DEMON CASTLE-Chapter 61

Two hundred kilometers from the territory of the infamous Demon King of the South, a level five Demon King of the Arcane shuddered in his underground sanctuary beside his altar.

"Why does it have to be so close to me?! No one else is this close! Damn it, why didn't I attack earlier?!"

Caroline, with her massive spider-like purple body standing thirty meters tall, trembled in a cavern at least two hundred meters underground, connected to a network of tunnels.

"Should I join them? No, I won't bow my head!!! In the end, I—"

Her connected webbing vibrated, and the hundreds of crimson eyes beneath her half-humanoid torso started to glow.

"Food?"

_

Outside a cave covered in white webbing, a six-person group stood ready. Elric, the swordsman; Hamon, the spearman; Jacob, the shield-bearer; Asra, the mage; Freya, the healer; and Afreed, the elf hunter-slave. While Afreed's wounds had healed, the psychological damage remained evident.

"But Elric, shouldn't we have gotten some proper equipment for Afreed?"

Elric turned, glancing at Afreed's D-rank gear as the elf stared at him with hollow eyes.

"We're out of money. After buying Freya that B-rank priest staff, we're broke. Once we kill this Demon King, we'll upgrade Afreed's equipment."

He licked his lips. Over the past few days, as Afreed's wounds healed, the elf's beauty had become undeniable—far surpassing the female members of the party whom Elric had traveled with for a year. The experience from the previous night lingered in his mind, and he struggled to control his lust, his pants tightening.

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But he didn't know that the other male party members had also shared a similar experience with Afreed, and even the women, jealous of the elf's beauty and the attention he stole, tortured Afreed every night in secret.

They entered the cave, unaware of the elf gently brushing his foot against a strand of webbing near the wall.

_

Three hours later, deep inside the cave, after their first encounter with monstrous spider-like creatures wielding spear-like limbs and bladed appendages, the group found themselves overwhelmed. From every direction, the creatures poured in like a flood. Many of them were elite-ranked or even lord-ranked monsters, while the entire party—except for Afreed—were only lord-ranked. Afreed, being merely elite-ranked, struggled to fight on par with a lord but managed to block attacks, minimizing the danger to his party members. Yet, he never fully intercepted them, allowing his teammates to suffer injuries.

"Damn it, she completely lured us in and trapped us!"

"I told you it was suspicious! No guards at all?!"

But their arguments ended abruptly as a colossal spider-woman emerged. Though naked, she possessed no allure—her face was nonexistent. The sight of her sent a sudden shock through the entire party as they realized her power level: early Warlord rank.

"Fooooood!!!"

Caroline, having survived on the tasteless summons she conjured to avoid being detected by the patrols of the Undead Demon King, longed for the taste of human flesh. Activating her cursed talent, her hundreds of eyes gleamed, randomly inflicting various curse spells on anyone who met her gaze. If the same curse hit a target multiple times, its effect would double or even increase exponentially.

One by one, the party members—except for Afreed—succumbed. Their bodies dried out, their senses dulled, their balance lost. Mental attacks, amplified negative emotions, and physical damage overwhelmed them. Caroline wasted no time, shoving them into her monstrous mouth while sparing Afreed, who stood motionless, confused as to why he was left alive.

After her feast, the Demon King approached him. Deactivating her talent, she inspected him.

"An elf?!!!! I wonder how you taste??!"

She touched Afreed, lifting his arm and examining him.

"You're so small... Does that mean your meat is fresher? Ooooh, what seasoning should I use?"

Afreed glanced at his bow, then met her gaze.

"Can you give me a quick death, or should I kill myself?"

Caroline's eyes shone as she stared into his lifeless gaze.

"Food tastes bad when it dies! An elf's first taste must be while they're alive!! You have to stay alive!!!"

She pounced on him, wrapping him in layers of webbing. Tiny spiders crawled out from every crevice, swarming over him. She paused for a moment, then, leaving only his head exposed, dragged him deeper into the cavern.

_

Elsewhere, Hazard stood before the newly acquired Living Armor Barracks, a towering thirty-meter-tall structure without doors, filled with spectral armor and ghostly weapons that looked like illusions—untouchable until summoned.

He made his choice.

"Elite Living Armor"

Rank: Elite Level 3HP: 200Strength: 150Agility: 100Mana (Dark): 300Endurance: -Traits: Magic Resistance, Physical ResistanceSkills: Weapon Mastery B, Sonic B, Charge B, Berserk B, and moreCost: 2,000 gold coins

"Captain Living Armor"

Rank: Lord Level 1HP: 600Strength: 400Agility: 350Mana (Dark): 2,000Endurance: -Traits: Magic Resistance, Physical Resistance, LeadershipSkills: Weapon Mastery S, Leadership A, All Together A, Sonic B, Charge B, Berserk B, and moreCost: 30,000 gold coins

"Commander Living Armor"

Rank: Overlord Level 1HP: 2,000Strength: 1,200Agility: 800Mana (Dark): 5,000Endurance: -Traits: Magic Resistance, Physical Resistance, Leadership, Defensive DomainSkills: Weapon Mastery SS, Leadership S, All Together S, Sonic A, Charge A, Berserk A, and moreCost: 300,000 gold coins

"General Living Armor"

Rank: Warlord Level 1HP: 10,000Strength: 4,000Agility: 4,000Mana (Dark): 20,000Endurance: -Traits: Magic Resistance, Physical Resistance, Leadership, Defensive Domain, Immortal SpiritsSkills: Weapon Mastery SSS, Leadership SS, All Together SS, Sonic S, Charge S, Berserk S, and moreCost: 10 million gold coins

Hazard summoned 500,000 Elite Living Armors, spending a billion gold coins. The barracks radiated with light as the spectral legion emerged—rows upon rows of armored warriors encased in fiery ghostly auras, their synchronized movements eerily perfect.

To maintain order, he summoned 50,000 Living Armor Captains, spending another 1.5 billion gold coins. These captains, wielding massive weapons—greatswords, halberds, warbows, and crossbows—took their positions at the front.

Next, he summoned 500 Living Armor Commanders, costing 150 million gold coins. Each bore regal, enchanted armor, kneeling before Hazard before being assigned to lead divisions.

Finally, 50 Living Armor Generals materialized, their rune-inscribed armors exuding ancient power. They knelt before their king.

Then, Hazard called forth a figure—a being destined to shine brighter than ever before. A being who had fought impossible battles and claimed victory despite overwhelming odds.

"The Nameless Undead General! In battles where defeat was certain, you never failed me! Despite every disadvantage, you brought glory to the Army of Death!"

Hazard ripped apart a rare, 10-million-gold artifact that could elevate an Overlord-rank Undead to Warlord rank.

"I name you Artemis and appoint you as the Supreme General of the Kingdom of Death! You shall command the Immortal Armored Legion!"

With his transformation complete, Artemis—now taller and radiating death's aura—stood before his army. The legion pounded their weapons against the ground in unison, the thunderous echo heralding the rise of a new legend.

A legend of an unstoppable army—the Harvesters of Death.