“Since Your Majesty prefers an accessory over a weapon, I decided to go with a necklace. Based on my observations, all of your other gear could be considered top-tier, but your necklace was lacking in many aspects,” Tubal-Cain said while holding out a necklace. As expected of the greatest blacksmith in the Demon Realm, his eye for detail was truly second to none. “I made it based on what I thought would suit Your Majesty, so I am hoping that it will be to your liking.” Hearing this, Siegfried immediately flashed his Rune of Insight at the necklace. [Black Abyss: Necklace of Greed and Betrayal] Orıginal content can be found at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥 [A sacred relic belonging to Siegfried van Proa, the Demon Lord of Greed and Betrayal, Ruler of the Fifth Domain and Sixth Domain of the Demon Realm.] [Restriction: Exclusive to the Demon Lord of Greed and Betrayal] - Absorbs the souls of defeated enemies. - Once enough souls are absorbed, the Demon Lord of Greed and Betrayal’s true body can be summoned into the Middle Realm for a limited time. - Can create a gate to the Demon Realm. - Has a low chance to steal an enemy’s item when bumping against them. - All items looted will become automatically bound to the Demon Lord of Greed and Betrayal at 100% probability. - +550% damage when landing a sneak attack on an enemy. - +222% to successfully lie to an NPC. - +666% Attack Power against enemies betrayed by the Demon Lord of Greed and Betrayal. The Black Abyss: Necklace of Greed and Betrayal was, in every sense, a true relic befitting of being a demon lord’s sacred relic. ‘Damn, this thing is insane,’ Siegfried thought, unable to stop marveling at the relic’s power. The Black Abyss: Necklace of Greed and Betrayal was overflowing with jaw-dropping effects. One of them was the ability to steal an enemy’s item upon contact, which could be considered an extremely powerful bonus. Even though the chance was low, the fact that he could steal an enemy’s item by bumping against them could be considered broken. Casually swiping items off of other people was something that no even top-tier Legendary thief-class could achieve. ‘Could I maybe... use this to steal Beowulf’s stuff?’ Of course, Siegfried was not one hundred percent sure whether Beowulf was truly the leader of the Illuminati. He also couldn't say for certain that the artifact dangling on Beowulf’s waist was the Rabbit Foot of Regression. ‘I guess it’s worth a shot.’ Siegfried decided that he would accidentally bump into Beowulf and rub against him the next time they crossed paths. Perhaps he could get a peek into Beowulf’s Inventory or even get his hands on the Rabbit Foot of Regression. ‘Anyway, I’ll think about that later...’ What really caught his attention were the first and second effects of the Black Abyss: Necklace of Greed and Betrayal. ‘I can summon my demon lord true body once enough souls are gathered. That sounds fucking awesome!’ The stats possessed by a demon lord were on par with a Grandmaster. If Siegfried were to descend into the Middle Realm as a demon lord, then Beowulf would be nothing more than a pushover. After all, there was a reason why the demon lords were rulers of the Demon realm. In fact, he could even beat the Dragon Lord, Gerog, if he somehow managed to descend into the Middle Realm without any penalties and wielded his full strength. Siegfried would virtually be untouchable if he were to descend as a demon lord. “I put in a lot of effort to stack it with effects I thought would be helpful to Your Majesty. Also, I heard that Your Majesty primarily operates in the Middle Realm.” “Most of the effects are set to activate in the Middle Realm rather than the Demon Realm. So, what do you think? Do you like it?” Tubal-Cain asked cautiously. He was worried that Siegfried would be displeased by the relic. However, his fears turned out to be unfounded, as Siegfried’s response was the complete opposite of what he feared. “This is perfect. It is the best,” Siegfried said, smiling as he observed his relic. He was thoroughly impressed with the Black Abyss: Necklace of Greed and Betrayal. All of the necklace’s effects were amazing, but what he liked most was the fact that he would eventually be able to unleash the full power of a demon lord in the Middle Realm if he collected enough souls. ‘I’ll be nearly invincible then.’ How powerful would the Lord of Despair be once armed with the stats of a demon lord? Even Siegfried himself couldn’t imagine just how overwhelmingly powerful he would become once he ran amok with the demon lord’s stats. In other words, Tubal-Cain had gifted Siegfried the power to potentially dominate the continent. “Thank you. I will use it well.” “Truly? You mean it?” “Yes, Master Tubal-Cain.” “Bwahaha! Nothing would make this old blacksmith happier if Your Majesty is satisfied with your sacred relic!” Siegfried looked at Tubal-Cain and thought, ‘Blacksmiths really are all the same.’ The way Tubal-Cain acted was not different from Quandt at all. After learning how to properly use Demonic Cross: Hyungseokius and receiving the relic— “By any chance... Is there a way for me to return to the Middle Realm?” “Hm? Why are you asking me about that?” Tubal-Cain asked, looking confused. “Well, that is because you previously mentioned that it is impossible for a demon lord to go to the Middle Realm.” “But I need to go back.” “Huh? No, what I am trying to say is... I want to go back to the Middle Realm, but you said it would be impossible for a demon lord to go, no?” “Yes, it is impossible.” “So, is there anything I can do to go back to the Middle Realm?” “Hey! What I’m saying is that I’m a demon lord now, so—” Siegfried exclaimed in frustration. Tubal-Cain cut him off, “Your Majesty? You are not originally from the Demon Realm, correct?” Then, Tubal-Cain grimaced as if finding the whole thing absurd and said, “You can just go back without any problems.” “Of course, you will not be able to bring the powers and authority of a demon lord with you, but you can return as your previous self.” Only then did Siegfried finally understand what Tubal-Cain meant. ‘So that’s it. I can’t cross over as a demon lord, but I’m free to go back whenever I want in my original form.’ Siegfried could cross over to the Middle Realm, as he was not a native of the Demon Realm. Moreover, he was an Adventurer, so he was not exactly a native of the Middle Realm either, but that was beside the point. “So... I’m free to go back to the Middle Realm?” “Yes, that is correct.” “Then what about descending into the Middle Realm with my current power...?” “That will be impossible. Unless the dimensional boundary collapses or Your Majesty becomes powerful enough to withstand your true body’s powers.” “But if you use your sacred relic, you can exert your full power under certain conditions. Of course, that would only be for a limited amount of time.” “Ah, I understand now,” Siegfried replied with a nod. Then, he thought, ‘I guess it makes sense. While it would be awesome if I could wield all this power, bringing my full power as a demon lord into the Middle Realm would be completely broken. I’m already an overpowered character, so let’s just think of it as gaining another ultimate skill.’ Thinking about it that way made it easier for Siegfried to accept things. Truth be told, expecting to just waltz back into the Middle Realm with the stats of a demon lord was nothing more than wishful thinking to begin with. Some things were simply not meant to be... “In any case, I am really grateful. I will make good use of this relic you crafted. And also...” Siegfried trailed off. Then, he stole a glance at Chae Hyung-Seok and added, “That guy, too.” Siegfried’s mind was already coming up with all sorts of ideas. Creative and absolutely merciless ways to put his new employee, Chae Hyung-Seok, to work. On that same evening... “I’ll be going off now. See you.” Metatron bowed his head as he saw Siegfried off. “I will wrap things up here quickly and be on my way to the Proatine Kingdom, sire.” “Huh? You’re coming, too?” “What about the Demon Realm?” “I will leave it in the hands of Chaos. Things are a bit chaotic right now, so I cannot accompany Your Majesty. But once things are under control, I will head back to the kingdom.” “Why, though? You’re now the ruler of this place, so wouldn’t it be better to just stay here and live in luxury?” “I have pledged myself to serve Your Majesty. I want to serve you and be of service to you,” Metatron said with a smile. “Even if I spent my entire life, I would not be able to repay the grace Your Majesty has shown me. So, how could I stay here in the Demon Realm and abandon you?” “You little punk,” Siegfried smirked, clearly pleased by the response. Then, he thought, ‘This guy is really too soft to be a demon.’ Metatron was a demon, yet he was filial to his father. He was a demon, yet he knew how to be grateful. He was a demon, but he was less like a demon than any demon Siegfried had ever met. “Got it. I’ll see you soon then.” “Please have a pleasant trip back, sire.” Siegfried looked around at his companions and said, “Alright, everyone, let’s go!” In response, Hamchi, Michael, and Shakiro smiled. “Kyuuu! We’re finally going back! Let’s go back to the Middle Realm!” “I was starting to get stuffy from the air here. Let’s go.” “Good work, everyone. Time to head home.” They looked exhausted from their time in the Demon Realm and were eager to return. With everyone ready, Siegfried activated the Black Abyss: Necklace of Greed and Betrayal to open the gate. Then, a portal leading to the Middle realm appeared. ‘Let’s get out of here.’ And just like that, Siegfried and his comrades left the Demon Realm and headed back to where they belonged. Around the same time... The war started by the Holy Alliance caused numerous clashes across the continent. They were from the eastern region of the continent, but they steadily advanced southward, conquering the kingdoms in their path one by one. Then, they moved clockwise as they gradually made their way toward the Marchioni Empire. It was around this time that the Holy Alliance arrived at the Kiev Kingdom. The Kiev Kingdom was considered one of the stronger nations on the continent, yet even they did not last long. After all, how could one kingdom withstand the onslaught of the Holy Alliance, which was composed of five of the continent’s great powers? The Kiev Kingdom’s borders fell in an instant, and the kingdom’s lands were soon trampled beneath the iron greaves of the Holy Alliance’s soldiers. This came as no surprise, as the Kiev Kingdom was not known for its military might among the great powers. To make matters worse, they had just emerged from a devastating civil war last year. That civil war was the very same one sparked by the rebellion of Duke Taranis, who was one of the descendants of Thunder God Vajra. As a result, the defensive lines of the Kiev Kingdom fell in an instant, and only the capital city remained. The heart of the kingdom, Odessa, was barely holding out. Meanwhile, General Taycan, the commander-in-chief of the Kiev Kingdom’s forces, walked solemnly into the throne room. Given the current state of emergency, the throne room was packed with high-ranking officials clad in full armor, all burning with determination to put up a resistance till the bitter end. At the end of the throne room, King Allen sat upon his throne. Taycan knelt before King Allen on one knee and bowed his head. He looked utterly disheveled, proof that he had just returned from the battlefield. “I, Taycan von Stunner, have come to report...” “...Speak,” King Allen said with a grim nod. “Our capital city, Odessa, is about to be surrounded by the enemy. The three armies we sent out have all been... annihilated.” The moment Taycan said those words— “Is this how it ends for our kingdom...?” “W-What should we do...?” Despair fell upon the entire throne room. Since three whole armies were wiped out, then this was truly the end for the Kiev Kingdom. “I see...” King Allen muttered, looking just as shocked as the others. Then, he asked with a heavy voice, “Tell me, what hope do we have of victory?” “There is none,” Taycan replied, shaking his head. Then, he clenched his fists and continued, “With our current strength... we cannot stop them. We may be able to hold out for three days at most, but even that would be difficult.” “Then what must we do to overcome this ordeal?” King Allen asked. “We must ask for aid,” Taycan replied firmly. Then, he said with desperation in his voice, “You must send a plea to the Proatine Kingdom, Your Majesty.” In the end, that was the only option left for the Kiev Kingdom. Taycan decided that seeking help from Siegfried was the only hope they had of surviving this nightmare.