The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

58. Hell Gate!

The moment we stepped into the crumbled canyon, a wave of power hit Kariel, causing her brows to furrow.

– One seems to be a mage, and the other might be the power of hell?

As Surth finished speaking, ash-gray and black energies exploded around us, wreaking havoc on our surroundings.

Pressing forward against the blast, I caught sight of the Demon King smashing all the ash-gray giants surrounding the gate.

“Roman Emperor?”

There he was, swinging his staff from above the ruins.

Given my speculation that he could wield the power of hell, it wasn’t a shocking sight.

However, the sheer strength he wielded was astonishing—far beyond my expectations.

“Was he this strong?”

Just as Kariel demonstrated her nearly Master-level ability, the Roman Emperor was similarly manipulating hellish existences with comparable power.

But that wasn’t the issue.

A peculiar wave was already emanating from the ruins, stirring the dormant powers within them to awaken bit by bit.

Fragments of the shattered gate were aligning with the black aura, while missing pieces were being filled in by the canyon’s stones, slowly eroded by dark mana.

– I have to stop that!

Pointing at the gate with his fiery hand, Surth caught Kariel’s attention, who turned to face it.

“That is…”

A jewel that emitted magic was embedded in the relic that appeared to bear traces of the gate.

Although the magical essence had stained the entire gate black, hints of gray suggested that even the Roman Emperor was infusing power into it.

“Should we just keep an eye on the situation for now?”

Muttering that, I pondered what to do.

Waiting until we became mutually distracted seemed to be the best option, but I worried that the Hell Gate might not fully open.

Just as we were stuck in indecision, both the Demon King and the Roman Emperor halted their fighting and turned their gazes toward Kariel.

– It seems this might turn into a massive battle.

“Is it fortunate that the Demon King’s power appears weaker than expected?”

If the Demon King had fully restored his powers from his previous life, I wouldn’t even dare to try blocking him.

Thankful for that, Kariel asked Surth, “Can you handle the Demon King alone?”

– Of course.

Seeing Surth’s confidence, Kariel nodded and sent Skoll and Agni toward the Roman Emperor. Then, landing on the ground through Surth’s hand, she directed him to face the Demon King.

The Fire Giant charged at the Demon King, formally commencing the battle.

“Fascinating.”

Clearly amazed, Kariel hurled a fireball toward the waves spreading through the vicinity.

As the force emitting a bizarre wave from the magic began to dissipate, she noticed it turning into a bright swirl, transforming into pure mana, prompting her to unleash her power fully.

While the summoned beings were engaging in combat, there was still much for her to do.

Displaying the symbol on her forehead, she conjured waves of fire, causing fragments that had gathered at the heart of the ruins to lose strength one by one and fall away.

– ……

“……”

The Demon King and the Roman Emperor fell silent, narrowing their gazes at Kariel’s displayed power.

Though their paths diverged, both shared the common goal of opening the Hell Gate.

Yet that goal was being obstructed by Kariel.

– It seems it won’t open properly now.

Sensing that a portion of the ruins’ power had completely faded due to Kariel, the Demon King’s expression twisted.

And the Roman Emperor felt the same way.

“Have I adequately inherited ‘that’ power? This is troublesome.”

The strength he inherited was far more potent than he expected, causing the Roman Emperor to grimace.

Kariel, it seemed, was proving to be a more complicated existence than he initially thought.

If she continued to grow steadily, even if he completed his Great Plan, sustaining it could become impossible.

More importantly, his original plan to open the Hell Gate through the ruins and buy time was now falling apart, resulting in rare confusion.

Even now, the bodies of the hellish existences he had created were collapsing in real-time before Kariel’s flames.

‘This is not a favorable match-up for me.’

As the Roman Emperor thought this, he glanced at the Demon King, who was also looking back at him.

‘It’s impossible to have it all in this situation.’

– Then…

Just as this thought crossed their minds, both nodded and dashed swiftly toward the center of the ruins.

In response, Kariel’s summoned beings pursued them rapidly.

– These bastards!

The Roman Emperor, anticipating their chase, dispatched several hellish beasts toward Kariel.

Surth, startled, hesitated and then turned back.

– It’s fine, just hold them off!

This was the voice of Kariel ringing in Surth’s mind.

Turning his gaze back to Kariel, the Fire Giant shifted his attention back to the Demon King and the Roman Emperor.

Although he had trained his fire abilities, he had also studied martial arts.

Kariel’s martial arts, based on the Ancient Werewolf’s Body Technique, combined with powerful flames, proved effective against the oncoming beasts.

Feeling a surge of confidence, Surth unleashed a colossal punch toward the two foes.

It seemed to be engulfed in a fiery storm as it flew toward them.

However, his attempt was destined to be interrupted.

– Blocked?

Even with the strongest strike he could muster at this moment, his punch barely moved an inch as it was intercepted midway.

A gray barrier had activated to protect the ruins, preventing Surth from advancing any further.

– Destroy that!

Shouting that, Surth put all his strength into shattering the ruins.

In concert, Agni and Skoll flailed their arms, trying to demolish the glowing structure.

Boom! Boom!

The mighty punches of the three summoned beings began to crack the seemingly solid ash-gray barrier.

All three of these beings had been summoned by Kariel’s power, which meant the gray barrier erected at the heart of the ruins was starting to crumble in real-time due to it.

– We don’t have much time.

“……Right.”

At the Demon King’s words, the Roman Emperor frowned and searched the center.

“I have enough for this.”

– Is awakening ‘her’ the main goal? That may be tough.

“Did you think we’d be lounging around for thousands of years?”

The Demon King chuckled sarcastically in response to the Roman Emperor’s statement, mocking him.

– Just reviving remnants of the past… how typical of the forsaken.

The Roman Emperor shot a glare at the Demon King’s words, who met his gaze equally defiantly.

They had only temporarily collaborated due to their shared mid-term goal, but they were effectively mortal enemies, having been so for ages.

“Yet it doesn’t appear you’re on track to fully achieve your aims either.”

With that, the Roman Emperor smirked, curling his lips, and then swung his staff. A gray tempest began to emerge from the half-completed construction nearby.

Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!

Jewelry crafted from bones that the Roman Emperor wore—bracelets, necklaces, anklets, and belts—began to shatter one by one, causing the ash-gray storm to gradually stabilize until finally, forming a colossal door emanating demonic energy.

“Let’s hope for at least a half-success.”

Though he spoke mockingly, the Roman Emperor truly wished for the Demon King to achieve his goals.

Given that both of them were unlikely to experience complete success, the power of the demons was crucial for buying time and dispersing Agni’s strength.

Thus, he completed the Hell Gate imperfectly, even risking the sacred items initially not in their plans.

As the Roman Emperor swung his staff once more, a winged hellish being lifted him high into the sky.

Surth wasn’t about to sit idly by and let that happen.

Reaching out with his massive arm to catch the fleeing Roman Emperor, he found himself pushed back by the ash-gray storm cascading from the imperfectly opened Hell Gate.

– …Is that a gift? The entire demon race will pay the price.

The Demon King mused, gazing at the ceiling from which the Roman Emperor had vanished.

Originally, their goal was to fully open the Hell Gate and have the entire demon race enter to awaken new powers.

Meanwhile, they intended to awaken the God of Demons to gain even greater power.

In the end, both failed.

Thus, at the very least, they needed to achieve their minimal objectives.

– I shall play about as you wish.

Holding the necklace in one hand, the Demon King murmured, recalling the Roman Emperor.

– O God of Demons… guide me to the place where you lie buried.

At that moment, a black light shot straight toward the Hell Gate.

Even though it was shrouded in the ash-gray storm, the Demon King leapt toward it without a second thought.

Just then, Surth’s enormous fist smashed through the ash-gray barrier, while at the same time Skoll and Agni’s colossal limbs pounded against the Hell Gate formed by the ash-gray tempest.

– Our strength isn’t enough.

Observing Skoll and Agni recklessly pounding it, Surth declared their inability to contain the already opened Hell Gate.

Although it was not fully open, they might force it shut. But that would require at least ten percent of his prime strength.

This meant that even a Grand Master could hardly achieve this alone.

“What are you waiting for? Just break it already!”

Amidst his ramblings, Surth met Kariel, who had finally approached the heart of the ruins.

“Do you expect us to stand idly by?”

– In a perfect scenario, that would be our only option. Luckily, it isn’t completely open, and if that structure crumbles, it will naturally cease to exist.

Surth remarked, glancing at the slowly cracking structures.

At the rate they were crumbling, it could take years to fully collapse.

– But since you are here, we can expedite that process.

Upon hearing these words, Kariel summoned forth her power with all her might.

The symbol flashed violently from her forehead, pushing back the ash-gray storm.

But even with her strength, it was far too inadequate to completely extinguish the hellish energy leaking from the open gate.

– For you to completely close this gate, you’d need the ‘Recognition of Garum.’

Surth’s statement hardened Kariel’s expression.

“Then why is there no trace of Garum?”

Kariel tilted her head in confusion. While Surth and the summoned beings battled the Demon King and the Roman Emperor, Kariel had spread her power as far and wide as possible.

She aimed to locate any trace of Garum that might respond to her power.

Yet there was no trace whatsoever, not even a hint.

– It was most likely here… but I’m not sure.

Just then, a tremor resonated from below the ruins as Kariel’s power clashed violently with the forces of hell.