Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 476 (Part 1):

At some point, the demonic beasts had vanished without a trace.

Even the wind had strangely fallen silent.

They were reaching the eye of the typhoon.

[My mind feels oddly clear again.]

Elaga said. And it wasn’t just him—everyone else felt the same, in a different sense.

Because an unbelievable sight was unfolding before their eyes.

“Good heavens, by Lumen!”

Levina murmured in a sigh-like tone. At some point, everyone had stood up from the carriage and was staring at the spectacle.

What lay before them was a black pillar soaring to the ends of the sky.

It looked less like a structure and more like a natural phenomenon, like a waterspout. Yet its shape was strikingly straight.

Standing upright, exuding an ominous aura, the narrow pillar resembled a spear of darkness.

Composed of pure magi, it stretched from the depths of the earth to the heavens.

It reached the very center of the blackened sacred barrier, likely transmitting the power of the demon realm to the Demon King.

An immense swirl of magi emanated from the pillar. Even from afar, it made their skin tingle.

And beneath it, there was a pitch-black hole. It was like the sight of an antlion pit.

The ground, crumbling like grains of sand, formed a gentle slope downward, creating a massive circular pit.

At its center, the black hole—its depths invisible—looked like the entrance to hell or an abyssal cave.

Everyone realized what that hole was.

The entrance to the demon realm.

Just looking at it made their hearts uneasy and restless.

A chilling sensation crept over them, as if their entire body would rot the moment they touched it.

Helmut muttered.

“It really looks like a gate.”

[If it’s a gate, is there a gatekeeper?]

There could easily be something living off the magi spewing from the pillar, lurking in that sand. It was strange that not a single guarding demonic beast had appeared despite them coming this far.

No one knew what might be hiding inside that pit.

But now, they had to become the ants and descend into it.

To seal the entrance to the demon realm.

[Why did something like that appear in my territory?]

Elaga narrowed his eyes.

He had only been away from his domain for a few months, and now this outrageous situation. It was as if a mansion had suddenly been built in the middle of an empty plain.

Luke Yeager tossed out a joke.

“If you occupy empty land, build a house, and even decorate it, the original owner won’t recognize it, will they?”

[What a brazen fellow.]

Brazen, and even trying to brainwash the homeowner. Hostility welled up naturally.

The demonic energy Elaga possessed was Elaga’s own. It had been wholly his for a thousand years.

Now, to be told that the owner of that power was someone else and that he should submit—how could he obey?

In his anger, Elaga crunched on the Roots of Rosetta. In truth, there was no need to chew.

Perhaps because they had reached his home base. His mind was clearer than before.

The momentary domination that had violently seized his brain was completely gone.

As if, with just that one time, a strong resistance had formed.

Though he hadn’t even realized it, Elaga’s demonic nature was achieving this in the realm of the unconscious.

The carriage stopped in front of the pit.

The party had managed to recover their stamina by taking turns resting.

It felt like they had been traveling for half a day.

But more than fatigue, what gripped them strongly was tension.

They had safely arrived at the destination their mission pointed to.

They themselves were surprised that there had been no sacrifices up to this point. It seemed their thorough preparations had helped.

Freed from the reins, Elaga stretched long.

[Ah, I’m really doing all sorts of things in my old age.]

“Old age?”

Helmut pointed out. Hadn’t he far surpassed the lifespan of a leopard?

He wasn’t even at the end of his life.

[You try pulling the carriage and you’ll understand how I feel.]

It wasn’t something he particularly wanted to understand.

Still, the rulers of the domains didn’t flaunt their pride like human nobles.

Thanks to Baharek and Elaga taking turns pulling the carriage and actively cooperating, they had been able to reach this place. It was an invaluable help.

Ironically, from demonic beasts that were rulers of domains, no less.

If one lumped demonic beasts together as a single species, this was assistance that transcended species.

Because they, too, as beings born in this world, harbored resistance. And because they possessed a strong free will, they could make this choice.

Elaga urged them.

[Let’s quickly decide what to do. It’ll be troublesome if Baharek and Igrelle join up.]

Their “joining” would by no means be in a good sense. It would be joining the enemy side.

Even if they had left the central domain and distanced themselves, it was only a matter of time.

Now, there were two things Helmut’s party had to do.

The first was to seal the entrance to the demon realm.

The second was to annihilate the Demon King.

Not just scatter his power, but completely erase him.

Wasn’t this situation resurfacing because it hadn’t been properly finished a thousand years ago?

There was no guarantee they could now accomplish what even Lumen couldn’t a thousand years ago, but they had to pour everything into achieving it.

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