Chapter 425
The place where Davey's clone resided was truly a scene of vigilance. The demons were wary of him, sending hostile glances his way. Even without a direct, personal encounter with humans, demons scorned and loathed them as if demons had been brutally brainwashed.
Of course, no one dared to openly scorn Davey due to the fear that they might silently perish. After all, he was presumed to be the monster-like human who had suddenly appeared and killed their Chief of Staff, Nyx.
It was only after half a day that the demons called for Davey again. In the meantime, his main body had invested its time in moving human prisoners from the outpost.
"Follow us, human," the demon soldiers, brimming with caution, burst into the shabby room where Davey was confined, brandishing their spears at him.
"Well, why not undo these chains and keep your watch?"
"Shut up!"
Under normal circumstances, they would have beaten him, but they were too scared of him to do anything. As proof of this, they could not easily hide their trembling bodies as they watched him.
"Her Majesty summons you!"
Upon hearing this, Davey slowly moved his steps. He did not need to personally end the war. All he had to do was engrave his existence; he only needed to let them decide without exerting further power. Of course, even this in itself would be an intervention.
Fortunately, the Observer had said that he could somehow counteract this level of intervention. And if it went wrong? Davey would have to overthrow everything, even if it meant breaking this world.
"Her Majesty! I've brought the human!" With the soldier's shout, the doors to the audience chamber opened, and several demons gazed at Davey.
Compared to the initial number when he first entered the chamber, it was only a very few. The demon assumed to be a duke, Gluttony the vampire ruler, and several other demons still filled with vigilance and hostility.
‘Why do you all look frustrated and anxious?’ Davey had nothing to regret or to be scared about, so he displayed the most leisurely expression. ‘If they are frustrated, let them come at me. In fact, I would die with just one hit! There is virtually no power in the clone.’
The reason he had sent his clone here on the black dragon was that the loss of dealing with these demons would be greater than the potential benefit he could gain.
"Have you made a decision?"
In response to Davey's question, Perserque, who had been silently looking at him, hesitated for a moment. Then, after a short contemplation, she asked, "Will everyone clear the way?"
"Your Majesty! He is an unknown entity!"
"He could pose a threat to Your Majesty's body..."
"Are you saying that after seeing his physical body?" With that short question, everyone fell silent. "I don't know how you created it, but it's a tangible clone. Even when it's far away from the sorcerer, it moves perfectly in real-time with the sorcerer. But since it's not the main body, its power is extremely weak." Her response was a fast and accurate analysis, just as Davey would expect from her.
"You're quite sharp."
At his smile, she looked around at the demons. "It's an order. Everyone, step back. I have something to discuss with him."
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
An order is an order, that was all. Although they had complaints, they could not express them openly. Leaving her, the other demons began to walk out one by one.
In the quiet space where only Perserque and Davey were left, she asked him, "Do you want to stop the war?"
"Yes."
"Why? You, whom I've seen, did not even show half of your power. As if you're restraining yourself."
In response to her words, Davey chose to remain silent. Indeed, she was not wrong. But if he started to show his power here, the consequences and damages to the surroundings would be unbearable. Even now, madness and impulse were running wild in his head, screaming to topple Perserque immediately and get on top of her.
"If you have that much power, instead of stopping the war, you could also revive humanity..."
"I have my own circumstances. Originally, whether humans or demons, what happens to them doesn't concern me, but…" As he spoke, Davey discreetly glanced to the side.
The status window that he had activated with the residual abyssal power still lingering in his body now held a carved inscription, even though it had been blank when he first arrived here.
- Balance maintenance with minimal intervention. Once achieved, application of Metamorphosis stacks irrespective of Davey O’Rowane’s physical condition, acquisition of genetic information from Shane Scrift.
Davey had gathered 100 stacks, and his soul had already accepted the divine mana, resulting in a better synchronization with his body. With this, he believed that if he returned to the original world and submerged his physical body in divine mana once more, he might successfully undergo metamorphosis. The idea of achieving 100 stacks of metamorphosis seemed feasible, at least once. Moreover, he possessed the genetic information of Shane Scrift, one of his mentors in mythical beast summoning. Initially overlooked as insignificant, this genetic information held immense power, allowing Davey to briefly modify the structure of his physical body.
This newfound power meant he could take over the aimless Megalodria and easily handle the three kings of mythical beasts, even the one currently unable to exert much of his power. Davey was determined not to let this opportunity slip away.
"Do you desire war?" he inquired.
Perserque replied, "Is there even a war left to discuss? The Continental Union Resistance, including humans, has already retreated, and the remaining humans are mere fugitives."
She knew the consequences of a severely unbalanced situation, understanding the role of the Dark Lord and the antagonist in maintaining balance. Being the entity most targeted by the cursed power of the other side of the coin, she yearned to stop the war, seeing further meaningless slaughter as devoid of any benefit, despite having been under Nyx's control and sustaining the war thus far.
Davey suggested, "Let's not be greedy. I came here to recommend surrender. You know what that entails, right?"
"You plan to take on the entire demon race alone?" Perserque questioned.
].
"In matters concerning the demon race, I might hold the upper hand," Davey asserted confidently, being one of their kings and enjoying the benefits of the Dark Lord's hierarchy.
"You just need to make a choice. Continue being greedy and risk the extinction of your entire race, or..."
Or, stop shedding more blood. The decision was Perserque’s to make. Of course, she would choose to avoid the war by any means necessary.
"Alright. We will stop advancing to the unoccupied lands. The demon race has already gained enough," Perserque said.
"That's all you need to do. It's meaningless to have more land when there aren't many people left. Let's decide on the specifics with the human who will lead."
A demon race that wanted to stop the war and a human who wanted to end it. There was not much more to discuss, as long as their interests aligned.
Just then, an unexpected voice interrupted, causing Perserque to shudder slightly. The voice said, "Your Highness, please wait."
"Grand Duke Astaroth."
Turning his head, Davey saw a man slowly walking into the room. Not just him, but a tall woman in a robe was also present, emanating a scent that felt too familiar.
"I expressly asked for no interruptions," Perserque replied, obviously annoyed.
"Your Highness, making a pact at this time is untimely," the cold voice of Grand Duke Astaroth echoed, causing Perserque to furrow her brow.
Before Perserque could respond, another voice boomed out.
"Why complicate things? In the end, you're just scared of that human, right? Hahaha! Even a bug-like demon race is nothing more than a cowardly bug."
The voice was arrogant. Perserque stared at the robed woman with a cold gaze.
"Oh my, the cute bug knows how to stare, huh?" Grinning widely, the woman threw off her robe.
Whoosh!!!
As a great power burst from Sleesia’s body, both Astaroth and Perserque were pressed down as if they were being crushed.
"Ugh?!"
After throwing off her cumbersome robe completely, Sleesia brandished her red tail. Her sharp, white teeth glistened, and her thin tongue slightly licked her own lips.
"H… Hey!"
"Human... That's very amusing. Coincidentally, the one who humiliated my people was also a human. This is good timing."
Laughing wickedly, Sleesia charged toward Davey, who was slightly frowning.
What she had just released was an overwhelming mental pressure. Her power was similar to that of the Abyssal Princess, Urd, whom Davey had previously deemed too formidable to handle with his own strength.
‘Is it a power equivalent to the beings of the Abyss?’ Davey discerned.
The issue was the presence of a being that should not be here in this place. The problem was also that this power was significantly stronger than when it was with Urd.
Although Davey had experienced being exposed to such power before and considering his current state as a clone, it would not have a significant effect. Nevertheless, he was surprised by the emergence of another Abyssal Princess.
Crack!!
A creepy sound reverberated, as if Davey’s neck had snapped. Gripping his flesh, Sleesia lifted it into the air and commented, "What's this? It's just an empty shell, isn't it? Was I deceived by such a worthless shell?"
Perserque frowned. "If it was a fool who would come looking for me with the real body, it wouldn't have been worth listening to the story."
In response, the woman with red hair looked at Davey as if she had lost interest. "Well, it wouldn't be bad to step on a few more bugs while killing one."
As Sleesia’s calm gaze swept over him as if evaluating him, Davey watched her with a cold smile. Even though his neck was broken, his body could be considered a clone. This meant that he could speak even with only a head left.
"How did you cross over here from the Abyss?"
At his question, Sleesia hesitated. Then, after silently staring at him, she let out a hollow laugh. "Oh, was it you? The insignificant bug that made Urd look like that? Surprisingly, I'm quite talented at handling spaces."
"I did shove her beyond the dimensional rift, but it seems you liked the look quite a bit, huh?"
"Oh my! I barely rescued her when she was completely crushed."
Crunch!
With a creepy sound, Davey’s neck bone shattered into dust. At the same time, his neck wobbled.
Being a clone implemented with a single hair, his vitality was incredibly weak to the point of being speechless.
"I'm not sure what trick you used, but it's not very fun."
Crash!!
Sleesia lifted Davey up and slammed him into a nearby pillar. Simultaneously, half of his flesh crumpled, and the solid obsidian decorative pillar crumbled as if it had been smashed.
"This place is really unique. It doesn't make me want to stay for a strange feeling. But I came looking because the bug that made Urd look like that is here, right? I found you quite quickly. I never thought I'd see a resident of that filthy world even here. Where did a cockroach-like creature crawl out from?"
Upon noticing Sleesia’s existence, Davey had reset all the plans he had thought of in his head. Peace? Negotiation? With this damned woman in front of him, there was no use for such things right now.
As Davey silently glared at Sleesia, Perserque urgently intervened in the situation. "Stop! I don't know who you are, but if you cause any more chaos..."
Crash!!!
Perserque tried to stop the situation, not yet knowing how dangerous the Abyssal Princess was. But this action only provoked the woman even more.
"Hmph?!"
Perserque, pinned against the wall by the tentacles extending from the woman’s hand, let out a painful groan.
Looking at Perserque’s blue face, Davey realized that whether in this world or the other, Perserque did not like to see things that incite disgust, such as bugs and tentacles.
"Shut up, bug. If you interfere with my business anymore, I'll have to dispose of you."
"Look here! Sleesia! This is not what we agreed upon!!" Astaroth's outraged cry echoed in the unexpected situation.
"I've changed my mind. I thought I'd enjoy the wit of a bug at least for amusement, but..."
Davey slowly reached out toward Sleesia, the Abyssal Princess who was holding him. There was a bit of uncertainty about what was inside this unknown creature, but thinking about these creatures' appearances that merely mimic the exterior of humans, this would definitely work.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With a faint sound, his fingers pricked Sleesia’s forearm several times.
[Forearm Acupuncture Point]
[Disarmament]
As her grip weakened and released his flesh, Davey swiftly kicked Sleesia away, creating some distance between them. The attack had depleted most of the mana sustaining his clone body, causing his hands, feet, and part of his head to turn to smoke.
Without hesitation, he allowed his strength to fade, making his flesh semi-transparent, as if drained of power. Before vanishing, instead of engaging in further conversation, Davey expressed his disdain by showing her his middle finger.
Sleesia, not understanding the gesture's meaning, looked at him with caution. "What's... that?"
As she folded her arms and inquired about his actions, Davey smiled brightly and replied with a touch of sarcasm, "Go fuck yourself."
"What?"
"Don't draw attention. There are others searching for me in this situation."
Spang!!
In an instant, his consciousness merged back together. Silently, he moved on top of the horse, speaking quickly as his consciousness became one again.
"Observer."
[Astounding, her existence is extraterrestrial, just like you. Furthermore, she's an astonishingly chaotic entity... There won't be any constraints on you in dealing with her.]
"Glad to hear it."
[However, considering that she is in the demon's castle, the situation changes the moment a fight breaks out there.]
Despite the many things being pointed out fussily, Davey couldn't help but feel annoyed. However, he couldn't deny that the Observer was right. Sleesia, the uninvited guest who had come looking for trouble on her own, was actively wielding the power of the abyss. Though similar to the forbidden act of setting rules independently, there were slight differences in direction and influence.
There was no denying that Sleesia posed a formidable threat. She surpassed Urd, who had subdued and eroded three kings of mythical beasts, making her a highly unfavorable opponent for Davey in his current state in the original world. However, this was a parallel world. As an alien entity, his soul's power was stronger than his body's, leading to perfect synchronization between the two.
"This should be interesting."
Confident in his own power, just like Sleesia was in hers, Davey knew there was a significant difference between them. She wielded her power ignorantly, unaware of the depth of his abilities and knowledge.
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