Step by step.

With every step forward, the ominous energy grew stronger. An instinctive sense of rejection welled up.

But stopping wasn’t an option.

If anything, this was proof that we were headed in the right direction.

I carefully observed Siel and Lien.

Unlike me, who had at least seen this landscape through a computer screen, the others had never set foot here before.

I wondered if I should be the one to ease their tension. But the result...?

‘Yeah, guess I was worried for nothing.’

Hans was trembling in fear, stiff with nerves. But the other two? Completely unfazed.

Not only were they not tense, but their relaxed demeanor made it seem like they were visiting their hometown.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“We’ll be seeing our destination soon. Stay on guard.”

Too much of anything is bad.

Being too scared was a problem, but so was being too relaxed.

At my words, Siel and Lien nodded. Though, as always, Siel’s expression remained unreadable—it was hard to tell if she was actually tense or not.

Lien, at least, looked properly focused.

But then… out of nowhere, Hans started glancing at me, sneaking nervous looks in my direction. His behavior caught my attention, so I spoke again.

“If you have something to say, feel free.”

He’d caused trouble before, so I wasn’t exactly fond of him. But for now, he was our guide.

As past events had already proven, there was no guarantee that what I knew from the original story still applied here.

It wouldn’t hurt to hear him out.

As I stared at him, Hans finally opened his mouth, speaking hesitantly.

“Um… Pardon my boldness, but isn’t there no need to be so tense? With your level of skill, most monsters wouldn’t even stand a chance.”

“Well… that’s certainly true.”

So he really wasn’t bluffing when he called himself an expert.

Hans had a point. After all, we were the same party that had once defeated a Swordmaster.

“And if we’re lucky, we might not even run into a single demon before this is all over.”

That was also a fair statement.

Unlike monsters, demons were not only incredibly powerful but also had incomprehensible thought patterns and behaviors.

However, their numbers were relatively small.

Unless we were incredibly unlucky, the chances of encountering a high-ranking demon were slim. And with an experienced Demonic Realm guide like Hans leading us, the risks were even lower.

So, from his perspective, it must have seemed like I was overreacting.

But…

“We won’t be able to avoid a fight.”

That was my answer.

Confusion flickered across Hans’s face. He clearly didn’t understand. But there was no need to go through the trouble of explaining.

There’s a reason the saying seeing is believing exists.

I casually raised my index finger.

No need to draw the Holy Sword. I simply focused a bit of divine power at my fingertip.

A blinding radiance.

This was what happened with just a small release of divine power.

I didn’t even believe in gods, yet somehow, as if glitched, my divine power kept duplicating itself.

“Y-Your Holiness, the Pope?! But there’s no way the Pope would be this young—w-wait! That’s not the issue right now!”

Despite everything, Hans was quick to catch on. His face turned deathly pale as he grasped the situation.

“We need to call for reinforcements! This won’t be enough!”

He shouted in a panic.

Well, that reaction was understandable.

Monsters, demons, devils, Demon Kings—

Divine power was their greatest weakness.

Which also meant that, of all things, they hated divine power the most.

Just as I found the dark energy of the Demonic Realm unsettling, those creatures would feel the same way about the divine power radiating from me.

Mindless monsters would, naturally, attack the thing that made them uncomfortable.

And demons—beings that moved purely on instinct, impossible to reason with or control—would try to kill me.

‘Just like in the original story.’

Back then, the protagonist had only struggled because, while wielding the Holy Sword, he lacked significant divine power.

But me?

I had the Holy Sword and, for some reason, a bugged-out divine power that was duplicating itself in real time.

In the worst-case scenario…

I’d have to be ready to fight every single monster and demon in the Demonic Realm.

This Is Exactly Why I Didn’t Want to Come Here.

If I personally scouted the area, I could use my knowledge of the original story to estimate where the previous generation met their demise.

I could also clear dungeons and extract only the fortuitous encounters that I specifically needed.

But once I stepped inside, there would be no choice but to fight—until every last demon and monster was eradicated.

“We need to turn back now and call for reinforcements! You must be someone of high rank in the Holy Church—bring the Holy Knights with you…!”

“I have no intention of turning back. Just guide us properly.”

Even so—

Running away wasn’t an option.

I couldn’t stay in the dark about my own situation forever.

I needed to know.

What the hell had happened here?

Hans trembled in terror, his entire body shaking. His face practically screamed that he wanted no part of this.

But I didn’t need to convince him. Siel was just as much a persuasion expert as Lucy.

She stared at Hans.

That was all it took.

Despite his shaking, he swallowed his fear and started leading the way.

The ominous energy thickened with every step.

Though it was supposed to be broad daylight, everything around us was shrouded in darkness.

A blackened sky.

A land devoid of even the faintest trace of life.

Even without Hans pointing it out, I could tell—this was the entrance to the Demonic Realm.

“You’re ready, right?”

At my words, Siel and Lien nodded.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself…

“…Let’s go.”

At my signal, we stepped into the Demonic Realm—and immediately, enemies swarmed toward us, as if they had been waiting.

But that was expected.

As planned, Lien dashed around us in a wide arc, wildly swinging her sword.

She specialized in martial arts, not swordsmanship, but that didn’t matter.

With that kind of raw power behind each strike, technique wasn’t necessary—it was plenty destructive on its own.

The countless monsters charging at us were mercilessly torn apart.

Occasionally, a few ranged attacks slipped through, aimed straight at us—

But that was fine too.

Siel’s shadows swallowed every incoming strike before they could reach us.

And while they held the front, I prepared to unleash the Holy Sword.

Against demons, nothing was more effective than the Holy Sword. This role was perfect for me.

As expected—powerful presences stirred in the distance.

The Lord of Corpses, The Duke of Ruin, The Soul Reaper, The Apostle of the Void.

High-ranking demons. And they were charging straight toward me.

A cold sweat ran down my back.

Could we withstand their combined assault? And what about the next wave after them?

Questions whirled in my mind, gnawing at my focus.

But retreat wasn’t an option.

I clenched my grip on the Holy Sword, pouring every ounce of strength into swinging it.

I thought we were about to enter a brutal, days-long battle—locked in a relentless struggle for survival.

…But that never happened.

Not only were there no demons picking a fight with us, but even the usual monsters were nowhere to be seen.

Lien swung her sword aimlessly through empty air, her expression filled with confusion.

She glanced at me.

Her eyes practically asked, Is this supposed to be happening?

But I had no answer for her.

Because, truth be told, I was the most bewildered person here.

I mean, sure, I wasn’t some battle-crazed lunatic who enjoyed fighting for his life. Having no enemies around was a good thing.

But that was entirely separate from whether this situation made sense.

It wasn’t like they all collectively packed up and moved somewhere else.

So where the hell had all the demons and monsters in the Demonic Realm disappeared to?

A frown crept onto my face.

What in the world happened here?

A lavish office.

An extravagant room befitting its equally extravagant owner.

A muscular man with a cigar between his lips burst into hearty laughter.

And why wouldn’t he?

Today, for the first time, he had defeated Black Fangs.

“I wonder… what kind of faces you’re all making right now?”

He couldn’t see their reactions firsthand. But the Second Imperial Prince was certain.

They must be drowning in despair.

After all, they had lost a crucial ally—one of their key pieces in their plan to overturn the empire.

“Well, I’ll admit, it wasn’t a bad move. Worthy of being called my rival, at least.”

Demons.

Creatures that couldn’t be reasoned with, beings completely devoid of logic—living calamities.

And yet, somehow, they had managed to recruit one. That alone was impressive.

“But you were just unlucky.”

The future emperor of the empire. The one personally favored by the Goddess of Victory herself.

That was the kind of opponent they had the misfortune of facing.

The list of Black Fangs members that Asmodeus had provided.

Among the countless ordinary names, there was one oddity.

The moment he saw it, the ever-capable Second Prince knew.

That was undoubtedly a demon.

Because only those madmen used names like that.

And thanks to his sharp judgment and swift action, he had found a way to deal with it.

‘Even though my damned sister tried to interfere with my plans.’

But of course, such interference was pointless.

When his useless sister came begging to borrow an elite battalion for some nonsense operation, the Second Prince gave a very simple response.

He raised his middle finger.

A beautifully symbolic hand gesture. A towering mountain, if you will.

His sister ranted about how she had discovered a way to capture Black Fangs and demanded to be left alone. But naturally, he ignored her.

That fool had even tried to deploy two Swordmasters for her ridiculous scheme.

So, the Second Prince went straight to their father and had command over one of them revoked.

With Swordmaster Heinrich  and the empire’s elite troops at his disposal—

His plan had finally come to fruition.

He had exterminated every last demon in the Demonic Realm.

For the first time, he had claimed victory over Black Fangs.

And from here on out—his true counterattack would begin.

“This is the might of the empire! Tremble in fear! Quake in terror! Because that’s all you pathetic worms can do. Hahahaha!”

With a wicked grin, Renya, the Second Prince of the Empire, reveled in his triumph.

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