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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The forest, at this time, was surprisingly populated.
The moniker “hellish forest unfit for human life” seemed almost misplaced.
Even without Daniel working as a Sherpa, a surprising number of people were active within the Demon Realm Forest.
First, the witches.
They were always present, so perhaps they didn’t count, but they were still human inhabitants of the forest.
Next, the Chokugen Faction.
When Rin first saw them, she had wondered what they were doing there.
Their presence was tenuous at best, their members constantly dying, unable to penetrate deep into the forest.
Yet, they persisted, sending in wave after wave of members, like pouring water into a bottomless pit, hoping to find a breakthrough.
Finally, the Tudogs.
Seeing them, Rin understood the Chokugen Faction’s presence. At this time, the two organizations were fierce rivals.
The Chokugen Faction, like the Tudogs, sought to utilize the resources of the Demon Realm Forest to enhance their power.
They hadn’t been very successful, but…
Their presence was a boon for Rin.
It felt wrong to think of it this way, but having used them once before, she knew there were no better puppets than the Chokugen Faction.
“N-No! No!”
A Chokugen Faction member struggled, like a drowning man, then vanished.
When he reappeared, he was a soldier of death, his body tainted by darkness.
“……”
Rin watched dispassionately and continued her advance. Having absorbed countless humans and magical beasts, a massive army now followed her.
She kept them hidden within the darkness to avoid detection by Kurika, but she knew it was only a matter of time.
“What manner of beast are you?”
“……”
A gruff female voice called out from the trees above, and Rin slowly raised her head.
It was Horan, the Tudogs’ attack leader, and a bespectacled mage.
Number 17, the Tudogs’ leader.
Despite recognizing them, Rin felt no sense of familiarity.
“Wait.”
The Tudogs’ leader stopped Horan, who had shown interest in Rin.
His sharp gaze, magnified by his glasses, pierced through her.
“Could it be…”
His eyes widened, as if a sudden realization had dawned upon him.
Rin nodded slightly, remembering their first encounter.
‘He recognized me back then.’
He had immediately identified her as the Earliest Apocalypse. The memory evoked a strange feeling within her.
“The Earliest Apocalypse!”
Thud!
The leader raised his hand, gathering mana, intending to attack, but a dark spear, formed from the shadows, had already pierced his wrist.
“Gah!”
“Leader!”
Horan, driven by her instincts, lunged at Rin, but the darkness before her was prepared, swallowing Horan whole.
“But… it’s not for another ten years! Why are you moving so early?!”
“Ah.”
Rin remembered hearing that the Tudogs’ leader had seen a vision of the world’s destruction.
That was why he had formed the Tudogs, to stop her.
“Whether I move early or late… it makes no difference to the outcome. You will fail, even in ten years.”
Neither the leader nor Horan had a future. Even if time were reversed, they would already be dead in that timeline.
“I apologize for awakening you from your eternal slumber.”
The leader struggled to break free with his mana, but the Demon Realm Forest was shrouded in darkness, a place where the sun barely reached.
No one could escape Rin here. The leader was consumed by the darkness.
Apologizing once more to the two fallen figures, Rin continued deeper into the forest.
The Tudogs, sensing the disappearance of their leader and Horan, continued to search, only to become Rin’s next meal.
It felt as if food was being delivered directly to her open mouth.
Hayun, when she had first entered the Demon Realm Forest, had struggled to breathe in the polluted air, even fainting briefly, but…
Rin continued her advance, her expression unchanged. She was already struggling to breathe outside the forest.
She reached the witches’ village.
Oblivious to their impending doom, the witches laughed and chatted, engrossed in discussions about magic.
Rin sensed Adriana, now a part of her army, crying within the darkness, but she ignored it.
She was already dead.
The emotions she felt weren’t real, merely a figment of her imagination.
Rin extended her hand, unleashing her overwhelming power.
The darkness surged forward, consuming the witches’ village like a tidal wave.
“You’ve arrived.”
Rin sat on a rock where the witches’ village had once stood, watching the approaching wolf beast-kin with an impassive gaze.
“The Earliest Apocalypse.”
Kurika’s eyes narrowed, his body tense, ready to attack, but…
Rin’s gaze held a strange mixture of emotions, and Kurika couldn’t help but notice.
“What is it?”
“……”
“Why do you look at me with such eyes? It’s not a look of plea or challenge. Longing… perhaps?”
Rin rose from the rock, a flicker of recognition in her eyes.
“Thanks to you, to your unwavering dedication to your duty until the very end, Daniel was able to stop me.”
“Apocalypse, what do you mean?”
He wouldn’t understand.
And she had no intention of explaining. Her words had been nothing more than wishful thinking.
Rin bowed her head respectfully and extended her hand.
An army emerged from the shadows.
Not just the Chokugen Faction and the Tudogs.
The elite knights of the kingdom, who had pursued her after she destroyed Elgrid and killed Princess Elise, the other ancient magical beasts she had consumed along the way…
They swarmed towards Kurika like insects. Apviel, the King of Insects, now a soldier of death.
Belton, the demon who had spied on the witches.
The oni who wielded lightning with his drums.
The all-consuming red serpent.
The foolish Mihwang, who had claimed the throne.
“When did…”
Kurika was stunned.
Even he couldn’t be aware of everything happening within the forest. But it was impossible that he hadn’t noticed the forest being consumed by the apocalypse to this extent.
Rin remained silent, offering no answers to his questions.
Having already destroyed the continent once, wielding this level of power wasn’t difficult for her.
The darkness concealed much.
“To have amassed such power without my knowledge… have the gods truly abandoned us…?”
Seeing Rin’s power, Kurika couldn’t deny the imminent defeat.
He had always searched for the apocalypse, knowing she couldn’t be allowed to grow stronger, but his efforts had been in vain.
It wasn’t his fault.
Rin had returned with the knowledge and experience of wielding immense power, her strength already beyond measure.
An unfair advantage.
Just like Daniel, who had returned with overwhelming power.
Rin, who had expressed her gratitude, now offered a cautious apology.
“I can’t kill you without causing you pain. I’m sorry. But for the sake of the world…”
She slowly extended her hand.
Her army advanced towards the King of the Forest.
“Please die.”
The words felt like a sharp blade at her throat.
Kurika, his face grim, gripped the Sword of Rest in one hand and the Sealing Dagger in the other, ready to fight.
He was prepared to die, but he would take Rin with him.
He stepped forward, but…
“Hahaha!”
A boisterous, confident laugh echoed through the forest. The voice radiated pride and self-assurance.
An intense surge of fighting spirit.
The mana of the forest twisted and contorted, as if sensing a natural enemy.
A mage, wielding a staff, his face hidden behind a skull mask.
“When a strong individual faces another, what need is there for shame, reason, or cause?!”
His words were forceful, almost tyrannical.
It was a demand, backed by overwhelming power.
“An arena of powerful warriors, a stage I cannot miss!”
It was the return of Sharcal, the Tyrant.
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