In a corner of the royal palace. The place that would be considered the courtyard in an ordinary mansion.
While it was a courtyard, it was large enough for Grulf to run around in.
But though we had only just dispelled the mist, it was already filling up once again.
âCluck?â
âPlease do.â
âCock-a-doodle-doooo!!â
Cried Lord Gerberga, and the mist was swept away at once.
âThere is nothing here?â
But once it was gone, it seemed like there was nothing there. Even a quick search with magic did not detect anything.
And so I used Magic Detection and Magic Exploration very carefully, and then I finally caught a presence.
âItâs you. Hurry up and die.â
At the same time, I created Magic Lance and launched it towards the presence.
But before it could reach him, Dark Ray was shot in our direction.
Dark Ray was the magic that the Evil God head had used previously.
As I could not allow it to hit us, I created a barrier to block it completely.
âThatâs what I should be saying to you. Hero ape.â
It was the True Ancestor who was hiding here. And judging by the quality of the magic energy, it must be the real one.
It was very similar to the one I killed yesterday. Just a little weaker.
And at the True Ancestorâs feet, there was a complex magic circle carved into the ground.
I unsheathed the Devil King Sword and attacked the True Ancestor.
Eric and Goran did the same. Even without exchanging any words, we were able to coordinate.
But the True Ancestor dodged our slash attacks and blocked with barriers. However, he did not attack.
There was no doubt that he was planning something.
âWhatâs the matter? You are usually much more talkative. You might be able to get some information from me?â
âI doubt youâll say anything that is important.â
âThat is true. You are smart for an ape, Ruck.â
As the True Ancestor dodged our fierce attacks, it laughed with amusement.
It was as if he was telling us that his hidden plan was moving along smoothly.
âWell, itâs you, after all. So you must be planning to revive the Evil God?â
The dark ones had been trying to bring back the Evil God for a while.
âIndeed. However, it was never a secret? You boast about knowing something so obvious. People may call you a sage, but you are really just an ape after all.â
The True Ancestor looked at me mockingly.
âYou lured us away from the palace, tore a hole in the divine protection, and concealed what you were doing with mist.â
âYes. And what of it?â
The True Ancestor waived his right hand.
And then Vampire Lords appeared all around us. There were fifteen in all.
âLeave them to us.â
âWe can manage it if there are this many!â
âGrau!â
Serulis, Shia, and Grulf all attacked the Lords.
With brilliant coordination, they sent the Lords to their graves, one after another.
I also unleashed some magic at the Lords while slashing at the True Ancestor with my sword.
âThe mist is the key to your plan, isnât it?â
He had gotten rid of us because we would be in the way. After all, we were always stopping the dark ones whenever they attempted something.
Of course, that was obvious, and not really a clue.
As for the hole in the Divine Protection, that was to use the mist.
The mist was made of Arch Vampires. They could not be active under the Divine Protection.
âYou are wrong. No surprise, since youâre just an ape.â
The True Ancestor laughed cheerfully.
âHow many Archs did you turn into mist? Surely losing this many Archs will have a negative impact on future operations?â
âThere is no need for you to act concerned.â
âSo this is the final operation. In this mist, you will complete your ultimate goal.â
âYes, weâve always been trying to revive the Evil God. As I said before, this was never a secret.â
The True Ancestorâs expression was still filled with confidence.
âBesides, an ape like you would not be able to understand how we will accomplish it.â
âShould you really be that confident? After all, you are about to die here.â
âI do not fear death. As long as the Lord Evil God returns, my life means little.â
So not only was he sacrificing numerous Arch Vampires, but he meant to sacrifice himself as well.
(The return of the Evil God. The problem was the methodâŠ)
I thought about it while fighting.
There was no doubt that it was related to the magic circle that the True Ancestor was preparing while being concealed in the mist.
It looked similar to a teleportation circle, but was completely different.
It was only yesterday that I drew a magic teleportation circle that connected Margueriteâs mansion with the royal capital.
And so I could say with certainty that it was different.
That being said, I hadnât been able to analyze this magic circle either.
It was too complicated. If I wanted to analyze it, I would have to take a seat and inspect it carefully. And that would take hours.
âI suppose you mean to sacrifice the citizens of the royal capital, in order to revive the Evil God?â
Even though I couldnât analyze the magic circle, there were only so many actions that the enemy could take to achieve their goal.
âAnd so you had to destroy the divine protection, in order to enact your plan of using all of the dark ones to slaughter the people of this city?â
ââŠHmph!â
The Trust Ancestor snorted. However, I thought I saw a moment of franticness in the depths of his eyes.