Chapter 82: Temptation of the Devil
A silent wooden statue unexpectedly spoke and its eyes gleamed.
This brought joy to Gechis.
"Ah, Lord Demon! You have heard my voice!"
The charging holy knights were surprised and then panicked.
Devotees of demons couldn't truly summon demons; they merely worshipped them. In the process, they offered sacrifices and caused problems like abductions. The holy knights were tasked with eliminating demon worshippers for these reasons.
There were rare cases of individuals who could genuinely summon demons, but those were exceedingly rare. The holy knights deemed Gechis to be one of those exceptionally dangerous individuals.
"Destroy it!"
The holy knights capable of ranged attacks simultaneously assaulted the demon statue.
Gechis rolled away swiftly. Gechis's subordinates, who were slower to react, suffered collateral damage and screamed in pain.
"Oh, Lord Demon!"
Gechis witnessed the moment the statue was struck by the attacks. He believed the demon statue had been shattered by the vile tactics of the holy knights, and a mournful cry resounded. However, demons could not be vanquished so easily.
Darkness spread and took on a new form.
It was a humanoid demon shrouded in jet-black armor. The full-faced helmet had horns on its head, and fiery eyes could be seen through the gaps.
"A female demon...!?"
"Nonsense. Did they really succeed in summoning it?"
Demons were a type of magical creature, and unlike other magical creatures, they often had powerful individuals among them. The reason was their intelligence. Creatures that rampaged instinctively were easy to subdue, but intelligent creatures were troublesome. Shuu had used his intelligence to become a "King" by enhancing himself successfully.
Demons were especially known for their intelligence.
When one was discovered, it had to be dealt with swiftly.
"Let's go!"
Leading the unit as their captain, Rom, a holy knight, struck. He wielded a seemingly modest but powerful enchanted sword that could inject poison into its target. Even demons were vulnerable to poison.
However, the demon conjured a jet-black sword in its right hand and blocked the attack.
Rom's thrust sword didn't budge at all, and the demon's strength prevailed.
"Obstruct."
The jet-black sword contorted like liquid. It bent fluidly and swung as if effortlessly slicing through Rom's neck. The unconscious defense through magical power that Rom, an A-rank holy knight, had put up caused his head to fall off without a sound.
It was an instant kill.
"Eh, ah... Rom!"
"What just happened!"
Rom, who had led the holy knights as their captain, had been killed in one blow. There was no way not to feel threatened by a demon that could easily kill an A-rank holy knight. Gechis was convinced that they had to kill it here.
The remaining seven formed a formation and launched a coordinated attack.
However, the demon dispelled the jet-black sword and conjured a large cube from its palm. The cube was also dyed jet-black and exuded a darkness that seemed to absorb light.
"Perish."
The cube split into twenty-seven small cubes, arranged in a three-by-three-by-three grid.
They were launched from the demon's palm and pierced the hearts of the holy knights. It had a shooting speed that even an A-rank holy knight couldn't react to, and its power pierced through the chaotic magic barrier. All of them spat out blood from their chests and perished.
Gechis was captivated by this overwhelming sight.
He pressed his forehead to the ground and worshipped the demon.
"Ah, Lord Demon! Thank you for answering my call."
"Oh? Who are you?"
"I am your faithful servant, Gechis. I humbly beseech the name of the Lord Demon..."
"Chromria. That is my name."
Gechis gazed at the armored demon Chromria with shining eyes.
And he made his plea.
"Great Lord Chromria, please guide us and help us destroy the Cult of the Demon God."
In response to his plea, Chromria nodded.
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"Too easy."
The true identity of the demon Chromria was the awakened magical armor of Yenma Blackblade Chromria. She had created this servant-type magical armor in the nearby mountains.
"Just mere holy knights who couldn't even reach an awakening. That's all from our perspective."
Accompanying her was Truth of the Universe Flerous.
As per the Emperor's orders, the two of them had come this far to actively attack the Holy Grinia. Yenma Blackblade Chromria's magical armor could create humanoid demons. They had used this to create an illusion that made the demon worshippers believe they had summoned a demon. This would lead to the mistaken belief that a demon had appeared along with the Cult of the Demon God.
Yenma Blackblade Chromria's magical armor had previously single-handedly destroyed a city a hundred and fifty years ago. That city was called Blaha, and due to the horrific events of that time, she had been called the "Demon of Blaha."
"Well then, Truth of the Universe Flerous, let's crush the Barom Republic and attract attention."
"It's been a while since I had actual combat. It's an opportunity to test the results of my research. I'll ask for visual sharing as well."
"Understood."
Yenma Blackblade Chromria granted Truth of the Universe Flerous the sharing of her servant's vision. Servant-type magical armor allowed for sensory sharing to remotely control the magical armor. With enough mastery, it was even possible to grant sensory perception to others, just like Yenma Blackblade Chromria.
With vision now in their possession, Truth of the Universe Flerous could remotely activate their magic.
◆◆◆
"Gechis, who mistakenly believed he had summoned the demon Cromria, immediately attacked the nearby town. With the demon Cromria leading the way, the surviving demon worshippers followed.
'Listen!'
Gechis used wind magic to amplify his voice and addressed the town of Ronda in front of him.
'We are the true followers of our savior, Lord Cromria. Lord Cromria lamented the arrogant cult of evil gods and heeded our cries. From this moment on, the foolish and arrogant cult of evil gods shall perish. Salvation shall be brought by our savior, Lord Cromria!'
His voice echoed not only throughout the town but also its surroundings.
It was a declaration that completely denied the cult of evil gods. The town started buzzing with commotion.
'Followers of the new savior, the demon Cromria, shall attain eternal happiness. If you revere Lord Cromria, as proof, go to the neighboring town now and preach there. Let the results of that be our recognition as comrades!'
It was absurd.
Encouraging the worship of any god other than the God of Light alone would lead to arrest by the security forces. That meant rejecting the state religion. Moreover, the savior Gechis claimed was a demon. They could even face an inquisition.
Not a single person from Ronda made an attempt to leave the town.
They believed that even demon worshippers could easily be annihilated by the Holy Knights of the Cathedral and the magic knights of the security forces.
'The call is in vain. They should descend into corruption as befits demons.'
Cromria, who appeared to be a fully armored demon, but was actually an awakened magic knight of the great empire. When Cromria reached out, Vanexial, who was far away, constructed the magical formula based on his sensory information. Magic power was sent through Cromria, and the magic circle was drawn by his thought process. Vanexial's magic armor was of the substitution type, with his eyes replaced by magic. The awakened magic knight's eyes saw the world of truth. They observed how the world was constructed and how it continued to change. This allowed him to construct magic and develop new magic based on theory.
'Incomplete, but it should have considerable power.'
Vanexial's thoughts mingled through shared senses, slightly altering his tone. However, Gechis and the others did not notice. They were captivated by the enormous magic circle that had appeared before them. It covered the entire town of Ronda, and the scale, measurable from its size, was of a forbidden spell class. It was a complex and enigmatic spell that could never be cast alone.
Vanexial had assembled such a spell from scratch.
'Indulge in pleasure. The Fourteenth Ladder of Shadows, "Black Despair Paradise."'
As soon as it was activated, black powder swirled within the magic circle's range. Inhaling it robbed them of their cognitive abilities, stimulating their brains directly with pleasure. It was an effect similar to scattering drugs over a wide area. The entire town fell into the hands of the caster. Truly a demonic spell.
Vanexial, by perceiving the world's truths, organized both yang magic and yin magic, which were insufficiently systematized. This led to the creation of military magic. The spell was not yet optimized, but with the data gathered from this practical combat, it could be perfected.
This new technology was Vanexial's personal research in the Subarokia Empire and was not stored in the Forbidden Library. It was kept in his own research facility far from the imperial capital.
"What a magnificent power, Lord Cromria. You have transformed the foolish cult of evil gods in this city in an instant. You have not granted salvation through liberation."
Of course, Gechis, who praised Cromria fanatically, had also been brainwashed. When they first defeated the Holy Knight, Vanexial used the "Fascination Charm" of the Fifth Ladder of Shadows to control all the demon worshippers.
This was a precursor to the operation of the counterfeit demon by Vanexial and Enma Kuroba Cromria, aimed at the Holy Grinia.
◆◆◆
"A large-scale rebellion of demon worshippers?"
The information had also reached the capital of the Holy Grinia, Magia.
Demon worshippers who had been hiding in the Barom Republic had summoned demons. Real demons, even if they were of low rank, were intelligent. They deceived humans, strengthened their influence, and quickly raised their own ranks. As a result, demons were often higher-ranked than Greater-Class.
"According to the information, they defeated the Holy Knights."
"Barom Republic has already fallen. In terms of the destruction of a nation, it's on the level of Despairia."
"If the demons are that powerful, it's impossible without awakened Holy Knights! Or they're willing to use high-ranking magic knights as disposable assets..."
The bishops of the Magia Cathedral were troubled.
Rebellions by demon worshippers could usually be dealt with easily in various cathedrals. This was because it was rare for demon worshippers to actually summon demons. Most of the time, they were just groups that worshiped demon idols made of wood or stone. Dealing with them was easy if there were a few Holy Knights.
However, a case like this, where real demons were born, and a whole nation had fallen, was extremely rare. At the very least, the bishops in the Magia Cathedral had never heard of such a case.
"Be calm. Do not doubt the God of Light. Victory will surely be granted."
In the midst of this, the Pope remained calm.
"Based on the characteristics of the demons that appeared, I searched the archives. I found the demon that matches those characteristics."
There was surprise among the bishops.
They didn't know that the Pope himself had visited the archives and searched for information. They were ashamed of themselves for making so much noise without doing anything.
The Pope continued.
"That demon wields a flowing blade of darkness and attacks by sending out darkness. Am I correct?"
"That's correct."
"In that case, it's the 'Demon of Blaha.' It appeared 150 years ago and destroyed the city of Blaha in a single night. Many sacrifices were made, and at that time, the Pope decided to deploy awakened magic knights. They were finally able to defeat it. According to the records of that time, the 'Demon of Blaha' also cut down Holy Knights with blades of darkness and destroyed the cathedral by sending out darkness."
If the records matched the demon they were dealing with, then it was likely the same species as the 'Demon of Blaha.'
Of course, the information about a female demon in full armor also matched.
Therefore, the Pope mistakenly believed that the demon Cromria had appeared in the past as well. Since Enma Kuroba Cromria was a follower of the demon type and an awakened magic knight, he could pass as a magic knight as long as he didn't reveal his true form. He used the same method this time to create the illusion of a demon's appearance.
"In preparation for the movements of the Subarokia Empire, we cannot afford to let the Holy Knights die in vain. I shall order the suppression of the demon to 'Piercing Light' and 'Heaven's Eye.'"
The war had begun, just as the Subarokia Empire desired.
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