507. The True Ritual

Levithus laid back, watching contentedly as the true ritual began. It wasn’t a grand ritual to merge planes. It wasn’t an attempt at bringing over the Netherworld to the Mortal Realm. It was a summoning ritual.

A grand summoning ritual.

It would bring over the most powerful legion of the Demon King. A hundred Primeval Demons. A thousand of the greatest Archdemons. And Regnorex himself.

The plan was never to merge the planes. Indeed, the end goal was always to bring over the Demon King’s Domain to the Mortal Realm. But such a grand ritual required far more sacrifice. To bring over millions of Demons— to bring over millions more over the course of decades— it would require a sacrifice far greater than even the largest Human nations.

It would require the sacrifice of all of the Human lands.

Levithus looked on as his efforts had finally bore fruit. Today, he would finally be relieved of his duty. There was no greater honor for him than to pave the way for his KIng. So he was satisfied. He simply watched as the first black spire of Regnorex’s palace broke through into the Mortal Realm, and the kingdom of the Netherworld finally breached into the Mortal Realm.

Scarlet felt the earth shaking. The very ground beneath her feet shimmered. A black light came from a massive ritual circle encapsulating the city of Inor and the region around it. The Red Rose didn’t know what was going on. She just stood there at a complete loss for words as the rumbling continued.

Even the Demon army was thrown into disarray by this sudden shift throughout the battlefield. The flying Archdemons looked on in shock as the ground rippled. An image weaved itself onto the earth. It looked like the surface of a lake, but Scarlet didn’t fall through to the other side.

Instead, it was a window that peered into the other side— into the Netherworld.

Her eyes grew wide as she saw what was waiting at the other side. This was not a portal. This was not a gateway. And this certainly was not a crimson pillar that was reforming the very surface of the Mortal Realm. This was a summoning ritual.

It was no different than the summoning ritual she’d see being performed in the temples that brought Spirits over to the Mortal Realm. Except this summoning ritual was bringing over an entire dark palace.

A castle that stood at the edge of a white hill. It broke through, the very tip of its sable spires peeking into the Mortal Realm as Scarlet saw the reflection of milling figures at the other side. The Demons— the [Legions] and the [Fiends] and the [Changelings] and the [Djinns]— they all saw it too.

They gasped, a susurration washing over their ranks. Some dropped to their knees as others exclaimed and cheered.

“That is—”

“Our King!”

“He is here!”

And Scarlet froze. She saw the figure standing at the fore of the gathered Demons at the other side. It was an absolutely baffling sight. There were a hundred Primeval Demons there, standing in a line, each radiating absolute authority and power.

Just from a single glance, the Red Rose was certain she couldn’t even defeat a single one of them on her own in battle. Their strength was overwhelming— palpable even through the fabric of space. But it wasn’t them she feared.

Scarlet saw the way they reverently faced the foremost figure. The crimson Demon that drew her gaze, even as she tried to look away. Its presence was enchanting. Alluring. But also… completely overpowering.

It was like she’d been thrust into the middle of a mana storm. She could hardly breathe. She felt her knees buckling beneath her feet. She wanted to kneel before this very presence alone. The Primeval Demons deferred to this crimson figure, and she knew who it was.

It was Regnorex the Demon King.

He was here. He had finally arrived. Scarlet couldn’t comprehend his majesty and might. She tried to force herself to look away from him but failed. The only reason she managed to break free from the fear and reverence gripping her was because of the loud shriek.

Not everything in the battlefield had been entranced by the image shining on the ground. The [Archarachne] let out a terrible shriek, its handler having been cut down by Scarlet no more than a minute ago. Now it swept its terrible gaze over the army of Humans and Demons around it. A swarm of [Aranea] poured from its back as it opened its mandibles.

A crimson beam of energy shot out as it wiped out both Demons Humans alike. Soldiers, adventurers, [Legions], and [Fiends] screamed as they were obliterated by the blast. Scarlet clicked her tongue, having broken out of her stupid.

Her gaze snapped to the side as she called out for the Champion of the Human Lands.

“Mori—”

She started. And paused. The Red Rose blinked as she glanced around the battlefield. The fighting resumed, but the figure she was searching for wasn’t there anymore.

Mori Gladius was gone.

“Regnorex is at the gates.”

Saffron whispered as she saw the figure standing at the other side of the image. She recognized it, and her breath caught in her throat. She saw the pair of protruding curved horns. Long and slender with a sharp edge. A Demon that stood tall— at least twenty feet in height.

He was a wall of crimson flesh, rippling with muscles. He wore a dark regalia woven from his black aura, and a long tail made of plated bones swayed at his back. He raised his head, crimson eyes glinting as Saffron’s heart jumped in her chest.

“No— he has already breached the gates.”

The young noble spoke in a defeated voice. It was over. Regnorex was here. There was no Alexander. There was no Melissa. Even with Salvos the Lesser God, Daniel the [Hero], and Clayton Skyshredder all gathered around, Humankind was doomed. None of them were above Level 200. The Watcher was rumored to be over Level 180, but that wasn’t enough either.

They wouldn’t be able to put a stop to the Demon King if he stepped foot into the Mortal Realm. A Level 180 Human up against a Level 200 Demon was no different from a Silver Ranked adventurer trying to fend off a Gold Ranked Demon. And Regnorex had to have been at least as high-leveled as Alexander, who was said to be Level 206 in his Second Class.

It had been thousands of years since then, so it was more than likely the Demon King was a higher level now. So Saffron knew that it was over.

All their efforts were for naught.

The end times had begun.

She closed her eyes as the Demon King’s palace continued to bore through the earth into the Mortal Realm. Saffron accepted that it was over. The grand ritual had always been a ruse. Humankind had been led into a trap, and their greatest fighters were going to be the sacrifices that brought about the return of their greatest enemy.

“All is lost…”

Saffron accepted defeat for a moment. Just a moment. Then she saw the figure zipping through the sky. For a split-second, the young Vampire thought it was Salvos, rushing to save the day again.

But her eyes widened when she realized it was a nimbus cloud flying through the sky. She saw Clayton Skyshredder— the highest-leveled [Mage] in all of the Human lands— flying straight for the center of the ritual circle.

And Saffron blinked.

“What is he doing?”

I saw the world shifting. I saw the earth rippling, and I narrowed my eyes as the image formed on the ground. But before I could even take a good look at what was going on, my [Manifestation of the Old Gods] rapidly faded away. The Skill came to an end as I blinked.

“Huh.”

It was almost disorienting. One moment, I could perceive everything I wanted. But the next moment, my field of view was limited only to what was before my very eyes. I opened my mouth as I stared at my claws.

“This is—”

And there was a pop. I recoiled, spinning around as I faced the crimson dome next to me. It had been the Grand Skill of the wild [Archarachne]. I had been trying to break through to the other side before the world itself had suddenly shifted, and I got distracted.

But now, it suddenly broke all by itself. I watched as the [Arcarachne]’s domain dissipated, and the crimson webs within untangled to reveal the fallen wild Primeval Demon. The Human [Crusader] lay atop it, both of them eerily still. I frowned.

“They killed each other.”

That was unexpected. But there were other things that required my attention. I shook my head and turned away from that sight just in time to see Clayton Skyshredder flying past me. The Headmaster of Mavos Academy was rapidly making his way to the center of the summoning ritual.

I narrowed my eyes, watching as he came to a halt high in the sky. I gave chase after him as dozens of Archdemons tried to stop him. I sent a salvo of flaming projectiles their way, cutting them down. Finally, I reached Clayton as he raised his red blade to face the sky.

“Clayton! What are you doing?”

The Headmaster’s eyes flickered. He turned to face me as he saw me flying right next to him. He hesitated for a moment, before glancing back down to the center of Inor. His eyes shimmered, and I knew he was using a spell to see.

I couldn’t see what he saw because my own senses-enhancement Skill had just ended. Everything below looked like blobs with how high we were in the sky. I just saw the blurry image of a castle smudged into the ground.

Clayton shook his head as he finally spoke.

“Salvos, I will entrust you with a difficult task.”

“Huh?”

I peered into him quizzically, but he just pointed past me. His blade was aimed at a small section of rubble and ruins in the middle of the fallen city of Inor. I narrowed my eyes, barely making out a long undulating figure waiting there.

“You need to put a stop to Levithus. He cannot complete this summoning ritual. If Regnorex crosses into the Mortal Realm, all will be lost. This is our last chance to prevent all our deaths.”

“Regnorex? The Demon King is here?”

I paused. I hadn’t even noticed that. I was too distracted by [Manifestation of the Old Gods] ending, and the [Archarachne]’s Grand Skill bursting. Clayton Skyshredder just raised his sword once again, holding it up to his chest.

“I will do what I can to delay it, but you need to defeat Levithus and destroy this ritual. Before it is too late.”

“That’s—”

I tried to protest, glancing down. Levithus was Level 171, according to Daniel. I had only a single Grand Skill left to fight with, and that [Hellprince] very likely had a Grand Skill of his own. Not only that, but I saw the hundreds— thousands, even— of Archdemons blocking my way.

Wild Archdemons and minions of the Demon King alike. They filled the skies, locked in battle with Humans and each other. A single [Archarachne] was still alive too, and it was leaping around wildly throughout the battlefield. If its attention was drawn to me when I was trying to make my way to Levithus, I surely would die.

I hesitated, but Clayton didn’t care for my apprehension. He just chanted as the sky glowed, and a massive magic circle formed overhead.

“[Soul Of The World. Lifeblood Of My Strength.]”

That’s— I blinked. Ze-jai had said that Clayton had three Grand Skills. I didn’t expect the second Grand Skill to be activated so soon.

And it clicked to me. Clayton was being serious when he said that this was our last chance. He was not holding back. The normally cool and collected Headmaster of Mavos Academy was going all out now, so I had to.

Nodding, I gave him a thumbs-up.

“I will stop Levithus!”

Clayton’s eyes just darted my way as he continued his chant.

“[End The Rebirth, And Deplete This Land So That There Is No More Splendor.]”

I flew down, and the ritual circle in the sky flickered. The runes moved and shifted, turning into itself and inverting in color. It overlapped with the entire city of Inor— where the light from the Demon’s summoning ritual shone the brightest.

I zipped straight into the thousands of warring figures beneath me as Clayton Skyshredder bellowed and stabbed his sword into the magic circle in the sky.

“[Bring About The Magic Death Of The World.]”

A dome fell atop the fallen Capital city of the Inoria Empire as his voice echoed all around me.

“[ANTIMAGIC FIELD]!”

And I crashed into the flying horde of Archdemons.