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"... The successor?"
[Let's go inside.]
After entering the conference room, Orgal took a deep breath once again. He seemed to have no intention of hiding his defeat and injuries from Jin and Murakan.
[Zito wanted me to succeed him.]
"Ms. Ameris described him as someone who seeks to rule the world through violence and suffering."
[Yes. He also unified the nether in such a way in ancient times. The nether I experienced first hand was a hell that had never been seen before. There have been numerous tyrants and slaughterers on the surface, but compared to when he unified the nether, they were at a cute level.]
"Why would such a madman want you as his successor? Your Kinzelo's talk about purification is not normal either, but it seems like your paths are entirely different."
[I cannot fathom the reason. He has always shown favor towards me, even though I have never sympathized with his ideology. Perhaps he saw something in me, or maybe there's no reason at all.]
There may be no reason at all.
Orgal genuinely thought so. As far as he knew, Zito was that kind of being.
"Do you have any idea why Zito woke up?"
[There could be several reasons. Some factions in the nether have constantly tried to awaken Zito. Even during the protection war of the Holy kingdom five hundred years ago, they made deals with the Witch to regain Zito's eyes. In the end, they might have succeeded. Lokia Ganesto may also be involved.]
-[Before killing me, Lokia claimed that her goal was the resurrection of the Sun God. She killed all my comrades and spared only Bale. She said she wanted to completely annihilate the current world and restore a righteous one, the world's original form, and she used everything for that purpose, including our clan, Witch, and even Zipfel.]
-[There's a high possibility that Lokia was involved in the birth of the Evil god too.]
Jin remembered the words Padler had said just before his death.
'The evil god and Zito have something in common. If Lokia truly desires the destruction and reconstruction of the world, Zito would be one of the most appropriate pawns.'
Even if Lokia didn't directly influence Zito's resurrection, Zito's pursuit of violence and suffering would undoubtedly help achieve her goals.
[And now... It can no longer be described as some factions. Even the demon who was almost like the leader of the Anti-Zito faction follows him.]
"Oh, you were defeated by that demon?"
Murakan sneered, and Orgal shrugged his shoulders.
[His name is Paellito Belgasyum. He is known by the name Sword Demon in the demon world, and his sword, Bascala, possesses the ability to block an opponent's abilities. I couldn't even use my hand properly against him and got defeated.]
"But even a demon as strong as you got defeated just because you lost some of your abilities? Oh, are you weaker than I thought?"
[Think whatever you like.]
"As for news about Lokia, you still haven't found any, right?"
[The person we need the most to find Lokia hasn't arrived yet. We should talk about this after he starts his work.]
'He' referred to the head of the Bachma family, Chief of Phantom Demons, who was in the 3rd demon world that is located in the Middle World. Once Orgal regained his memories of Lokia, he had instructed Shagal Bachma to call him.
"But, it's a bit strange that demon king Zito wants a successor."
[What do you mean?]
"If he's perfectly healthy, there would be no reason for him to find a successor in advance. Of course, he might be a god-like being who can kill you anytime, but at the moment, he's just in the stage of recovering his strength, so it's odd that he left the ember alive."
That was something Orgal had never thought about.
[That's... true.]
"Moreover, even if we assume that Lokia was involved in Zito's resurrection, there's something odd. Lokia's goal is the resurrection of the Sun God, which is entirely different from what Zito pursues. Still, if Lokia resurrected Zito, it means she must have a way to control him. After the world is destroyed as much as needed, she would discard Zito. The same assumption could be applied to the Evil God' case in the past."
[That's also a valid point. Damn it, I don't know what kind of world that vermin desires through the Sun God's resurrection.]
Whatever it was, it was far from Kinzelo's ideals. The Sun God religious sect of Sanna, Kinzelo, the Red Plutonian tribe, Lokia— all of them wanted the resurrection of the Sun God, but the results they sought through it were entirely different.
[I don't know what is the basis of her belief that she can control Zito. At this point, it's all just speculation.]
"But do you have a rough estimate of when the demons will come up after one side of the Demon Seal Wall completely collapses?"
[Even if the demons come up in a few days, it wouldn't be surprising in the current situation.]
"Just a few days?"
[When I went down to negotiate, I honestly didn't expect to lose. Even if the strongest demon came out, I was confident that they would need an immense amount of power to climb up to the Middle World beyond the cracks of the Demon Seal Wall. However, Paellito managed to come up beyond the crack without seeming too exhausted.]
That meant that the crack in the Demon Seal Wall was much larger than Orgal anticipated.
[If he had been exhausted, I wouldn't have been defeated like this even considering Bascala. Of course, a few days are the worst-case scenario. I can't know the exact timing. I can only hope that the surface has one more day to prepare.]
"Is it impossible to repair the Demon Seal Wall right now?"
[It's impossible. With the power of the Great Serpent, it's even difficult to prevent the crack in the Demon Seal Wall from getting bigger.]
Ameris didn't even know that there was a crack in the Demon Seal Wall.
"Still, wouldn't it be worth trying once?"
[It's dangerous. Even if you go back and tell the Great Serpent, she would probably react the same way as I did. When the great serpent gets close to crack in the Demon Seal Wall, it will tend to repair, but if her power is insufficient at that time, it could cause side effects instead.]
As Orgal said, the demons of the Demon world coming up to the surface was just a matter of time.
[There are not many things we can hope for, Jin Runcandel. The first is that the Demon Seal Wall will hold out much longer than we expected. The second is that there's a reason for Zito's obsession with a successor, just as you said. It might be because he's destined to perish soon or for some other reason.]
"The third thing would be whether the surface can handle it even if the nether powers fully awaken."
[...Yes. For example, Zito is likely to become a public enemy like the evil god. However, the situation is not suitable for forming a temporary alliance, as Zipfel is already at war with the Red Plutonian tribe, and the nether's power has not been fully revealed as it was during the evil god' time.]
There was no reason to hastily form a temporary alliance. Jin, too, ultimately didn't want to join hands with the enemies he would eventually have to eliminate someday.
Moreover, after confirming the truth of a thousand years ago, Zipfel and Runcandel were destined to never coexist under the same sky. Even if they put aside the battle with the Red Plutonian tribe, Murakan would never allow an alliance with Zipfel. The same applied to Jin, the young patriarch of the clan.
However, as long as it is "public enemy," Zipfel would inevitably end up fighting with them unless they joined hands with the nether.
From the perspective of the Vamel Alliance, the best scenario would be the complete annihilation of Zipfel's main forces, including Elona Zipfel, along with the nether during the process.
"I have no intention of doing that. The three powers will form a temporary alliance only under one circumstance: when Zito brings an even greater threat than the evil god, forcing the world to choose between annihilation and an alliance."
[I agree. However, Jin Runcandel, our Kinzelo wants to make one promise to you.]
"A promise?"
[Even if we don't form a temporary alliance, if the Vamel Alliance needs support in its battle against the nether, we will spare no assistance of any kind, be it information or troops.]
"Without any compensation?"
[That's right. We will support you with anything you need, whether it's information about the nether or troops. No strings attached.]
"Are you trying to blow your nose without touching it?"
[You, too, are eagerly waiting for us to find Lokia, aren't you? We're just saying that we'll use each other when the time comes.]
Jin shrugged and nodded.
"Well, if you're offering help for free, there's no reason to turn it down. Personally, it's quite familiar to get something for free from Kinzelo."
[...After hearing that, I feel like I want to take back what I just said.]
"My great-grandfather used to say,'Work diligently and never give up; in the end, you will reap the rewards.' Expect the boundless and unconditional support from Kinzelo, without any cost. Also, provide information on Lokia Ganesto."
Although it was annoying, it was a relief for Orgal that Jin decided to accept the support. While they might not form an alliance, cooperation would undoubtedly be necessary in certain situations.
"Well, I should be heading back now. Take care, Orgal."
***
The Tower of Stories.
While Veradin was drinking tea with Elona, he suddenly saw her looking surprised.
"What happened, Ms. Elona?"
"Something... a powerful force has awakened."
"A powerful force awakened...? Could it be the Red Plutonian tribe?"
"I also thought the force awakening from the nether might be the Red Plutonian tribe, but no. It's entirely different from the energy I usually feel from them. It's similar to that of demons."
"Demon... Wait, you said from the nether, right? Could it be that what you're feeling now is not just one thing?"
Elona pointed with her finger to a distant place outside the window.
"I sense an incredibly immense energy from that direction as well. And this energy is undoubtedly... of a human."
Veradin gazed in the direction she was pointing. The vast Theia Plain came into view.
Suddenly, Veradin recalled an area that could be reached after passing through Theia Plain and several kingdoms and unprotected zones. He also remembered the appearance of a certain human known to be present there.
"... The Black Sea?"
At Veradin's words, Elona nodded slowly. The energy she felt was undoubtedly emanating from a human in the Black Sea.
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