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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 214
“Celestial Demon….”
Snap.
With a flick of his fingers, the elves standing behind Kaylen collapsed simultaneously.
They weren’t dead—just unconscious. Their body temperature and breathing remained steady, unchanged from before.
“What do you want?”
[I sensed a disturbance shaking the stars.]
The Celestial Demon’s face—concealed by darkness—now had two red glows flickering upon it.
They looked like eyes.
[This planet is undergoing rapid upheaval.]
“So what?”
[I heard you were the cause.]
“Did the Earth God tell you that?”
[Yes. I followed the disturbance to the Abyss Gate and heard it from him.]
Hearing the Celestial Demon’s response, Kaylen realized there was no point in denying it.
‘This just got annoying…’
The Celestial Demon didn’t seem openly hostile—after all, he had brought the three divine swords Kaylen requested.
But getting noticed by him this soon was not a good sign.
‘This guy is going to push me into fighting the Dragon God as soon as possible.’
Kaylen—the one who had destroyed Infinity—was the Celestial Demon’s best card.
How desperate must he be for a god who claims dominion over heaven and earth to be waiting here in the underground of the Fairy Tower?
‘But once I slay the Dragon God, his next target will be me.’
No, perhaps his next target wouldn’t just be Kaylen—
It would be this entire planet itself.
Kaylen had heard the Celestial Demon’s goal from the Earth God.
To restore Téa, he would have to destroy this world.
‘And if this planet disappears, humanity will have nowhere to live.’
Kaylen had already realized that he was never truly Ernstine, but rather his Six Swords.
Even so, he did not reject the memories of when he was human.
Nor did he disregard humanity itself.
As Emperor of the Empire, he bore the responsibility of preventing its downfall.
In the end, considering the Celestial Demon’s objective, their clash was inevitable.
‘Even if I slay the Dragon God, I still have no means to face him.’
With that thought, Kaylen fixed his gaze on the Celestial Demon.
A figure of angelic perfection—where light and darkness fused in flawless harmony.
Unlike Infinity, he maintained his completeness in a different manner.
[Kaylen. This is what you requested.]
Thud.
Three divine swords embedded themselves at Kaylen’s feet.
Compared to the fire, darkness, and water divine swords the Celestial Demon had created in Sanctuary, these carried even more of his power.
So much so that they could be considered a step above even the divine swords of legend—true masterpieces.
“What do you want?”
[The destruction of the Dragon God.]
“I have created a sword capable of destroying this planet. But I still lack the strength. Even though I destroyed the infinite mana of Infinity, it’s still too soon to use it against the Dragon God.”
[That’s expected. What I want is not for you and him to directly clash.]
"Then……."
The Celestial Demon projected a screen into the air.
Geysir’s imperial capital.
The city was engulfed in golden flames, completely reduced to ashes.
[The Dragon God has already awakened. He must have sensed a threat from your sword.]
“He has already risen?”
[Yes. In his incomplete state, he is no match for me.]
Upon hearing those words, Kaylen understood what the Celestial Demon wanted.
[Even if I subdue the Dragon God again, he may attempt to resurrect himself once more. I have my own methods, but unlike you, I do not possess a perfect means of erasure.]
“So?”
[I will restrain the Dragon God. You will deliver the final blow.]
No matter how many times he was subdued, the Dragon God kept reviving, like an unkillable cockroach.
And with each resurrection, he had grown more dangerous.
At first, the infinite mana, Infinity, had only contained a single elemental attribute.
But now, it held all six attributes, becoming a significant threat even to the Celestial Demon.
‘If he is not completely erased this time, victory cannot be guaranteed next time.’
That was the Celestial Demon’s judgment.
And to him, Kaylen’s sword was an extremely appealing solution.
When he had first sealed the Dragon God in the Sanctuary, Kaylen had been nothing more than an obstacle preventing Infinity from reaching the Dragon God.
But now, Kaylen had become a key figure—a decisive factor in the battle between two gods.
“Hm…….”
Kaylen listened to the Celestial Demon’s proposal and pondered.
‘The situation has improved.’
Previously, he had to worry about facing the Dragon God while also preparing for a clash with the Celestial Demon.
But now, he could wait for the two to battle each other and seize his opportunity afterward.
‘However… even if the Dragon God is restrained, it will take an enormous amount of power to erase him.’
The Celestial Demon would expend a great deal of energy to subdue the Dragon God.
And Kaylen, in turn, would exhaust his aura to erase him completely.
That would leave both of them drained.
‘Without a sword capable of defeating the Celestial Demon, I cannot guarantee victory.’
Kaylen stared intently at the Celestial Demon, thinking.
A god who ruled both the Celestial Realm and the Demon Realm.
And according to what the Earth God had told him, he was also connected to the Moon…
His very nature was complex.
The Celestial Realm, the Demon Realm, and the Moon.
Which of these was his true priority?
Kaylen sought to discern that.
[What do you think of my proposal?]
“I think it’s a good one. But I have a condition.”
[A condition?]
“Can you ensure that the human world remains unharmed?”
[Humans…? You concern yourself with such matters? How merciful of you, Sovereign.]
Hoo.
The Celestial Demon let out a quiet chuckle after speaking.
Though it lacked obvious emotion, to Kaylen, the laughter carried a subtle hint of mockery.
‘In the end, just a mere mortal… still bound by human attachments.’
With those words alone, Kaylen had unwittingly revealed his own weakness.
And the Celestial Demon took note of that.
[Even if you don’t say so, I will take humans into consideration as much as possible. After all, they are nothing more than food for the Dragon God. I won’t be able to protect Geysir’s territory, but I will make sure the Dragon God’s flames do not spread beyond it.]
"Thank you. But what I want comes after that."
[After that…?]
"Even after the Dragon God is annihilated, leave the human realm alone."
But Kaylen’s true goal was not the salvation of humanity.
"What do you think? Can you swear it in the name of the Celestial Demon?"
He wanted to see if the god would swear in his own name to leave the human realm untouched.
[…]
The Celestial Demon remained silent for a moment.
[Very well. I swear it.]
He accepted Kaylen’s proposal without hesitation.
[I swear in the name of the Celestial Demon. Even after the Dragon God is annihilated, I shall leave this world alone.]
As he finished swearing in the name of a god, his two crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness.
[Should I break this oath, I shall relinquish my right to rule over the light of the heavens and the darkness of the abyss.]
"The Heavenly Realm and the Demon Realm—you’re wagering them both?"
[Indeed. Now, will you cooperate?]
A smile formed on Kaylen’s lips as he nodded.
"If the Celestial Demon has staked his own existence, of course, I must believe him."
[Good. Then, in seven days, we will begin the eradication of the Dragon God.]
Sssss—
The Celestial Demon’s form slowly faded.
[Prepare yourself in the meantime.]
"Wait."
Just as he was about to leave, Kaylen stopped him.
"No matter how you look at it, we’re dealing with the Dragon God. I need to be fully prepared. In seven days, I won’t have enough supplies."
[What are you lacking?]
"Mana Stones. Give me some."
[That’s all you need?]
"Yeah. High-quality ones. As many as possible."
Kaylen demanded the Mana Stones without hesitation.
The Six Swords engraved in the imperial capital of Alzass—he needed Mana Stones to further strengthen them.
‘There’s a limit to what I can buy from the Empire.’
With no new dungeon portals appearing recently, he had been purchasing Mana Stones while their market price was dropping. However, the Mage Towers, which held the largest supply, were reluctant to release them.
It hadn’t been long since the dungeon portals had disappeared, and with the emperor of the unified eastern continent actively purchasing them, the Mage Towers suspected something was amiss and hesitated to sell.
[You are quite bold to make such a request.]
"I tried to procure them on my own, but time is too tight. If my lack of preparation causes this plan to fail, what then? Wouldn’t that be a problem?"
Kaylen’s reasoning was sound; there was nothing illogical about it.
After all, the Celestial Demon himself had set the seven-day deadline, knowing it would be tight for him.
Yes. That was true.
Even so—
‘…This doesn’t sit well with me.’
He could hand over as many Mana Stones as needed, but still, something about it felt unsettling.
Somehow,
it felt strange, as if the initiative had been taken away by a mere human.
Come to think of it, ever since he had demanded the divine sword,
this human had been nothing but utterly insolent.
[Fine. I’ll scatter them across your castle. Mana Stones.]
Yet, in the end, the Celestial Demon agreed to hand over the Mana Stones to Kaylen without any conditions.
Right now, the most important matter was dealing with the Dragon God.
He could not afford to let grand designs be ruined over something as trivial as a feeling.
"Much appreciated."
[Then, spend the next seven days preparing thoroughly.]
With those final words, the Celestial Demon truly vanished.
Kaylen waved after him.
"Oh, and if I need something next time, where should I ask?"
[...]
At those words, the Celestial Demon stared at Kaylen in silence.
The way this human continued to demand things, as if he had left his belongings in safekeeping,
had long since moved beyond being simply unusual—now, it was outright irritating.
This human, in the presence of a god…
was irreverent, far beyond mere blasphemy.
'But still. Eliminating the Dragon God comes first.'
Once the Dragon God was dead,
a mere human like him would be of no concern.
The Celestial Demon left one final remark before disappearing.
[I will dispatch one of my servants to your castle.]
And the moment he vanished—
“Huh...?”
“Why did I suddenly black out?”
The elves who had been following Kaylen began to rise one by one.
As the Celestial Demon’s authority faded, they regained their senses.
Kaylen glanced at the elves briefly before recalling the Celestial Demon’s vow with a hardened expression.
—I swear upon the name of the Celestial Demon. Even after the Dragon God is annihilated, I shall leave this world be.
—If I break this vow, I shall renounce my right to rule over the light of the heavens and the darkness of the depths.
Heaven and Abyss.
The Celestial Demon had declared that if he broke his oath, he would forsake both of his absolute authorities.
As Kaylen listened to those words,
rather than feeling that the Celestial Demon was sincerely devoted to his vow…
It sounded more like he didn’t care if he abandoned the power of the Celestial Demon.
‘Ji-Shin said the Celestial Demon was also of the Lunar Clan.’
He even mentioned that among them, only the Celestial Demon was worthy of being called their king.
Thinking about those words, it made sense to assume that the Celestial Demon’s origins lay with the moon.
‘The question is, how much of Ji-Shin’s words can I trust…’
After all, when he had applied Ji-Shin’s insights to his new sword,
he had managed to achieve a transcendental state of Holy Annihilation.
For now, it would be best to trust Ji-Shin’s words and observe the situation.
‘I’m becoming more certain that he’s connected to the Lunar Clan.
But there’s still too little information.’
Just as when he had created Holy Annihilation,
he needed to fully grasp his opponent’s essence and forge a sword suited to it.
Only then would he have a blade capable of slaying a god.
But Kaylen felt that he knew far too little about the Celestial Demon.
Unlike Infinity, whom he could observe up close,
the Celestial Demon was difficult to approach.
‘Maybe I’ll have to wait until the battle with the Dragon God.’
With that thought in mind, Kaylen returned to the royal castle—
"Hey… what the hell is that?"
Looking in the direction Johannes was pointing, he found himself speechless.
‘…Hah.’
Above the castle, in the sky—
Though it was broad daylight, it was as if a hole had been torn in the sky.
A black night sky, speckled with starlight, had emerged.
And from there, Mana Stones were pouring down like a hailstorm.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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