In a brilliant gust of blue, I warped above my destination.
I heard splashes of water, smelled the troubled sea, and witnessed how the tides crashed upon the coast.
The darkened sky, as well as the chilly nature of the environment, caused me to smile while slowly approaching.
The rocky area was merely the beginning, and the deeper one went, the thicker the negative energy would be.
Dark skies and a dark place.
I was looking at nothing but the Demon Realm.
"Looks like I can't teleport any further because of the Miasma."
To traverse the area, I would need to rely on my other abilities.
Mana was practically nonexistent in this place—thanks to the Miasma Generator which was powered by [The Devil].
Thanks to that, it was best for me to utilize Miasma in my time here.
It wasn't as though I could not utilize the Mana within me—but it would simply be easier and better to use Miasma.
>WHUUSHHH<
Coating my body with the dark energy, I enhanced my bodily functions and took flight into the continent.
Previously the Northern Continent, this Demon Realm was by far the largest patch of land of the four.
That was also the reason why the Demons attacked it first in their conquest when I was still Lewis Griffith.
It spread for miles, and the terrain was mostly rocky.
While in the past, this was a country known for the cold, and then several minerals, it was nothing more than a pitch-black world that swelled with Miasma.
Despite all we did for them, all the compromises we made, they still had the gall to wage war against us.
That was completely unforgivable.
'It's not our fault that they never advanced. We have them a good piece of land, we gave them an Arcana, a Miasma Generator. We offered peace, even when they would have ultimately lost the war...'
The more I thought of it, and let anger well up within me, the easier things became.
In the Demon Realm, not everyone were warriors.
Using Spellcraft—the Miasma version—in addition to my sensory prowess, I could sense several territories that had thousands of Demons within them.
They were the simple citizens of the Demon Realm.
Sure, a lot of them had been drafted into the army, but the elderly and children were still present.
Not everyone could fight in a war... and not everyone wanted to.
Some could probably not even be aware of the War that was going on—though I doubted that, due to the nature of Demon society.
'I can sense a strong presence there...' My mind wandered to the Eastern Border of the Demon Realm.
That had to be where the last Demon Lord was waiting for a strike from the enemy—that is, us.
'Should I just ignore him?'
By shrouding myself in Cloaking Magic, I could avoid detection—plus, my outfit basically allowed me to be both intangible and invisible.
Even Neron would have a problem sensing me if he was caught unawares.
'I can just do what I want, and then leave. But...'
One could call it curiosity.
'... Let me indulge a little.'
*******************
Desgarion was getting impatient.
He had been waiting for how long now, and no enemy had come his way.
His entire being was expectant, and the image of what kind of battle he would have kept ravaging his mind.
His body sought violence, and his muscles ached for battle.
'Was I tricked? Are there no enemies?' At some point, the Crimson Demon began wondering to himself.
All he wanted was a strong opponent to give him exhilaration.
He wanted to get even stronger by overcoming travails.
That was why he wanted to play an active role in the war—yet he was relegated to this role.
Desgarion still had no complaint, if he was going to fight a strong opponent. But, he slowly began to wonder if there was even an enemy to fight.
'They'll regret lying to my face!' His anger rose slowly.
Veins appeared on his red face, and the fiery Miasma leaking from his body was enough to distort the atmosphere.
Waiting impatiently had its limits, as such, the Crimson Demon Lord was reaching a precipice.
Fortunately...
"Looks like you grew tired of waiting."
... Someone finally appeared.
Desgarion jumped to his feet, instantly putting all his focus in the direction of the voice.
His muscles tightened and his battle senses were wide awake.
After all, until the person spoke, even Desgarion hadn't sensed anyone.
"You..." The Crimson Demon's eyes widened a bit as the image of the person before him finally registered.
A young, blond boy was standing before him.
His white coat fluttered as a result of the harsh coastal wind, and he donned a smile.
"You are Jared Leonard, aren't you?" He spoke, readying himself for a fight.
While the Demon Lord was surprised that he came alone, that was simply a testament to the young boy's strength.
It would have been fun to decimate an army, but the Jared Leonard figure must have thought of anyone else as fodder.
'Fodder that would just get in the way of our brawl!' Desgarion grinned devilishly as he stared at Jared Leonard.
"I'm surprised. You aren't looking down on me because I'm a child." The blond human spoke, not exactly looking shocked.
Still, it wasn't like a battle-frenzied being like Desgarion cared much for expressions.
"Age doesn't matter. Power does. You made all those other guys quake in their boots thanks to your intelligence, and I heard you best Neron Kaelid in a fight."
The human's smile broadened further. There was no denial.
"That's why I will fight you right here and now. Make it enjoyable for me!" Desgarion grinned widely now.
His body gleamed brightly, and then black armor began forming all around his red skin.
"I'll use everything I have from the start. Let's not be boring about this."
The black armor had glowing red veins all around it, and the thing completely shrouded him.
Desgarion, now encased in black and red armor, released a phenomenal amount of Miasma that burned everything around.
His body was steaming hot, and the pressure he exuded was simply devastating.
Even Jared, who was watching had to give kudos to the magnifying energy he was witnessing
In terms of power, Jared found the being before him to be even more impressive than the Demon King Abellion.
It was possible that the Crimson Demon Lord before him was actually the most powerful one around.
"Then that's perfect." He whispered under his breath.
The earth rumbled, and everything around shattered as Desgarion rose from the ground.
>BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM<
