The Sword Emperor Transmigrates-Chapter 263

The Black Dragon Knights stationed near the Hellgate—the passageway connecting the Middle Realm and the Demonic Realm—had quite a tedious routine. All they did was train and stand guard.

Their facilities were also quite shabby compared to those at the main family estate, but teleporting hundreds of knights at once back and forth just so they could train wasn’t practical either. They never knew when monsters would come rushing through, and there could be countless casualties in the time it took to spot the signs, raise the alarm, and summon the rest of the forces.

Besides, they never knew how many enemies were coming, or what kind of strategies they would use that time around. If the knights were careless and used up their energy on training, they would be killed with barely any chance to fight back. Considering all the unknown variables they had to account for, the Black Dragon Knights naturally stuck to a more rigid lifestyle compared to other orders.

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However...

“You know, training isn’t boring anymore because now we can practice the swordplay and mana cultivation techniques that Commander Leonard taught us,” one knight remarked.

“Well, yeah. Before, all we did was work out and spar a bit without even getting to use Aura Blades,” said another knight, who was practicing Demon’s Bane with them.

Other people practicing the Forms chimed in in agreement.

“Yeah, I didn’t know practicing swordplay and aura cultivation would have this big of an effect at the Transcendence Tier,” one said. “Even the people who were unenthusiastic about it at first can recite the scriptures in their sleep.”

“The Cardenas never even considered this kind of approach. Sure, you can use formless swordplay in any situation, but having a specific style to use for specific enemies gives you a big advantage.”

“And we’re not just learning something new, we’re growing stronger as knights overall. I heard that at least ten people have awakened unique traits so far. If the Order of the Green Dragon or the Order of the Blue Dragon were still around, some of us might have even been able to transfer over.”

In the rest of the world, being in the Transcendence Tier put one in league with elite warriors, but within the House of Cardenas, only those who awakened unique traits and learned to use them adeptly could be considered part of the elites. At that level, they could withstand one or two hits from a Demigod Tier entity, and were strong enough to lead a charge into battle.

“Huh? Hold on...” a knight muttered, pressing his temples as he thought of something extraordinary. “Hey. Commander Leonard came up with Demon’s Bane when he was still in the Transcendence Tier, right?”

“Duh. He did defeat the Tongue Demoniacs, but he only reached the Demigod Tier after the battle with the Spriggans.”

“Then do you think he could come up with a newer, stronger version of Demon’s Bane?” he asked carefully.

The training grounds went silent, though it made sense that they were shocked. Demon’s Bane had already bolstered their fighting power by a ridiculous amount, significantly expanding their skills after years—no, decades of learning the same few things. And this knight was suggesting that there was the potential to add even more?

It was as if the knights had been wandering a desert until Leonard gave them a sip of water by teaching them new techniques. And now, their eyes sparkled as if they had spotted an oasis.

“You...You might be right!”

Whether it was in conceptual martial arts or the ability to wield unique traits, there was a vast difference between what was achievable at the Transcendence Tier and what was achievable at the Demigod Tier, even for a genius like Leonard.

Demian, too, had only been able to reflect and nullify attacks and manipulate light to conceal himself when he was in the Transcendence Tier, nothing more. But once he had reached the Demigod Tier, he was able to cut down mountains with his Parallel techniques and create spatial prisons.

“Now that I think about it, I heard that Commander Leonard and Commander Demian went to the Black Dragon headquarters, so we might be able to ask them. We can’t know for sure, but there’s a very good chance he’ll be able to come up with a new version of Demon’s Bane.”

“Really?!”

“And you know, we’ve been receiving a lot more supplies lately... Who knows, maybe we’ll be the next knight order to go.”

Some were eager, while others simply saw it as inevitable. Either way, their future would be decided soon.

While the knights chattered, the two people who knew the answer were on their way to meet with Audrey—to tell her how the Black Dragon Knights would finally fulfill their ultimate goal.

***

“...Huh?” There was a rare scowl on Audrey’s face when Leonard, Demian, and even Simon Magus came barging into her office.

But she quickly composed herself, closing her eyes. When she opened them, the shock and disbelief were gone, her face calm. Inside, her emotions still stirred, but they were so subdued that even the Dragon Eye failed to perceive them.

As one of the three strongest knights in the House of Cardenas, her ability to control her thoughts and feelings was truly impressive.

“...So you’re proposing that we borrow the power of the Void Deity of the Underworld to initiate a battle for the territory of the Demonic Realm?” she concluded once they explained the plan.

“Yes, that’s right,” Simon affirmed.

At that, Audrey turned to him, giving him a look. Simon picked up on what she was thinking and gave a chuckle. “Unfortunately, I was not the one who concocted the idea. It was Leonard.”

“Well, that makes sense. This is not something an old man would think up. And seeing as you’re here, I assume that means you have decided to assist in this plan because you think it has a high probability of success.”

“Our negotiations with Hades were successful. In theory, the execution has been flawless so far,” the Grand Magus said. “If we can shrink the reach and influence of the Nine Hells, the Outer Gods’ invasion will also be significantly weakened.”

“So when you say the plan is to conquer the Demonic Realm, you mean it literally,” Audrey mused.

As the leader of the Black Dragon Knights, this plan naturally piqued her interest. Unlike the Order of the Green Dragon, whose mission ended with the fall of the World Tree, or the Order of the Blue Dragon, which lost its purpose when the Celestials withdrew, the Black Dragon's mission was far from simple.

The number of Demoniacs lurking past the Hellgate was constantly rising, and they always had the advantage when they attacked because they had the element of surprise on their side.

In addition, while the monsters that died in the Middle Realm left only their body behind, when they died in the Demonic Realm, most of their power was recycled, giving birth to a new Demoniac somewhere. Scouting the realm was like swimming through quicksand.

But if it really is possible to seize control of the Nine Hells...

If they could just eliminate the source of the countless Demoniacs, that would make for a permanent solution. As long as the influence of the great demon Crom Dubh remained, the Demoniacs were practically immortal. So, they simply needed to eliminate it.

Before, they had neither the power nor the means—but now, that had changed.

Even if they sent an entire knight order into the Nine Hells, they wouldn’t even last long, let alone capture territory. The resources of the Demoniacs were practically infinite, so they would need at least three knight orders and a few Great Magi from the Pentagon to even stand a chance.

Having maintained the line for this long was already quite impressive. Twenty years ago, they never would have dreamed of launching an offensive like this.

“It’s possible,” Demian said, as if reading her mind. He took a big step forward and raised his head. “The knights of Blue Dragon and the Green Dragon were converted into reserve forces, and the Golden Dragon and the White Dragon can assist as well. This is our only chance, ma’am.”

Now that the Blue Dragon’s and Green Dragon’s missions were fulfilled, their members didn’t have any particular assignments to work on. The Golden Dragon didn’t have much else to do either, now that Leonard had become Ancestor Cardenas’s vessel. On top of that, the Red Dragon and White Dragon could send reinforcements as needed, which meant that they could afford to dispatch about eighty percent of the House of Cardenas’s fighting force.

“Unlike in Corroded Realms, which defy most basic laws of nature, Class 7 and Class 8 mages can hold their own in the Demonic Realm,” Simon added, speaking for the Wickline family. “We will send as many forces as you need. I’m sure there are many mages who would like to investigate the netherworld’s environment.”

“...It’s a deal so sweet that my teeth hurt. Instinctively, it’s always seemed impossible, but now it’s within reach,” Audrey muttered to herself as she stood. “I’d assume that Uluka felt similarly. That we’d exhaust ourselves by being too careful before we could even fulfill our goal.”

Her gaze was as still as always, but unlike before, there almost seemed to be a storm brewing behind her eyes. The dichotomy was almost like yin and yang. She was practically crackling with static from the anticipation, and the air around her rippled like water.

“You said there was something you needed to see to at the Hellgate?” she asked.

“Yes. Since Hades’s Underworld turned into the Demonic Realm, he is unfamiliar with the terrain. Even if he can’t go inside, he said he wanted to go to the entrance area to see what it’s like,” Leonard explained.

“I see.” She nodded and immediately turned to Simon. “Take us to these coordinates.”

Coincidentally, she instructed him to take them to the Seventh Division, which was where Leonard had fought the Demoniacs. As soon as that thought came to mind, Simon hit the ground with his staff, enveloping them in light.

Fwoosh—!

Of course, it caused an uproar.

“Co-Commander Leonard?!”

“And Commander Demian too?!”

“And the oldie from the Wickline family! Everyone, line up!”

The knights got in line, standing with their backs straight. The Order of the Black Dragon was even more strict and military-like than the others. Not only had three high-ranking knights appeared unannounced, they were also accompanied by the head of the rival family. If the Black Dragons seemed the slightest bit undisciplined, it would not only bring shame to their order but to the House of Cardenas itself.

The four of them nodded to the knights in greeting before walking right past them.

“Hmm, I feel a disturbance in the air now that we’re close to the Nine Hells,” Simon observed. “It is clearly similar to the Underworld, but also clearly very different. It’s as if they’re siblings.”

“Precisely,” Hades confirmed from inside Leonard. “Perhaps his years of study weren’t so unproductive after all.” Now that they were closer to the netherworld, they felt its influence grow stronger, and Hades’s voice was more lively than before.

“I should be able to manifest myself here without needing to lay out my Divine Territory,” he said. “If I stay here any longer, it will do nothing but fatigue you. I shall walk with my own two feet.”

“Understood.”

As soon as the word left Leonard’s mouth, he felt the enormous power spring out from his Mindscape, giving off an energy that was similar to the Demonic Realm, yet not foul.

Compared to other pantheons, the gods of Olympus bore a stark resemblance to humans in appearance. They typically had two arms, two legs, and one head, though occasionally some of them had wings or horns.

Hades was no different. He appeared as a boy with jet-black hair and skin so pale that he almost looked sickly.

“...The stench is so revolting that I can smell it from here. It smells rotten to the core, like Tartarus itself.”

“Well, if you consider where the Demoniacs come from, they are rotten. Literally,” Leonard said.

His comment appeared to appeal to Hades’s sense of humor. “Ha! That’s right! Because they crawled out from a corpse, yes?”

Then, Hades held out his hands, and everyone felt something in the air change.

Shoooooo...

The fabric of reality shifted ever so slightly, only noticeable to those who were in the Demigod Tier as Hades took it into his hands. The commanders and the mage were a little nervous, but they stood by and watched, putting their faith in the sanctity of the oath Hades had made. And then...

“I have succeeded. Indeed, the netherworld acknowledges me as its own,” Hades declared calmly. “I can now control the door. I cannot shut or destroy it permanently, but I can open and close it at will.”

It had only taken him a few seconds to achieve something that multiple Grand Magi had failed.