Chapter 349: The Demon King’s Arrival

Yuuta’s crimson eyes widened as he stared toward the direction from which the overwhelming presence was approaching.

He tried lifting his head to get a better look, but the effort sent a sharp pain through his neck and shoulders. His exhausted muscles trembled, barely allowing him to turn his face toward the entrance.

...The Demon King?

He could barely see beyond the kneeling soldiers surrounding him.

Whoever had arrived was still outside his field of vision, but the pressure spreading throughout the sanctum was enough to tell him one thing.

This was someone far stronger than the demons he had been fighting.

This was someone far stronger than the demons he had been fighting.

Yuuta gritted his teeth.

He hadn’t been fighting those demons simply to defeat them. From the beginning, his goal had been to escape. During the chaos, he had spotted a narrow passage near the entrance, partially concealed behind the surrounding structures. His instincts told him that if he could reach the door at the end of that passage and force it open, he might finally find a way out of the ritual grounds.

That was why he had kept moving, attacking only when necessary and using the demons’ movements to push himself closer to the passage. Despite being surrounded, he had genuinely believed he could make it. But Warden had noticed his intentions and cut off his escape before he could reach the door.

Even then, Yuuta hadn’t given up. He had continued fighting, desperately searching for another opening, until his exhausted body finally gave out. Now, with the Demon King himself arriving, even that small possibility of escape seemed to have vanished.

Meanwhile, the entrance to the Black Eclipse Circle had been secured by a formation of elite demons. Unlike the ordinary soldiers stationed throughout the sanctum, these creatures stood nearly six to seven feet tall, their muscular bodies covered in heavy obsidian armor.

Their imposing figures made even the surrounding soldiers appear insignificant.

They were the Obsidian Gargantuars, the royal elite guards entrusted with protecting the Demon King.

The Gargantuars moved into formation on either side of the entrance, clearing a broad passage through the kneeling soldiers. Behind them came an enormous royal palanquin, its dark frame decorated with elaborate carvings and supported by two monstrous demons who carried it upon their shoulders.

Seated within was Demon King Allen.

He wore a black kimono decorated with intricate dragon patterns, its dark fabric falling loosely around his tall, muscular frame. Long red hair flowed down his back, while two straight horns rose from his head. His golden eyes surveyed the ritual grounds, and a faint smile rested on his lips as he approached the ceremony he had waited so long to witness.

However, that smile gradually disappeared.

Demon corpses lay scattered across the black stone, blood stained several sections of the ancient formation, and wounded soldiers remained kneeling beside their fallen comrades. The carefully arranged guards had abandoned their original positions, leaving the ceremonial grounds looking more like a battlefield than a sacred ritual site.

Allen silently examined the destruction.

The advisor standing beside his palanquin noticed the change in his expression and immediately lowered his head.

"What happened here?"

Allen’s voice was calm.

Yet the question made several nearby demons stiffen.

Nobody answered.

Allen’s golden eyes moved toward the damaged sections of the ritual formation.

"I asked a question."

The advisor immediately stepped forward.

"What the hell happened here?!"

His furious voice echoed across the silent grounds as he surveyed the destruction.

"Why is the ritual ground in this condition? And why haven’t the preparations been completed?!"

Valthor hurried forward upon hearing the question. The priest dropped to his knees before the royal palanquin, pressing his forehead toward the stone while his hands trembled beneath his ceremonial robes.

"May Your Majesty live forever!"

He remained bowed for a moment before raising his head slightly.

"Please forgive this servant for failing to complete the preparations on time, Your Majesty. Everything was proceeding according to plan until this incompetent fool allowed the Great Divine Sacrifice to escape his restraints!"

Valthor pointed toward the Warden, who remained kneeling among the nearby soldiers.

"Despite being entrusted with guarding the Child of Chaos, he failed to keep the prisoner secured! Because of his negligence, the human escaped and caused this entire disaster!"

Allen’s gaze followed the direction of his finger.

The Warden noticed the King’s attention immediately.

Without waiting for another accusation, he hurried forward and dropped to his knees beside Valthor, lowering his head.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. The responsibility is mine. I failed to maintain proper control over the prisoner and allowed him to escape his restraints."

His voice remained respectful, although the tension in his shoulders betrayed his nervousness.

"I accept full responsibility for what happened. However, we managed to prevent the sacrifice from escaping the ritual grounds, and I was about to—"

"So what?"

Allen interrupted him.

The Warden immediately fell silent.

For several seconds, the Demon King remained seated, his golden eyes resting upon the kneeling guard.

"You allowed the Child of Chaos to escape his restraints."

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."

"And now you’re telling me that you managed to stop him afterward?"

The Warden lowered his head.

"Yes, Your Majesty. We prevented him from reaching the exits, and—"

"I didn’t ask what you accomplished afterward."

Allen’s voice remained quiet.

The Warden’s mouth closed.

Beside him, Valthor remained silent. The Warden briefly glanced toward the priest, remembering how his repeated warnings about Yuuta had been dismissed. He wanted to explain that he had suspected the human would attempt something, but accusing Valthor in front of the Demon King would only make the situation worse.

Allen slowly rose from his seat.

The atmosphere changed almost immediately.

A terrifying aura began spreading from his body, forcing the surrounding demons to lower their heads even further. Several soldiers visibly trembled beneath the pressure, while Valthor pressed his forehead against the stone without daring to look up.

Even Yuuta, lying helplessly several meters away, could feel the overwhelming presence bearing down upon him. His heart began pounding faster, and every instinct warned him of the danger approaching.

Allen stepped down from the royal palanquin.

He approached the two kneeling demons and stopped directly before them.

"Do you have any idea how important today is?"

Neither demon answered.

"Two thousand years."

Allen looked toward the enormous statue overlooking the Black Eclipse Circle.

"That’s how long our people have waited for the Child of Chaos to appear. Two thousand years of preparation, sacrifice, and patience."

His gaze returned to the Warden.

"And I entrusted you with one responsibility."

The Warden lowered his head further.

"Keep him alive and secured until the ritual begins."

Allen paused.

"Yet you failed."

The Warden’s shoulders trembled.

"F-Forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Allen watched him for another moment before turning toward the damaged ritual grounds.

He had waited too long for this ceremony to allow another mistake. Everything had been prepared for the awakening, and the Great Divine Sacrifice was finally within his grasp. Losing the human now would mean risking everything he had spent centuries arranging.

But Allen made no attempt to shout or threaten the trembling guard.

"We’ll discuss your punishment after the ceremony."

The Warden immediately pressed his forehead against the stone.

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!"

Allen paid him no further attention.

"Resume the preparations. Restore the formation and return every unit to its assigned position."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Valthor immediately replied.

Allen’s golden eyes moved across the kneeling priests.

"I don’t want another mistake."

His words were quiet, but every demon present understood the warning.

With that, Allen clasped his hands behind his back and continued walking toward the center of the Black Eclipse Circle. His pace was unhurried, and he paid little attention to the kneeling demons lining his path.

His attention had already shifted toward the human lying among the fallen soldiers.

Yuuta noticed someone approaching through the narrow gap between the demons surrounding him.

Shit...

He tried pushing himself upright, but his arms trembled violently beneath his weight. He managed to lift his chest slightly before his strength failed, forcing him back against the bloodstained stone.

The approaching figure gradually became clearer as the soldiers moved aside.

Long red hair.

Two straight horns.

Golden eyes.

Yuuta recognized him immediately.

It’s him.

The same demon who had appeared during the battle in Yuno City. The one who had taken him away from Erza and brought him to this place.

Yuuta clicked his tongue in frustration.

He had struggled against hundreds of demons, endured countless injuries, and nearly reached the passage leading out of the ritual grounds. Yet now, the very person responsible for his capture was standing before him while he could barely lift himself from the ground.

Allen stopped beside him.

For a moment, the Demon King simply observed the battered human lying at his feet. Yuuta’s clothes were torn, blood covered much of his body, and the sword he had stolen from the guards lay just beyond his reach.

Despite his condition, his crimson eyes remained fixed on Allen with unmistakable hostility.

Allen studied him quietly.

"So you’re the one who caused all this trouble."

His voice carried a faint trace of amusement.

"I expected you to be difficult, Yuuta Konuari. But I didn’t expect you to be this troublesome."

Yuuta glared at him.

You bastard...

Allen noticed the way Yuuta’s fingers slowly curled against the stone.

"Still trying to fight?"

He looked toward the fallen sword before returning his attention to Yuuta.

"Even in that condition?"

Yuuta attempted to push himself up again, but his weakened arm gave out almost immediately.

Allen watched him struggle for a moment.

Then he crouched slightly, bringing himself closer to Yuuta’s eye level.

"Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment?"

Yuuta’s expression darkened.

Allen reached forward and seized him by the throat.

Without any apparent effort, he lifted Yuuta from the ground until his feet hung above the stone. Yuuta instinctively tried grabbing Allen’s wrist, but his exhausted arms barely responded, leaving him suspended helplessly in the Demon King’s grasp.

Allen studied his face.

"The Child of Chaos."

His golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"Ever since the heavens placed their curse upon our people, we’ve lived with a single dream. To awaken the one we call our Mother, the God of Shadow and free ourselves from the fate imposed upon us."

He glanced toward the enormous statue overlooking the Black Eclipse Circle.

"I’ve spent centuries preparing for this day. Everything we’ve endured, everything we’ve sacrificed, has brought us here."

Allen returned his attention to Yuuta.

"And yet, no matter how carefully I arrange things, someone always finds a way to interfere."

His expression remained composed, but the faint amusement in his eyes had disappeared.

"First, the Agency. Then the dragons. And now, even you, the very sacrifice required to complete the ritual, have decided to stand in my way."

Yuuta struggled to draw another breath.

Allen noticed and loosened his grip slightly, allowing him enough air to remain conscious.

"Don’t misunderstand me, Yuuta."

His voice became quieter.

"I have nothing against you personally. But there are things far more important than what either of us wants."

He looked directly into Yuuta’s crimson eyes.

"I won’t allow anyone to take this day away from my people."

There was no anger in his words.

Only certainty.

Throughout the Black Eclipse Circle, the demons remained kneeling with their heads lowered. None dared interrupt their king, although several couldn’t help glancing toward the human hanging helplessly in his grasp.

Among the Upper Blood Demons, Akuryu Zanki quietly observed Allen’s expression.

His Majesty is unusually serious today.

He had served the Demonic Kingdom long enough to recognize the difference. Allen often treated serious matters with amusement, but there was little trace of that familiar attitude now.

Zanki understood why.

The Black Eclipse was more than an ordinary ceremony. Its success represented the future of their entire kingdom, and the human currently hanging from Allen’s hand was the final sacrifice required to complete it.

His gaze shifted toward Yuuta.

And we allowed him to fight as though it were entertainment.

Had the human suffered a fatal injury during the battle, the consequences could have been disastrous. Even Ragnar, who had laughed throughout the fighting, now remained silent before the Demon King.

Meanwhile, Allen’s attention returned to Yuuta.

He examined the human’s battered appearance, his gaze moving from the blood covering his face to the torn clothing hanging loosely around his chest.

Something caught his attention.

Allen’s golden eyes narrowed.

He reached forward with his free hand and seized the front of Yuuta’s shirt.

RIIIP!

With a single movement, he tore the fabric apart, exposing Yuuta’s chest beneath it.

And then Allen stopped.

His golden eyes widened.

For the first time since entering the Abyssal Sanctum, the cold composure on his face disappeared completely.

He stared at Yuuta’s exposed chest, seemingly unable to believe what he was seeing.

The sudden change in his expression immediately caught the attention of the surrounding demons.

Valthor cautiously raised his head, wondering what had caused the Demon King to fall silent. The Warden followed his gaze, while several nearby royal guards looked toward the human suspended in Allen’s hand.

Even the Upper Blood Demons appeared startled by their ruler’s reaction.

A strange silence settled over the Black Eclipse Circle.

Allen continued staring at Yuuta’s chest, his expression shifting from disbelief to something far more difficult to understand.

Whatever he had noticed was clearly something he had never expected to encounter.

"...Impossible."

The word escaped his lips almost involuntarily.

Yuuta struggled to focus on him, unable to understand why the Demon King had suddenly stopped speaking.

Allen slowly raised his gaze toward Yuuta’s face.

"How..."

His grip remained firm, but his earlier confidence had vanished.

"How are you even alive in the first place?"

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To be continued.