The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

58. Hell Gate! (3)

While Kariel was pouring his strength into the Soul Fragment of Garum in the Underground Ruins, Roman was retreating rapidly.

This was ordered by the Roman Emperor himself, who had come out to command the retreat.

Despite sustaining a deadly blow from Ignis’s surprise attack, they managed to hold on long enough to receive Sandria’s late aid and began to withdraw slowly.

On the other hand, things were different for the demons.

With the Demon King disappearing into Hell through the Hell Gate, the commander to lead the army was gone.

Though Lokan outside could not know that the Demon King had vanished, he quickly sensed that something was wrong with the demons and shifted to an annihilation operation.

Thanks to that quick decision, he could deliver a devastating blow to the demons.

“Survival of the fittest, huh?”

Lokan sighed as he watched the demon army scatter in the Black Canyon to survive.

Although he had inflicted significant damage with a surprise attack, it still wasn’t enough.

High Demons were still numerous, and low-tier demons could be easily replaced, so they probably didn’t see this as a regrettable outcome.

While Lokan had dealt a critical blow to Roman’s forces, it was hard to see it as a major victory.

“It should have been completely finished….”

He should have utterly crushed Roman’s fleeing forces.

There had certainly been an opportunity to annihilate the enemies.

But worrying about the Emperor’s safety had cost him that chance.

Talion and the Grand Master of the Imperial Palace Knights had gone inside to secure the Emperor, while the Empire’s main forces focused more on controlling the canyon than completely obliterating the enemies.

That strategy made sense at the time, but in hindsight, it only felt regrettable.

Due to his missed opportunity, Roman’s main forces managed to escape thanks to Sandria’s help, and ultimately, the Roman Emperor fled safely.

“…That’s unfortunate.”

He felt like he would regret missing this chance to completely decimate a major foe for a long time.

For that reason, he sighed deeply while surveying the current situation in the canyon.

Even as Lokan sighed, battles continued fiercely, and the enemies were dying under Ignit’s siege as they tightened their encirclement.

“Commander! Roman’s forces are trying to completely escape the canyon.”

“Attach two legions. Pursue them to the end and wear them down.”

“Understood!”

One of the commanders bowed at Lokan’s orders and disappeared.

In the end, Roman managed to slip away from this fierce battlefield.

What remained was only the demon forces still trapped in the canyon.

“Notify that all remaining demons in the canyon are to be exterminated.”

“Yes!”

Lokan’s eyes sparkled with the thought of wiping out at least the remaining demons.

However, he left some of his main forces in the canyon.

And his decision was the right one.

Soon, the entire canyon trembled, fully revealing the ruins that had barely been exposed.

At the same time, the Hell Gate, which he worried about so much, opened.

Deformed monsters erupted from the gray storm.

“Your Majesty!”

“It is presumed that he is inside. Currently, Sir Talion is searching for him.”

“…Has he still not found him?”

“There were traces left on the ruin’s floor. It is presumed that he is in the secret space of the ruins.”

Upon hearing his subordinate’s report, Lokan sighed and looked straight ahead.

“Leave the Emperor’s safety to Sir Talion. We will do what we must.”

Even amidst the terrible monsters pouring out, Lokan took a deep breath, regained his composure, and began issuing commands one by one.

With the Hell Gate open, they had to ensure that no one could cross over from the canyon.

“Gather all troops near the canyon. We need to create a double encirclement so those things can’t go outside.”

“Yes!”

As Lokan observed the terrifying gate left behind by the Demon King and the Roman Emperor, he rallied the remaining forces.

If they couldn’t completely block the endless flowing existences of Hell, they could spread from this place throughout the East Continent.

It was best to annihilate them with overwhelming firepower in the canyon while setting up barriers to keep them from escaping.

“Enter into the second operation. We will surround the canyon layer by layer and exterminate them. The key is not to target the Hell Gate, but to ensure the Hell Army does not escape. Keep this in mind.”

“Yes!”

With Lokan’s orders, the commanders nearby entered the second operation.

As the planned operation for the Hell Gate’s opening was executed, all forces began to get into formation.

With the annihilation operation, the scattered units reformed and lined up, as the howls of the Maw began to die out one by one before the steady defense.

The piled corpses of the Maw became a solid wall, further fortifying Ignit’s defense.

*

While Ignit’s forces were battling the Hell’s army, Kariel was locked in a struggle underground.

“Huh… What’s the situation up top?”

At Kariel’s question, Surth shook his head vigorously.

Monsters were already pouring out through the Hell Gate.

-Your subordinates are running around looking for you.

“Oh! Can you go up and tell them something?”

Kariel replied with a look of realization at Surth’s remark.

-Actually, I was thinking about doing just that.

“Will you be able to go back up?”

The secret space had closed since Kariel came down.

-As the Soul Fragment of Garum is recovering, the barrier is weakening. It seems possible.

As the powers of the Soul Fragment of Garum resonated with the other fragments, a gap had opened for little Surth to slip out.

Through that gap, he would go to Talion and then return.

“Huh… It’s taking longer than I thought.”

The power consuming the Soul Fragment of Garum was quite considerable.

Perhaps due to Kariel’s strength alone being insufficient, it was also absorbing the power of Hell.

Despite that, the light from the Soul Fragment still hadn’t completely shone. There were areas that had not emitted light, and until all of these parts were filled, Kariel would remain trapped.

Surth disappeared to inform Kariel was safe, and in the meantime, he squeezed every drop of fire energy within him.

After pouring all his strength, Kariel unknowingly lost consciousness.

How much time passed?

With Surth’s worried voice, Kariel awoke.

-…Are you okay?

“I can hold on.”

Kariel barely replied with a pale complexion as he looked at the Soul Fragment of Garum.

Perhaps due to pouring all his power for several days, the Soul Fragment of Garum before him was shining almost entirely.

-A little more energy, and it looks like it’ll be done.

“Huh… I didn’t expect awakening a single Soul Fragment would be this much work….”

-It’s a dog that killed a god. Just being able to finish that Soul Fragment at this level is pure luck.

Kariel sighed at Surth’s words.

If just one piece caused this much trouble, how would it be to gather all the Soul Fragments to awaken Garum?

Would he be acknowledged?

As the existence he had only considered a mighty being began to become more tangible, he felt a sense of despair.

“The mythical beings really are something else.”

Greater beings than the Grand Master.

Thinking this way made it clear just how exalted they truly were.

-It’s good that you realize it now.

With a proud expression, Surth began to control some of Kariel’s power, allowing it to be entirely infused into the Soul Fragment of Garum without wasting any effort.

-It’s the last! Just squeeze it out!

At Surth’s shout, Kariel, frowning deeply, squeezed out every bit of power to fill the empty spots in the Soul Fragment.

In that moment, cracks began to form in the jewel containing Garum’s soul.

And from the cracks, an enormous amount of green energy burst forth.

Not the power of Hell or the power of Kariel, but Garum’s unique power radiated out in all directions.

Finally, as the massive jewel burst apart, a gigantic illusion emerged from the Soul Fragment of Garum.

-…

A huge dog silently stared at Kariel.

Seeing that dog, Surth spoke as if he was pleased.

-It’s been a while.

Before they knew it, Surth’s blazing form took the shape of a colossal giant and shone brightly.

Was Skoll also influenced by Garum?

Tilting his head, he revealed his original form, which was translucent.

-…Her trace has disappeared. Has the Hell Gate also been tainted?

Immediately assessing the state of the Hell Gate, Garum frowned and looked at Kariel.

-For carrying his will, this is too weak.

-Well… in some sense, he might be greater than that fellow.

Seeing Garum saying this about Kariel with a dismissive tone made Surth chuckle.

From Surth’s perspective, having witnessed all the efforts Kariel put in, he considered that Kariel was far more impressive than the First Emperor who was originally blessed by gods and gifted with all talents.

He had guided his insufficient abilities solely with his mind, and even after receiving the power of the First Emperor, he overcame his lack of talent with sheer effort.

-Not bad.

Receiving a part of the memory from Surth, Garum looked at Kariel again.

The First Emperor, who had shown overwhelming might while blessed by the gods and wielded the power of fire to reach heights beyond the Grand Master, was indeed a great hero.

But Garum’s first fragment was drawn to Kariel, who had scraped together the insufficient talents to achieve his current situation.

-My master was the same.

Garum’s master.

The once ruler of the underworld, Hell, was a woman of legendary status who, even after being betrayed by the deity, with half her body in decay and her powers restricted, became the ruler of the underworld.

-…Okay. I will acknowledge it.

The moment Garum’s first Soul Fragment said it acknowledges him, its green divine form turned into powder and seeped into Kariel.

[You have awakened the First Soul Fragment of Garum. You will receive two rewards as planned.]

[You have received the First Soul Fragment’s recognition. Your powers of Hell will be enhanced.]

[The Soul Fragment hopes for synchronization. Thus, you will be slightly influenced by Garum’s physical abilities.]

As the Soul Fragment of Garum completely permeated Kariel’s body, his physical capabilities temporarily became even stronger.

With this, the fire energy that had been limited by physical constraints also began to be affected.

-Now you should come into your own.

Having returned to a small ball of fire, Surth crossed his arms and nodded.

The enormous illusion of Garum flowed into fine dust and finally absorbed all of Garum’s essence into Kariel, who opened his eyes.

-Can you close the Hell Gate?

“It seems it will take a bit longer.”

Though it was only the First Soul Fragment, the disparity was still too great for him to handle entirely.

But one thing was certain.

If he could master the power this Soul Fragment bestowed upon him, he would surely become much stronger than he is now…

“Should we head up first?”

With that, Kariel looked towards the ceiling.

Then, green flames wrapped around the ceiling, opening a path towards the ruins where the Hell Gate was.

Simultaneously, a nearby altar, still intact despite its age, began to crumble.

-Does this mean our work is done?

Muttering this, Surth turned to join Kariel as they moved upward.

“Your Majesty!”

“I’m going to close the Hell Gate now. Block those riffraff from getting to me.”

“I will obey your command!”

At Kariel’s orders, Talion bowed his head and replied, followed by all the nearby shadows and knights bowing their heads in support.

With a defensive formation centered around Kariel, they held off the horde of Maws while Kariel called out to Lokan.

“I’m going to seal that Hell Gate now. So Commander, split the army into two until the gate is closed.”

“Into two, you say?”

“Yes.”

Kariel nodded at Lokan’s question, his eyes shining.

With both the Roman Emperor and the Demon King as enemies, Ignit also had to divide its forces.