Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 438

A gloomy silence hung over the silent conference room.

No one dared to speak up.

Present in the room were the five heads of the Vampire Lord clans, including Antirianus, as well as Sarkegar.

Eleris vouched for Antirianus, who had returned nonchalantly despite his previous betrayal. She claimed that Antirianus was not a traitor and had, in fact, returned after killing the leader of Cantus Magna.

Regarding the whereabouts of Akasha, Eleris provided only minimal explanation. She stated that Akasha was a tool of creation, and was being stored in a safe location for the moment.

Following Baalier’s instructions, Eleris had moved Akasha so that it was connected to another place. They were gathered at Lruien’s base, not at the ancient castle of Epiacs. Epiacs could no longer be used as it was swarming with humans, who had been dispatched there to investigate.

From the partial collapse of Epiacs, everyone had some idea of what had transpired. Radia Schmidt had fought someone and disappeared.

And they had just learned of the most recent situation when Mr. Effenhauser conveyed through Lucinil that the Demon King was being detained at the Temple.

Radia Schmidt was presumed dead, and the Demon King and Loyar were being detained at the Temple.

Eleris’s face was pale.

“Your clumsy conscience has endangered His Highness, Eleris.”

“...”

Eleris could not respond to Sarkegar’s sharp words.

Her clumsy compassion... That small cogwheel had made the mismatched parts fit together and turn, leading to Baalier’s identity being exposed.

Even if Sarkegar’s transformation ability allowed for infiltration, extraction was impossible. Therefore, a violent confrontation was the only possible consideration.

“The place where His Highness is being detained is surely harder to enter than the central palace of Emperatos, Tetra. And in order to attack that place, the few of us must first enter the Temple. Is it possible for us to break through the Temple and force entry into the prison where His Highness is confined?” Sarkegar asked.

No one answered Sarkegar’s question. This was not an action of a guerilla unit—they were considering attacking the main base. It was an impossible task.

Aside from the Vampire Council, there were other alliances.

“Is there any possibility that the Black Order will help with this matter?”

Galarsh shook his head at Sarkegar’s question.

“Our alliance with the Black Order was to annihilate Cantus Magna. And since Cantus Magna has long disappeared, they have no reason to lend us more strength,” he replied. “Rather, we should worry about them coveting Akasha.”

There was no representative of the Black Order present at the meeting. Since no one knew how they would react if they learned the truth about Akasha, the Council had refrained from contacting them after the lich’s tomb incident, once Akasha’s acquisition was assured.

The fact that Mr. Effenhauser had let them know that Baalier was being detained was considered an excessive favor.

With the Cantus Magna issue resolved, and since they were withholding the truth about Akasha with the Black Order, the alliance was effectively over. If anything, this was a betrayal on the Council’s part.

Therefore, asking for help because the Demon King had been caught would not work. The Order was more likely to demand Akasha instead.

They could not hope for the Black Order’s help in this situation.

The only power they could lean on was that of the Vampire Council. Which meant that it was impossible to reclaim Baalier.

Eleris, who bore the greatest responsibility for this situation, stared blankly at the table, her expression grim.

No one knew when the countdown would end. However, one thing was sure—Baalier would soon die.

Antirianus, who had been silent thus far, smiled faintly. “How about using Akasha?”

...”

At those words, Sarkegar furrowed his brow. “Didn’t you say Akasha is a tool of creation? How would that help in this situation?”

“That’s an overly simplified explanation.”

Antirianus looked at Eleris with a subtle smile. “Akasha is already a very powerful source of power in itself. One of the spells contained within it included the large-scale meteor shower that was used at the lich’s tomb. The current imperial capital and the Temple have defenses capable of responding to such a level of magic, so resolving the situation with powerful magic would certainly be difficult... but how about leveraging the fact that it is, in fact, a tool of creation?”

“...”

“It’s all about using the object that creates worlds in a slightly different way.”

“What do you mean when you say you want to use it differently?”

Antirianus grinned widely. “For instance, creating a world only halfway. A bit clumsily.”

“Creating half a world...?”

“Since Akasha is in an incomplete state, if we activate it now, it will likely create a world that is infinitely close to a real world but not quite... like a half-baked world.”

Hearing Antirianus’s explanation, Eleris bit her lip. Antirianus had not seen Akasha directly but had heard about it from Lucren, the leader of Cantus Magna. Since he knew it was a tool of creation, he inevitably understood its mechanisms.

He already understood how Akasha could be used and the side effects of using it in its incomplete state.

“We make that half-baked world collide with this current world, and... Boom. A huge, terrifying and dreadful disaster... Something no one has ever seen or heard of will occur. Humanity will fall into chaos. Castles, bridges, and houses will collapse and be destroyed, and humanity will be thrust into great turmoil.

“What will happen then? With the world on the brink of destruction, won’t the numerous mages and knights stationed to monitor the Demon King have to leave their posts? To protect people? To save lives?

“We can take advantage of that timing. We’ll use that chance to rescue our Demon King. Humanity will have to prioritize dealing with the disaster that has befallen the world, leaving them no time to deal with us while we rescue the Demon King from their grasp.

“Most of humanity might perish; humanity might even face extinction due to this event. Therefore, after rescuing him, rebuilding the Demon Realm would be as easy as pie, wouldn’t it? That’s why I’m suggesting we use Akasha, but intentionally and deliberately, in its incomplete state.”

Antirianus gave Eleris, who was biting her lip, a look of amusement.

Galarsh, Lruien, and Lucinil remained silent.

Sarkegar’s eyes widened. “So such a method... exists...”

The annihilation of humanity, the Demon King’s rescue, and the reconstruction of the Demon Realm. A means through which all three of Sarkegar’s deepest desires could be fulfilled was within their grasp.

“It seems there is no other way, no reason to choose any method other than this one,” Sarkegar said.

Half of humanity might disappear, and humanity itself might even face extinction. However, Sarkegar did not see any reason for them not to pursue this plan.

“But... is it really okay?” Lruien said hesitantly.

A disaster of an excessively large scale would occur. Setting aside the goal of rescuing Baalier, could such a decision be made so easily?

Lucinil looked at Sarkegar with a sorrowful expression. “I also don’t want our Baalier to die... but do we have the right to do such a thing? Is it okay to trigger such an event?”

They were discussing a great and terrible disaster, yet Lucinil’s words of fear and concern made Sarkegar furrow his brow.

“Humans destroyed our land. They killed and enslaved the sons and daughters of the Dark Land, and now they seek to destroy our last remaining future, our final hope. They destroyed us, plundered our lands and took away our children, and now they want to destroy our last hope. Surely, we, I, His Highness, have the right to destroy them?

“Who started the last war? Wasn’t it humanity? If not us, who else has the right to destroy humanity? They destroyed us, so don’t they deserve to be destroyed just as much?”

‘They destroyed us, so we have the right to destroy them.’

Lucinil bit her lip as she looked at Sarkegar. Lucinil and Lruien could find no words in response to his righteous hatred.

Sarkegar believed that the sons and daughters of the Dark Land had the right to destroy humanity. Therefore, he was in full agreement with Antirianus’s suggestion to deliberately use Akasha in its incomplete state. It was the best choice, and he saw no reason not to choose it.

Even if the Demon King died, humanity would be driven to the brink of extinction. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

You destroyed us, so you too shall be destroyed. To say that such a thing is wrong, that it shouldn’t be done, that a path of coexistence should be found—such words are merely hypocritical nonsense spouted by those who have never faced total destruction.

No one could say anything to Sarkegar, who was filled with fury.

“Of course, I understand your sentiment, but it can’t be done just because you decide to do so,” Antirianus said softly to Sarkegar with a smile. “The only one who knows the current location of Akasha is the head of the Tuesday clan, and only the head of the Tuesday clan can enter Akasha.”

The library beneath the Demon King’s Castle... Now that it had been moved, only three beings could enter Akasha. Charlotte de Gradias, Demon King Baalier, and the ancient Archdemon, Eleris.

Eleris quietly stared at the table.

“...”

Sarkegar did not know that Eleris was an ancient Archdemon. But even if he did, it would make no difference. An Archdemon who had lost its horns could not be the hope of the Demon Realm.

“Eleris.”

“...”

“Take responsibility for your ugly hypocrisy.”

“...”

Eleris could not respond to Sarkegar’s words.

Baalier, who had worked tirelessly to prevent the Gate Incident, would ultimately witness the Gate Incident unfold as part of a scheme to save him. As if it were fate.

Trying to prevent the Gate Incident would become the cause of the Gate Incident. If nothing had been done, nothing would have happened. Knowing all this, in the end, only the devastating regret would remain.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

Eleris pondered.

Should she run away? From the council, from everything in the world. Or should she end her own life? But what would that achieve?

Baalier, who sought to save all humans, would die at the hands of humans. He would die, misunderstood by everyone, hated and despised by all he loved.

Eleris’s last descendant would meet death just before managing to achieve good, with good intentions. Because of her mistake. As a consequence of her clumsy compassion.

If Baalier died like this, and Akasha remained hidden while she stayed silent, the world would continue on without the Gate Incident occurring, as Baalier intended. Would that be acceptable? Would that be enough?

Eleris quietly looked down at the table. Her last descendant would die because of her hypocrisy.

If she could save countless beings by passively witnessing her descendant’s death, would that be the right thing to do?

But to claim that it was right, that Baalier would have wanted it, that many beings could live because of it... Was it right to live on, consoling herself with such thoughts?

“Eleris, are you planning to indulge in your clumsy and ridiculous hypocrisy until the end, claiming that every being in the world has a reason to live and is valuable? Sure, every being in the world might have value, and a meaning for their existence. But remember that the children of the Dark Land were also such beings.”

Sarkegar’s words tore at Eleris’s heart.

“Haha... for the head of the Tuesday clan, who so dislikes and avoids slaughter, to have to take on such a role...”

Antirianus’s laughter tickled her ears.

“What a... What a sorrowful fate this is... Ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha. Hahaha...”

Listening to the mad laughter of the old vampire, who found the situation so enjoyable, Eleris thought of a certain afternoon, long ago.

As always, it was a lazy afternoon.

There were no customers, and she lay slumped over the counter in the dull afternoon sunlight.

It was a languid afternoon, spent idly. The shop door opened, and a boy entered. A boy who seemed somehow familiar, carrying a Fireball scroll. A boy who, for some reason, possessed the scrolls of demons.

When she realized that boy was her last descendant, when she learned he was Baalier Junior, the prince of the Demon Realm, whom she had once tutored for a few days, Eleris believed that destiny had found her.

When that boy said he intended to save the world, that he knew the future, she believed that her destiny would lead her down the path of saving the world from destruction, and that she could lighten the weight of the sins and the slaughter she had accumulated.

But was that not the case? Was this not the destiny that she had been given? Was this not her final task?

Having accumulated too much slaughter and sin, the hypocrisy she’d constructed to avoid it was now driving her to the brink.

By trying to repay the sins of slaughter with hypocrisy, she would now have to commit an unforgivable sin against the world.

By trying to save everyone, she would end up killing everyone.

Was that her role?

“...”

Was that her destiny?