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Chapter 312: Necronovix, the Four Lords of Hell (1)

A desolate mountain on the outskirts of the continent, abandoned by all.

The only life forms were wild animals.

It had been untouched by human footsteps for thousands of years—a tranquil place, even isolated from the wars between good and evil on earth.

But now, disaster descended upon the mountainside.

Crunch.

Space cracked.

Through the tear, something writhed, as it slowly took form on the earth.

The moment it landed, every wild animal collapsed.

Pupils dilated, breaths ceased, and the vegetation began to decay, trees withered.

Just the act of descending was enough to kill fragile life.

Its presence started to spread beyond the mountain, reaching out toward the world.

[Oh dear. This won’t do. I can’t afford to be detected here, at least not in this place.]

Whiiiir!

A dark force stirred, forming a complex spell.

The spreading presence was suppressed and controlled by black magic.

Even if a holy servant of the Sun God were to visit this place, they wouldn\'t be able to detect that something had descended.

Such was the level of perfect control.

[It’s been a long time since I’ve been on Earth.]

Necronovix muttered, his voice laced with nostalgia.

And indeed, it had been a long time—the first time since the distant Holy-Demon War.

This time, he had descended in his true form, not a mere avatar.

[Hear me, world.]

This earth once belonged to the demons, and Necronovix was one of the Four Lords of Hell.

At one point, a quarter of this world was his domain.

[Your master has returned.]

His calm voice resounds, though if he had not suppressed his power, it would have literally echoed across the world.

[There is much to be done. First, I should adopt a proper form.]

With that, the writhing mass begins to shift, forming into the shape of a dark, dark human.

[Perfect.]

Satisfied, Necronovix flicked his fingers, and above him, a spell formed from demonic energy.

An intricate, twisted spell—so complex that even other demons would struggle to comprehend it—took shape in the air.

[Many of my followers remain in this world. I shall bestow my favor upon them.]

The black magic started to spread across the world.

A vast malice began to race toward the earth.

* * *

At that moment, the sacred grounds of the elves were utterly peaceful.

In fact, the atmosphere was bright because Karin had just returned from her tasks.

Smiling, she greeted the elves one by one before heading to her room.

"Oh, Karin, you’re back?"

She widened her eyes.

A woman with red hair was sitting on her sofa, waving.

"Ignisia? What are you doing here? Don’t you have things to take care of?"

"Something interfered, so I wrapped things up quickly. Thought I’d stop by for some news."

"…The guards didn’t tell me you were here. Did you sneak in?"

"Surprise!"

Karin gave an exasperated look but soon smiled and sat across from Ignisia.

"Welcome, Ignisia."

Karin and Ignisia were old friends.

Ignisia glanced around with an amused expression.

"Where’s Arkamis?"

Ignisia also knew Arkamis.

To be more precise, she had a one-sidedly friendly attitude toward her.

As an elf who rejected spirits, Arkamis intrigued her, so she often tried to talk to her.

"She’s still finishing some things up."

"Is that so? Pity. I was hoping to catch up with her."

Ignisia clicked her tongue in disappointment.

Karin waved her fingers, and spirits moved to pour tea in front of Ignisia, who lit up.

"Elven tea. I haven’t had this in a while."

"So, how have you been?"

"With the world like this, how do you think? Busy as ever. Came close to dying a few times."

"…Sounds like you’ve been in quite some danger."

"It’s fine. I had some help."

"Help? You, needing help?"

Karin raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

Ignisia was a mighty dragon—someone who usually helped others rather than needing help herself.

Ignisia replied,

"Ketal."

"…Ah."

At the name, Karin understood.

"Now that you mention it, Parco did say he came here, looking for information from the South. So he went to assist you."

"He was helping himself more than he was helping me, but he helped all the same. We’re quite connected, as you know."

"He’s the one who saved our sanctuary. …Even though he’s from the Forbidden Lands."

"You know him too, then. He’s an intriguing being."

The beings of the Forbidden Lands opposed the world.

With the Forbidden Lands spilling over, several clashes had occurred.

Everyone knew about Nano’s conquest of an entire kingdom.

"Yet he’s helping us."

"So, there’s not much to say. …Karin."

After a moment of hesitation, Ignisia began to speak.

She was going to ask about what Ketal had done during his visit to the sanctuary.

But that question remained unasked.

RUMBLE!

A massive presence pressed down on them, and Ignisia and Karin’s expressions hardened in an instant.

"Ugh."

Karin gasped for breath.

Though she was one of the strongest elves alive, the sensation forced her to steady her breathing.

Even the mighty dragon Ignisia’s face was tense.

"Wait, this is…"

It wasn’t an attack.

It was merely an unmasked presence.

Yet even that required these two heroic figures to tense every muscle.

Something had arrived.

Something truly, utterly dreadful.

* * *

"Ugh, aaaah!"

"Ugh."

Even the heroes were tense and stricken, so it was no surprise that the elves were even more affected.

The elves guarding the sanctuary\'s barrier were pale-faced.

"Ahhh!"

"Aaah…"

They struggled to breathe, their legs shaking.

"U-ugh, ahh!"

Some couldn’t bear the fear and began to flee.

The duty to protect the World Tree lost to terror.

"This, this is…"

Parco stammered.

It was similar to when Ketal had come to visit.

But this time, there was a clear malice that couldn’t be hidden.

CRACK!

Finally, the barrier protecting the sanctuary twisted and shattered, and the being exuding a formidable presence appeared before the elves.

A darkened, humanoid figure.

It opened its mouth.

[Greetings, elves.]

"Ah."

At the sound of its voice, the elves dropped like puppets with cut strings, dying just from hearing it.

"A-ah…"

Parco barely survived, but he, too, couldn’t last much longer.

"Aaah…"

He wanted to turn away, to avoid looking at this horrific creature.

But he couldn’t move.

His body had frozen solid.

In a few more seconds, his soul would flee his body.

Just then, a wind blew.

WHOOOSH!

The wind struck the enemy, gently gathering the fallen elves and returning them inside.

Karin, who had rushed over, shouted loudly,

"All elves! Stay close to the World Tree! Do not come out under any circumstances!"

[[ᚢᚴᚾᛁᛏᛋ ᛋᚬᛃᛚ]]

A draconic incantation was activated.

A red beam of light surged forward, filling the entire space, wielding a force of annihilation that could erase all things.

It clashed with the intruder within the sanctuary.

Boom!

It was the combined might of two heroes.

No being on earth could survive such an attack unscathed.

But both of their expressions were tense and serious.

Hmph.

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As the aftermath settled, the figure of their opponent became visible.

Not a single scratch marked its form.

Ignisia looked on in shock.

“…Necronovix!”

“Damn it!”

For the first time in centuries, Karin cursed.

The four lords who essentially ruled Hell:

The Mother of Ten Thousand Beasts, Materia.

The Demon of the Sword, Caliste.

The first tool of the Demon King, Abyss.

And the founder of dark magic, Necronovix.

They were beings comparable to gods—perhaps even greater. Before the Demon King descended, the four of them alone had withstood the attacks of the gods.

Now, one of them stood right in front of them.

“…This feels like a nightmare!”

Necronovix tilted his head, seemingly puzzled, disregarding their shock.

[Raphael. The dragon who fought that child. I thought you’d return to your lair; why are you here? This messes up the plan.]

“Come forth! Minerva!”

The wind manifested, forming a figure.

The Spirit King of the Wind, Minerva, was summoned to the ground with a grave expression.

“Minerva, I’m sorry!”

[It’s fine! Just do it!]

“Incarnation of the wind, carve your path here!”

Minerva compressed further and further, forming a shape like an arrow.

Then, with blinding speed, it shot toward Necronovix.

The technique transformed a spirit into a projectile, essentially a suicidal attack.

It would ruin the relationship with the spirit, but the power was certain.

And this time, the projectile was the Spirit King of the Wind.

The power was colossal.

Though Karin was among the lower-ranked heroes, this strike alone could reach higher ranks.

[[ᛗ. ᛋ. ᚨ. ᚺ. ᚲ. ᛇ. ᛏ. ᚠ]]

Ignisia didn’t stand idle either.

She compressed her draconic incantations from the start, unleashing them with all her might.

Even Raphael, the count who ruled over the mines, had struggled to withstand that level of attack.

The full force of two heroes surged toward Necronovix.

No one on earth should have been able to withstand that assault unscathed.

[So, it’s not just the Elf Queen… Unexpected.]

Necronovix raised a finger, wearing a troubled expression.

On that finger, a small, circular darkness shimmered.

It was a tiny gathering of demonic energy, small enough for a child to hold in one hand.

It swelled, rising like a curtain to obscure the world.

The darkness met the combined attack of the two heroes.

Crack.

“…What?”

“Wait… a second?”

Both of their expressions froze.

They could sense it.

Their combined power, touching the darkness, was dying.

Literally.

It wasn’t being absorbed or negated; the very concept of their strength itself was perishing.

Before long, the power was utterly dead.

Leaving no aftermath, no residue.

In the silence, Necronovix smiled in satisfaction.

[It’s working well. This is the first time using it in real combat. Worth the millennia I spent trapped in Hell working on it.]

That was all he had to say about extinguishing the combined power of two heroes.

Necronovix pointed his finger at Ignisia.

[Piercing Bullet.]

Demonic energy gathered at the spot, then shot forward.

“……!”

Ignisia’s face stiffened.

She had no time to utter a spell.

She gathered her mana to the utmost, forming a desperate shield.

Simple yet solid defense.

But it was futile.

Crack!

Ignisia’s defense was shattered, pierced as if it were wet paper.

The dark bullet drove through her abdomen.

“Gah!”

“I-Ignisia!”

Karin cried out in horror, hastily summoning the wind to stop the bleeding.

“Grrr!”

From the wound, darkness seeped up, trying to consume her body.

Ignisia suppressed the pain, activating a healing spell.

But all it did was restrain the force trying to kill her; the wound wouldn’t heal.

Like a magnet, it pulled her closer to death.

Cough! Cough!

This was something else.

The difference in power was staggering.

Necronovix muttered, annoyed.

[So there’s even an elder dragon. This won’t be easy. Better finish it quickly.]

Demonic energy rose, eclipsing the sun and casting the world into shadow.

[The rain of darkness has wet my path.]

Death descended onto the earth.

“…Karin!”

“Oh, wind!”

The dark deluge carved a path of destruction as it poured down.

Ignisia and Karin frantically raised defenses.

Boom!

The rain of demonic energy began to destroy the elves’ sanctuary.

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