334 Dekan's Desperate Domain

The sound came like a flood.

Trumpets were blown, drums were struck, flutes were played, footsteps echoed, and laughter mingled among the sounds.

The vendors shouted their lines, and the street performers yelled their lines, creating a sound like ocean waves as customers came and went.

I had already noticed it before I even entered the mansion, but once I got out onto the street, I realized how extraordinary the liveliness was today.

"It's been so many years since we've seen such a peaceful scene --"

The woman, tightly gripping the little girl's hand, blushed with excitement as she gazed at the celebratory decorations on the street and said...

"This war, which lasted for more than a decade, is finally over. This is what our hometown should look like now."

From her childhood, the northern border had been embroiled in a period of war where every day was filled with fear and trepidation.

Her daughter, on the other hand, had never seen such a bustling Clantes City since birth.

Although there were still many fully armed knights and Holy Kingdom soldiers on the streets, just like a few days ago.

But they didn't seem out of place at all during today's ceremony.

Because they are all brave survivors of this long war, and true heroes.

Just seeing their figures brings immense peace of mind to the citizens.

There were many mercenaries and adventurers on the streets who did not disarm, and a large number of refugees also poured in.

Of course, today's celebration was entirely organized by Clantes Territory, so even the refugees could enjoy a rare and hearty meal.

The Morpheus Chamber of Commerce, a major merchant group, has pledged to ensure that the residents of Clan Territory will have a peaceful winter, no matter how cold it gets.

"Mom, I want to eat the meat of a ninth-tier magical beast!"

The little girl seemed determined to taste the flesh of the Endless Ruin Beast as advertised, walking ahead, holding her mother's hand, and constantly urging her on.

"Well."

Her mother responded with a helpless yet indulgent smile.

In fact, most adults know that the "Endless Ruin Beast Roasted Meat" advertised during the celebration is just roasted meat made from the meat of ordinary livestock, or rather, a completely new local specialty snack.

It carries more of a commemorative and celebratory significance, expressing people's deep hatred for the butcher Irenos, hence the name.

But it has a particularly strong appeal to young children.

Many children believed they could actually eat the legendary roasted meat of a ninth-tier magical beast.

Putting aside whether the Endless Ruin Beast is edible or not, its meat is simply not suitable for making dishes that are suitable for all ages.

Of course, this publicity for the town celebration was not just empty hype.

Because the people of Clantes City can see real ninth-tier magical beasts in the square on the southern outskirts of the city today!

On the other side at this very moment.

Above the ruins of the shattered city gate.

Irenos has finally completed the Perception Sharing Magic.

However.

The instant I connected to the Endless Ruin Beast.

Irenos: "¿¿¿"

His true form remained frozen for a full half second without reacting.

He was even caught off guard again by Lunn, who knocked him off the Ruin Dragon and crippled its limbs once more, causing the dragon to let out a mournful cry.

Even as Irenos plummeted from the sky, he still stared wide-eyed, doubting the existence of the demon.

Am I the one with the problem?

Is there a problem with the shared video feed?!

He saw that the Clantes City was not only free of bloodshed, but was also thriving, even transforming into a food festival.

This group of people are...

Celebrating the Holy Kingdom's victory over the Demon Realm ahead of schedule?!

Are you still treating the Endless Ruin Beast like a rare animal, just watching it from the sidelines?!

What kind of bizarre and insane town is this?!

"No, we can't let him disturb his senses."

Irenos was quite certain that Lunn would never do such a thing.

Someone must be helping Lunn!!

It's very likely that the wicked ninth-tier illusionist from the Holy Kingdom was behind it!

Just as Irenos was trying to calm his anger and adjust his mindset...

He then inadvertently noticed something that enraged him even more—the current state of the Endless Ruin Beast!

It was indeed dyed red.

But not from blood.

Which bastard dyed it with paint?!

It feels like I've become the mascot of this festival?!

At this moment, the square of the Clantes City during the holiday festival was flooded with people, like a large, pulsating mosaic pattern.

The vast majority of people were watching from a distance the alien monster painted bright red, which was encased in a beam of light on a stone platform.

Unable to move, it tried to roar from time to time, but it was as if its throat had been destroyed, and could only let out pitiful whimpers.

Its face was also covered with a festive mask.

It is said that it was originally a cursed magical artifact, but in order to cater to the festive atmosphere, it was repainted and turned into a lucky mask, so that the originally ferocious teeth of the Endless Ruin Beast could no longer frighten the viewers.

Near the Ruin Beast, the sounds of people discussing things could be clearly heard by the Ruin Beast.

"A ninth-tier magical beast like this? I'm not afraid of anything!"

"I heard it's going to be renamed the Prosperity and Fortune Beast, as a commemoration of the historic moment when the Demon Realm surrendered to the Holy Kingdom and presented it as a gift."

"... If Irenos could see his former ninth-tier magical beast transformed like this, he'd probably faint from anger."

As he gradually received more information, Irenos felt a slightly metallic taste in his throat and almost vomited something.

His body swayed slightly.

I don't know if he was injured by Lunn or if he was so angry that he lost his temper!

Irenos knew that continuing to maintain the shared state would slightly affect his focus in combat.

But he felt that if he didn't truly understand the situation in Clantes City, he wouldn't be able to rest in peace whether he lost or died today!

Irenos was certain.

There's another thing that was done by that super beast who turned the Endless Ruin Beast red--

Someone placed a mirror in front of the Endless Ruin Beast!

It was as if it was all to give Irenos a surprise, so that he could clearly see what his Endless Ruin Beast had become during the moment of shared perception.

Once Irenos was absolutely certain of the true situation in the Clantes City, he finally couldn't help but roar wildly in his heart.

Are you guys really celebrating a holiday?!

Where is your fear, your vigilance, your utter panic?!

At this moment, Irenos only wanted to use his will to control the Endless Ruin Beast to fight desperately, as long as he could make it kill one person, even just one person!

It will also certainly have the opportunity to let the disaster snowball and start a series of suicide attacks!

But he couldn't do it. Putting aside the layers of blockade and restraint, the mother's combat power was far weaker than that of the ninth-tier Endless Ruin Beast, making it impossible for her to break out of the barrier set up by Lunn himself!

What's more, behind the Endless Ruin Beast stood five eighth-tier powerhouses watching it.

This subtle number sent a chill down Irenos's spine, who shared the senses of the Ruin Beast...

Irenos forced himself to calm down with all his might.

But he couldn't completely regain his composure.

While his main body was fighting against Lunn on the shattered city gate, he also saw, through the perspective transmitted by the Ruin Beast, a stage in the distance directly in front of the Ruin Beast's vision.

A strange puppet show is being performed above.

The content of the performance is--

Lunn and his advisors saw through the First Army's plot and then decided to turn the tables on the First Army Commander Irenos.

What follows is the current showdown between Lunn and Irenos!

It was as if the battle situation in the ruined city was being broadcast live.

But as is widely known...

These kinds of puppet shows require a script to be prepared in advance.

A chill ran through Irenos's heart.

This Terror feeling was as if one's fate had been written in advance!

Was I, until just now, truly just a character being manipulated in a play?

And is that human sitting in the wilderness the mastermind behind all of this?

This feeling of being trapped in a nightmare, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion, kept Irenos's chaotic thoughts from returning to normal for a long time.

"Lunn! Is it your ninth-tier illusionist?!"

Irenos roared in exasperation.

If what he saw is true, then it all feels like a nightmare!

This made Irenos think of a possibility: this was merely a mental trap deliberately set by the other party to ensure his death!

"..."

Lunn offered no explanation, as if awaiting instructions from the director.

[Lunn, first sincerely thank Irenos for the lucky beast, then gently tell him, "Surrender and I promise I won't kill you."]

However, before Lunn could even speak,...

"Shut up, you bastard!!"

Irenos roared at Dekan like a madman.

This bastard has stopped acting altogether, he's not even using communication magic anymore. Instead, he's raised a megaphone and is standing in the open field, shouting commands towards the battlefield.

Irenos could hear his earnest, directing voice clearly.

Regardless of whether the plan failed or not, Irenos was furious and extremely frustrated.

He was already at a disadvantage in his fight with Lunn, and now, with his mentality being repeatedly tested, he has taken several steps closer to defeat!

Irenos forced himself to adjust his state.

Regardless of whether he was under the spell or not, and regardless of the situation in the Clantes City.

Dealing with Lunn in front of us and figuring out a way to retreat are the most important things right now!

[You're insulting the director, aren't you? You're finished.]

After giving Irenos his warning, Dekan put down the megaphone.

Then have Croix inform Lunn--

"Now Irenos can experience the power of the Underworld."

However.

After Croix relayed the instructions to Dekan via communication magic, Lunn still did not change his tactics.

They are still using magic to suppress Irenos and the Ruin Dragon head-on.

In the distant wilderness.

"I already lent him my Magic Card; this is the first time I've ever lent cards to someone from the Shadow World..."

Seeing how much Lunn disdains his power, Dekan said with a hint of helplessness.

With my power, Irenos would be defeated very quickly.

Dekan couldn't help but mutter something under his breath.

In fact, in the Shadow World, if you encounter a trustworthy friendly Shadow World native, you can temporarily lend them cards that can be unbound and exchanged.

However, this depends on whether the other party is completely trustworthy and how much help they can provide.

Otherwise, you might lose your card and get counter-killed.

Under normal circumstances, few challengers would be willing to lend out their Magic Card like this.

"I think Lunn will still choose to use your card, but he's still a little hesitant about 'borrowing the power of demons'."

"Croix said from the side."

"Why?"

Dekan looked at him and asked.

Etc.

What does it mean to borrow the power of a demon?

After asking the question, Dekan realized that there seemed to be something wrong with what Croix had just said.

"Based on my understanding of Lunn during the time I've spent with him, I believe that besides being an undeniably benevolent lord and bishop, he is also a resolute and decisive person. If he is certain something is truly important, he will spare no expense to achieve it."

"Croix said."

"Yes, indeed. There aren't many humans in this world who are truly willing to believe in Delois, and Lunn is one of them."

Dekan nodded.

This is also why Dekan was willing to lend the Magic Card to Lunn.

For Delois, aside from Clodia, the only humans he could truly consider friends were Lunn and Morpheus.

As for Milia and Ray, Delois didn't have much interaction with them at this point.

So Dekan, as if he couldn't be bothered with the actors anymore, sat back in his director's chair and let them improvise.

Who is stronger?

Croix asked, somewhat curiously.

Despite being mentally challenged twice, Irenos still managed to hold his own against Lunn.

Only Dekan had personally experienced the battle at the ninth level, so Dekan should have a more accurate understanding of the current situation of Lunn and Irenos.

"The fighting scenes and the intensity of the Magic Power are far superior to those of Master Da Zhan..."

Dekan, as usual, made a sarcastic remark about Sion, mentioning it briefly.

In his view, in terms of direct combat strength alone, Sion was indeed a disgrace to the ninth rank.

"Lunn might already be able to hold his own against the former Pope Agamemnon before he activated [Chaos Unleashing]. Irenos is clearly no match for Agamemnon. As for why they're fighting evenly, it's because Lunn has to prevent Irenos from escaping while also ensuring he doesn't kill Irenos; otherwise, he might have already caught Irenos and tried to inflict a fatal wound."

Dekan leaned back in his chair, pointed to the battlefield like a commander giving orders, and spoke to Croix.

The most direct way is to find a comparison of combat strength.

Lunn's Magic Power was even greater than Agamemnon's in his normal state, but his magical strength was far inferior to Agamemnon's.

However, even they are weaker than Sion, who is fully empowered by the Phantom Canyon with infinite energy, not to mention Agamemnon in his Chaos Unleashed - Magic God state.

Lunn's physical functions were indeed beginning to decline due to his age.

However, his skill in manipulating Magic Power continues to improve.

It can be said that Lunn is a true magical genius who has brought his destructive and defensive abilities to the extreme, and is worthy of the title of the strongest human in this era.

"Boom!!!"

A deafening explosion rang out, and in an instant, the surrounding ground was reduced to scorched earth.

Croix also erected a magical shield to protect Dekan and him from the aftershocks.

Dekan calmly took a sip of tea.

No matter how the wind, snow, and mud swirled around him, he remained calm and composed.

On the battlefield, Irenos used the Ruin Dragon as a human shield, and after absorbing several attacks from Lunn, Irenos personally delivered the final blow to the Ruin Dragon!

Explosion and rebirth.

After the Ruin Dragon's special ability was triggered, it was instantly reborn at full strength!

Now the pressure is finally on Lunn.

Although Irenos couldn't defeat him, he wasn't entirely confident he could prevent Irenos from escaping.

"Lunn!! You'll remember this!"

As Irenos shouted, he tried to temporarily resist Lunn with his own body, allowing the Ruin Dragon to take off first, thus finding a chance to escape from Lunn's grasp.

He knew that, regardless of the true Clantes City, evacuating was his only best strategy.

"..."

Lunn frowned, seemingly caught in a deep internal struggle.

Even though he had indeed made several deals with Delois before.

But all of that was to save more innocent people. Even though, in the traditional sense, and even though in the eyes of the world, making a deal with the devil is a depraved act, Lunn did not believe that those collaborations should be called evil.

However, once you actually use Delois's power...

Even Lunn himself could no longer define it.

Could this Cardinal of the Holy Rite Church, who was a staunch believer, be considered to have fallen into depravity?

"If you accidentally let Irenos escape, how many innocent people will die because of you?"

It was as if a soul-searching question was ringing in Lunn's ears.

But Lunn was certain it wasn't Delois's voice.

It was his own heartfelt expression.

Looking at Irenos so close, this truly unforgivable evil.

Lunn finally made up his mind.

He did not unleash any more powerful high-level magic.

Instead, it unleashed an invisible barrier—[the Temptation of the Living World].

Poison gas was released—[Mental Toxin].

And he placed an eerie mask on the Ruin Dragon— [Cursed Soul Mask].

Suddenly, Irenos, who was preparing to deploy a defense, froze in place.

He felt his already diminished magical power, less than half of what it was, begin to overflow like a floodgate bursting open!

As the magic power dissipated, an indescribable itching arose all over my body!

It felt as if his skin was about to rot and peel off!

"Aaaaaah! Lunn! What did you do?!"

Irenos clutched his skin in near collapse.

The chance to escape that had initially appeared vanished instantly.

Moreover, for Irenos, the situation was even worse than before.

Because Lunn completely abandoned all martial ethics, he took advantage of Elena's weakness and continued his attack without giving Irenos a chance to catch her breath.

He could have defended against those two low-level spells and that strange piece of equipment.

He never dreamed that Lunn, who was praised as a saint, would suddenly resort to such insidious means!

Moreover, these three pieces of the Underworld set are something that ordinary demons simply cannot complete!

Irenos was filled with remorse.

It turns out that Lunn had already collaborated with the devil all along!!

"Lunn!! You hypocritical, sanctimonious scoundrel!!"

However.

Immediately after uttering this sentence, Irenos's voice stopped abruptly.

Because he finally realized it at that moment.

A demon that will help humanity.

A demon with such methods.

A demon capable of turning all of Irenos's nightmares into reality.

There is only one demon in the world that meets all these conditions.

Perhaps it started from the moment we arrived at the border town.

It probably started when Purser was sent to negotiate.

Even after the First Army received the news that "Lunn is willing to negotiate."

Irenos had already fallen into Delois's web.

A deadly predicament that was slowly eroding him, the commander of the First Army!

Everything became clear.

From the moment he bred the Endless Ruin Beast, Delois began operating behind the scenes.

There was a traitor in the First Army who leaked crucial information about the Ruin Beast to Delois.

The subsequent intelligence report that "Lunn wanted to negotiate" was likely leaked by Delois through special channels.

Delois also anticipated what kind of plan Irenos, who possessed the Ruin Beast, would devise based on this intelligence.

So Delois arrived in Clantes City ahead of time to help Lunn prepare for the attack.

Then, turning the tables, he manipulated Lunn into carrying out the final step of his plan to hunt down Irenos.

Originally, no matter how Irenos deduced the true or false events in the Clantes City, he never considered the legendary demon Delois as a possible scapegoat.

It's because Irenos believed that Lunn would never compromise with a demon!

But at that moment, Irenos felt that the world had completely broken down.

Did Delois successfully bewitch Lunn and lead him to his downfall?

Or has Lunn been completely taken over by Delois?

But none of that matters anymore.

It all began the moment he learned that his opponent was Lennardlois.

He knew he had no hope of escaping.

It turned out that from the very beginning, he had truly been treated like a clown by Delois.

And the culprit behind it all, Delois, even now, remains a spectator, showing no intention of taking action.

Irenos then burst into a somewhat manic laugh.

He began violently tearing at his neck with his hands, his expression gradually becoming distorted.

He felt his anger burning like a fire doused with oil, his mind went blank, filled only with an overwhelming urge to kill Delois.

Irenos seemed to no longer care about Lunn's attacks, as if he had already accepted his fate of defeat, and drove the Ruin Dragon toward the black-haired youth in the wilderness.

"Delois --!!!"

Irenos roared to the sky, his voice filled with anguish.

In the wilderness.

Dekan watched the Ruin Dragon flying towards him, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

He sat calmly in the chair, without moving an inch.

Because.

From the moment Lunn used [Three-Corpse Berserk] to drive Irenos mad, Irenos was utterly defeated.

Lunn is not an opponent who can be easily out of sight!

This foolish act of abandoning Lunn quickly resulted in Irenos and his dragon being torn apart in mid-air by the whirlwind Lunn unleashed.

Amidst the falling flames of the Ruin Dragon, Irenos's figure crashed heavily to the ground like a meteorite.

The Ruin Dragon was once again pinned to the ground by Lunn.

At this moment, Irenos still wanted to ignore Lunn and attack Dekan!

However, just as Irenos was about to enter Dekan's casting range...

Lunn threw out a [Captain Dekan], which forcibly restrained Irenos.

Then, nearly exhausted, Irenos was finally locked to the ground by Lunn's wall of light.

Lunn made no further move, but simply stood beside Irenos, preparing to reinforce the seal once more.

At this moment.

Dekan finally stood up from his chair.

He walked slowly, as if taking a stroll, until he reached Irenos and finally stopped.

It's like Taunt Irenos:

This time, I'm so close to you.

But you still can't touch me.

"Delois...!!!"

Irenos strained to lift his head and stare at Dekan, his bloodshot eyes seeming to shed tears of blood, as he murmured Delois's name as if his teeth were about to grind to dust.

"At least do something..."

However, Dekan seemed not to hear him.

Even now, they are unwilling to give Irenos the most basic respect as an opponent.

Because.

A director is a director.

"Hmm, commendable courage."

Dekan looked down at Irenos.

He raised his right hand, gently pinched the side of the sunglasses, and slid them down a little from the bridge of his nose, gradually revealing his golden pupils beneath the dark lenses.

"Unfortunately, this show is already over."

In that instant, he finally faced the true form of the legendary demon in person.

The overwhelming aura emanating from Irenos was instantly extinguished by ice water.

What followed was an overwhelming sense of fear and remorse after the initial calm.

Impulsiveness led him to make the worst decision.

Dekan lifted his sunglasses, straightened his posture with his hands behind his back, and smiled at Irenos, saying:

"But Irenos, you should know that once you fall into my hands, you won't be as gentle as Lunn, you know?"