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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 194
'He really said it...'
Director Ederna was stunned as she watched Kaylen boldly demand swords from the White Demon King.
By his own words, the Demon King was an existence no different from an absolute god, yet Kaylen dared to demand swords from such a being.
[You rejected my sword before, so why are you asking for them now?]
However, the Celestial Demon showed no displeasure. Instead, he responded with curiosity.
"For research purposes."
[Honest, I see.]
"You can't deceive a god, can you?"
[But if that's the reason, I cannot give you the swords.]
Viiing—
The darkness obscuring the Celestial Demon’s face wavered, and a screen materialized within the observatory.
Until now, only the observatory side could see Kaylen, but the newly formed screen allowed for mutual visibility.
Through the screen, Kaylen could see the Celestial Demon and the large serpent beside him.
And Ederna.
'A serpent? Fitting for the child of the Flame Demon King.'
Perhaps because the Demon King was nearby, Ederna looked tense and withdrawn.
Kaylen gazed at her for a moment before turning his attention to the Celestial Demon.
An angelic figure shrouded in deep darkness.
Even through the screen, the overwhelming force of his mana could be felt.
[Creating divine swords consumes considerable power. I cannot provide them for mere research purposes.]
"Celestial Demon. I thought you were an absolute existence… yet you're hesitant to spend your strength over creating just three more swords?"
[If you were to submit to me, that would be different. But for mere research, there is no reason to expend my power.]
Kaylen pondered over the Celestial Demon's words.
'Creation of divine swords… Kaina spoke of it so easily.'
Though Kaina was the Dwarf Queen, she couldn't possibly compare to the absolute existence that was the Celestial Demon.
Yet while Kaina casually spoke of forging swords, the Celestial Demon hesitated, citing the consumption of power.
'Is it simply because he doesn't want to give them for free? Or…
Could it be that, despite appearing as the supreme deity—born of the union of a celestial and demonic being—he has his own restrictions or limitations?'
With calm eyes, Kaylen continued speaking.
"For an existence like you to conserve power… there's only one reason that comes to mind. You're preparing for the Dragon God's resurrection at Geysir, aren't you?"
[That is correct.]
"Then shouldn't you give me the swords to oppose the Dragon God?"
[As you are now, you cannot oppose the Dragon God. Only by accepting my sword will you be able to resist him.]
The Celestial Demon declared firmly.
In his current state, Kaylen would not be able to stand against the Dragon God.
The Demon’s voice carried an unrelenting sense of caution toward the Dragon God.
'And yet, you still aided the Dragon God.'
Despite his wariness, why did he scatter humans upon Geysir Castle? The Celestial Demon's true intentions remained elusive.
[Still... very well. If you promise that one day, you will accept my sword, then I shall bestow additional swords upon you.]
"One day?"
[Yes. The timing does not matter. However, before your existence comes to an end, you must accept the sword.]
The darkness surrounding the Celestial Demon stirred.
[Kaylen. If you wish to obtain the sword, promise me with your own words.]
A promise with a being like the Celestial Demon.
This wasn’t a light oath that could be made with mere words.
‘Especially, saying that I must accept it before my existence disappears…
If, during the battle with the Dragon God, I face the threat of annihilation, this promise will surely bind me.’
The Celestial Demon’s divine sword would merge with Kaylen, granting him the power to oppose the Dragon God. But in exchange…
‘I could become nothing more than a pawn under the Celestial Demon’s will.’
Understanding the weight of the promise lightly mentioned by the Celestial Demon, it wasn’t a decision that could be made easily.
It was a matter that required careful consideration before answering…
"Fine. I promise."
Kaylen accepted the Celestial Demon’s offer on the spot.
[You decided quickly.]
"I have to survive, no matter what."
[Heh… good. Then I shall send the swords soon.]
Perhaps satisfied with Kaylen’s determination to survive, the Celestial Demon let out a pleased chuckle and withdrew the screen.
[Really… are you truly the Celestial Demon?]
Ederna, who had been silently observing the conversation, asked in a trembling voice.
Was the White Demon King truly a Celestial God?
To have conquered even the Demon Realm and become the Celestial Demon, ruling over the three realms…
‘If that's true, then in the end, our Demon Realm has been under Heaven’s control from the beginning…!’
Though Ederna had many complaints about the current Demon King, she still believed that the Demon Realm’s conquests—especially over half of the Celestial Realm—were a collective achievement.
But to think that it wasn’t the Demon Realm consuming the Celestial Realm, but the Celestial God completely dominating the Demon Realm!
To her, the conversation between Kaylen and the Celestial Demon felt like a nightmare.
Ssshhk—
As she stared at the enormous serpent looking at her with trembling eyes, the darkness of the Celestial Demon swirled.
[Yes. My daughter.]
[Hmph… who are you calling your daughter…!]
The very being that was actually a Celestial God was now calling her daughter.
Ederna felt her scales bristle all over.
She wanted to curse and lash out, but…
The overwhelming presence of the Celestial Demon made it impossible for her to open her mouth.
[Heh.]
But when the whirlpool of darkness swirled more violently and began spitting out various entities, Ederna’s eyes widened.
[Th-those are…!]
Various beings began to emerge from the vortex, lifting their heads.
A group of demons radiating intense demonic energy.
Most of them were familiar demons, though a few were unrecognized.
No, calling them mere demons would be an understatement—they were far more noble beings.
[The former Demon Kings…]
They were all former Demon Kings.
Suddenly, the face of the previous Demon King emerged, only to vanish again.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
The next to appear was…
[Father…]
The former Flame Demon King revealed his head.
A serpent's head, formed of fire.
His face was contorted in agony.
[Your father is within me, so does that not make you my daughter as well? As you can see.]
"Y-You…!"
Thunk.
With an ominous voice echoing from within the vortex, the serpent's head—once the Flame Demon King—fell to the ground.
"Haaah…!"
The head writhed on the floor in agony, but soon the flames died out, and it vanished.
It was a sound she had never heard from her great father, the former Demon King.
That scream pierced Ederna’s ears, embedding itself deep within her mind.
And then—
[Even if it falls from me, it can regenerate as many times as it takes.]
Whoosh.
Once again, the former Flame Demon King’s head emerged from the vortex.
His face was still twisted in the same painful expression as when it had disappeared into the ground.
[You…!]
"Ederna, r-run…!"
The Flame Demon King cried out from within the vortex, but before his plea could even end, the Celestial Demon’s vortex instantly engulfed the observation post.
[Ederna. You should have pretended not to know me.]
[Why…?]
[Your father resisted me stubbornly. In the end, he begged me to at least spare your life in exchange for his submission. So, I promised to leave you be until you learned my true identity.]
The Flame Demon King, once the strongest of all Demon Kings, resisted the Celestial Demon the most fiercely.
If not for his daughter…
Perhaps he would have continued to oppose the Celestial Demon from within, even now.
[But now, there is no longer any need to keep that promise.]
Now that Ederna had learned the Celestial Demon’s identity, there was no longer any reason to uphold that agreement.
The vortex grew even larger, beginning to engulf Ederna’s entire body and the entire observation post in the Demon Realm.
[Become my eyes, Ederna. You were meant to be the next Demon King, the serpent who watches over all.]
About ten minutes passed after the vortex consumed everything.
Ssshhh—
The vortex slowly returned to its original size.
It ceased its rotation and regressed into dense darkness.
The observation post visited by the Celestial Demon, along with Ederna’s presence, had vanished without a trace.
[……]
However, a cold voice flowed from the Celestial Demon, who had absorbed Ederna.
[She escaped... No, perhaps she was never truly there to begin with.]
Though the Celestial Demon had consumed Ederna, what he gained from the vortex was merely the serpent's shell.
The core essence of the demon was nowhere to be found within.
Until now, the Celestial Demon had believed that what he saw was her true form. But what had gone wrong?
He soon realized the reason for his misconception.
[Flame Demon King. You interfered with me.]
Though the Flame Demon King had already been absorbed, he had distorted the Celestial Demon’s perception from within, causing him to mistake Ederna's presence.
It was something only the strongest Demon King in history could have achieved.
[Father and daughter, both equally troublesome.]
Muttering to himself, he began searching for traces of Ederna.
Her existence was insignificant compared to the Celestial Demon, but for one who pursued perfection, an irregularity beyond his control was intolerable.
[I’ll make sure she pays dearly for bothering me.]
Meanwhile, Kaylen gazed into the empty air where the image had vanished, lost in thought.
‘A promise with a god. It carries risks, but... I intended to absorb the Celestial Demon’s sword into the Six Sword Path eventually. It was worth it.’
Kaylen counted the number of divine swords he possessed or was promised.
The Celestial Demon’s swords—six.
Adding Kayna’s three swords and the three swords already in his possession, it totaled twelve.
It was more than enough to complete the Six Sword Path.
‘All other elements have two swords each, but... Light has three, and Water only one.’
If he had received Kayna’s light-element sword in exchange for the water-element one, he would have ended up with two of each element.
But Kaylen did not regret his decision.
The light-element divine sword, Astella, originally belonged to the Celestial God, and even if he received another from the Celestial Demon, it would still be the same as wielding his sword.
‘For now, I should focus on forging another water-element divine sword to fill the gap.’
While Kaylen was organizing his thoughts for the future—
Knock, knock.
A knock sounded at his door.
“Emperor. Good news.”
“Johannes? Come in.”
Johannes entered through the door.
But Kaylen’s gaze wasn’t on him.
It was focused on the figure behind him.
The person wore a hood, and dark energy emanated from them.
Yet, Kaylen felt a strange familiarity.
“This good news... don’t tell me…”
“Yes.”
Johannes grinned as he spoke.
“Baldrix has recovered.”
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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