Chapter 206

Chapter 206. The Road to the Summit (1)

When [Fortress Prison] was released, we were freed from Château d’If.

After giving Alexei a few brief instructions, I sent Princess Longji back to the Spirit Realm.

Then I returned to the Spirit Realm myself and headed for the Count’s throne.

"..."

The Count’s throne was completely unlike the flamboyant life he had led.

The space itself seemed smaller than my own throne.

All it contained was a projection-type Observer, a single chair, and one storage chest.

When I opened the chest, I found it about half-filled with documents.

But I immediately felt that someone had already gone through them.

Taigong Wang’s side... must have removed anything that couldn’t be allowed to fall into my hands.

I examined the documents and found a few hints.

But just as the Count had said, they were only hints.

It seemed I would have to uncover the truth of this world myself.

While searching, I discovered a single note.

A set of coordinates was written on it.

“This is... a Gate?”

When I moved to those coordinates, I found a passage floating in empty space that led down to the Material Realm.

It resembled the Gate that briefly opened whenever Number 49 descended.

“So the Count... used this Gate to travel to the Material Realm.”

One mystery I had wondered about for a long time had finally been solved.

By using this passage, a Constellation could descend to the Material Realm without relying on a Skill like [Avatar Descent].

However...

because this meant the Constellation’s true body descended rather than an avatar, there would be no way to immediately return to the Spirit Realm in an emergency.

If I suffered a fatal injury in the Material Realm...

I would perish for real.

“If I use this...”

I stared at the Gate and fell into thought.

I began thinking about what I could accomplish with it.

"..."

I opened my status window.

My Origin Power, which had previously been around 80 billion points, had now risen past the trillion-point mark.

That was because the Count had transferred more than one trillion Origin Power to me.

And if I uploaded an edited version of my battle with the Count to Constellation Tube...

it would rise even further.

More than one trillion Origin Power...

What could I do with this?

What should I do with the power the Count had left behind?

After returning to my throne, I cut off all contact with the outside world and thought alone.

In the Material Realm, Kang Yujin and the Eight Guardians were probably already beginning their operation to reclaim North Korea.

And in the Spirit Realm, rumors about the disappearance of the Count and Yang Jian were likely spreading everywhere.

But I didn’t bother checking.

I simply continued thinking about what I should do next.

More than a month passed that way.

“Lord Nameless!!”

Number 49, finally permitted to enter my throne again, came rushing toward me.

“What have you been doing all this time?! You suddenly became a complete shut-in! What the hell happened?!”

Number 49 grabbed the hem of my clothes and bounced up and down in place.

“Lord Nameless, if something is troubling you, tell me! I’ll listen to everything!”

“I probably won’t be able to give you much useful advice, but they say simply talking about your problems can make you feel better!”

“I’m fine.”

“Stop pretending you’re fine!”

“What kind of relationship do we have?! We’re partners, partners!”

“If something’s difficult, we should share the burden!”

“Number 49.”

I extended my right hand toward her.

“Wah! No violence!”

Apparently thinking I was about to hit her on the head, Number 49 shrank back.

But I merely tapped her lightly on the head.

“Sorry for making you worry.”

“Huh?”

Number 49 flinched and looked around.

“Did the sun rise in the west today?”

“You can’t even see the sun rise in the Spirit Realm.”

After answering, I looked at her face.

The youthful, androgynous clown.

Arlecchino Number 49.

“Come to think of it, you were the first person I met after becoming a Constellation.”

“What? Well... yes.”

The first Constellation I had met was the Count.

But before that, the first being I had encountered in the Spirit Realm was Number 49.

And ever since then, she had constantly hovered around me and supported me.

“Number 49.”

“What?”

“Don’t go anywhere.”

“Huh?”

“Stay by my side.”

What if I lost Number 49 too...

just like I had lost the Count?

The thought suddenly crossed my mind.

And I decided I had to prevent that from happening.

“Um... what is this?”

“A proposal?”

“Are you proposing to me?”

“Why would you interpret it that way?”

“No, because this is kind of... weird.”

“You’re important to me, so I’m telling you not to disappear.”

“If necessary, I’ll protect you.”

"..."

Number 49 suddenly took several steps backward.

“W-What is really going on?”

“Did you suddenly awaken to your love for me or something?”

“You weren’t the kind of person who would say things like, ‘I’ll protect you.’”

“Am I not allowed to?”

“Was that why you shut yourself away for more than a month?”

“Were you agonizing over whether to confess to me?”

“Oh no. This is serious. How am I supposed to answer...?”

“That’s not it, so stop worrying about nonsense.”

“Then what is this supposed to be?”

Number 49 pouted.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you intend to keep staying beside me?”

“I’ve been doing that this whole time.”

“You’re not secretly planning to stab me in the back, are you?”

“You still suspect me?!”

“I’ve devoted myself to you all this time, and you still don’t trust me?!”

“That’s seriously cruel!”

“I trust you.”

“That’s why I’m more worried.”

“What does that even mean?!”

“You sound like some paranoid husband!”

After the Count stabbed me in the back, I couldn’t completely stop a small part of myself from suspecting Number 49 too.

Surely there wasn’t going to be some absurd twist where Number 49 had been hiding an enormous secret all along...

Right?

“If you’re that worried about me betraying you, put a dog collar on me and keep me beside you!”

“Of course, then I won’t be able to get any work done!”

“Number 49.”

“Yes?”

“Speaking of work, I have something for you.”

"..."

Number 49’s shoulders instantly drooped.

“I knew it.”

“It always ends with you giving me more work.”

“Our relationship exists because of work.”

“We’re business partners. Of course we have to talk about work.”

“Then what was all that stuff earlier about staying beside you and you protecting me?!”

Number 49 let out a long sigh.

“Well, fine.”

“I’ve only been making Lord Jason’s videos lately anyway, so I’ve been pretty free.”

“I can pull a few all-nighters for several days.”

“Let’s work ourselves to death again.”

“Thanks.”

“You really are the only one I can rely on.”

“Please stop throwing sweet words at me just so you can work me harder.”

“I’m going to do it anyway.”

She fired off the words in rapid succession, then sharply turned her head away.

“So something really did happen.”

“You’ve become strangely emotional.”

After muttering quietly, Number 49 looked back at me.

“So what are we making?”

“Well, first...”

I manipulated the Observer and selected footage I had copied in advance.

“Let’s start with a video about a major Constellation who had been secretly manipulating a rookie Constellation from the very beginning.”

“What?”

“We’ll start there.”

This was only the beginning.

We also had to turn my duel with the Count at Château d’If into something resembling a film and upload it.

Then we needed another video emphasizing how great an existence I had become after inheriting the Count’s legacy.

And after that...

“I’m going to take the world.”

It was time to begin the real fight.

Paris, France.

One of Europe’s greatest cities.

Once, it had also been one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world.

But it was now difficult to find any trace of the Paris that had once existed.

That was because Governor-General Marbas, Number 5 of the Seventy-Two Demons, had completely remodeled the city into the center of Pandemonium’s Western European territory.

The Arc de Triomphe had been transformed into a demonic monument praising Pandemonium’s victory.

The Eiffel Tower had been snapped in half and deliberately left that way as a symbol of humanity’s defeat.

The Louvre, once one of the three great museums of the world, had become Marbas’s palace.

Then again, the Louvre had originally been a royal palace of the old Kingdom of France.

Perhaps it was now being used closer to its original purpose.

“Huh...?”

The Sully Wing stood at the center of the Louvre’s three main wings.

Marbas’s office was located there, and a considerable number of demon soldiers always patrolled its corridors.

But today...

those guards experienced something they had never encountered before.

“What the hell? Why is water coming in here?”

“It isn’t even raining outside!”

“Did a water pipe burst?”

Water suddenly began flooding the corridors.

It rose rapidly to their knees.

Before they could properly react, it had already reached their chests.

“The windows! Open the windows!”

The guards hurriedly threw open the tightly sealed windows.

They had no idea what was happening.

They simply thought they needed to drain the water first.

But it did nothing.

“Why isn’t the water draining outside even though the windows are open?!”

It made no sense.

The water had already risen over their heads.

And yet not a single drop flowed through the open windows.

Eventually, the guards began leaping outside one after another...

only to witness a bizarre sight unlike anything they had ever seen.

"...!"

It wasn’t only the Sully Wing.

The Denon Wing and Richelieu Wing on either side were submerged as well.

And yet...

outside the buildings, not a single drop of water could be seen.

It was as though the water itself possessed a will and was deliberately swallowing the entire Louvre.

“What the hell is happening?”

“Could this be a human attack?”

“There are Contractors with water-manipulation abilities, but I’ve never seen anyone control this much water.”

“Exactly. If humans had power like this, would they have ever lost to us?”

Demons had fled from the other buildings as well, crowding the central courtyard.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“G-Governor-General Marbas!”

A huge demon with the head of a lion stood there with his eyes wide.

He was Marbas, the current master of the Louvre and Governor-General of Hell who commanded thirty-six legions.

“This is clearly an attack by humans!”

“How did no one notice?!”

“What were the guards outside doing?!”

“T-That is...”

“The Louvre is the center of our rule over Western Europe!”

“An attack can never be allowed here!”

“So how did this happen...?!”

At that exact moment...

an arrow suddenly flew in and buried itself in Marbas’s shoulder.

“Gah!”

“G-Governor-General Marbas!!”

Everyone stared in shock at the arrow lodged deep inside the shoulder of a Demon God-class demon.

An ordinary Contractor could never accomplish such a thing.

“W-Who was that?!”

“Where are they?!”

The arrow had come from the right.

The demons looked toward the Denon Wing.

A neatly dressed man stood on its rooftop.

He held a large bow and wore a brilliant smile.

“Pleasure to meet you, demons.”

“W-Who the hell are you?!”

“If someone asks, a hero should answer.”

The man raised his bow and aimed at Marbas again.

“I am the S-rank Constellation ‘Wise Returner.’”

“My true name is Odysseus.”

The moment they heard the name...

the demons doubted their own ears.

“W-What? A Constellation? Odysseus?”

“Ah! I’ve seen paintings of him in museums!”

“The Greek hero who built the wooden horse during the Trojan War...!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Why would a Constellation be here?!”

Most of the demons looked unable to believe what they were seeing.

Only Marbas narrowed his eyes and glared at Odysseus.

“I have heard that certain Constellations possess the ability to descend directly into the Material Realm...”

“Do you have such power as well?”

After speaking, Marbas grabbed the arrow buried in his shoulder.

“Pathetic!”

He ripped it out in one motion.

“A Constellation?”

“I commend your courage in attacking alone, but what exactly do you think a single Constellation can accomplish?”

It was natural for Marbas to think that way.

Demons generally did not fear Constellations.

Constellations were, after all, beings who had once been human.

Why should demons fear humans?

That tendency was even stronger among the Seventy-Two Demons at the summit of Pandemonium.

There were only seventy-two of them, an elite few.

Constellations numbered in the thousands.

To them, Constellations were little more than a gathering of random nobodies.

“An S-rank Constellation? How laughable!”

“I’ll personally deal with...”

Marbas’s boast abruptly stopped.

Another arrow flew from the opposite side...

from the Richelieu Wing on the left.

It buried itself in Marbas’s other shoulder.

“G-Gah!”

Marbas twisted from the second impact.

The surrounding demons erupted in shock again.

“My apologies for the late introduction.”

A pale-skinned man stood on the roof of the Richelieu Wing, holding a bow.

“I am the S-rank Constellation ‘Pure-White Hero.’”

“Arjuna.”

“W-What?!”

“That last shot was merely a greeting, so I used an ordinary arrow.”

“From the next one onward, I’ll be firing Astras.”

“You should prepare yourselves.”

“W-What...?!”

S-rank Constellations wielding bows had appeared on both sides.

As the demons reeled from that realization...

the sound of approaching footsteps came from outside.

“W-What now?”

“Those people...!”

A group of men was walking through the main entrance.

Every one of them wore metal armor.

Their every movement carried the discipline of trained knights.

“Do I really have to introduce myself one by one?”

The young man at the front muttered uncertainly.

The men behind him immediately began speaking over one another.

“That seems to be the mood.”

“I have no particular preference. You may speak for us, Sir.”

“That would be best. For now, you are our representative.”

“I suppose I have no choice.”

The young man at the front sighed deeply.

Then he drew the sword at his waist.

The blade shone so brilliantly that the demons narrowed their eyes.

“Hear me, demons of Pandemonium!”

His voice rang out with majestic force.

He looked like a king leading an order of knights.

“I am the A-rank Constellation ‘Knight of Ruin,’ Mordred!”

“Together with the Knights of the Round Table, I have come to this land to liberate Paris!”

"...!"

He smiled at the stunned demons.

“I even recognize a few faces I vaguely remember seeing in Hell.”

“I never imagined we would all escape Hell and meet again like this.”

“Y-You...!”

“Knights of the Round Table, advance!”

“Exterminate the demons here!”

At Mordred’s command...

the Knights of the Round Table charged.

And a merciless slaughter began.