Chapter 9: Filtering (2)

In a forest near Chimseong Palace within Huangcheng, Knight Alex was stationed on guard duty, assigned by Evelyn Agnes. He frowned at the sudden red light radiating from the palace.

"What is that?"

The light originated from the training ground, eventually engulfing the whole palace. The peculiar red hue gave an ominous feeling that had Alex's brow furrowing.

"I'm not sure. It looks like magic... but there doesn't seem to be any attack."

A lieutenant, also keeping an eye on the palace, responded. If there had been an attack, sounds of clashing weapons and battle cries would have been unmistakable, but the surroundings were quiet.

"Hmm... should I report this?"

Alex hesitated, unsure if this warranted the attention of the 'Lion Princess.' He didn't want to bother her unnecessarily. However, his deliberation was interrupted by a chilling noise.

Screaaak!

A terrifying echo filled the air, akin to a guttural scream. It reminded Alex of demons crawling from the depths of hell. Instinctively repulsed, Alex gave a swift order to the lieutenant.

"Notify the upper ranks immediately."

"Understood."

With no time to waste, the lieutenant acknowledged the order and sprinted away. Alex, watching the lieutenant's receding figure, set his sights on the Chimseong Palace and moved.

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Raei Translations

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Enemy Manifestation.

The effect of this magic circle, which Zion had Priscilla craft, was straightforward - it revealed the true nature of the 'enemy' within a certain range. This magic circle was developed by humans, two years before the breakout of the full-scale war, to identify 'enemies' hidden among them. Its effect had been thoroughly proven.

Screaaak.

Zion watched the magic circle, gradually emitting red light, and the crowd gathered around it. His attention then shifted to Priscilla, who looked bewildered.

"I need your blood."

"...What?"

Priscilla was taken aback by Zion's cryptic comments, but he offered no explanation.

"Just one drop will be enough."

Ignoring Priscilla's confusion, Zion kept his focus forward. After a moment of hesitation, Priscilla pricked her finger and let a single drop of blood fall onto the magic circle.

At that instant.

Screaaak!

A horrifying roar echoed from the assembly of courtiers. Priscilla instinctively recoiled, but Zion remained unfazed.

"I found it."

Zion's soft murmur accompanied the figure of Baren, the head of Chimseong Palace's courtiers, reflected in his eyes.

Baren, now a grotesque abomination far removed from his human self, writhed and shrieked in agony, sprouting tentacles from every inch of his twisted form.

"What... what is that?"

"Enemy."

Zion's curt answer echoed in response to Priscilla's question, her complexion turned ghostly white from the malicious energy radiating from the monster.

Indeed, it was the true 'enemy' chronicled in the Hero of Frosimar's tale, a menace to humanity itself.

A demon.

The term referred to all inhabitants of the demon realm, including demons, devils, and evil beings. These entities harbored hostility towards all life except their own kind.

These were the agents of the Demon King, the perpetrators of world destruction.

'So, one was here too.'

The demons from Frosimar's Chronicles were insidious beings.

For decades before the war, they had hidden among humans, following the Demon King's directive, gradually consuming humanity from within.

Their cunning was such that humans remained oblivious until the brink of war, manipulated into a frenzy of self-destruction.

And so, the world was decimated.

'Just a lower-rank one.'

Zion mused, observing the demon revealing its true form.

The inconsequential Chimseong Palace, it seemed, had been host to just one low-ranking demon.

What was surprising was the meticulous strategy of the Demon Realm, infiltrating even such minor places.

Eeeek!

The screeching demon made a beeline for Priscilla.

"Why, why me...!"

Unfazed by her startled exclamation, Zion began to conjure darkness.

The demon's target was predictable.

Priscilla's 'Demon Blood' was a veritable panacea to these creatures.

Within a year, demons would kidnap Priscilla, attracted by her unique bloodline, and reduce her to a living, breathing blood bank. Thus, she earned the title of the 'Unfortunate Princess.'

Priscilla's blood could significantly amplify the effectiveness of a magic circle, detecting even mid-level demons rather than just low-level ones.

Hence, it was impossible for the lower-level demon to hide.

Eeeeeek!

With single-minded intent, the demon charged at Priscilla, ignoring all others.

"Protect His Highness, the prince, and Miss Priscilla!"

Roused to action, the knights attempted to shield Priscilla from the demon's onslaught. But it was already too late.

Countless tentacles lashed out from the demon, slicing through the knights with terrifying speed.

"Th, the sword!"

"Aaaaargh!"

Within a minute, the charging knights were either dead or grievously injured.

Such was the terror of a demon.

The lower ranks were monstrous beasts, their strength far exceeding that of humans.

'The Demon Territory is overrun with such creatures.'

Zion smirked at the thought, shifting his foot subtly.

As he moved, his form seemed to blend with the twilight, and then--

Swoosh--

He stood right in front of the demon.

Unlike its previous opponents, the demon recognized Zion instantly, lashing out with its tentacles.

Their terrifying cutting power aimed straight for Zion's vitals.

Crack!

Zion's body was skewered.

"Pr, Prince Zion!"

From behind, Sir Fredo cried out in a panic.

Swoosh--

Zion's impaled figure melted away, as if made of water.

Almost instantly, he reappeared behind the demon.

Darkness began to pool in Zion's hand, and--

Crack!

He ripped off one of the demon's tentacles.

In agony, the demon thrashed about.

Unfazed, Zion tossed the severed tentacle aside and aimed for the demon's weak spots.

Grrr!

Sensing danger, the demon rallied its tentacles in defense.

Dark magical power surged along the demon's appendages.

But the moment Zion's hand touched them.

"...!"

The magic dissipated, as if it had been wiped clean.

As if it never existed.

Crash!

In disbelief, the demon watched as Zion shattered its defenses and impaled one of its hearts.

Kuhaaaaa!

'Didn't it have two hearts?'

Zion didn't stop, immediately searching for the next heart.

The demon recovered its senses and mustered the remainder of its magic, releasing it all in a massive explosion.

Boom!

Unable to dispel this much magic at once, Zion retreated to evade the magical blast.

The demon, catching its breath, glared at Zion.

"...Who on earth."

In a slurred human tongue, the demon spoke.

Twenty years.

It had been twenty years.

Since the demon infiltrated the human realm and took refuge in the Chimseong Palace.

There hadn't been an incident like this.

Nor anything similar.

Humans hadn't seen through its disguise, and it thought this would continue.

But then...

"That, magic circle, what is it?"

Seeing the red light seeping from the magic circle, it yearned to cast off its human guise.

The moment Princess Priscilla's blood touched it.

Rationality deserted it.

An insatiable craving for Priscilla's blood filled its mind.

Moreover, something even more perplexing was.

"And, that power, what is it?"

The darkness that nullified all traces of magic upon contact.

It had never witnessed or heard of such a thing in its life.

The situation unfolding before the demon was beyond belief. This was all happening due to Prince Zion, who it had watched for over a decade.

"Who are you?"

It couldn't believe that the man standing in front of it was Prince Zion.

That was the demon's conclusion.

"Your enemy."

"…What?"

Zion's blunt answer filled the demon's eyes with questions. But the uncertainty was short-lived.

With a sudden movement, Zion swiftly approached it, riding on the shadows.

Kiaaaaa!

In response, the demon morphed all its tentacles into a giant, drill-like form and charged towards Zion. It was an instinctive reaction to the impending doom, an attack vastly more potent than any it had launched before.

'If it's this strong, it could penetrate his darkness….'

But then, something unexpected happened. Zion's hand, which had only destroyed everything in its path until now, began to move oddly.

It slipped under the charging drill of tentacles like a snake gliding through water.

Then, with an unusual lift from Zion's hand,

Boom!

The demon's drill-like tentacles shot upwards as if struck by lightning.

"How can this be…!"

Seizing the moment, Zion thrust his hand towards the demon's heart.

Crack!

The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the air.

The last thing the demon saw, with its life fading and its hearts destroyed, was the joyful curve of Zion's eye and a single black star spinning within.

'Without the rise of the Black Star River to one star, things might have been difficult.'

Monsters infiltrating the human world leave no remains behind to avoid leaving traces, even in death.

As he watched the monster's corpse slowly vanish, Zion reflected.

It was powerful.

The first monster he encountered was incredibly powerful.

If this was the strength of a lower-class creature, how formidable would the superior ones be?

This thought excited him.

The tougher the opponent, the higher the wall, the more intriguing Zion found it.

'It should be around here.'

Zion focused on the disappearing monster, raised his hand, and plunged it into its neck.

Snap!

A breaking sound followed.

There are two safeguards the demon realm employs against monsters sneaking into the human world. One is the self-destruction of the corpse, currently in progress. The other is the transmission of information.

Upon a monster's death, all information it has gathered is sent back to the demon realm. Zion had just destroyed the core responsible for that.

"What happened...what happened?"

A shaky voice reached Zion, who had just finished dealing with the situation.

He turned to see Priscilla, her eyes trembling as they looked at him.

The scene before them was one of pale-faced knights, their spirits sapped by magic, and attendants sprawled on the ground.

Confusion plastered on their faces, they struggled to understand the recent happenings.

"But, what was that thing that just...vanished?"

Priscilla, unable to contain her curiosity, voiced her question to Zion.

Crash!

"Prince Zion!"

A group of knights burst urgently into the training yard, throwing open the palace gates with unrestrained force.

These knights were leagues above the guards stationed at the Chimseong Palace.

They were likely the escort knights Evelyn had discreetly positioned near the palace since her last visit.

The man who seemed to lead the knights approached Zion and bowed, seemingly aware that the crisis had passed.

"Greetings, Prince Zion. I'm Alex of the White Lion Knights. Could you enlighten us about the situation?"

Zion met Alex's inquiry with an unreadable stare, then his lips slowly parted.

"Nothing."

"…Excuse me?"

"I just eliminated an enemy."

Confusion surfaced in Alex's eyes, but Zion didn't offer more information.

'Not yet.'

He couldn't reveal the truth yet.

Should this become known, his hidden adversaries would retreat further into the shadows.

'It can't happen.'

Not until he had hunted them all down.

With this resolve, Zion's gaze turned towards the distant Baeksung Palace, visible as a small speck on the horizon.

***