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*****
Previously, the youngest sibling, Vanica, had launched an attack on the Queen of the Heart Kingdom. Although she hadn't managed to kill her, she successfully placed a curse on her, leaving her with less than a year to live.
One must remember that the Heart Kingdom's Queen inherited the power of her ancestors. As long as she remained within her borders, her individual strength could rival the combined magical power of every mage in the Clover Kingdom.
Since Vanica was stronger than the Heart Queen, and her two older brothers were stronger than her, the conclusion was obvious: the three siblings possessed enough power to sweep across the other three kingdoms, especially with their formidable Dark Disciples backing them.
"Has there been no word from Duke Charlie guarding the border?"
The second sibling, Zenon Zogratis, knit his brows. An invasion of this scale, reaching all the way to the Royal Capital, should have been impossible for the border guards to miss.
"We have received no communications from the border," a Dark Disciple replied.
Dante, the eldest, let out a cold sneer. "Patient for fifteen years, and now they finally show their fox tails. Fine. Once we've dealt with these invaders, we'll have a thorough cleaning of these traitors."
"Devil Power Assimilation: 40%!"
The Dark Triad and their disciples activated their devil unions simultaneously. Drawing power through their contracts, demonic wings sprouted from their backs as they soared up to meet Julius and his forces.
"All mages, focus! Attack!"
Seeing the Dark Triad take to the sky, Julius didn't waste a second on negotiations. He gave the order immediately. A literal blanket of magic—dense and overlapping—surged toward the Dark Triad.
"Gravity Magic: Presence of the Demon King!"
Facing the deluge of spells, Dante raised a hand. Terrifying gravitational force instantly crushed the incoming long-range magic, dragging the spells down toward the earth. Before his gravity magic, projectile spells were usually rendered useless.
"Hmph. Against my gravity, your attacks are—wait, what?"
Dante's mockery died in his throat. He realized something was wrong. Not all the spells had been suppressed; several distinct currents of magic had pierced through the gravitational field and were still roaring toward them.
These were the Dragon Roar spells launched by Julius, Lumiere, and Yami.
Dante's gravity magic could indeed neutralize long-range attacks, but only if the magic's potency didn't vastly exceed his own. Julius and the others, now Dragon Slayer Mages capable of partial transformation, possessed power that rivaled the three highest-ranking devils themselves. Even if Lucifer were there in person, he would struggle to suppress their Dragon Slayer magic—let alone the Dark Triad, who were only borrowing a fraction of that power.
"Brother, watch out! Push the devil power to the limit!"
Sensing the horrific mana contained within the three roars, Zenon's face paled. He instantly ramped his synchronization from 40% to his maximum of 80%.
BOOM!
The three Dragon Roars slammed directly into the Dark Triad and their disciples. When the dust cleared, the Triad barely stood, saved by their high synchronization, but the Dark Disciples behind them had been utterly annihilated in an instant.
"This is impossible!"
The Dark Triad was reeling. While they had spent most of their energy on the ritual, they hadn't stopped gathering intelligence. They had a rough estimate of the power levels of the other kingdoms. Julius was strong, but he shouldn't have been this much stronger than the three of them. As for Yami, he should have only been at the level of a Dark Disciple. And the First Wizard King? He was supposed to be long dead.
Yet now, all three possessed power that clearly eclipsed the Triad's full demonic forms.
"Continue!"
Julius showed no mercy toward his "family." To the personality that had awakened in the Clover Kingdom, the Zogratis name was merely a concept. His loyalty and emotions belonged to Clover. Even if he did feel a connection, he wouldn't hesitate; the survival of humanity was at stake.
As another wave of magic threatened to erase the siblings, a massive magic circle rose from the palace grounds.
"Looks like the main event is here," George muttered from the rear. As a support mage, he had been watching the battle, and he knew the portal was opening because Lucifer and the others had sensed the seal loosening.
"Hahaha! The Gates of the Underworld are open! You're all dead now!"
The Dark Triad erupted in manic joy. They didn't know why the ritual had started early, but the surge of demonic energy told them the gate was active. Reinforcements were coming. Compared to true high-ranking devils, Julius and his lot were nothing.
"Dragon Form!"
Sensing the terrifying mana of the highest-ranking devils beginning to manifest, Julius's expression hardened. He tapped into his Dragon Force and transformed into a colossal Great Dragon. Beside him, Yami and Lumiere followed suit, turning into a Black Dragon and a Light Dragon respectively.
In their dragon forms, their power spiked exponentially. With a single coordinated strike, they turned the gloating Dante and his siblings into nothingness.
"Dragons? To think dragons still exist in this era. Interesting."
Lucifer stepped out of the portal, only to see his human contractors killed. He looked surprised—he remembered dragons going extinct thousands of years ago—but he wasn't angry. He had only used those humans to gain entry to this world. Now that he was here, they were worthless anyway.
"Humans and dragons... I am the ruler of the Underworld, the strongest devil, King Lucifer. Kneel and submit!"
Lucifer ascended into the sky with his army, looking down at the three dragons and the human alliance with cold authority. Dragons were strong—roughly equal to high-ranking devils—but they didn't threaten him. If there were thousands, perhaps he'd be wary. But three? Trivial. As for the human mages, they were mere ants.
The Human Alliance trembled under the weight of the Three Pillars' combined aura. Julius prepared to give the order for a desperate, final stand.
However, as Lucifer's contemptuous gaze swept over the human ranks, his eyes suddenly locked onto George. His pupils contracted into pinpricks. Without a word of warning, he spun around.
"Full retreat! Back to the Underworld!"
Beelzebub and Megicula looked at him in confusion, but as they followed his gaze to George, their faces twisted in terror. They turned tail and bolted. The rest of the demon army, seeing George standing there, nearly died of fright and scrambled back into the magic circle like a pack of panicked animals.
"Uh... what just happened?"
Julius, Yami, and Lumiere reverted to human form, staring at the empty air where the demon army had just been. The human mages, who had been ready to die in battle, were equally dumbfounded.
"What scared them?"
"It looked like they saw someone..."
Julius looked back and saw George standing at the rear of the alliance, wearing a calm smile. In that moment, he was both surprised and entirely unsurprised. They had suspected George was more than he seemed, but to think the Demon King himself would flee at the mere sight of him...
I forgot to change my appearance when I was in the Underworld, George thought to himself.
He hadn't expected Lucifer to be so decisive. He figured they might at least test him. But for the devils, the portal was open now; they could invade whenever they wanted. Why risk their lives against a being they didn't understand right this second?
This is for the best. If we fought today, humanity actually wouldn't have won.
Only Julius, Yami, and Lumiere could take dragon form currently. The rest of the Black Bulls needed more training. Without George's direct intervention, the chance of human victory was less than 30%. This retreat gave humanity time to grow.
Julius quickly led the mages in placing a powerful seal over the Gates of the Underworld. It wouldn't stop the demons forever, but it would hold them for a few days—enough time for humanity to regroup if they tried again.
"It's time to meet the Creator of this world."
A few days later, having fully absorbed the laws of the Underworld and mapped out the world's structure, George stopped hiding.
He found the Creator's palace within the river of time. Inside, a young man in magnificent robes sat waiting for him with a smile.
"My friend, you have quite the skill. You've been in my world for so long, yet I didn't notice you until you intentionally released your aura."
"My apologies!" George said, bowing slightly. He knew he was technically in the wrong for sneaking in to study the world's laws, but the Creator's friendly attitude was a relief.
"A guest is a guest, and I am not a petty man," the young Creator said, inviting George to sit. "But I must ask, why did you enter my world?"
George didn't hide his purpose. He explained his desire to collect "world templates" to create new worlds in his own multiverse. To show his sincerity, he shared his insights on the laws of this world and offered valuable experience on how a Single-Universe level being can ascend to the Multi-Universe level.
The young Creator was overjoyed by this information. His wariness vanished, and the two began a pleasant exchange of ideas. By the end of the conversation, George had gained something extra: the coordinates to another new world within the chaotic void.
(End of Chapter)