He was the type of guy you'd see anywhere and forget in the background, like a mob character.
That was how Bephelgor was described in the novel.
Bephelgor, one of the four heavenly kings of the demon army and held the title of "Le Blanc" or "The Deceiver."
He was a master strategist and tactician of the demon army. Despite their formidable presence, they were defeated by the hero and his party.
However, the demons managed to flee to various continents.
When the Pseudo-Demonic Crusade began to hunt down the remnants of the demon army, Bephelgor transferred his soul to a human to avoid detection.
That human would eventually rose up to become General Lynx, who led the crusade.
Ironic, isn't it?
After their victory, the Old York was given to him as a reward, along with the title of nobility, "Baron." With his newfound position and power, he orchestrated the revival of the demon lord, which he succeeded in doing as per the novel.
He will definitely be a pain in the ass in the future, extending his influence on the capital.
"Why won't it work on you?" Bephelgor's voice was filled with frustration.
"As I've said, it's useless to control me." I said while smirking.
Bephelgor's ability allowed him to indiscriminately control anyone at his will.
"If you were in your real form, it would have worked," I spat.
"You...!" His anger was showing in his face.
Although it was true, I would have not resisted if it weren't for the fact that they became a human, which severely limited their ability.
"What do you want?" He slammed the table.
"I already told you, right? A relic that can change appearances."
He brushed his chin in contemplation.
"According to one of my sources, there is one such relic." He walked in front of me. "But what would you offer in exchange for it?"
I remained silent.
"Even if you say that I'm Bephelgor, would anyone believe you? I lack demonic aura, and everyone in this city is under my control. Would anyone believe you?" he said, smirking.
"Your threat is meaningless! Hahaha!" He laughed like a madman.
"The last demon god fragment," I said.
"Huh?" He looked at me in confusion.
"I know where it is."
"Impossible!" He tried to hold my shoulder, but his hand got burned instead.
"Such divinity! You bitch! Who are you, the Saintess?! And why would the Saintess know this place?" He continually waved both of his arms, trying to cool the burns from touching me directly.
"There's no way a human would know where it is! Where did you get this information?!"
Bephelgor also has the ability to distinguish truth from lies.
That's precisely why he's the most annoying antagonist in the novel, beating Adele and her fishery.
Because alot of his attacks are mental-based.
But it's precisely the reason why he knows I'm not lying.
"I swear upon Chaos," I said to him, invoking the oath binding everything.
"Everything will return to the VOID," he responded back, recognizing the gravity of the oath.
"Your relic is in the Grand Museum of the Mausoleum. It's in the deepest chamber, to be precise. It is named 'Doppelganger's Ring' by humans," he sat down and delved in more.
"It's heavily guarded as one of the relics that belonged to the first hero and the old empire's relics resides there. That's all that I know." He positioned himself in a questioning stance.
"Now."
"Where's the fragment?" he asked threateningly.
"The fragment is in the countryside of Sucilla province, in an inconspicuous chapel at the heart of the well underneath it. It is located on the rightmost in the town near the mountain ranges of Verra."
He probably couldn't detect any lies in what I'd said.
The oath of Chaos is like a binding contract; if the party fails to reciprocate, they'd be subjected to excruciating pain as a backlash.
Now that both sides had reciprocated what they needed, now comes the hardest part.
A handshake to seal the oath.
This is particularly dangerous as Bephelgor will definitely try to seize the opportunity, but...
[The Gods are repulsed by the being in front of you!]
[A new quest has opened for you to see.]
-
[Quest: Defeat Bephelgor!]
Bephelgor, one of the four Heavenly Kings and the last remaining remnant of the demon army, is planning to revive his long-dead lord behind the scenes. Many people will die if his schemes succeed! Eradicate him completely to ensure the safety of the world!
Rewards: ???
Penalty: Reduced Divinity and Affection points.
-
There's a reason why Bephelgor is very hard to deal with in the novel.
One is that he is a hivemind designed to manipulate people silently behind the scenes, but that's precisely why it's hard.
I blocked out the divinity coming from my hand and reached out to him.
Although surprised at my initiative, he nevertheless also extended his hand and we shook hands.
In that moment, he immediately extended the nerves from his body into mine, but I clenched my fist hard and transferred force into his arm.
The nerves that tried to connect with mine burst, and his hands were now dripping with blood from the ruptured veins.
"Gorilla bitch! Who exactly are you—" Before he could continue, I immediately burst his head off but…
He tried to stab me with a knife hidden on his side.
"You think you could easily kill me? I raised this entire city on my own!" The now headless corpse rushed to attack me, and his attacks were fierce.
He tried to stab me in the abdomen, but I blew his guts away instead.
"Give it up. This city is under my command. If you're so insistent, I'll kill you," his voice echoed, reverberating in the room.
The room started to shake as multiple tentacles sprawled out. I imbued my fist with divine power and punched a hole in the roof, leaping through it. Multiple people were already waiting for me outside
"Let's see how long you'll last!" they chanted in unison.
Bephelgor's facts:
One is that he is immune to holy magic because his nerves are actually ones that sprawl throughout the city.
Two, he doesn't have a body, or rather, the nerves he controls are the main source of his body.
And three, Bephelgor can steal abilities and use them as his own.
With these facts, there was no doubt that fighting Bephelgor meant that I was fighting the whole city he controls.
And with that in mind, I must find his "real" body quickly and I happen to know where it is.
I charged at the people blocking my path.
Their synchronized movements were a sign that they were under Bephelgor's control like anyone in this city.
With a swift grab, I caught one of them by the ankle, their attempt to escape my clutch failed as i twisted their leg grotesquely.
I hurled their body towards the archer who had taken aim at me at a distance. The body hit its mark, knocking the archer off balance however they swiftly readjusted.
Without pausing, I sidestepped a binding spell cast by a mage, the glowing circle disappeared out as they missed their target.
I tackled forward, my fist colliding with the mage's face, sending him sprawling to the ground.
The very ground beneath me trembled as the building morphed into a massive golem.
It raised a colossal arm, launching a barrage of stone bullets.
I danced through the projectiles, and closed the distance.
With a powerful leap, I drove my fist into the golem's core. The impact resonated through its body, and with a deep rumble, the golem shattered, crumbling into rubble.
A bulky figure rushed at me, his fist glowing with aura.
The punch connected, sending me across a distance.
'They're all skilled…'
As I regained my footing, a rogue materialized from the shadows, his shadow clones surrounding me.
His blades slashed through the air, aiming to cut me down.
I spun my body, evading the slashes, and grabbed the rogue's arm mid-swing.
With a violent twist, I disarmed him and plunged his own knife into his jaw.
A swordsman charged at me next, his blade positioned for a lateral strike.
I met his attack head-on, catching his sword arm.
With a pull, I tore his arm from its socket and hurled it at the bulky fighter.
The swordsman's scream was cut short as I delivered a crushing blow to his chest, sending him flying.
An arrow brushed past, grazing my cheek barely as I dodged it.
I turned to see the archer nocking another arrow.
Before he could release it, I grabbed the druid's staff, who was chanting a spell nearby and crushed his abdomen.
I leap to where the archer was, he tried to closed the distance but with a powerful swing, I shattered the archer's skull, the staff crumbled upon impact.
"You monster…!" they all wailed in unison.
"Shut up, bitch," I snapped back.
Now it was time.
"Faith Shop!"
A window appeared before me as I avoided the flurry of attacks hurled at me.
-
[Faith Shop]
Welcome, Blessed One. Your current faith points: 1,500
-
It was a bunch of skills and items but they're not important right now.
"Divine Eyes!"
[Skill: Divine Eyes - 1,000 faith points]
Description: Grants the ability to see the true nature of beings and objects
Effect: Enhances vision to perceive divine, magical, and hidden elements. Particularly effective against illusions.
[Would you like to acquire the skill [Divine Eyes] for 1,000 faith points? Y/N]
"Yes!"
[Divine Eyes have been bought!]
[Divine Eyes will now take effect!]
Suddenly, my normal vision began to change.
Things I normally didn't see, including the nerves that Bephelgor controlled, became visible.
'Yuck.'
They were all spread out like a grotesque web, intertwining and connecting throughout the city.
I could see the nerve system more clearly now and they seem to be originating underground.