Ch.136The Demon Realm. (3)

“……5 years?”

Olivia let out a hollow laugh. She had expected a difference of a few months at most, but it had been 5 years.

Even considering the different time ratios between the demon realm and the human world… this was too extreme.

In the previous cycle, she had stayed for exactly ten days. That meant the time ratio was about one year for every two days.

She could somewhat understand if the ratio had widened once when moving through the timeline and again when crossing dimensions, but…

“I suppose something important happened?”

Asmodeus looked slightly surprised. He apparently hadn’t expected Olivia to react so violently.

But she couldn’t help it. This one thing had collapsed most of the plans she had carefully laid out.

“Let me make a proposal.”

“…A proposal?”

Asmodeus approached until he was right in front of her.

“If you grant one of my requests, I’ll open a [Gate] to the human world.”

“What’s this request?”

“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you in advance.”

He called it a request, but it was essentially a contract.

Taking a part of her body would be the least of her concerns. He might even put her soul up as collateral.

Olivia snorted and said:

“Do you think I’d accept such a ridiculous request?”

“Do you have time for wordplay right now?”

“It’s already been 5 years, what difference would a few more days make?”

“Are you sure about that?”

Dark red demonic energy rippled, creating a mirror. It was a mirror reflecting the human world.

Tss-tss-tss! The mirror instantly split into dozens of pieces, arranging themselves in sequence in midair.

A group of holy knights in full armor was charging across the land. Not ordinary land, but land contaminated with demonic energy.

[…Fight!]

[Don’t fall back! The Holy Knight Order will buy time! The wounded retreat to the second line!]

A black hole had opened in the sky.

Monsters were crawling out through that hole.

[Push forward!]

[The Three Mages will join soon!]

Not far away, three people appeared.

The Three Mages.

Literally three wizards.

They were faces Olivia knew well.

Only then did Olivia truly realize that five years had indeed passed.

Aramis and Ro had grown much taller. Now Olivia would have to look up at them.

Her disciples, who had completely shed their youthful appearance, were firing powerful spells at the monsters.

[Everyone get out of the way! Unless you want to die!]

Glacia appeared with a growl and immediately breathed out.

The monsters that had recklessly charged forward froze just from being touched by the intense cold breath.

Olivia smiled bitterly.

To think they had grown so much.

How much had they experienced during those 5 years?

Crack!

When Asmodeus snapped his fingers, the mirrors shattered one after another.

“That’s all for the preview.”

Asmodeus’s expression showed disappointment.

“You don’t seem moved? Perhaps the situation isn’t urgent enough?”

“You know it well.”

Olivia deliberately spoke provocatively.

Without special variables, the demon realm and human world were originally connected only in the extreme latter part of the story. But this time, the [Passage] had opened too early.

‘It’s probably not a permanent [Passage].’

If that was the case, it was likely an artificial [Passage] created by Asmodeus himself.

If she had accepted Asmodeus’s request, he would have surely offered that [Passage] as a way back to the human world.

Olivia let out a hollow laugh.

‘…Vicious bastard.’

A [Gate] to the demon realm and a [Passage] were different.

With a [Gate], the Greater Demon pays the price directly when creating it, so there’s virtually no burden when crossing dimensions, but not with a [Passage].

Both the price and the burden must be borne directly by the human using the [Passage].

Even if she could somehow pay the price, there was no way to avoid bearing the burden of crossing dimensions.

‘…I might even pass out.’

Asmodeus had never intended to make a fair deal from the beginning.

If she collapsed from the burden, he would immediately retrieve her to the demon realm and use her body for the Demon God’s descent.

The corner of Asmodeus’s mouth lifted slightly.

“Shall I raise the difficulty a bit? Would that change your mind?”

Since he had created the [Passage] himself, he could control the number of monsters crossing through it as he wished.

Of course, even if the number of monsters increased several times, it didn’t seem like the humans would be pushed back, but if casualties increased, that would be enough.

After all, this was just a game to provoke Olivia.

She didn’t underestimate Olivia. Her opponent was a monster who had gained the upper hand against two Dragon Lords.

That’s why she had made thorough preparations in her own way.

Olivia smirked. She could clearly see what Asmodeus was thinking.

A Greater Demon, one level above the Demon Lord in cunning.

Olivia checked the pulsing magical power in her heart. There seemed to be no need to summon her staff.

She could obtain a [Gate] back to the human world from another Greater Demon.

‘This bastard won’t do.’

Frost began to rise from where Olivia’s feet touched the ground.

Tss-tss-tss-tss-tss!

The expression on Olivia’s face that Asmodeus saw was full of certainty and anger. By the time Asmodeus noticed the anomaly, the air where she stood was already half-frozen.

‘So fast…!’

Asmodeus hurriedly spread demonic energy to resist the cold. Almost simultaneously, monsters that had been hiding in the ground burst forth.

Kwaaang!

The smaller monsters exploded, spewing acidic bodily fluids in all directions. Taking advantage of the distraction, huge monsters charged forward with their large claws and gaping maws.

I knew this would happen.

Olivia smiled grimly and stretched both hands to the sides.

When she spread her hands wide, the cold air took the form of giant hands. Olivia grabbed the body of a huge monster, then twisted and broke it. The monster’s body shattered like a cracker.

Chwaaak!

Asmodeus quickly retreated and tore off his right arm that had frozen and become useless. Before the blood gushing from the wound could touch the ground, a new arm had already grown.

‘…She shouldn’t have been able to use her body for 5 years.’

A strange light flashed in Asmodeus’s eyes.

He had thought she wouldn’t be able to demonstrate her full abilities after being asleep for 5 years, but that wasn’t the case.

‘Am I going to lose?’

Asmodeus smiled demonically. How does this human always exceed expectations?

It didn’t take long for the surroundings to be covered with monster corpses.

Asmodeus met the same fate.

With a ripping sound, Asmodeus’s body was torn apart. His ragged body rolled helplessly on the floor.

“Heh… hehe…”

Asmodeus smiled as he watched Olivia approach. Black blood dripped from both corners of his mouth.

“…Indeed, the title of Duke of the East was far from sufficient.”

“You’re only realizing that now?”

A faint sigh passed through Asmodeus’s eyes as he glared at Olivia.

“I understand why the Demon God chose you. Who would think of you as human?”

“If you understand, run far away. I might come looking for you in the north.”

A pause.

“…You really are amazing.”

Asmodeus let out a hollow laugh.

He had been skeptical, but it seemed she had figured out this was an avatar body in that short time.

“How did you know? That this was fake?”

The performance was perfect. He had even inscribed the power of regeneration to deceive her better… but she saw through it clearly.

“You smiled.”

“What?”

“You. You don’t smile when you’re dying.”

“…So?”

“You deny it. Claiming you couldn’t possibly feel emotions like fear. Denying it until the very end…”

Olivia deliberately paused mid-sentence and looked down at Asmodeus’s avatar body. Asmodeus’s face, split in half, was horribly distorted.

[…How dare you, I indulged you a little and you don’t know your place…]

Pa-tss-tss-tss-tss!

The moment Olivia gestured, lightning crackled and struck Asmodeus. His avatar body, fried by lightning, scattered into ashes. Olivia clicked her tongue and brushed off the blood splattered on her body.

“A bastard who doesn’t know his place and talks too much.”

[‘Master of Southern Abyss’, ‘Baphomet’ has detected your presence.]

Olivia slowly turned her head.

Not far away, she could see a massive active volcano.

‘At least I got some useful information.’

The fact that her disciples from the Empire were moving with the Holy Knight Order meant that at least the Holy Kingdom and the Empire were not at war.

‘And it seems Kiel didn’t start a civil war either.’

She could deduce quite a lot through her disciples’ survival. Though they didn’t appear in the scene Asmodeus had shown, Melina and Livga were probably not far away.

That’s a relief.

A real relief.

Olivia rubbed her face. Before her relieved eyes, a notification window appeared.

[The owner of Clue #11 is the ‘Serial Murderer’.]

Wait a minute.

In the previous cycle, the Greater Demon Baphomet was annihilated by the Serial Murderer.

That happened exactly in Imperial Year 998.

‘If it’s 993 now…’

Baphomet must be in the middle of his “work.”

Olivia smiled.

[‘Master of Southern Abyss’, ‘Baphomet’ is wary of you.]

It seemed she would be able to return to the human world soon.