◈ Episode 461. At Last the Dawn

What’s so shiny……?

System messages cluttering my vision.

Notifications of a significant increase in Understanding Darkness and Mastery of the Heavenly Infant Solitude. And quite a few other messages besides the one announcing the rampage.

But there was no time to look away.

Paimon is in front of me.

I stare at the Behemoth’s Maw.

And then there’s his army.

A vast army has already crossed into the Arcana continent.

And there is no end in sight. But more frightening than the numbers is the Paimon. Among the dizzying array of messages, one stands out.

[Demon of the Ninth Throne, the Noble Paimon has his eye on you].

No matter how I estimate it, I don’t see a chance.

Even if I activate the Exorcism Ritual.

Even if I use the Heavenly Demon Reign I learned from Gamigin, the Fourth Throne.

I’m not sure I can stop Paimon and his army right now.

‘Even more questionable, this.’

How the hell am I still alive……?

A wider look around the battlefield revealed the Holy War Alliance, but their position was far from Behemoth’s Maw, and they had not yet encountered Paimon.

Obviously, they couldn’t hope for help.

There’s only one thing to do, then.

The rampage of the [Heavenly Infant Solitude], whose skill level has skyrocketed.

It was thanks to that rampage that I was able to stand so steadfastly.

‘But it’s already over.’

No, if you’re going to go on a rampage, why not go on a little longer?

If Paimon is too much.

At least take care of that many troops and show some restraint!

It’s an unfair situation.

‘Each one is not normal.’

The knowledge of all minerals acquired through the Pure Knowledge. Thanks to this, I was able to immediately recognize that the equipment worn by Paimon’s army was out of the ordinary.

Arcana continent.

Equipment covered in rare minerals that even the best Blacksmith Dwarves couldn’t easily obtain. There is no way to know whether Paimon is great or whether the land called the Demon World is just gold.

I finally opened my mouth.

“It’s a meaningless decoration.”

Truly, it is a snout that does not lose a single word.

“It will all melt in the fires of hell.”

Even as I speak, I’m still rolling my eyes.

Thanks to the blessing of the First World Tree, my near-infinite magical power has reached the top ten, and thanks to its once again surpassing its class, its efficiency is such that even I am sometimes shocked.

‘But…….’

I wonder if we can stop that army, which is likely to number in the hundreds of thousands.

The [Natural Enemy] is activated.

I still didn’t hear it clearly.

‘Besides, we can’t waste our magic power.’

A military force is a military force.

The real problem is that self-proclaimed Noble Paimon. With that look in his eyes, If you look away when you look at me with those eyes……. Because I felt like I wouldn’t be able to recover if I made a mistake.

But regardless of my concerns.

seueug.

I prepared for battle once again. I don’t know how I fought during the rampage of the [Heavenly Infant Solitude], but what I needed to do now was simple.

The same desperate struggle as always!

I try to put together strange combinations in my head.

First of all, shouldn’t we start by matching the number of people? I borrowed the help of Akshan’s seniors in Hell, materialized the Dark Dragon who became the Dragon Lord, and even Hiel, Diend, and Tempest…….

My mind was racing, thinking of all the ways and means, but my words were terse and provocative.

“Indeed, as befits an inferior race, you lack patience.”

Please……!

“Surely, I have told you that I will descend to the Demon World.”

I will go to the Demon World.

It’s not wrong, and it’s not something I didn’t say.

But there’s a time, a place, and a person for everything.

If I say something like that to Paimon, who’s already angry.

It’s only going to piss him off more…….

“My dear. Can you prove that?”

For a moment, I paused.

‘Wait, that wasn’t just a passing message?’

Paimon is looking at me.

I immediately understood the meaning of the message. It felt like Paimon’s golden pupils were scanning my entire body, inside and out. It was as if it was trying to determine the truth of my words.

I thought boldly.

‘Please check it out.’

Sometimes I wonder about myself, don’t you think?

I wonder if the snout is really confident, or if it’s just an automatic reflex……! Of course, my doubts didn’t last long.

What, all of a sudden?

Paimon’s face had softened, as if it hadn’t been so grotesquely contorted in the past. It finally made sense. Why the system message, which never lies, had called Paimon noble.

So noble, in fact, that he could forget he was a demon.

‘Even if you look at it aesthetically, there is no flaw.’

Demon.

Except that he’s a high-ranking demon king of a different class, so maybe he and Grandfell were on speaking terms, which makes it all the more suspicious.

Why.

“In that case, shall we end the banquet here?”

Paimon says.

“I leave their disposition to you as a gift.”

Did he just go back to the Demon World of his own accord?

I could only guess at one reason.

I swallowed hard.

‘I realized that what you said about going to the Demon World was true.’

I couldn’t help but feel a chill down my spine.

Paimon, now that I know for certain what his purpose is, yes. Paimon hadn’t revealed himself to devour the Arcana continent.

It was simply for me.

As if to prove it.

Paimon disappeared shortly afterward.

Then there was a shift in his forces.

“Paimon-nim……?”

“My king, the noble Paimon!”

“Answer my call, King of the West!”

“Uuughhh, my worthless body……!!!”

One by one, Paimon’s most elite soldiers were falling apart. Their muscles shed, revealing their ugly skeletons.

The equipment that rivaled the dwarven armor they wore began to lose its shine in real time. They became like tin cans.

‘Such an ability.’

No matter how high ranked a Demon King was.

This is an imbalance.

If the demon world had such resources, why would they invade other worlds? The army had only grown stronger due to Paimon’s influence.

Of course, knowing that fact had the side effect of making Paimon seem even more amazing.

‘Anyway, I guess he got away with it.’

I looked at Paimon’s gift.

The fallen soldiers numbered roughly a hundred thousand.

But now that Paimon is gone, they don’t have the same majesty.

Most of them are imps, so their average level is probably level 300 at most. The Holy War Alliance will be able to handle them without me.

‘Oh, by the way.’

Here we go again.

Stepping on the Demon World was a planned event anyway. Even if Paimon didn’t show up. Grandfell, a man of his word, would have gone to the Demon World on his own.

Of course, my thoughts weren’t much different.

‘Moreover, I have confirmed it.’

The Ninth Paimon.

An existence that could lead the Arcana continent to ruin with his mere appearance. I’ve realized once again that it’s better for me to go than to invite such a thing into the continent or reality.

Of course, I still couldn’t guess what it was. When had we ever seen each other in the first place, and how could he back down so easily from confirming our reunion in the demon world?

‘Anyway, rest is a piece of cake. I guess I’ll have to push harder.’

If I wanted to enter the Demon World, which wasn’t even a normal Demon World, but a Paimon-heavy Demon World, I needed to grow even more than I already was. I glanced at the system message.

‘I have some unexpected homework to complete.’

[Understanding Darkness (Curse): Greatly increases your affinity for suitable magic. However, you must confront your past, which is the source of your Suitable Magic. – Current Suitable Magic Affinity: 70%]

[Heavenly Infant Solitude (70%): A rare genius that even blasphemes the goddess. Unleashes the talents of Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo].

A whopping 30% increase.

Now that I have learned about the side effect of ‘rampage’.

I needed to practice to control my Heavenly Infant Solitude.

Of course.

‘Not to be overlooked.’

The cause of the dramatic increase in understanding.

『Claudi Original Sin』

In many ways, I didn’t really want to look back, but I felt like I had to dig into the footprints that Claudi left behind on the Arcana continent.

However, the biggest challenge was how to explain it.

Perhaps they’ve caught the momentum of the battlefield. The Iron Castle and the Holy War Alliance were approaching the battlefield.

I think about it from their perspective.

It was a rampage, and even I can’t guess how it happened, but the result is undeniably a complete victory.

To put it simply…….

As always, it is a victory that is bound to create illusions. And as always, it is time for this shameless snout of doom to flutter.

“Hiel.”

Hiel, appearing out of thin air at my call.

For some reason, she bows her head unusually low today.

I don’t know why, but I say, as always.

“Deliver the message.”

“I will, my lord.”

“I will leave the disposal of the defeated to you.”

I added.

“For I have faith in you.”

I guess it’s enough to hunt an imp, right?

“……!”

Hiel blinked once, then lifted her head and replied.

The corner of Hiel’s mouth twitched, just a little.

It was sharply up.

“At your pleasure, my lord.”

*  tl/n: Venerable -> Noble

Dizzying system messages.

And then, the articles.

Finally.

[number of unread messages: 999+]

A chat room with a family member.

In hindsight, the rampage was terrible.

It was enough to terrorize foes and allies alike without distinguishing between them.

‘Of course, that includes me.’

Grandfell’s power at its peak.

I realize that with great power comes great responsibility.

If I lose control of the [Heavenly Infant Solitude.]

What if it went on a rampage again……?

‘I can’t even imagine.’

I invested stats in [Luck].

I don’t know what it is, but…….

In hindsight, the results reflected a lot of coincidence.

‘I can’t rely on coincidence next time.’

But the fact remains.

‘Anyway, while I struggle in the understanding darkness.’

Grandfell, that you saved my life.

Once again, I am no match for Paimon.

But I will not be ungrateful.

Just as you saved me in the real world.

You saved me from the past.

And I suppose there’s one more thing that never changes.

Sigh.

I sneakily checked Wensu Lee Yerim’s chat.

“Sister…….”

Don’t be so sweet, Grandfell.

The moment I checked that Wensu’s chat.

Something surged up from deep in my chest.

ttogag.

I get up from my seat and pace, stopping in front of the full-length mirror I use to groom myself, not to mention Grandfell’s keen aesthetic sense.

Lee Hoyeol’s eyes are just as good.

His long hair, still bouncing……!

That’s right.

It must be due to the influence of the rising Heavenly Infant Solitude.

Either that, or more time has passed in the spacetime social hall.

I don’t know why, but…….

My hair wasn’t coming back to normal.

I checked Lee Yerim’s chat once again.

-Hey, Lee Hoyeol.

-Are those hair extensions??? hahahaha

-How much did you pay for that? hahahahahaha

……The ordeal never ends, really.