Shinji Matou at Your Service

After hearing Shinji's explanation, even Merem, a steadfast supporter of Arcueid, couldn't help but let out a long sigh:

"What a complete mess of coincidences."

Ciel directly complained, "I can't find the words, I can't believe it, was that idiot always this foolish at crucial moments?"

"You'll get used to it," Shinji shrugged nonchalantly.

"I've cleaned up after her messes countless times over the years. Fought with giants, got chased by hostile life forms, accidentally caused big trouble from getting too excited and ended up being hunted by government agencies in some countries—even got banned from several guilds in online games. Take the time we hunted The Night of Wallachia' as an example. If I hadn't been cautious, a Dead Apostle stronger than The Night of Wallachia would've been born not long after."

Merem broke into a cold sweat—not physically, as he had stopped sweating after becoming a Dead Apostle, but psychologically.

"You've had it rough, Sir Knight. It's really good that the princess has you to take care of her."

Shinji just smiled. Although it was exhausting to clean up after her, the ease of being with her and the freedom to be himself more than made up for the fatigue.

This is fate, the fate entrusted by the planet. He was content and willing to keep taking care of her, even sharing the burden of her impulse.

"Now, can you tell me the location of the Crimson Core?"

"The Core's position keeps changing, so it's hard to describe. I'll have a familiar lead you."

The Forest of Einnashe wasn't a singular entity; it was composed of countless bloodsucking plants. As the core, the second-generation Einnashe constantly moved and altered the structure of the forest, which is why Shinji still hadn't reached the core after five days.

Merem's right foot gradually became ethereal—a sign of summoning a familiar.

Using the dreams of others as a model, he gave form and color to them through his abilities, which were akin to high-level spiritualism, ultimately creating the Four Great Daemon Beasts that substituted for his limbs.

Legend has it that each Daemon is a high-level phantasmal species, able to rival even the Ancestors. It was their existence that forged the infamous reputation of Merem Solomon in the world of mystery.

Now, he was summoning the one that served as his right foot.

The entire forest trembled. If there was such a thing as a divine beast in the world, it would surely include this one.

With the head of a whale and the body of a hound, this massive Daemon beast was over 200 meters long. In terms of sheer size, even the eleven offspring of the Earth Mother Tiamat from mythology might not compare.

Countless clocks, collapsing towers, and surging waves were depicted across its gigantic body, creating a sense of apocalyptic absurdity. The surreal world, drenched in black and red, increasingly detached from reality with its appearance.

"The Daemon of the Right Legt, King of the Land."

Someone uttered the title that struck fear throughout the world of mystery.

Yes, it was a title, not a name.

Demons are nameless, as legend says that once a Demon gains a name, it becomes independent from its master. Thus, the demons created by Merem have no names.

King of the Land was his favorite demon, embodying the concept of divine punishment and tsunami, manifested through the depiction of animal sculptures in a cathedral, and was the largest of all his demons.

Fear of large things is an instinct for living beings. In the presence of the King of the Land, which could flatten the world with its sheer size and mass, both humans and Dead Apostles alike would undoubtedly be shaken.

Because of this, they missed the best time to warn Merem.

"No, quickly, put it away."

By the time Shinji reacted, it was too late.

The entire forest shook with an even greater force than when the King of the Land descended as if a giant beast had been awakened.

A flock of birds, numerous enough to blot out the sky, took flight, a quantity so overwhelming that it made one's scalp tingle.

The King of the Land, half whale, half dog, let out a cry that sounded like a lament.

Its massive body was quickly covered, enveloped at an unnervingly fast speed.

First by the flock of birds, and then by a cluster of trees—literally, a group of bloodsucking trees.

In less than a minute, the giant beast with a mountain-like body was swallowed by the forest and ceased to function, becoming just another part of the ever-expanding forest.

A massive beast capable of flattening the world was defeated—not by the world it should have been able to crush, but rather, it was simply consumed in a one-sided manner.

"Damn it, that thing's serious!"

Merem pressed down on his injured foot. The ethereal foot had turned back into a solid one, covered with spiderweb-like cracks—this was the only weakness of his Dead Apostle abilities. If one of the four demons that substitute for his limbs is destroyed, the corresponding limb loses its function until he summons the demon again, a process that takes some time.

The Forest of Einnashe wasn't going to give him that chance. The trees, having just had a satisfying meal, began to stir and attack the group's location in the crater.

"These guys only act on instinct, attacking everything in their path regardless of its status. Damn you, Einnashe. Sorry, I lost this one."

"You shouldn't have used the King of the Land. It has terrible compatibility with the Forest of Einnashei. Any of the other daemons would've fared better."

This was exactly what Shinji had wanted to warn Merem about.

When mystery reaches a certain level, it's no longer just about power but also about the compatibility of concepts. If the compatibility is too poor, even beings on the same level can be crushed, much like how Shinji's golden lightning overwhelms Caren's demonic aura.

The King of the Land was no different. Its main characteristic was its size, but even at 200 meters long, it was no match for the 50-kilometer-wide Forest of Einnashei. Their location was also in the forest's core area, where the plants were most aggressive, so the outcome was inevitable.

But there's an even bigger problem. From the way it evolved into a phantasmal plant species by absorbing Einnashe's blood, it's clear that these bloodsucking plants adapt based on the characteristics of what they absorb.

After consuming the King of the Land, the bloodsucking plants swarming toward them also started to grow larger. It might not be long before they gain the ability to flatten the world.

"Now we're in big trouble. I don't have eyes like Shiki, so we'll have to fight them head-on."

Shinji said this as he pulled the trigger on his RPG. The grenade, propelled by a bright tail flame, whistled through the air and struck the nearest giant tree.

The embedded incendiary bomb exploded, engulfing the surrounding trees.

Taking advantage of the brief respite before the flames died out, Shinji quickly rummaged through his backpack (a coffin) and pulled out various items.

Grenades, a flamethrower, RPGs, grenade boxes, and even a few barrels of gasoline.

As he worked, he said to Ciel,

"Take whatever you can use, don't hold back."