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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 342: The Descent of the Demon King (3)
The heretic high elf, Arkamis, was also in hell.
It was only natural—she was a transcendent-level alchemist who had regressed multiple times.
And now, Arkamis was breaking out in a cold sweat.
The reason was simple.
The ground right in front of her feet had been sliced cleanly apart.
If she had taken just one more step forward—or if Serena hadn’t shouted for her to stop—her body would have been split in two along with the ground.
“Th-thank you, Serena.”
Arkamis expressed her gratitude to Serena.
However, Serena was in no condition to accept those thanks.
“Uh…ah…”
Serena’s face was pale and stiff, her expression frozen.
She had collapsed onto her knees, losing strength in her legs, her face drained of all color as if her soul had left her body.
Arkamis understood why.
She could feel it too—a presence so terrifying that it seemed to suffocate the very air around them.
“The… Demon King.”
A being from the distant past, from the time of the War of Gods and Demons.
The one who had slain countless gods and burned half the surface of the world.
That entity had descended here and now.
As a Holy Sword attuned to malevolence, Serena had sensed it more keenly than anyone else.
It was no wonder she looked like her mind had snapped.
Clenching her teeth, Arkamis supported Serena and turned her head.
RUMBLE...
The earth trembled in the distance.
Even beyond her field of vision, she could feel the terrifying ripples of power.
The Demon King was fighting someone.
There was no need to guess who.
Ketal.
Her special someone was facing off against the Demon King in that distant location.
“I want to help, but I’d only get in the way. At the very least, I can pray…”
Arkamis stopped herself.
The Demon King was a god-slaying entity.
What meaning would prayer have in a battle against such a being?
What Ketal needed right now wasn’t prayer—it was belief.
“Don’t die, Ketal.”
Arkamis quickly carried the dazed Serena and retreated back to the surface.
* * *
Ketal charged forward.
The Demon King raised his arm and swung.
CRACK! CRACKLE!
The axe and the arm clashed, sparks flying as they ground against each other.
Gritting his teeth, Ketal pressed forward with all his strength.
But the Demon King flexed his muscles, his body bulging with explosive power.
BOOM!
Both Ketal and the Demon King were forced back at the same time.
But the distance differed: Ketal was pushed back ten paces, while the Demon King moved only five.
The Demon King let out a hearty laugh.
“So, you’re telling me I’ve been overpowered?”
Ketal was surprised, but so was the Demon King.
[Even the god of strength couldn’t push me back, and yet here you are, forcing me back five steps with sheer power alone.]
The Demon King extended his hand, curling his fingers as if grasping an invisible cup.
At that moment, the world itself seemed to seize Ketal.
CREAK. CRUNCH.
The pressure threatened to crush him.
If he hadn’t reflexively resisted with mystery, he would’ve been reduced to pulp.
Gritting his teeth against the oppressive force, Ketal thought quickly.
Strength alone wouldn’t suffice.
The Demon King was monstrously strong.
Relying on brute force would only lead to being overpowered.
Thus, he decided to focus his power.
Leaving only the minimum mystery needed to enhance his body, Ketal poured all remaining energy into his axe.
The aura surrounding the weapon began to ripple and compress.
SSSHHH!
With the gathered aura, he swung his axe.
The oppressive force bearing down on him was severed, creating a brief opening.
Ketal leaped through the gap, kicking off the air itself.
The Demon King raised his arm and swung it toward the approaching Ketal.
“That won’t work anymore!”
The Demon King’s strength was overwhelming.
But he wielded his power in a straightforward, almost rudimentary manner.
From a technical perspective, he had weaknesses.
Ketal’s movements turned fluid.
No longer a savage barbarian, he moved with the precision of a seasoned swordsman.
The Demon King’s fist connected with the flat of Ketal’s axe, and Ketal deflected the blow with a smooth motion.
SWISH.
Ketal closed the gap, stepping into the Demon King’s range.
The Demon King raised his other arm to strike.
Ketal swung the axe handle upward, deflecting the trajectory of the descending fist.
The blow landed slightly off-course, smashing into the ground beside him.
BOOM!
A crater formed where the fist landed.
Having evaded two consecutive attacks, Ketal slashed diagonally.
His axe sought to bury itself in the Demon King’s chest.
BANG!
But the Demon King unleashed an explosive burst of power, sending Ketal flying.
With most of his mystery focused on his axe, Ketal was left vulnerable and had no choice but to retreat.
The Demon King stomped the ground, and the earth surged like waves.
The very world seemed to become his weapon, aiming to crush any who opposed him.
Ketal judged that standing his ground would only be detrimental and leaped back further.
The Demon King raised a hand to the sky.
In an instant, dark clouds gathered, and bolts of shadow lightning began raining down.
Ketal let out a short breath.
“Work.”
With those words, the monstrous power within him stirred and spread across the heavens, shielding him from the descending lightning.
[So, that’s how you wield the monstrosity. How peculiar.]
The Demon King, with a hint of curiosity, lowered his outstretched hand.
The dense clouds in the sky descended like mist, colliding with the monstrous power Ketal had unleashed.
RUMBLE!
The clash of powers caused the world to tremble.
Mystery drained rapidly from Ketal as the struggle continued.
“Tch, what a pain,”
Ketal muttered in frustration.
He quickly assessed the situation.
Could he win?
The answer came immediately.
It would be difficult.
Ketal wasn’t at full strength, having expended considerable energy battling Caliste.
Even at his peak, victory would have been uncertain.
‘I can hold my ground, but…’
Ketal had grown stronger since his battle in the frozen wastelands.
Mastering the power of the abomination and gaining new mystical abilities had made him a match for even the Demon King.
But the problem was the total energy he possessed—it wasn’t enough.
At this rate of consumption, it wouldn’t be long before he reached his limits.
In contrast, the Demon King's power seemed boundless.
The disparity in sheer total strength was overwhelming.
‘Though there are some technical weaknesses I can see.’
What could a skilled swordsman do against a tank?
Of course, he had now become a being capable of crushing ordinary tanks with his little finger, but unfortunately, his opponent was far from ordinary.
‘A monster, indeed.’
[Of course. That is the Demon King.]
The abomination muttered softly.
[A being that embodies the concepts of darkness, evil, and malice in this world. Unlike the gods who divided their power among many, that entity absorbed all those concepts alone.]
The number of gods was immense.
In their prime, their numbers had reached three digits.
In contrast, there was only one being worthy of being called the god of Hell—the Demon King.
While the Demon Lords were undeniably strong, there were only four of them.
The Demon King alone possessed power rivaling the entirety of the celestial realm.
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[To put it bluntly, it embodies nearly all the dark concepts of the world. The other denizens of Hell only hold fragments of that power.]
“I get the gist. But even with all that, it’s just a bit stronger than the elders?”
According to the abomination, the Demon King was a conglomeration of darkness, evil, and malice.
And yet, it was only marginally stronger than one of the elders.
And there were three elders.
Ketal was genuinely curious.
“How did you all lose, then?”
[We... don’t get along very well.]
BOOOOM!
Before he could hear an answer, an explosion of power interrupted him.
There was no time for leisurely conversation.
Ketal quickly dodged and analyzed the situation.
Defeating the Demon King seemed unlikely.
But—
‘It’s not impossible, is it?’
There had never been a time when he could confidently say he had defeated one of the three elders.
But there had been plenty of times when he hadn’t lost.
Ketal’s eyes hardened.
The abomination seemed to recognize his thoughts and hesitated.
[...Come to think of it, you do have that power.]
A power unique to him, one he hadn’t used since stepping out into the world.
The same power he’d wielded against the three elders and the guardian who had blocked his path out of the wasteland.
“What do you think will happen?”
[If you use that, you could kill it. But to be honest... I hate the idea.]
The abomination showed strong resistance, even more so than against the Demon King.
It clearly preferred losing to the Demon King over witnessing Ketal use his power.
[Using that makes me feel as though my very existence is being denied.]
“I’m not a fan of it, either.”
Ketal agreed with the abomination’s sentiments.
He was human.
A being of this world.
A part of this fantasy.
Everything he did was driven by a near-obsessive fixation on that identity.
If he hadn’t been, he would have long since become something other than human—a being that ruled the wastelands in an entirely different form.
But that wasn’t what he wanted.
He desired only to be part of the fantasy.
And yet, his power utterly contradicted that desire.
It was a power that seemed to proclaim his existence as something foreign and alien.
Because of that, Ketal had used it only a handful of times in his long life.
“Besides, my opponent is the Demon King. The embodiment of the fantasy I’ve longed for. Using it is even less appealing... but it’s not just my problem anymore.”
If the Demon King wasn’t defeated, the surface world would burn.
The fantasy he cherished could crumble.
‘Of course, watching that would be interesting in its own way.’
But he was part of the surface world now.
That wasn’t an option.
‘No choice, then.’
Ketal’s eyes darkened.
[...Hmm?]
At that moment, the Demon King sensed something amiss.
Something was changing around Ketal.
Ordinarily, it would have judged him to be up to something and moved to stop him, but this was different.
The very idea of approaching didn’t occur.
It was alien, grotesque, and above all—terrifying.
‘...Fear?’
The Demon King, afraid?
[What are you trying to do?]
“Something that neither of us will like.”
Ketal took a deep breath.
He was about to unleash what he had, to taint the world.
But before he could—space shattered.
[PR/N: Will we ever see him use it?]
* * *
CRAAACK!
The skies of Hell shattered all at once.
Ketal hesitated, halting the power he was about to release.
The cracks in the sky quickly expanded, forming a passage.
[Ha! Ha! Ha!]
[So, you’ve finally arrived!]
[To think he’d truly descend to the mortal realm. This is dangerous.]
Then, five figures emerged.
Ketal’s eyes widened.
“This...”
An overwhelming divine presence.
Ketal had felt this kind of aura before—when facing Federica.
The true gods.
They had descended into Hell.
The Demon King scowled.
[...So, Abyss really is dead. It couldn’t deliver his message. A shame.]
[DEMON KING!]
The gods revealed their power simultaneously, and Hell began to burn under the intensity of their divinity.
With fierce hostility, they charged.
They ignored Ketal entirely, aiming for the Demon King.
The first to strike was a muscular god, launching a powerful punch.
The Demon King stood firm and countered.
BOOOOM!
[...The God of Strength. Merios, is it? It’s been a while.]
[Your damnable face! I never thought I’d see it again!]
The God of Strength rained down punches while the other three gods supported him.
Each strike carried the power to devastate the world.
The fifth god, meanwhile, quietly landed beside Ketal.
[A pleasure to meet you. It’s been a long time.]
“A long time?”
Ketal looked puzzled.
He didn’t recognize the figure.
But as he sensed their aura, he soon realized.
“The God of Swords. Elia.”
[My followers owe you a debt of gratitude. I apologize for the delay. The Demon King’s first tool was desperately holding me back. But that’s over now.]
Now, the gods could intervene directly in the world.
[You’ve done well holding the Demon King at bay. From here, it’s a matter between us and him. Please leave it to us.]
“Well, I don’t particularly mind...”
A battle between gods and the Demon King was certainly a spectacle.
But Ketal’s expression was ambiguous.
“You won’t win, though.”
[What?]
CRACK!
A wave of demonic energy radiated outward, shaking everything around.
The gods were blown back by the explosive power.
The Demon King clenched a fist and struck at the God of Strength.
The God of Strength countered with his own punch.
CRUNCH.
The God of Strength’s fist was crushed.
The Demon King’s punch landed on his face, sending the mighty god sprawling across the ground in a humiliating tumble.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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