episode_0127

I ran all the way to Khorne and breathed a sigh of relief.

He used the rules of [Stealth] in time to easily escape without being noticed by anyone.

At the same time, I thought about this attack.

‘Grand Master… He was stronger than I thought. ‘He is stronger than the great loa of the essence universe or even the S-class talent of Earth.’

Of course, it was clearly weaker compared to the demon lord Dekarabia, but it was more difficult since the two attacked at the same time.

If I hadn’t created the God Demon Soul and cast Subspace Taxidermy, the battle would have been twice as long.

‘Rather than that, you have seven grand masters like this as your subordinates? Belial, what is this guy doing?’

If his seven subordinate swords had appeared at the same time and attacked me, I might have experienced death even if I merged with the essence of the dragon.

Moreover, there were very few people with the ability to become a Grand Master.

A person of ability that cannot be found in the current generation after the collapse of the old empire.

It is difficult to find such a skilled person even among magicians.

If he had that much power, he would have become independent and become a demon lord long ago.

That’s why it’s questionable.

Even under the old demon kings, there would be no or few such skilled people.

As the 68th Demon King, how did you gather so many talented people?

Moreover, strangely enough, he is targeting me intensively.

The demons I fought for the first time were also his servants, and the one who projected his power and attacked me directly in the border area was also that guy.

In addition, in order to become a demon, I attract the demon power, reveal the location, and at the same time relax the guard, so I quickly send an assassin.

Belial was extremely hostile to me.

So I decided to go to Decarabia and ask about him.

Decarabia became the 69th Demon Lord, so he must know something about the guy in front of him.

“Uhihihi… That’s right, that’s right. So, give me the insides of your secret places… Huh? What’s going on here, Solomon?”

Decaravia was acting suspiciously by rubbing the engraving on the grimoire with her finger as if caressing it.

I asked Decarabia about Belial.

What is he doing?

“Belial? I think I’ve vaguely explained it before… The pinnacle of the Demon World, considered the Great Demon King like Baal. A monarch who leads 80 demons. The decisive culprit who destroyed the old empire. The worst degenerate.”

Up to this point, the explanation was exactly the same as I had heard before.

“I want you to talk in more detail. There’s only one difference between you and the rider, but I’m sure you’ve heard quite a bit about him, right?”

“Even if you say that… Belial collapsed the old empire and went straight to the Demon World and became the Demon King, but at that time, I was just a kid. In addition, there was a 70-year gap between the time when Belial and I became demon kings.”

I listened to Decarabia and calculated the time.

400 years since the fall of the old empire. To be exact, it happened about 380 years ago, which means that it has been about 380 years since Belial became the demon king.

And from the memories I absorbed from the elders of the Magic Round Table, there were three people who made a name for themselves as Grand Masters in the 380 years after the fall of the old empire.

“First, explain the seven swords that are his minions. Does it make sense for a Grand Master of the same level to have 7 subordinates? Where did they come from? Is it possible that Baal also has that number of skilled people under his command?”

“Seven Swords… There’s definitely a lot of talk about that even in the demon world. Baal’s subordinates and the direct subordinates of Beled, the founder of the old empire, may have two or three grand masters. It is even said that the seven swords first came together 300 years ago.”

“It was 380 years ago that the old empire fell, so it was the first time in 80 years that seven Grand Masters were gathered.”

This sound meant only one thing.

Belial has the ability to create grand masters?

“The problem is… The Seven Swords even clashed with Baal in the Demon World and half of them were destroyed. And three of the seven swords that died over the decades have been fulfilled.”

I thought about what Decaravia said.

Only seven people are maintained at all times?

“Is Belial’s logic related to him…?”

“The mainstream opinion in the demon world is the same as you, Solomon. Well, there are quite a few different opinions. Balak claims that the name “Seven Swords” is actually the name of the Seven Swords, saying that skills are inherited through magic tools, while Nana Aim is pushing the theory that the Seven Swords are the clones of Belial.”

“Hmm…”

Whatever it is, the seven swords may be a force that can be replenished at any time.

I was relieved that there were now five people left.

Next time we meet, we might bump into seven people at the same time.

and…

I hesitated for a moment as a thought came to mind and asked Decarabia.

“Is Belial… related to the church?”

“Huh? Why do you think so?”

There are quite a few clues.

The first clue is Belial’s strike that started from the border area leading here, the main character of Lohman territory.

The place where the blow originated was clearly a white altar soaked in blood.

An altar that served as a mediator between the devil and reality.

Isn’t it strange?

This was a blow that came less than three minutes after I killed the demon sent by Belial.

I can’t believe the Demon King’s altar was prepared so suddenly.

It was reasonable to assume that this was an altar built in advance.

At the same time, when I think of the hundreds of soldiers, dozens of priests, and knights watching the border that I saw about 30 minutes before fighting the demon, my true nature would have returned to normal until I fought the demon.

Therefore, it is highly likely that the altar was built by a legitimate force in the city, and the most likely suspect in my opinion is the religious order.

It is said that the church built the altar of Belial.

Of course, it is not entirely possible that a wise magician would have built an altar in an instant and slaughtered hundreds of people in the city in a short period of time to make a bloody offering, but if there had been such a magician, he would have joined forces with the demon.

The second clue is the sacred power of the Holy Order.

The sacred power and sacred arts possessed by this Holy Order were extremely suspicious.

Holy power is magical power that has been altered through a suspicious process called baptism.

And the use of that sacred power is holy magic.

These two were abilities that, even to me now, seemed like a mere imitation of magical power and magic.

In addition, there were already three supernatural abilities in the Madou universe.

Auror, magic, sorcery

Looking at examples from other universes, the number of superpowers was always fixed at three, and the superpowers of the Magic Universe also fit perfectly into that three.

There was no room for divine power to intervene.

…Here, this divine power and the existence of the religious order come into question.

Perhaps, divine power is just a corrupted magic power, and the baptism that causes that corruption is someone’s logic borrowed?

The third clue is Belial, the name itself.

Even on Earth, the name Belial is very famous.

The first devil that has existed since ancient times in Judaism, a devil suspected of being Satan, and the instigator of corruption, vice, and adultery, the famous fall of Sodom and Gomorrah is the work of Belial.

And in some Jewish traditions, Belial is recorded as being equal to God,

Adultery, opulence, and defilement of the sanctuary were called the three traps of Belial.

To me, these attributes of Belial seemed similar to those of the Holy Order, a corrupt group.

In addition, considering various traditions, Belial is inseparable from Judaism and Christianity.

“…And it was after the fall of the old empire that the church became famous. Doesn’t it look like it has something to do with Belial?”

“Hmm… Solomon, like you, there are conspiracy theories in the demon world that doubt the relationship between Belial and the church. The reason Belial was called a corrupter in the first place was because he corrupted the Pope of the Holy Church, which was famous at the time. It is questionable whether the current church is a limb of Belial.”

Decaravia said that and took a moment to organize the grimoire.

Pretty, let’s play again next time.

Decarabia held the grimoire as if holding a baby and finished putting the book into the leather cover.

Then he turned his head to face me and continued his explanation.

“However, the revival began in earnest 400 years ago, and the existence of religious denominations and sacred powers has already existed for a thousand years. The Holy Order existed even before Belial was born. Moreover, the corrupt Pope eventually lost his divine power and became incompetent.”

“So you’re saying there is no relationship between the Holy Church and Belial? Is there a separate head of the church who is the subject of baptism?”

“To add my thoughts to the mainstream opinion in the demon world, all I can say is that the Holy Church is a hidden power of a demon lord and that Belial is buying part of the church. No matter how great Belial is, he cannot help but be subjugated through baptism. The subject of baptism holds the leash of the subject of baptism. Divine power is that kind of system.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Rather, maybe I can see Lemegeton again… Ah! Don’t go! I need it to study Babel code!”

I thought as I walked out of the room, leaving Dekarabia behind.

The Church and Belial…

Aren’t the two really related?

For some reason, I couldn’t hide my uneasy feeling.

“That’s it. I need to focus on my work. Now that you have become a Demon, it is your turn to become a Demon King.”

After returning to my dorm, I first took care of my body.

The state of being a demon is not simply a matter of the soul being transformed into a magic spirit.

As the soul, the source of existence, has changed, life and spirit are reorganized through magic, and even the framework of life changes.

Even the racial aspect changes, such as becoming a five-pointed star like Decarabia before it was returned to me, or taking on a demonic form like the seven swords I faced this time.

At the same time, these physical and mental changes were accompanied by a significant increase in capabilities.

In summary, a demon undergoes a metamorphosis and physical transformation through magical power.

The problem is… I didn’t notice any special changes, as if my appearance hadn’t changed at all.

‘Because of the existence of the human essence and the Son of Man, no deterioration of the body occurred.’

The human condition has become fixed.

Thanks to this, my Heavenly Magic Award became a little deeper with the help of the God Demon Soul, and there was no change except for a slight increase in my physical abilities.

The only thing that has changed is that physical calorie consumption has changed to magical power consumption?

From now on, I can replace nutrients from air, drinking water, and food while consuming magical power.

What is necessary for life has turned into magical power.

“It’s as if one weakness has been eliminated.”

I was increasingly transcending ordinary life.

I guess the person I am now is worthy of the word superhuman.

And all of these changes occurred by learning numerous abilities and sublimating to level A.

“Now it’s time to become S-class.”

I’ve been stuck at the A level for too long.

Now it was time to touch the essence of the laws that govern each universe.

I started off by becoming a demon king.