Ch.308Chapter 308 – It’s Not Over Yet

The unknown land that has captured the attention of people from the Western Continent and Eastern Continent—the “New Continent.”

People call it the New Continent, but in truth, it was both a new continent and not a new continent.

This land, located west of the Western Continent and east of the Eastern Continent, was actually where the demon race had lived.

And the demon race members living in the underground facility built here were all in terrible physical condition.

Their eye sockets were sunken, giving them an extremely gaunt appearance, and their cheeks were hollowed out.

Some demons wearing revealing clothes were so emaciated that their ribs were visible.

Yet despite this, the food laid out before them was incredibly abundant.

Stew made with potatoes, carrots, and meat, bread topped with cheese, and salads with various fresh vegetables and fruits.

The table was laden with a meal that commoners couldn’t even dream of, one that only well-off nobles could afford.

Despite the plentiful food, the demons’ withered, seemingly dying appearance created a jarring contrast.

But they were well aware of their wasting condition.

“Is everyone feeling better than yesterday?”

“Not at all. Despite eating abundant meals and meat, the demonic energy is gradually disappearing from our bodies.”

No matter how delicious the food or how many times more they ate than usual, they had no means to replenish the gradually vanishing demonic energy.

“Some might call it the complaint of the well-fed, but the fact that even lavish meals cannot prevent the consumption of demonic energy…”

As soon as one demon mentioned the depletion of demonic energy, the atmosphere instantly turned hostile.

“Don’t say such things. Just because the Demon God’s aura disappeared after his descent doesn’t mean he has been annihilated.”

Naturally, these were demons who had received power from the Demon God. They too had sensed his resurrection when the Demon God revived.

But shortly after, the Demon God’s aura vanished without a trace, leading some demons to suggest the Demon God’s annihilation.

“I understand that. But the Demon God prepared for his resurrection for a long time. There’s a possibility he chose to conceal his identity as part of that plan.”

“Then the matter isn’t resolved…!”

“But! The storm barrier that protected us from outside entities has completely disappeared! How do you explain that?”

At his words, all the demons fell silent. The storm barrier had been maintained by the Demon God’s power.

“Of course you have nothing to say! That storm was sustained by the Demon God’s power! Am I wrong?”

“Then what are you suggesting we do? Now that we’ve confirmed the Demon God’s annihilation, should we all gather and die together?”

As voices grew louder and the atmosphere became increasingly hostile, the oldest demon rose from his seat.

“That’s enough, everyone. What disgraceful behavior is this?”

He was the second most powerful demon after Eldran, who had been the first demon and leader of the demon race.

Even now, as demonic energy was disappearing in real time, he remained the strongest among the demons, making him their current leader.

“We apologize.”

“We’re sorry, Elder.”

“Everyone, stop this and eat your meals. As our demonic energy diminishes, we must at least eat to plan for our future.”

At the Elder’s words, everyone came to their senses and began eating. With their demonic energy draining away, meals were their only means of sustaining life.

The Elder’s heart was heavy as he watched the demons eating.

Eldran, the first demon, had perished, and the Demon God who should have led them had also been annihilated.

Those remaining in this land were barely surviving day by day, eating vegetables and fruits grown in what appeared to be ancient ruins, along with mysterious meat that appeared from somewhere.

However, the amount of demonic energy draining away exceeded what they could replenish through food.

This meant that before long, all the demonic energy remaining in their bodies would disappear, leading to their “death.”

Elves could live longer than other races because they absorbed mana emanating from the World Tree.

But demons had rejected the mana from the World Tree and accepted demonic energy instead, meaning they could only survive with demonic energy.

In other words, demons couldn’t live without demonic energy, and they had been able to replenish it indefinitely thanks to the Demon God.

Now, however, all the demons who served the Demon God had perished, and even the Demon God himself had been completely annihilated.

This left them with only two choices:

Either find a way to somehow restore their demonic energy, or minimize its consumption while waiting for death, as they were doing now.

‘We must find a solution somehow.’

During the time when Eldran and the Demon God still existed, the demon population numbered close to 1,000.

But now, only 250 demons remained.

After Eldran’s death and the Demon God’s annihilation, demons with the least amount of demonic energy began dying off.

The only fortunate aspect was that as demons died, the food consumption decreased.

With 250 people now eating food that once fed 1,000, the energy replenished through food precisely matched the demonic energy being lost, allowing them to barely maintain their numbers.

“We must find a solution.”

“Pardon?”

“Elder, what do you mean?”

At the Elder’s words, the other demons paused their meals and expressed confusion.

“You all know well. If we continue like this, our demon race will face extinction.”

The demons all nodded at the Elder’s words. They too had gradually realized that at this rate, the demon race would completely disappear.

As everyone pondered the long-term survival of the demon race, one demon raised his head as if struck by an idea.

“Is it impossible to artificially create demonic energy?”

“Create… demonic energy?”

“Yes. Since demonic energy is ultimately a form of energy… couldn’t we artificially create it like mana and supply ourselves with it?”

The Elder placed his hand on his chin and fell into thought at the words of this relatively young demon.

“That’s certainly worth considering. But how would you artificially create demonic energy?”

“Among the items humans have created, there’s something quite interesting.”

With that, he produced an object.

This small crystal-like object was actually emitting demonic energy.

“What is that?”

“It’s a tool humans use to convert mana properties. Specifically, it’s the core component called a ‘mana crystal’ used in attribute conversion devices.”

“Are you saying this can create demonic energy?”

“Yes. It absorbs mana from the atmosphere and converts it into demonic energy.”

Unlike the other demons, this one who claimed to have recently succeeded in development looked quite vigorous.

Seeing this, the Elder finally nodded.

“Can you mass-produce it?”

“Mass production would be difficult. Creating just one requires a substantial amount of materials. However…”

The Elder felt slightly dizzy at hearing it would be difficult to mass-produce, but the demon’s next words helped him regain his composure.

“If we modify one large crystal entirely, everyone here would no longer suffer from demonic energy deficiency.”

“What do you need? I’ll have our remaining followers outside gather the materials.”

“A very large crystal pillar and the soul of a living person. We need to torture a living person to fill them with despair and fear, then use their soul as a sacrifice to make the crystal pillar emit demonic energy.”

“I’ll grant it immediately.”

Despite the mention of using living humans as materials, not a single demon batted an eye.

Naturally, to them, humans were weak beings who were merely sacrifices necessary for the revival of the demon race.

Following the Elder’s order, the demons used their few remaining followers in the outside world to kidnap people to be used as crystal materials. They tortured them, extracted their souls, and successfully created crystals that continuously emitted demonic energy.

The demons named this device that artificially emitted demonic energy the “Dark Sun.”

Naturally, these actions were discovered by the gods, and an oracle was delivered:

[The remnants of evil beings are gathering once again in the abandoned land. Annihilate them to achieve world peace.]

Each religious order dispatched their elite holy knights and priests who had once defeated the Demon God, and naturally, a letter requesting Pathos’s participation arrived at the Gelebrio Empire.

“Are you saying remnants of the demon race still exist?”

“Yes.”

Upon learning that demon remnants still existed, Pathos finally made his decision.

“I will also go to the New Continent.”