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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 212: The Vanishing Aftermath
While Fichte sorted out the situation, I briefly stayed in the most secluded chamber within the Alliance Headquarters.
Though I was curious about what had transpired outside while I faced Vassago, prioritizing my thoughts was paramount.
"You need to rest."
"I said I'm fine, leave."
"Your external injuries are severe. I must treat them."
"Go worry about Black. He's more urgent."
"Young Master Black is already quite stable..."
"I said I'm fine. If you insist, just leave a few bottles of high-grade potions."
After forcefully dismissing the chief healer and attendants from Ardehain, who were adamant about treating me, I let out a sigh alone in the room.
"Hah."
Finally, a sense of tranquility settled in.
I knew my subordinates were waiting outside the door, but their presence was barely perceptible.
The magic circle surrounding the Alliance Head's office created complete silence.
However, the feeling was entirely different from my previous visit.
The room was meticulously cleaned, as if nothing had ever happened.
I had hoped to find traces of the Myriad Demons Assembly, but there wasn't even a single stray document.
"White Heron was thorough."
I downed a high-grade potion and sat in the lotus position on a table in the corner.
Whoosh—
As I faintly manifested my circle and carefully rotated my mana, I nodded to myself.
I knew my condition well.
Though I still felt a slight churning in my stomach, my internal injuries weren't severe.
Even considering that I didn't trigger a mana overload at the end, there was nothing amiss with manifesting my circle.
Could this also be related to "Broken Joy"?
The fatigue that had been crashing over me slowly subsided with a single high-grade potion.
I coldly assessed my state.
'I reached it.'
Through a single surge triggered by an old memory, I had not only touched the pinnacle of the 6th Circle of Extreme Change, but also opened a path towards the 7th Circle.
Instead of elation, a bitter sense of complacency washed over me.
A realm I had once traversed.
Even though I was aware of the troublesome nature of the mana of the Yin dimension, I had failed to push myself to the limit.
Of course, I hadn't expected to reach it in an instant, but given the inherently unstable nature of Yin dimensional mana, it wasn't surprising.
The one thing I truly couldn't understand was...
'There's no aftermath again.'
The most infuriating aspect of Yin dimensional mana was its aftermath.
The inevitable memory gaps that followed a manifestation pushed to the point of madness.
I would lie bedridden for days, recovering like a soulless corpse, and even then, the memories of the battle would be fragmented, as if parts of my neural pathways had been severed.
Sometimes, I wouldn't even remember the moment a comrade had died.
But now?
I was perfectly fine.
No memory gaps, even upon reflection.
No signs of an impending aftermath at all.
This was the case in the previous high-grade demon realm as well, and now again.
Once could be a coincidence, but twice couldn't be dismissed as such.
"It's not a bad symptom, but I can't fathom the cause."
I released my meditation stance, emptied another high-grade potion from the table, and moved to the comfortable temporary bedding.
Sleep was beginning to overwhelm me, but now was not the time.
I forcibly grasped my scattering consciousness and replayed the battle with Vassago.
'The Summoning.'
If the true nature of the Summoning was ultimately a ritual to manifest those noble bastards on this land, then Vassago couldn't possibly be the first Summoning.
It was more plausible to assume that other high-ranking demons had already infiltrated the Myriad Demons Assembly through Summoning.
The 'revelation' he kept shouting about during the fight was clearly related to Verkes.
From the start, there was a high likelihood that Verkes himself had created the revelation.
'One year...'
If there really was only one year left until Verkes reappeared, I needed to make a completely different judgment.
It was reasonable to assume that the Myriad Demons Assembly had already completed all preparations and was beginning to reveal their ambitions in earnest.
The phrase 'the calm before the storm' fit perfectly.
'...'
Thoughts continued to flow, leading one to the next.
No matter how I pieced the situation together, the causality still didn't align.
What was the reason Vassago didn't recognize me?
There were too many concerning points to simply overlook.
—Oh, Great Roar!
The epithet used by his followers to call Vassago.
Originally, demons didn't have epithets.
All the epithets attached to those nobles were given by the expedition members after they died.
Vassago's epithet was the same.
'The Concealed Roar.'
The epithet some of the surviving expedition members gave him after he died, to remember the battle.
But now, 300 years later, what possible reason could there be for even non-human demons to call Vassago by the epithet 'Roar'?
'This is driving me crazy.'
Every time I untangle one thread, two more get knotted.
What exactly happened 300 years ago?
I didn't know the cause, nor did I understand the intent.
An old fatigue began to surge like a rampaging bull.
I closed my eyes as I lay face down on the temporary bedding.
A stifling feeling, as if swimming in a vast ocean, consumed my body, then a sudden intuition flashed through my mind.
"Traitor."
I sat up abruptly, as if splashed with cold water.
The traitor of the expedition.
One of the three.
I had to find that traitor.
At the beginning and end of this whole insane situation, that bastard was there.
***
"Are you feeling any better?"
"As you can see, I'm in terrible shape. Don't you have any good elixirs?"
As I exaggeratedly patted my back, Fichte, who was standing outside the door, smiled.
"You sent Chief Rachel away."
"It would cause misunderstandings if two strangers were in the same room."
I looked around and tilted my head.
"By the way, have you seen my subordinates?"
"If you're referring to the Crazy Mage Squad, they're downstairs."
"What a bunch of disloyal guys. They don't even care if their commander is injured?"
"They said they were staying out of your way, thinking they might be a hindrance."
"Who said that?"
"It was Zion."
"As expected. I knew it."
Suddenly, Fichte changed his facial expression and said,
"Everyone has gathered."
I also stopped my jesting and responded,
"Let's go."
As we left the Alliance Head's office and followed Fichte, we briefly talked.
I asked a few questions I was curious about, and then I briefly told him about what happened with Vassago.
Even as I cut out the details and told him in a stream of consciousness, Fichte listened without asking any questions, nodding occasionally with a calm gaze.
"You're not very surprised, Military Commander. Were you perhaps expecting this?"
"I changed my judgment at the point the barrier was breached, but... the problem is that the situation is as serious as I anticipated. We've arrived."
Following Fichte's guidance, we arrived at the conference room on the fourth floor of the Alliance.
Two familiar men were lingering in front of the door.
The Director of the Management Bureau and the Secretary, Aguro.
As I looked at the two men, their faces ashen, I suddenly said,
"How have you been?"
"…Commander of the Crazy Mage Squad."
Judging from their demeanor, they seemed to have roughly figured out what was happening.
I looked at Aguro and asked,
"Where are the other Alliance members? I don't see anyone."
"Access to all floors above the third has been restricted."
"I see."
Heavy auras were emanating from inside the tightly closed conference room.
Fichte, who had come closer, asked,
"Shall we go in?"
"Let's go."
The Director of the Management Bureau, who was very tense, turned the handle of the tightly closed door, and as soon as a small gap opened, a murmur of voices could be heard. Fichte entered first and said,
"Samael's Dark Light has arrived."
The voices stopped for a moment, and there was a brief silence.
At the same time, the heavy auras burst out through the gap in the door, as if testing me.
I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
"They haven't come to their senses."
I put pressure on my feet and kicked the door open with force.
Kwaang—
With a thunderous sound, the door opened at an incredible speed.
The latch was ripped off, and the tattered door swung 180 degrees, revealing the scene inside, and I slowly stepped in.
A rectangular wooden table filled the wide conference room.
The head seat was empty, and about ten people were seated on either side.
Sword Master, Loren Ardehain.
Six Dominion Sword, Altair Hyark.
13th Floor Head, Mahon.
Yellow Magic Tower Head, Owen.
Golden Myriad Trading Guild master.
The Second Elder of the Blue Magic Tower.
Some were familiar faces, while others were strangers, but all of them seemed to be formidable individuals. Interestingly, most of them looked at me with suspicion.
They were the ones who had released their auras as if testing me.
After quickly assessing the situation, I looked around from in front of the head seat.
"I am Ruin, Commander of Samael's Crazy Mage Squad."
At that moment, a dry laugh was heard from somewhere.
On the far right end, a man with a sharp impression, his long brown hair tied back, was looking at me with disbelief. It was clear he was annoyed that I had appeared last.
Fichte quickly intervened.
"There may be some who are meeting Ruin for the first time. While it would be appropriate to introduce him formally, given the gravity of the situation, I will give you a brief introduction. We can exchange greetings later. From the right, we have Lord Bahten of the Ziek clan, Elder Shariha of Gaion, and Vice-Commander Hodgkin of Cecilia Mercenary Corps."
'The Divine Clan is absent.'
Given that Keplan's barrier was breached, a request for support should have already been sent to the Divine Clan according to the Alliance's directives.
Even considering that the Alliance Head had made arrangements, the fact that the Divine Clan hadn't even shown their faces was proof of how reluctant they were to move.
Moreover, considering the titles of those who had come to provide support, it was clear that they were not the core figures of their respective vassal clans.
Ignoring the few gazes that were still looking at me with displeasure, I looked around.
"Military Commander is right. Let's get straight to the point."
As if he had been waiting, Six Dominion Sword, Altair, asked a question.
"…What exactly happened inside?"
I briefly looked at Altair, noting his unusually polite tone.
Now that I looked closely, the gazes directed at me were completely polarized.
Next to him, even the Yellow Magic Tower Head was looking at me with a hint of admiration.
"A high-ranking demon appeared. You've all heard from Military Commander Fichte, but there was a traitor. I confirmed the Alliance Head's artifact inside."
"Are you really saying that the Alliance Head of the Magic Tower Alliance is the culprit?"
[TL/N: I will give explanation after the chap end do check that out]
"The important thing isn't the Alliance Head, but the demon itself. The Alliance Head is merely a follower of the demon. From the start, they intended to swallow Keplan entirely."
Altair swallowed a sigh.
He couldn't dismiss it as an unbelievable situation, as Altair himself had witnessed the scene that had unfolded at the far western edge.
"What was their level?"
"Even with Black and me fighting together, we were pushed back. If it hadn't been for luck, we would have been the ones defeated. The problem is that this isn't the end. A stronger one will appear."
While speaking, I suddenly realized that Black was nowhere to be seen.
I briefly turned to look at Fichte, who shrugged as if he didn't know either.
'He's disappeared again, it seems.'
It was then that Altair struck his massive scabbard down with a thump.
"What exactly... is happening right now?"
"Demons are trying to engulf the continent. Just like the ancient Demon King did, they're aiming for the annihilation of humanity."
There was no reason to hide it now.
There was no time to carefully dig into things.
I looked at each person from the left, meeting their eyes.
"One year at most. There's a faction among humans that follows the demons. There's a high possibility that their followers are already within your clans here. We need to start preparing right now."
"Ha. I can't listen to this anymore."
It was then that the brown-haired man on the far right end stood up abruptly.
"Six Dominion Sword. Why are you taking this man's words at face value? Demons? The Alliance Head is a traitor, and Master Black was pushed back? What nonsense is this?"
"…Lesser Demon Spear. You've also seen the situation at the far west. An unbelievable situation has already occurred. If it weren't for Crimson Flame, the damage wouldn't have ended there."
When the man called Lesser Demon Spear scoffed, Altair began to glare at him. However, the man raised his voice even more and looked around.
"I can't believe this. If anyone has a mouth, say something. Even if we make a hundred concessions, is this the right procedure? No matter how much this man has gained fame recently, isn't he a man without any roots? What are we doing here, gathering the representatives of the Vassal Clans?"
"Ahem."
The man from the Ziek clan and the woman from the Gaion clan nodded in agreement, and Lesser Demon Spear began to look at Fichte and Loren as if he were rebuking them, his face even more triumphant.
"Military Commander Fichte, please say something."
"I have already explained everything."
"Ha."
The man shook his head, as if fed up.
"This is insane. If you insist on this, we'll leave. We'll conduct our own investigation into Keplan. If you need cooperation, send an official document to the Vassal Clans. We won't respond otherwise."
The man looked at me.
"I hope you know your place. This is a word of advice."
"Vice-Commander Hodgkin of the Cecilia Mercenary Corps, Lesser Demon Spear, right?"
Hodgkin, who was about to leave, abruptly stopped.
"What? ...Right?"
"Sit."
"Your tone is quite insolent."
"There could be a traitor in your mercenary Corps too."
Instantly, the man looked directly at me, slowly emanating killing intent.
"I just told you to know your place."
"Sit."
"You don't understand words, do you?"
The moment Hodgkin reached for his waist, he unleashed his aura.
Whoosh—
Just before Hodgkin, who had half-drawn his spear, was about to activate his core, I deployed Spatial Acceleration faster than him.
I grabbed Hodgkin by the neck.
With a momentary addition of the Flicker at the early stage of the 7th Circle, the speed doubled to the point where an afterimage of Transference remained.
"Kuh."
As Hodgkin's pupils, his neck seized, were still filled with confusion, I condensed Dark Lightning on my fingertips, injected it, and glared at him.
"Are you the traitor?"
[TL/N: So The “Leader” Character mentioned in the previous chaps were made by me in assumption that Ruin was addressing him as the Leader because he had assumed White Heron to be the Leader of the Seven Demons. But after reading this chap it is clear why Black and Ruin had such an extreme reaction to character it was because he was the Alliance Head. I hope this clears any confusion regarding that. If I missed something or you have any questions feel free to ping me in discord, I would love to discuss this in details]
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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