Ch.162Demon Lord Belphegor (1)

# Demon Lord Belphegor (1)

At that moment, Lug and Lilith were sweating as they stared at the now-empty cave.

The two people who should have been fighting fiercely by now had vanished.

There was no other commotion nearby to suggest they had simply moved elsewhere.

It was impossible for those two to fight quietly in the first place.

So what had happened?

“Th-this can’t be. I definitely sent His Majesty this way…”

Lug glanced at Lilith, wondering if she might have deceived him, but she seemed just as clueless about the situation.

This predicament wasn’t just a problem for Lug alone.

After all, hadn’t the hero’s party been planning to work with La•Pa to defeat Belphegor?

Among countless impossibilities, that method was the only one where “probability” even existed.

“Mother ran away.”

When everyone was utterly confused, it was none other than Tina who neatly summarized the current situation.

Or more precisely, Tanha, who was also La•Pa’s daughter.

She knew her parents sickeningly well. La•Pa was truly a coward.

Because she possessed overwhelming power, people didn’t notice, but she was the textbook example of someone who bullied the weak and cowered before the strong.

Hadn’t she refused to back down when Lug rose to a position above her?

Tanha had been skeptical from the beginning.

La•Pa buying time against someone stronger than herself?

“My mother is an extremely cowardly, petty, and cunning person.”

“…”

Words that would make La•Pa weep tears of blood if she heard them, considering she had at least intended to try holding Belphegor off to some extent.

But in the end, La•Pa had chosen to retreat after seeing Belphegor’s condition, so she couldn’t really complain.

“There’s barely any trace of Mother here to begin with. She probably tucked tail and ran as soon as she saw the Demon Lord’s power.”

“Indeed, I thought there were surprisingly few signs of destruction for a clash between those two.”

“…You call this ‘few’? I feel like I’m indirectly experiencing why His Majesty didn’t intervene personally.”

The scale of the cave had completely changed. No, it could hardly be called a cave anymore with its ceiling blown wide open.

Lilith shuddered again as she realized Belphegor’s magnificence.

Moreover, according to Tanha, all these destruction marks were left solely by Demon Lord Belphegor.

As Tanha recalled, La•Pa’s attacks left distinct scars.

Wounds that ate into the world itself. Power that symbolized her malice, enjoying deceiving people and watching them suffer.

“I see. Thank you for revealing your parent’s shameful side, Tanha.”

“Of course, can’t I do this much for you? After all, I’m the woman who betrayed my mother and sided with you.”

“There’s no need to disparage yourself like that, Tanha.”

With those words, Tanha began flirting with Lug. Or more accurately, it would be better described as clinging to him stickily.

“W-wait a minute. What does that mean? Am I the only one who doesn’t know?”

Seeing their natural interaction, Lilith couldn’t help but question it. She hadn’t understood Tina’s behavior from the beginning, as her mental state seemed to fluctuate.

What on earth was going on?

“Now is not the time to worry about such trivial matters, Lilith.”

“…This could be a matter concerning my life, you know?”

Lilith was rather perplexed by Lug’s resolute attitude.

Was this really such a trivial matter? Wasn’t marriage something that needed to be clearly addressed?

However, the innocent Lilith couldn’t escape Lug’s clutches.

“What’s important is that the Demon Lord isn’t here now. In Lilith’s opinion, what decision would Demon Lord Belphegor make at this point?”

“…”

More precisely, she couldn’t think of anything else because the pattern of Belphegor’s actions was so clear in her mind.

Lilith knew. Being family with Belphegor, she knew her well.

She was not the type to chase after a fleeing opponent.

She was someone who understood the relative importance of matters and knew what was currently most crucial.

Moreover, just looking at the destruction here gave a good estimate.

“…His Majesty considers allies dying during war as an inevitable and natural occurrence.”

“That’s a bit different from being irresponsible, I suppose.”

“Yes, to be precise.”

Lilith closed her eyes tightly, then slowly opened them as she spoke.

“She thinks dying in ‘battle against enemies’ is unavoidable.”

“…”

“It means she tries to avoid cases where people die by her own hands.”

Looking at the destruction left behind, one thing was clear.

Belphegor’s power was excessive.

So excessive that merely wielding it could completely shatter the surrounding area.

Therefore, in the current situation, with the biggest variable confirmed to have retreated, it meant the final shackle holding Belphegor back had disappeared.

“…There’s a high probability she’s gone to the human realm alone to end a war that hasn’t even begun.”

Someone had once asked.

Someone had once wondered.

Why hadn’t Belphegor, with such overwhelming power, taken action directly?

The current situation was the answer to that, while also indicating that she could have done so at any time.

***

The Seconds were already so crowded that friend and foe could no longer be distinguished.

His vision was blurry, and he had lost feeling in his limbs.

Not even knowing if he was properly swinging his arms and legs, he continued fighting, trusting only his instincts.

“Persistent…!”

Varuna of the Water Heaven clicked her tongue at Second’s appearance.

Second had not yet crossed the wall. In other words, he remained within the Twelve Heavens’ expected range without growing.

Yet they couldn’t finish him. That damned instinct had reversed situations that should have been fatal multiple times.

Even so, Second was cornered. He had allowed numerous attacks without crossing the wall, and those remained as wounds.

Moreover, none of the Twelve Heavens attacking Second had withdrawn.

This meant not only that their coordinated attacks were flowing well, but also that those who fell had been healed through divine power and returned to the battlefield.

In other words, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Second had fought not just six of the Twelve Heavens, but even more opponents.

Because of this, the Twelve Heavens found it difficult to make any rash moves.

‘It’s a precarious situation.’

If they pushed just a little more, even Second wouldn’t be able to hold out. He would certainly meet his death.

But at the same time, if they provoked him just a little more, there was a possibility he might finally cross the wall.

And above all, what was most frightening was the pressure felt by the Twelve Heavens who had repeatedly fallen and risen after allowing his attacks multiple times.

They knew.

‘Surely someone will die in the next attack.’

To finish off the battered Second standing before them, the Twelve Heavens would have to pay an equal price.

Though Second had effectively weakened, his senses had become sharper than ever.

A cornered rat will bite a cat, and Second was no mere rat but a wolf king who had ruled the wilderness.

“I’ll do it.”

Someone would definitely die in the next attack. And there was no guarantee that attack would succeed.

At a point where they might simply be sacrificing themselves for the next opportunity, someone stepped forward to take on that role.

“If I die, make sure to finish him. We can’t afford to make this situation any more difficult.”

Varuna of the Water Heaven.

She unleashed an obvious surge of energy as she prepared for the final strike.

She wouldn’t leave anything behind either. From the start, she was planning to deal with Second decisively, with her death as a premise.

Seeing this, the other Twelve Heavens also admired her and prepared themselves for death.

An attitude completely different from their parents.

As those who bore responsibility rather than those who simply enjoyed privileges, they carried that weight firmly.

BOOM!

As Varuna rose into the air, streams of water shot up from the ground as if following her.

While the other Twelve Heavens positioned themselves to protect her, the rising water streams rotated to create whirlpools.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Similar water streams repeatedly shot up from the ground, creating whirlpools.

Each was large enough to completely envelop a dragon with a massive build.

So many whirlpools rose that they couldn’t be counted with the naked eye.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

The whirlpools spun and devoured nearby whirlpools, growing larger.

Whirlpools intertwined with whirlpools, compressing their power and shrinking repeatedly, ultimately creating dozens of intense vortices.

Each one contained enough power to instantly shred any body that touched it. These vortices overlapped again to form a single structure.

A whirlpool created by gathering water streams compressed and combined to their limit.

And Varuna’s authority and fatal strike was to weave these whirlpools into a single net.

A water net that rose from the ground, covered the sky, and captured all things.

“Nagapasha (नागपाश).”

Truly, heaven’s net is vast; though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it.

Varuna’s unavoidable, fatal strike swallowed Second whole.