Youngest on Top - Chapter 271

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 271

I clenched my fist as the realization struck me.
Saelika immediately turned to Teodor with a question.

“You said there were no common points among those who became Demons, right?”
“I thought there were no regional characteristics since they appeared in all four directions across the continent. But after hearing what the angel said….”

Teodor pointed to the map attached to Hephastos’s documents.

“The regions marked on this map match the origins of most of them.”
“Then…!”

At Ilay’s exclamation, Saelika nodded.

“Yes, all the Demons are heretics.”
“…!”

Silence fell over the room.
Everyone was absorbed in organizing their thoughts.

After a moment, Hephastos spoke up.

“Is that even possible? Honestly, I’ve never heard or seen humans become such monsters. But because they believed in heretics? Honestly, from a magical engineering standpoint, it makes absolutely no sense….”
“But the data doesn’t lie. It’s telling us this is the truth.”
“That’s the thing though…. Damn it, what exactly is this? I hate functions where the input and output contradict each other!”

At Teodor’s words, Hephastos ran his hand through his hair.
Saelika opened her mouth.

“It’s true that by conventional logic, this shouldn’t be possible. But what if there’s a new order?”
“…!”

A spark of understanding flickered in Ilay’s eyes.

“Demons could exist under a new order? Then…. You said before that there are no Demon Gods in the existing system.”
“Right. There are no Demon Gods in the current framework.”
“But in the new system?”

As expected, Ilay is sharp.
Saelika nodded.

“It could exist. A new order has already been established, and Demons have appeared.”
“Then—.”
“That must be the purpose. To destroy the existing order and world, and create an entirely different new one.”

The gods had only one absolute rule.
Obedience to the Creator.
That was the only order and system inherently bestowed upon the gods from birth.

‘Around the time I was born… well, more than a thousand years ago, the Creator supposedly disappeared.’

“Parmanase is trying to defy and transcend the Creator.”
“…!”
“B-but how….”
“Divine power ultimately rests upon the human realm. So—.”
“He intends to devour this world itself according to his will.”

Ilay’s teeth ground together with a harsh sound.

“Exactly. That’s why he’s trying to be reborn as something entirely new—not a god.”

Saelika’s eyes grew dark and distant.

“Into what the beastmen call a Demon God.”

* * *

A moonless night, shrouded in darkness.
Yet the darkness posed no obstacle to the beastmen.

“Something feels off.”

Rashka, a wolf beastman lost in thought, murmured softly.
Reks furrowed his brow.

“You’ve been quiet for a while, and now you’re saying that again.”
“But it really is strange.”

When I arrived at the Empire, everything unfolded differently than the Beastkin had anticipated.

“Let’s say Amelia’s misconduct and collusion with Demons were all false accusations. But.”

Rashka hesitated, yet continued without delay.

“That day, when she clashed with the High Priestess, Amelia attacked without regard for those around her.”
“….”
“It was I who sacrificed myself to take the brunt of her assault—.”
“Enough.”

Reks cut off Rashka’s words.

“Aren’t you tired of repeating the same thing over and over? Then what would you say about Amelia’s power to restore the Demons back to their original forms?”
“That, that is….”

Rashka could not answer.
Paffenpa, the Goat Beastkin, heaved a heavy sigh.

“Did I not tell you, Rashka? The filthy Demon God’s proxy excels most at deception.”

Reks stated it plainly.

“Amelia saved us. Are you saying even the aura of salvation we felt from her then was a lie?”
“That is….”
“Think only of this: what we saw with our own eyes. What we felt with our own hearts.”
“….”

Rashka fell silent.
After a long pause, he spoke again.

“But what of that turbid aura I sensed?”
“…!”
“A turbid aura? What do you mean by that?”

After a moment of contemplation, Rashka opened his mouth with resolve.

“I had a suspicion about something before, so I hid my presence and followed Beatrix.”
“And?”
“What I felt back then… It was only for a moment and so faint that I wondered if I was mistaken, but still, it was definitely—”

That was when it happened.

Whoosh!
A human shadow began to flicker above the sorcerous flames that Paffenpa was conjuring.
And.

[Reks!]

Amelia’s face appeared.

“Amelia.”
[Rashka, Paffenpa, hello to you both.]

Despite her suffering, Amelia had not lost that characteristic radiant smile.
Reks furrowed his brow.

“Why do you look so gaunt?”
[Hm? Haha! I’m just on a diet! It’s rude to ask a lady such things.]

Though it was obvious she had grown thin from her imprisonment, Amelia threw out a joke to reassure the prisoners.
She was truly radiant like sunlight itself.

[I’m really fine. I have all of you, after all.]
“Us?”
[Yes, magnificent, beautiful, and strong beings like you love me so dearly.]
“It is only natural to cherish and hold dear one’s savior.”
[…Haha, savior. I’m glad you all aren’t fooled. Everyone else sees me as a demon rather than a savior.]

A bitter smile spread across Amelia’s face.
Rashka’s heart inevitably sank.

“Amelia…”
[Huh?]

Amelia’s eyes widened as she looked at Rashka.

[Hmm, Rashka. Why that face? You look like a puppy who’s done something wrong.]
“…A puppy? Even if you are Amelia, that’s too much.”
[Why don’t I guess? You doubted whether I was truly your savior.]

Rashka flinched.
But instead of blaming him, Amelia smiled.

[Actually, I understand Rashka’s doubt. Even I… doubt myself.]
“….”
[When I listen to Saelika’s words, they sound so true.]

Amelia wore a sorrowful smile.

[I feel like such a wicked being. Like I shouldn’t exist at all.]
“How can you say something so frightening…! Please, take back those words.”
[But that’s what Saelika said. Everyone believed her words.]

Rashka’s face contorted.

“Saelika… said that?”
[Ah, I didn’t mean to sadden you, Rashka. Forget what I just said.]

Seeing Amelia force a bright smile, Rashka clenched his fists tightly.

“…I’ve heard that a demon’s agent specializes in enchantment.”

Determination flickered in his eyes.

“I was momentarily swayed. I won’t waver again.”
[Rashka….]
“Our savior is none other than you, Amelia.”

Watching Rashka gaze at her with such tender eyes, Amelia felt satisfied.

‘Ah, how exhilarating.’

Every time this rare and dangerous beast of a man showed her such affection, her heart raced.

‘And besides, the combat prowess of beastkin is among the highest.’

My usefulness is boundless.

‘…Under normal circumstances, not just the Beastmen, but the Elves, the Crown Prince, and even the Duke would all have become mine.’

Saelika had stolen it all from me.

‘It’s fine. Eventually, everything will become mine anyway.’

This too was merely a trial.
A hardship bestowed upon a special being like myself.

[Everyone, be careful. If things don’t go Saelika’s way, there’s no telling what she might do to you.]
“Do not worry. Please take care of yourself.”
“Amelia.”

Reks flashed a grin at Amelia.
It was a wild yet captivating smile.

“I will save you.”
[…I’ll be waiting!]

As Amelia’s bright laughter faded, the sorcerous flames dimmed.

Reks rose from his seat.
His lips were now set firmly, unlike before.

“Reks?”

Rashka called out to him in confusion.

“Where are you going?”
“For a walk.”
“A walk…?”

Reks waved his hand at Rashka and Paffenpa, who were trying to stand and follow him.
Reks moved toward the darkness without hesitation, his voice low.

“I need to verify something.”

That voice was swallowed by the darkness of night, reaching no one’s ears.

* * *

Artemia Temple Institutional Branch.

“Parmanase’s goal is to become a new existence that surpasses the Creator?”
“So that’s why he created a cult.”
“It’s difficult to move openly within Parmanase’s doctrine.”
“He created shadows to act in his stead.”
“Quite the clever strategist.”

The adults grew serious upon hearing my words.
It was certainly more grave than I had anticipated.

‘…But I’m relieved.’

I couldn’t help but feel that way personally.

‘It wasn’t Misa.’

I’m grateful the calamity’s source isn’t Behemoth.
I don’t harbor particularly warm feelings toward him….

‘Yet I’ve watched him for nearly a thousand years.’

A deranged psychotic deviant stalker—words hardly sufficient for such madness, but still.
Of course, I can’t forgive him for cursing Shuri in the name of some contract price.

“Now that we know the enemy’s identity and purpose, what remains is—”

I raised my fist high.

“—to crush them all!”

Holy flames blazed forth, shrouding the High Priestess.
To prevent the calamity.
And as the High Priestess, I would fulfill my given mission by destroying all calamities.

At that moment, Edmund and Roana spoke up.

“Defeating Parmanase is good and all, but if we start openly antagonizing him without thinking, public opinion will turn against us.”
“Unlike other calamities, if people’s faith flows toward him, the Demon God’s power will grow stronger.”
“And people won’t believe our story right away either…”

They were right.

“Sigh… I wish we had a situation where we could cause chaos without consequences.”

It was the moment I exhaled that sigh.

“Honeybread!”

The door burst open and Dmitri rushed in.

“What’s wrong?”
“Something terrible happened!”
“…?”
“Demons have invaded!!”

Perfect timing.
A situation where we could cause chaos without consequences.

* * *

The situation was more serious than expected.
The Demons hadn’t attacked just one location.

“They’re attacking simultaneously!”
“This isn’t even a diversion tactic.”
“A diversion would be better! How many places are under attack?!”

Eight locations were confirmed to be under attack.
And there was an even bigger problem.

“Since it’s urban warfare, just evacuating civilians is already a problem.”

Until now, most of my battles had taken place in sparsely populated areas.
After all, people didn’t live in spaces saturated with murky energy.
Even the villages where people lived were small ones that never caught the attention of the central powers.

But now, every attack was targeting major cities.
Defending while fighting and simply fighting were worlds apart.

“Even if we evacuate everyone, if heretics are mixed in among the evacuees, it’s all for nothing!”
“And we never know when those heretics will transform into Demons…”

Combat itself was problematic.
They would appear human, then transform into Demons and strike from behind—nearly impossible to counter.

“If they invaded from outside, at least we could mount a proper defense!”

With people inside the cities transforming into Demons, I couldn’t even devise defensive strategies.

“At least we have my youngest brother to thank for this.”

Anakin’s power—the All-Seeing Eye.
Through this All-Seeing Eye, I could detect the murky energy of the Demons.

“I need to send reinforcements to Deiaren too. The murky energy is concentrating there as well. Heavily!”
“Leave that to me. I’ll head there myself with my forces.”

Uncle Serge winked at me as he spoke.
I used Serha’s power to transport the forces under my uncle’s command.
Then I checked the battle situation through the All-Seeing Eye.

‘There were eight locations before…… and now there are fifteen in an instant.’

I repositioned my forces again.
Ilay asked me.

“Sae, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Using your power this much…”
“But if I don’t dispatch forces immediately, everyone there will die.”
“…”

Ilay fell silent.
He understood it too.
I flashed him a reassuring smile.

“Still, we’ve managed to clean up this area pretty well.”

All the Demons surrounding us had been subdued.

“Now we just need to root out the Demons in hiding….”

That’s when it happened.
A foul stench washed over us.
From the ordinary citizens we were protecting.
The citizens we’d been protecting were all beginning to transform into Demons!

“Good heavens!”

The Artemia Temple Priests had already scattered across the entire continent.
Ardin’s Father and Serju Uncle had also been dispatched to distant locations.
The Sacred Maidens and forces from other temples were in the same situation.

The personnel remaining here now numbered only around a dozen, including Ilay and me.
Meanwhile, the number of Demons….

“Damn it, there’s no way to count them all.”
“We have to manage somehow with just ourselves.”
“It would be easier if we could just kill them, but we have to subdue them….”

With these constraints, such a numerical disadvantage would be nearly impossible to overcome.
Ilay grasped my hand.

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“But.”
“You’re the commander. If you fall, nothing works.”

Ilay was right.
But.

‘If I don’t push myself, how am I supposed to solve this?’

The sacrifice of others is inevitable.
If that’s the case, then perhaps….
It was the moment I tightened my grip on the hand holding Alise Celestia.

Suddenly, light poured forth from behind the Demons.

“…?!”

A group appeared alongside the light.

‘This is definitely….’

Holy power.
And—.

‘The Molloresta Temple?!’

It was the holy power of that very Molloresta with whom I had met and who had embarked upon the path of ruin.
The man standing at the very front spoke to me.

“I’ve come to save you, Sacred Maiden.”
“…!”
“Won’t you even greet me after all this time?”

It was Heidrun, the leader of the Molloresta Temple.

“I told you. I would return to you, Sacred Maiden, having grown stronger.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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