon face showed a surge of emotion.
"What's wrong? Did you forget something?"
Hela lightly taunted him, but he didn't respond. He seemed unable to focus on the fight, as if he had received news of a real emergency. Hela's smile grew even wider.
"Or… did someone break into your house?"
A meaningful remark laced with blatant mockery. The Demon Dragon's six eyes widened as he glared at her.
[…You!]
"Come on, it's not fair to be so distracted. You're a Duke, have some manners towards a lady."
[What have you done, mongrel?!]
As if losing his composure, magic power far exceeding what he had emitted so far surged from him, but Hela wasn't fooled by his petty tricks.
"Oh dear."
Kiiing
Her eyes changed to different colors. Orange for precognition and white for nullification. At the same time, the escape methods the Demon Dragon had been secretly preparing were completely shattered.
[…]
"Where do you think you're going? Since you came all this way, let's play a little longer."
She had no intention of letting this excellent training dummy go. Her own demonic eyes were rapidly developing from fighting him, who possessed the same type of power. And besides…
"You'll play along, won't you?"
That was their goal from the beginning.
[…You vulgar mongrel! How dare you use such tricks! I won't let you get away with this!]
The Demon Dragon Duke roared furiously, seemingly accepting that he couldn't escape through their interference. A bright smile spread across Hela's red lips. Seeing him in such a predicament was so amusing that she was reminded she was indeed a demon.
***
While Hela and the Demon Dragon Duke were clashing,
"Shall we begin?"
Miyamoto Ken, after warming up, started walking towards his destination. Now that the Demon Dragon Duke was away from his headquarters, it was the perfect time to start.
'Of course, not all problems have been solved…'
Marquis Sodian, the demon stationed in the rear. She was too powerful for Ken, a Count, to handle. Even a surprise attack wouldn't inflict significant damage, and he would likely be torn to pieces instead.
'But with this guy, it should work somehow.'
His gaze fell on the large, three-headed dog following him. He learned about Davidson's extraordinary abilities shortly after receiving him.
'I expected him to be unusual since Lady Hela sent him, but I never imagined he would be this powerful.'
On the day he received him,
Ken, bringing the cage containing the three-headed dog to his quarters, encountered a bewildering situation as soon as he entered a place hidden from outside eyes.
"What? How did you get out?"
The three-headed dog had opened the cage and stepped out without his help. It strolled around his quarters as if it owned the place, then headed straight for the food storage and began devouring the meat inside.
"Hey! Stop that!"
Ken, who had been staring blankly at Davidson, stepped forward to stop him. The meat here was provided as a perk for executives, and he hadn't planned on eating it, but he knew that if he didn't properly train it now, it would become more troublesome later. He, too, was an Earthling who loved animals enough to keep pets before being transported to Auterica.
'Even a Cerberus is just a ferocious dog when it's a pup… Of course, I heard its ferocity is a hundred times that of the three hellhounds combined.'
It wasn't just an animal, but a monster renowned even in the Demon Realm. Taming it with ordinary training methods was out of the question.
'Hmph, I raised a beagle for over five years!'
But even a monster was still a canine at its core. The most important thing in raising a canine was to establish dominance. It couldn't be compared to an ordinary dog since it was a monster, but he needed to imprint who was in charge.
"Hey! I said stop!"
Based on his experience, Ken stepped forward resolutely, and
Munch munch Chomp chomp
"Woof~ Growl~"
"Kekekekek!"
…was utterly defeated in the dominance battle. By a beast that only reached his waist.
"Ugh! How…?"
He looked up at the victor with difficulty, sprawled on the floor in defeat. Perhaps because his head was buried in the floor? The name tag 'Davidson' on the beast's chest, calmly continuing its meal as if its appetite had increased after a light workout, caught his eye.
"…Fine, I give up."
He finally admitted defeat and lowered his head. Well, a monster like that must have been sent by Lady Hela herself. He finally understood what Frances had meant.
'At this level, he can easily handle a Marquis. He'll definitely be helpful in carrying out the plan.'
It was only natural to treat such a powerful being with respect. A three-headed dog with the power of a Marquis! At this level, it was practically a fully grown Cerberus in a pup's body. With Monstrous Duke Syphar gone, wasn't this the strongest Cerberus in existence?
'Let's not worry about the small stuff. I just need to focus on completing the objective.'
It was a bit of a blow to his pride that he had lost his bed to the beast after losing the dominance battle. And it was a bit embarrassing that he had to run around replenishing its food after it devoured everything, creating a strange image for himself!
'But that life ends today.'
The day of execution had finally arrived.
Ken led Davidson, who was following him… no,
He followed his superior, who was walking proudly ahead, and headed towards the underground ritual site.
"Pfft! Ken, isn't it? But what's that behind you… Huh? Is that a Cerberus?"
"Yes. I received it as a gift from someone who said he wanted to repay a debt. Is there a problem?"
"Pffft— Only you have permission to enter. That thing behind you can't come in."
The large gatekeeper, a Viscount-class demon resembling a Minotaur, snorted repeatedly. He wasn't very bright, but he was tenacious and his combat power wasn't far below the next rank, so he was often employed for tasks like this.
"And it looks strange. I've seen Cerberus a few times, but this… well, how should I put it…"
"That's why it's good. It's common sense that the rarer something is, the more valuable it is."
"Sniff! Common sense. Right."
"And this one isn't here as a demon. I brought it as a gift for Lady Sodian."
"Pfft! A gift? A gift… But it's alive?"
"We can use it as a sacrifice if necessary. You know that a living sacrifice is more effective than a dead one, right? It's not like there haven't been living sacrifices used in there before."
"…Indeed, if it's a sacrifice, it doesn't matter if it's alive."
The massive gatekeeper slowly nodded and opened the way. He was only stopping him as a formality; a Cerberus pup wouldn't cause any major problems. If it made a mess in there, it would probably be slaughtered and used as a sacrifice anyway.
'Good, the first step went smoothly.'
Thus, Ken and Davidson smoothly headed inside the ritual site. There were various security measures along the way, but they couldn't stop Ken, who had official permission and had been in and out of this place several times.
"…Question. What brings you here, Ken? And what's behind you… a variant Cerberus?"
"Ah, Lady Sodian."
And finally, he met Marquis Sodian. She, still speaking in her peculiar manner, looked at them with an expressionless face.
Ken gulped silently. All preparations were complete. From on-site investigation and internal maneuvering to securing an escape route and emergency information transmission.
'Phew, I'm counting on you, Davidson.'
But before all that, the most important thing was to overcome the demon before him. If that prerequisite wasn't met, the rest of the operation wouldn't even begin.
"I thought Lady Sodian would like something like this. Haha, as a token of goodwill…"
"Confirmation. For such a trivial reason…"
And Davidson,
Had never disappointed a client in a mission like this. The moment Sodian's gaze shifted to Ken,
The three heads, which had been blinking with innocent expressions, suddenly grew in size—.
"…?!"
KABOOM!
Instantly engulfing the space within.