Ch.194Chapter 194 – Assassination Order

Between the Eastern Continent and the Western Continent lies an unknown land called the Abandoned Wasteland.

Eldran, the ruler of that place and the first demon lord, had been in a very foul mood lately.

“Ah, I beg your pardon… but the attack on the Celestial Demon Church has reportedly failed.”

Eldran’s face was filled with rage as he looked at the lower demon prostrating before him, reporting on the attack against the Celestial Demon Church in the Eastern Continent.

“You call that a report?”

“I-I’m sorry! The Eastern branch confirmed that the Celestial Demon had fallen into a coma and the church’s defenses were weakened before they proceeded with the invasion, but…”

Eldran didn’t need to hear the rest of the report to know what had happened.

“No need to continue. For some unknown reason, the Celestial Demon awoke and wiped them all out, correct?”

“Y-yes, that’s right. What’s worse, the Celestial Demon Church has declared all-out war, saying it’s laughable that any group other than themselves would dare call themselves a demon church…”

After hearing the lower demon’s report, Eldran’s face showed not anger but utter dejection.

What in the world was happening?

Every time he carefully crafted a plan and it began to progress smoothly, someone would appear to interfere.

When he tried to resurrect the Demon God using the corrupted holy sword, some unknown entity appeared and destroyed the demon blade.

Due to the destruction of the corrupted holy sword, he had no choice but to accelerate his plan to corrupt the World Tree for the Demon God’s resurrection.

However, just as the World Tree was about to be fully corrupted, the same human who had destroyed the demon blade intervened, causing the World Tree to become much stronger than before.

And another failure.

His plan to devour the Celestial Demon Church in the Eastern Continent, a group with formidable military power relative to their numbers, had failed due to the intervention of the same human who had destroyed the demon blade.

Failure.

Failure.

More failure.

Every plan for the Demon God’s resurrection was ending in failure.

Eldran realized that while everything had been proceeding successfully up to a certain point, strangely, from a specific moment onward, his plans kept failing.

He reviewed the reasons for these repeated failures.

‘The execution of the plans had no issues. Except for one thing.’

And as he examined the failed plans since the destruction of the demon blade, he found one common factor.

‘The man who destroyed the demon blade. Count Pathos Severio, was it?’

It was Pathos, known as the Demon Blade Destroyer.

All the plans that had failed were somehow connected to Pathos.

After all, wasn’t it the destruction of the demon blade that had made him famous in the first place?

In other words, this man Pathos had now clearly become a substantial threat to the demon cult.

“Clayeon.”

“Yes, my lord.”

As Eldran called the name, a sinister-looking demon emerged from the shadows.

Despite his large build and being completely covered in a black cloak, he had no discernible presence whatsoever.

“Do you know of a man named Pathos Severio?”

“The man who has repeatedly thwarted your grand plans, my lord?”

“Indeed. He is truly an obstacle to our grand designs.”

Eldran looked at his trusted subordinate, Clayeon, and said:

“Use any means necessary. Eliminate him.”

“Yes, understood.”

“I look forward to good news.”

The moment Eldran gave his permission, Clayeon vanished from the spot.

A smile formed on Eldran’s lips as he stared at the empty space where Clayeon had been.

“Hehehehe. Pathos Severio. You may have interfered with our grand plans until now, but you will interfere no longer.”

Then he rose from his seat and lifted his head.

“Soon, He will be resurrected. Even if one plan has failed, our grand design continues. Uwahahahaha, hahahaha, uwahahahahahaha!”

And so, Eldran simply continued to laugh maniacally in his solitary chamber.

◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

Clayeon, Eldran’s trusted subordinate.

He was the leader of the “Shadow Stalkers,” the demon cult’s assassination unit.

Befitting the head of an assassination order, he was an expert in assassination techniques, mastering numerous killing methods based on his ability to erase his presence.

More than half of the mysterious deaths recorded in history books were committed by Clayeon under Eldran’s orders.

He was one of the elves who had betrayed his own kind to follow Eldran.

He had once been the commander of the World Tree Knights, tasked with protecting the World Tree.

But now, instead of protecting the World Tree, he had become a terrifying assassin who took lives solely to fulfill the demon cult’s ambitions.

And now, he had a new target.

“Pathos Severio, is it?”

As he uttered the name Pathos Severio, information about the man began to surface in Clayeon’s mind.

Presumed to be from the Eastern Continent.

Appears to have received abilities from the goddess Epitrina, the Demon God’s adversary.

Possesses the ability to repair anything by striking it three times with his hammer.

While his ability is remarkable, his physical capabilities are only slightly above those of an average adult male.

Almost no defense against non-physical attacks such as poison, curses, or diseases.

Currently has connections with various influential figures, including the Chief Inquisitor of the Sun Order, the Chancellor of Glesius Academy, and the branch manager of an information broker organization.

“So I need to strike swiftly at the target alone.”

Clayeon surmised that eliminating Pathos would be no easy task.

While his combat and physical abilities were quite ordinary, the people around him were incredibly powerful.

In particular, the Chancellor of Glesius Academy and the Chief Inquisitor of the Sun Order were natural enemies of demonkind.

Regina Blasteria, one of the heroes who sealed the evil dragon Neberander, was the undisputed strongest mage in the world.

And Etherna was the Chief Inquisitor of the Sun Order and essentially the instructor of all inquisitors.

In other words, these two were individuals Clayeon should absolutely avoid confronting.

He wasn’t skilled enough to face such powerful opponents head-on.

His physical abilities were specialized solely for assassination.

If he were to encounter Regina or Etherna?

“My very existence would be permanently erased.”

That’s why he believed now was the perfect opportunity.

The Eastern Continent was far enough that Regina and Etherna couldn’t reach it quickly.

“And… the Eastern Continent has many treacherous terrains.”

A plan to kill Pathos was gradually taking shape in Clayeon’s mind.

“I’ll lure him into rough terrain, then collapse the terrain itself to eliminate him.”

Clayeon smiled sinisterly.

“Pathos Severio. Your illustrious journey ends here.”

Using his abilities, he headed toward the demon cult’s branch in the Eastern Continent.

Although most of their forces had been annihilated, there were still some people there with enough strength to move.

“Where is the branch leader?”

When Clayeon revealed himself, all the cult members present froze.

“H-huh! We are honored by your presence, great demon lord. The branch leader perished in the previous battle.”

The only one who could still move was someone who had joined the last battle late and barely survived.

He informed Clayeon that the branch leader had died.

“Tsk.”

Clayeon felt regret upon hearing of the branch leader’s death.

Though weak, they were loyal servants who had given their lives for the Demon God’s resurrection.

For everyone in the demon cult, strength or weakness wasn’t what mattered, so he vowed to remember those who had sacrificed themselves.

“Their sacrifice will be remembered. Is there anyone here willing to follow me and participate in a great undertaking?”

“By great undertaking, you mean…?”

“We will kill the man from the Western Continent who has interfered with our plans.”

At Clayeon’s declaration to kill Pathos, everyone looked at each other before unanimously raising their hands.

Clayeon inwardly shed tears at the sight of the demon cult members showing such eagerness to volunteer.

How loyal these people were!

For the resurrection of the Demon God, they did not spare their own lives and participated in the great cause!

Though weak, they were all the more courageous because of it.

“Join me in this great undertaking! If we succeed, the Demon God will acknowledge your efforts, and even if we fail, He will remember your sacrifice!”

“Demon God’s Advent, Ten Thousand Demons’ Blessing!”

“Demon God’s Advent, Ten Thousand Demons’ Blessing!”

The cult members gathered at the branch chanted the slogan used by the Eastern Continent’s demon cult in front of Clayeon.

Seeing their enthusiasm, Clayeon couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

“But how will we kill him?”

“I have a method. Do not doubt and follow me. Then, you shall witness the death of our adversary.”

“We will follow you!”

Clayeon watched as the plan progressed step by step.

However, there was something he hadn’t considered:

“Hmm, interesting? Well, I don’t think I need to worry too much.”

The great goddess Epitrina was watching his every move.

Despite knowing Pathos was in danger, she simply observed.

For one reason only:

“The Celestial Demon is secretly following him anyway, so he’ll handle it just fine.”

It was because of the Celestial Demon who was secretly following Pathos.

Everyone has a perfect plan.

Until they meet the Celestial Demon.