405 The Cycle of Grudges Between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm

The light above the Devil King Tomb swirled and shifted.

A portal opened a crack in the vast, canvas-like flower field, and Dekan and Croix emerged, talking as they walked out.

Have you heard of nuclear fusion?

Dekan asked with an air of seriousness.

"What?"

Croix had absolutely no idea what Dekan was saying.

"You don't need to understand the concept of nuclear fusion yet. You just need to know that its essence is the process of small atomic nuclei fusing into large atomic nuclei. This process releases a large amount of energy. For the positively charged protons inside the two atomic nuclei to overcome the electromagnetic force of like charges repelling each other, immense pressure is required..."

"If we initially invest some energy to bring the fuel to a sufficient temperature to initiate fusion, and then stop supplying energy, if we can maintain that temperature, after a certain period of time, the temperature generated by fusion can sustain itself, allowing fusion to continue. This is called self-sustaining combustion..."

"In short, once the temperature, pressure, and time conditions are met, the fusion reaction will continue indefinitely, providing a continuous source of energy..."

Dekan continued explaining to Croix, seemingly oblivious to his own predicament.

Croix was completely confused.

"So, do we need to use this theory to develop new energy sources?"

After thinking for a long time, Croix finally felt he was beginning to understand Dekan's deeper meaning.

"No, no, no, you're overthinking it. What I mean is that the chemical reaction generated by this chaotic situation between you, Judith, and Claire has already started to escalate. The temperature and pressure are rising steadily, and now it's just a matter of time before it reaches the triple fusion stage and achieves self-sustaining combustion. At that point, even if you do nothing, it will explode every day."

Dekan explained earnestly.

Croix: "???"

The fist hardened.

He seemed to finally understand why Lunn had kicked over Delois's stove back then.

After connecting the two spatial gates, Dekan and Croix used the energy sponsored by the Chaos God to return to the Devil King Tomb through the gate of the Chaos God Realm.

From now on, any Chaos God returning to the Chaos God Realm from other worlds will be given a free ride and sent directly to the Devil King Tomb.

Then it was automatically sealed by the Demon King's magic Magic Power in the Devil King Tomb, even though Dekan was not in the Devil King Tomb.

Now Dekan and Croix finally feel like they're on a complete vacation.

In this sea of flowers, it's as if you can forget the passage of time and enjoy a moment filled with pure joy.

Even the topics of conversation became more casual.

"So Croix, if you want to avoid that irreversible ending, just follow my instructions."

Dekan said with certainty.

"... Is this all you wanted to say after all that?"

Croix was speechless.

You always look more pathetic than me...

He's not stupid.

Having been led astray twice by Dekan, Croix has developed an instinctive fear of Dekan's confidence in everyday life.

No matter how miraculous Dekan's words may sound, he should always remain skeptical of Dekan's advice regarding relationships.

"Trust me, I understand women very well."

Dekan said with absolute certainty,

"A person who has only deeply loved one woman will understand women better than someone who has loved many women."

His words made Croix hesitate for a moment.

Croix was thinking.

That does seem to make some sense.

No matter what Cornelia was thinking, Dekan could always make her happy.

That was close! I almost fell for his trick again!

Out of caution, Croix asked another question:

"Then do you know about the Ice Princess?"

Dekan was taken aback by what he heard.

He then chuckled self-deprecatingly and replied:

"I understand, I figured it out last time."

Dekan couldn't help but sigh when he recalled the scene of Ice Princess grabbing his collar and questioning him while crying.

"Although she seems to have stopped hating me on the surface, she still resents me for making her sign an idol contract back then... I really went too far back then."

"..."

Croix remained silent.

I'm glad I asked that question.

Otherwise, I almost would have believed Dekan's relationship advice!

I'm still shaken!

However, Croix couldn't help but become curious about Dekan's enigmatic thought process.

"Speaking of which, if we imagine an 'what if' scenario, you didn't choose to go to the Royal Capital enroll in the Heavenlyte Magic Academy while you were in the border town. Instead, you went to the Tristin Magic Academy and met the Ice Princess. She still faced the same crisis, but she chose to listen to you carefully and then did her best to help you. How would you view her?"

Croix thought for a moment, then asked, using the term "if line" that Dekan had used.

"Hiss... According to your assumptions, if there was no conflict between us when we first met, then there's no question of revenge..."

Dekan covered his chin and thought seriously for a while.

"But if things continued like this, her musical talent would be buried. It wasn't until later that I realized she was an even more exceptional songstress than Flora."

"?"

Croix's eyelids twitched as she listened, unsure of what to say, and could only silently mourn for the Ice Princess.

"You get it now? Even if Altis had ten lifetimes, she still couldn't handle Delois."

Talomati had appeared beside Dekan at some point and leaned out to speak to Croix.

Croix nodded helplessly.

He knew that Altis, the Jailer on the fourth level of the Demon Realm Prison, was the reincarnation of Ice Princess.

The encounter between Altis and Delois was very similar to the encounter between Ice Princess and Dekan.

They always start by arguing, and then become friends.

The only difference is that back then, Delois received help from Altis, but was unable to rescue Altis, who was the Jailer in the Demon Realm Prison. Therefore, he made a promise upon parting—

If I ever meet her again, I will rescue her no matter what danger she is in.

In any case, this promise was indeed fulfilled ten thousand years later.

"Unfortunately, I've only witnessed six fragments and one dream of the Holy Kingdom era so far. Now that I think about it carefully, I didn't realize how many old friends there were when I challenged the first few Shadow World."

Upon hearing Talomati mention the Holy Kingdom Demon Realm, Dekan sighed.

"I know quite a bit."

"Talomati said."

Tell me about it.

"Beg me."

"..."

The three figures walked and talked inside the Devil King Tomb. Dekan and Talomati were arguing, while Croix occasionally showed a helpless smile.

In this Demon King's Tomb, which is completely different from what it was ten thousand years ago, only the unchanging breeze gently brushes against the petals, as if continuing a dream from another world.

Before long, they all arrived at the border of the Devil King Tomb.

This place is protected by a barrier.

Even though Dekan had visited the Devil King Tomb many times, he rarely came to this spot.

"Sigh, having a portal is still the most convenient thing."

Dekan shrugged and smiled.

The Spatial Leap Gate is used as a hypothetical express extension between the Chaos God Realm and the Devil King Tomb.

Therefore, it can no longer be used to teleport away from the Devil King Tomb.

At this moment, Dekan and Croix are in a similar situation to Sion and Ikatinos before them, trapped in the Devil King Tomb and unable to teleport back to the real world.

The problem isn't a lack of energy; rather, the Spatial Leap Gate has been used for other purposes.

"Then let's begin our adventure!"

He looked at Croix and said.

"No problem."

Croix nodded, not nervous at all.

Now they only have one way to return to the Norton Kingdom --

Dekan, who had completely taken control of the Devil King Tomb, opened the entrance to the Devil King Tomb, directly entering the shattered Demon Realm, and then headed south through the border of the Demon Realm into the Salon Empire!

Originally, Dekan could have taken Sion through the portal to the outside of the Devil King Tomb and then tried to walk back, but the Demon Realm in the present world is a barren, poisonous Purgatory, and they would have died before they even reached the halfway point.

"Demon Realm, your emperor has returned!"

As Dekan opened the barrier of the Devil King Tomb, the Demon Realm, now destroyed, finally appeared before them.

Dark raindrops drifted down from the sky, a dark, howling wind swept across the heavens, and every now and then a sudden flash of red lightning would illuminate the sky, followed by a continuous rumble of thunder.

This gloomy, broken world, stained with darkness and crimson, seemed to be permeated with an endless poisonous fog, converging on the ground to form a rolling, flowing path to the underworld.

They stepped into the Demon Realm without hesitation.

Talomati's Magic Power temporarily shielded her from the corrosive influence of the Demon Realm's environment.

But this is not a long-term solution.

Even Croix's healing couldn't sustain him and Dekan's journey from the Devil King Tomb to the border of the Demon Realm.

His magical power was far from sufficient to sustain the high-intensity treatment for nearly two weeks.

However, they never intended to rely on treatment to forcibly escape the poison.

It is obvious that the environment around the Devil King Tomb is much better than that in the distance.

It was as if it had been cleansed a few months ago.

This was a hypothesis that Dekan and Croix had proposed before they left the Devil King Tomb, before heading to the Chaos God Realm.

The feasibility of forcibly dispelling the toxic haze and pollution of the Demon Realm!

Now.

That's exactly what they're going to accomplish.

The Holy Emperor and the Demon King's final task.

"Lunn must have harbored complex feelings toward the Demon Realm until the very end."

Croix looked at the Demon Realm as it was now, muttering to himself.

On this land polluted by poisonous miasma, it seems that not a single ray of sunlight can ever reach it; deep cracks resemble wounds gnawing at the earth.

The Demon Realm was once Lunn's greatest enemy in his life.

This resolute and fearless human hero once believed that defeating the demons and protecting the Holy Kingdom was his life's mission.

In the end, it was Delois and Talomati, two demons, who fought alongside him to the very end.

Even if the Holy Kingdom ultimately falls apart and becomes the Salon Empire and various kingdoms, the survival of the people on that land is largely thanks to the help of our demon friends.

It's hard to say whether it's cause and effect or retribution.

Or was it destined?

Or perhaps there are countless unresolved grudges and feuds.

"In any case, I think this is also Lunn's last wish. Just as Delois would do anything to save the Holy Kingdom, Lunn would save the Demon Realm if he had a way."

Croix already had two Magic Cards in her hand.

These are [Blood Destruction] and [Holy Emperor's Will to Fight to the Death].

In the past, the Holy Rite Church sealed away all Blood Race, saving humanity from the Scourge of the Blood Race. The first Holy Emperor unified human kingdoms and established the Holy Kingdom. Years later, the Holy Kingdom was corrupted by the Chaos God, gradually decaying and falling into depravity. The last Holy Emperor propped up the crumbling edifice, but it was only a fleeting moment of glory.

The Holy Kingdom began with the annihilation of the Blood Race and ended with the Holy Emperor's desperate battle.

It is a piece of history, somewhat regrettable, that has been forgotten by the world.

Like fireworks, they burned brightly in the eyes of heroes before suddenly plummeting down.

But no one, not even Delois and Lunn, could have imagined that the final symbol left by this Holy Kingdom's history would become a gift for saving the Demon Realm ten thousand years later.

When Croix recovers to the peak Magic Power of Lunn, coupled with the power of the God of Life, a destructive wave of Magic Power can sweep away the vast poisonous miasma in the Demon Realm!

This is a completely new miracle that arises from the convergence of three miracles.

This land, once known as the Demon Realm, will eventually be reborn.

At this moment, three figures were flying in the air above the rugged mountains of the Demon Realm using wind magic.

Once they're a little further away from the Devil King Tomb, they'll conduct their first "Purification explosion."

"Croix, are you ready?!"

Faced with this desolate place where the slightest misstep could mean certain death, Dekan's face broke into a bright smile, his spirited demeanor resembling that of a young adventurer.

"Of course. I feel that all of Lunn's regrets have been made up for."

Croix smiled with relief.

They will walk from the old site of the Demon Realm Prison, cross the Demon Realm, reach the northern border of the Salon Empire, and then travel south from the northernmost part of the empire, passing through the Northern Nations, and return to the Norton Kingdom!

At this very moment, it is just like the path that Delois and his companions walked ten thousand years ago!

"Last time, it wasn't just Lunn who didn't come with you."

Talomati added from the side.

Ten thousand years ago, when Delois infiltrated the Demon Realm Prison, Lunn, who did not yet trust Delois, merely gave Delois a magical device that could remotely monitor Delois and provide Delois with some support.

At that time, Talomati was completely unaware in the Demon Realm that Delois had impersonated her and infiltrated the Demon Realm Prison!

Dekan smiled helplessly, but it was a very happy smile.

"I understand, Talomati! If there's a next reincarnation, I'll kidnap you even if I have to use a crutch! I won't leave you alone in the Demon Realm!"

His smile was like a dazzling star, shining with infinite light, as if it could transcend the barriers of time and space and reach the depths of her heart.

Talomati nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"To be honest, it's really a bit surreal."

Croix didn't know why.

Even though a world of death, painted in red and black, awaited them ahead, he felt no oppression whatsoever during this journey to the Demon Realm.

All he knew was that it would be a good trip.

"That's the romance of the Demon Realm! Even though it's reduced to ruins, you can still feel its extraordinary nature!"

On the long road, in the dark rain and mist, their figures grew smaller and smaller.

Only their carefree and high-spirited laughter echoed on the horizon of the Demon Realm at dawn!