NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 39
Chapter 39
The 68th floor, also known as the ‘Star Floor,’ was dominated by Dekarabia, who had established a distinct power among the lowest-ranked Demon Kings.
The reason this place was called the Star Floor was simple—it had the sky with the most shining stars in the Demon World. Perhaps because of this, Dekarabia liked to name many things in his territory after stars, including his five most trusted generals, the O Mang Seong, and a special ore that could only be produced in the mines of the 68th floor, which he called ‘Nebula Stone.’
Nebula Stone was regarded as a high-quality gemstone throughout the Demon World. One could say that the financial foundation of the 68th floor relied entirely on the sales of Nebula Stone, which brought in a significant amount of money for Dekarabia.
And now, the owner of all that Nebula Stone was seething with rage.
“Balthazar is dead, Crowley is captured… and most of the soldiers have been lost in the failed conquest of the 69th floor?”
“…Yes.”
Dekarabia scoffed. This war was not his unilateral decision. It was a matter agreed upon after gathering sufficient opinions from the five generals he trusted the most, the O Mang Seong.
Thus, it was the very architects of the war who returned with defeat. It was not surprising that Dekarabia was furious.
“How could you repay my trust and care for you with such results!”
Dekarabia expressed his anger and reprimanded the remaining three generals of O Mang Seong.
“Can you still call yourselves my best generals after this!!!”
“…We are sorry, Your Majesty.”
Dekarabia snarled and issued a threat.
“Bring me the heads of Seere von Debata and Dantalion immediately. If you fail to do so, it will be your heads on the chopping block. Go now, at once!!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!!”
The three generals who confidently answered and exited Dekarabia’s meeting room sighed. Among them, a man with blue hair and fish-like fins for ears spoke.
“Does anyone have some sort of plan?”
He was Dahak, the third star of O Mang Seong and a general from the Triton tribe. In response to Dahak’s question, a stunning silver-haired man answered.
“Well, I don’t know what plan we could come up with after what happened to Balthazar.”
He was Crwah, the second star of O Mang Seong and of Drake descent. Lastly, the only woman among them, Rubya, a general from the Harpy tribe and the sole rose of O Mang Seong, spoke.
“How on earth did Balthazar get taken down? We sent him out wearing full armor to avoid being taken down by Dantalion.”
“To the Demon King of the 72nd floor….”
“No, I know that! What I’m asking is how did Balthazar manage to get taken down by the Demon King of the 72nd floor?”
Balthazar was an extraordinary power. Among the O Mang Seong, he was the strongest. The impact of him not only being forced to retreat but killed was more than shocking.
By none other than a low-ranked Demon King.
“Isn’t it you who went down with him who should know better, Rubya?”
“I don’t know! I was in a completely different place! Suddenly, Lin El Lazine showed up, and I was busy retreating.”
“Lin El Lazine? Then he must have been the one who took him down.”
If Seir’s cursed sword was the opponent, there was a chance for Balthazar to fall. However, even if Lin El Lazine managed to take down Balthazar singlehandedly, the conquest of the 69th floor was eventually thanks to a Demon King’s power.
Crwah openly admired.
“I never expected Seere von Debata—the young Demon King—to have grown this strong.”
“We might need to cut the roots now. That Seir von Debata might make a comeback.”
“But how? Honestly, it’s going to be difficult since Balthazar has fallen.”
“Still, we are far superior in numbers. If we can draw the enemy into a battle, we should be able to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.”
Dahak nodded in agreement with Crwah’s opinion.
“Even Seir’s cursed sword cannot handle tens of thousands of troops at once. From what we’ve gathered, the army of the 72nd floor consists of a mere 20,000. Even combined with our ally, Citri, it barely goes above 100,000.”
“But it’s unlikely Citri would mobilize their entire army, and though they are allies, they aren’t likely to clash with us. It’s a solo action from the 72nd floor, so they would want to avoid conflict.”
Listening to Crwah and Dahak’s conversation, Rubya succinctly summed up their words.
“So, in the end, it means we have to seize the initiative first and lead the battle, right?”
“That would likely be the best course of action.”
“Then let’s prepare for deployment….”
“Generals!”
Just then, a messenger rushed in. Seeing the flustered expression of the messenger, Dahak asked what the matter was. The messenger delivered somewhat unexpected news.
“The portal to the 69th floor that was previously closed has now opened!”
“…What? Opened?”
“Is there any reason for them to open the portal?”
“It’s a trap.”
Crwah spoke as if he had grasped the enemy’s intentions.
“They’re deliberately opening the portal to lure us in. There’s no need to fall for it.”
“But His Majesty has ordered the conquest of the 69th floor immediately!”
“That means we don’t need to go right now, Rubya.”
With a brief explanation, Crwah instructed the messenger to convey his orders.
“All troops, stand by. Do not fall for their scheme.”
“Yes, I will relay that!”
Tap, tap!
As the messenger left after receiving Crwah’s orders, hurried footsteps were heard from a distance. Running down the corridor more fervently than anyone was another messenger.
“Urgent news! Urgent news!!”
“What now?”
“Enemy attack! The portal on the 69th floor has opened, and their army is coming this way!!”
“…What?”
*
On the 68th floor, Lin arrived at the so-called Star Floor, feeling the fresh wind blowing and opening her eyes slightly. She turned to the man beside her and asked.
“Nahun, is it really possible without Citri’s support?”
“Well…”
“Yes?”
“I’m not entirely sure.”
Lin’s eyes widened in surprise. Nahun always appeared to be methodical and prepared, making clear moves.
But now, for the first time, he was admitting uncertainty. Lin looked at Nahun, questioning the reason.
“The situation has become tangled. This wasn’t the plan I had. Because Seere went on a rampage, everything has gotten completely twisted.”
Nahun’s words made Lin feel a pang of guilt. It was Lin who had succumbed to Seere’s insistence. She bowed her head and apologized.
“…I’m sorry.”
“No, I wasn’t trying to blame you. It was Seere’s stubbornness that was wrong. Still, the fact that the situation has deviated from my expectations is a fact….”
Nahun chuckled weakly with a self-deprecating smile.
“So I can’t exactly assess the risks and judge the outcomes either.”
“Then why have you taken such a bold step?”
“Because it seems like the fastest option with the least damage.”
Nahun raised his hand to brush back his bangs. Lin was startled for a moment but then averted her gaze slightly.
“Lin, the General.”
“…Yes.”
“Pull the soldiers back.”
“Yes?”
“Move them quite far… no, very far back. Just don’t let them leave the 68th floor.”
Having swept back his bangs, Nahun magically secured his hair. His golden eyes, like those of a predator, gleamed ominously.
Even though Lin couldn’t understand Nahun’s command, she felt an instinctual need to follow his orders.
“…Understood.”
Lin bowed her head and withdrew. After Lin withdrew, several voices called for the retreat. The army of the 72nd floor began to fall back altogether.
Left alone, Nahun slowly gazed at the many shadows that began to appear over the ridge.
There were so many that one could liken them to a swarm of ants. Dekarabia’s army was revealing itself along the ridge. Nahun could physically feel how immense the 150,000 soldiers were.
“That’s a lot.”
Can I do this? I still don’t know. When he defeated Andromalius, it was a victory made possible by the tremendous advantage of surprise.
Nahun was indeed strong, but since he wasn’t entirely sure of the power he saw in his memories, he couldn’t assure the outcome.
Instability. This was the element Nahun was most cautious about.
The very reason he had prevented Seere from joining was this instability. Although in his mind, this was the best way to minimize damage, the uncertainty in his own power complicated his thoughts.
“Nahun.”
“I’m here.”
After having pulled back Lin and the other soldiers, Nahun summoned two people to his side. They were Dein and Eri, whom he had nurtured through his vast support.
Of course, it wasn’t that he trusted them more than Lin to take such measures.
“You two are my limbs; if I die, you die, and if I live, you live.”
“Yes.”
“We understand.”
Unlike Lin, Baruna, and the soldiers of the 72nd floor, they were pieces that could afford to be sacrificed. After five years of rapid growth, it was time to test the abilities of the two of them, who had become excellent thieves and proper magicians.
“So if I want to increase my chances of survival even a little, you better help me out.”
“Understood.”
“Yes!”
Nahun lightly closed his eyes.
The fresh wind blew again. A sense of clarity filled his complicated mind. Nahun took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.
“It’s chaotic.”
What is the deciding factor in war? When asked, many would give various answers.
The experience of soldiers and commanders, the number of troops, the quality of weapons, the commander’s leadership skills, excellent tactics and strategies, and even the condition and morale of soldiers on the day of battle.
All of these are true. In war, the side that lacks any of these elements tends to lose. But there is one factor that can notably overturn all of these at once.
“Shall we try?”
That factor is overwhelming power.
*
Leading Dekarabia’s army, Dahak asked the messenger.
“Where is the enemy?”
“They remained motionless on the other side of that ridge. For some reason, they are not visible now….”
“It’s a trap. All troops, hold position here. Form a recon unit to assess the enemy’s movements.”
“Yes!!”
As Dahak’s lead troops stopped, Crwah and Rubya from behind moved forward.
“Dahak, what’s going on?”
“Why have we stopped?”
“The enemy is not visible. I think it would be better to send scouts first to check their movements.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“Don’t tell me they’ve fled?”
At Rubya’s assumption, Crwah and Dahak responded.
“There’s no way they’d do that.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
With the duo’s sharp rebuttal, Rubya exclaimed in frustration.
“Then what is it!? Let’s hear it from you two geniuses!”
“It’s clearly a trap.”
“That’s likely. Once we get within a certain distance, ambushing soldiers would rain arrows and spells down on us. Even with a numbers advantage, we would suffer tremendous losses….”
Even with Crwah’s reasonable deduction, Rubya scoffed.
“That’s laughable. If they were preparing magic, they would have caught wind of me already!”
“…So you’re saying you don’t sense anything?”
“Exactly! That’s why I asked if I should run away!”
Hearing Rubya’s words, Dahak nodded and corrected himself.
“Our O Mang Seong has Rubya. They likely know you’re with us. It’s possible they might not have prepared magic, aiming for that. Their inadequate firepower would be substituted with artillery.”
“That seems plausible.”
“…So, in the end, it leads us to the conclusion that this is indeed a trap?”
Rubya snorted again and drove her horse forward. Dahak and Crwah sighed, wondering what she was up to.
“Come back, Rubya.”
“Do you want to end up like Balthazar acting so recklessly?”
“Hmph, cowards should stay quiet. I’m going to check it out.”
“That fool….”
Crwah and Dahak sighed heavily. Rubya was never a fitting talent to be grouped with O Mang Seong. No wonder she was so brazen, obtaining Dekarabia’s favor and taking a position.
She had listened to Balthazar somewhat, but now that he was gone, her recklessness had become evident. Watching Rubya charge ahead, Dahak shook his head.
“Crwah, we have no choice. We should prepare just the two of us.”
“Right, we’ll have to set up camp and wait for the recon report.”
Just as the two reached a conclusion and prepared to issue their orders to their respective armies, it happened.
Kwahh!!!
Something was coming down the ridge. It descended with astonishing speed, digging into the ground along the slope. The sound reached Dahak and Crwah, as well as Rubya, who was close by.
“…What is that?”
“Rubya, fall back!”
As the two shouted, Rubya herself, sensing something ominous, hurriedly turned her horse back. But just as she turned, something gripped her from behind.
Specifically, it was not Rubya’s body being grabbed but her horse’s mane. Rubya’s body soared into the air.
“…Huh?”
The horse, gripped by the tail, swung violently, sending Rubya flying upward. As she soared high into the sky, Rubya looked down with an expression of utter bewilderment.
There stood a man.
“Pierce through.”
『Spina』
As the man uttered that brief command, enormous and sharp thorns erupted from the ground. Rubya frantically attempted to chant a spell, but there was no time given.
Whoosh!
The thorns ceased Rubya’s heartbeat. Blood gushed down like a waterfall as she twitched, with a huge hole in her chest, sputtering forth saliva, tears, and waste.
The fifth star of O Mang Seong fell as if it were a mere trifle. The lifeless husk of what once was Rubya slowly descended the thorns.
The man who had killed Rubya in an instant looked up slowly. With black hair and golden eyes, it was the face of someone they had never seen before.
Crwah and Dahak, keeping watch of the opponent, spoke cautiously.
“Who are you?”
“Are you the second and third stars of O Mang Seong, Crwah and Dahak, generals?”
“That is correct. Who are you?”
“I am someone who has come to wage war against you.”
“…What?”
At that moment, Dahak and Crwah couldn’t believe their eyes.
Dark mist swirled behind the man, and a gigantic white whale emerged. Its enormous mouth gaped wide, appearing to be at least several hundred meters long—a truly colossal creature.
───────────!!!
It was no illusion. The white whale, roaring toward the front, surged past the man and began to charge forward.
Soon after, it began to devour everything in its path. As it swept the land, it charged at Dekarabia’s army with unstoppable force.
“What the hell is that…!”
Dahak was horrified at the sight, while Crwah quickly assessed and issued orders.
“Fall back! Abandon the formation and escape!”
Mounted Dahak and Crwah along with 30,000 cavalry managed to escape safely. However, the slower infantry, despite their desperate sprinting, could not evade the oncoming rush of the colossal whale.
With a mouth larger than dozens of meters, it was natural that heavily armored soldiers would need time to fall back from its grasp.
Over 100,000 infantrymen were swallowed whole by the open maw of the whale, leaving Dahak and Crwah to watch that horrific spectacle. The whale vanished as if it had devoured everything, leaving only traces of where something immense had dug into the earth.
Having lost the majority of their infantry in an instant, Dahak and Crwah were left awestruck by this astonishing sight. And the awe they felt quickly began to morph into fear.
With trembling lips, Crwah finally managed to stutter out a question to the master of the whale.
“Y-you… what in the world are you?”
He briefly looked at the traces of the whale’s passage, chuckled, and with a light smile, posed a simple question.
“Well… who could it be?”
As if he himself did not know.