Chapter 297: Gate of the Demon King (3)

Translator: Pai_

As the entire Red Mountain collapsed, a massive body revealed itself through the storm.

The Demon King, who emerged as the black and blue storms dissipated, wore an expression of regret as he looked at the primordial demons.

-……How unfortunate.

Among the primordial demons known as Demon Lords, the one who sat at the highest position.

Baal, who bore the title of Demon King, looked at Hræsvelgr who had interfered with him.

As befitted a god of storm at a supreme level, he had enough power to hinder Baal, and because of that, Baal had no choice but to awaken hastily.

-Worthy of the Lord God's selection.

Baal looked at Iron, who held terrifying power.

Moreover, he detected traces of an immense power at the core of Iron that had yet to awaken.

It was powerful enough that, instinctively, Baal thought that once it awakened, it might even be able to stop "Destruction".

-Is that what you're placing your faith in?

The Demon King asked Hræsvelgr, but no answer came.

However, the intense energy of the storm was unwaveringly directed toward Baal, and that alone was sufficient as a response.

Confidence that he could defeat Baal.

Belief that he could kill all of the primordial demons was contained within it, and so Baal let out a small laugh.

-Confidence, is it? Then, as a demon, I suppose it’s proper etiquette to shatter that.

The Demon King began to move in earnest.

Just his movement alone caused a black storm to surge and sweep the surroundings.

Hræsvelgr, who had just barely begun to recover his strength by forming a contract with Iron, could not compare to the power of the Demon King who had maintained a supreme level for ages.

Eventually, the black storm began to sweep through the entire gate and even broke into the sanctuary that Iron had constructed.

In response, Hræsvelgr, who had returned to Iron’s side, joined forces with the Thunderbird and formed a defensive line using wind infused with Divine Power.

But even that began to shake uneasily.

"Is that the Demon King?"

-Yes. And that's probably not even 30% of his full power. He’s strong.

At Hræsvelgr’s words, Iron showed a disbelieving expression.

"You're saying that's not even 30% of his power?"

When Iron frowned and asked, looking at Hræsvelgr, the latter chuckled lightly and spoke.

-He’s the Demon King who has maintained a godlike state for ages. Isn’t it natural for him to be strong?

At his words, Iron raised his sword with a serious expression.

-If I hadn’t interfered, he probably would’ve come through with 30% of his strength.

At Hræsvelgr’s words, Iron’s expression hardened.

-No need to be scared. With your current level, you can win.

At Hræsvelgr’s words, Iron gave a small nod.

After all, he still had at least one hidden card left.

Only slightly over 30% of his strength.

Half of his power had been restricted by the system, and the remaining strength was constrained by the Lord God’s barrier, so the Demon King’s power was weakened.

Moreover, since he crossed over prematurely before the appointed time, he was once again subjected to the system’s restrictions.

The cost was severe.

He had fallen to the point where he couldn’t even use 30% of his overwhelming power.

From Hræsvelgr’s perspective, a Demon King of this level could be sufficiently defeated.

The real problem was what would come after this.

'Assuming the Eastern Continent falls to Hell... will that guy come over? Then, at the current level, it’s going to be difficult.'

Though Hræsvelgr thought that, now was the time to focus on the Demon King.

Setting aside Destruction, even a being capable of conquering the Eastern Continent would be too much for the current Iron to handle.

But Hræsvelgr believed.

That through this battle with the Demon King and the primordial demons, Iron would rise to a higher dimension...

And just as if to prove that, Iron was rapidly growing through his limit-pushing battle with the primordial demons.

What he once thought was perfect Divine Power control had become even more refined, more so than during the days when Blue Baepsae was with him.

Moreover, his Aura had also grown to an astonishing level.

Even with pure Aura Blade alone, he could now handle several of the primordial demons.

Nevertheless, his limits were clear.

Not a single thing could be said to have "transcended".

'I hope this battle pushes him a little further ahead...'

If Iron could reach the realm of transcendence not by the power of fusion, but by his own individual ability, then even in the battle against “Destruction”, there would be hope.

If Iron became a perfect transcendent, then Hræsvelgr could also exert his full power, and if Blue Baepsae returned, they might even be able to stop the Destruction of the world.

“Huff... huff... Is recovery still far off?”

Iron, fighting like a madman, asked Hræsvelgr, who was perched on his head.

-Not yet.

Since he had exerted his full strength to create a storm with the force to completely blow away the Red Mountain, he needed a little more time.

Moreover, Hræsvelgr had intentionally held back his power.

It was because he wanted to push Iron further so that he could break through his limits.

The Divine Beasts were the same.

Even though he and Blue Baepsae were present, the Divine Beasts themselves had to become stronger than they currently were in order to prepare for Destruction.

-It’s enough to be troublesome.

Seeing that Iron was still enduring even with his personal intervention, Baal wore an intrigued expression.

The primordial demons were using less than 10% of their power, and Baal himself could not even use 30%, but there was still a difference in numbers and in the fact that Baal stood at the level of a god.

Yet a mere human alone was withstanding the relentless assault of the demons.

-If we let him grow any further, it could become dangerous.

-……Understood.

At Baal’s words, Marbas bowed his head and unleashed everything he had prepared.

He placed a curse on Iron through black magic spread across the entire gate, and used the souls and bodies of the dead demons as offerings for attacks. He poured everything, including the final traps he had prepared, onto Iron, and in the meantime, the primordial demons also began preparing to use their last remaining powers.

‘At this rate, it’s dangerous.’

Realizing that the demons were preparing something, Iron furrowed his brow.

But in the current situation, it was impossible to stop them.

Hræsvelgr still had his eyes closed, seemingly yet to recover enough of his strength.

In the end, more time had to be bought.

The problem was not that Iron himself couldn’t endure; it was that the Divine Beasts were the issue.

‘Guys!’

At Iron’s call, the Divine Beasts who had been fighting gathered around him.

At that moment, Iron expanded his sense-sharing with the Divine Beasts even further.

He expanded the sharing to a level where his personality could start eroding if something went wrong.

Iron, who had synchronized with the Divine Beasts to the maximum extent possible, chose to allow the Divine Beasts to use his fusion ability.

He would let them freely use the fusion skills that could intentionally gather and release power, utilizing the immense energy of nature.

This was only possible thanks to the incredibly high level of assimilation ability.

Using Iron as a conduit, the three Divine Beasts shared each other’s abilities, using the vast natural energy as material to manifest fusion skills effortlessly.

Naturally, this wasn’t something that could be done lightly.

In exchange for the Divine Beasts using the fusion ability, Iron himself could not use it.

“Hoo…”

Iron looked at the sword that had returned from the white sword to a pitch-black Aura Blade.

‘Still lacking in many ways.’

Though he had put in the effort, the pure Aura Blade that was not the white sword seemed to fall short in many aspects.

It wasn’t just the sword. His body, which had once been dyed in white, had also changed into a state where black Aura surged around it.

With the power of fusion gone, it felt as though Iron’s level had dropped by one step, so many things now seemed inadequate.

But it wasn’t just a weakening.

The massive Divine Power that had once been concentrated in the white sword now spread outward, emitting an even more powerful light.

Proving that point, a precise white shield blocked all the black magic surging in from every direction, and even that wasn’t the end, a massive number of spears of light radiated outward, sweeping through the demon army.

The endlessly pouring Divine Power was now at a level where the demon army alone could not possibly deal with Iron.

‘At this level…’

Just as Iron thought that, one of the primordial demons stepped forward.

Kwaang!

-Do you think you can endure against me?

“Keugh!”

When Agares, ranked second in the hierarchy, swung his massive axe and asked, Iron, who had been blasted backward by the impact, regained his stance.

Agares, who sacrificed his own rank to temporarily use more than 10% of his power.

Iron had to endure such an attack with only his Aura, yet he managed to withstand it.

Then, the other primordial demons began to join the battle as well.

The Divine Beasts blocked them by using their fused powers, and Iron, while enduring Agares’s assault, used vast Divine Power to keep the primordial demons in check.

However, there was a limit to that too.

“Keugh!”

A black vortex shattered the shield of light Iron had created in an instant.

As Baal personally stepped in and began pressing Iron, the delicate balance that had barely been maintained began to collapse.

At that moment, Hræsvelgr, who had had his eyes closed, joined the battle by summoning a storm.

-Did you really think you could offset my power with just that?

-It's impossible.

Hræsvelgr admitted with a nod to Baal’s question.

At that, Baal bared his teeth and laughed.

-So you had a hidden move.

Hræsvelgr gave no reply to Baal’s words and simply unleashed his storm.

-I’m quite curious to see what it is.

As if he couldn’t hold back anymore, Baal summoned an even more powerful black storm, but Iron and the Divine Beasts silently endured it.

-Keugh!

-You damn bastard...

One of the primordial demons began to disintegrate, unable to withstand the flames of the Phoenix, and the one beside him gritted his teeth.

The fused power of the Divine Beasts was powerful.

Even without intentionally using fusion skills, the naturally manifested power was at a level that even the primordial demons could not endure with merely 10% of their power.

Hræsvelgr too began to use fused power, borrowing the strength of the Two Moons, the Phoenix, and the Thunderbird, which allowed him to somewhat counter Baal’s black storm.

While Iron alone held off the second-ranked Agares and restrained multiple primordial demons with Divine Power, Hræsvelgr tied down Baal, and the three Divine Beasts began eliminating the primordial demons one by one.

-Tch! So I’m the one who has to show his hand first.

The moment Baal clicked his tongue and spoke, the corpses of countless demons within the Gate turned to dust and were absorbed into Baal’s body.

Then, dozens of primordial demons also flew toward Baal one by one.

The more primordial demons Baal absorbed, the stronger the black storm became, until eventually it blew Iron and the Divine Beasts far into the distance.

In the meantime, Baal, who had absorbed all the primordial demons, finally absorbed Agares, the second-ranked demon who had been restraining Iron.

-Win without fail.

-I shall.

Baal answered with a smile to Agares’s final words.

Having absorbed all the primordial demons, Baal overcame the system’s restrictions and obtained power exceeding 40% of his original strength.

With nearly half of his original power recovered, the Demon King had nothing to fear.

-Now, show me what you’ve been hiding.

As Baal urged Iron, he gathered all the black storms within the Gate and hurled them in the direction Iron had been blown away.

At that very moment, a blinding white light burst forth and tore the black storm Baal had unleashed to shreds.

-Hoo... So it’s that? Odin lost to that power, then.

Iron, now floating in the air with five pairs of wings, stared silently at Baal.

-Still immature? Even so... magnificent!

The Demon King spoke sincerely, then grasped a massive spear forged from the storm in his hand.

In response, Iron swung an Aura Blade infused with both natural energy and Divine Power and charged at the Demon King.

KWAANG!

At the first clash, the Gate cracked, and as the full-scale battle began, the entire Gate began to collapse.

Such was the overwhelming impact of their battle.

-Incredible.

Baal looked at Iron with genuine admiration.

That a human who hadn't even lived a hundred years could pioneer such a realm was truly astonishing.

Had Baal not absorbed the primordial demons and the demons, it would have been certain defeat for him.

But not now, not with power nearing half of his original strength.

It was the power that had defeated Odin, and Iron had grown even further since then, but the Demon King's power, nearing half of its original strength, was a wall that even Iron could not overcome.

-Is this all? What a pity.

Just as Baal clicked his tongue with genuine regret.

-……Huh?

A sword pierced through his chest, breaking through his storm.

-How?

As Baal looked at Iron and asked, he realized the reason.

-Kuh kuh kuh~ I didn’t see this coming.

The body of the Primordial God that Iron had received as a reward.

Until now, it had only served the purpose of allowing him to withstand massive amounts of natural energy and Divine Power, but Iron awakened the dormant power within that body of the Primordial God.

Iron succeeded in temporarily borrowing a fragment of the lofty rank of the Primordial God.

There was a condition, however.

The moment he fused with the Divine Beasts, he could borrow that power for only a few seconds.

But it was enough to become his trump card, and he succeeded in landing a fatal blow on the unsuspecting Baal.

-……A clean defeat, it seems.

Baal chuckled as if acknowledging his loss and nodded.

At that moment, the Gate completely collapsed, and the portal swallowed both Iron and Baal.

The place that emerged with a blinding light was a desert covered in fine sand.

***

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