Chapter 209 – The Demon King (1)

What would the undead, who had been moving north to capture the hero, do once the gate and portal in Daejeon were destroyed?

Would they continue to chase after me and the swordsmen, or would they return to Daejeon?

That curiosity was soon resolved.

“It doesn’t look like they’re chasing us, does it?”

At my words, the two swordsmen hiding in the rubble with me nodded.

We were currently hiding inside a three-story building on the outskirts of Gaegyeong City.

In the distance, a massive army of undead was passing through the wasteland, not far from Gaegyeong City.

An enormous number of undead heading north, along with humans riding trucks and armored vehicles.

They were all part of the Demon King’s army that had been stationed in Daejeon.

The Demon King’s army, which had set out for Daejeon to capture the hero, continued to move north even after the gate was destroyed.

But they weren’t moving to find us.

While some of the undead that had chased us from Sariwon were still in Gaegyeong searching for us, the undead now heading north had no intention of stopping in Gaegyeong.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t received word of the gate’s destruction.

If that were the case, they wouldn’t have heard the news that the hero was in Sariwon.

Moreover, the Demon King’s army heading north wasn’t moving to fight.

The undead’s movements were no different, but by observing the still-living humans, it was clear whether they were marching to battle or simply on a tedious march.

“Perhaps they’re regrouping.”

At the Duke’s words, the mage tilted his head.

“Would they need to? They’re undead, after all.”

The archmage, who had been covered in ash and suffered burns from the battle a few days ago, was now relatively fine.

At the mage’s words, the old swordsman shrugged.

“There are still humans among them. Besides, the energy the Demon King’s army uses isn’t infinite.”

“Hmm. As a mage, I’d like to argue against that, but honestly, I can’t think of any other reason right now.”

The mage was right.

Seeing the Demon King’s army marching as if they intended to go all the way to Pyongyang, I also found it hard to think of another reason.

“In any case, it’s fortunate. I was worried about how they would move, but we’ve been luckier than expected.”

“Indeed. It seems neither the Duke nor I are fated to die in this unfamiliar land.”

At the mage’s words, the old swordsman smiled with satisfaction.

Unlike the archmage, who had joked about surviving, the Duke had seemed prepared to die from the start.

But even he seemed to be in a better mood now that there was a chance of survival.

After all, no one, regardless of age, enjoys the prospect of death.

“Soon, we’ll see the end of their procession. We should be able to move after waiting a bit longer.”

“It’s not easy hiding like this while suppressing our mana.”

At the old man’s words, spoken as he shifted uncomfortably, the archmage sighed.

“You’re only suppressing your mana, Duke. I’ve had to keep using magic.”

Having hidden in this city together for several days, the two swordsmen had grown close enough to joke with each other.

I was the same.

“You don’t seem to be struggling much.”

“Well, this is my specialty.”

For me, with my mana sensing and heightened senses, hiding the mana flowing outward wasn’t difficult.

In fact, the old swordsman probably wasn’t struggling as much as he claimed.

A swordsman of his caliber could hide his mana to some extent even without my abilities.

Moreover, the shield the archmage had cast hid the rest of our mana and presence, so even if the undead passed right by the building, they wouldn’t notice us as long as we didn’t move.

That’s why it was natural that the Demon King’s army marching in the distance couldn’t detect us.

The Duke was probably more uncomfortable with having to hide in these ruins for several days than with the physical strain.

Soon, the procession of the Demon King’s army, which had continued for over half a day, came to an end.

The line of the Demon King’s army disappeared to the north.

The old swordsman was the first to rise from our hiding spot.

“This should be enough, right?”

At the Duke’s words, the archmage cast a quick spell and nodded.

“Yes. The Demon King’s army is far enough away now.”

However, the Duke didn’t move immediately. Instead, he looked at me.

Having hidden here, the Duke and the archmage had benefited from my mana sensing and heightened senses several times.

It wasn’t at all awkward for him to ask me again.

“There are no other undead nearby.”

“Good! Let’s go.”

At my words, the Duke cleared the rubble above us with a relieved expression and exited the half-destroyed building.

We followed him outside.

“Let’s hurry. Everyone will be waiting.”

With those words, the Duke dashed south.

The archmage also floated using magic and followed him.

Before following them, I took one last look at the dust cloud the Demon King’s army had kicked up in the north.

‘Is it really okay to leave things like this?’

Honestly, I was uneasy.

Whenever something incomprehensible like this happened, it usually led to a nasty surprise later.

The Demon King’s escape had led to the annihilation of the previous hero’s party, and the nuclear missile attack had become the catalyst for the Demon King’s grand spell, accelerating the world’s destruction.

Moreover, the gate we had worked so hard to build in Daejeon had been taken by the Demon King, becoming the cause of Ea’s invasion…

‘Is he planning something else this time?’

But I couldn’t just worry about things that hadn’t happened yet.

Besides, the operation wasn’t over.

Now, we had to send the knights, mages, swordsmen, and heroes who had crossed into this world back home.

We also had to send Yelena, who had been waiting for us, back to Ea.

‘There’s no other choice. For now, I’ll just have to trust my bad luck.’

It was a bit irresponsible, but there was no other way.

After running south for two days, we were able to reunite with our comrades in Daejeon.

The royal knights and mages who had destroyed the gate, along with our party members, had hidden in Panam Station instead of leaving Daejeon.

They had thought it would be safer to hide in plain sight.

It was a risky move, but there was no other choice.

If they had left the city and the gate in Jeonju was discovered, all their efforts in destroying the Daejeon gate would have been for nothing.

They had prepared for the worst, even expecting total annihilation, but fortunately, they hadn’t been discovered yet.

“It’s a relief. All three of you are safe.”

At the senior knight’s welcoming words, the Duke nodded with a solemn expression.

There weren’t many people to greet us, so the knight’s words didn’t bring much joy.

“It’s a good thing. You all… There aren’t many of you left.”

Among the Eaians who had crossed into this world with us, fewer than 30 were visible now.

With over 100 people having crossed, the survival rate was less than 30%.

‘Is this a total wipeout…?’

Militarily, it was close to a total wipeout, but the senior knight and the remaining survivors didn’t look too disheartened.

“Still, thanks to the two saintesses, many survived. Without them, there would have been few survivors. In fact, without Yelena, Zahina, the hero, and the saintess who came later, the operation would have failed.”

The battle must have been even fiercer for them than it had been for us, who had broken through the undead encirclement.

After all, even though many undead had left, this operation was about destroying the Demon King’s gate.

The remaining undead wouldn’t have just let them destroy the gate.

Thus, the operation was a success, but the Empire had suffered a significant blow from this single mission.

The mages and knights who had accompanied the hero to Sariwon had all died, and the rest of the forces had suffered near-total losses.

Of course, the hero, the saintess, and the two swordsmen were safe, but with the royal knights and mage corps—the two pillars of the Empire’s royal family—crumbling, the news would undoubtedly shake the Empire and the royal family.

‘Still, it’s better than the Empire falling.’

Or perhaps the royal family still had faith in the swordsmen.

Either way, it wasn’t my concern.

Right now, I was just glad that our party members were safe and that the hero and saintess we had worked so hard to save were unharmed.

Though I had forcibly brought the hero here, the hero didn’t seem displeased.

The knights’ expressions when they looked at the hero were the same.

It seemed the hero had performed remarkably well here.

‘Well, that’s to be expected. The hero is naturally suited for infiltration and guerrilla warfare, so it’s only natural they excelled in this operation.’

“Now that everyone’s here, I’ll open the portal.”

After the warm greetings, Yelena infused mana into the magic circle drawn on the platform.

The people here had been waiting for us—or rather, for me.

If only the two swordsmen had been left in the north, they might have abandoned them and crossed through the gate in Jeonju, but they couldn’t leave me, the next hero candidate, behind.

Moreover, the hero and saintess had opposed leaving without me, and my party members and Yelena, who was creating the portal, had also objected to leaving me behind.

So, they had no choice but to wait for us.

Thus, we left Daejeon through the portal and headed to Jeonju.

Those leaving were the royal knights, mages, the two swordsmen, our party, and the locals who had been at the station.

The Koreans, now healthy thanks to ample food and medical care, crossed the portal with tense expressions.

After everyone had crossed, Yelena and her disciple were the last to step through.

As the two priests disappeared and the magic circle lost its light, the subway station was once again plunged into darkness.

—

About an hour after the humans left Daejeon, a figure appeared in the city.

A man descended from the sky, accompanied by robed skeletons, and quietly observed the shattered gate.

Dressed in ornate but elegant clothing and wearing a golden crown, the man’s attire and crown were identical to those the Demon King had worn when he was wrapped in bandages.

No, not identical—they were the same items.

Since the Demon King wouldn’t let anyone else take his clothes, this man had to be the Demon King.

The humans who had destroyed the gate were lucky.

If they had been even a little later, they would have undoubtedly faced the Demon King.

Shortly after, one of the liches lined up behind the Demon King approached and moved its jawbone.

[There are traces of spatial movement. Shall we track them?]

At the lich’s message, conveyed through magic, the Demon King shook his head.

“They left traces behind, so it’s unlikely they’re still in this world. They’ve either already crossed to Ea or are preparing to do so. It’s too late to track them now.”

Unlike before, when he had been wrapped in bandages, the Demon King now revealed a pale but handsome face. At his words, the lich quietly bowed.

[Understood.]

The Demon King continued with an expressionless face.

“It’s not easy. After all, these are humans from Ea, who have endured for thousands of years.”

[Even so, they are all within your grasp, Demon King.]

Another lich sincerely refuted the Demon King’s words, but he continued speaking.

“Perhaps. But how many times have my plans been disrupted already…? In the end, I may have to use that spell. It’s one I never wanted to use.”

As the Demon King spoke in a monologue with an expressionless face, all the liches bowed.

[Everything is as you will it, Demon King.]

At the liches’ words, the Demon King nodded.

Then, the Demon King and the liches headed north again.

To Pyongyang, where the Demon King’s new castle stood.

There, the undead, the Demon King’s army, and humans who had surrendered to the Demon King gathered.