Chapter 145:
The vanguard stood ready. They knew the mission. Meiyo much to Kouki's displeasure had made the plan and Rika could execute the plan. They can do this.
"Okay Rika let's do this." Meiyo said as Kouki pouted in jealously.
"Meiyo i should say that." Kouki said as Akari nodded still attached to Kouki .
"Fine whatever say it." Meiyo said in a disbelieving tone they were on a mission that can risk their life and death and Kouki was worried about playing leader.
"Okay Riza take us there." He said as she nods and she said an incarnation as her Omni Energy was converted into mana which was then used to to create a purple magic circle underneath them and with that
A thick, suffocating darkness enveloped the Phoenix Vanguard as they descended into the Shadow Realm, the transition between realities seamless under Rika Suzuki's control. The moment they stepped in, the world around them twisted unnaturally—light ceased to exist, colors bled into each other, and the laws of space became mere suggestions rather than absolutes.
Rika smirked, standing at the centre of the group as her Omni Energy converted into mana pulsed, distorting the boundaries of the Shadow Realm itself. "Alright, everyone, hold onto your stomachs," she teased, her violet eyes gleaming with mischief. "I'll have us there in an instant. No walking, no waiting. Straight to the Demon Empire's Inner Castle."
Kouki grinned, his crimson-ringed golden eyes burning with anticipation. "Tch, finally. I was getting bored. Let's do this."
The rest of the Vanguard remained composed, their expressions locked in grim determination. Meiyo, standing beside her brother, said nothing. Her mind was already calculating the next moves—adjusting, preparing, making sure there were no weaknesses in the plan. She knew better than anyone that confidence was necessary, but overconfidence? That led to failure.
And she never failed.
Rika flicked her wrist, and the very fabric of the Shadow Realm obeyed. Distance collapsed. Time ceased vanished as if it was never a concept. One step forward, and they were already there. instantly.
With a single blink, reality reconstructed itself around them.
They stood in the heart of the Demon Empire's Inner Castle.
Immediately, they spread out, taking in the surroundings. The architecture was grand, dark stone forming gothic spires that stretched impossibly high, vanishing into the void above. The walls pulsed faintly with eerie red sigils, ancient magic woven into the very fabric of the castle. The scent of embers and burning incense filled the air, mixing with the unmistakable weight of something old—something that had been here long before them and would remain long after they were gone.
Kouki exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he surveyed the silent halls. "Huh. This is almost disappointing. No guards? No security? Just an empty throne room waiting for us?" He scoffed, his voice filled with arrogance. "I almost feel insulted."
"You should," Akari said, her lips curling into a teasing smirk as she stepped closer to Kouki, letting her fingers trail along his arm. "Maybe Maou-sama already gave up, knowing how incredible my Kouki-kun is."
Kaito frowned, unimpressed and jealous. Akari should be doing this to him not some loser royal. The manga's he read never has the dickhead royal get the girl. "This is too easy. It doesn't make sense."
Meiyo's expression remained neutral, but inside, her instincts screamed at her. Something is wrong.
She turned to Rika. "Scan the area with your shadows. I want to know exactly what's here. No assumptions."
Rika chuckled, her fingers forming intricate patterns in the air as the darkness around her rippled, spreading like ink through the castle. "Already ahead of you, darling."
Seconds passed.
Then—
The shadows twisted.
And a voice emerged from the abyss.
A deep, rumbling chuckle echoed through the empty halls, vibrating through the stone itself, sending a wave of unnatural dread through the air. It was a sound that did not belong—a voice that carried the weight of something that had seen far too much.
"Well, well, well…"
The Vanguard froze.
That voice that one would presume was Maou-sama's.
No it wasn't
It was something else.
Something ancient.
Something hungry.
From the depths of the darkness, a colossal shape began to materialize. Scales as black as the void. Eyes like molten gold, filled with amusement. Fangs that gleamed in the dim light. A Hydra.
It coiled itself lazily around the throne room, its seven heads shifting as they observed the intruders with a mixture of curiosity and contempt.
"You children really thought you could just waltz into Maou-sama's home, put a blade to his throat, and walk out as heroes?" The Hydra's middle head tilted, amused. "How precious."
Kouki's eyes narrowed. "Where is he?"
The Hydra's laughter filled the room. "Oh, he's never been here. This 'castle'—" he gestured with a single claw, the walls around them subtly shifting, pulsing as if alive "—was never his. It's a decoy. A delightful little trap for arrogant little insects like you."
Silence.
Then—rage.
Kouki's aura flared, golden and crimson flames licking at his body. "You're lying."
Meiyo's heart clenched. No—this makes sense.
Everything had been too easy. The infiltration. The lack of guards. The lack of resistance.
This wasn't a mission.
This was bait.
The Hydra leaned in, his massive golden eyes boring into them with predatory delight. "Oh? You think I'm lying? What part? The fact that Maou-sama never needed a pathetic castle like this? The fact that you'll never find him? Or the fact that—"
His grin widened.
"—he transcends all dimensionality itself?"
Kaito stiffened. "What…?"
The Hydra's seven heads chuckled in unison. "You fools came here thinking you could assassinate a being beyond your comprehension. Let me put this into perspective for you, hm?"
He lifted a single claw. The air around it shattered. Not cracked—shattered. The castle bent around the sheer pressure of his presence.
"You, children, are at best fifth-dimensional transcendents." His voice dripped with condescension. "Maybe, just maybe, your little 'rulers' over there—" his gaze flickered to Meiyo and Kouki "—are twelfth-dimensional beings. A little more impressive. A little more dangerous."
He grinned.
"But Maou-sama? He does not just transcend dimensions. He eclipses dimensionality itself."
The room vibrated with the weight of those words.
"He doesn't just exist in a higher dimension—he is beyond the very concept of dimensional structures."
"He either encompasses such structures, or he can affect structures that do."
The Hydra's grin grew impossibly wider. "Imagine a being who doesn't merely exist in higher dimensions but can destroy realms that transcend realms, which contain infinite hierarchies of dimensions."
He leaned closer, whispering.
"Realms where each dimension sees the one below it as mere fiction."
"And Maou-sama?"
"He sees all of them as nothing more than a story."
Silence.
Kouki's fists trembled.
Meiyo's eyes narrowed. Her mind raced. If this was true… if Maou-sama truly transcended dimensionality itself…
Then this was no longer a battle.
It was an execution.
The Hydra's laughter echoed through the halls. "Oh, don't look so hopeless. Maou-sama doesn't need to kill you. He left that choice to me."
The castle shifted.
The walls rippled—and sealed shut.
There was no exit.
No escape.
The air grew heavier, darker. The magic in the walls surged, locking them inside a prison they never saw coming.
The Hydra's golden eyes glowed with amusement.
"You see, I don't have permission to kill you."
He chuckled.
"But I do have permission… to break you."
And with that, the trap was sprung.