Chapter 316: Chapter 317

Communication in [Ullo] was based on mana. Mana could be injected to change the communication area, and depending on the amount injected, it could carry your voice to someone far away.

Ullo was able to communicate across continents using only mana. Each communicator was connected by an invisible mana circuit. A sort of wide area network of communication was created.

Cadel’s plan was to use the [Ullo] to send a ‘warning message’ that would cut through the chaos, and to do so, he needed enough mana to overwhelm the mana circuits across the entire continent.

“Kunra!”

As soon as they set foot in the Mountains of Silence, the Scarlet Dragon that had carried Cadel disappeared. In its place, the humanoid form of Kunra loomed in the distance.

“I’m sure you didn’t come here to hide alone. What’s your intention, halfling?”

Cadel lunged forward and grabbed Kunra’s arm. Kunra flinched at the sudden proximity of the small face, but his features crumpled as he waited for Cadel’s next words.

“Lend me some mana!”

“I thought I already lent it to you.”

“Come on, Kunra. I need the mana of your main body. Enough mana to affect this communicator and all other communicators connected to it.”

As Cadel rushed to explain how [Ullo] functioned, Kunra looked unimpressed.

“I told you that this one would never come forward in person.”

“You said you wouldn’t go out of the mountains, so I came to you, and all you have to do is stay here and lend me your mana.”

It was Kunra’s power that provided the means, but Cadel was steadfast. Kunra was silent for a moment, looking into Cadel’s steady eyes.

He had helped the humans by sharing his power with them, but he was not on their side. All he wanted was peace. Not human peace, but world peace. For him, the extermination of both races, humans and demons, would be the cleanest way to accomplish this. Once the seeds of conflict were eradicated, the peace he hoped for would come.

The thought crossed his mind, but he shook it off. The balance had been tipped from the moment he’d given Cadel his power. No, it had been foreseen from the moment he’d lent his aid to those ridiculous little rascals they called the ‘Seven Knights’. A future of endlessly lending strength to these squishy little humans.

“Are you saying that all I have to do is touch the mana circuit of this piece of metal called [Ullo]?”

“Yes! As soon as possible!”

“Don’t fuss.”

A crimson aura surged through Kunra’s entire body as he released his power. At the same time, there was a heat in the air that was strong enough to make one’s body burn just by standing nearby. Cadel watched [Ullo] float upward at Kunra’s brief gesture through the shield.

High in the sky, the [Ullo] began to vibrate with a low resonant sound. Kunra’s crimson energy surged out at a rapid pace as it was absorbed by the floating [Ullo]. Infused with the Scarlet Dragon’s energy, the [Ullo] wavered precariously, as if it could be destroyed at any moment. One could almost hear a bursting sound.

‘Please hang in there.’

If [Ullo] was destroyed here, unable to withstand Kunra’s power, the entire plan would be thwarted. In the worst-case scenario, the main quest would never even begin, and the Human Realm would be destroyed.

Cadel stared at the sky with his hands clasped together in prayer. And then, the next moment.

Chiing―.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of beams of light stretched out from [Ullo]. Tightly intertwined like a spider’s web, the beams of light traveled at the speed of light, covering a vast range from the other side of the mountain range to the horizon and beyond. It was [Ullo’s] mana circuit.

The mana circuit within Kunra’s energy was expanding, glowing dazzlingly.

“I don’t think the device will last much longer. Hurry up, halfling.”

Having finished his task, Kunra snatched up the falling [Ullo] and tossed it to Cadel. Cadel caught the [Ullo] and immediately activated his communicator. It was still a jumbled mess of gibberish, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about his voice being drowned out.

* * *

[This is Cadel Lytos, the Commander of the Scarlet Scales Knight Order. The great magic circle has been activated. The ground is collapsing due to the summoning of the underground demon cities, and all magicians are requested to quickly destroy their respective magic circles. If the summoning of the demon cities is complete, the humans will be defeated. I repeat: Magicians assigned to each zone must prioritize the destruction of the magic circle…….]

There was a murmur of unfinished sentences, and then the communication was cut off. Cadel’s voice, which had suppressed all of [Ullo]’s communications for a very short time, served as a command to Dunkelhai and Snivec, where the summoning of the demon cities was in progress, as well as to soldiers in other locations who were assessing the situation.

“……You heard him, Sir Lydon.”

As Garuel spoke, ending [Ullo]’s communication, Lydon landed on the ground, pouting. He stomped impatiently on the shaky ground and burrowed into the gap between the rattling pillars.

“No mana, no wings. Everyone else is pathetic and I’m always the one suffering.”

With a sigh, Lydon reinforced his barrier and set to work on destroying the magic circle. The others stood back and watched from a distance.

“Looks like demon cities are already popping up in areas where Commander is. I hope he’s okay.”

“He went with Scarlet Dragon, so I’m sure everything will be fine.”

After answering Van’s concerns, Lumen glanced to the side to see Yozen, who had already discovered the demon city. After alerting his companions to the city’s existence, he had taken up residence in a safe place and was using the dark energy he had scattered to determine its size.

“Yozen. How close are we to the city?”

“50 meters below.”

“50 meters…….”

The speed of the ascent was alarming. At this rate, it would take less than 15 minutes for the city to break through the ground.

Lumen’s gaze turned to Lydon once more. Lydon’s skills were outstanding, but it was doubtful that he could destroy that magic circle in 15 minutes.

“Sir Garuel. Is there no mana to help Lydon?”

“If destroying the circle was all that mattered, I might be able to do it, but given the battle that’s coming up, I can’t afford to spend any more mana. In the first place, my mana wouldn’t be of much help.”

“If so…….”

“Let’s wait and see.”

Garuel smiled lightly, as if to ease Lumen’s concerns, and continued.

“Our Knight Commander is a person who cares for his subordinates more than anyone else, right? He won’t leave his poor subordinates to face the demon city alone.”

* * *

Garuel’s belief was correct. After completing communication with the entire continent through [Ullo], Cadel headed to the Knight Order’s residence faster than anyone else.

“Pick up the pace! Faster! Fly faster!”

As he frantically pounded the scales, he heard Kunra’s irritated voice.

[Any faster and you’ll fall off, halfling. I’m being considerate, but you’re not.]

“I’ll take care of myself, so just speed it up, okay?”

[The level at which you can endure on your own……. Forget it.]

As if giving up on persuasion, Kunra abruptly shifted his center of gravity. Cadel’s scales slipped from his grip on the forward slope, and his body gave way. Cadel, who had plummeted as if falling, was about to scream.

Suddenly.

Kunra’s gaping maw swallowed Cadel whole.

“What, what the hell……?”

Cadel blinked dazedly in the hot, dark space that resembled a steam room. It wasn’t until he realized he was in Kunra’s mouth that he began to protest, but the threat of ‘I’m going to swallow you, so stay quiet’ made his impatience subside.

Crossing the continent at top speed, it took Cadel only 10 minutes to arrive in front of the Knight Order.

“Commander!”

Cadel clung to Van’s shoulder as he was the first to arrive and peered over the edge. He couldn’t see the city yet, but there was a considerable amount of demonic energy surging around the magic circle fragment.

“Where’s Lydon? Is he in there?”

“Yes. He has been working on deactivating it since 10 minutes ago.”

“Okay, you all stay back.”

Cadel left his subordinates behind and headed straight for the magic circle, not forgetting to equip them with scale armor and wind barriers as he went.

“Lydon!”

“Wow, darling. You’re finally here. If you’d been any later, I’d have used up all my energy and we wouldn’t have been able to have a second baby.”

“Looks like you’re still alive and well. Move.”

Forcing Lydon to his feet, Cadel took his place. He spread both hands and touched the magic circle and spoke in a low voice.

“Stay up there, Lydon, it could be dangerous.”

Lydon nodded and took flight. At the same time, Cadel’s pendant glowed brightly. Instead of coloring Cadel’s vision, the intense light was absorbed into his body. Cadel’s pupils constricted vertically as they narrowed like snakes in response to the energy.

‘Looks like Lydon’s been working hard. I just need to touch it a little bit.’

He checked the magic circle’s formulas and smiled faintly. Thanks to the lovely fairy, he had less work to do. Immediately after a satisfied inhalation, Cadel released a large amount of mana without any obstruction.

Swoosh―

A denser mana infused with Kunra’s energy, a new technique learned from the Scarlet Dragon’s eccentric tutelage. Kunra’s energy filled in the destructive power that Cadel’s multi-attribute mana lacked.

Sparks flared along the lines of the magic circle, and a strong wind rushed around them. The hot air swirled around him like a vortex, engulfing the pillar of demonic energy around him. The pillar of demonic energy bent, and the demonic energy, spreading like mist, was swept away by the heat.

A mere ten seconds. That was how long it took for Cadel’s mana to disperse the demonic energy around him, destroy the magic circle, and quell the earth’s vibrations.

The circle no longer glowed. Brushing a hand through his disheveled hair, he slowly rose to his feet and stared at a point in the air, muttering to himself.

“It’s darn hard to start a war.”

「Main quest ‘Demon War – Prequel’ accepted!」

「Complete the quest to progress through the story. Rewards will be given.」

「There are required conditions for this quest.」

「Demon Realm Summoning Progress : 21%」

「Human Realm Invasion Progress : 70%」

「Drop each progress down to ‘0’. Quest fails when reaching ‘100’.」

「On failure, the world will be destroyed.」