Chapter 900

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"Visepps' alliance with Runcandel has become almost certain," said Kelliark Zipfel as he entered Ragal's office of Poison Demon Castle. 

He had just returned from meeting with Myu, who had recently come from the True Demon World and provided a report about Anne.

"Almost certain... It feels somewhat unsatisfying considering the information we've gathered by losing Siker," Ragal responded.

"Anne died once. However, the time she took to lose her body was too short, so it's likely that it wasn't White Whale but someone else who did it. If it were White Whale, she wouldn't have been able to deal with Anne, who appeared so miserable, in one fell swoop."

"I see. Is that the opinion of your people?"

Your people.

Ragal had not yet met Joshua and the other 'Ganestos.' Of course, he had tortured them when they were prisoners, but since they awakened and went to the world of Lokia, Kelliark had been the only one to make contact with Ganesto.

"Yes, that's right. They know White Whale very well, so their words should be correct. Even when I think of the White Whale I experienced in the past, it couldn't be possible."

"White Whale followed Chiron Runcandel to the Black Sea. Is there a possibility that she transformed into a monster there and became a heartless human with no blood or tears?"

"If that were the case, Chiron wouldn't have allowed White Whale to return. Besides, there hasn't been any information reported about White Whale's behavior in the True Demon World until now. It's almost certain, and I think it's okay to consider Visepps and Runcandel's cooperation as certain, Ragal."

"Well, that's a relief. Siker, he was still a decent guy."

Kelliark sat down and opened a magic tome.

Ragal glanced at him subtly and cleared his throat.

"Ahem! By the way, friend Kelliark, what about the people you just met? Shouldn't you introduce them to me?"

"It's not time for that yet."

"Tsk. Is it because you still can't trust me?"

"It's not that."

"Then why...?"

"Because you still don't know yourself."

"What do you mean, I don't know myself? What kind of nonsense is that, friend Kelliark?"

"You'll gradually understand what I mean. By the way, have you been feeling like your mind is getting clearer while spending time with me lately?"

Ragal took a moment to reflect on the recent past. As Kelliark had mentioned, it seemed that his brain had been rapidly sharpening since he met him.

"Well, it does seem that way. Certainly... I've been less excited or frivolously laughing than before. Even so, when it comes to Lord Zito, I feel like I should appear the same as usual in front of him. So, even if he happens to summon me, I deliberately act more foolish."

The reason for Ragal's change was clear: brainwashing.

As Tilias had explained to Jin, most of Zito's subordinates were currently mentally brainwashed by pain. This meant that many of the high-ranking demons were not in their right minds, which contributed to significantly lowering combat power of most Demon kings compared to the top-tier superhumans.

Although Ragal was unaware of it himself, his brainwashing had been gradually weakening since he met Kelliark.

While the brainwashing could never be completely undone until Zito's death, even this level of improvement brought significant changes to Ragal's life.

"... Oh, interesting. How did this happen? Is it also thanks to you, my friend Kelliark? I only knew that I've been feeling unusually refreshed when I wake up and throughout the day."

"When you truly know yourself, that's when it will be appropriate for you to meet my people."

Ragal couldn't help but admire Kelliark even more.

Although it hadn't been long since Kelliark had revealed his true nature, Ragal was genuinely impressed by the abilities he had demonstrated so far.

The fact that there was a spy from Visepps within Poison Demon Castle was unexpected, and the idea that Visepps had any connection with the human world was beyond Ragal's imagination.

The same goes for the incident where prisoners were secretly removed from the lower level prison and Kelliark's secret communication with some unknown force in the True Demon World without Zito's knowledge.

'It's possible due to the witch's assistance, but this friend Kelliark... the more I see him, the harder it is to underestimate him. He seems to have some enormous ambitions. I wonder if he might even push Lord Zito aside later... Well, I am starting to feel like it could happen.'

Until now, Ragal's desire for recognition was solely directed towards Zito. He had long dreamed of receiving more recognition from Zito, surpassing Paellito, and earning the admiration of all the other Demon Kings.

However, lately, Ragal had been wanting Kelliark's recognition as much as Zito's.

"Hmm! In that case, this adorable Ragal should work harder. By the way, my friend, Demon Kings have been dying too frequently lately. Losing Siker this time could lead to questions from Lord Zito, the Haita family, and even the Chief Strategist."

"Zito probably won't investigate us because of me, and as for the Haita family, maybe I should meet them for once."

"Ah, so you're thinking of swallowing the Haita family too? Just like you did with me?"

"If Siker's second-in-command speaks as eloquently as you did when I first met you, there might not be a need to go that far. You suffered quite a bit at my hands."

"It was dreadful... Honestly, I was overflowing with confidence after sending Elona to the hospital. It was a shock. Now I know that I was able to injure Elona just because of the hostage situation."

Just as Ragal was regaining his intelligence and abilities, the same will happen to the demons of the Haita family when they become Kelliark's subordinates. In Ragal's view, if that were to happen, a figure much stronger and superior to the late Siker would emerge among the Demon King-level demons of the Haita family.

"I just had a thought. Somehow, it feels like you're going to take over the True Demon World in this manner?"

"I've said it before, but my ultimate goal is to reclaim my clan."

"And naturally, the process would require taking control of the True Demon World?"

"You still have a lot of questions. Don't worry about losing Demon Kings. The battle at the defensive wall is in full swing, so the Chief Strategist won't have the time to question you about the Siker issue. Druga Kilet survived, and above all, even if many Demon Kings have died, the overall combat power of the True Demon World is actually increasing."

"Thanks to the souls you've resurrected along with your own people, right?"

-To think you've already found five souls worth using among Zipfels... Meeting you has been quite lucky, hasn't it?

Ragal had said this to Kelliark shortly after taking him from Zito.

Whether back then or now, Kelliark was still searching for 'usable souls' by scouring the depths of Hell.

And among the souls he had collected, there were even those who were not Zipfel. Notable figures like Kidard Hall.

"That's right, Ragal."

"Hmm, I wonder if Lord Zito is tolerating this because of the Witch or if he genuinely doesn't know about their existence. Nevertheless, are they really stronger than the deceased Demon Kings?"

"They, too, were once beings who ruled over the human world or were specially revered. They are far superior to the Demon Kings who didn't meet their original status."

"Things are certainly getting interesting in many ways... Anyway, what's next? We've confirmed the alliance between Visepps and Runcandel, so what should we do now? Should we spread false information to Visepps's spy and force Luna Runcandel to confront her siblings directly?"

"No, not yet. Anne hasn't awakened, so I haven't heard the details, but she must have used her power before losing her body. So, whoever killed Anne, the Vamel alliance would have reported it, and the White Whale will not hesitate to strike down her siblings who were in Hell."

"Then it might be difficult to use the remaining siblings to erode White Whale's mind."

"We should wait for a while, and in the meantime, we can establish contact with the Haita family and similar other families. While Zito's forces and the Vamel alliance are fighting, we can watch both sides get exhausted. However, there is one thing you might like."

"Oh, something I might like? What is it?"

"We need to make one of the Demon Kings of the Belgasyum family my subordinate."

Ragal's eyes widened.

"Surely, you're not talking about Paellito... So, it must be Layla Belgasyum?"

"That's right. Layla Belgasyum, that person possesses power close to the Genesis Knight, even though she doesn't know herself. I plan to make her deal with the White Whale in the future."

"Oh... Layla is currently carrying out Lord Zito's secret orders. And, though I hate to admit it, Layla is much stronger than me. Of course, if it's you, you can crush Layla anytime, but length and shortness are determined by perspective, you know?"

"Sometimes, you can know something clearly without needing to verify it. However, I have no intention of fighting Layla Belgasyum. If we simply exchange a few words, she will betray Zito and join me."

Ragal couldn't quite imagine the stubborn and arrogant Layla acting that way, but he nodded his head.

"If you say so, then I suppose that's the case. I'm just not sure where exactly the part that I would like is in all of this."

"If Layla joins me, you'll have a higher rank than her, so isn't that a good thing?"

Ragal chuckled and burst into laughter.

"Well, of course...! As expected, there's no one else who thinks of me like you do!"

"Send an invitation to Layla. Tell her that there's something I need to tell her about Zito's secret order. She'll have no choice but to come, even if she doesn't want to."

"What? Do you actually know the contents of that secret order? That's creepy... Alright, I'll call Layla immediately. Heh heh, once she becomes your subordinate, I'll double all the insults I've received so far, Layla."

Ragal started writing the invitation, and Kelliark closed the magic tome and lost in thoughts.

He thought about Myu Ganesto, whom he had just met. During their conversation, based on his 'insight,' she seemed to be hiding something from him.

'If the Ganestos already have something to hide from me... Could it be information about the Fire Dragons that were sealed in the past? I'll have to confirm it properly when I meet Ran Ganesto or Vigo Ganesto next time. Using my insight against Joshua is a burdensome task.'

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