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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 350: Peace (1)
The Lord of Hell.
The King of All Demons.
The enemy of the gods and the one who scorched the earth.
The Demon King had fallen.
They had won the war.
“Woooooaaahhh!”
A victory festival erupted across the land.
The aftermath of the war was not small.
The dead were countless, including those hailed as superhumans or heroes.
The damage was such that recovery would take decades.
But for now, no one cared about the damage.
Everyone set aside their worries and laughed, reveling in the joy of immediate victory and happiness.
And they all cried out in unison.
Ketal’s name.
The existence of Ketal.
People began approaching Ketal to express their gratitude.
“Thank you!”
“Ketal, it’s all thanks to you!”
“You may not remember, but I was a soldier on the frontlines you saved. You are my savior!”
Ketal accepted their words with a smile.
Among those who came to thank him were familiar faces.
“Ketal.”
“Oh, Cain! You survived!”
“Barely, but yes.”
In a war where even hero-class fighters were dying, the life of a superhuman was as fragile as a fly’s.
Cain had survived by sheer luck.
Cain muttered in amazement.
“…We won. Truly. Against the Demon King.”
Ketal had defeated the being who had killed gods and burned half the world.
“Incredible… truly incredible.”
“It wasn’t just my strength. It was possible because of the gods’ cooperation.”
Ketal humbly shook his head, but Cain didn’t believe him.
After all, the fact that the gods chose to assist Ketal instead of intervening directly meant victory wouldn’t have been possible without him.
An achievement like that of a god.
No, perhaps even greater than that of a god.
Indeed, the number of those who worshiped Ketal had noticeably grown.
Staring at Ketal for a moment, Cain quietly said,
“On behalf of all beings on earth, I thank you. Without you, the world wouldn’t have known peace.”
Though the damage was significant, compared to the Demon King’s potential, it was practically negligible.
That was undoubtedly thanks to Ketal.
Ketal grinned.
“No need for thanks. I’m the one who should always be grateful to you.”
His words were no empty sentiment.
Cain had been the first superhuman swordmaster Ketal had met.
He had inspired him, taught him about mysteries, and showed him how to harness them.
It wasn’t wrong to call Cain his teacher.
“Let’s continue supporting each other.”
“It would be my honor. But I have one request.”
“A request?”
“Please, don’t call me your teacher. I beg you sincerely.”
There was more earnestness in his voice than when he expressed his gratitude.
Ketal chuckled.
“I’ll think about it.”
Cain departed.
The next to visit Ketal was Arkamis.
“Ketal!”
“Oh, Arkamis! You’re safe.”
“Barely made it.”
If Serena hadn’t caught her in time, her body would have been pierced by the black light of the Demon King’s sword.
The mere memory sent shivers down her spine.
“It’s finally over…”
Arkamis murmured, as if in disbelief.
“I can finally leave the sanctuary and return to Milena.”
“Come to think of it, that’s true.”
Arkamis had been one of the people most affected by the demon invasion.
Originally from the Kingdom of Denian, she had been forced to return to the sanctuary after becoming a target of the demons.
Now, she had regained her freedom.
Ketal asked,
“What about your goal?”
“I haven’t been able to think about it recently. This was a war for the entire world, after all. There was no room for personal ambition. But… now it’s all over.”
Arkamis clenched her fist.
“It’s time to move toward my goal again.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Ketal smiled warmly.
After Arkamis left, the next to come was the holy sword, Serena.
“You’ve truly won…”
“It seems so. What do you plan to do now?”
“…I’m not sure.”
Serena muttered with a vacant expression.
She was a holy sword.
Born to confront evil.
But now that evil had disappeared from the world, her purpose no longer existed.
“…What should I do?”
“Why not travel the world at your leisure? In the process, you might find a new purpose.”
“Travel… That doesn’t sound bad.”
Serena looked at Ketal.
“If it’s alright with you, may I continue to follow you for a little while?”
“As you wish.”
Ketal replied casually.
The next to visit him was the ancient dragon, Ignisia.
“Wahahaha! Ketal!”
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“Of course, I am!”
Ignisia’s face was flushed as if drunk.
“You killed the Demon King! Not anyone else, but you—the one I gave mystic power and dragon’s speech to! Damn those elders! They can’t nag me anymore!”
It seemed the stress from that issue had been considerable, as Ignisia gulped down her drink.
Ketal smiled and humored her.
One by one, many others came to see him.
Familiar faces, unfamiliar ones—all came to express their gratitude to him with utmost respect.
This gave Ketal a peculiar sensation.
He was now recognized by all beings of the fantasy world.
They came to him, spoke of their thanks, and acknowledged his existence.
It felt as if what he had longed for was being steadily fulfilled.
It was immensely satisfying.
[You seem to be enjoying yourself.]
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HELHEIM SCANS
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“I am, Tower Master.”
The Tower Master—the Lich, made entirely of bones—came to see Ketal.
[How is your body holding up?]
“I have some wounds, but they’re not severe enough to be a problem. I’ll recover in a few days.”
[Wounds from a battle with the Demon King will heal in mere days? That’s incredible.]
“And what about you?”
The Master of the Magic Tower had taken a direct hit from the residual power of the Demon King.
Although Ketal had protected him, allowing only a fragment to reach him, even that caused considerable injury.
[There’s a crack in my Life Vessel. It’ll take months to repair it. But it’s not fatal—I’ll recover eventually.]
The war was over.
There was plenty of time to heal.
The Magic Tower Master murmured, as though still in disbelief:
[Even so... the war is truly over. I can hardly believe it.]
“What do you think will happen now?”
[For the time being, the gods won’t be able to interfere.]
The pantheon had granted Ketal their powers.
In the process, they must have lost a significant amount of their strength.
At least for now, they lacked the ability to intervene on the surface.
[The beings of the surface will have to repair the damage themselves. But it shouldn’t be a major issue. Slowly but surely, the surface will regain its original form. And one day, the gods will return to the surface.]
When that day comes, they will unleash their powers to restore the world, separate the hell that descended upon the surface, and deal with the remaining demons.
[When that happens, everything will finally come to an end.]
The war will be over in the truest sense.
[Of course, the surface won’t remain peaceful forever. Humans, when left without enemies, tend to create their own and wage wars among themselves. But that would only be a conflict of the surface.]
Not a battle against external forces like hell, but their own wars.
And that was no issue at all.
[This is all thanks to you, Ketal. As the Master of the Magic Tower and an old mage who has lived on this surface for centuries, I thank you.]
“Thank you. And I’ll continue to count on you.”
Ketal replied cheerfully.
The celebrations continued for days afterward.
The people, unbothered by exhaustion, stayed awake for several nights and days, rejoicing in eternal peace and celebrating again and again.
They firmly believed this happiness would last forever.
And then—
Crack.
A fissure spread across the world.
* * *
“Hmm.”
Ketal chewed on his meat with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
Sitting across from him, Serena tilted her head in confusion.
“You’ve seemed troubled for the past few days. Is there something on your mind?”
“Not really.”
The Demon King had fallen.
The demons had retreated to the shattered hell and weren’t appearing on the surface.
There was nothing that should be weighing on Ketal’s mind.
“…But something feels off. Strange, even.”
Something.
He couldn’t be sure, but there was a deeply unsettling sensation creeping toward him.
Like fighting an invisible cockroach, he felt uneasy.
Frowning, Ketal stabbed a piece of meat with his fork and shoved it into his mouth.
Watching his expression, Serena asked cautiously:
“Do you need rest? Come to think of it, you haven’t rested since the battle with the Demon King. Perhaps now is a good time for a proper break?”
“No, that’s not it. That’s not the problem.”
Ketal answered lightly.
A month had passed since the war ended.
During that time, Ketal had been traveling across the continent with Serena.
The reason was simple.
Though the war was over, the damage was immense.
Countless buildings and regions were destroyed.
Since the gods couldn’t descend to the surface, the inhabitants had no choice but to rebuild on their own.
Ketal was helping with the reconstruction.
Though partly for his own enjoyment of exploring the continent, his efforts were undoubtedly a great help to the people.
After finishing his meal, Ketal got back to work.
“Alright.”
Rumble.
Ketal lifted a massive building pillar and moved it.
The onlookers gaped in astonishment.
He casually carried several pillars that dozens of people together couldn’t budge.
“Whoa…”
“He’s truly the hero who defeated the Demon King…”
Thanks to Ketal’s help, the sanctuary was being restored at an astonishing pace.
At this rate, the restoration would be complete within days.
Then, one day—
The Saintess of the Sun God sought out Ketal.
“Oh, Helia.”
“It’s good to see you. It’s been a while since I last greeted you.”
Helia had also expressed her gratitude to Ketal after the Demon King’s defeat.
This was their first meeting in a month.
With a curious expression, Ketal asked,
“What brings you here?”
The sanctuary he was helping restore was quite far from the Sun God’s holy sanctuary.
Helia calmly replied:
“I came to meet you.”
“Me? Do you need my help?”
“No. I received a revelation.”
“Oh.”
A revelation.
Ketal’s eyes gleamed as Helia spoke quietly.
“The great Sun God has invited you to the heavens.”
In this peaceful world, different events were unfolding for different people.
And at the same time—
[Uhh! Ohhh! Ohhh! Ohhh!]
In the white snowfield—
Within it, three ancient beings were locked in a battle that had lasted since the dawn of the universe, a fight as long as eternity itself.
And now, at last, a victor had emerged.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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