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February 25th, 1804, Poison Demon Castle.
"Grosch castle has fallen,"
Glug-glug...
Kelliark said as he refilled his teacup. He raised his hand to cover his eyes from the pale light of the artificial sun streaming in through the window, surveying the demon kings seated in front of him.
Ragal Fun, Layla Belgasyum, Reldro Trinak, Sepp Mogeles.
While the humans attacked Grosch castle, Kelliark had recruited the remaining demon kings in Hell.
"No matter how you look at it, it ended too quickly... Just as friend Kelliark predicted, it's a shame that even Sakiel, who used the Field of Loss, couldn't do much against them."
"Sakiel did her best, and she used all the means at her disposal to make the best judgment in the situation. The enemy was just too strong. Is there a reason to insult her?"
"Oh, yes. I apologize, Lady Layla. I misspoke. Anyway, I don't get along with you. Did I really insult Sakiel so badly? I just wish she had inflicted some damage, even with the Field of Loss. Isn't that right, my friend Kelliark?"
Layla still hadn't fully recovered her memories of her relationship with Sakiel. Nevertheless, insulting her somehow felt uncomfortable. From Layla's perspective, even if she hadn't forgotten, Sakiel, as the Chief Strategist, was undoubtedly a more talented individual than Ragal in comparison.
"I think both of you are correct. If Sakiel had dealt even a little damage to the alliance, it would have been good. But only Kinzelo and my clan were affected due to the Field of Loss and the reversed sky."
"Damn it! Zito, you son of a bitch! I can't stand the fact that I've been brainwashed by that bastard all these years, dedicating my loyalty to him. So many demons are dying in the' attacks on the human world, and Zito didn't provide any support at all. How could he do that?"
Reldro clenched his fist and shouted. Sepp, sitting next to him, also had a distorted expression filled with anger.
"...As Sir Kelliark said, and as our memories suggest. Zito must not desire the victory or prosperity of the True Demon World. That monster only seeks more pain. Do you think Zito would care about the subordinates who sacrificed their lives to protect the True Demon World? We were no different from Zito until we realized the truth with Sir Kelliark's help."
"Oh, we were no different? Why are you saying this, Sepp? We were victims of brainwashing. Ah, damn! Why are your eyes getting moist again? Don't cry, you'll ruin your appearance. Seek revenge, that's what you should do, seek revenge."
Ragal's loyalty was now directed much more deeply toward Kelliark than Zito. Another layer of brainwashing had been removed, and his admiration for Kelliark's abilities had played a part.
"Sir Kelliark, now that Grosch castle has fallen, the human forces will soon enter Hell. It may take a few days due to the remnants of mana and demonic energy left from the Field of Loss and the Reversed Sky, but it won't take long. Right now, there are no troops left in the human world to stop them."
Kelliark nodded at Layla's words. She, too, respected Kelliark to an extent that was incomparable to their first meeting.
"Jin Runcandel is a cautious person. So even if the remnants left by the Field of Loss disappear, he won't rush straight into Hell. Once the remnants are gone, Jin will use Valeria Hister to examine all the remaining records on the battlefield. He'll want to see if there are any records that can confirm the inside information."
Kelliark shifted his gaze to Ragal.
"Perhaps by now, they might have even found out about the alliance between you and me."
"Hmm, they might have noticed that I fought half-heartedly, but surely they wouldn't have dug through the messy records of the defense line?"
"It's entirely possible. That's why my clan has always tried to eliminate record mages by any means necessary. My biggest mistake when I was the patriarch of the Zipfel clan wasn't the unexpected betrayal from my son. It was handing over the record mage to Jin Runcandel."
"Is it really that serious, being a record mage?"
"Yes... Perhaps, even if the magic spell the 'Field of loss' had fully unfolded, it would not have posed a significant threat to Jin as long as Valeria Hister had fully mastered the record magic."
Kelliark genuinely believed this.
Perhaps not only the Field of Loss but also the "Demon God's Orb" couldn't fully damage the record magic once it reached its peak.
"There are three more reasons why Jin Runcandel won't rush into Hell. Zipfel and Kinzelo will also need time for reorganization. They gathered to crush the public enemy, but only the Vamel Alliance has yet to suffer significant losses."
"Come to think of it, what my friend Kelliark said is true! So what's the third reason? Oh, never mind. I am a demon with a head, you know... I want to take a guess. Um, um. That would be... It's the Holy Kingdom, Zito's eye!"
Kelliark nodded.
Layla blinked in surprise. She couldn't believe that Ragal had this level of intelligence, even after witnessing it directly.
"Zito will definitely try to recover his eyes before the humans enter the True Demon World. Of course, Zito is still as strong as a mad monster, but when he regains his eye, there will truly be no more variables. Maybe he won't even care about Helluram anymore. If that happens, friend Kelliark's freedom will come to an end..."
Ragal believed that when Kelliark's freedom came to an end, everyone gathered here would likely die.
'As of now, it seems Zito is still not deliberately scrutinizing Kelliark due to the witch. But when he regains his eye, we'll probably all die. However, I'm not so afraid of death anymore. I am not Zito's cute Ragal anymore!'
Kelliark nodded.
"...It is obvious who will go to the human world to retrieve Zito's eye. First Sword Paellito, or perhaps Ridolos and Videluce. Maybe Zito will send all three of them at once." Sepp said.
These three were undeniably the strongest demons in the True Demon World. While only Paellito was known to have reached the level of Supreme Demon, the others were considered to be almost on par with him.
"If Zito truly cared about the True Demon World, he would have used them from the beginning. With them, so many demons wouldn't have died like dust."
"But if all three of them enter the battle at the same time, can the humans handle it? Even with just two of them, it seems difficult."
"No, no, I've fought them, and the humans aren't ordinary either. If the top-level superhumans from each faction gather, even those three find it difficult, right? It's not just those who conquered Grosch Castle; there's also Elona Zipfel. I may have sent her to the hospital once, but my friend Kelliark predicts that she is stronger than Paellito."
"Even though I trust Sir Kelliark's evaluation, it's still unbelievable. No matter how recklessly such a person fought, she still lost to you."
"Ah, if you can't believe it, ask Elona Zipfel when you meet her later. Layla, no matter what you do, you won't be able to hurt Elona Zipfel as much as I did. Tsk."
"Of course, the human world is strong. However, when the Three Great Demon Kings are sent to the Holy Kingdom, Zito will undoubtedly create fractures throughout the human world. Many major demon kings and commanders have died, but there are still tens of billions of troops in the True Demon World, so Zito will ensure that the humans cannot focus solely on those three."
"I agree with that. Zito will create more fractures in the human world than ever before. Depending on whether the human world can protect Zito's eye, the course of the True Demon War will change completely."
"Kelliark, my friend, then we move flexibly according to the results, right?"
"That's right."
"What's better for us, whether Zito recovers his eye or not? Which outcome do we prefer?"
Instead of answering, Kelliark smiled. He thought it didn't matter either way.
"Let's end it here for today. We'll have plenty of time for further discussions. Reldro and Sepp, you can leave for now."
"Understood."
"We'll continue trying to make contact with the other demon kings until we're called again, right?"
"That's right. The more demon kings awaken from the brainwashing, the more helpful it will be."
The Flame of Awakening.
The demon kings believed in Kelliark's authority to partially release Zito's brainwashing. It was a power that grants absolute trust, like a seal of fire.
However, Kelliark had no intention of properly using the Flame of Awakening for all the demon kings that Reldro and Sepp would bring in the future.
The reason Kelliark sought out the demon kings was solely to examine the souls they possessed. He aimed to find individuals among those souls who could be useful, much like the old Zipfel or Kidard Hall.
The two demon kings withdrew.
"Sir Kelliark."
"Speak, Layla Belgasyum."
"Orabeoni... No, I'm concerned about Sir Paellito."
"You're worried that he might invade the Holy Kingdom and not return alive?"
"...Yes."
"He is still the Genesis Knight, Layla. In your language, he is a Supreme Demon. Either way, it seems you don't know much about beings who have reached that level."
"I know that demons who have reached the Supreme Demon level possess power comparable to gods, or even surpassing them. But Sir Paellito, like me not too long ago, is currently brainwashed. His abilities are diminished in every aspect compared to when he was in his right mind."
"So, you are curious if there's no way I can help him."
"That's right."
"I was planning to go see him now."
A glimmer of hope appeared in Layla's eyes.
"Can you use the Flame of Awakening on Sir Paellito too?"
"I can't be sure until I meet him in person. Since he was originally a Supreme Demon, it's likely that Zito put in extra effort to brainwash him, so my power may not work immediately."
"Ah... that could be the case."
"Instead, even if he doesn't realize the brainwashing, I can offer him one safety measure."
"A safety measure?"
Kelliark rose from his seat and looked down at Layla.
"Come with me to see Paellito right now, Layla. As of now, he may not meet me without someone of your caliber vouching for me. I may be able to meet him by force, but that wouldn't be the right approach."
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