DKIE CH85: Little Devil

The snow melted slowly, residual flowers and sporadic snowflakes dancing together in the wind. In the Holy City, high walls were erected outside the Fortress of Light, with magicians constantly casting spells to reinforce them.

During this, several figures flitted past like white mist, making their way to the vicinity of the Holy Temple. When they finally stopped, their auras became even more ethereal.

“The defenses south of the Hoss Annular Mountain have been fully completed. The teleportation arrays have been modified; if anyone not on our side uses them, they will be swept into a spatial rift along with the contaminated Anluo Beast’s lair.”
“A total of thirteen thousand magicians at or above the tenth rank have temporarily responded to the Holy Court’s call, including three legendary grand magi, with two more in negotiations.”
“Clergy members in various locations have successfully taken control of one hundred and twenty major cities.”

The reporters, though they looked different, had emotionless faces that made them seem stereotypically like one person. The Holy Court’s power was almost entirely concentrated in the south. Once the civil war erupted, they would use the Hoss Annular Mountain as a boundary for a standoff.

“Also, the curse masters have arrived.”

This secret briefing ended quickly. Further details of the core combat force deployment were not discussed due to the Demon King’s presence.

The Saintess looked at the Demon King. The man leaned back in his chair, arrogant and majestic, showing no restraint even while alone in the Holy Court. “Two princes and three thousand high-ranking demon generals have been dispatched into the human realm. They will help deal with the elf race.”

The highest-ranking priest beside them frowned. “Is that all?”

The Demon King’s lips curved into a playful smile. The Saintess raised her hand first, stopping the priest from speaking further. “Don’t forget, the dragon race is still in the demon realm.” If all the princes went to the human realm, the demon race would likely have their home base raided.

The highest-ranking priest was still somewhat dissatisfied. This battle was a matter of life and death. He said in a deep voice, “I heard that the two newly promoted princes of the demon realm are very close to Iliad. Why not…”

Before he could finish, he felt a bone-chilling killing intent.

“You really have gotten old,” the Demon King said mercilessly. “This is a civil war of the human race. Do you expect me to weaken the demon race’s forces for you?” The use of the formal ‘me’ was a clear warning. In truth, the Demon King felt little anger, merely ending the topic coolly.

The highest-ranking priest’s face darkened at the rebuke, but he said nothing more. Looking back at the reporter, the highest-ranking priest said, “You don’t need to go back. Keep a close watch on the Outer Court.”

The person reporting thought for a moment and added another piece of information. “Iliad recently conducted a secret investigation in his fiefdom. This is the last video our spy sent before losing contact.”

The video of Luka playing the qin by the fountain was shown. After watching it, the Saintess and the Demon King looked at each other… An early romance? When they turned their heads again, it was unclear what either was thinking, but their lips were curled in a slight smile, their eyes holding deeper schemes.

The dispatched spies reported once every half hour. It was now long past the scheduled time. The Saintess showed almost no hesitation. “There’s no need to court other factions and magicians.” She gave the order in a tone of ultimate peace.

“Start the war.”

After firing the first shot, Luka  for the first time experienced what it meant to be truly “fired up.” However, it was the Holy Court’s passion that was ignited, over a fuse on his own land.

Dark clouds multiplied in the sky, gathering and arranging themselves into formations. The vast clusters of shadows finally revealed their true form: several thousand magic warships surrounded the airspace ahead, directly attacking the formation in the sky. Everything happened with incredible speed. Countless streams of light were still rushing over from the distance.

The magicians leading the charge all stood behind the warships. They had raised their banners and were shouting, “Avenge our unjustly killed kin!”

Klin Sentry Tower was one of the most formidable regions, a place where every citizen was a soldier. The captain of the guards reacted quickly, immediately organizing a counterattack. Tens of thousands of soldiers faced off against the massive army pressing on the border.

A clear dragon’s roar echoed across the sky, and the cold, turbid breath it exhaled easily melted the fireballs.

“Aim!” the commanding priest roared. All the magic from the roaring warships was directed at the Frost Dragon’s belly, emptying their magic magazines with little effect.

There were three majestic dragons in the sky. One of them circled down to Klin Sentry Tower and spoke in a human voice; it was Rio. “Berlanie and I will hold off the main army. You use the chaos to get out.”

Luka answered without the slightest sentimentality, “Alright!”

These people were here to capture him. As long as he appeared elsewhere, the crisis at Klin Sentry Tower would naturally be resolved. The dragon lowered its altitude, its sharp claws, capable of crushing mountains, resting gently on Luka’s head. “You…” The rest of the words were left unsaid, replaced with a silent “be careful.”

In truth, Luka could have chosen to hide in the human realm from the start, waiting for an opportunity. But he had brazenly stayed on the border of the demon realm for one purpose: to tie down the majority of their forces. Once the war began, the Holy Court would surely dispatch numerous Holy Court troops to set up defenses along the way to capture him alive.

Within the dragon’s flashing eyes, it was as if he once again saw the child who had created an explosion to escape the Holy City. No matter the situation, he would never be a burden, always making the most decisive and advantageous decisions. The dragon soared back up to the border battlefield.

Luka stared at the dragon’s shadow disappearing behind the clouds and said, “We’ll borrow a path through the royal capital. We’re going to the human realm.” During his blood pool baptism, the Demon Ancestor had told him there was a secret teleportation array at the bottom of the Blood Pool.

Just as he was about to teleport, he was pulled back by a slender hand. Quill stared at him. “Luka, there might be another piece of greatly joyful bad news.”

Luka: “…” Can you all please use your adjectives and nouns properly?

Quill was speaking half-jokingly, but his tone was solemn. “Have you ever thought that in the past, everyone subconsciously considered places like Klin Sentry Tower to be barren lands?” Deserts, no teleportation points, sparse vegetation—all development bypassed these areas. They were places even the crown princes wouldn’t look at during a normal Return Hunt.

Luka immediately realized something. “These fiefdoms have almost never been surveyed for mineral resources!” The matter of the magic ore couldn’t be hidden. Once one was exposed, countless covetous eyes would inevitably be cast upon these territories. Pies really do fall from the sky, and fate really does put a price tag on them.

Luka immediately said to the guard captain, “I will have Prince Aman come over at once. Also, ask the Red Banyan City Lord to lend some troops. How is the Fifth Princess’s recovery?”

The guard captain replied, “About seventy percent.”

Luka: “Have her command her original troops to coordinate with Aman.” If Alicia was smart enough, she would know what was most beneficial for her. The fiefdoms were too scattered and numerous. The current dragons in the demon realm were likely not enough. He was about to contact Rio, who had just left, when he found that the other had already sent him a message.
[Reinforcements from Dragon Island are on the way.]

A warmth spread through Luka’s heart. “Your Highness, there is actually another piece of good news.”

Confirming there was no adjective before “good news” this time, Luka breathed a sigh of relief. “Speak.”

The guard captain: “Over the past two days, mysterious packages have been appearing in Moke City. Inside is a batch of powerful high-end weapons. We’ve had several blacksmiths and magicians inspect them and confirmed there are no problems.”

Luka thought for a moment and guessed who had sent them—the dwarves. With the temporary halt on outside tourists, the items couldn’t have come from outside. The temporary factory the dwarves had built in Moke City was still there; only they had this level of craftsmanship. Luka was truly surprised that the dwarves were secretly sponsoring him.

“Distribute the weapons to the soldiers. You must hold the magic ore mine.”
“Yes.”

After giving his orders, Luka took the opportunity to grasp Quill’s hand in return. A strong ripple spread through the air, and the two vanished from the spot. The guard captain, who was about to descend the sentry tower, stared wide-eyed. It was His Highness who had cast the spell. Only a twelfth-rank grand magus could freely perform spatial teleportation. Wasn’t His Highness tenth-rank?!

The demon realm was currently tight on the outside but lax on the inside. There were not many checkpoints on the road. It seemed that, just as the Demon King had said, as long as the dragons did not enter the main battlefield to fight the demons, he would not interfere in the demon realm. The only real battlefield was at Klin Sentry Tower, which had been ignited by the magic ore.

As they neared the demon capital, Luka switched to flying high in the sky. A longsword appeared in his hand—the Sage’s Sword, which had been repaired daily by soaking in faith power. The original notch was almost completely gone. Dust motes floated in the air, landing on the blade, dazzling and brilliant.

“I am now at the strength of a twelfth-rank, just one level away from a legendary grand magus. Once the great war begins, you must fully cooperate with me to make up for this one-rank gap.”

The Sage’s Sword let out an enthusiastic hum. —Martyrdom?

Luka: … After the war, the first thing he was going to do was implement a rating system for movies.

The specific battle plan had been discussed via video conference before they left the Elf Island. At that time, the Saint would hold back the Demon King, the law enforcers would maintain order in the city and not participate in the battle, and a portion of the human high command would be sent to guard the borders to prevent foreign invasion. The Elf King would break through the blockade centered on the Fortress of Light, shrinking the war zone.

What Luka needed to do most right now was to cover this million-mile journey and tie down the Holy Court army.

With the royal capital just ahead, Luka and Quill both cast invisibility spells and headed straight for the Blood Pool. With the Demon King absent, their strength allowed them to enter as if it were an uninhabited land. After the last wisp of the Demon Ancestor’s consciousness disappeared, the energy of the Blood Pool had greatly diminished.

Luka gazed at the statue of the Demon Ancestor for a moment and began his necessary feudal superstition. “Ancestor, protect me.” You also think I’m more suitable to be the new Demon King, right?

After his prayer, he squeezed a drop of blood from his fingertip, which dispersed into a cloud of mist that enveloped Quill, temporarily shielding his non-demon aura. “Let’s go!”

The Blood Pool’s teleportation array was in disrepair. In an instant, the two felt as if they had fallen into a flushing toilet.

–

After an unknown amount of time, less than a hundred miles from the border, a vortex appeared in the air. From the center of the whirlpool, two figures stumbled out. They had finally left the demon realm, but the sounds of cannon fire were ceaseless. The magical bombardment had formed a honeycomb-like wormhole in the sky. Magicians rode the chaotic air currents, locked in a deadly struggle. The surrounding area had been turned into a war zone in the blink of an eye. Luka’s divine sense swept over; a portion of the priests were clearly conducting a carpet search for something.

The two temporarily hid behind a bank of clouds, hovering at an extreme altitude. He conjured a small “truth” and aimed it at one of the Holy Court’s outposts. “Off you go.”

The “truth” shot down with precision. After reaching the tenth rank, Luka’s faith power had become increasingly gentle; sometimes even a small insect couldn’t feel his personal threat. It wasn’t until the light orb was about to reach a thousand meters that the Holy Court magicians stationed below finally realized something was wrong. Their white robes reflected their pale faces. The strongest leader saw the familiar figure appear high in the sky.

“It’s Iliad! Set up the net defense!”
“Quick, inform the others!”

The war had started earlier than expected. These small teams that had just arrived nearby hadn’t had time to set up their formations. The light orb exploded, and screams erupted from below, but the message had been sent out a step ahead.

The warships surrounding Klin Sentry Tower immediately changed direction. Dark clouds were sweeping towards the small town of Vic like a hurricane. Luka raised an eyebrow. “Done.” The main army was already shifting from the demon border towards them.

Horns blew from the south, all sea routes were blocked, and Holy Court troops were also advancing from the east. The Holy Court’s faith was most widespread south of the Hoss Annular Mountain, and the local armies were in constant retreat.

Quill cast a protective spell, forming a barrier. Luka quickly unfolded a map. “To enter the Fortress of Light, we only have two routes. Either we start from the mountain pass, reach Port Aman, and then cross the dangerous sea, or we take a detour to Boulder City and then transfer to Fort Haiwa.” The latter route was longer but safer. Fort Haiwa was the garrison point of the Ninth Legion, loyal to the Saint.

But Luka’s gaze was fixed on the first, high-risk route. If they took the second route, the few teleportation arrays the military had all led directly outside the Holy City’s gates. From outside the Holy City to the Fortress of Light was still a considerable distance.

Finally, Luka’s and Quill’s gazes landed on the same spot almost simultaneously: the First Magic Academy. If they took the first route, they could transfer at the First Magic Academy. The First Magic Academy was only separated from the Fortress of Light by a magical beast forest. Half of the academy’s high command supported the Saint, and there was no shortage of students who admired Luka. It was impossible for the Holy Court to completely control this place.

Luka immediately made a decision. “Hoss Annular Mountain must be a web of traps right now. There are warships in the sky and Holy Court troops on the ground. There isn’t much space left for us. Let’s go under their feet.”

Quill: “…”

Luka stared at his storage ring and said meaningfully, “They may have a lot of people, but I’m very rich.” Being rich allowed one to be a bit more arrogant in certain matters.

The Hoss Annular Mountain was vast, and the Holy Court had set up defenses along its edges. Not only were there legendary grand magi here, but also at least twenty thousand Holy Court troops, with defenses every three steps and four-man teams guarding every direction. No one knows a son better than his mother. The Saintess had clearly guessed that Luka would most likely take this route and had not hesitated to station her peak combat power here. Each shift change involved at least a hundred Holy Court troop patrols.

“I don’t know why the higher-ups are so nervous. I don’t think Iliad will come here. The south is our territory.”

Before he could finish, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, startling him. The grand magus leader who had just teleported didn’t even look at the speaking soldier, but coldly observed the surroundings. Seeing this, all the Holy Court troops immediately became vigilant. The grand magus frowned; he had clearly sensed something earlier. He notified the aerial forces to search the sky and, not feeling at ease, conducted another ground patrol, finally stopping at a patch of relatively soft soil. With a flick of his sleeve, a deep pit appeared in the ground, revealing white bones below. Countless dense insects were moving around the bones. Countless magical beasts died in the mountains, and their faint energy often attracted insects to build nests or devour them. Only then did the grand magus relax his vigilant gaze and say coldly, “Everyone, stay alert. Don’t let a single bird get by.”

“Yes!”

Amidst the resounding voices, no one noticed that hidden beneath the magical beast skeletons were some inconspicuous bones, using the sound of the insects’ gnawing as cover to move. Not far away, at the edge of the mountain, a small pebble rolled all the way in. Luka swore he would never forget this painful day, rolling all the way into Hoss Annular Mountain.

Just as everything was going smoothly, a terrifying beam of magic suddenly shot over. Luka abruptly transformed back into his human form to dodge it. When he came to his senses, he was surrounded by a large army.

The legendary grand magus sneered, “Did you really think you could deceive me?” Luka squinted. He hadn’t been lucky enough to think he could just roll out of the mountain range. But to be discovered so quickly was unexpected. Both their positions were locked almost simultaneously. Quill, in the pile of bones, was now surrounded on all sides.

Luka’s gaze suddenly fell on a compass-like object in the legendary grand magus’s hand. The grand magus said mockingly, “That’s right, and we have you to thank for it.” The Holy Court had failed to replicate the terminal but had developed something that could detect its signal. All Holy Court troops on this mission were forbidden from carrying terminals, so if a signal appeared, it meant a stranger had infiltrated.

The grand magus moved quickly. With a wave of his hand, tens of thousands of Holy Court troops followed his command and charged with their weapons. “Kill!”

On the mountain peak, several thousand more soldiers held strange energy banners painted with special spells. Luka guessed that the Demon King had already told the Saintess about Quill’s identity, and these were now objects used to restrain necromancers. The banners swayed, and a strange wind formed a vortex in the air. The legendary grand magus watched like a tiger, waiting for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

Luka conjured a “truth” light orb, forcing back some of the magicians, and shouted towards Quill, “Bombard the mountain!”

All the attack spells hit the mountain body, and rolling rocks tumbled into the valley. “Naive.” The legendary grand magus casually blasted a few rocks above his head and went straight for Luka. However, before he could reach Luka, he was intercepted by Quill.

The Holy Court had deep foundations. The Holy Court troops guarding Hoss Annular Mountain were at least seventh-rank. When tens of thousands of seventh-rank soldiers collectively fired their magic as support, the energy was astronomical. After taking a full blow, Quill had also consumed a lot of energy, his face slightly pale.

Without giving him any chance to breathe, the legendary grand magus ordered a second round of attacks. At most three rounds, and he could take down these two. On the other side, Luka was still finding time to bombard the mountain amidst the entanglement.

The legendary grand magus commanded methodically, “Aerial forces, form up! Be careful he doesn’t use the chaos to escape from above!” The Holy Court troops were well-trained. They regrouped in the sky near the falling rocks, their banners still pointed directly at Quill below, having a certain magic-restraining effect.

Luka sped up his mountain bombardment. Instantly, falling rocks fell like snowflakes. The legendary grand magus watched him struggle with cold eyes, raising a hand to easily shatter the stones.

A sudden change occurred! This time, the giant rock did not turn to dust as before. The surrounding space unexpectedly became chaotic, forming a vortex even more vigorous than the one created by the white banners. The legendary grand magus reacted in time, forcibly expending magic to pull himself out. Despite this, many terrifying cracks still appeared on his body. On the spot, several hundred Holy Court troops silently disappeared.

What the hell?

Far away, the Holy Court troops inexplicably appeared in another territory. Everything had happened too fast; they were also completely stunned.
“How did I get here?”
“Hey, you’re here too?”
“Look, the captain is here too.”
It didn’t look like the underworld, so how did their whole team have a premature grand reunion?

After the initial shock passed, back on the battlefield, the legendary grand magus suddenly reacted and roared, “Be careful of these falling rocks! Some of them are transformed space scrolls!” So treacherous! The grand magus’s teeth were about to shatter. How shameless did one have to be to come up with such a twisted strategy?!

If they tried to resist, they would be indirectly tearing the space scroll, and they would be teleported along with anyone nearby to an unknown place. However, the grand magus was entangled by Quill, and the other Holy Court troops were in disarray, with no effective way to stop Luka  from casting transformation spells on the scrolls. The falling rocks in the sky multiplied as if copied and pasted.

“Damn it!” Who could distinguish which was a space scroll while under attack?

Luka, relying on his wings and twelfth-rank strength, calmly weaved through the Holy Court troops, even “kindly” helping them activate some. The whole time, he was truly playing out “I’ll send you away, a thousand miles away.”

Who said war had to be bloody? First, disperse the small soldiers, and after dealing with the big boss, come back and recruit them. Luka  tut-tutted to himself, what a well-mannered and honorable future Demon King he was.

More and more white lights flashed, and batches of people were teleported away. With morale and formation broken, it was a fatal blow. A Holy Court squad leader tried to reassure his men, “Space scrolls are worth a thousand gold each. He can’t keep this up for… long…” The end of his sentence trailed off weakly. He suddenly remembered: this bastard was richer than his parents combined!

Luka’s Diary Excerpt:

Where you fall is where you rise!
When I transmigrated, I had to get a single space scroll through backstabbing. Now, standing before you is the brand-new scroll-hoarding rat, Jia!

It has been mentioned several times before that Luka  often hoards space scrolls, so I won’t repeat it here~
A quick recap: Luka’s strength increased to above eleventh-rank after getting the Tree Core, and to twelfth-rank after consuming the Four Symbols Star Orb.
After all, the Holy Court is a major villain with deep foundations, so defeating them won’t be easy. I’ll try my best to write it in an interesting and light-hearted way [Red Heart]

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