One step, one step.

With each step, a more menacing aura surrounded me. An instinctive sense of dread washed over.

Yet, I couldn’t afford to stop.

This was, in fact, a signal that we were moving in the right direction.

I cautiously checked on Siel and Lien’s condition.

Unlike me, who had at least experienced this landscape through a computer screen, the others had zero experience in this place.

I thought maybe I should help them relax, and the conclusion I came to was…

“Yeah, I was worried for no reason.”

Hans, on the other hand, was completely tense and frightened. Meanwhile, the other two were as calm as usual, almost like they were visiting their hometown.

After mulling it over, I spoke up.

“We should be seeing our destination soon. Everyone, keep your guard up.”

Too much caution could be a problem, but being overly relaxed was an issue too.

Siel and Lien nodded at my words. Siel, as always, was expressionless, making it hard to tell if she was tense or not.

Lien, on the other hand, looked properly focused.

But then… for some reason, Hans kept stealing glances at me. It bothered me, so I spoke again.

“Feel free to say whatever you want.”

After all, he had done something wrong. He might not seem like the best guide, but he was indeed playing that role.

As proven by what had happened so far, who knew if the common sense I had from the previous work still held true here?

It wouldn’t hurt to hear what he had to say.

When I looked at him expectantly, Hans carefully opened his mouth.

“Uh… forgive me for saying this, but isn’t it unnecessary to be so tense? With your talents, most monsters shouldn’t even pose a challenge.”

“Well, that’s certainly true.”

I guess being an expert wasn’t just hot air.

Hans’s words were somewhat valid. After all, we were a party that had defeated a Swordmaster before.

“And with some luck, we might be able to deal with demon-kind without ever seeing their faces.”

That was a valid point too.

Unlike monsters, demons were all powerful and their thought processes and actions were beyond comprehension.

But, on the flip side, their numbers weren’t that high. Unless we were incredibly unlucky, the chance of encountering high-ranking demons was low, especially with a guide as experienced with demon realms as that fellow.

So, Hans likely thought I was overreacting.

But…

“There’s a good chance we won’t be able to avoid a fight.”

I said it.

Hans’s face was filled with confusion as if he didn’t understand my words. But there was no need to labor through explaining the situation.

As they say, seeing is believing.

I raised my finger.

No need to whip out the Holy Sword. I concentrated divine power at the tip of my finger.

An illuminating radiance bright enough to blind.

Just a slight release of divine power produced this much.

I didn’t even believe in gods, so maybe it was a bug, but divine power just kept replicating itself.

“Y-young Pope? But there’s no way the Pope could be this young… Wait! That’s not the issue right now!”

Hans seemed quicker on the uptake than I expected. His face paled as he grasped the situation.

“We need to call for reinforcements! This isn’t enough!”

Hans shouted frantically.

Well, it was only natural he’d react that way.

Divine power had the most potent effect against monsters, demons, and the Demon King.

In other words, divine power was also what those creatures despised the most.

Just as I felt nauseated by the mana oozing from the demon realm, those beings must have found my divine power equally off-putting.

Monsters without intelligence would surely attack their unpleasant foe.

And the demons, who acted purely on instincts, would definitely try to kill me.

“It was the same in the previous work.”

The protagonist, who had wielded the Holy Sword but lacked divine power, struggled within the demon realm.

And here I was, wielding a Holy Sword and, if there was indeed a bug, a massive amount of divine power that replicated in real time.

In the worst case, I would have to prepare to confront all the demons and monsters in the demon realm.

This was precisely why I was reluctant to be here.

Being present allowed me to infer what had happened to the predecessors who met their demise, using knowledge from the previous work.

I could conquer dungeons and snatch up the fortune I needed.

But once I stepped in, I’d have to fight until every demon and monster was wiped out.

“We need to head back and procure reinforcements! Perhaps the esteemed individuals from the Holy Church should lead the Holy Knights…”

“I’m not going back. Just guide us properly.”

But even with that, fleeing wasn’t an option.

I couldn’t remain clueless about the situation forever.

I needed to know what the heck had happened here.

Hans shook with terror, looking as if he didn’t want to go, practically written all over his face.

But I didn’t need to persuade him. Siel was a master of persuasion like Lucy was.

She fixed her gaze on Hans.

Just that was enough to make Hans change his mind. Shaking, he began to guide us.

The ominous aura was growing stronger.

It should’ve been broad daylight, yet everything seemed so dark.

A black sky.

A land without a trace of life.

I didn’t need Hans to tell me that this was the entrance to the demon realm.

“Are you ready?”

Siel and Lien nodded at my words.

I took a deep breath, steeling my resolve…

“…Let’s go!”

I sent out the signal.

As we stepped into the demon realm, enemies came rushing at us as if waiting. But it was just as I expected.

As we had discussed in advance, Lien spun around us, swinging her sword wildly.

Though Lien was primarily a martial artist and didn’t have much experience swinging a sword, that didn’t matter.

With that kind of power behind her swings, she was more than enough of a deterrent, technique or finesse aside.

Countless monsters were effortlessly cut down.

Occasionally, long-range attacks would rain down upon us, but that was fine.

Siel absorbed those incoming attacks like a pro.

And while protecting myself with Siel and Lien, I prepared to unleash the Holy Sword.

Against demons, nothing was more effective than the Holy Sword. This role was perfectly suited for me.

As expected, I could sense immense power approaching from afar.

The Necromancer, the Destroyer, the Soul Reaver. Herald of the Void.

Famed high-ranking demons charged toward me.

I felt cold sweat trickling down my back.

Could I block their coordinated assault? What would their next attack look like once I brought these fiends down?

Questions swirled in my head, but there was no room to retreat. I desperately squeezed out every ounce of strength to swing the Holy Sword.

I thought we would be locked in a fierce battle for days to survive…

But that wasn’t what happened.

Not a single demon came to attack, and not even a measly monster was in sight.

Lien swung her sword aimlessly in the air, her face puzzled.

She glanced at me.

Her eyes seemed to ask, “Is this right?”

But I couldn’t provide her with an answer. Truthfully, I was the most bewildered here.

Not that I was a lunatic who enjoyed life-and-death battles. Having no enemies was indeed a good thing, but…

That didn’t change the fact that the current situation was nonsensical.

It wasn’t like they moved out en masse. Where did all the monsters and demons lurking in this demon realm disappear to?

Naturally, a question marked my face.

‘What on earth happened here?’

*

A luxurious office.

In a room as extravagant as its owner, a muscular man exploded into hearty laughter. Naturally, it was for a good reason.

Today was the day he achieved his first victory over the Black Fangs.

“I wonder what faces you all are making right now…”

He couldn’t see their reactions directly, but the 2nd Prince was confident about what kind of expressions they were wearing.

They were likely drowning in despair.

Having lost a significant asset to topple the Empire in their comrade.

“Well, it wasn’t a bad play. Worthy of my nemesis.”

Demons.

How that living calamity, which could not be communicated with and was devoid of any common sense, was tamed was indeed impressive.

“But you all were simply unlucky.”

The next Emperor of the Empire. The chosen one, favored by the Goddess of Victory.

They just happened to encounter him.

The lists of Black Fang members handed to him by Asmodeus had a strange name among the numerous circles.

The capable 2nd Prince realized at once.

That was definitely a demon. No one but that lunatic would use such a name.

He even devised countermeasures efficiently with his exceptional decisiveness and execution.

‘Damn it, my brother tried to thwart my plans.’

Such meddling wouldn’t work.

After demanding to borrow elite troops for some pointless endeavor, the 2nd Prince had a simple reply.

A thumbs-up raised.

A beautiful sign expressing mountains.

His brother babbled about how he found a way to capture the Black Fangs and pleaded to not be interrupted by him. Obviously, he ignored it all.

Sending off a bunch of Swordmasters to do mindless tasks led him to report back to Father, where he managed to strip one of their leadership roles.

So, utilizing Swordmaster Heinrich and the Empire’s elite troops, the 2nd Prince succeeded in his plan.

He wiped out all the demons residing in the demon realm.

For the first time, he could claim victory over the Black Fangs. From this point, the counteroffensive was about to begin.

“This is the might of the Empire; tremble in fear! Quake in terror! It’s the only thing you can do, right? Kahaha!”

The 2nd Prince of the Empire, Renya, smirked wickedly.